The law of karma does not mean simply that we will be rewarded or punished in the future for the effect of actions done today. Its main effect is immediate. The law of karma states that the condition of our consciousness and inner happiness is based upon how we act in the present. The main punishment for an evil man is that he has to reside in the consciousness of evil, which cuts himself off from his true soul and source of life. 

The reward of true virtue is that it puts us in contact with the eternal and with a sense of well-being transcending outer circumstances. In this regard, evil is its own punishment and virtue its own reward. By this immediate effect any action causes us to abide in the state of consciousness which produced it. Evil actions cause us to remain in a state of evil or petty mindedness. Good actions give us added energy to remain in a state of peace. 

Yet true good, we must remember, is always unpremeditated. We should follow the good for its own sake, not to get the reward of good karma. Those who seek rewards remain trapped in the surface of life and give emphasis to outer over inner values. Action done with the intent to gain is already evil, though it may be seeking the goal of enlightenment.

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