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Push against a wall.

Go ahead, try it. Put your finger on the nearest wall and push.

What do you feel?

The wall pushing back, right? With exactly the same force you’re applying.

That’s Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Now here’s my question: What if Newton wasn’t just describing physics? What if he accidentally described karma?

Welcome to Quantum Awareness. I’m QP. And today, we’re taking a break from quantum mechanics to explore something even more fundamental – how a 17th-century physicist proved what the Buddha taught 2,000 years ago.

Introduction – Why Classical Physics?

I know, I know. Most of the time, we’re deep in quantum weirdness – superposition, entanglement, wave-particle duality. That’s my comfort zone.

But sometimes the most profound truths are hiding in the basics. In the stuff you learned in high school and then forgot.

Newton’s Third Law is one of those truths.

And when I really sat with it – when I stopped seeing it as just physics and started seeing it through Buddhist eyes – everything clicked.

Because Newton’s Third Law isn’t just about objects. It’s about actions. It’s about consequences. It’s about karma.

The Physics – Newton’s Third Law Explained

Let’s start with the basics. Sir Isaac Newton, in his Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica published in 1687, laid out three laws of motion.

The third one states:

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Here’s what that means in practice: If I push on a wall with my finger, the wall exerts an equal force back onto my finger. The forces are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction.

The result? Balance. Unless one force overpowers the other.

This is fundamental physics. You can test it right now. Push on something. Feel it push back.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. Newton was talking about physical forces. But what about other kinds of forces?

What about emotional forces? Psychological forces? Interpersonal forces?

The Buddhist Connection – What IS Karma?

In Buddhism, karma literally means “action.” It’s the law of cause and effect.

Every action – physical, verbal, or mental – creates consequences. These consequences aren’t punishment from some cosmic judge. They’re natural results. Like physics.

The Buddha taught that our actions leave imprints in consciousness. These imprints ripen into future experiences. We are responsible for our own happiness and suffering through the actions we take.

Sound familiar?

Actions create reactions. Causes create effects.

Newton said it with mathematics. Buddha said it with meditation. Same truth. Different language.

From Physical to Psychological – The Wall Pushes Back

Now, if I hurt you, you’ll likely hurt me back. That’s clear enough.

But here’s the deeper question I want to explore: If I hurt you, do I also hurt myself?

I think so. At the very least from an emotional and psychological standpoint.

Think about it. When you act with anger, what happens inside you? You feel agitated. Stressed. Guilty, maybe. Tense.

Even if the other person never responds, never “pushes back” – you’ve already hurt yourself. The mental imprints of anger, guilt, and hatred are now in your consciousness.

That’s the wall pushing back. Internally.

The residual effects of violence include mental imprints of guilt, sadness, and hatred. These impressions don’t just disappear. They shape how you experience the world going forward.

Buddhism calls these vasanas – karmic imprints or tendencies. They’re like grooves in your consciousness. And the more you act with anger or harm, the deeper those grooves get.

The Positive Side – Kindness Creates Kindness

But here’s the beautiful part: Positive actions function exactly the same way.

Acts of kindness perpetuate more acts of kindness and positive emotions.

I remember the “pay it forward” phenomenon in the early 2000s. In drive-thru lines across Canada – maybe you saw this in other places too – people would pay for the person behind them.

No expectation of anything in return. Just the good feeling of doing something nice.

And you know what happened? The next person would do the same. And the next. And the next. Sometimes these chains would last for hours, involving dozens of people.

Why?

Because kindness, like force in physics, creates an equal reaction.

When someone does something kind for you, you feel moved to pass it on. The wall pushes back – but this time with compassion instead of harm.

Generosity begets generosity. Compassion creates compassion.

Newton’s Third Law in action.

The Interpersonal Physics of Action and Reaction

Let’s go deeper into the interpersonal dynamics.

When I act with patience toward you, what happens? You feel safe. You relax. You’re more likely to be patient with me in return.

When I act with anger, what happens? You tense up. You defend yourself. You might lash out.

Action. Reaction.

This isn’t mystical. It’s observable. It’s testable. It’s physics happening at the human level.

And here’s what makes this so important: We’re doing this all the time without realizing it.

Every interaction is a force applied. Every word is a push. Every thought creates a reaction – first in ourselves, then potentially in others.

We are constantly setting Newton’s Third Law in motion in our relationships, our work, our inner dialogue.

The Time Delay – Why Karma Isn’t Always Instant

Now, here’s where karma gets a little more complex than classical physics.

In Newton’s world, action and reaction are simultaneous. Push the wall, it pushes back immediately.

But with karma – especially karmic imprints in consciousness – there can be a time delay.

You might be kind to someone today, and the positive effects might not show up until next week. Or next year. Or even in a future life, if you accept the Buddhist view of rebirth.

