What does karma refer to?

Answer 1

Simply put, karma is where if you do something good for some person or creature and something good will happen to you in return. If you do something bad to someone or some creature, something bad will happen to you in return. "Do unto other as you would have them do unto to you." The golden rule in Christianity. Same principle follows. What goes around comes around. If you live your life exercising kindness and compassion to all people and all creatures, something good will swing around your way. And vise versa.

Another view

I am presenting here an alternative theory of karma that I think is more logical and acceptable. According to the most widely believed karmic theory, a good action has a good result for an individual. This theory totally ignores psychological and sociological facts. We cannot take an individual in isolation and study him. The whole world is interconnected with each other including the individuals.

This interconnectedness is karma. The individual is not an island unto himself; he is part of the whole and thus will be affected by the whole. Karma has both psychological and sociological implications. Suppose a person becomes a thief and is successful in his act, this will reinforce his samskaras or inherent negative tendencies and will encourage him to further wrong acts and in the process one day he will get caught and suffer for his actions.

In the process, he has influenced both his psyche and the society by his actions. Envy, greed, hatred, impatience are feelings that denote disharmony in the mind and if you observe whenever you have taken a wrong decision, a wrong action, its always under the influence of these factors. Encouraging them causes psychological disturbances and this is your karma and you will fructify it. We have to understand that our actions affect others as much as they do to us.

When we realize this, we can develop a lot more sensitivity towards our environment and do our best to keep it in perfect order. Everyone, directly or indirectly, contributes to the negative sociological circumstances, because society is formed of individuals and depends on how individuals behave.

The advantage of this modified karmic theory is that this makes karma theory verifiable and dissolves the mystery around karma, making it understandable for anyone. In addition, it creates a stronger feeling of responsibility for our actions and increases our sensitivity towards our environment, towards the whole world and humanity.

More input

Karma is a highly misunderstood term. This is because it is based on logic and we use reasoning. Practically, this means that Karma enables us to improve all the activities of our life simultaneously. However, Since we are modern we try to improve one action at a time, through what we wish to call as good deeds.

Karma is an adjective and not a Verb. Thus, it has nothing to do with deeds.

CONVENTIONAL CONCEPT OF KARMA:

Karma is supposed to be the entity that causes Reincarnation. Good deeds are supposed to result in a better next life and bad deeds a worse life. In Hinduism good deeds are supposed to result in a higher castes (Brahmins, Kshatriyas)

KARMA - ACCORDING TO BRAHMAJNANA:

Karma means fluctuations in facilitating/ retarding forces. This makes an activity inefficient and unpredictable.

Reincarnation is symbolic representation of transformation of the activity every time it is repeated.

ANATOMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF KARMA:

All the skeletal muscles of our body can isometrically contract (temporarily harden) and relax (temporarily soften) as though it were a single skeletal muscle. This entity is what is known in Hinduism as Purusha. Karma is caused by Isometric contraction and isometric relaxation of Purusha. Thus, Karma would distort activities executed by isotonic contractions caused by shortening of muscles.

KARMA AND VARNAS:

Karma is the highest in the Shudra Varna and least in the Brahmana Varna. This is because in the Shudra Varna there is unlimited freedom and in the Brahmana Varna there is no freedom at all.

REDUCING KARMA:

The best way to reduce Karma is Vedic meditation. This is a set of isometric exercises. Thus, it would enable us to make us become one with our Purusha and and alter its tone at will.

BUDDHISM AND KARMA:

Karma is the concept of action or deed. In the west, this is confused as the payback to your actions (Fate, e.g. It was my karma to get yelled at because I yell at everyone). This is an incorrect understanding. The reactions to your actions is called the Karmic Fruit (Pali:vipaka) and they are the ups & downs. Your karma is the way your typical reaction to a given situation each time it happens. The karmic fruit will bring about a reaction in either the present life or a future rebirth. This Buddhist perspective on Karma is ever slightly more different than that in Hinduism.

Karma and its effects .

Karma is hard to pursue, because it is constituted as the kernel of every living being. In ABHIDHAMMA karma concealed and cannot be revealed until someone attain Nirvana (Pali:-Nibbana). Karma is obliged in reincarnation. Consequences are like it will place you @ right place on the right time. Karma is the belief that what an individual puts out in to the universe will come back to them in the exact same manner.

Answer 2

Karma is when what happens to you is seen as the result of your actions. So for example, if you do bad things, then bad things will happen to you and vice versa. This applies to this life and the afterlife. It is one of the ways of reaching Brahman.

