Is Karma Real? The Answer Might Surprise You

Explore perspectives on karma and decide for yourself whether you believe karma is real.

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Like you, I wondered, “Is karma real?” After reading many perspectives, I can now confidently say the answer is: “It depends.” We all see the world from different points of view—or, from different levels of awareness. Thus, it seems that karma is indeed real from some perspectives and not from others.

I know, I know. This isn't exactly a satisfying answer. So let’s dive into what people have said about karma to see if we can understand why karma is real for some people and unreal for others.

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What Is Karma? (Karma Definition)

Wikipedia defines karma in several ways. Karma is often conceived as good deeds and bad deeds. It generally involves a cause-and-effect relationship such that the actions result in effects. In other words, good actions would result in good effects, and bad actions would result in bad effects.

But there is also the paradox regarding free will—if we have free will then we can create karma, but if we create karma (and it affects us) then how can we have free will? (Wikipedia, 2024).

Another reason why defining karma is so hard is because our definitions of karma change as we move through life stages. The rest of this article will help you understand the many definitions of karma, why karma is real to some people, and what likely explains these differences.

Why Do Some People Believe in Karma While Others Don’t?

As we move through life, we have the potential to move through many developmental stages. At each stage, the way we view and make sense of ourselves and our world changes (Cook-Greuter, 2014). In other words, our awareness shifts as we move into new stages on the developmental path.

Here are the primary things we focus on at each developmental stage (Cook-Grueter, 2014):

Red - focus on the body
Orange - focus on social interactions
Yellow - focus on behaviors or actions
Green - focus on emotions or outcomes
Teal - focus on thoughts or perspectives
Blue - focus on beliefs
Indigo - focus on concepts
Violet - focus on oneness
White - focus on nonduality

Depending on which stage we are in, we are more or less likely to believe in karma. Additionally, the way we view karma—if we do believe in it—may change across stages.

Let’s now explore how the definitions of karma and how the beliefs related to karma may change at each stage. Keep in mind that this overview is referring to Westerns who live in a Western context and culture. Eastern cultures—which have a much more intimate relationship with karma—likely have different experiences.

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Karma at The Red Stage

At the red stage, we have first-person awareness that focuses on ourselves as a body. The majority of people (who have healthy childhoods) move beyond this stage in early childhood. Because this stage involves awareness of physical objects (people, places, things) and minimal awareness of subtle objects (like ideas, thoughts, processes, etc…; Cook-Grueter, 2014), a person at this stage is unlikely to give karma much thought, and if they do, it might seem like a magical process.

Karma at The Orange Stage

At the orange stage, we have second-person awareness, and we are aware of ourselves within our small group (family, social group, religion, race, political group, etc…). Many teenagers are in this stage, and approximately 10% of the adult population is in this stage (Cook-Grueter, 2014).

At this stage, we are not yet able to separate our beliefs from those in our close group, so, if our in-group (e.g., family, religion, friends) believes in karma, we are likely to also believe in karma.

What Is Karma at The Orange Stage?
When we are in the orange stage, we are prone to being rule-oriented. Our minds think of things in terms of right/wrong, good/bad, and should/shouldn't (Cook-Grueter, 2014). This mindset may resonate well with the idea of karma. For example, the ideas of “good karma” and “bad karma” likely come from the worldview of this stage. In other words, karma, at this stage is thought to be either good or bad, and we “should” only engage in actions that bring about “good” karma.

For example, karma may be described as a sort of judicial system, where one has to pay for their bad thoughts and actions (Maruata, 2024). There is also often some sort of authority that decides or doles out karma, thus reinforcing the rule-oriented mindset of this stage.

Karma at The Yellow Stage

At the yellow stage, we develop third-person awareness, and we begin to see ourselves as an agentic, unique individual with subtle thoughts and control over our actions. Teens may reach this stage, particularly when they begin college and are exposed to new ideas that are different than what they learned from their parents, church, or community. Many people—approximately 37%—reach this stage and stay there for the majority of their adult lives (Cook-Grueter, 2014; Wilber, 2007).

At this stage, we are likely to question the beliefs passed down to us by our parents. If our parents didn't believe in karma, we may now consider it as a possibility. More likely, we reject the idea of karma as we let go of the idea of shoulds and should nots.

At this stage, we adopt the conventional or modern view of our large community or culture. Thus, many of us (in the West) adopt an atheist or agnostic perspective (Wilber 2024). Thus, most of us at this stage will likely not believe in karma.

What Is Karma at The Yellow Stage?
If we do believe that karma is real at this stage, our definition of karma is likely to be fairly non-oppressive. That is, we might generally feel like if we are kind to other humans, life will be kind back to us. We might also describe karma as a need to balance different aspects of experience (e.g., Sharma, 2010).

Karma at The Green Stage

At the green stage, we extend our third-person awareness across time, and we begin to see ourselves as a unique individual with both a past and a future. Approximately 30% of the adult population is in this stage (Cook-Grueter, 2014).

At this stage, we still hold a conventional worldview (that is, we’ve abandoned the idea of authoritarian mystical beings that punish and reward us). However, we can more easily see how our actions affect outcomes. This worldview might resonate with the idea of karma in that karma often focuses on the idea that certain behaviors lead to certain consequences. However, we can see at this stage that good actions do not always result in good outcomes, which can lead us to question the validity of karma.

