Description: Karma is a fundamental concept in the philosophical traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, referring to the law of cause and effect in relation to an individual’s actions. In this context, every action, whether good or bad, generates consequences that affect not only the present life but also the individual’s future reincarnations. The term comes from the Sanskrit ‘karman’, meaning ‘action’ or ‘deed’. The idea of karma implies that a person’s decisions and behaviors have a direct impact on their destiny, promoting personal responsibility and ethics in everyday life. Furthermore, karma is not limited to physical actions; it also encompasses thoughts and words, suggesting that the intention behind an action is equally significant. This concept has influenced various spiritual and ethical practices, fostering the notion that well-being and suffering are the results of one’s actions. In Buddhist philosophy, karma intertwines with the notion of samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, where the actions of one life determine the circumstances of the next. Thus, karma becomes a principle that guides human behavior towards the pursuit of enlightenment and liberation from the cycle of suffering.