KARMA IN HINDUISM:

Karma is defined as the force generated by our deeds that causes unending cycles of reincarnation.

Karma enables us to attain Moksha and become one with the supreme Hindu god Brahman.

Moksha is defined as putting an end to unending cycles of reincarnation.

However, these beliefs are of no practical use in attaining Moksha

THE BRAHMAJNANA CONCEPT OF KARMA:

To attain Moksha we must know the Brahmajnana concept of Karma.

This is because our concept of Karma and Moksha are based on beliefs and Brahman is absolute fact. Our beliefs are not compatible with Brahman.

SAGUNA BRAHMAN AND NIRGUNA BRAHMAN:

Saguna Brahman is the force that facilitates activities and Nirguna Brahman is the force that brings them to rest. Therefore, for maximum efficiency they must never co exist and they must be of equal magnitude.

In Karma,

1. Saguna and Nirguna elements co exist

2. They are of unequal magnitude

3. They keep varying continuously.

To attain Moksha we must separate facilitating force and retarding force and ensure that they are of equal and constant in magnitude.

FACTORS CAUSING UNINTENDED TRANSFORMATION OF ACTIVITIES/ GENERATION OF KARMA:

1. Unintentional change of mode of the action:

The four modes are Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra.

2. Unintentional change of basic forces (gods):

The gods are Indra, Shakti, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Shani and Yama.

In contrast to Hinduism, in Buddhism and Jainism there are no Varnas and gods. Thus, Buddhist and Jain concept of Karma is different.
Karma literally means "deed or act," but more broadly describes the principle of cause and effect. Simply stated, karma is the law of action and reaction which governs consciousness. The doctrine of karma thus directs adherents of Hinduism toward their common goal: moksha from the cycle of birth and death. Karma thus serves two main functions within Hindu philosophy: it provides the major motivation to live a moral life, and it serves as the primary explanation of the existence of evil.
This is simple. The meaning of karma is basically Hammurabi's law. Whatever you do will be done to you. Say, you make fun of an obese person. You will become obese and people will make fun of you. Another example, If i stole 300 dollars from someone, someone will steal 300 dollars or something worth that much from me. Basically if you do something bad to someone, it'll happen to you. Hope this helps! -?
The proper wording for your question would be:

What does karma mean in Hinduism?

Karma basically means the same thing as it means in English

It is the balance of good and bad deeds on someone's soul which can affect the fate of the person

Answer 3

Karma is a Sanskrit (a language in which all spirituals of Hinduism was written) word which means " You Pay what you do".

In simpler language it means you will be rewarded for whatever you do. The More good deeds you do, the much happier your life will be.

Answer 4

Karma 'keeps the world in balance'. If you do something bad, something bad will happen to you. If you do something good, something good will happen - "what goes around comes around" sort of thing.

Reincarnation is being reborn in another body, after death. Animal, human etc

How you live this life, determent what you are reincarnated into.

For example. If you're born into a rich family, and you've never have to work a single day in your life and don't know the importance of having to earn your money - then you will be reborn into a poor family and have to work hard for money, so that you know what it's like not to have money. The meaning of all this, is so that you learn all of life's important lessons, and you can reach enlightenment.

Answer 5

Karma is an ancient Hindu religious/philosophical concept that refers to the actions and reactions of deeds, whether it be a good deed or a bad one. "What goes around comes around", in Karma, this means, if good is done, good will be given, if bad is done, bad will be given.

Karma refers to anything that a person may have done or not done and reverse effects on the person that has done the deed.

For example, being nice, helping someone else, or any act of sincerity and kindness constitutes as good karma. When good is done, we will receive good karma back.

Where as, if we hurt another person, lie, cheat, abuse. Deliberately effect something or someone in a negative manner, or any act "bad" constitutes as bad karma. When bad is done, we will receive bad karma back.

Answer 6

karma refers to the cycle of a man's deeds that go on for ever

do some good work and that would get to u in any way

do some bad work and the same

karma is neutral

it only amplifies u word or deed and sends it back to you in multiplying way

Answer 7

If you do go things for other people good things will happen to you, if you do bad things bad things will happen

Answer 8

If you do good things. Good things will happen to you.

If you do bad things however. Bad things will happen to you.

Answer 9

All the words, acts, and deeds performed in a person's lifetime

Answer 10

The state of not wanting anything