This is why people sometimes think karma doesn’t exist. They act badly and nothing bad happens right away. Or they act kindly and feel like it didn’t make a difference.

But the Buddha taught that karmic seeds ripen when conditions are right. Not necessarily immediately.

Think of it like planting a garden. You plant seeds today. You don’t see flowers tomorrow. You have to wait. You have to tend the soil. But the seeds are there, and they will grow.

Newton Knew About Karma (Sort Of)

It seems that even Newton understood karma – at least on a physical level.

His Third Law describes perfectly how forces work in the material world. And if we extend that principle – if we say that psychological and emotional actions are also forces – then Newton accidentally described the entire Buddhist system of cause and effect.

I find that beautiful.

Two completely different methods. Two completely different cultural contexts.

Newton: Mathematics, observation, experimentation.
Buddha: Meditation, introspection, direct experience.

Both arrived at the same truth: Actions have consequences. Always.

Stop Planting Weeds in Your Own Mind

Here’s the practical takeaway. If it’s true that a similar law exists on psychological and interpersonal levels – and I think we’ve made a pretty good case that it does – then we would be wise to:

Treat every being as we ourselves would like to be treated.

Or at the very least, stop planting weeds in our own minds.

What do I mean by that?

Every time you act with anger, you plant a seed of anger in your consciousness.
Every time you act with jealousy, you plant a seed of jealousy.
Every time you act with kindness, you plant a seed of kindness.

These seeds will grow. They will affect you first – before they affect anyone else.

Because the wall always pushes back. If you push with negativity, negativity comes back. If you push with compassion, compassion comes back.

The Buddhist View on Causality

Let me be clear about what Buddhism actually teaches regarding karma, because there’s a lot of misunderstanding.

Karma is not:

• Fate or destiny
• Cosmic punishment
• Someone “up there” keeping score

Karma is simply: The natural law of causality.

Actions create results. Intentions shape actions. Habits create character. Character creates destiny.

As the Buddha taught in the Dhammapada:

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

Thoughts become actions. Actions create reactions. Reactions become habits. Habits become who we are.

It’s all connected. It’s all causality. It’s all Newton’s Third Law applied to consciousness.

The Unity of Science and Spirituality

What I love most about this connection is that it shows how science and spirituality aren’t opposed. They’re complementary.

Newton discovered through mathematics and observation what the Buddha discovered through meditation 2,000 years earlier.

Different paths. Same truth.

And this gives me hope. Because it means that truth is consistent. Reality doesn’t change depending on who’s looking at it or what method they’re using.

Whether you approach the question through physics or through Buddhist practice, you arrive at the same answer:

Actions have consequences.

Practical Applications – Living with This Understanding

So how do we apply this? How do we live with the understanding that every action creates an equal reaction?

1. Watch Your Actions

Every action – physical, verbal, and mental – creates ripples. Before acting, pause. Ask yourself: “What force am I putting into motion?”

2. Choose Kindness Strategically

Since positive actions create positive reactions, deliberately cultivate generosity, patience, and compassion. These aren’t just nice ideas – they’re strategic investments in your future experience.

3. Understand the Garden You’re Planting

Negative thoughts and actions are like planting poison in your own garden. They will grow. They will affect you first.

4. Be Patient with the Ripening

Newton’s Third Law happens instantly in physics. Karmic reactions can take time. Don’t be discouraged if kindness isn’t immediately reciprocated. The law still holds – it’s just on a different timescale.

5. Take Responsibility

This is both empowering and challenging. You are responsible for the forces you put into motion. But that also means you have the power to change your future by changing your actions now.

The Wall Always Pushes Back

Here’s the bottom line, the core teaching of this episode:

The wall always pushes back.

When you push with force, force comes back.
When you push with kindness, kindness comes back.
When you push with anger, anger comes back.

Not because the universe is keeping score. Not because you’re being punished or rewarded.

Simply because that’s how causality works. That’s the law.

Newton proved it mathematically.
Buddha proved it experientially.

The question is: What kind of force do you want to put into motion?

Closing

So there it is. Newton’s Third Law as a validation of Buddhist karma.

Every action creates an equal and opposite reaction – in physics, in psychology, in interpersonal relationships, in consciousness itself.

We can’t escape the consequences of our actions. The wall pushes back. Always.

But here’s the beautiful part: We get to choose what force we apply.

Will you push with anger or with kindness?
Will you plant weeds or flowers?
Will you create suffering or compassion?

The law is the same either way. But the results – oh, the results are everything.

Next time on Quantum Awareness, we’re jumping back into the quantum realm to explore [next episode topic].

Until then, watch your actions. Tend your garden. And remember – the wall is always pushing back.

What are you pushing with?

This is QP. Thanks for listening to Quantum Awareness.

Visit quantumawareness.net for full transcripts, show notes, and related articles exploring where quantum physics, Buddhism, and neuroscience converge.

See you next time.

QP