Could the violence in Tibet have actually caused the cyclone in Myanmar?

If you’re a follower of Buddhism or Hinduism, you might think so. According to Religion News Service, many in Myanmar believe the protests in Tibet over independence and the Olympic Games could have created negative karma – the result of which was the cyclone that killed some 30,000-100,000 people (depending on whose estimate you’re using).

But wait – what is karma? Are we just saying Myanmar was destined for a cyclone? Well, not really. And maybe.

Karma is the idea that our actions have consequences — both actions in this life and actions in past lives. All actions bear on consequences in this life. So, if you were a murderer in your past life, even though that life is over, it still has negative consequences for your present life. Or if you did a good deed in this life, it would have positive consequences in this life and in future rebirths. Thus karma becomes an entire system of action, reaction, over and over, lifetime through lifetime, something one cannot escape since every action will have some sort of reaction. (Thus, everything is related to everything else, a typical Buddhist concept.)

It’s more the idea of “what goes around comes around” than “this is your fate.” Fate does not come into play here. What’s in question is each choice each person makes and how natural justice ensures good or bad outcomes in the future.

Christians certainly have some understanding of karma, as it is understood that if you sin, there will be negative consequences; if you perform right action, you will be rewarded. However, it seems that karma in Eastern thought is a bit more tangible. If you do something bad, something bad will actually happen to you in this lifetime or the next lifetime, a tangible event. If you do something good, you will see rewards in this lifetime or the next, tangible rewards.

How good will the rewards be or how bad will the consequences be? According to one Buddhist site, it depends on everything from one’s intentions to how many times one has repeated this deed.

Do you believe in karma? Do you think the violence in Tibet could be to blame for the cyclone in Myanmar? Leave your comments and let readers know what you think.

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