Karma Q&A – a study guide

Karma Q&A – a study guide is a newer book (2018) about the concept of Karma as it is understood and used in the Theravada branch of Buddhism. It discusses the origin of Karma and how it might have older roots than Buddhism and what the implications of this for a modern audience in the West might be. The author, Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, argues that Karma is not Indonesian cultural luggage adopted by Buddha, but a universal concept, valuable for all cultures. From the book:

KAMMA AND REBIRTH are often understood to be teachings of fate and helplessness in the face of unknowable influences from the past. For this
reason, they’re often rejected. Many people regard them as Buddhism’s cultural baggage: a set of Indian beliefs that—either because the Buddha
wasn’t thinking carefully or because his early followers didn’t stay true to his teachings—got mixed up with the Dhamma, his teaching, even
though they don’t fit in with the rest of what he taught. So now that the Dhamma has come to the West, many people believe that it’s time to leave
all this unnecessary baggage unclaimed on the carousel so that we can focus on his true message in a way that speaks directly to our own cultural
needs. However, the real problem with kamma and rebirth is that we tend to misunderstand what these teachings have to say. This is because
Buddhism came to the West at the same time as other Indian religions, and its luggage got mixed up with theirs in transit. When we sort out
which luggage really belongs to the Dhamma, we find that its bags marked “Kamma” and “Rebirth” actually contain valuables that are priceless in
any culture. Instead of teaching fate, they’re empowering, showing how people can develop skills in the present that will lead to the end of
suffering. So, to help show how valuable these teachings are, here’s a set of answers, based on the Pāli Canon, to some questions frequently asked
about these topics.

Download the free PDF e-book on Karma, Karma Q&A, here (99 pages/ 1.5MB):

Karma Q&A