Just how serious do we take the concept of karma and rebirth? I recall a striking article from a few years ago, where an inquisitive American was granted a few moments with the Dalai Lama. He probed the D.L. with several questions about karma, to see just how far he could go with it. After a few minutes, the D.L. was asked about disabled children. Was their condition the result of bad actions in the past? "Of course" replied the D.L., as if this was a terribly obvious answer. The American noted that at this point the D.L.'s handlers quickly intervened and explained that this was "only for Buddhists," as if an American should not be exposed to such ideas.

And surely the D.L.'s handlers were right. If the laws of karma and rebirth really do apply, then indeed "we can't handle the truth." Is this a concept that the West has outgrown, since science has so many explanations for things unknown in the past?

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