Karma?

[Bird_of_Tao]

In an annotated copy of the Tao te ching that I was given for my birthday, it alludes to a type of karma in Taoism (I'll post a direct quote below), but I have never come across karma in Taoism before. Nor does the annotation actually call it karma, it simply says "call it karma, the law of reciprocity, or the law of cause and effect". This has confused me, I was under the impression that karma was built up and counted at the end of your life, essentially an important mechanism in reincarnation and that the law of cause and effect was more immediate, drop a stone in a pond, it produces waves. What I'm asking is, which of these two do you think was originally meant, karma or cause and effect, two things, in my mind, that are quite different.

The passage, as it appears,with all the annotations:

74

People who do not fear death(1)
How can they be threatened with death?
If people are made to constantly fear death
Then those who act unlawfully
I can capture and kill them who would dare?
There exists a master executioner that kills (2)
If we substitue the master executioner to kill
It is like substituting for the great carpenter to cut
Those who substitue for the great carpenter to cut
It is rare that they do not hurt their own hands(3)

(1) Capital punishment was a face of life in ancient China. The sages observed this and noted that the practice did not seem very effective as a deterrent. Criminals still existed, as if they had no fear of death.

(2)There is an ever present master executioner. Call it karma, or the law of reciprocity, or the law of cause and effect. This executionaer is perfectly impartial and never fails to dispense the appropriate punishment, including death. The concept of the heavenly executioner in this chapter mirrors the heavenly net concept from the previous chapter. They are different ways of describing the same karmic mechanism that seems to pervade reality (yes, but what IS this mechanism- B_o_T)

(3)There is no need for us to assume this role of master exectioner, to enact what we percieve to be justice. Trying to do so is simillar to beginners trying to cut wood like an expert carpenter. When they fumble around with sharp tools they are likely to accidentally cut themselves. SImilarly if we kill on behalf of the master executioner, we are likely to harm ourselves. In other words, a society that avidly supports capital punishment in a bloodthirsty was is not doing itself anyfavours. ASide from the observation that the death pentalty doesn't seem to be an effective deterrent, we should also consider the possibility that innocents may be exectued by mistake- and certainly those who are killed can no longer make amends and a contribution to society. The central idea in this chapter is that the negative approach is rarely effective. Capital punishment does not neccessarily improve society. If we execute everyone on death row today, we will feel no safer tomorrow. The more we resort to killing as a response to our frustration and anger towards violence, the more violent society becomes.

And now for the why: I ask this question because I believe in the more immediate "cause and effect" sort of "master executioner" (not a term I like, but accurate. Although highest judge is nicer. XD). I was trying to explain this to a friend a while back, that his ex-girlfriend, who had cheated on him, would get all that she would deserve and that taking revenge upon her was not the answer. It pains me that it happened to him actually, he's a pretty good guy. wouldn't hurt many flies anyway.

Thanks for all your replies in advance.

Bird of Tao.