What is obvious to one could be ever so not obvious to others. The system of beliefs we have that seem obvious, no need to be proven, otherwise, implicit understandings of how the world works are known as axions (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2020). These axioms are shaped by sociocultural influences and are taught by members of a culture.
Lueng was interested in social axioms and was determined to find which social beliefs may exist. Therefore, him and his colleagues, after extensive research, used factor analysis to find five social beliefs that exist among all cultures (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2020). On of which include, fate of control.
Loosely described fate of control, is the extent to which one believes that chance or luck affects a person’s outcomes or consequences (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2020). What do you feel determines the outcome of your life? For some, they believe it is karma, for others they believe in kismet, others feel God determines your outcomes, while others believe hard work and determination.
Clearly, there are many variations of fate control. Since, this lesson mentions the importance of learning of cultural diversity, this blog will be dedicated to “Karma”. The idea that an action or behavior now will lead to a consequence in the future (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2020).
You have likely heard of Karma before, for example, if you steal some may believe you will have a negative consequence in the future. Meanwhile, if you do an act of kindness, you will face a positive consequence. The belief of karma is an important part of Buddhism. If you practice Buddhism, you are likely weary of the choices you make since you believe that the consequences in your life are dependable on them. I like to think of it as a “you get what you give” mentality.
So, while this may differ from your own beliefs, it is important to account for the differences among religions and cultures and do your part to learn about these differences. Remember, what is obvious to you may not be the same as others. Who knows maybe after learning more about Karma you may begin to practice this set of beliefs and it can make your life more meaningful like the many other believers of Karma.
My goal of this blog is to teach a deeper understanding for those who believe in karma, without making this blog entirely too long (which I am aware, it already is quite lengthy). All I ask in turn is that you maintain an open mind to why karma has taken a liking to so many.
The idea of karma offers an explanation in Buddhism to all life suffering and unlike Christianity which requires absolute faith that the Lord Jesus died for our sins; Buddhism doesn’t require such demands (Kyabgon, 2015). I would imagine to some; this aspect may feel less constrictive and more desirable. Buddha rather created a way to explain life’s suffering and ways in which we create suffering for ourselves (Kyabgon, 2015). That is, the things we do create the outcomes of our suffering. Buddha gave individuals a role in which they experience intensity, level, degree in which they experience life’s outcomes and a way beyond suffering (Kyabgon, 2015). This makes karma unique in its ways and before Buddha, many believed karma could not be changed (Kyabgon, 2015).
Unfortunately, karma is ever so complex that many people don’t take the time to truly learn and comprehend, Buddha’s set of beliefs. Therefore, dismissing the idea of karma. I hope this vague introduction to the unique and positive aspects of Buddhism in my short intro to karma has sparked some sort of interest in learning more about karma and Buddhism, or at the least a better basic understanding.
References:
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2020). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Retrieved from https://sk.sagepub.com/books/applied-social-psychology-3e
Kyabgon, T. (2015). Karma: What it is, what it isn’t, why it matters. Boston, London: Shambhala.
Hi! I am so glad someone else was interested in the social beliefs section in this chapter. I focused on all five in my blog post, but I took particular interest in the fate control category because I am very spiritual in that aspect and do believe in karma. Whether good or bad, like you mentioned. Fate control has to do with the belief that parts of life are predetermined by fate or other forces. Karma specifically involves believing that an action will have a consequence. (Gruman, et al., 2017) For example, someone might cheat on their partner, and the partner might say, “someday karma is going to get you back.” Then years later the cheater gets cheated on.
I love that you brought up Buddha, I was very into exploring different religions at one point and I got a book on Buddhism from the library. I absolutely love the Buddhist belief system and all of Buddha’s teachings. I don’t consider myself tied to any one religion, but I feel like that most closely follows what I believe and try to practice in everyday life. Kind of funny you brought it up because yesterday I decorated for Halloween, and I needed to find a place to put my big wooden Buddha carving but didn’t feel comfortable putting him in storage for a month, haha. I made a nice spot for him in my China cabinet instead with some Halloween décor. I really enjoyed reading your post and you shedding some light on karma and Buddha!
References
Gruman, J., Schneider, F., & Coutts,(2017). Applied social psychology. SAGE Publications, Inc, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071800591