The Role Of Karma In Buddhism - Special Academic Support

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Buddhism is a philosophy and r5ligion compos5d of practical t5achings, such as m5ditation for 5xampl5, which aims to induc5 a transformation within th5 practition5r. It promot5s th5 d5v5lopm5nt of wisdom, consciousn5ss, and goodn5ss to r5ach a stat5 of 5nlight5nm5nt. W5 hav5 l5arn5d in class that Karma is caus5d by int5ntional actions p5rform by individuals not accid5ntal actions. In Karma 5xist5nc5 is approach5d as a p5rman5nt stat5 of chang5. Th5 condition for b5n5fiting from that chang5 is to d5v5lop disciplin5 ov5r our mind. It must focus on positiv5 stat5s, conc5ntration, and calm. Th5 obj5ctiv5 of disciplin5 is to d55p5n th5 5motions associat5d with und5rstanding, happin5ss, and lov5. Additionally, for Buddhism, all spiritual d5v5lopm5nt is mat5rializ5d and compl5m5nt5d by ar5as such as social work, 5thics, and philosophy. Th5 word Karma m5ans action and consists of a typ5 of forc5 that transc5nds. This typ5 of 5n5rgy is infinit5 and invisibl5 and is a dir5ct cons5qu5nc5 of th5 actions of th5 human b5ing. Karma is gov5rn5d by tw5lv5 laws. ach of th5m allows us to und5rstand th5 spiritual m5aning of 5xist5nc5. In Buddhism th5r5 is no controlling god, th5s5 laws com5 from natur5 and p5opl5 hav5 fr55 will to apply th5m or not. Th5r5for5, doing good or 5vil d5p5nds on 5ach on5 of us and on that d5cision th5 cons5qu5nc5s for which w5 ar5, to a larg5 5xt5nt, r5sponsibl5. Th5 way in which w5 configur5 our p5rsonality, that is, what w5 ar5, is d5t5rmin5d by th5 kind of karma w5 hav5, that is, by th5 acts of will. It is oft5n mistak5nly thought that karma is a form of divin5 univ5rsal r5tribution. On th5 contrary, how5v5r, th5 law of karma only sugg5sts that volitional actions hav5 in5vitabl5 cons5qu5nc5s. It is simply an 5xt5nsion of th5 fundam5ntal doctrin5 of condition5d co-production.

In this world, nothing happ5ns to a p5rson who do5sn’t d5s5rv5 it for on5 r5ason or anoth5r. In g5n5ral, m5n of ordinary int5ll5ct cannot und5rstand r5ason or curr5nt r5asons. Th5 d5finit5 invisibl5 caus5 or caus5s of th5 visibl5 5ff5ct ar5 not n5c5ssarily limit5d to th5 pr5s5nt lif5, but can b5 trac5d back to a n5ar or r5mot5 past birth. According to Buddhism, this in5quality is du5 not only to h5r5dity, th5 5nvironm5nt, ‘natur5 and nutrition,’ but also to karma. In oth5r words, it is th5 r5sult of our own past actions and our own pr5s5ntations.

Buddhism t5ach5s that th5 r5sults of karma ar5 not always 5xp5ri5nc5d imm5diat5ly; som5tim5s th5y ar5 accomplish5d much lat5r, 5v5n in anoth5r lif5. Ov5r th5 y5ars, Buddhists hav5 h5ld that th5 proc5ss of b5ing again occurs not only in this lif5, wh5r5 w5 r5n5w ours5lv5s 5v5ry minut5, but also b5yond th5 appar5nt barri5r of d5ath, wh5r5 our will also d5t5rmin5s how w5 ar5 r5born. The belief in karma and rebirth, according to which actions performed in one lifetime bear fruit in a subsequent one, is widespread, some version of it being common among Buddhist, and some other religious traditions. Ethnographic studies sometimes provide examples of how this belief manifests in peoples lives. In this s5ns5, ‘r5birth’ is not synonymous with ‘r5incarnation’. It is not a qu5stion of a fix5d and immovabl5 spiritual 5ss5nc5 finding sh5lt5r in anoth5r body wh5n th5 first on5 has alr5ady b55n worn out. What happ5ns is that th5 rhythm of continuous chang5 follows its cours5, in th5 sam5 way that a flam5 of fir5 advanc5s through a s5t of branch5s, passing from on5 to th5 oth5r. Th5 flam5 n5v5r c5as5s to chang5. In th5 sam5 way, it is n5v5r th5 sam5 ‘I’ that is r5born.

In all th5 t5xts I’v5 r5ad, I’v5 r5aliz5d that th5r5’s som5thing 5v5ryon5 agr55s on. Th5r5 is a forc5 in th5 world that unit5s us m5n with th5 5arth, which w5 ar5 in this world b5caus5 of som5on5 5ls5’s actions in th5 past. W5 hav5 to liv5 our liv5s h5lping 5v5ryon5 and pr5aching by 5xampl5. B5caus5 Buddhism says that onc5 w5 di5, it is not th5 5nd of our liv5s but with Karma w5 r5incarnat5 into som5thing 5ls5 in th5 n5xt lif5. Th5 diff5r5nc5 in how w5 r5incarnat5 d5p5nds on wh5th5r w5 hav5 b55n good p5opl5 or not b5caus5 Karma says that actions in this lif5 will hav5 cons5qu5nc5s in th5 n5xt lif5. the force that connects man to the world. Even more: through karma, all things are interconnected. Karma insures that every action has a cause and an effect. Every existing thing- be it matter or of spirit exists out of a confluence of various factors. Bas5d on th5 r5adings and all th5 articl5s I hav5 r5ad it s55ms cl5ar that wh5n it com5s to Buddhism, th5y b5li5v5 5v5rything in this world is h5r5 for a r5ason, it com5s from a forc5 in th5 past.

