An article simply titled "Karma", picked up from the 1999 SGI's Quarterly Journal (www.sgi.org), does a great job explaining the Karma law of cause and effect, a cornerstone of Buddhist religion that relates thoughts, words and actions to present and future material, mental and spiritual results.
SGI stands for Soka Gakkai International, a Buddhist congregation with 12 million followers around the world. Members of SGI incorporate Buddhist concepts and practices into their daily lives, based on the teachings of 13-century Japanese monk Nichiren.
Contrary to what most people think, karma is not merely a sort of punishment for bad things done in the past. The concept of karma entails all thoughts, words and actions, good or bad, and is something you can act upon. Buddhists believe that you are an active actor in your life, having the ability to model your present and future through your thinking and behavior. This simple but incredibly powerful idea of modeling your own future contradicts the most conservative Catholic beliefs, which profess the idea that God has written the story of our lives before we are even born, and there is nothing we can do about it.
I recommend everybody, religious or not, to take a look at Buddhism and its main concepts. I'm sure it would feel like a breath of fresh air, with lots of things to take from and hopefully incorporate to daily life. Don't look for similarities or conflicts with other religions, just take what you like, what you think might help you live the way you want. At the end, it is all about being happy, isn't it?
Link to article: http://www.sgi.org/buddhism/buddhist-concepts/karma.html
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