Do you believe in Karma?

Question

By Karma I mean to treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. If you do something to harm another person it will come back to you. Basically what goes around comes around.
This is my definition of it.

Answer 1

Yes, I do. It just seems right. For me it is almost instant. I can't maintain bad feelings for long. I get very ill, so I have to maintain a good outlook on life, and do my best to be a good person. In answer to some of the above statements...
I am also a Christian, and although Christ doesn't use the word "Karma," (why would he - he spoke Aramaic?) his teachings as stated above, clearly teach the idea of Karma. Christians also say that there is no reincarnation in the Bible, but Jesus is clearly asked if he is "Elijah come again." Elijah was a famous prophet from the old testament who did not die, but was carried to Heaven in a fiery chariot. When you point these things out to Christians how purportedly believe every word of the Bible is true, they just look at you and say, "Huh?" So don't be upset by some of these answers. Your inquiry and your intelligence are gifts from God.

Answer 2

The word kamma (commonly pronounced karma in western languages) litterally means "action". Therefore, one cannot disbelieve in kamma since action is happening all around us at every moment.

When you add onto it various religious applications (such as reap what you sow, good kamma versus bad kamma, etc) then it becomes a matter of belief. There have been many good arguements both for and against by previous answerers. All of them have been based on what that person believes in whether it be math, Christianity, Buddhism, etc. But kamma knows no religion. It just is what it is. There is no good kamma and there is no bad kamma. There is just kamma. It is not a case of what you sow, so shall you reap either. Kamma may predispose one toward certain thoughts based on that person's actions and the results of those actions and the way the person reacts to those results and so on. You can see all through that example that it is all "action" of some sort. One can also use their own volition (another fancy word for action) to overcome adverse thoughts and actions. But no matter what, it all boils down to action.

In other words, if one takes any action of any kind, they are involved in kamma. Take a breath and you are exercising kamma. Kill a man and you are exercising kamma.

Now, from a Buddhist perspective, kamma can be compared to a kite tail. The longer the tail (the more kamma) the lower to the earth the kite. The shorter the tail, the higher the kite can rise. Therefore, accumulating kamma (by performing acts that require some sort of repayment I guess you could say) one is subject to more lifetimes to "repay" that debt. Spending kamma (by performing acts that shorten your kammic tail) allows one to decrease the number of times to be reborn.

Clear as mud? Yeah, it was for me when I first began studying kamma, too. But as one begins to educate ones self, the concept is easier to grasp over time.

The answer to your question is "yes".

Answer 3

If by that you mean do good unto others because it will come back to you, yes. If you consider today's world it is less likely because we have such extended networks of friends and acquantancies. However, if everyone does some good, undoubtedly this will propagate and on average will lead to more morally responsible decisions which you or a close relative might reap. The idea is not completely baloney. When our ancestors lived in closely knit groups this was probably the norm rather than the exception since the "good" was done to your close family. This rule of thumb seems to have followed us to his day, being preserved since it yields positive outcomes for those who practise what it preaches.

Answer 4

No, I don't Val. But I do believe that "what you sow you will also reap." Meaning that you will suffer the consequences of what ever it is that you did. If a person decides to cheat on their spouse, they will have to suffer the consequences, which in this case, could be alot.
So, I don't think that by treating someone bad, that you will be treated bad by others in return. Or by treating others good, that you will receive the same in return. There have been many people who have done good, and haven't had the same returned to them. But, God says, they will be rewarded in heaven.

Answer 5

Yes. I've done some pretty under-handed things before, and it seems to me like nowadays it's coming back to haunt me. I don't 'believe' in it working all the time though, because if it did, then a lot of rapist, child molesters, and so on would be getting what they deserve...

Answer 6

Karma is whatever u sow u will reap, and yea that is so true. The bible says do to others as you would them to do to you. Yes I believe in treating people the way I want to be treated.

Answer 7

I believe in the Biblical version of Karma which is pretty much the same as you described it only the Bible allows for the possibility that someone can get away with doing bad in this life but they will one day have to stand before God and then it will be pay back time.

NIRV Galatians 6:7 Don't be fooled. You can't outsmart God. A man gathers a crop from what he plants. 8 Some people plant to please their sinful nature. From that nature they will harvest death. Others plant to please the Holy Spirit. From the Spirit they will harvest eternal life. 9 Let us not become tired of doing good. At the right time we will gather a crop if we don't give up. 10 So when we can do good to everyone, let us do it. Let us make a special point of doing good to those who belong to the family of believers.

Answer 8

Yes absolutely. Cause and effect. Karma is definitely a truth.

Answer 9

If it includes the past life theory, then no. I believe that we only get one life. However, I place no limits on the omniscience of God.

If there is such a thing as Karma, then I should be living a much better life than I have for the past 15 yrs. Instead, I have been gradually deteriorating from chronic disease.

Go figure.

Answer 10

Val V, the doctrine of karma is a common concept in Hinduism, Buddhism, and New Age thought.

Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism agree that our misery stems from “bad karma”—in other words, we reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7). We have sown sin and are reaping death (Rom. 6:23). We have rejected God’s love and chosen alienation.

The difference, however, lies in the prognosis. People who subscribe to the doctrine of karma do good deeds so their good karma will outweigh their bad karma, insuring a better reincarnation in the life to come. Christians, on the other hand, believe that since we are unable to escape the ultimate consequence of our “bad karma” (whose wages is death), we need to trust in the “good karma” of Jesus Christ, which is grace.

Val V, you need to trust in “good karma” of Christ alone for your salvation.