What is Karma?

What is Karma

And How Does it Work?

Q: In a nutshell, I'd like to know what is karma, and how can I use it in my life in an effective way.

A: What is karma?

Karma is an impersonal teaching tool of the universe. Whatever you put out, positive or negative, comes back to you in equal measure.

Karma means literally "action." It does not mean punishment, although we sometimes punish ourselves by what we do—when the results of our actions return to us.

As I said, there is no desire to punish latent in the karmic mechanism. Its intention is to teach us valuable lessons.

A hot stove doesn't want to punish you when you place your hand on it. But if you left your hand there you would destroy it. Similarly, over time the law of karma teaches us what to do and what not to do.

How can we make use of this universal law? How can we apply it to our benefit?

The law of karma gives us a very logical reason for practicing the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

When we understand that everything we do to others comes back to us, it compels us to practice introspection. Over time we develop the habit of pausing before doing anything that might harm others. Finally, non-violence and compassion become second nature to us. And gradually, we begin to see that the universe treats us differently, as much through the karmic law as through what we are magnetizing to ourselves by our thoughts, feelings, visualizations, and actions.

There is much more to say: about how karma is based on the essential duality of the universe, and so on. But this will suffice as a brief answer to your question: "what is karma."

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If you would like to know more about “what is karma” and how it functions, one of the best ways is to read actual historical examples of the karmic law in action. Click on my reincarnation stories webpage, and discover some of the secret karmic connections hidden in the pages of history.