The Karma of a Nation
The Sanskrit word karma has essentially become part of the English lexicon. Who is not at least somewhat familiar with the way it’s taken on a “what goes around comes around” sort of meaning in everyday parlance? Which is not really too bad a definition, as far as it goes. If you start doing a little research, though, you’ll find that there’s actually quite a range of thought about the true nature of this thing we call karma . On one hand are very precise definitions, like karma being the result of action coupled with intention. On the other are very broad implications of metaphysical import, like if your good karma outweighs your bad karma by the time you pass on, then you’ll enjoy a favorable rebirth. Otherwise… Each of these extremes raises questions of its own. The former, for instance, begs the question: “If I do something that causes harm unintentionally, do I still accumulate bad karma?” The latter requires us to begin discussing concepts like souls and the precise “mec