Karma isn't just about what we do; it is also created by what happens to us.
Often times when something bad happens in someone's life, we might think that person has bad karma. They must have done something bad earlier in life or in a previous life, and now they are reaping the negative consequences. While this may be true, there is another possibility that is equally probable.
It could be that something bad happened to that person earlier in life or in a past life, and now they are reaping the negative consequences of that.
The Two Sources of Karma
The first and more common approach to how we think about karma appeals to our sense of justice. We like to think that the universe is fair — that bad deeds get punished, that good deeds get rewarded. This is the "you reap what you sow" model.
But this is only half the story.
The second source of karma is what happens to us. When we experience trauma, loss, betrayal, or abuse, these experiences leave energetic imprints in our field. These imprints then generate patterns in our lives — patterns of lack, patterns of painful relationships, patterns of illness — not because we did something wrong, but because something wrong was done to us.
Why This Matters
Understanding this second source of karma has profound implications for how we approach healing.
If karma is only created by what we do, then healing requires us to fix our behavior, change our thoughts, and make amends. This is the "clean up your act" model.
But if karma is also created by what happens to us, then healing also requires us to address the wounds we carry — the imprints left by what was done to us, what happened to us, what we witnessed or experienced.
This is where compassion comes in. When we give compassion to the part of us that was wounded, we clear the karmic imprint. And when the imprint is cleared, the pattern it was generating dissolves.
This is also why understanding this second source of karma expands our compassion for others. When we see someone struggling, instead of assuming they must have done something to deserve it, we can consider the possibility that something was done to them — and we can respond with compassion rather than judgment.