Karma 101: What Goes Around Comes Around-- And What You Can Do About It

Rating:
Summary: Yay, Karma!
Review: I have been interested in Buddhism and eastern philosophies for a while. But like many people these days, I have a hard time finding the time to devote myself to anything besides work and sleep...So this book was a fun and informative help to me. I happen to be living with some very devoted Buddhists right now, and they also read the book and loved it-said that it is right on-well written and truly helpful for people wanting to learn more with little time to delve...Thouroughly enjoyable education!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read - - And Informative!
Review: I just loved this little book! It is full of stories that illustrate the reality of karma in our everyday lives. I had always been a bit intimidated by the word "karma" until I found this book at my friend's house, and now I feel completely at ease with the concept, and able to use it to improve my position in life. And the book is hilarious! It's not often that you come across a book that is such a joy to read in addition to being so educational. I liked it so much that I bought a copy for my mother for Christmas.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read - - And Informative!
Review: I just loved this little book! It is full of stories that illustrate the reality of karma in our everyday lives. I had always been a bit intimidated by the word "karma" until I found this book at my friend's house, and now I feel completely at ease with the concept, and able to use it to improve my position in life. And the book is hilarious! It's not often that you come across a book that is such a joy to read in addition to being so educational. I liked it so much that I bought a copy for my mother for Christmas.

Rating:
Summary: VERY BASIC LOOK AT BUDDHIST TEACHING OF KARMA
Review: Mr. Mack has written a short, very funny look at karma-lite and it should not take you more than a few hours to get through this book. Although entertaining, I wish the book had more substance to it. Mr. Mack presents the Buddhist teaching of karma and gives pretty short shrift to the Hindu perception, even though, in my own opinion, the Hindu view makes more sense when it comes to explaining the world and why things happen.

One of the shortest chapters is Why Bad Things Happen to Good People and this surprised me. With AIDS and Holocausts, child molestation and monsoons that kill thousands, one would think that Mr. Mack would have spent a little more time with why this stuff gets dumped on innocent people all the time. Another chapter might have been Why Good Things Happen to Bad People, since we all know liars, thieves, adulterers, etc., who never pay for their crimes or transgressions. According to traditional Buddhism these people will 'pay' in a next life, making it balance out, but Mr. Mack appears to have no belief in reincarnation (or if he does, he hides it well), leaving one to wonder how karma works things out in the end.

There are a few contradictions in the book, when anecdotes are presented to show karma in action. A shy, country-music-hating man finds himself at a country music festival with his wife. He hums classical music, does not tap his toes and for this negative karmic action he pays when the porta potty he is in tips over on him and covers him in poo. Yet karma is supposed to be objective and not punishment. Would the porta potty not have turned over if a Shania Twain fan had been in it? A fish-hating woman puts a goldfish into a restaurants outdoor faux pond after deciding she does not want it in the house anymore, and the next day the family sees that the pond has been drained, therefore killing the fish. If she had not taken the goldfish there would the pond not have been drained? How are the 2 karmically connected at all?

For those who have little knowledge of the very basics of karma this book can answer a few questions, but if you're really interested, I would suggest books written by either Hindu teachers or Buddhist teachers, as they have more information, depth and answer the questions about Life that most of us have regarding pain, illness, suffering, death, etc.

Rating:
Summary: Short, simple book on the basics of karma
Review: _Karma 101_ gives a simple, step-by-step path to instruction in the ways of Taoist/Buddhist philosophy, especially karma. Not a complicated or exhaustive source, but a good start for the curious reader.

Rating:
Summary: Short, simple book on the basics of karma
Review: _Karma 101_ gives a simple, step-by-step path to instruction in the ways of Taoist/Buddhist philosophy, especially karma. Not a complicated or exhaustive source, but a good start for the curious reader.