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 Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:08 pm
Dearest Buddhists,
I was wondering if any of you could possibly offer me a definition of karma. I am aware that it is not how it is defined or portrayed by the media as "if you do something good, something good will happen to you; if you do something bad, something bad will happen to you". I know its not that.
The general idea that I have of karma is that it is the culminating "force" (for lack of a better word, I apologize) based on all the actions and deeds preformed in your life that defines what form you will take in your next life and/or knocked you lower-down or lifts you higher up on the ladder towards Nirvana (not the rock band).
So, how correct or incorrect is my understanding of karma?
Can you please correct anything that I have gotten wrong?
What is karma defined as according to how you were taught?
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:37 pm
I only understand karma in relation to Hinduism (in which it appears to be something, like a weight, that you accumulate over time when you are living counter to your dharma). I think it's a bit different in Buddhism.
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:46 pm
Sanguina Cruenta I only understand karma in relation to Hinduism (in which it appears to be something, like a weight, that you accumulate over time when you are living counter to your dharma). I think it's a bit different in Buddhism.
See, its things like this that confuse the heck out of me. sad When to different religions have similar (or even the same) belief its just one is slightly different than the other. And its not just limited to Buddhism and Hinduism.
I swear, if I hadn't been raised Jewish, I'd think it was just another sect of Christianity. Hell! I DID think the two were the exact same religion back between the ages of five and nine! [/offtopic]
But, yeah... this is why I'm asking for clarification.
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:54 pm
My understanding of it is that karma is the law of cause and effect, and that the results of one's karma are the results of the skillful/wholesome or unskillful/unwholesome (Buddhism doesn't really use the terms "good" and "evil" because those terms are more focused on what a deity/deities said is good/evil, instead of what causes more/less suffering in the world) intentions. This or this article explain it better than I can.
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 10:53 am
Karma is simple. It is the interplay between actions and successive reactions. Think "Newton's third law of motion". For every action there's an equal but opposite reaction. If you commit an action in one "direction" it will have an impact in the opposite direction.
I'm nice to you, then therefore there's a greater chance that you will be nice to me. Simple logic. wink
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 6:21 pm
On an even more basic level, Karma is action in general. Everything you see that is and is happening, is Karma.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:06 am
iVulgarThrust On an even more basic level, Karma is action in general. Everything you see that is and is happening, is Karma.
Would you mind elaborating on this?
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:49 pm
Renkon Root iVulgarThrust On an even more basic level, Karma is action in general. Everything you see that is and is happening, is Karma.
Would you mind elaborating on this?
What is there to elaborate? Everything that is is a reaction from something else before it, whether it's good or bad, Karma is the thing that makes all the reactions balanced
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 9:38 am
Sanguina Cruenta I only understand karma in relation to Hinduism (in which it appears to be something, like a weight, that you accumulate over time when you are living counter to your dharma). I think it's a bit different in Buddhism. It is much the same as Hinduism's idea of karma. The main difference is the dharma itself. Buddhists, instead of following social requirements, base their karma off of the Sigalovada Sutta; those who perform according to it are subject to negative karma. Positive karma is achieved from following the ways of the buddha (the Paramita), performing the Pancha Shila, and striving toward the Brahma Viharas. Source.
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