In the Hindu religion, karma is “what determines the direction of one’s rebirth. The word karma comes from a root that means ‘to do’ and implies the notion of moral consequences carried along with every act. Karma is the moral law of cause and effect and belief in karma is a belief that every action has an automatic moral consequence.” In the Hindu belief system karma is tied into reincarnation with the thought that good karma leads to “higher” rebirth, while bad karma could result in the rebirth into “lower more painful forms.” A good pictorial representation of karma would be the typical ying and yang graphic. For those that are unfamiliar it is a circle with a s-shaped wave pattern down the middle, one half is black with a small white circle in it, the other half is just the opposite, white with a small black circle. I believe that this picture illustrates the ebb and flow of karma and shows “that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” clearly. In the Hindu belief “karma is neither good nor bad but only seems that way to the person that is experiencing it.” Likewise, in our ying and yang symbol there is not a good or bad side just a cohesive unit that ebbs and flows based on the current situation. The concept of karma gives us some solid insight into the culture of the Indian people. First it gives us a basis for the Indian acceptance of the caste system. “Good karma in one’s present caste will guarantee rebirth into a higher caste or better circumstances. Secondly, it gives us a better understanding into the respect that the Indian culture has for all life, including animals. Lastly, karma becomes the “moral law of cause and effect” and becomes a basis for a very devout life style within a very religious