"There is another issue that has important implications for how Buddhism will adapt to a more global role in the future. Karma has been used to rationalize racism, caste, economic oppression, birth handicaps and everything else. Taken literally, karma justifies the authority of political elites, who therefore must deserve their wealth and power, and the subordination of those who have neither. It provides the perfect theodicy: if there is an infallible cause-and-effect relationship between one's actions and one's fate, there is no need to work toward social justice, because it's already built into the moral fabric of the universe. In fact, if there is no undeserved suffering, there is really no evil that we need to struggle against. It will all balance out in the end.
"I remember a Buddhist teacher's reflections on the Holocaust...'What terrible karma those Jews must've had...' This kind of fundamentalism, which blames the victims and rationalizes their horrific fate, is something no longer to be tolerated quietly. It is time for... modern Buddhism to outgrow it by accepting social responsibility and finding ways to address such injustices."
--David Loy
Money Sex War Karma
"I remember a Buddhist teacher's reflections on the Holocaust...'What terrible karma those Jews must've had...' This kind of fundamentalism, which blames the victims and rationalizes their horrific fate, is something no longer to be tolerated quietly. It is time for... modern Buddhism to outgrow it by accepting social responsibility and finding ways to address such injustices."
--David Loy
Money Sex War Karma
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@ Jerry - It's interesting that you addressed me on a topic I didn't comment about. Please reread what I wrote and I look forward to reading your response.
Your comment has me wondering what you where thinking when you typed my name.
Where you implying?
Where you speedy?
Where you producing spin?
Where you basing it from an indirect experience?
I'm just curious about that. Would your response be the same if I was Ellen, Ethan or GZA......etc.
Anyone can take any subject, and skew it so negatively that it loses all connection to any meaning it truly has.
That is just a game of rhetoric and spin and has no connection to anything real whatsoever.
Just because you can find a line of argumentation that makes Hitler look like a good guy, doesn't mean there is any validity there.
Karma is a term used to describe an actual experience. It is a term used to describe an aspect of the Cosmic Laws that exist and function.
When Christ said, we will "reap what we sow" - he was talking about Karma.
When everyone of the major world religions talk about the price of sin, they are talking about karma.
Karma is simply the force of actions. All actions we take...whether in the physical world or the emotional or mental world, rebound upon us. That is the nature of how the Universe works. And that karma extends to the actions we took in previous incarnations.
If we did wrong to others, wrong is going to return to us. But it is not some simple math equation...because spiritual devotions destroy bad karma.
Karma is just describing some of the forces at play around us. Awareness of that is supposed to help inspire us to lead a highly moral life. That is why the saints who discovered the working of these laws revealed them to humanity.
But it is the great beauty of a pure life that is the purpose, not the "math calculations" of the universe's ability to provide retribution or some other negative way of perceiving karma.
A thought provoking exchange. Everyone has a point. I agree with the last comment and referance to reaping what you sow. It is such an easy definition about khamma and what it is.
PnL
Dick
Hi David...
Congrats on the new blog! I really want to appreciate your interesting blog. I hope you will updates this blog regularly. I am sure you really loved being in touch with the audience and speaking and spitting out around. You have done great work. keep it up!
It seems that the author in this doesn't understand how karma works.
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