Karma - what does it mean to you?

Being a New year, I am hearing a lot of people talking about "Karma". I hear people talking about addressing the Karma people created from last year and how to "burn it off" this year.

how do you use the word Karam? What does it mean or imply to you?

When I hear people talk about Karma, they talk about past lives and that Karma is "bad". People relate to karma as a "bad thing" and that it "haunts" people. These uses of Karma are more dramatic and "doom-and-gloom" oriented. To me, these perspectives feel more like a "Christian" or "Catholic" belief and more of a focus on a Hell oriented and "damned" life orientation.

In general, this is a MISPERCEPTION or a MISUNDERSTANDING of what Karma is.

Based on my many years of study of Buddhism and my experiences with it in Southeast Asia, I comprehend the purpose of Karma, as a concept, is to get people to contemplate the possible affects of their actions for themselves and the world. Its about getting conscious about how we are being in the world - now.

Here are some translations of Karma that I find to be accurate to the Buddhist use of the word:

“Cause and Effect - what are the results and consequences of your actions?”

“Karma leads to future consequences known as “karma-phala” - “fruit of action””
“All actions have a re-action. Affects, effects and consequence”
“Radiation and Response. What are you putting out there and what are you getting back?”
“the intention behind the action determines its quality.”
“karma refers to actions drive by intention (cetanā), a deed done deliberately through body, speech or mind, which leads to future consequences.”
“It is the psychological impulse behind an action that is 'karma', that which sets going a chain of causes culminating in karmic fruit. Actions, then, must be intentional if they are to generate karmic fruits”
“The Buddha defined karma as intention; whether the intention manifested itself in physical, vocal or mental form, it was the intention alone which had a moral character: good, bad or neutral [...] The focus of interest shifted from physical action, involving people and objects in the real world, to psychological process.”

Quote: “Not by birth is one a brahmin or an outcaste, but by deeds”

Karma is simply a reminder for people to get conscious about their actions. Its not about all the “bad stuff” we did in past lives that we have to “clean up” in this life time. Its about right now and what kind of life are we living.

What is nice about Buddhism, is that its very complete. It gives wonderful tips on how to live a conscious life that radiates out the accurate intentions that you want to have reflected back to you.

In Buddhism, the way to do this is called “MERIT”.

here is a list of ways to generate or create Merit in your life:
Top three
giving (dānamayaṃ puññakiriyavatthu)
virtue (sīlamayaṃ puññakiriyavatthu)
mental development (bhāvanāmayaṃ puññakiriyavatthu)

Merit making
Giving alms (Dāna)
Observing virtue (Śīla)
Developing concentration (Bhāvana)
Honoring others (apacayana-maya)
Offering service (veyyavacca-maya)
Dedicating (or transferring) merit to others(pattidana-maya)
Rejoicing in other's merit. (pattanumodana-maya)
Listening to Teachings (dhammassavana-maya)
Instructing others in the Teachings (dhammadesana-maya)
Straightening one's own views in accord with the Teachings (ditthujukamma)

Ten Wholesome Ways
In giving up the taking of life, one will accomplish ten ways of being free from vexations
In giving up stealing, one will attain ten kinds of dharmas which can protect one's confidence
In giving up wrongful (including sexual) conduct, one will attain four kinds of dharmas which are praised by the wise
In giving up lying, one will attain the eight dharmas which are praised by the devas
In giving up slandering, one will attain five kinds of incorruptible dharmas
In giving up harsh language, one will attain the accomplishment of eight kinds of pure actions
In giving up frivolous speech, one will attain the accomplishment of the three certainties
In giving up lust, one will attain the accomplishment of the five kinds of freedom
In giving up hatred, one will attain eight kinds of dharmas of joy of mind
In giving up wrong views, one will attain the accomplishment of ten meritorious dharmas

action

Ten Wholesome Ways
In giving up the taking of life, one will accomplish ten ways of being free from vexations
In giving up stealing, one will attain ten kinds of dharmas which can protect one's confidence
In giving up wrongful (including sexual) conduct, one will attain four kinds of dharmas which are praised by the wise
In giving up lying, one will attain the eight dharmas which are praised by the devas
In giving up slandering, one will attain five kinds of incorruptible dharmas
In giving up harsh language, one will attain the accomplishment of eight kinds of pure actions
In giving up frivolous speech, one will attain the accomplishment of the three certainties
In giving up lust, one will attain the accomplishment of the five kinds of freedom
In giving up hatred, one will attain eight kinds of dharmas of joy of mind
In giving up wrong views, one will attain the accomplishment of ten meritorious dharmas

baru

I guess I would call Karma 'The Great Equalizer' in that, as you say, everything is cause and effect. I think of Karma as the long energetic journey of life, and then after death, the reverberations through the lives of other people.

Cheers,
Mr. ChillBroBaggins

Edit: grammar

i think of karma as being the relationship between sound and a tuning fork

that ones frequency is set to a certain wave length and each of our moods or frequencies is in resonance with its equivalent in the multiverse

so its not that i have to be punished for doing something bad or am rewarded for doing good

that way of looking at things is a result of ones frequency for instance

being angry is a frequency
being healthy is a frequency

my thoughts and feelings and actions are the natural result of my frequency

also my feelings actions and thoughts can be used deliberately to alter the frequency aund/or strengthen or weaken the clarity of my settings,
which is the what the proccess or path of enlightenment is

and karma is the word which describes the aucustic interplay between the "multiverse" entity and the "me" entity

i.e. who initiates the resonance
and at what frequency in any given moment

and the harmonization between the self and the external

and the results of that harmonization

Karma has always been a tough subject for me because I feel like the more I learn about it, the further away I am from understanding it. It means different things to different cultures and traditions, and it seems like those differences are sometimes fairly significant.

I tend to fall back on my original understanding of karma, despite realizing that it's not a wholly accurate interpretation of the word or concept. I typically think of karma in the sense that what we put out into the universe comes back to us in some way. This at least (as you mentioned) keeps me conscious of my actions and encourages a certain level of responsibility in my life.

I believe that you have bad karma if you do something wrong or bad and something will effect you in some way very badly. You have good karma if you do a good deed or be polite to someone, you will be rewarded with something good.

I know my belief in karma is very simplistic, but that's how I see it.

Looks like we all sort of agree... lol...

In the Dalia Lama book I was reading, he said:

The theory of karma is of signal importance in Buddhist thought but is easily misrepresented. Literally, karma means “action” and refers to the intentional acts of sentient beings. Such acts may be physical, verbal, or mental— even just thoughts or feelings— all of which have impacts upon the psyche of an individual, no matter how minute. Intentions result in acts, which result in effects that condition the mind toward certain traits and propensities , all of which may give rise to further intentions and actions. The entire process is seen as an endless self-perpetuating dynamic. The chain reaction of interlocking causes and effects operates not only in individuals but also for groups and societies, not just in one lifetime but across many lifetimes.

Dalai Lama (2005-09-13). The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality (Kindle Locations 1299-1305). Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.