Karma and the Law of Cause and Effect

Karma—the Cosmic Boomerang

Chambered Nautilus A simple example of the law of cause and effect is the tossing of a boomerang. When you toss it, it always comes back. In everyday life, we hear the saying often, “What goes around comes around!” Others may express it the way Jesus did in Galatians 6:7, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.” The Sanskrit word for this concept is karma. We hear this term often, yet many of us have not taken the time to ponder the implications of this universal law.

The Law of Free Will

Consider the much-repeated question, “Why does God allow bad things to happen?” This involves a law that is closely related to the law of cause and effect—the law of free will. Free will implies noninterference by God in the lives of humanity. Free will is a necessary ingredient for the evolution of the soul. In being allowed to create our own reality, our own future, we can see the consequences of our actions, the results of the law of cause and effect, which can ultimately teach us right action…if we pay attention. The two laws complement one another—you can’t have one without the other.

The Golden Rule—Alchemy for a Wonderful Life

The Golden Rule, taught by Jesus and other spiritual masters, is a one-sentence guideline for living successfully. You will find various wordings of the Golden Rule in Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam and Jainism. The teaching, simply stated, in Matthew 7:12 is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Once we understand karma, which is the law of cause and effect, we understand that we can create a wonderful future for ourselves and accelerate our consciousness if we treat others the way we would like to be treated. Some have called this “enlightened self-interest;” and that it truly is.

Applying the Golden Rule is basic if we wish to live a rewarding and joyous life. As we ponder these universal laws, we accelerate our awakening; and through right choices, we attain to higher levels of consciousness.

—Ronald Dubrawsky
Eugene, Oregon