Synchronizing Karma: The Internalization and Externalization of a Shared, Personal Belief

Abstract

Abstract When people internalize cultural materials, they do not absorb them as passive recipients but, rather, adapt and apply them in ways that satisfy personal needs while also expressing them in ways acceptable to the community. It is not just a process of moving things into the individual but one of synchronizing imaginings of experience. For Bangkok's Buddhists, karma is a concept that is both culturally shared and, often, deeply personal. Karmic experiences are understood individually and shared through personal karmic narratives. A set of shared standards determines which stories can be accepted as describing karmic experiences while also serving to shape the individual's interpretations of those experiences. Although social monitoring of interpretations of individual experiences makes belief in karma acceptable, the intersection of abstract doctrine with personal interpretations gives the doctrine a nearly undeniable veracity. Therefore, synchronized karmic beliefs thrive, despite Bangkok's rapid development and cultural change. Addressing dynamics of synchronization moves psychological anthropology beyond frameworks of acquisition and internalization to considerations of negotiating agency in the reproduction of culture. [Buddhism, internalization, karma, imagination, narrative]