A Partial Glimpse
Karma is one of those ancient ideas that resonates deeply across cultures and eras. It embodies the belief that the universe operates on a moral law—that actions, whether good or bad, inevitably bring consequences. This concept, rooted in Eastern religions, feels like it’s touching on something fundamentally true, even if it doesn’t fully explain why that’s the case.
Yet, when we look closer, karma seems to be a shadow of something greater—a partial, intuitive grasp of a reality that goes beyond what karma itself can offer. It acknowledges a moral order but leaves unanswered questions about its origin and purpose. The Buddha himself, when asked about the nature or origin of the universe, chose not to answer. This reluctance to delve into metaphysical questions leaves karma somewhat ungrounded. It’s a system that works, but without a clear understanding of why it works or who set it in motion.
Here, Christianity steps in, not to dismiss karma, but to fill in the gaps. Christianity provides the metaphysical grounding that karma hints at, revealing a God who is not only just but also deeply invested in the moral development of His creation. In this way, karma can be seen as an ancient glimpse into the truth of a universe governed by a loving Creator, a truth that Christianity fully reveals.
The Four Unanswered Questions of the Buddha
To better understand this connection, it’s important to look at what the Buddha himself chose not to address. In Buddhist tradition, there are four key metaphysical questions that the Buddha intentionally left unanswered. These are often referred to as the avyākata or “unanswered” or “undeclared” questions:
- Is the universe eternal, or is it not eternal?
- Is the universe infinite, or is it not infinite?
- Is the soul the same as the body, or is it different from the body?
- Does a liberated person exist after death, or do they not exist, or do they both exist and not exist, or do they neither exist nor not exist?
The Buddha’s decision not to engage with these questions was based on his belief that they do not lead to enlightenment or the cessation of suffering, which was his primary concern. He believed that such speculative inquiries were distractions from the practical path of spiritual practice. Karma, within this framework, operates as a moral principle without needing to be grounded in an understanding of the universe’s origins or ultimate fate.
This approach highlights the limited scope of karma—it functions within a moral framework, but it doesn’t offer a comprehensive metaphysical explanation. This is where Christianity offers something more. While Buddhism leaves these foundational questions unanswered, Christianity steps in to provide answers, grounding the moral order in the nature of God and His creation of the universe.
The Shadow of Divine Truth in Karma
Karma, in its essence, represents a shadow of divine truth—a reflection of a deeper moral order that governs the universe. It’s as if karma grasps at the edges of a divine principle, recognizing that actions have consequences, that there’s a kind of moral cause-and-effect at play. Yet, it stops short of explaining why this order exists or who established it.
The Buddha’s reluctance to answer questions about the origin of the universe underscores this limitation. Karma acknowledges that there’s a law, but it doesn’t tell us much about the lawgiver. It recognizes the effects but remains silent on the source. Christianity, on the other hand, answers these questions by grounding the moral order in the nature of God Himself—a God who is not distant but intimately involved in the lives of His creation.
This perspective is reminiscent of the thoughts of Raimon Panikkar, a Catholic theologian who engaged deeply with both Eastern and Western thought. Panikkar saw karma as part of a cosmic order that, while not fully articulated in Buddhism, pointed toward a truth that Christianity completes. The moral order in karma, according to this view, is not merely mechanical but personal and purposeful, as revealed in the Christian understanding of a God who is both just and loving.
In this light, karma is like a sketch of a truth that Christianity paints in full color. It’s a hint, an echo, of a deeper reality where the moral order is not just a neutral law but an expression of God’s fatherly care. It’s not just about balance; it’s about instruction, growth, and restoration.
Divine Justice: Restorative, Not Retributive
One of the key differences between karma and the Christian understanding of justice lies in the nature of the consequences that follow our actions. Karma is often understood as retributive—a simple cause-and-effect, where good actions bring good results and bad actions bring bad ones. It’s a straightforward system, but it can feel harsh, almost mechanical.
Christianity, however, reveals a different kind of justice, one that is restorative rather than retributive. God’s justice isn’t about a 1:1 punishment for every crime. Instead, it’s about using the consequences of our actions to teach and guide us, much like a father disciplines his children not to punish them, but to help them grow. In this way, divine justice is deeply personal and purposeful. It’s about restoration, about bringing us back into right relationship with God and with each other.
Henri de Lubac, S.J., a Jesuit theologian, emphasized the idea that God’s justice is always intertwined with His mercy. In this view, the consequences of sin are not merely punitive; they are also corrective, designed to lead the sinner back to God. This understanding of justice aligns with the instructive nature of karma but transcends it. God doesn’t just balance the scales; He actively works to heal, restore, and lead His children toward maturity. The consequences of our actions are real, but they are also opportunities for growth, for turning back to God, and for being made whole again.
Here we go beyond the Buddha. Where he found a path leading to what he deemed an empty and dark void, we find that on the other side of the darkness is a loving Father who nurtures and guides his children into being more like him. It’s not a mechanistic ratio but the wise discipline of a parent.
Shadow and Substance
Karma casts a shadow—a recognition that our actions have consequences and that these consequences carry lessons. It suggests a kind of moral education, a system where life itself instructs us through the outcomes of our deeds. But this shadow lacks depth; it acknowledges the lesson but leaves us grasping for the teacher, for the purpose behind the instruction.
Christianity brings this shadow into focus, offering the substance that karma only hints at. In the practice of penance, we find not just a moral correction, but a profound and humble acceptance of divine instruction. Penance is not merely about balancing scales or paying off some spiritual debt; it’s about submitting to God’s will and embracing the lessons He gives us through our experiences. This is where the shadow of karma finds its fulfillment in the substance of Christian teaching.
Penance is a means of transformation, but not just by our own effort. It’s a process of theosis, where we are gradually shaped into the likeness of Christ. We don’t just learn from our mistakes; we take on the divine task of becoming more like God, accepting our trials and corrections as part of His grand design for our sanctification. This is the substance—the reality that karma only glimpses but never fully grasps.
Jean Daniélou, S.J., saw this clearly in his exploration of how God uses the natural consequences of sin to instruct and form us. He recognized that penance is more than a response to wrongdoing; it’s an acceptance of our role in God’s plan, a willingness to be molded by His hands. In this way, penance transforms the shadow into substance, turning mere moral instruction into a divine assignment, a call to take up our cross and follow Christ.
Karma, in its shadowy form, points to a truth about the moral order. But it’s in Christian penance that this truth is fully realized. Here, we don’t just face consequences—we embrace them as part of our journey toward theosis, allowing God to turn our weaknesses into strengths and our sins into opportunities for grace.
Filling in the Shadows with Light
In the end, karma is an ancient concept that touches on a profound truth about the universe: that there is a moral order, and that our actions have consequences. But it’s a truth that remains in the shadows, incomplete and ungrounded. Christianity steps in to fill those shadows with light, revealing a God who is not only just but also deeply loving—a Father who uses the moral order not just to balance the scales, but to instruct, restore, and lead His children toward the fullness of life.
This understanding of divine justice, as restorative and instructive, offers a richer, more complete vision of how the world works—a vision that not only deepens our understanding of karma but also enriches the dialogue between Eastern and Western thought. In the light of Christian revelation, karma’s intuitive grasp of moral truth finds its fulfillment, offering a path not just to balance, but to transformation, renewal, and eternal life.
Kern Keep 