07.28.04
Karma
Karma comes from Sanskrit means action (in the context of intent or cause). It comes from the word root: Kri: means “to do”, “to make”. While there are many definitions of karma, the one I am concerned with is the buddhist notion of karma. Early Buddhist notion of karma focused on the liberating potential of what the mind is doing with every moment. So everything you are and everywhere you have been is not as important as the mind’s motives in the present.
This does not mean the deed of yesterday are forgotten. The tenet of Vipaka is connected to Karma. Vipaka means result or effect. A important quality of Vipaka is that the results may feedback into the cycle of karma. The notion of karma and vipaka are mirrored by waves. A drop falls in a body of water (karma). The drop causes waves to spread in the body of water. The reverberations can reinforce or dissipate the karma. It is even quite possible for the waves to splash the water, thus creating new karma. So the goal is to become mindful of the effects of desires and aversions as a way to moderate or change one’s karmic results.
Karma is considered a doctrine of free will. The entity that acts is responsible for the shape of consequences and effects that flow forth. Since nothing in the world is contained in itself, the karma of the individual not only effects himself, but also to some degree other entities. This does not mean you are the powerless victim of karma. The effects are merely a morally compelling power. The individual chooses his fate by his mentality and actions.