Nowadays, religions are multiplying, as are spiritualities and beliefs. Karma is, for some, a superstition and for others, a belief.
But in Buddhism, what does karma represent? Is this a belief linked to this spirituality?
General information about karma in Buddhism
In Eastern religions, karma is defined as a reincarnation concept that could impact a person's life. In the Buddhist context, the Sanskrit term Karma means "act or action", that is, more precisely, the past actions undertaken by an individual and related to their reincarnations.
Karma is related to the law of attraction, because if you do something wrong in a situation, then you are saying that you have inherited bad karma. The same goes for good karma, if you act in good interest you are saying that karma is in your favor. Karma does not interfere with each individual's free will, unlike fate. Therefore, karma and destiny are not the same.
The law of karma
The law of karma is an integral part of the law of causality, that is to say that one phenomenon can produce another phenomenon. To better understand, karma is the equivalent of Newton's law because for every action taken, there is always an opposite and equal reaction. In communication, it is called “interaction between two individuals.” The law of karma is made up of twelve laws:
- The great law: it is the law of cause and effect. What we do might reflect what we want, but we must do the same;
- The law of creation: to get what you want, you must deserve it, therefore you must act;
- The law of responsibility: we must recognize our own wrongs and value our goods;
- The law of humility: you must learn to accept any situation, positive or negative;
- The law of the link: we must take into account the interdependence of things;
- The law of growth: each individual is responsible for his or her own happiness or unhappiness. You must learn to mature and grow to make the right decisions at the right time;
- The law of the here and now: we must learn to detach ourselves from old habits, old thoughts, etc.;
- The law of patience and reward: to deserve a good thing, it is essential to have endurance and patience;
- The law of giving and hospitality: it is important to give importance to good deeds in order to make life better;
- The law of change: to break with routine and circumvent impermanence, you must dare to change;
- The law of value and inspiration: an individual's action refers to the results he or she will obtain.
Why karma can be good and bad
Buddha calls karma, the force that propels the mind through a natural process. He emphasized that our thoughts, our feelings and even our words are karmas, that is to say actions that would have consequences in the future. Positive actions are then presented in the form of successful experiences, better feelings and above all happiness. On the other hand, negative actions later turn into suffering and manifest themselves in bad experiences.
On this subject, Buddha said: “When a bird is alive, it eats ants. When the bird is dead, the ants eat it. Time and circumstances can change at any time, so as not to underestimate or hurt anyone in life. You may be powerful now, but remember that time is more powerful than you. It only takes one tree to make a million matches and a single match to burn a million trees. Be good and do it well. »
How is karma created?
Karma can be inherited from birth. But usually it is created by itself without anyone realizing it. It reflects our personality and focuses on our purpose. Indeed, we are the only creators of our future. Buddha affirms this when he says: “What we think, we become. What you feel, you attract. What we imagine, we create.” This last sentence of his quote supports the fact that each individual is the creator of his karma, even the process is unconsciously triggered.
“Be your own refuge. Be your own light”, this quote from Buddha explains to us that to live in happiness, we must do good deeds and think positive thoughts. Thus, our karma would be positive. And to live under the influence of misfortune and suffering, it is enough to ignore good deeds. So our karma would be negative. Moreover, the soul is the masterpiece of karma.
Karma in Buddhist belief
“Monks, I declare: karma is intention”, this statement of the Buddha explains that karma is the consequence of our actions. This includes conscience, that is, being responsible for our actions, “Staying angry is like grabbing a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone; You’re the one who’s burned.” This means that what you do intentionally always has an impact, positive or negative, on you. If we refer to the meaning of rebirth according to Buddhism, karma shows us that we are a reflection of the person we were in the past.
But, we have a new chance to change everything for the better. It is from this perspective that karma joins Buddhism. However, as a vehicle of peace, wisdom and truth, Buddhism believes in good karma, that is, each individual has an obligation to do what is right for may his karma be good. This step will allow him to follow the path that leads to the quest for nirvana.
