"We have karma, which is basically, 'Whatever act you do has a consequence, and karma is the sum of the consequences of your acts.' If you do something negative, it will come back at you as negative. Even if you think of something negative, it will potentially come back at you in a negative way."
-Chef Eric Ripert, a devout Buddhist, talks about the idea of karma in a recent interview. Perhaps this explains why the toque is such a nice guy? [FR]