Karma - the meaning of the term and what does it mean for us

Karma - the meaning of the term and what does it mean for us

The sound alone of Karma gives it away: The host Karma comes from the Indian-speaking area. Sanskrit is one of the many local dialects there, and the term is derived from Sanskrit.

However, it is known among all Hindus around the world, because it is of essential importance for the Hindu religion. Read on to find out which one it is.

In the western world karma is a lot, but if we want to agree on one thing, it is a "buzzword". From perceived justice to (lack of) personal responsibility to the bonus point collection system that is supposed to prevent the existence of ants in the next life - whether the inflationary use is good for our karma?

Nonetheless, it would be unfair to say that we are doing everything wrong with karma these days. Many of us help, donate, support, volunteer, always strive for good and often under the pretext “this is good for my karma”. That's good and important, even if not exactly selfless, but we don't want to overdo it either. Selflessness is a confusing concept, almost as confusing as karma.

Because karma is a really complicated concept. It ties in with religion, philosophy and, last but not least, belief. Many people of all origins believe in karma and we don't even want to imagine how those with the many omnipresent, half-funny karma sayings are doing. Or with the numerous interpretations and definitions.

What we can well imagine is that it can quickly become disrespectful or even insulting. So first of all - the following does not claim to be exhaustive. We are aware that - in order to understand and internalize karma as an attitude to life - it takes time, patience, many sources read, even more conversations and most of all: openness.

With this article we want to provide less general clarification than our own - we want to clarify our position and distance ourselves from misinterpretations.

This is how you understand the meaning of karma

To understand the meaning of the word karma, you first need to know something basic about Hinduism:

Hindus believe in rebirth in a practically hierarchical way: what you are born again as is determined by how you lead your present life. One can be reborn as both a higher and a lower living being.

So this means: if you behave well in life, you may be richer, wiser or happier in the next life. If you behave badly, you might become a cockroach.

If you have lived through enough life and worked your way up, the so-called moksha, or redemption, awaits you at some point. However, this salvation can only be achieved by continually accumulating good karma.

Karma is something like an aura. When you do a lot of bad things, you practically accumulate a bad aura, which falls back on you, causing bad things to happen to you.

If you collect good karma, it will be easier for you in the next life and at some point you will find salvation.

Those who are said to have good karma lead a good and decent life and thus acquire respect and comfort.

And whether we are Buddhists or not, the principle of karma can help us a lot in our development. To do this, however, we should not fall into the following traps that a wrong understanding creates.

Karma and personal responsibility

To separate the mental from the physical actions is an impossibility (or years of meditation ...). Our thoughts and feelings influence our actions, sometimes more consciously, sometimes less consciously, and vice versa. For those who believe in karma, there is no way around it - karma is everything and everything is karma. And the best thing about it is - this “everything” lies in personal responsibility.

It is always one's own mental and physical actions that are to blame for “everything”. It is not the bad god or the envious goddess, it is not the constantly guilty "others" - everything is due to yourself and your own thoughts, feelings and actions. According to the law of karma, every person bears sole responsibility for his / her actions and can therefore influence the consequences or effects of these actions - ergo karma. Great isn't it?

Karma: of rebirth, punishment and reward

That all sounds great empowering. However, our karma is the result of our own actions, but not only from the here and now, but also from all of our "previous lives".

In other words: the bad deeds, feelings and thoughts of our previous reincarnations can be the reason why we encounter difficulties and challenges in the here and now. Bad karma - according to the religions - is reduced by overcoming these challenges. Accordingly, our living conditions are as they are so that we can learn from them. Suffering, challenges, and difficulties are not captured as punishment, but rather as lessons designed to help balance us out.

For us, karma is an ethical basis with one main principle: liberating self-responsibility.

A personal responsibility that is not based on fear and pressure, but rather on love. To love for ourselves, for our fellow human beings, for our earth.

A personal responsibility that does not tie us to sustainable eco & zero waste shopping lists and dos & don'ts, but rather frees us and encourages us to set baby steps in the right direction.

It gives us the power to change by allowing us to start with ourselves at our own pace and gently give like-minded assistance. In order to then set baby steps in the right direction together. It gives us control and self-determination by weakening the compulsion to consume that we are exposed to in our everyday life.

You want to shop and treat yourself to something, go for it - with us you can shop informed, slowly, carefully, detached from the pressure to consume. What for believers in karma is a detachment from the attachment to the material, for us it is more a detachment from the attachment to the compulsion to consume and the bad conscience associated with it.

What we can learn from "true karma"

It pays not to see karma as a power that we are forever at the mercy of. On the contrary. We can focus on today and actively influence our karma with our actions and our reactions to things that happen to us.

If I drive too fast in my car, a fine is a possible consequence and if I heat our apartment in a tropical way, I don't have to be surprised about a hefty additional payment. Ultimately, that's a good thing. Life always gives us new impulses to which we can react one way or another. And everyone is an opportunity to develop further.

As is well known, Gandhi said it aptly: “Be the change you want in this world yourself.” We can also start small - with ourselves and our affairs.

For now, I'll be the change I want in my washing machine and call customer service. Eventually, karma won't care.