Karma is part of our everyday vocabulary. It shows up in everything from news reports to TV commercials to Taylor Swift songs. Everyone knows it has to do with reaping what we sow. But beyond the simple “What goes around comes around” is a nuanced and subtle concept of universal cause and effect that is often misconstrued and misused. Properly understood, karma is a profoundly practical frame of reference; properly applied, it can transform our lives for the better.
In this e-course, prolific author and spiritual teacher Philip Goldberg will help us gain clarity about the laws of karma. Based on his extensive research, we’ll learn what karma is and, crucially, what it’s not. We’ll briefly explore the origin and development of the concept in ancient India and its transmission to the West. Most important, we’ll examine how we can ameliorate the impact of negative karma when it arises and modify our behavior in the present to generate more favorable karma going forward. Along the way, we’ll touch on ethical codes, reincarnation, dharma, and the karmic implications of work, relationships, and our roles as citizens.
Emails were originally intended to be delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. As it is "On-Demand," you choose your own start date and frequency for delivery of the emails to your inbox. You will receive 12 emails with the course content: an essay by Philip Goldberg on a key theme about karma plus a practice suggestion. The e-course also includes a one-hour Q&A recording of Philip on Zoom from when this course was first offered in 2026.
Philip Goldberg has been studying the world’s spiritual traditions for more than 50 years, as a practitioner, teacher, and writer. He is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning American Veda, the definitive biography The Life of Yogananda, Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times, and his latest, Karmic Relief: Harnessing the Laws of Cause and Effect for a Joyful, Meaningful Life. A meditation teacher, Interfaith Minister, and popular public speaker, he hosts the Spirit Matters podcast and writes regularly on his Substack Practical Spirituality.
This course, created especially for Spirituality & Practrice, will take a holistic approach to karma, addressing the various levels at which it operates. It’s not just our behavior that determines our karma — not just what we do and don’t do — but also the things we say, and the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions from which speech and action spring. Deeper still, karma is also determined by our intentions and motivations, and, ultimately, our state of consciousness — or, put another way, the condition of our brains and nervous systems.
In a world where most of our decisions are made intuitively and spontaneously, the aim is to make karmically beneficial action our default setting.
Takeaways:
- Fully understand what karma is and what it's not
- Understand how the cosmic laws of cause and effect operate
- Learn how to respond effectively when unwanted karma arrives at your doorstep
- Avert the dangers that have not yet come
- Adjust behavior, thought, and intention to upgrade your future karma
- Affirm your freedom of choice and personal responsibility
- Establish a repertoire of practices to enhance your spiritual progress and, perhaps, transcend karma.
To subscribe to this informative and practical e-course, click on the button below. (4 CEHs for chaplains available.)
Available On-Demand
(choose your own start date and frequency)
$65.00
