How Karma Turns Suffering Into a Path to Freedom | Swami Sarvapriyananda

The problem of evil serves as a foundational driver in Eastern traditions like Vedanta and Buddhism, contrasting with its role as a systemic threat in Abrahamic religions. While the Abrahamic framework struggles to reconcile an all-powerful, all-good God with the existence of suffering, Eastern philosophies view suffering as an inherent result of ignorance regarding the nature of reality. Central to this perspective is the law of karma, a causal system where past actions dictate current experiences across multiple lifetimes. This cycle of accumulation and exhaustion necessitates a cosmology of various heavens and hells, yet remains ultimately finite. Liberation—whether through the Buddhist path, devotional practice, or the knowledge-based Advaita Vedanta—acts as a "fire of enlightenment" that wipes away the mountain of past karma in a single stroke. This transformative release mirrors the concept of redemption in Christianity, suggesting a shared human pursuit to overcome the burdens of the past.