Karma

                              In a desperation ploy of  "You-gotta-start-somewhere", I've stolen this from The Shambhala  Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen" :  "Karma, literally 'deed' .  [The] Universal Law of Cause and Effect, which according to the Buddhist view takes effect in the following way :  'The deed (Karma) produces a fruit under certain circumstances; when it is ripe then it falls upon the one responsible.  For a deed to produce its fruit, it must be morally good {or bad} and be conditioned by volitional impulse, which in that it leaves a trace in the psyche of the doer, leads his destiny in the direction determined by the effect of the deed.  ... "  

              Further :  "Since the time of ripening generally exceeds a lifespan, the effect of actions is necessarily one or more rebirths, which together constitute the cycle of existence-- Samsara.

              Its Essence ;  "The teaching of Karma does NOT constitute determinism .  The deeds do indeed determine the MANNER of rebirth but not the ACTIONS of the reborn individual ----Karma provides the situation, NOT the response of the situation."

             "But wait, there's more ."