What is your definition of Karma?

Question

And don’t tell me that you Karma just ran over my Dogma.

Answer 1

Thats funny, and I was half tempted to write that simply because you didn't want it. My own personal definition of Karma is that whatever you do will come back to you, be it good or Bad, and that if it doesn't hit you in this life, it will in the next, but since you got me curious I went out and decided to find what others think, and do a little research. I found this:

"In Buddhist teaching, the law of karma, says only this: `for every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant according as its cause was skillful or unskillful.' A skillful 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. (Events are not skillful in themselves, but are so called only in virtue of the mental events that occur with them.)
Therefore, the law of Karma teaches that responsibility for unskillful actions is born by the person who commits them.

Let's take an example of a sequence of events. An unpleasant sensation occurs. A thought arises that the source of the unpleasantness was a person. (This thought is a delusion; any decisions based upon it will therefore be unskillful.) A thought arises that some past sensations of unpleasantness issued from this same person. (This thought is a further delusion.) This is followed by a willful decision to speak words that will produce an unpleasant sensation in that which is perceived as a person. (This decision is an act of hostility. Of all the events described so far, only this is called a karma.) Words are carefully chosen in the hopes that when heard they will cause pain. The words are pronounced aloud. (This is the execution of the decision to be hostile. It may also be classed as a kind of karma, although technically it is an after-karma.) There is a visual sensation of a furrowed brow and downturned mouth. The thought arises that the other person's face is frowning. The thought arises that the other person's feelings were hurt. There is a fleeting joyful feeling of success in knowing that one has scored a damaging verbal blow. Eventually (perhaps much later) there is an unpleasant sensation of regret, perhaps taking the form of a sensation of fear that the perceived enemy may retaliate, or perhaps taking the form of remorse on having acted impetuously, like an immature child, and hping that no one will remember this childish action. (This regret or fear is the unpleasant ripening of the karma, the unskillful decision to inflict pain through words.)

If there are no persons at all, then there is no self and no other. There is no distinction between pain of which there is direct sensual awareness (which is conventionally called one's own pain) and pain that is known through inference (conventionally called another person's pain). Whether pain is known directly or indirectly, there is either an urge to quell it or an urge to cultivate it. Whether joy is known directly or indirectly, there is either an urge to nourish it or to quell it. In the conventional language of speaking of events personally, the urge to quell all pain and to nourish all joy is known as being ethical or skillful or (if you like) good. The urge to nourish pain and quell joy is known as being unskillful, unethical or bad.

Being fully ethical is said to be impossible for those who make a distinction between self and other and show preference for the perceived self over the perceived other, for such perceptions inhibit being fully responsive. Being fully ethical is possible only for those who realize that all persons are empty, that is, devoid of personhood. " ( http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/freenet/rootdir/menus/sigs/religion/buddhism/introduction/truths/karma2.html )

As Well As:

"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 one's own life, and the pain in others. In religions that incorporate reincarnation, karma extends through one's 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." ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma )

Answer 2

Karma is of the Hindu(a name given to the pagans of Asia by the English) religion.It is maily based in the Buddhist religion.There is a karma wheel for life.And buddhas mission was for people to escape samsara(the karma wheel of life, death, and birth) and reach enlightment.To become omnipotent and find nirvana.If you can not achieve this, then you are destined to be trapped in the karma wheel.To be a bug in one life, a rat in the next, a cat in the next, to an eagle in the next till you reach the human form again(just for an example).Then you have the chance to escape the karma wheel again.By accepting the 4 noble truths and using the eightfold path to reach enlightment.But this can only be done in the human life.That is the true KARMA while people bicker over little things that can be easily changed.Karma has to deal with life and death.I am a hanif-muslim, but am half African American and Chinese.So I study one of my great ancestors and it gives an easy explanation to all the other creatures of the earth.The funny thing about buddhism is they also believe in hell.And the karma wheel is different.And the ying and yang represent balance.There is always a female aspect in the male, and a male aspect in the female.Keeping a steady balance.But you can define the ying and yang yourself.As salamun alaikum

Answer 3

Karma is different and is really only in the old Hindu and other India/Asia based religions. Western religion may have the same idea but they just borrowed the word. In buddhism karma is an indiscriminate force just like gravity. It doesn't come back to you in this life but if you're a terribly ignorant person in this life in the next one karma might put your mind in a lower life form that fits the way you use your mind. So for instance if I spent my whole life being aggressive towards everyone in another life my mind might be placed in something like a badger. To understand it really though you have to accept that there is no permanent self such as a soul and that the physical world around you is pretty much just illusory and only there as a mind perceives it. But that's the basics of karma. (By the way, if you hear anyone say there's a hell in buddhist religion it's just refering to a life as a lower being not an actual place).

Then again it even differs a little in the different sects of buddhism, Theravada, Mahayana etc.

Answer 4

Too many people mistake karma for some mystical force in the universe where one's negative or positive actions result in the person's future state of being. Karma is the same as 'conditioning'. It is completely tied to the self/ego because that's the 'thing' that gets conditioned. For example, let's say I'm abused as a kid by my parents. I'm conditioned now to see myself and the world in a certain way which dictates my actions - e.g. I may take drugs, have problems with relationships, have issues with self-esteem, etc. My parents' negative actions induce more negative actions from me because that's the way I think now - and it continues until more positive conditioning (e.g. I go to therapy, work on myself) is experienced. If the person works on themselves with a spiritual path/therapy and the ego/self is reduced, 'karma' is naturally reduced because the self is the very thing that gets conditioned and is the very problem itself. When people say that it takes lifetimes to work out karma, it refers to the fact that negative effects do last generations. Abusers typically abuse their kids and so on (and the karma eventually works out when someone in that generational abuse chain is exposed to something - e.g. spiritual path, therapy, good role models, etc. - that resolves the negative conditioning). Societal conditioning is also there, too. E.g. the negative conditioning of slavery and racism are taking a while to overcome.

Too many people treat karma as an ego-preserving device where this concept of the self (kinda like a soul) that lasts lifetimes, is reincarnated to work out karma, etc. This is the very opposite of Buddha's teachings -- the self (whether we think of a completely healed or still-hurting self) is the fundamental problem and, therefore, maintaining its existence only supports the problem.

Answer 5

your Karma just ran over my Dogma hehe i like that

karma for me is when your actions have consequence .. what goes around comes around

and this goes for good and bad actions

so make sure you only give out good .. then you can be sure that you are going to receive the same

Answer 6

karma is justice. a popular belief in Hinduism. to elaborate much further, it means that anything you do good will be rewarded and everything you do bad has a punishment! for example, if i help this poor lady and gave her a whole fita biscuit, after some time, i might recieve a red race car or maybe much better than that! another example is, when i kill you, it would mean that i will be in jail.. for every wrong you do have an equal punishment.

Answer 7

Yep , wot goes around, comes around

Karma surrounds you by Words & Deeds
(your choice : Good or Bad)

But dont waste yr time by goin to deep
(da hocus-pocus side) .

Answer 8

Karma is the last to blame when is no one left for this.

Answer 9

Karma is you get what you give out. christians have karma in thier bibles as you reap what you sow and those who live by the sword shall die by it

Answer 10

it is not a form of punishment as many people believe. you are living your current life based upon what you have done in a former life.

personally, i just follow the golden rule and give people the benefit of the doubt and it usually works out just fine.

Answer 11

What comes around goes around
If you do bad it will catch up to you sooner or later
Whether it be car accident or cost you money or health issues