The Karma of Breaking Bad

Last year, I made a resolution to explore my spiritual side. This consisted of attending meditation classes at a local Buddhist temple. I followed that by taking an Introduction to Buddhism class. Since then, I have continued my meditation practice and reading. Buddhism is a bit like being your own therapist in that it forces you to be aware of your thoughts and recognize that YOUR actions and reactions result in your own happiness or suffering.  I am intrigued by these teachings, in that it is easy to see the wisdom of being both wise and kind as a means to avoid mental suffering.

I have found that my practice over the past year has made a noticeable difference in my life. I am a more considerate driver (LOL), more patient with and empathetic to others, slower to judge, more thoughtful in my speech, more focused on finding the positive, and much more analytical of my motivations resulting in a contentedness I have not felt for many years.

A few weeks ago, I took the next step on this journey by signing up for a Discovering Buddhism class, which is a two year course divided into 14 different curricula. The current course work focuses on Karma, which when directly translated, simply means “action.”

There are four laws of Karma

1)    Karma is definite: Virtuous actions always lead to happiness, while non-virtuous actions always lead to suffering.

2)    Karma expands over time like a seed that grows into a mighty oak tree.

3)    There is no result without a cause (i.e. cause and effect)

4)    Karma cannot be lost; however bad Karma can be purified and good Karma can be destroyed by anger.

Pretty simple actually - I am not to blame, but I am responsible for my life, my joy, and my suffering. Which brings me to the topic of today’s blog post: The AMC series Breaking Bad.

Several family members, friends, and colleagues have recommended this show, but I have been actively trying to reduce the amount of time I spend in front of the television, so I simply added the first season to my Netflix queue last year. A few weeks ago, the first CD made its way to my mailbox and I am now obsessed with the tragic life of Walter White.

If you are not familiar with the series, this synopsis from IMDB pretty much sums it up: “Informed he has terminal cancer, an underachieving chemistry genius turned high school teacher uses his expertise to secretly provide for his family by producing the world's highest quality crystal meth.” While there is plenty of tragedy, sadness, and anger, there is also plenty of love and humor to balance the series.

What intrigues me is that while I watch it, I see all the laws of Karma at work. Walter’s motivations are honorable, yet the non-virtuous means he utilizes for obtaining his goal does not lead to happiness and security for his family. Rather, as he states in a fit of anger, for every step forward, he is pushed three steps further from his goal. The karmic seeds he plants in the first season continue to bear bitter fruit in the second season and probably into seasons to come. His actions negatively affect not only his psyche, but also the lives of his family, co-workers, partners and “employees.”

Buddhists do not believe in chance, meaning we are where we are in life due to the choices we have made in the past. I am beginning to think there may be something to this since my Netflix queue seems to have been perfectly attuned to my spiritual journey.  Or maybe I am simply more attuned to Karmic results due to the classes I am attending. Either way, I am grateful for the life lesson and excellent entertainment this series provides.

Lesson learned: Meth is bad and will ruin your life – whether you are cooking, selling, or using it!