The Law of Karma

834 Words2 Pages

The Law of Karma

Karma, also known as Karman is a basic concept common to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The doctrine of Karma states that one's state in this life is a result of actions both physical and mental in past carnations, and action in this life can determine one's destiny in future incarnations. Karma is a natural, impersonal law of moral cause and effect and has no connection with the idea of a supreme power that decrees punishment of forgiveness of sins. Karmic law is universally applicable, and only those who have attained liberation from rebirth, called mukti (or moksha) or nirvana, can be transcend it. (The Columbia Encyclopedia)

Fundamental consciousness can be compared to a ground that receives imprints or seeds left by our actions. Once planted, these seeds remain in the ground of fundamental consciousness until the conditions for their germination and ripening have come together... the linking of the different steps of this process, from the causes, the initial acts, up to their consequences, present and future experiences or causation of actions. In the sense that good or positive energy omitted by one individual will transfer that energy among another being until such a time even if that energy has morphed into different forms it will eventually return to the person that created it. This is also true to it's opposite, such as; if you were to cheat on a significant other breaking their heart while you are left unharmed, in other words something done that is negative towards someone, that energy is then brought back to you in a negative way also.

The theory of Karma is the theory of cause and effect, of action and reaction; it is a natural law, which has nothing to do with the idea of justice or r...

... middle of paper ...

...ant or unpleasant according as its cause was skilful or unskillful. A skilful event is one that is not accompanied by craving, resistance or delusions; an unskillful event is one that is accompanied by any one of those things. Therefore, the law of Karma teaches the responsibility for unskillful actions is born by the person who commits them. In the Buddhist view, evil is not sin but ignorance.

Works Cited

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001- 05

Coomaraswamy, Ananda. 1964. Budda and the gospel of Buddhism. New York: Harper and Row

Kaufman, Whitley R.P. Karma, Rebirth and the Problem of Evil: Philosophy East and West; Jan 2005, Vol. 55 Issue 1, pg 15-32,

Walpola, Rahula. What the Budda Taught. Broadway: New York :NY. 1959

Weber, Max. 1947. Essays in Sociology. Translated by Gerth and Mills. London: K.Paul, Trench, Trubner

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast Weber And Emheim Durkheim

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    Three thinkers form the foundations of modern-day sociological thinking. Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber. Each developed different theoretical approaches to help us understand the way societies function, and how we are determined by society. This essay will focus on the contrasts and similarities of Durkheim and Weber’s thought of how we are determined by society. It will then go on to argue that Weber provides us with the best account of modern life.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Karma In Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

    1467 Words  | 3 Pages

    The destiny or fate following as effect from cause, also known as karma, overall classifies as an abstract idea. No one really knows if it is substantial or not; therefore, creating a lot of skeptics when it comes this concept. In life, when a person puts themselves aside and does a good deed for another, karma comes back in many forms for them. For example, when one does something charitable, later they may discover a ten dollar bill on the ground; some may believe karma disguised itself as the money while others deny that and claim it as no more than simply a coincidence. Skeptics deny and doubt any opinions regarding whether one’s actions, good or bad, find a way back at them; however, in the short story Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston, it seems that what goes

    Read More

  • Malebranche And Leibniz Solution To Evil Analysis

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    The problem of evil has been categorized variously, but the major categorizations of evil entail the physical evil on the one hand, and the moral evil, on the other hand. Physical evil has been defined as the occurrence of a physical suffering and destruction that is caused by the operation of natural laws, with no involvement of the human intention in the occurrence of such events (Kremer and Latzer, 89). On the other hand, moral evil has been defined as the occurrence of events that violates the natural laws, for which humans are responsible (Kremer and Latzer, 89). In this respect, while in the physical evil there is no participation of humans, the moral evil is contributed by the involvement of the personal will and intellect in doing what naturally should not be done, or what is simply considered morally wrong.

    Read More

  • The Thoughts and Beliefs Surrounding Karma

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    Karma is ancient belief whose history can be traced back to when Buddhism had just been established by the Buddha and it was still in its early stages.Early Buddhism taught that karma was non-linear,meaning that your past actions would not affect you in the present, and your present actions would not affect your future. The quote, “Karma isn’t fate.Nor is it a punishment imposed on us by some external agent.We create our own karma. Karma is the result of choices that we make every moment of every day.” means that the actions we commit every day will create karma, and whether the outcome of that karma is good or bad is determined by your actions. On the contrary, some Indian schools taught that karma was linear, meaning your past and present actions would affect you later in life. The doctrine of the belief states that one person’s karma cannot affect another person’s future.For example, the transfer of merit states that one person can transfer good karma to another, and this is found in both Buddhism and Hinduism. However, a wide spectrum of various aspects of Indian religions believe that karma can be shared. The outcome of your karma is determined by whether your actions were helpful and kind, or if your actions were cruel and decadent.The quote, “Ka...

