bruddafred

Here is an explanation of karma from a "believing" source. I believe it is correct to say that those who believe in karma consider it a universal cause and effect process. That is to say, whether or not you believe, it applies. Not believing would be evidence of a lack of enlightenment. Karma is an example of how Buddhism is as hag-ridden by superstition as is any other religion.

Every thread benefits from a soundtrack.


Seriously, though, the question, I think, is whether others' beliefs should matter in the sense of karma. And that strikes me as an awfully tenuous thing to hang karma on. Plus the limited sentience of animals (e. g. you're bad, you turn into a bug in the next life or whatever, and good bugs are reincarnated as kittens, etc.) would seem to indicate that actual, sentient belief is unnecessary for any part of the process.

There's no good or bad Karma, only Karma. Good and bad are in Maya.

What goes around comes around.

There's nothing particularly mystical about this.

If you are a jerk and treat people poorly, there's a very good chance (irrespective of cosmic forces) that you will be treated poorly.

Karma is an article of faith since there is no way of knowing each and every aspect of anyone's life. It often seems that good people suffer bad outcomes and bad people skate through life. No one really knows how good the good person is or how the bad person actually feels about his or her life.