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Karma The expression ‘Karma’ is often used in modern society to indicate that people who act destructively will get their just deserts and similarly, people who do ‘good deeds’ will be rewarded. What goes around, comes around. In one sense this would appear to be obvious. If you antagonise someone, they may get back at you. If you upset someone in business they may not want to deal with you again. What isn't often appreciated is that according to this law the effects of actions are determined by the intention behind them. I've written many times on how people can be misguided in their intentions and can act out of guilt or fear of condemnation rather than a genuine desire to help. In fact, real help can often appear to be malicious to the casual observer. An employer who lays off staff and puts the long-term interests of the company above the short-term interests of the employees may be doing the right thing. An employer who then attempts to evade responsibilities for redundancy payments may not. People who are in touch with their spiritual selves can be guided by their conscience and those who have refined their intuitive abilities may be able to obey the voice of their Lord. Such people will perform acts that bring about ‘good karma’. Christian morality works on the basis of the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them”. As a rule of thumb, it is a good one. It promotes thinking before we act and consideration of the effects of our actions on others, but many Christians have interpreted this to mean that we must not inflict pain on another (even as punishment), as we would not want pain inflicted on ourselves. The injunction, however, is not “Do unto others as they want to be done by”. The Buddhist law of Karma is a deeper insight into the effects of our actions than the Christian saying. There is a natural harmony in the Universe and constructive and destructive actions bring about their own results in the same way as water balances out to its own level when placed in a tube.