Table of Content

• What is Karma?
• What is Bhagya (Destiny)?
• Nature of Karma
• The Law of Karma12 Laws of Karma
• Soul Consciousness
• Types of Karma
• Sanchitta Karmas are accumulated works
• Prarabdha Karmas are ripe or fructuous actions
• Kriyamana Karmas are current works  

What is Karma?

The past impressions of life go far beyond the moment we were born. From the moment we were born till today, what kind of parents, family, and education we had, what kind of religious and social background we hold, what kind of cultural realities we are in– all these impressions have gone in. Someone has become a different character simply because of the type of information that he has got. This is what Karma is.

This information is traditionally called Karma, that which causes life.

The Pali term Karma literally means action or doing. Any kind of intentional action whether mental, verbal, or physical, is regarded as Karma.

It covers all that is included in the phrase “thought, word and deed”.

Generally speaking, all good and bad action constitutes Karma.

Karma does not necessarily mean past actions. It embraces both past and present deeds. Hence in one sense, we are the result of what we were; we will be the result of what we are. In another sense, it should be added, we are not totally the result of what we were; we will not absolutely be the result of what we are. The present is no doubt the offspring of the past and is the present of the future, but the present is not always a true index of either the past or the future; so complex is the working of Karma.

The theory of Karma is a fundamental doctrine in Buddhism. This belief was prevalent in India before the advent of the Buddha. Nevertheless, it was the Buddha who explained and formulated this doctrine in the complete form in which we have it today.

To a Zen Buddhist, the past does not exist. It has happened. It cannot be undone.  A Zen Buddhist would see you’re clinging to the past and holding onto it tightly as your mind grasping a conditioning, and that attachment would bind you to dukkha or suffering.  When you hold onto these conditionings and not stay in the present, you deprive yourself of fully experiencing this present moment. 

When you hold onto the past you recreate it, not as it was, but as you presently need it to be based onto all the conditionings that you have.  If you anger yourself at something that happened in the past you do not relive anger but recreate it for yourself in the present. 

In the same way, we can create the future, indeed a multitude of them with imagination and longing and desire. We can invest energy into that future and even feel emotional responses to that future.

We invest our ego, our desires and want into this possible future and in so doing we condition ourselves and our reactions and limit our ability to be in this “now” and be spontaneous and genuine. 

We also prevent ourselves from responding in the moment when we arrive in that future.  So when we are sending to the “past” and “future” we are sending to ourselves in the Now, healing that which we carry with us.  By holding onto the past or future, we not only do not heal, but perpetuate our suffering in the present.  By holding onto the past or future, we do not heal and we create more suffering for ourselves by not fully being in the present. 

What is Bhagya (Destiny)?

The role of God is to ask you to do your Karma and to help you to do the Right karma. Then whatever good/bad karma you do, the result is accordingly and entirely your responsibility.

Resultant return of energy is in the same amount as the deed done. It is known as Bhagya (Destiny).

As the result is our Destiny, we should not blame anyone or God for anything bad.

Do not try to blame someone responsible for your own deed and its result.

Be aware and create or decide your own Destiny (Bhagya).

Here, the role of God is to:

• Give us Strength to Handle the Problem or the Situation.
• Accompany us in solving the Issue.
• Guide
• Love Unconditionally.
• Give Proper Knowledge.
• Give Power to Face the Situation.

Nature of Karma

According to various religions or scriptures, Karma is the result of our own past actions and our own present doings. We ourselves are responsible for our own happiness and misery. We create our own Heaven. We create our own Hell. We are the architects of our own fate.

To any ordinary person, Karma serves as a deterrent, while to an intellectual; it serves as an incentive to do good. He or she becomes kind, tolerant, and considerate. This law of Karma explains the problem of suffering, the mastery of so-called fate and predestination of other religions and about all the inequality of mankind.

 The Law of Karma

Wrong is wrong whatever logical justification you give to satisfy yourself. And the result will be accordingly. So don’t be a lawyer to argue and prove something wrong as right.

Similarly, right is always right, let the whole world disagree with it. And the destiny will be similarly good. To simplify, one may say whatever good or bad I have done, I will get the result.

When something goes wrong or let us say, when a problem, insult, or conflict arises, BE AWARE & CHECK the causative karma carefully and CHANGE yourself. The situation will definitely smoothen.

The 12 Laws of Karma Everyone Should Know Are:

1. The Law of Cause & Effect

 As you sow, so shall you reap?

 To receive happiness, peace, love, and friendship, one must be happy, peaceful, loving, and a true friend.

 Whatever one puts out into the Universe will come back to him.

