Saturday December 6th, 2025

1pm - 3pm ET 

In-Person | FREE

The word karma has become entrenched in the national vocabulary; it shows up everywhere from news reports to pop lyrics as shorthand for some kind of cosmic justice: "We reap what we sow,” “What goes around comes around,” etc. This might be a significant development, but the concept is also widely misused and misunderstood. In fact, karma is far more subtle and nuanced than we realize.

Drawing on his extensive research for his latest book, Karmic Relief: Harnessing the Laws of Cause and Effect for a Joyful, Meaningful Life, Philip Goldberg will shed light on what karma is—and, crucially, what it’s not. We’ll discuss the historical origins of the concept, the karmically beneficial ethics of Buddhism and Hinduism, how to neutralize undesirable karma, and what it means to live in a universe governed by karmic law.

 Along the way, we’ll touch on related topics: reincarnation; group karma; the relative importance of action, thought, and intention; why the Bhagavad Gita says the ways of karma are unfathomable; and the possibility of being liberated from karma entirely.

After a brief presentation and reading, we’ll open the floor to a discussion of karma and its implications, with a book signing to follow.