Karma

[Balthazzar]

How does it work? Is it like being observed by higher powers who keep track of what we do, how we treat others, and the things we value, then when it's time to be paid or rewarded, we get back same or similar as what we gave and did to others? That might would be a nice way to recieve for efforts made eh?

 

[Nakosis]

If you hit your thumb with a hammer, you will feel pain.
That is karma.

 

[sun rise]

From my understanding, think of it like the law of "action and reaction" in physics or the Bible's statement that people reap what they sow.

But there could be various ways that reaping happens. If someone kills me in a life, do I kill them in a future life or does the killer save my life in a future life? I've never heard or read about this kind of detail so your speculation is as good as mine.

One thing I forgot to mention. The purpose of karma is to learn lessons about how to be and how to act by experiencing opposites of life.

 

[Vinayaka]

How does it work? Is it like being observed by higher powers who keep track of what we do, how we treat others, and the things we value, then when it's time to be paid or rewarded, we get back same or similar as what we gave and did to others? That might would be a nice way to recieve for efforts made eh?

Nobody is observing, it's just a law. Karma is usually translated as action, and it is like Newton's third law, except in a spiritual sense, and discards time. It's not reward nor punishment, as lots of action is neutral.
A more important idea, at least in my view, is what effects it has on one's behaviour. So fully knowing, the impact of one's actions will return, wouldn't it be smart to act in a wise manner, as in various versions of the Golden Rule in your faith? In a sense it is the Golden Rule, but it's applied.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Karma is Sanskrit for causality - actions and consequences of those actions.

Each action has a consequence. Typically, benevolent actions bring positive consequences, and malevolent actions bring negative consequences.

 

[Twilight Hue]

How does it work? Is it like being observed by higher powers who keep track of what we do, how we treat others, and the things we value, then when it's time to be paid or rewarded, we get back same or similar as what we gave and did to others? That might would be a nice way to recieve for efforts made eh?

Cause and effect. Nothing mystical or supernatural.

 

[The Hammer]

How does it work? Is it like being observed by higher powers who keep track of what we do, how we treat others, and the things we value, then when it's time to be paid or rewarded, we get back same or similar as what we gave and did to others? That might would be a nice way to recieve for efforts made eh?

Drop a rock in a still pond and watch the ripples across it's surface ring outwards, and then crisscross around and bounce off the shore, some returning back to the center of impact.

Karma works like ripples in the water, the more of a stir you cause, the more those ripples come back to impact you, for good or ill.

 

[Heyo]

How does it work? Is it like being observed by higher powers who keep track of what we do, how we treat others, and the things we value, then when it's time to be paid or rewarded, we get back same or similar as what we gave and did to others? That might would be a nice way to recieve for efforts made eh?

I believe in Karma, just not in the naïve sense. Humans are "monkey-see-monkey-do" animals. I.e. every action that is observed by another human (or other entity with similar mentality), will, ever so slightly, change the mentality of the group. What you do doesn't come back to you directly like a cosmical judgement but as a change in the environment you live in.

 

[Secret Chief]

How does it work? Is it like being observed by higher powers who keep track of what we do, how we treat others, and the things we value, then when it's time to be paid or rewarded, we get back same or similar as what we gave and did to others? That might would be a nice way to recieve for efforts made eh?

In Buddhism I think karma (kamma) means volitional action.

 

[crossfire]

Your willful actions create habits. You fall back on habits when you are unmindful--a sort of auto-pilot.
Build skillful habits-reap skillful results--karma.
Build unskillful habits-reap unskillful results--karma.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Theist's karma:
Everything that we have ever thought, spoken, done or caused is karma, as is also that which we think, speak or do this very moment. Hindu scriptures divide karma into three kinds:

