CULTURAL EDUCATION

 NAME: M. Pranavkrishnan
BRANCH: CSE
SECTION: B
REGISTRATION NUMBER: BL.ENU4CSE21113
 THE DOCTRINE OF
KARMA

WHAT IS KARMA?

The most common answer one might hear is that it is payback for the sins
of your past or the reward for the good deeds in your past. While their
response is right to an extent, this is not all that karma is. The word Karma
means work, deeds or action in Sanskrit. However, this definition does not
do justice to one of the greatest concepts of Hinduism. The principle of
Karma is the concept of cause and effect in Hinduism. Cause and effect
essentially mean that the actions of the person in the present will
accumulate and eventually the person receives the effects of their actions.
The concept is karma is also integral to various other religions like Jainism
and Buddhism and is not limited to Hinduism alone, there is a western take
on Karma as well. There is also a common misconception among people
that Karma is fate, that it is unchangeable. However, that is not the case,
karma is dynamic which means that every action we take influences our
karma, meaning that just one bad action does not mean punishment and
one good deed doesn’t guarantee a reward. A Buddhist master explains the
dynamic nature of karma extremely well: Karma is an action, not a result.
The future is not set in stone. You can change the course of your life right
now by changing your volitional (intentional) acts and self-destructive
patterns.
TYPES OF KARMA:

There are three types of Karma:

1) Sanchitta Karma
2) Prarabdha Karma
3) Agami Karma

Sanchitta Karma: These are all of the previous works and actions that
you have completed. These can't be changed; all you can do is wait for
them to happen. This is the tremendous amount of karma that has
accumulated over our many previous lives. This includes every action
you've ever taken in your life, both past and present.

Prarabdha Karma: The portion of previous karma that is responsible for

the present is known as Prarabdha. These are the behaviours and emotions
that are ripe and fruitful. What you've done in the past has shaped who you
are today. It can't be ignored or changed; it can only be drained by
experiencing it.

Agami Karma: The Karma we are currently making for ourselves. It is

the choices we make and the actions we take right now, as we experience
our existence.
All three types of Karma are interlinked with one another and influences
our existence.

SYMBOLS RELATED TO KARMA:

The symbol depicted above is the ENDLESS KNOT which represents the
interlinking between cause and effect, creating an endless cycle that
repeats forever.
The picture given above gives us a clear idea of cause and effect; if we
show goodness; we shall reap goodness as well.

MORALITY AND FREE WILL CONTROVERSY:

The free will controversy can be summed up pretty easily:

1) Can a person who murders, loots and rapes claim that his victims
deserved the crime due to the karma of their past?
2) Can a person whose family is killed aim to seek justice or simply
accepts that he deserves the pain due to the karma of his past?
3) Does Karma undermine the importance of moral education? Since
all suffering and reward is based on karma, why learn about morality
when the balance sheet of Karma fixes everything eventually?
The free-will controversy is based upon the idea that karma may
propagate a blame-the-victim idea into society. However, these
controversies arise when a person looks and Karma and Hinduism
through a distorted lens. One needs to realise that the notion of karma
is inextricably linked to the doctrine of dharma or the principle of
good deeds. It's vital to remember that the Indic tradition's
understanding of karma and reincarnation embraces both these
dimensions of fact and value... The karma and rebirth theory respects
the individual responsibility of the sufferer as a fact but stresses the
value of aiding those who suffer as part of the doctrine's value system.
Karma doesn’t propagate a blame-the-victim idea instead it
encourages us to help those suffering and therefore, the only idea that
karma propagates is that good deeds are an integral part of a happy
and functional society.

CONCLUSION:

Is the doctrine of karma perfect? Absolutely Not.

However, the doctrine or principle of karma is a revolutionary
concept that motivates people to be the best person that they can be.
While one may argue that hell and heaven also serve the same
purpose, the simplicity of the doctrine of Karma sets it apart. Perhaps
the advantage Karma has is that the reward and suffering are similar
to the actions of the person. Whereas other concepts that offer a
reward too big and punishment too strict is not as easily accepted by
our feeble human minds and therefore, they make a person act on fear.
Karma, on the other hand, simply helps us be the best we possibly can
be. This essay does not even cover 1% of Karma, the complexity and
history of the subject are simply too wide to cover. I have tried to
explain Karma to the best of my abilities in this essay. Hopefully, the
idea is passed on perfectly. Thank you for reading.
REFERENCES:
https://www.healthline.com/health/laws-of-karma#connection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma#Free_will_and_destiny
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/indic-positive/the-doctrine-of-karma-and-the-blaming-of-
the-victim/
https://www.theyogamandala.com.sg/the-three-types-of-karma/
https://ideapod.com/heres-great-explanation-karma-really-means-can-improve-life/