In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores karmic debt and the traditional understanding of connections created through past actions.

Karmic debt is a translation of the Sanskrit word Rinanubandhana. Rina means debt, and anubandhana means bondage or connection. The implication is a karmic debt, a connection created through previous actions that continues until it is resolved.

The law of karma is very simple. It is similar to Newton’s third law of physics: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The difficulty is that once you have one reaction, that reaction can become the cause of another action, which creates another reaction. After not very long, the entire process can become extremely complicated.

Therefore, it is overly simplistic to think that you simply have one karmic connection with another person. Sometimes there may be a simple karma. You meet someone, perhaps you are in the same room together, something happens, and then that connection is complete.

But with many people in our lives, there is Rinanubandhana. There is something that you owe them, and something that they owe you. It cannot always be resolved at once because not everything is ready to mature at the same time. This is why we have time and space, so that people can come together at particular moments when certain exchanges can occur.

Ideally, these exchanges create balance. You give something, the other person gives something, and the connection becomes more harmonious. However, sometimes the exchange is not completely balanced, and further interactions are required.

The question is how we can know whether something is truly a karmic connection. We may feel drawn toward a particular job, a certain location, or a particular person in a relationship. How do we know whether there is an actual karmic connection or whether it is simply the result of the influences and images constantly being created by modern society?

It is not always easy to know with certainty. But generally speaking, when you feel a strong pull toward something, whatever that thing may be, it suggests that there may be some Rinanubandhana, some karmic connection that needs to be worked through.

This can happen with major areas of life, such as relationships, employment, where you live, and the people around you. But it can also appear in smaller and less obvious ways.

For example, in Texas, people often have strong opinions about which Tex-Mex restaurant they prefer. I am wearing a Chuy’s shirt, and Chuy’s is a restaurant that began, I believe, in Austin and is now found in many cities. It provides good, consistent food, and each location has its own decorations and atmosphere.

It is not uncommon for people to think of a particular restaurant as “their” restaurant. Why does this happen? Most likely because there is some kind of karmic relationship involved. There is a complex relationship between the servers, cooks, owners, the location itself, and the people who gather there.

If you enjoy the food, if it is good for you, and if you digest it well, then perhaps there is some Rinanubandhana connected with that place. It is reasonable to continue going there until you no longer feel that pull. At that point, you may find yourself drawn toward another restaurant, depending on where you are, who is there, and what kind of connection develops.