Karma
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Karma
Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म from the root kṛ, “to do”, [meaning deed] meaning action, effect, destiny) is a term that comprises the entire cycle of cause and effect. Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing and will do. The effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for ones own life, and the pain in others. In religions that incorporate reincarnation, karma extends through ones present life and all past and future lives as well.
The “Law of Karma” is central in Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, & Jainism. (These religions were formed in India). All living creatures are responsible for their karma – way of life – and for their release from samsara. As a term, it can be traced back to the early Upanishads.
The Law of Karma is taught in the esoteric Christian tradition, Essenian and later Rosicrucian, as the “Law of Cause and Consequence/Effect” [1]. However, this western esoteric tradition adds that the essence of the teachings of Christ is that the law of sin and death may be overcome by Love, which will restore immortality.
The process view of release (moksha) from ego-consciousness (ahamkar) through individual responsibility for the totality of action with its inherent karma can be contrasted with the soteriological view of mainstream denominations of Christianity: grace given by faith in the suffering, death and resurrection of a singular saviour.
The Theory of Karma
Karma literally means action. We first take an intent and follow it up with action in the form of thought, speaking to others, planning and execution. According to the Theory of Karma – every action taken to achieve a result or profit (fruit of action) leaves a trace or a karmic residue behind it. It is this residue that keeps accumulating and takes away ones well-being and freedom. Only a person who acts to produce results without worrying about profit (Nishkama Karma or Niskarma) does not accumulate such a Karmic residue. Such action normally comes from love or pure passion.
Quoting from the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says: “I shall now describe nishkama karma yoga, the path of selfless action. You have a right to perform your natural prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to any fruits of that action. You should neither act with desire to enjoy the fruits of your work, nor, as a result, should you be attached to neglecting your duties.”
So how does Karmic residue work? Well, according to the theory any action whose motive is other than love or passion begins a process of psychological compensation which is difficult to complete. For example, if we helped somebody when we did not want to, then no amount of compensation helps later as we always feel incomplete. Any incomplete action somehow begins to consume a part of our free attention on how to get rewarded. During our journey of life we accumulate considerable Karmic residue and this depletes our free attention significantly. Lack of free attention means lack of intelligence. Many of the bad situations we get into in life are as a result of a lack of intelligence and attention..
Karma in the Dharma-based religions
Hinduism
Karma in Hinduism differs from Karma in Buddhism and Jainism, and involves the role of their god. Within Hinduism, Karma appears to function primarily as a means to explain the Problem of evil. The concept of Karma is an integral part of Hindu idealism.
One of the first and most dramatic illustrations of karma can be found in the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. In the Mahabharata we see that the protagonist Arjuna is preparing for a battle, he then realizes that the enemy consists of members of his own family and decides not to fight. His charioteer (Krishna) who is considered to be one of the incarnations of god (Vishnu), then explains to Arjuna the concept of “duty” among other things and makes Arjuna realize that it is his duty to fight. The whole of Bhagavad Gita (part of Mahabharata) is a dialogue between these two on various aspects of life including Morality and a host of other philosophical points. The original Hindu concept of karma was later enhanced by several other movements within the religion, most notably Vedanta, 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 karma rebounds immediately. Some accumulate and return unexpectedly in this or other births.
It is considered to be a spiritually originated law that cannot be abrogated by any person but can be mitigated by God in Hinduism. Karma is not punishment or retribution, but simply an extended expression of natural acts. The effects experienced are also able to be mitigated by actions and are not necessarily fateful. That is to say, a particular action now doesnt bind you to some particular, pre-determined future experience or reaction; its not a simple, one-to-one correspondence of reward / punishment.
Buddhism
In Buddhism, karma (PÐÐÐÐŽli kamma) is strictly distinguished from vipÐÐÐÐŽka (“fruit” or “result”). Karma is one element in a chain of cause and effect. Any action is understood to create “seeds” in the mind which will sprout into the appropriate result when they meet with the right conditions. Certain types of karmas, with good or bad result, will keep one within the wheel of saṃsÐÐÐÐŽra; others will liberate one to nirvÐÐÐÐŽṇa.
Analogs of Karma
If we accept the basic ethical purpose of Karma is to behave responsibly, and the tenet of Karma may be simply stated if you do good things, good things will happen to you – if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you, then it is possible for us to identify analogs with other religions that do not rely on Karma as a metaphysical assertion or doctrine.
Karma does not specifically concern itself with salvation – it is just as