The topic of this article is the concept of Karma, which is common to most Eastern Philosophies be it Hinduism or Buddhism. It is said that in the second watch of the night when the Buddha attained enlightenment he gained a different kind of knowledge, which complemented his knowledge of rebirth - The Law of Karma. Karma is mistaken in the West as a doctrine of Fate or Predestination. It is not so. The word Karma literally means action - and the Law of Karma is the infallible law of cause and effect, which governs the Universe. The doctrine of Karma has many implications as to how we may lead our lives. In the first place it means that all our actions will lead to its natural consequence. We may not know what the consequence will be and in fact it may be delayed for many lengths of time but the consequence will follow inevitably. In Tibetan Buddhism the inevitable retribution, which however is not obvious, is compared to the shadow of a kite or an eagle as it searches for its prey. When the eagle is high in the sky its shadow is not to be seen. However when the eagle swoops to the ground to catch hold of its prey the menacing shadow appears. Similarly we are not aware of the consequences of our actions for most part but they will appear just as the shadow of the eagle suddenly appears. The law of Karma is not confined to individuals - there is family karma, national karma, International Karma, the Karma of a city. All these are mixed with the Karma of the Individual, and thus it happens that people lives are influenced by events completely beyond their control. All these Karma's are inter-related and can be understood in its full complexity only by an enlightened being. The law of Karma gives us guidance as to how we may lead our lives. When misfortune strikes we know that it will not last forever but will pass in time. And we now know through the law of Karma that these are consequences, which have inevitably followed from our past actions. The attitude to have when difficulties befall us is this - That this, which is happening, is the coming to fruition of our past Karma. We do not see the suffering as a punishment- or do we blame ourselves and indulge in self-hatred. Tibetans say that suffering is the broom, which sweeps away our negative karma. We can even be grateful that one karma is coming to an end. Eastern philosophy is full of stories of how bandits and murderers have overcome their bad karma and gone on to become - monks and even saints. Angulimala is an example. He had killed 999 people in his previous life as a bandit. But he was won over by the Buddha and went on to become a monk and a sage. Similarly in Tibetan Buddhism the story is told of Milarepa. He was a sorcerer who killed many people with his black magic for revenge or profit. Yet through his remorse and hardships and penances that he underwent he went on to become to become enlightened - a figure of inspiration to millions. Karma is derived from the word `kri' which means to do. The speech, thought and actions of a person is their karma and this karma which a person performs in their day to day life decides their future. It is not only the present karma which affects their future life but it is the karma of their past life which has an impact on their present life. In other words we can say that as we sow, so we reap. The happiness and the sorrow that we experience in life is the result of our karma. It is believed that the soul is immortal and the body is a temporary residence for the soul when it takes birth on this earth. What is the law of karma? The law of karma is the fact that a human being gets back in this world the same things that he has given to the world through his deeds and actions. It is a fact that nature returns to us the same thing that we give to her which means that our actions and deeds decide our future. But sometimes this factor does not apply .It does not mean that nature is partial and punishes only those whom she dislikes and rewards the person whom she likes. Here the law of karma plays a vital role. If a person’s deeds or action is not good in their present life yet they lead a very happy life does not mean that they will not be affected. The law of rebirth states that the simple reason that the person was not affected might be that their karma in their previous life was so good that their present actions could not affect this life. But their soul will carry the burden of the present deeds which will affect their next birth. On many occasions we are quite surprised when we see a person who is following all the laws of nature and abiding by humanity suffering throughout their life. This surprises us, but if we delve deep into the matter we have realize that they are suffering for their karma of their previous birth. Affinity between Nature and Karma There is a deep affinity between Nature and the law of karma. It is nature’s theory that a person will get back whatever he gives to nature through his deeds and actions. The time of receiving may vary. This in one way relieves God of the blame that he is partial and rewards those people whom he likes and punishes them whom he dislikes. The whole receiving factor is in the hands of the person himself. If his deeds and actions are good he will lead a happy and fruitful life at present and build a life of happiness for the future, but if his deeds and actions go against the law of nature then he is sowing thorns on the path of his future life.