I grew up in New Jersey and as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism). I no longer live in NJ and I’m no longer a participant in that faith. Life changes. My point in bringing these origin points up is that neither one directly lends to the teaching or understanding of karma, which means my understanding of karma is primarily drawn from movies, television, books, and music. More recently, I’ve learned how karma appears in several religious and philosophical traditions with differing interpretations. I’m not breaking new ground regarding karma, I’m simply exploring my own understanding.
I’m sure one of my earliest experiences with karma was learned through The Simpsons. Much of what I’ve learned in life between December 1989 and the early 2000’s came that way. I’m not ashamed. Based on my pop-culture understanding, karma was a form of judgment: punishment or reward for past behavior. “Karma will catch up with you eventually.” That sort of thing. A variation of the Golden Rule, or perhaps the result of it. And this approach always made sense to me as explained, and could serve as a guide. If I feel anger and want to take it out on someone, I might remember that karma will repay me in kind for whatever I dish out. And then perhaps I decide against lashing out in anger. And this is where today’s understanding of karma comes in.
What if karma is a teacher instead of a judge? It’s not that my actions generate punishment, but that my actions might reveal a lesson I haven’t yet learned. And sometimes the hardest times are the greatest teachers. Why is this challenge showing up in my life? Let’s imagine I was rude to a clerk in the store last week. Today I am facing a challenge communicating with someone else. Is this a punishment for my past behavior, or did my past behavior indicate an area I may need further instruction in and now life is presenting this opportunity? Whether through spiritual influence or because of my own awareness.
Karma as judgment: I did something wrong, and now something unpleasant must happen to me because of it.
Karma as education: I did something that revealed something about myself that I might benefit from understanding.
A friend of mine described karma as a relationship. I wish I could recall more about that angle, but I’ve since lost it, that’s the only part that remains. Since it comes to mind now, I’ll wonder if maybe it’s because karma is a relationship between me—the physical, ego-directed self—and the universe—or God, my authentic self, or soul. I’m not certain of the details, but I believe that life serves a purpose for spiritual growth and within this purpose there are seasons for learning and seasons for proving. Just like in school there are units of education followed by a test. Failing a test often leads to revisiting the material and new testing. Could this be how karma operates?
Sometimes an idea comes to center stage and demands my attention. When that happens, I try to consider it, whether from a new perspective or an old understanding. I wonder why it’s showing up now. It doesn’t have to mean anything, but I’ll consider if it does. Today, I’m considering whether I want to see karma as my judge or my teacher.
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