Hello, thanks for listening to this Darma podcast. I hope you consider that in accordance

with the Buddhist tradition all of my work is a teacher is offered without charge and supported

entirely by donations only. If you'd like to support this work you'll find a

paypal button on darmopunks NYC.com. On our website you'll find resources

in a free sample from my wisdom publications book unsubscribed which is available at

bookstores and online retail outlets. Thanks for listening.

Onward to a talk on a contemporary take on karma. What is karma? Why is it important? How does it work?

Well, there are different views of karma

that were propagated by the Buddha,

and karma as an idea was something that of course predate Buddhism

Buddhism goes back 2,500 years.

karma goes back well over 3,000 years.

And different spiritual paths in the Indus Valley

region had different conceptions of what

karma was, the Brahmins, the Janes, the Hindus had various different belief systems

wrapped around it. The Hindus actually used karma as a way to justify the caste system.

In many suitas, the Buddha does present the universe is a closed system with a kind of mechanistic quality that keeps

track of our actions and doles out just retribution if we've done painful things.

One Suita, the Wepaca Suita, the Buddha says, Friends, intentionally taking life, stealing, or other rampant misconduct

leads directly to a living hell than a rebirth as a common animal or a hungry ghost. You would be reborn into this realm where you would have

constant craving with an absolute inability to feel satiated. The hungry

ghost was this sort of spectral figure that had this gigantic belly and appetite

...