Karma, any scientific explanation?

Yes I think it can be explained "scientifically" I think that the actions you take will make someone act a certain way towards others, and that will continue like dominoes falling till it comes back your way. That's why its good to follow the golden rule of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." If you don't want to get treated bad, then don't treat others badly. But also you can stop karma. Someone does something bad to you, its probably some bad karma they are just passing on. Don't let it pass. Just stop it right there, and instead pass on something good.

I believe in the Law of Karma, as I had posted in another discussion on the same subject. As for Scientific Explanation - nothing would fit totally. If you state it like Newton's Third law.It talks of "equal" - which in physics would mean measure for measure. Well, Karma wouldn't operate in such a measurable manner! For example, Jenaisle, in your sample case, certainly the "measure" of help received by you may not match, what you did. Let's say you carried a bag weighing 30 Kgs. The help you would have received could have been for 15Kgs or 45 Kgs. Then you have to resort to other explanations like the "timeliness" of the help, and the similarity of situation, to compensate for the "difference" in measure. If you take the Law of Karma without taking the companion concept of rebirth you will run into too many contradictions. Thus you have to take Newton's third law as a statement of the LoK only in a "qualitative" and loosely stated sense. Let's say you take the analogy of a Field [Say,the Electromagnetic Field], then the existence of positive and negative charges(or field) could find a dual in the positive(good) and neagtive(bad) karma. The need for a field to explain the LoK would be to make use of "action at a distance" concept. Like,this concept would explain why Jenaisle got the result of her "action" not immediately(unlike the Newton's Third Law explanation would have us believe) but after a time delay, and not obviously at the same place as the action. Very soon if you continue this line of argument, bringing in some more analogies of physical laws, you would soon be entangled in the web of incompatible concepts. You wouldn't be able to state LoK in so clear terms as you would want to. At best they[analogies of Physical Laws] could only serve as some kind of beacon lights havng similarities in one way but contradictions will soon be found, when looked at in some other perspective. That is why in the Gita it is said that "The way of Karma[:= The principle of Operation of Karma] is mysterious"( unstatable) You will soon encounter difficulties which are insurmountable if you look for a mathematically accurate statement of the Law. The rewards are disproportionate and non-uniform, the punishemnts(if you want to call them so) are also disproportionate. It is more like the human laws where a crime done in innocence does not attract a severe punishment however great that is like a psychopath who kills 10people ina row is not "hanged" but sent to a lunatic asylum and fed, clothed and treated for he was not aware of what he/she was doing but a person who had planned and executed a single murder even though there were a hundred reasons for him to plot and murder, will be sent to the gallows by a discering judge. The Law of Karm's operation will a 1000 times inequitable than this if you do not introduce associated concepts!

Hi, Jenaisle That is very interesting. I am not Hindu either but I have great respect for Hinduism. We have studied it in school and I have taken personal interest. Anyway, I believe in Karma too but I have accepted it as something that is part of our lives, part of this world. I have never wondered if there is ever a scientific explanation, but my actions are somehow ruled by my belief in Karma -- moral causation, or in other words, I am responsible for what is happening in my life because it is the result of all my deeds. Thank you for the food for thought. Have a nice day!

For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. This is one of science's most fundamental laws.