A Closer Look at the Traditional View of Karma

The argument presented in the last post is roughly analogous to the theist’s claim that without belief in an afterlife and a just God, there is no solid foundation for morality, and it suffers from the same weaknesses as that claim. For all its flaws, the argument, in one form or another, is called upon to justify the oft-heard assertion that karma is the bedrock of Buddhist and Hindu ethics, a proposition that is open to challenge on more than one front, and the even more dubious claim that without the doctrines of karma, rebirth and samsara to support it, the whole edifice of Buddhism would collapse. I do not subscribe to that point of view. On the contrary, I am inclined to suppose the body of the Buddha-Dharma could survive the excision of karma theory, together with much of the cosmology, and yet live to a ripe old age.

To restate in brief the moral component of karma theory: underlying the various conceptual schemata associated with the doctrines of karma and rebirth is the assumption that the universe itself, or the totality of natural laws according to which it carries on, is fundamentally just. It is maintained that the fairness alleged to be built into the impersonal working of cosmic forces is necessary in order to arouse and sustain moral striving. Furthermore, it is claimed that, unless it were certain that every person received reward and punishment for every morally significant act, there would be no reason to be good or to strive for moral improvement. There are difficulties with this position, to put it mildly. Here are three to think about. (1) The fact of universal moral justice has yet to be demonstrated. On the contrary, a child can see that life is not fair. (2) The assertion, that moral sensitivity and ethical living cannot occur in the absence of faith in unproven religious teachings, is demonstrably false. We all know non-religious people who are good. (3) There is abundant evidence that carrot-and-stick morality often fails to get the desired result. That is just the beginning of the difficulties with these doctrines.

In the article for which I provide a link below, the author discusses some of the real-life consequences of holding to certain of the teachings about karma and result.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amarnath-amarasingam/the-problem-with-karma-no_b_831093.html