    Read More

  • Legitimacy in The Apology and Oedipus the King

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Weber, Max. [1991] 1918. “Politics as a Vocation,” In From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology,

    Read More

  • Hamartiology: The Problem of Evil (Theodicy)

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    I outlined the distinction between moral evil and natural evil, in that moral agents (such as murder or rape) produce moral evil and natural evil occurs in the process of the functioning of the natural order (such as an earthquake, flood or plague). While we can attempt to question the intensity of ...

    Read More

  • Retributive Theory Of Punishment Essay

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theory of punishment as a whole is worth investigating as well. My largest argument against the theory of punishment is that it is not a fair or just operation. The concept of punishment is a way to intentionally harm people. This is not a just way of making a case right, or making a victim heal from any crime they may have been a part of. The victim is not compensated for the damage or harm caused to them. Punishment, in the retributive theory will really only do good in that it deters people from committing crime because they are scared of the punishment- but this simply does not work as well as it should. The restitution theory does not address the issue of who is entitled to cause harm to others, or punish said criminals.

    Read More

  • Moral Evils, Evil, And Evil In Non-Believers

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    Consequently, the actions of Adam and Eve have opened the doors for the two types of evil we see today, moral and natural. “Natural evil is the consequence of moral evil” (Elwell,...

    Read More

  • Guilt Causes Physical, Psychological, and Emotional Damage

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a child, your parents always told you that old moral lesson, “What goes around comes around.” Some may call it good luck or bad luck, but I refer to it as karma. When one is faced with a moral choice, he or she has to differ right from wrong. People are hesitant about making the wrong decision because the outcome you may endure is the negative feeling of guilt.

    Read More

  • Social Class

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shortell, Timothy. "Weber's Theory of Social Class." Weber's Theory of Social Class. Brooklyn College, n.d. Web.

    Read More

  • Karma and Reincarnation

    4820 Words  | 10 Pages

    In south Asia, it is well accepted that a person’s action determines his or her own personal destiny. This idea that actions have repercussions in life is known as karma. Karma is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as, “the total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny.” Karma is called las rgyu-bras in Tibetan, where las can be translated to “work” or “actions” and rgyu-bras translates to “fruits.” Combined, las rgyu-bras can be translated as the fruits of one’s actions (Keyes 232). If a person performs a good action in life, Tibetan Buddhists believe that good things will occur later on in life as a result, and they expect the reverse for bad actions. By understanding this concept and trying to live a l...

    Read More

  • Sociological Perspective of Good Will Hunting

    1467 Words  | 3 Pages

    Berger, Peter L. Invitation to Sociology; a Humanistic Perspective. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963. Print.

    Read More

  • Evil Is Driving the Wheel of Life

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    No meaningful discussion of good or evil in Buddhism can be undertaken without a summary understanding of karma. Buddhist philosophy teaches karma as a “creation” based on intentional acts of body, speech and mind, and that man is affected by the karma he creates. “When we plant a seed – an act, a statement, or a thought – it will eventually produce a fruit, which will ripen and fall to the ground and perpetuate more of the same.” (Makransky 334) This is to say that the “fruit” (creation of karma) results from care of the tree or as commonly mentioned in Buddhism; what a man does is what happens to him.

    Read More

  • sociology of education

    1556 Words  | 4 Pages

    Haralambos, M. & Holborn, M. (1991) Sociology Themes and Perspectives. 3rd Ed. Harper Collins, London.

    Read More

  • God Sees The Truth But Waits Analysis

    847 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Merriam Webster, karma is defined as, the force created by a person's actions that some people believe causes good or bad things to happen to that person, but in, God Sees the Truth, But Waits by Leo Tolstoy, karma is seen as everything happens for a reason. This story is about a man named Aksyonof who is falsely accused for a murder. While in prison, he meets Makar, someone who could change his fate. The plot of, God Sees the Truth, But Waits, illustrates the theme of karma in the story through a man’s wrongful conviction, transformation during imprisonment, and confessions of an inmate.

    Read More

More about The Law of Karma

Open Document