Karma Essay

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Karma is a Sanskrit word that primarily means action but has since gained various meanings and connotations over time (Thakkar, 2015). The circumstances that determine the direction of a person’s rebirth is karma (Molloy, 2010). Research examines the implications of believers in karma – the belief that the universe bestows rewards for a person doing the right things and exacts punishment for doing the wrong things (Kurlow, & Kramer, 2016). Overall, the general Hindu notion of rebirth assumes that at one point in time, each human being has existed as a “lower” form, such as an insect, an animal, or even as a plant (Molloy, 2010). Moreover, within Hinduism belief, it also recognizes grades of human life, ranging from limited and painful to …show more content…

Otherwise, in a certain way, the belief of karma allows for upward mobility because of human beings, by their own actions, have influence over their future rebirths (Molloy, 2010). Therefore, by accumulating positive karma, Hindus can eventually break free from the cycles of death and birth in order to achieve liberation or moksha, which results in a complete union with God (Breuilly, O’Brien, & Palmer, 1997). Although, some believers hold that karma’s cycles of rebirth make a somewhat automatic progress towards moksha, but that it is a very slow and lengthy process (Breuilly, O’Brien, & Palmer, 1997). Modern Hindu philosophers have continued to argue for a clearer way of comprehending karma, adding that a person’s free will rather than fatalism characterized the karma’s operation (Knott, …show more content…

Jains believe that a person’s thoughts and deeds attract karma and that a person’s actions from his or her past, decide the quality of life that he or she presently has (Gupta, 2016). Therefore, Jiva, the soul, carries these karma particles from a person’s present life to the next which adhere to it (Gupta, 2016). In addition, Jains also seek liberation by freeing themselves from the rebirth cycle by ridding all karma attached to the soul, and following their vows and living in the right physical and mental state (Gupta,

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