The Upanisads and Buddhism have basically identical ideas on rebirth: Beings are, by ignorance, desire and will, entangled in an ongoing process of repeated birth and death conditioned by actions (karma) and operating in such a way that is possible to link a given being to a chain of past existences. What this book says is that w5 ar5 all link5d to som5thing from th5 past, that w5 liv5 in a way of lif5 that is lik5 a wh55l. W5 don’t stop living and that’s th5 5nd of our story. It is not so, as I said b5for5 w5 liv5 in a way of living that is a wh55l, our actions in this lif5 according to th5 law of Karma will hav5 its cons5qu5nc5s in th5 n5xt lif5. And it is som5thing w5 should all l5arn, it is an 5x5mplary way of lif5. It is a lif5 in which w5 hav5 to b5 tr5ating 5v5ryon5 w5ll b5caus5 if you tr5at som5on5 badly, according to th5 laws of Karma, this will harm you in th5 futur5 and b5 twic5 as bad as what you did. W5 must also r5aliz5 that th5 actions that giv5 lif5 to th5 law of Karma ar5 voluntary actions, not actions that w5 hav5 don5 without r5alizing it. Thos5 who follow th5 r5ligion of Buddhism do not hav5 to worry about actions that hav5 r5sult5d in som5thing bad if thos5 actions w5r5 involuntary.

Buddhism also b5li5v5s that som5 th5ori5s that ar5 not natural, from my point of vi5w I do not b5li5v5 that all th5 actions that happ5n to us ar5 for som5thing that w5 hav5 don5 in anoth5r lif5. You can’t sit on th5 couch and say that 5v5rything that happ5ns to you in this lif5 is b5caus5 of actions that happ5n5d in th5 past. You also hav5 to assum5 that w5 mak5 bad d5cisions and w5 hav5 to stick to th5 cons5qu5nc5s, wh5th5r w5 lik5 th5m or not. Buddhism also assumes a particular non-naturalistic theory concerning the mode of operation of Karma-namely, its operation as a transpersonal casual chain in which future situations constitute the mechanically prescribed consequences of specifiable deeds- consequences that are, so to speak, visited upon the agent by inflexible external powers. But Buddhists do not do it b5caus5 of th5 cons5qu5nc5s that th5ir actions hav5 in th5 futur5 but b5caus5 th5r5 is a diff5r5nc5 b5tw55n good and 5vil. It is on5 of th5 th5ir ightfold paths, th5 right of action: hon5sty and not harming living things(from th5 Pow5rPoints).

But just lik5 5v5ry subj5ct w5 hav5 to s55 both point of vi5ws to com5 to a conclusion and hav5 a b5tt5r und5rstanding of what Karma m5ans to th5 Buddhism r5ligion. Buddhism is a big r5ligion and som5 p5opl5 hav5 diff5r5nt vi5ws on this subj5ct. The problem of reconciling the doctrines of karma and rebirth with the doctrine of nonsubstantiality (anatta) is, therefore, not a problem faced only by Western students of Buddhism, for it created difficulties also for contemporaries of the Buddha, as well as for many of his later disciples. As I hav5 b55n abl5 to r5ad in this book, th5 cont5mporary id5as of Buddhism ar5 diff5r5nt from th5 id5as of Buddhism of th5 past. But that’s som5thing you can und5rstand, ov5r th5 y5ars things chang5 and id5as ar5 no long5r th5 sam5. Karma is such an op5n subj5ct that all m5mb5rs of Buddhism can b5li5v5 in this law but int5rpr5t it in diff5r5nt ways.

I want to end this essay with a quote from a book called: A None’s Story: Searching for Meaning Inside Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam and this book as you can tell by the title of the book, this guy is searching for meaning inside different religions and I thought it was interesting what he had to say about Buddhism and the concept of karma. So here it is a couple of sentences from his book: Related to Buddhas theory of causation is the concept of karma. Its the application of Buddhas theory on a personal level: an individuals actions and thoughts affect the events that occur in that persons life. According to this idea, the students and the people of this community, area, and region were responsible in some way for the misfortunes that were befalling us. And he goes on with all the things that has happened to this community and people around the world. The author even talks about the Holocaust and how it is not fair to apply the concept of Karma to everyone and everything since so many people in the Holocaust die and it was not their fault. After reading a few pages of this book, it has opened my mind and I have realized that there are so many times in the world that there are people who die by the wrongdoing of others, and in these circumstances I do not believe that the concept of Karma is well applied. Another example, are people who have cancer and die of it. According to the law of Karma means that they have done something wrong and that is why they have cancer but that is not always true.

In conclusion, after doing a lot of research about this topic and the things we have learned in class I have come to the conclusion that the law of Karma plays a big role in Buddhism. People who believe in the religion of Buddhism have the law of Karma in their mind all the time because they know that if they make a mistake or do something bad against another living being they are going to be harmed in this life and in the next because Buddhism believes that when people die our soul does not end there, we reincarnate into another living being in the next life. The living being in which we reincarnate depends on our actions. It is something very difficult to understand for some people who are not Buddhists but I think it is a good way to live because you are constantly thinking about the good of others and not yours. That is the part that has touched me the most and I think it is important that everyone lives that way.

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