What Is Karma?
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» bodkin_van_horn replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 12:25am |
 Coolness: 40125 | so I see this word karma thrown around out of context all the time...so I was wondering what you thought the meaning of karma is? |
| I'm feeling the sunn0)) right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» basdini replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 12:51am |
 Coolness: 145210 | what we all love and hate
fate destiny luck providence determinism |
| I'm feeling surly right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» greatjob replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 1:28am |
 Coolness: 282465 | Karma is good...it is very hard to tarnish it, but as they say, you dont shit where you sleep and you clean it up if you do. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» DrGonzo replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 1:33am |
 Coolness: 265965 | karma...
what goes around comes around. so spread the positive energy weeee |
| I'm feeling insomnia right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» bodkin_van_horn replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 1:49am |
| Coolness: 40125 | nope...it's a but deeper than that.
any others? |
| I'm feeling the sunn0)) right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» greatjob replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 1:50am |
| Coolness: 282465 | Karma (Sanskrit: ???? from the root k?, "to do", [meaning deed] meaning action, effect, destiny) means "(the result of) action", generally taken as a term that comprises the entire cycle of cause and effect. Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing and will do. Individuals go through certain processes and accompanying experiences throughout their lives which they have chosen, and those would be based on the results of their own creations: "karma". Karma is not about retribution, vengeance, punishment or reward. Karma simply deals with what is. The effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain and joy brought to others. In religions that incorporate reincarnation, karma extends through one's present life and all past and future lives as well.
The "Law of Karma" is central in Hinduism, Ayyavazhi, Sikhism, Buddhism, & Jainism. (These religions were formed in India). All living creatures are responsible for their karma - way of life - and for their release from samsara. As a term, it can be traced back to the early Upanishads. The Law of Karma is taught in the esoteric Christian tradition, Essenian and later Rosicrucian, as the "Law of Cause and Consequence/Effect" [1]. However, this western esoteric tradition adds that the essence of the teachings of Christ is that the law of sin and death may be overcome by Love, which will restore immortality. Karma is simply the golden rule: what you give out is what you receive - either in the same or in similar form. You reap what you sow - your actions create that which you do live out now, whether this relates to a past/future life situation or to the present date. Actions do not create karma (good or bad) only when the actions are performed by an individual in the state of Moksha. Such a person is called "Stithaprajna". Adi Sankara gave the dictum of "Akarmaiva Moksha" which means "Moksha can be attained only by non-doing, not by a process of effort". All actions performed by one in the state of Moksha are termed as Dharma. The Hindus believe that everything in the Universe is in the state of creation, maintenance or destruction. The Hindu trinity of Gods Brahma (creator), Vishnu (maintainer) and Shiva (Destroyer) correspond to the states of creation, maintenance and destruction. At the thought level, the mind creates a thought, maintains (follows) it for some time and the thought ultimately dies down (perhaps to be replaced by another thought). The Hindus believe there is a fourth state of being (called Turiya) where the mind is not engaged in thinking but just observes the thoughts. Actions in the Turiya state do not create karma. The practice of meditation is aimed at giving individuals the experience of being in the Turiya state. An individual who is constantly in the Turiya state is said to have attained Moksha. In such an individual, actions happen as a response to events (and not because of thought process), such actions do not result in accumulation of Karma. The process view of release (moksha) from ego-consciousness (ahamkar) through individual responsibility for the totality of action with its inherent karma can be contrasted with the soteriological view of mainstream denominations of Christianity: grace given by faith in the suffering, death and resurrection of a singular saviour. Update » greatjob wrote on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 1:51am WHOA!!!! HOW DID THAT PICTURE GET IN THERE!??????????????
