Caring for Karma

Abstract

In Tibet, what constitutes a “good” old age, or the Tibetan way of “successful aging,” highlights interdependence between generations and religious devotion. Based on 18 months of ethnographic research on aging in rural Central Tibet, this chapter explores how religious practices that focus on preparing for death and improving one’s karmic outcome in the next life constitute a form of self-care—what I call “caring for karma.” These activities are essential for the elders’ mental well-being by promoting intergenerational harmony and providing them with a non-kin social network. Furthermore, mental health and devotional practices like circumambulation, a ubiquitous way of earning merits, also promote physical health. Thus, caring for karma suggests a new way of envisioning “successful aging” that encompasses decline, interdependence and transience, and demonstrates the significance of making “readiness for death” an integral part of successful aging.