Karma

Karma is the universal law that every good action is rewarded and every bad action is punished. It is believed that Karma is an energy, and therefore can not just disappear. It can only be changed. It is also believed that Karma caused by not only actions, but speech, and even thoughts. There is also different kinds of Karma. There is personal Karma, family Karma, group or workplace Karma, national Karma, and Karma of the whole human race. Each Karma affects all people involved in the groups. Anything you, or any of the groups, thinks, does, or says is recorded permanently in karma. The only way to get good Karma is to transfer all of your bad Karma into good Karma. In Hinduism, it is believed that having good Karma will have you born into a higher caste, or get you out of the cycle of rebirth. Buddhists and Hindus believe that karma determines what happens the next day, week, month, or life.

Sources: Class Notes Return to History 8 India Vocabulary