2. The Law of Creation

 Life requires our participation to happen. It does not happen by itself.
 We are one with the Universe, both inside and out.

 Whatever surrounds us gives us clues to our inner state.

Surround yourself with what you want to have in your life and be yourself.

3. The Law of Humility

One must accept something in order to change it. If all one sees is an enemy or a negative character trait, then they are not and cannot be focused on a higher level of existence.

4. The Law of Growth

Wherever you go, there you are. It is we who must change and not the people, places or things around us if we want to grow spiritually. All we are given is ourselves. That is the only thing we have control over. When we change who and what we are within our hearts, our lives follow suit and change too.

5. The Law of Responsibility

If there is something wrong in one’s life, there is something wrong in them.
We mirror what surrounds us, and what surrounds us mirrors us; this is a Universal Truth. One must take responsibility for what is in one’s life.

6. The Law of Connection

The smallest or seemingly least important of things must be done because everything in the Universe is connected. Each step leads to the next step, and so forth and so on. Someone must do the initial work to get a job done. Neither the first step nor the last are of greater significance. They are both needed to accomplish the task. Past, Present, and Future are all connected.

7. The Law of Focus

One cannot think of two things at the same time. If our focus is on Spiritual Values, it is not possible for us to have lower thoughts like greed or anger.

8. The Law of Giving & Hospitality

If one believes something to be true, then sometime in their life they will be called upon to demonstrate that truth. Here is where one puts what they CLAIM to have learned into PRACTICE.

9. The Law of Here & Now

One cannot be in the here and now if they are looking backward to examine what was or forward to worry about the future. Old thoughts, old patterns of behavior, and old dreams prevent us from having new ones.

10. The Law of Change

History repeats itself until we learn the lessons that we need to change our path.

11. The Law of Patience & Reward

All rewards require initial toil. Rewards of lasting value require patient and persistent toil. True joy comes from doing what one is supposed to be doing, and knowing that the reward will come in its own time.

12. The Law of Significance & Inspiration

One gets back from something whatever they put into it. The true value of something is a direct result of the energy and intent that is put into it. Every personal contribution is also a contribution to the Whole. Lesser contributions have no impact on the Whole, nor do they work to diminish it. Loving contributions bring life to and inspire the Whole.

Soul Consciousness

Actually, we are not the body (physical form), we are souls. We are eternal and non-destroyable. So, change in life is just like changing clothes. Life is a complete journey going on and on. That is why the Karmic account will be carried forward even after death.

All this teaches us the role of ETHICS in life. Live by your values and principles ethically. If you think, you cannot do that, QUIT.

Be ethical and face the challenge. But never ever say to yourself, I had no choice but to do the wrong.

Types of Karma

The Sanskrit word “karma”, literally translated, means action. It comes from the root “kri”, meaning, to act. Karma refers to actions or deeds, in the past, present and future. Karma includes physical as well as mental or psychological acts. The past impressions in the mind is one Karma, the present action you are doing is another Karma, and the impression of the present action is another Karma.

There are three types of karma.

1. Sanchitta Karma

These are the accumulated works and actions that you have completed in the past. These cannot be changed but can only wait to come into fruition. This is the vast accumulation of karma that encompasses our countless past lifetimes. This comprises every action that you have ever made in your past and present lives. It is called as Sanchitta karma. It is the warehouse of karma which goes right back to from where life evolved. All the information is there.

There is a warehouse of information going back into creation. That is your Sanchitta karma. But you cannot take your warehouse and clear your stocks. You need to have a place, which is for this life, is called Prarabdha.

2. Prarabdha Karma

Prarabdha is that portion of the past karma that is responsible for the present. These are the ripe and fructuous actions and reactions. The things that you did in the past make you what you are today. It cannot be avoided or changed, but only exhausted by being experienced.

Prarabdha karma is a certain amount of information allotted for this life. Depending upon the vibrancy of your life, life allots for itself how much information it can take on. The creation is very compassionate.

3. Kriyamana Karma

Kriyamana is the karma we are creating for ourselves right here in the current moment. It is the action that we create and the choices we make right now, as we live this present lifetime. It is the karma of the future. This is the karma that is yet to be born and manifest. Kriyamana is then carried forward into our future life times as Sanchitta karma.

All these three aspects of karma blend into each other. “As you think so shall you be”. Our choices and actions of the present moment will become our karma in the future.

The benefits of understanding Karma are that it discourages one from performing unwholesome actions as it will bring about suffering. Instead, it encourages one to perform goodness and kindness, in order to bring happiness as their fruit.

By taking full responsibility for our thoughts and actions, we create our reality. Everything we think or do right now create the kind of future that is related to those thoughts and actions.