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOOOK AT HER TEETH! funny shit. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» DrGonzo replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 2:03am |
| Coolness: 265965 | i swear that pic manages to show up EVERY-fucking-WHERE.
o_o |
| I'm feeling insomnia right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 2:08am |
 Coolness: 685600 | Karma is quite simply a load of shit. If it was in any way true, then I must have been a baby-killing mass murderer before I even learned to walk with all the fucked up bullshit that I've been put through in my life, from parents, teachers, kids at school, etc.. |
| I'm feeling sleepy right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» bodkin_van_horn replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 2:13am |
| Coolness: 40125 | nope..is that wikipedia Host One? Update » bodkin_van_horn wrote on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 2:44am OK here is what it means - karma is the same as volition, will, thirst, desire or craving.
the meaning has a lot to do with the belief of reincarnation. We have such a strong will or desire to be, to live and exist we reincarnate. This is the root of suffering. LIfe is considered suffering (kinda like what Screwhead just said - but also growing old and dying and loosing loved ones in the process etc is also suffering) and to reincarnate is to go back into suffering. So to prevent this suffering you have to end karma...or craving. Yeah...karma is desire. It is not cause and effect. By having good desire will bring about good effects, yes....but the desire alone is not the effects. |
| I'm feeling the sunn0)) right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» greatjob replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 2:42am |
| Coolness: 282465 | yeh....im stooped |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» moondancer replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 9:33am |
 Coolness: 92275 | You're wrong bodkin_von_horn, karma is very simply cause and effect. Update » moondancer wrote on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 10:01am anything more is just personal belief and analysation Update » moondancer wrote on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 10:08am Hinduism:
Karma literally means "deed" or "act" and more broadly names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction which governs all life. Karma is not fate, for man acts with free will creating his own destiny. According to the Vedas, if we sow goodness, we will reap goodness; if we sow evil, we will reap evil. Karma refers to the totality of our actions and their concomitant reactions in this and previous lives, all of which determines our future. The conquest of karma lies in intelligent action and dispassionate reaction. Not all karmas rebound immediately. Some accumulate and return unexpectedly in this or other births. It is considered an entirely impersonal and spiritually originated law that cannot be abrogated by any person but may be mitigated by God. Karma is not punishment or retribution, but simply an extended expression of natural acts. The effects experienced are also able to be mitigated by actions and are not necessarily fateful. Buddhism: In Buddhism, karma (Pâli kamma) is strictly distinguished from vipâka ("fruit" or "result"). Karma is one element in a chain of cause and effect. Any action is understood to create "seeds" in the mind which will sprout into the appropriate result when they meet with the right conditions. Certain types of karmas, with good or bad result, will keep one within the wheel of saṃsâra; others will liberate one to nirvâṇa. [ www.answers.com ] |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» MURDOCK_ROCK replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 10:04am |
 Coolness: 83885 | SHUT UP HIPPIES!!!
(in hinduism and buddism) its the sum of a persons actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding thier fate in future existences. ^^^ thats the real definition... cause and effect holds down!!! |
| I'm feeling my giant hose beast right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» moondancer replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 10:12am |
| Coolness: 92275 | yes, most definitely. If someone wants to make another definition they should use another word cause you can't change what this one means. And Screwhead, karma is somethign independant of spiritual belief, it's a natural law, it's not somethign you beleive in or don't believe in, unless you look at it from the perspective of divine intervention which many hindu's believe in, but it is not karma itself only the belief in a certain mode of implementation of karma. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» bodkin_van_horn replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 10:52am |
| Coolness: 40125 | awesome....this is what I thought would be said. But NO karma is not "simply cause and effect". In fact when the buddha was asked about the topic of karma by his bhikkhus...they were often told that the concept was extremely hard to grasp and that they were not ready for this teaching. So no it is not simple.
"It is mental volition that I call karma. Having willed, one acts through body, speech or mind!" -- Buddha (Ang. Nik. III.415). Karma is NOT cause and effect in of it's self. Karma is will or desire! The term has been used and abused so much through history and used so loosely that it's meaning has been distorted. Hmm...that wouldn't happen in religion right? Update » bodkin_van_horn wrote on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 11:22am FYI - wikipedia and [ answers.com ] is not a good reference for all topics. |
| I'm feeling the sunn0)) right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» moondancer replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 11:29am |
| Coolness: 92275 | I'm sorry but karma is not exclusive to buddhism and even in buddhism the meanign of karma is not what you say.
