Abstract: In an effort to articulate a naturalized concept of
karma for the purposes of contemporary ethical reflection, this
paper raises four critical questions about the Buddhist doctrine
of karma. The paper asks (1) about the advisability of linking the
concept of karma to assurance of ultimate cosmic justice through
the doctrine of rebirth; (2) about the effects of this link on the
quest for human justice in the social, economic, and political
spheres of culture; (3) about the kinds of rewards that the doctrine
of karma attaches to virtuous action, whether they tend to
be necessary or contingent consequences; and (4) about the extent
to which karma is best conceived individually or collectively.
The paper ends with suggestions for how a non-metaphysical
concept of karma might function and what role it might play in
contemporary ethics.