What is karma.

[Deleted]

Hai,

After see the article of suzie ( forgivness) i got the idea to write about karma.

The Natural Law
The theory of karma harps on the Newtonian principle that every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. Every time we think or do something, we create a cause, which in time will bear its corresponding effects. And this cyclical cause and effect generates the concepts of samsara (or the world) and birth and reincarnation. It is the personality of a human being or the jivatman - with its positive and negative actions - that causes karma.
Karma could be both the activities of the body or the mind, irrespective of the consideration whether the performance brings fruition immediately or at a later stage. However, the involuntary or the reflex actions of the body cannot be called karma.

Your Karma Is Your Own Doing

Every person is responsible for his or her acts and thoughts, so each person's karma is entirely his or her own. Occidentals see the operation of karma as fatalistic. But that is far from true since it is in the hands of an individual to shape his own future by schooling his present.
Hindu philosophy, which believes in life after death, holds the doctrine that if the karma of an individual is good enough, the next birth will be rewarding, and if not, the person may actually devolve and degenerate into a lower life form. In order to achieve good karma it is important to live life according to dharma or what is right.

Three Kinds of Karma

According to the ways of life chosen by a person, his karma can be classified into three kinds. The satvik karma, which is without attachment, selfless and for the benefit of others; the rajasik karma, which is selfish where the focus is on gains for oneself; and the tamasik karma, which is undertaken without heed to consequences, and is supremely selfish and savage.
In this context Dr. D N Singh in his A Study of Hinduism, quotes Mahatma Gandhi's lucid differentiation between the three. According to Gandhi, the tamasik works in a mechanic fashion, the rajasik drives too many horses, is restless and always doing something or other, and the satvik works with peace in mind.
Swami Sivananda, of the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh classifies karma into three kinds on the basis of action and reaction: Prarabdha (so much of past actions as has given rise to the present birth), Sanchita (the balance of past actions that will give rise to future births - the storehouse of accumulated actions), Agami or Kriyamana (acts being done in the present life).

The Discipline of Unattached Action

According to the scriptures, the discipline of unattached action (Nishkâma Karma) can lead to salvation of the soul. So they recommend that one should remain detached while carrying out his duties in life. As Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita: "To the man thinking about the objects (of the senses) arises attachment towards them; from attachment, arises longing; and from longing arises anger. From anger comes delusion; and from delusion loss of memory; from loss of memory, the ruin of discrimination; and on the ruin of discrimination, he perishes".

after this everybody understand why i said suzie you help own in her article forgivness..

Thanks and regards
vj

[Suzie]

So according to the law of karma, satvik karma is the one in which we must aspire to?

I often find myself thinking about my actions and whether they will lead to good or bad karma, are there any such things as bad or good karma in this life or does that come in the next life?

I have to admit, even though I think about karma I have never really looked into the different types that there are.

Thanks for writing this VJ

[sidney33]

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 reward and punishment Sometimes people talk about "good" and "bad" (or "evil") karma. Buddhist understanding of "good" and "evil" is somewhat different from the way Westerners usually understand these terms. To see the Buddhist perspective, it's useful to substitute the words "wholesome" and "unwholesome" for "good" and "evil." Wholesome actions spring from selfless compassion, loving kindness, and wisdom. Unwholesome actions spring from greed, hate, and ignorance. Buddhism teaches that there are other forces beside karma that shape our lives. These include natural forces like the changing seasons and gravity. When a natural disaster like an earthquake strikes a community, this is not some kind of collective karmic punishment. It's an unfortunate event that requires a compassionate response, not judgment Karma is a Sanskrit word that means "action." Sometimes you might see the Pali spelling, kamma, which means the same thing. In Buddhism, karma has a more specific meaning, which is volitional or willful action. Things we choose to do or say or think set karma into motion. The law of karma is a law of cause and effect. cheers Sidney.

[Deleted]

hai sidney33,

very nice to see budhist thoery of karma,

But i am not agreeon this

The law of karma is a law of cause and effect

[center]Mechanism of Karma[/center][/b]
Karmas are often wrongly interpreted as a method for reward and punishment of a soul for its good and bad deeds. In Jainism, there is no question of there being any reward or punishment, as each soul is the master of its own destiny. The karmas can be said to represent a sum total of all unfulfilled desires of a soul. They enable the soul to experience the various themes of the lives that it desires to experience.[1] They ultimately mature when the necessary supportive conditions required for maturity are fulfilled.[4] Hence a soul may transmigrate from one life form to another for countless of years, taking with it the karmas that it has earned, until it finds conditions that bring about the fruits. Similarly, heavens and hells are often viewed as places for eternal happiness or eternal damnation for good and bad deeds. But according to Jainism and some other Dharmic religions, they, including earth, are simply the places which allow the soul to temporarily experience its unfulfilled desires.
For example, a person who is good and virtuous all his life indicates a latent desire to experience good and virtuous themes of life. Therefore, he attracts karmas that will ensure that his future births allow him to experience and manifest his virtues and good feelings unhindered. In this case, he may take birth in heaven or in a prosperous and virtuous human family. A person who has always indulged in immoral deeds with a cruel disposition indicates a latent desire to experience cruel themes of life. As a natural consequence, he will attract karmas which will ensure that he is reincarnated in hell to enable him to experience the cruel themes of life unhindered, as the environment in hell is conducive of such life. There is no retribution, judgment or reward involved.

Thanks and regards
vj

[fariba]

hi ,how can we remove bad karma

[alpinesix]

I feel I need to clarify the understanding of karma.
Karma is an action the body, speech or mind. It is the cause of an effect, not cause and effect. The effects of karma are the bodies and enviroments of living beings, aswell as the mental tendencies they have.
There are 3 types of actions, wholesome (having wishing love towards someone or compassion), neutral (eating and sleeping)and unwholesome (being cruel and lying, having bad intention towards someone) .
There are many more wholesome actions of body, speech and mind and than there are unwholesome actions, There are ten unwholesome actions of body, speech and mind which should be avoided.

The 3 body actions to be avoided are
Killing
Stealing
Sexual Misconduct

The four speech actions to be avoided are
Lying
Divisive speech
Hurtful speech
Idel chatter

The 3 mental actions to be avoided are
Covetousness
Malice
Holding wrong veiws

These are the ten unwhole actions which are avoided by Buddhists, there is a way to purify the unwanted effects which have yet to come about. It involves developing a regert for the action and a wish to stop performing the action again (a promise if you will), also it involes performing a wholsome action and relying on The Three Jewels, which are Buddha Jewel, Dharma Jewel and Sangha Jewel.

I hope this gives you all a better understanding about karma, especially from a Buddhist point of view.