> ‘What goes around comes around’ , ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’ – we have grown up listening to stories with such morals. We are taught to follow and lead a virtuous life understanding that our actions will either reward or punish us.
> ‘Conscious living with complete awareness and detachment’ is the highest spiritual achievement in most cultures.
> Understanding the essence of Karma gives a logical explanation of how our life unfolds, how to accept and overcome difficulties and why not to give in to temptations.

What is karma?

‘Karma’, a Sanskrit word which means ‘action’, is a philosophical concept in Hinduism and Buddhism which denotes the cycle of cause and effect.

Karma includes all kinds of action including thoughts, feelings and actions or words influencing action from others, but more importantly the intention behind one’s actions. It highlights the ‘boomerang’ effect of karma – i.e. what one does comes back to him / her at some time in the future and the person will undergo the consequences of his / her actions in the same way and proportion to his / her actions.

Why Karma?

Karma is the basic rule of life and unless one is aware of this and makes conscious decisions, he / she is caught in the maze of action and reaction. Life is the constant unfolding of Karma and decides the process of rebirth. 

How does Karma work?

Karma finds an explanation in physics when we say, ‘every action has an equal and opposite reaction.’ Every thought, word, action starts with the intention. All of these are energy forms which cannot be destroyed, and it manifests itself in some form or the other. We react to each and every experience or exposure with desire or aversion. This association of event and desire / aversion is stored in the form of memories. These memory-based desires and aversions drive our future course of actions, and thus, we are caught in the whirlpool of Karma. 

The ‘Karmic Cycle’  

Karma explains how our current experiences, good or bad, are the result of our actions in previous births. So, everything you face, every person you come across, everything you undergo, all has Karmic significance. ‘Everything happens for a reason.’ Most of us go about life with little control on our actions, trapped in the maze of desires and aversions, and keep repeating our habits over and over again, frustrated that life is tiresome. It is analogous to the hamster running on the treadwheel, he feels he is going somewhere, he is tired of running but the truth is he is running around in circles. 

Breaking the Karmic cycle

As humans, we have the capacity to think and choose. Rather than passing through life making unconscious decisions, we need to be aware and make conscious choices as far as possible. This is possible by increasing self-awareness and meditation is the best way to become increasingly aware of oneself and keeping the mind in the present. The ‘monkey mind’ which is jumping from one thought to another, fleeting from past and future, has to be trained to remain in the present moment. It is only then that we can make conscious informed decisions. Thus, slowly we start taking the wheel of Karma in our hands and turn it in the direction that we wish to.  

Attitude in adverse conditions

Whenever we are faced with adverse situations in life, we often complain ‘ what have I done to deserve this?’. We need to understand and accept that we are facing these due to our past actions and undergoing difficult times is in fact an opportunity to come out of the cycle of bad Karma. If we do not give in, get depressed or dejected, but go through these conditions in a detached manner, then we have reduced our Karma and its intensity. Everything happens for a reason and the reason is to give you an opportunity to come out of Karmic debt. Remember ‘ pain is inevitable, suffering is optional’.  

No matter what name we call it in different cultures, the rule of Karma or cause-and-effect is well-accepted. The need to perform good deeds with good intentions is basic to the spiritual teaching in all cultures. Good deeds make us feel good about ourselves and provide instant gratification and this is the reason to lead a virtuous life.