DO PETS HAVE KARMA?

 
In one darshan, a student shared his grief about the death of his beloved pet dog. He was so distraught that his pet was accidentally ran over by a speeding automobile. He wondered if pets like humans are also subject to karma. It was a simple enough question but it required a deeper understanding of karma to answer it.

Karma is a Sanskrit word that succinctly encapsulates the Law of Cause and Effect in one word. In physics, it is expressed as “for every action there is a corresponding reaction.” Steven Covey calls it the Law of the Harvest after the biblical adage: “You reap what you sow.” Confucius calls it the Golden Rule: “Do unto others what you want others to do unto to you” or conversely “Do not do unto to others what you wouldn’t want others to do unto you.” It is simply Divine Justice where a person’s actions are adjudicated and retribution exacted by the Lords of Karma. No one gets away from it; unless, one knows the rules.

There are two sides to karma. There is good karma when one is rewarded for good deeds, and there is negative karma when one is punished for the bad deeds. Traditionally, good karma is referred to as grace or good fortune, and bad karma is referred to as sin or misfortune. According to common practice and beliefs, an act becomes a sin or a crime if it conforms to 3 conditions: (1) it must be a grievous act, (2) it must be committed with full knowledge, and (3) it must be committed with deliberate intent. Without all three conditions present, an act is not subject to karmic retribution. Using these criteria, do animals suffer from negative karma?

Because of the level of their soul development, animals do not possess a developed will. They have a primitive form of will, which we call instinct. Since their behavior is ruled by their instinct, their ability to make choices is therefore impaired. As such they find themselves more as victims of chance and circumstances rather than one of deliberate karmic retribution. No. Animals do not suffer from karma.

Man is a different story altogether. He has the capacity to discern and make choices and as such is held fully accountable for his behavior. The motive of the act is more often the crux of the matter when it pertains to humans. Soldiers, legal enforcers and executioners, for instance, do not suffer the consequences of killing other people because it is their role as instruments of the state to protect its people from external harm and aggression.

In the Mysteries, there is a fourth condition that affects the mechanism of karma. It involves the act’s emotional-mental or kama manas dimensions. It must be committed to satisfy an inner desire. The act must be performed in a detached manner in order to be free from its karmic consequences.

There is a classic story about a samurai warrior to illustrate this point. On the command of his daimyo, a samurai warrior set about to hunt, capture and slay an escaped fugitive. After successfully entrapping and immobilizing his prey on the ground, the hunter unsheathed his sword ready to decapitate the fallen foe until the latter unexpectedly spat at the samurai’s face. The samurai was consumed with anger and shame at this act of defiance but quickly becomes aware of his reaction. He returned his sword to its scabbard, bowed to the fugitive and departed leaving his prey unharmed.

This story contains all the four conditions that could make the act of killing subject to or exempt from negative karma. The act of killing in this story is clearly a grievous act. It is to be done with full knowledge and intent by the samurai. However, since it is to be executed in a detached manner in compliance to his duty for the benefit of the State, the negative karmic consequences of the act is conceptually neutralized. The situation changed completely after the fugitive spat at the samurai. Being angered and humiliated, the samurai’s intent changed into a desire for revenge to appease his personal ego. Had he proceeded to slay the fugitive, he would have committed an act deserving negative karma.

Many people claim that it is easy to get away from karma. All you have to achieve is detachment. Unfortunately, attaining complete detachment is not exactly easy to achieve. It may take many years, even many lifetimes. But as always, the first small steps are easier to do. Begin with the Golden Rule.