Monster question... and I'm about to de-construct it, if you don't mind Firstly, an in-depth look at Buddha's teachings reveals that he rejected metaphysics outright. This comes as a bit of a shock, considering most people think that Buddhism is replete with that kind of thing. This is quite a challenge because if Buddha wasn't pushing a metaphysical line, then what was he doing? It takes some investigating to uncover that but it is radical and quite liberating when you do. Secondly, karma is considered to be a 'just-desserts' kind of mechanism, whereby bad guys get their comeuppance and we all get to go someplace nice. Buddha taught a more profound truth than that. He taught "becoming". Well worth taking time out to investigate the implications of that too.