In 2008 I was invited to play tennis one night with other parents at Bangkok International School. It was a round robin format that had all players trading partners at the end of each set. My third partner was Lek, a Thai national.
Lek and I played well together and were winning. It was 5-2 and my turn to serve. I started my windup and swung for the ball and hit it … AND a bat that was feasting on all the bugs surrounding the bright tennis lights.
Lek was very upset! She held the little creature on her racket and carried it to the edge of the court. It was obvious that my racket had broken one of its delicate wings. It did not move.
Lek stood up and looked at me. “Bad luck.”
We slowly went back to our game, but now it was different. All the lucky shots were for the other team. Somehow we lost that set 5-7. “You are bad karma,” Lek explained to me afterwards. Apparently, my bad deed of killing one of God’s creatures merited bad luck in the here and now, and specifically during that tennis game.
I’ve reflected on Karma and it seems to be much like Christianity’s “as a man sows, so shall he reap”. Galatian 6:7. The only difference being that Christianity’s karma catches up to the person after death on judgement day, while eastern karma is something that pays dividends throughout a person’s life.
In the Book of Mormon, Alma explained the judgement day to his son. He called it the “restoration”.
…the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful.
14 Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.
15 For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all.
While Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism have much in common, I love that according to the Book of Mormon, we have our whole lives to learn, repent, and prepare to meet God. Justice for our evil deeds isn’t meted out immediately.
Thank goodness! Through Christ’s merciful atonement, we are blessed to learn, repent, and grow our whole lives.
Sweet!
krhofhiens.com 