u/I-have-NoEnemies

Usually when People come across the word Karma they assume that it's a sort of reaction to the action we do. Immediately they start linking or connecting the bad or good circumstances, to the bad or good actions they have done or possibly have done in the past (some even go to an extent of connecting to the actions of past life).

Well according to my Buddhist understanding, that concept is almost right but needed a little more nuance. Let’s understand this through case study:

Case 1: Take Person A, he is prohibited from drinking water freely from anywhere, restricted from living in any place, most of the people avoid any contact with him.

Case 2: Now take Person B, he is also prohibited from drinking water freely from anywhere, restricted from living in any place, most of the people avoid any contact with him.

So some may assume both Persons, A and B, might have done some Bad Karma, for them to attract such circumstances. Do you assume that way 🤨? Now let me introduce the twist, Person A is a Criminal who ruthlessly killed many people and is rotting in Jail. While Person B is Dr. B. R Ambedkar, Father of Indian Constitution.

Now the equation changes, circumstances of Person A are a clear result of his bad karma, but the circumstances of Ambedkar are in no way a result of Bad Karma.

Even if you bring the metaphysical concept of past life Karma to justify the circumstances of Ambedkar, in that logic, does bad karma in a previous life lead to a birth like Ambedkar’s? That becomes the anomaly of Karma.

And here's the irony, they both were subjected to the same material conditions or circumstances, weren't they? But they both exist in different realities. So that's where the nuance is, Karma shapes not just your circumstance but your existence in it. It conditions the way you see, the way you think, the way you take on the circumstances you are subjected to and how you live through those circumstances.

Compromising with your circumstances or viewing other's circumstances in the lens of Karma leads to a narrow outlook.

“Karma shapes how we exist within circumstances, not just the circumstances.”

PS:Good Karma is not the ultimate point btw, but that doesn't mean you are free to do Bad Karma 😅, there's a whole philosophical and spiritual understanding for the ultimate, which you can explore on your own as per your interest.

Also, don't trouble yourself guessing, I deliberately used that example to dismantle the age-old association of Karma with Caste, at the same time debunking the fatalistic understanding of Karma.