sadā

sadā. In Burma, a horoscope cast shortly after birth and regularly consulted throughout life, especially when any major changes in normal routines have occurred or are imminent. Known in northern Thailand as cata, the horoscope charts the configuration of the fixed cosmic elements (the heavenly bodies, the cardinal points, the topography of the land, and so forth) whose juxtaposition is thought to influence the evolution of a person's life. Although canonical Buddhism discourages belief in astrology, many Buddhists see no contradiction between the concept of fate, as something that can be known through horosocopes, and karma, or one's future as determined by moral acts. Fate is regarded as a force that exerts influence over the vicissitudes of daily life, whereas karma is believed to determine the more fundamental aspects of human destiny, such as the circumstances of death and rebirth.