Karma, kamma (Skt., Pāli: ‘action’, ‘deed’; Chin., yin-yuan; Jap., innen; Korean, inyon). Karman, the law of consequence with regard to action, which is the driving force behind the cycle of reincarnation or rebirth (saṃsāra) in Asian religions. According to karma theory, every action has a consequence which will come to fruition in either this or a future life; thus morally good acts will have positive consequences, whereas bad acts will produce negative results. An individual's present situation is thereby explained by reference to actions in his past history, in his present or in previous lifetimes. Karma is not itself ‘reward and punishment’, but the strict law producing consequence.

In Hinduism, the word karma first appears in the Ṛg Veda, where it means religious action, specifically sacrifice; there is no hint here of its later meaning as the force driving beings through saṃsāra. There is some hint of this in the Brāhmaṇas, but only with the Upaniṣads do we really find karma in the sense of causality of action—e.g. Bṛhadāranyaka Upaniṣad 4. 4. 5.

Action creates impressions (saṃskāras) or tendencies (vāsanās) in the mind which in time will come to fruition in further action. The subtle body (liṅga or śūkṣma śarīra), in which the individual soul (jiva) transmigrates, carries the seeds of karma; and the gross body (sthūla śarīra) is the field (kṣetra) in which the fruit (phala) of action is experienced, and which also creates more karma.

Vedānta and Yoga speak of three kinds of karma: (i) prārabdha, karma to be experienced during the present lifetime, (ii) sañcita, latent karma, or the store of karma which has yet to reach fruition, and (iii) āgamin or sañcīyama, the karma sown in the present life which will be reaped in a future life. Liberation (mokṣa) is freedom from karma. When mokṣa is attained, the great store of sañcita karma is burnt up, but the prārabdha remains to complete its course. The liberated person (jivanmukta) creates no more new karma and at death, having no more karma, is no longer reborn.

In Buddhism, much of the same basic sense of a law of consequence is retained, but there is no ‘self’ to be reborn. Only intentions and actions free of desire, hate, and delusion are free of karmic consequence. Karma/kamma is neither fatalistic nor deterministic, since true insight enables one to direct the stream of continuity, or even to bring it to cessation.

Among Jains, karma is a kind of subtle matter which attaches itself to the jīva and weighs it down in bondage and rebirth. All actions, good as well as evil, cause karmic matter to attach to the soul. Therefore, the abandoning of action, in complete ascetic renunciation (even to the extent of voluntary starvation), is necessary.

For Sikhs, karma (Pañjābi, karamu) is accepted as consequential action, but against it is set karma (Arab., karam, ‘favour’) meaning the grace of God. Sikhs concentrate on bringing karma (grace) to bear on karma, leading to union with God.