What Is Karma at The Green Stage?
If we do believe that karma is real at this stage, our definition of karma is likely to focus on cause-effect relationships (rather than an authoritarian overlord). Given many of the most productive members of conventional society are at this stage, Wikipedia’s definition of karma mostly reflects the worldview of this stage. Karma is defined here as, “an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences” (Wikipedia, 2024). Given subtle experiences (like ideas, intentions, and emotions) are important to people at this stage, Karma is further described to include not only physical actions but also intentions.

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Karma at The Teal Stage

If we reach the teal stage, we develop fourth-person awareness, and we begin to see ourselves as just one perspective in a sea of other perspectives. Approximately 11% of the adult population is in this stage (Cook-Grueter, 2014).

At this stage, we are willing to question our existing beliefs. So, if we interact with someone who has a different belief about karma than we do, we are willing to consider their viewpoint. Regardless of whether we change our minds or not, we respect their perspective.

What Is Karma at The Teal Stage?
Given our focus on questioning our existing perspectives, I imagine many people reconsider whether karma is real at this stage.

Karma at The Blue Stage

At the blue stage, we extend our fourth-person awareness across time, and we begin to see how our perspectives—and others’ perspectives—evolve throughout life. Approximately 5% of the adult population is in this stage (Cook-Grueter, 2014).

At this stage, we’re able to see many more pieces of complex patterns and systems. Thus, karma might be thought of in a more systemic way. For example, if we intentionally engage in an unkind action, we can see how this not only results in an effect but also a cascade of butterfly effects that can influence everything.

What Is Karma at The Blue Stage?
Given our focus on patterns, believing that karma is real at this stage might simply reflect the understanding that our harmful actions set into motion cascades of results, some that are potentially harmful and some that are potentially beneficial. Karma is then not so much about good versus bad, or cause and effect, but about the creation of waves that impact humanity in innumerable ways.

Karma at The Indigo Stage

At the indigo stage, we develop fifth-person awareness. Now, we develop an awareness of awareness (e.g., Goode, 2016). Only 1.5% of the adult population is in this stage (Cook-Grueter, 2014).

At this stage, karma is likely to be viewed as a process that occurs outside of our control. We now see that if karma exists, then it exists in the past as well as the present, and those past actions are rippling forward in time causing our actions, which then cause future actions until infinity. Thus, we are no longer the “creator” or karma—karma, itself, is what generates karma.

What Is Karma at The Indigo Stage?
At this stage, it’s extremely unlikely that we believe in the definitions of karma provided by religion or society (or Wikipedia). However, if we choose to believe karma is real, we likely define karma more like a complex net of interconnected effects. However, it’s important to note that at this stage, all concepts are losing their internal validity, so many of our beliefs are falling away. Here, our “belief” in karma is less like having faith in a concept and more like accepting the use of the “word” karma, despite its inherent limitations.

Karma at The Violet Stage

At the violet stage, we develop sixth-person awareness. At this stage, we’re finally able to move beyond self-awareness into the one ‘awareness’ (e.g., Goode, 2016).

Given we no longer see ourselves as a separate self, the idea of karma—at least as it’s usually described—ceases to operate. As we move into unity awareness, we can now understand that karma does exist for separate, individual selves. As Ramana Maharshi (Maharshi, 2024) says, “When there is no ‘I’ there is no Karma.”

In other words, we still understand that karma may exist from the viewpoint of the ego or separate self. But when we experience ego death—and we realize that the self is just an activity of the universe—karma can be seen as a paradox—karma both is and isn't, depending on the awareness that’s looking at it.

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Books Related to Karma

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Final Thoughts on Karma

As you can now see, answering the question as to whether karma is real, is tough. It really depends on the vantage point that one is looking from, the culture one is embedded in, and the stage of development that one is in.

Spiritual Disclaimer

Although meaningful knowledge can be found through spiritual insight, we humans filter this knowledge through our own mental frameworks. Even the best, most advanced spiritual teachers have access only to reflections of Truth, which still maintain some distortions. My truth may not equal your truth which may not equal another person’s truth. So, always check in with your Self or intuition to verify whether the spiritual information you receive resonates with your Truth.

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References

Cook-Greuter, S. (2014). Ego development: A full-spectrum theory of vertical growth and meaning-making. mimeo, Wayland.
Goode, G. (2016). After Awareness: The End of the Path. New Harbinger Publications.
Maharshi, Ramana. The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi: "The Laws of Karma" & Destiny. Edited by David Godman. Retrieved 11/7/2024 from https://www.facebook.com/notes/4811849575522660
Maruata, Verna (2024). Karma and a new technique from the Masters. Retrieved 11/7/2024 from https://alphaimaging.co.nz/diary/karma-and-a-new-technique-from-the-masters/
Sharma, B. (2010). Polarities and Ego Development: Polarity Thinking In Ego Development Theory And Developmental Coaching Beena Sharma & Dr. Susanne Cook-Greuter.
Wikipedia. (2024). Karma. Retrieved 11/7/2024 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma
Wilber, K. (2007). Integral spirituality: A startling new role for religion in the modern and postmodern world. Shambhala Publications.
Wilber, K. (2024). Finding Radical Wholeness: The Integral Path to Unity, Growth, and Delight. Shambhala Publications.

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