Karma is a term borrowed from Eastern religions to describe the law of cause and effect. In Hungarian proverbs, it has been passed down to us in sayings: "As you sow, so shall you reap.” or “He who digs a pit for others will fall into it himself.” More and more people are invoking it when it's possibility to gloat. However, this does not promote understanding. Catholic Christianity completely rejects this concept; according to them, everyone is born pure, so initially they are burdened only by original sin (Adam’s sin), and then accumulate sins throughout their lives, for which God punishes them. Eastern teachers, on the other hand, offer us—the ignorant Westerners—a simplified interpretation.

To facilitate understanding, let’s consider a popular game that everyone knows—for example, cards. Before the game begins, the rules are usually established. These apply to every player. Anyone who doesn’t follow them is excluded from the game, and anyone who can’t apply them usually ends up losing. The only difference between karma and the rules of a card game is that the former was created by God, and the players (people, beings) have no say in the matter; furthermore, the aspect of mercy is built into it for the very ignorant and the very humble. Because of this system of rules, many reject God, because He established rules they do not like, and they cannot do as they please. Different levels of created worlds have come into being, where the effects of the rules are delayed over time. For example, in the material world (Earth), the law of karma does not take effect immediately, and people can remain under the illusion for a long time that they will escape the repercussions of their actions.

The law of karma is not the only rule of the game, but one of many. The complete (divine or cosmic) Law is known to Hindus and Buddhists as dharma, and to Taoists and Confucians as the Tao. These are complex laws, explained in most cases through parables. Why do Eastern teachers consider Westerners (i.e., those from Christian or non-religious cultural circles) to be ignorant? Because they were given only the Ten Commandments, and they do not even understand them, let alone follow them.

The created world fundamentally has three levels: Heaven, where the law of universal love is the only rule to be followed; Eden: here, the seven cosmic laws must be followed; and Earth: here, the instructions given to us according to our religious affiliation prevail. The Tao and the Dharma are universal because they encompass all three levels, although they primarily discuss the rules established for the earthly world.

We now wish to focus solely on the law of karma, so let us examine how this is reflected in Jesus’ teachings: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31). Why? Because what you do, you will receive in return. This is the clearest formulation of the law of karma in the Bible. “…If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7). This quote is connected to the story of the woman caught in adultery, whom no one dared to stone in Jesus’ presence because they realized they had no right to judge her. If they punish her as a sinner, then according to the previous quote (Luke 6:31), they will receive the same in return.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also!” (Matthew 5:38–39). This teaching is connected to the law of karma in that there is an original cause, the reaction (consequence) of which you are now suffering. If you strike back, you set off a further chain of cause and effect. In contrast, if you endure the reaction and do not strike back, you can break the cycle of karma. This is precisely the essence of the religion of love preached by Jesus. Love, as the highest law permeating the universe, and the forgiveness that flows from it, overrides the law of karma because it breaks the chain of cause and effect.

The law of karma is a universal rule prescribed for our earthly existence. It extends beyond lifetimes; in other words, death does not interrupt its effect. According to Eastern philosophies, this is precisely why no one is born innocent, for each person brings with them the unresolved karmic repercussions of their past lives. These are encoded in the subconscious. None other than Patanjali, known as the father of the science of yoga, stated this: “By intuitive perception of subliminal impression seeds, the knowledge of previous births is revealed.” (Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras 3.18, translated by M. Rhasoda-Varga).

Consequently, one cannot escape the effects of the law of karma. After death, it is not God who punishes; rather, the human being watches the events of their life as if in a movie. These images originate from their own subconscious; therefore, they cannot deny that they committed these actions. In this state, they perceive the victim’s emotions—their hurt, pain, and fear—as their own, experiencing the situation as if they were simultaneously both the perpetrator and the victim. This has a profound educational effect. In the next life, they will have the opportunity to correct their wrongdoings, as they will encounter situations and people similar to those in their previously unresolved affairs.

Karmic law does not replace secular law, because one must also comply with human rules, not just divine ones. There must be order in society, because chaos promotes neither progress nor survival. But at times, it is worth letting go of a rigid adherence to secular law—for example, when secular means cannot unequivocally establish the perpetrator or the act itself—because if innocent people are convicted or persecuted, the karmic repercussions will be borne by the lawmakers and those in power. Those in secular power often forget this.

For the ruling class, creating enemies may seem like a good idea in the short term, as it diverts attention from crisis situations. However, when one enemy is eliminated, many other arise in their place; for example, if a family patriarch is judged, instead of just one enemy, there will immediately be many—that is, his wife and children will surely swell the ranks of the opposing camp. This is how all power ultimately wears itself out. In so-called democratic societies, changes in the elite often result in similar situations.

A change in the elite means that two major parties alternate in power, and for the most part, the elites of both parties do the same thing—they take the spoils from one another. There are cruder and more sophisticated versions of this seizure of power. In the latter case, only a quiet sidelining takes place, while in the former, the spectrum ranges from public humiliation to outright elimination. Other cultures rightly consider those who prioritize the use of harsher methods to be barbarians. The leaders of barbaric societies eliminate their own elites in this way, thereby opening the door for external powers to gain ground.

Yet the individual can free himself from the collective karma of society if, by developing his consciousness, he learns to see through the rules of the game. At that point, society cannot draw him into its own games; since one who knows the cosmic Law, he becomes the master of the situation: because the greatest power is the mastery over oneself.

Margaret Rhasoda Varga
guru of UCCM

2026. Budapest, Hungary