"It is mental volition that I call karma. Having willed, one acts through body, speech or mind!" -- Buddha (Ang. Nik. III.415). you are over-analysing this line. When he says mantal volition is what he calls karma it is clear that he is playing on an already existing meaning.. I would say the he is not so much challenging that meaning but indicating that karma has a predeseccor, the predescesor to karma is will which results in action which results in cause and effect. He is right. He is saying that if we get bad karma it's our fault, it's a result of our own will. This is a philosophical/religious statement. It cannot change the definition of karma. Update » moondancer wrote on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 11:33am At the core of karma is will but that does not make IT will anymore than a computer is it's processor. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» bodkin_van_horn replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 11:56am |
| Coolness: 40125 | I appreciate this moondancer - but what appears to be semantics here is not. Karma in our days has a been mis-interpreted as being a mystical law of the universe that brings about cause and effect. But the root of karma is volition or will....it is this will that brings about good or bad effects.
And your right - in hinduism there was karma as cause and effect BUT this law was not well explained....until buddhism which explained it as desire. Which makes sense and also brings humanity to the meaning and takes away the mystery. If you think of the term as something you can control (it is YOUR will not some mysterious law) it makes it more easy practice. I think the term needs MORE analysis. It's very lazy to say "karma is cause and effect" period, without understanding what is the root of the meaning....which leads to the secret of how the law can be applied. Update » bodkin_van_horn wrote on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 12:03pm I'm not simply using one quote...
"It is mental volition that I call karma. Having willed, one acts through body, speech or mind!" -- Buddha (Ang. Nik. III.415). ...as my reference here. I have a few source for this. much respect |
| I'm feeling the sunn0)) right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Holly_Golightly replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 12:09pm |
 Coolness: 158745 | heu well, i'm not an expert in karma question but perssonaly, karma mean nothing for me.
i think a person and his life is mostly determinate by resilience, synchronicity and determinism. not by the karma. i learn alot about that question while reading all your answer, int... ps : hahaha! i know this fucking pic show all the time... |
| I'm feeling ok right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» MURDOCK_ROCK replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 12:21pm |
| Coolness: 83885 | if cause and effect is "lazy"
how about... "informal destiny or fate, following as effect from cause." i really don't think my definition could be any more spot on... |
| I'm feeling my giant hose beast right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» nellboy replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 12:35pm |
 Coolness: 38760 | i've heard people equating it with the phrase: what goes around comes around
my understanding of it is that your intentions largely shape your life... could be wrong about that though.. |
| I'm feeling pretty damn good right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» moondancer replied on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 12:37pm |
| Coolness: 92275 | Originally Posted By BODKIN_VAN_HORN I APPRECIATE THIS MOONDANCER - BUT WHAT APPEARS TO BE SEMANTICS HERE IS NOT. KARMA IN OUR DAYS HAS A BEEN MIS-INTERPRETED AS BEING A MYSTICAL LAW OF THE UNIVERSE THAT BRINGS ABOUT CAUSE AND EFFECT. BUT THE ROOT OF KARMA IS VOLITION OR WILL....IT IS THIS WILL THAT BRINGS ABOUT GOOD OR BAD EFFECTS.
You asked what Karma IS not what it's root is. By what you are saying karma IS cause and effect CAUSED by will. That's fine by me but you still can't say "you did something bad so now you will have bad will", but you CAN say "you did something bad so now you will have bad karma". The word "will" and "karma" are NOT Update » moondancer wrote on Wed Aug 30, 2006 @ 12:37pm interchangeable, makign them seperate entities. Even if one is caused by the other. My parents caused me but they are not me. |
What Is Karma?
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