Karma
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Karma
(Sanskrit: कर्म), or Kamma (Pali)
is a Sanskrit word and a concept of religions born in
India, meaning 'action, effect, destiny.' In
Hinduism
and, later, Buddhism
and Sikhism, it is the sum of a person's actions, regarded as creating that
person's present and future states of existence. The law of Karma originated in the Vedic system of religion, otherwise known as Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma (perennial faith). As a term, it can at the latest be traced back to the early Upanishads, around 1500 BC.
Karma in the Dharma-based religions
HinduismThe concept of Karma, based on the Vedas and Upanishads was a concept that was adopted by other religions like Buddhism and Jainism. One of the first and most dramatic illustrations of Karma can be found in the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. The original Hindu concept of karma was later enhanced by several other movements within the religion, most notably Vedanta, Yoga, and Tantra.Karma literally means "deed" or "act" and more broadly names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction which governs all life. Karma is not fate, for man acts with free will creating his own destiny. According to the Vedas, if we sow goodness, we will reap goodness; if we sow evil, we will reap evil. Karma refers to the totality of our actions and their concomitant reactions in this and previous lives, all of which determines our future. The conquest of karma lies in intelligent action and dispassionate reaction. Not all karmas rebound immediately. Some accumulate and return unexpectedly in this or other births. As †Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami explains it, unkindness yields spoiled fruits, called papa and good deeds bring forth sweet fruits, called punya. He further notes that as one acts, so does he become. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action."
Three Kinds of Karma
Notably, Karma in Hinduism, which differs from Buddhism and Jainism, involves the role of God.
BuddhismIn Buddhism, only intentional actions are karmic "acts of will". The 'Law of Karma' refers to "cause and effect", but Karma literally means "action" - often indicating intent or cause. Accompanying this usually is a separate tenet called Vipaka, meaning result or effect. The re-action or effect can itself also influence an action, and in this way, the chain of causation continues ad infinitum. When Buddhists talk about karma, they are normally referring to karma/action that is 'tainted' with ignorance - karma that continues to ensure that the being remains in the everlasting cycle of samsara. This samsaric karma comes in two 'flavors' - 'good' karma, which leads to positive/pleasurable experiences, like high rebirth (as a deva, asura, or human), and bad karma which leads to suffering and low rebirth (as a hell-sufferer, as a preta, or as an animal). There is also a completely different type of karma that is neither good nor bad, but liberating. This karma allows for the individual to break the uncontrolled cycle of rebirth which always implies suffering , and thereby leave samsara to permanently enter Nirvana.The Buddhist sutras explain that in order to generate liberating karma, we must first develop incredibly powerful concentration, and proper insight into the (un)reality of samsara. This concentration is akin to the states of mind required to be reborn in the Deva realm, and in itself depends upon a very deep training in ethical self-discipline. This differentiation between good karma and liberating karma has been used by some scholars to argue that the development of Tantra depended upon Buddhist ideas and philosophies.
JainismJains believe that karma is a form of matter. Mahavira described karma as "clay particles". Jains do not believe in "good karma" or "bad karma"; they try to avoid all karma.
Karma and Parallels with ChristianityOrthodox Christian teachings do not usually include the idea of Karma, although some parallels can be made, as exemplified by biblical verses of God is not mocked, what a man sows he must reap and Vengeance is mine says the Lord. Karma is thought by some Jesuit theologians to be consistent with the doctrine of purgatory. For the most part, however, the idea of the Abrahamic God makes the concept of Karma hard to understand for many Christians. It is also worth noting that most interpretations of Christianity do not emphasize the religious importance of thoughts and intentions (volition), that are usually understood to be a major form of Karma by the doctrines that use that concept. A notable exception to this, however, were early Christians known as Gnostics. There were many branches of Gnosticism which encompassed a wide variety of beliefs. Many Gnostic groups believed in some form of reincarnation. Eventually Orthodox Christianity, because of its political power, was able to suppress the views of the Gnostics, who they considered to be heretics.
Western Interpretation of KarmaAlthough, Karma, like all matters of spirituality and faith, cannot be proven by hard science, millions of people believe in it and it is a part of many cultures. More and more people in the West (both those without a religious background, as well as those with a traditional Christian upbringing), come to the conviction of the existence of Karma. For many, karma is a more reasonable concept than eternal damnation for the wicked. Spirituality, or a belief that virtue is rewarded and sin creates suffering eventually leads many to a belief in Karma. While the action of karma has often been compared with the Western notions of sin and judgment by God or gods, karma instead has been commonly perceived by Westerners to operate as an inherent principle of the Universe without the intervention of any supernatural Being. That notion is incorrect and holds true for only Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, however, God does play a role and is seen as a dispenser of karma. Most teachings say that for common mortals, having an involvement with Karma is an unavoidable part of day-to-day living. However, in light of the Hindu philosophical school of Vedanta, as well as Gautama Buddha's teachings, one is advised to either avoid, control or become mindful of the effects of desires and aversions as a way to moderate or change one's karma (or, more accurately, one's karmic results).
Karma in New Age and TheosophyThe idea of karma was popularized in the west through the work of the Theosophical Society. Kardecist and Western New Age reinterpretations of karma frequently cast it as a sort of luck which is associated with virtue: if one does good or spiritually valuable acts, one deserves and can expect good luck; conversely, if one does harmful things, one can expect bad luck or unfortunate happenings. In this conception, karma is affiliated with the Neopagan law of return or Threefold Law, the idea that the beneficial or harmful effects one has on the world will return to oneself. Adapted with permission from Wikipedia. |
