> There is little more to it Treating karma as simply cause and effect amounts to an apologetic. The doctrine is that some kinds of action have effects that ar

> There is little more to it Treating karma as simply cause and effect amounts to an apologetic. The doctrine is that some kinds of action have effects that are borne in future lives. That would imply that there is some kind of place or medium where the seeds sown by actions can be stored, until they bear fruit in future lives. The Abidharma proposes some pretty convoluted metaphysics to explain this storage without postulating an enduring self. Reincarnating lamas are a peculiarity of Tibetan Buddhism, honoured as much in the breach; for example, many lama lineages are passed from father to son. When searching for a reincarnated lama, monks rely on prophesies and magical signs. Unsurprisingly, the system is wide-open for corruption. Stephen Segal, for example, is supposed to be a reincarnated lama.