The Buddha warned1 that karma is so mysterious a process that it is
essentially unfathomable, declaring it one of the four topics not suited to
healthy philosophical meditation because it leads to “vexation and madness.
Nevertheless, it is essential that we engage in the processes of critical thinking
about the concept of karma, thereby taking the same risks that many
Asian Buddhists have also taken. It is important for us to do so because
Buddhist (and Hindu) teachings on karma and moral life have now entered
contemporary currents of Western thought and culture, and deserve to be
scrutinized for their potential value and weaknesses. The risk is serious, of
course, because in Asia karma is the primary concept governing the moral
sphere of culture. Westerners have faced doubts about critical thinking in
this same sphere of culture, when early modern thinkers wondered whether