“Karma is nothing but the Law of Cause and Effect operating in the realm of human life and bringing about adjustments between an individual and other individuals whom he has affected by his thoughts, emotions and actions.” – I.K. Taimni
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The permanent thing in this world, so goes a popular saying, is change.
In his social media account, a close friend posted this statement: “Change is necessary for a better life. The same things will happen repeatedly until you learn this law. This is karma’s way of telling you that you have a lesson to learn before change will occur.”
What caught my attention was the word “karma.” From the statement above, you get a gist that the philosophy of karma is “closely associated with the idea of rebirth; it is commonly taught in many schools of Indian religions (specifically Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism), Shintoism and Taoism” (Wikipedia).
Karma, which comes from Sanskrit word, is the executed “deed,” “work,” “action,” or “act.” It is also the “object” or “intent.” In her German book, Wilhelm Halbfass explains karma by contrasting it with another Sanskrit word “kriya.”
Wikipedia explains: “The word ‘kriya’ is the activity along with the steps and effort in action, while ‘karma’ is the executed action as a consequence of that activity, as well as the intention of the actor behind an executed action or a planned action. A good action creates good karma, as does good intent. A bad action creates bad karma, as does bad intent.”
Another friend once told me that he doesn’t believe in “gaba,” the Bisayan term for karma. Cebu Dictionary defines gaba as “punishment which comes as a natural consequence of some transgressions, especially a moral transgression.”
Thus, we often hear someone saying: “Ang iyang sakit mauy gaba nga gihatag sa Ginoo.” (His sickness is the punishment which the Lord imposed on him).
Lillian C. Garcia, in a paper published by the University of San Carlos Publications, took a closer look at this gaba phenomenon among Filipinos. It is “a first, exploratory study of the content of gaba as it is understood among Cebuano speakers.”
When people talk about gaba, it centers on the concepts of “curse” or “divine retribution.” “Is gaba something brought on by a curse uttered by a person?” Garcia wondered. “And if we must understand it as divine retribution, what brings it on? That it does not mean ‘curse’ in the sense of an imprecation uttered by somebody is suggested by the fact that this is usually rendered by the Cebuano term ‘tunglo’ not ‘gaba.’
“‘Gaba,’ on the other hand, may strike people without anybody uttering a curse, as if by some law of nature, for any misdeed they may have committed,” wrote Garcia in her paper, “Some Observations on the Gaba Phenomenon.”
The Philippines is considered the only Christian country in Asia. So why do some Filipinos believe in karma? Is it because they subscribe to the idea that “what goes around comes around”?
Mary Jo Meadow says karma is akin to “Christian notions of sin and its effects.” She explains that the Christian teaching on a Last Judgement according to one’s charity is a teaching on karma.
Christianity also teaches morals such as one reaps what one sows (read Galatians 6:7) and live by the sword, die by the sword (Matthew 26:52). However, most Christian scholars pointed out that the concept of Last Judgement is different from karma. “Karma is an ongoing process that occurs every day in one’s life while Last Judgement is a one-time review at the end of life.”
Reincarnation is taught by true believers in karma. “Reincarnation is the rebirth of the soul in a new body,” explains Jeff Shirley, a Christian pastor and author of “Are Karma and Christianity Compatible?” “Depending on the religion or particular philosophy, the soul can make an appearance as another person, animal or plant as it makes its way to an eventual escape from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
“Since every action must be rewarded and most do not get fully compensated in this lifetime, it makes it a necessity for a person to return again and again to satisfy the karma that is coming to them,” Shirley continued.
The Bible does not teach about reincarnation but resurrection. “We don’t have multiple chances to get it right if we don’t do it in this life,” Shirley wrote. “And when we die, we don’t come back as an insect or a cow. Nor do we become a different person. The writer of Hebrews informs us: ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement (Hebrews 9:27).’”
Shirley also talked about the law of harvest (the reaping and sowing), from which most people equate the Christian worldview of karma. “The Christian teaching is that God created all things and that He placed within nature and the spiritual realm a law that cannot be broken without consequences. That law is the law of the harvest,” he explained.
However, there are things that need to be clarified with this law. “The first is that you reap what you sow. If you sow apples, you don’t get pears. You will get apples. Negatively, if you plant thorns and thistles, that is what you will get as well.
“Secondly, you reap more than what you sow. You plant one apple seed and you will receive multiple apples.
“Thirdly, sowing and reaping are proportional. If you sow sparingly you reap sparingly. If you bountifully, you will reap bountifully.
“Finally, you reap later than you sow. A farmer cannot expect to get a crop a day after he plants the seed. It takes time and cultivation in order to reap an abundant harvest.”
Shirley’s conclusion: “When all is said and done, it is God who is the perfect and holy judge of all the earth. He will see that righteousness is rewarded and that sin is punished. When we cite karma as the force that will do these things, we are taking the glory away from the One who alone deserves our fear and our praise.”
