Talk:Objections to the Doctrine of Karma and Responses:Complexity of the Law of Karma

By Vishal Agarwal

Objection: A theory (the Law of Karma in this case) should be simpler than the mass of facts and observations it explains. It seems however, that the Law of Karma itself is very complex and allows for numerous exceptions and special cases making it even more complex than the variety of Karma-s humans perform. In fact, even the Gita acknowledges this in the following words:

What is action and what is inaction – even the wise are deluded in this regard. Gita 4.16 The operation of Karma is difficult to understand. Gita 4.17

Answer: Human life is extremely complex and there are numerous factors that impact the moral value of our actions, as explained in Section 2.3-2.10 and Section 3. Despite that the Law of Karma along with the Doctrine of Rebirth has tremendous explanatory value. The Lord, who is just and all-knowing delivers perfect justice for our actions. The Law of Karma appears complex because we human beings are not omniscient. But as explained in Section 3.4, it is an excellent general guideline.