Karma
KARMA
A term literally meaning "action," it came to be used in Hindu doctrine to signify the chain of cause and effect by which every action necessarily produces a given effect, not only in the physical but also in the moral order. This chain of cause and effect was believed to extend beyond the individual life-span, so that each man's character and fortune is determined by his past action or karma in a previous life. Thus, every soul has its own karma, which it inherits from the past, and continues to create new karma by its actions in the present. Nevertheless, by good works, especially of a religious nature, and by refraining from all harmful action, it is possible to destroy the effects of past karma and to avoid acquiring new. Accordingly, though one's life, character, and above all one's position in society are largely determined by karma, an element of freedom is left. The goal of every soul is ultimately to be set free from karma and to attain liberation (mokṣa ) from the wheel of time (saṁsāra ). Hence, though there is an element of fatalism in the doctrine of karma, it is rightly contended that it leaves a place for freedom and morality.
See Also: indian philosophy; hinduism.
[b. griffiths]