Sanchita is the accumulated karma. It would be impossible to experience and endure all karmas in one lifetime. From this stock of sanchita karma, a handful is taken out to serve one lifetime and this handful of actions, which have begun to bear fruit and which will be exhausted only on their fruit being enjoyed and not otherwise, is known as prarabdha karma.
Prarabdha Fruit-bearing karma is the portion of accumulated karma that has "ripened" and appears as a particular problem in the present life.
Kriyamana is everything that we produce in the current life. All kriyamana karmas flow in to sanchita karma and consequently shape our future. Only in human life we can change our future destiny. After death we lose Kriya Shakti (ability to act) and do (kriyamana) karma until we are born again in another human body.
Karma in Hinduism - Wikipedia

Atheist' karma:
Your good deed may bring you benefits as also it may not.
You bad deed may bring you sorrow as also it may not.
It is a matter of chance. The slate is wiped clean at death since there is no life-after or rebirth.

In Buddhism I think karma (kamma) means volitional action.

And karma includes thought, speech and acts.

 

[mangalavara]

How does it work? Is it like being observed by higher powers who keep track of what we do, how we treat others, and the things we value, then when it's time to be paid or rewarded, we get back same or similar as what we gave and did to others? That might would be a nice way to recieve for efforts made eh?

I like the explanations by @Vinayaka, @SalixIncendium, and @Aupmanyav.

According to the Devī Bhāgavatam, the Parāśakti or Supreme Śakti, who alone is independent of other beings, is present in each and every jīva or soul, leading them according to their karmic merits and demerits. This is how they are receive the fruits of their karmas.

Something that annoys me is when other Westerners say 'That's karma' (a word they always mispronounce) when they observe a person getting their just desserts. As others explained, every action is a karma. Karma is not the fruit itself.

 

[Heyo]

Atheist' karma:
Your good deed may bring you benefits as also it may not.
You bad deed may bring you sorrow as also it may not.
It is a matter of chance. The slate is wiped clean at death since there is no life-after or rebirth.And karma includes thought, speech and acts.

Your actions change the chances of getting back what you gave ever so slightly.

 

[wizanda]

Karma - How does it work?

In what I understand there is a Universal Central Processor, that we've called God/Brahman/Source, and personalized it...

Where it has the ability to calculate this whole reality at a quantum level...

Therefore every action can be calculated as being a 'good deed' or 'bad deed'...

Yet it gets tricky of what is 'good' and 'bad'; as to the shoal of fish, that the swan has just ate from: we see the swan as beautiful, whereas the fish see it as evil.

Thus the Dharma implies ones natural coded duty - Every-being has a sufficient level coded into them; when any-being oversteps these levels it causes many additional sufferings - which is then Adharmic.

Around us everywhere there is a Karmic Field in everything; some have called this the Holy Spirit, some Chi, yet really it is the mathematical code of reality.

Karma can imply 'actions, works, and deeds'; thus our whole way of interacting with reality effects our karmic balance.

Like we can question that the saints appear to glow, as they do good stuff; people love them for it, and they get full of good karma.

Karma is the mathematical equation of a character's interactions.

What is also interesting, is when Christ was talking about "Works", in Greek Ergon meant the same as Karma.

Just watched the film Luck, and find it fascinating how our karma balance, affects how lucky we are.

In my opinion.

 

[Secret Chief]

Karma is not the fruit itself.

Indeed. It is vipaka.

"Karma Vipaka (Actions & their Results)

The Karma (actions) & Vipaka (results of those actions)

Buddhism is basically about our actions (Karma) and their reactions (Vipaka).

In other words, Karma is action, and Vipaka, fruit or result, is its reaction."

- Karma Vipaka

 

[Aupmanyav]

Hindus normally use the word 'karma' with 'phala' (fruit). Action and their results (Karma-phala).
'Paka', 'Vipaka' carries the same meaning, cooking and the result of cooking.
The general Hindu position is that both 'atma' and 'karma' survive, whereas Buddha's position was that only 'karma' survived not the non-existent 'atma'.
IMHO, Buddha was right.

 

[Balthazzar]

Ok, so there is action and natural consequence, then action and willed consequence via reaction of others? Karma and Vipaka (phala)