For many spiritual seekers, the word karma often carries a haze of mystery, misunderstanding, or even fear. We might hear someone say, “That’s karma for you,” implying some cosmic revenge. Others might view it as an impersonal system of justice, keeping score on our moral report card. But is that really what the Buddha taught?
In Good Karma: How to Create the Causes of Happiness and Avoid the Causes of Suffering, Venerable Thubten Chodron gently and wisely clears away the confusion. Drawing from Indian master Nagarjuna’s classic text “The Precious Garland of Advice for a King”, this book dives deep into the workings of cause and effect—offering a refreshing, hopeful, and empowering view of karma that’s deeply rooted in Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
If you’ve ever wondered how your thoughts, words, and actions truly shape your life—and how to make peace with your past and live more mindfully—this book offers a precise and uplifting answer. Let’s explore what Good Karma has to offer.
What This Book Is About
Good Karma is not a fluffy self-help manual, nor is it an overly academic treatise. It strikes a beautiful balance: accessible for beginners, but rich with insight for seasoned practitioners. Thubten Chodron—a respected American nun in the Tibetan Gelugpa lineage—brings decades of teaching experience to the page, unpacking Nagarjuna’s profound text with warmth, clarity, and contemporary relevance.
Originally published in 2016, Good Karma is framed as a commentary on Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland, focusing especially on verses about karma and rebirth. Chodron uses these classical teachings to answer the very modern question: How can I live a good life?
The book is structured around themes rather than chapters. Each section explores key concepts such as the role of motivation, the ripple effects of our choices, the difference between ethical and unwholesome actions, and how karma functions over time. Chodron weaves in stories, reflections, and practical tools, ensuring that readers don’t just understand karma intellectually—they begin to live it.
☸️ Core Teachings in the Book
1. Karma Is Created by Intentional Action
“Our intentions are like seeds. What we plant with our thoughts, words, and deeds will grow into the experiences we meet.”
This simple truth lies at the heart of Good Karma: karma isn’t fate, punishment, or reward—it’s the natural result of intentional actions. Chodron emphasizes that only actions done with intention (whether wholesome or harmful) create karma.
This gives us tremendous power. It means we are not trapped by our past. Each moment is a fresh opportunity to sow seeds of peace, kindness, and clarity.
In practice, this invites mindfulness: What are we thinking when we act? Are we motivated by compassion, or by fear, anger, and confusion? By observing and refining our motivations, we reshape our karmic future.
2. Understanding Causes and Conditions Frees Us from Blame
Many people struggle with the question: Why do bad things happen to good people? Chodron addresses this with great sensitivity. Karma, she says, is complex and often ripens across lifetimes. It’s not always visible or linear.
More importantly, she teaches us how understanding karma shifts our mindset from blame to responsibility. When we see that every experience arises from countless conditions—not just one cause—we stop blaming ourselves or others, and start cultivating the conditions for healing and growth.
This is not about passivity or resignation. It’s about seeing clearly, acting wisely, and learning to respond with compassion—even to suffering.
3. Ethical Conduct Is the Foundation of Happiness
“It’s not about being ‘good’ in a moralistic way. It’s about cultivating the causes that bring peace to the heart.”
A major emphasis in Good Karma is the power of ethical living—not as a set of rigid rules, but as a joyful commitment to reducing harm and increasing benefit. Chodron relates how generosity, honesty, and patience are not just “virtuous,” but karmically potent—each one plants seeds of happiness for ourselves and others.
She often quotes Nagarjuna’s guidance to the king on the ten non-virtues to avoid (like lying, killing, and stealing) and the ten virtues to cultivate. These aren’t arbitrary commandments—they’re reflections of what truly supports human well-being.
Ethics, in this view, becomes a source of inner freedom.
4. Regret, Not Guilt, Purifies Past Karma
One of the most compassionate teachings in this book is the distinction between guilt and regret. Guilt says, “I’m a bad person,” and keeps us stuck. Regret says, “That action was harmful—I wish I hadn’t done it,” and opens the door to change.
Chodron teaches the traditional four opponent powers as a method of purifying karma:
- Regret for harmful actions
- Reliance on refuge in the Buddha and the wish to benefit beings
- Remedial action, such as recitation or service
- Resolve not to repeat the action
This practice allows us to heal and let go, not by denying the past, but by transforming it with wisdom and compassion.
5. Rebirth Is Real, But So Is This Life
While Chodron affirms the Buddhist view of rebirth and karma across lifetimes, she doesn’t insist that readers believe it blindly. She encourages an open, curious approach: examine your experience, and see how karma works right now.
She points out that even if we set aside rebirth, the principle of cause and effect still applies. Our habits, reactions, and emotional patterns clearly create results—often in the same day.
In this way, Good Karma makes ancient teachings relevant and actionable. Whether you believe in rebirth or not, you can still plant seeds of clarity, compassion, and joy in this very life.
Why This Book Matters
For Seekers of All Levels
Good Karma is a rare book that speaks to many kinds of readers:
- Beginners will find clear, jargon-free explanations of karma, ethics, and spiritual responsibility.
- Practitioners will appreciate the depth and faithfulness to classical Buddhist teachings.
- Skeptics will be gently invited to explore, question, and reflect without pressure.
A Healing Perspective
This book is especially powerful for anyone carrying regret, guilt, or confusion about the past. Chodron offers a path not of self-blame, but of self-liberation. By shifting our view of karma from “cosmic judgment” to “natural result,” we can begin to walk a freer, more conscious path.
Living the Teachings
Here are a few simple ways to apply Good Karma in daily life:
- Set daily intentions: Each morning, reflect on how you want to act and think. Your motivation shapes your day.
- Notice emotional triggers: Instead of reacting habitually, ask: “What seeds am I planting right now?”
- Practice the four opponent powers: Use regret as a doorway to healing, not shame.
- Rejoice in virtue: Take joy in others’ goodness—it creates good karma too!
✅ Strengths and Challenges of the Book
Strengths:
- Gentle and empowering tone: Chodron writes like a wise spiritual friend.
- Faithful to classical sources: Anchored in Nagarjuna’s timeless advice.
- Practical and modern: Bridges ancient philosophy with daily life.
- Welcoming to skeptics: Doesn’t demand belief, invites reflection.
Considerations:
- Some readers may find the discussion of rebirth unfamiliar or hard to accept. Chodron handles it skillfully, but it’s still a stretch for those from secular backgrounds.
- The book assumes some interest in Buddhist ethics. Readers seeking “quick-fix” self-help might be challenged by its depth and nuance.
Still, these are not flaws—they’re part of the book’s honest integrity. It offers Dharma, not just comfort.
Your Journey Through This Book Begins Here
Good Karma by Thubten Chodron is more than a book about karma—it’s a guide to living with intention, healing the past, and planting the seeds of a better future. It doesn’t offer shortcuts or magical thinking. It offers something better: clarity, hope, and the practical tools to live a more awakened life.
If you read this book slowly, with sincerity, you’ll begin to notice shifts—not just in how you act, but in how you perceive the world. Karma becomes not a threat, but a teaching. Not a burden, but a blessing.
“Every moment, we’re planting the seeds of our future. What kind of garden do you want to grow?”
If this book resonates with you, consider pairing it with:
- The Foundation of Buddhist Practice by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron
- Being Nobody, Going Nowhere by Ayya Khema
- The Karma of Questions by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
May your reading be fruitful. May your actions be wise. And may your karma lead you home to the heart of peace.
