Karma

Someone once tried to explain the laws of karma (the laws of cause and effect), by using a metaphor. They asked us to imagine a figure in the sky that not only watches everything we do, but rewards us with blessings for our good deeds, and punishes us with bad luck for each harmful act.

While the intentions of that metaphor were sincere, karma isn't judgment, it's consequence. We are the ones responsible.

If you steal from someone today, for example, it must be because you don't fully understand the pain of being robbed (for if you truly did, you wouldn't steal). You essentially set the universe in motion to cause someone else to steal from you one day, so that you can understand what it feels like. This will happen again and again (over multiple lifetimes) until you finally understand and vow to never steal again. Come to think of it, this can be seen as a wonderful reward, for you are given the opportunity to learn something new. It is good practice to think of everyone we meet as a teacher.

Buddhism not only honors everyone's path, but respects where everyone currently is on their path. That is why we don't have a list of commandments, so to speak, but a gentle invitation to be more mindful and aware. If you want to familiarize yourself with the precepts, I recommend reading Thich Nhat Hanh's literary gem, "For a future to be possible".

What lesson have you learned in the past but haven't yet vowed to never do to someone else (or to yourself) again?