Concept Of Karma Research Articles

NAVIGATING THE LAW OF KARMA: UNDERSTANDING, MANAGING, AND INTEGRATING SPIRITUAL WISDOM

The concept of Karma, rooted in various spiritual and religious traditions, embodies the principle of cause and effect, suggesting that our actions, intentions, and choices ripple through existence, shaping our present and future experiences. This paper delves into the multifaceted dimensions of the Law of Karma, exploring its intricacies and implications for personal and collective growth. At its core, the Law of Karma emphasizes the significance of intentions, highlighting the notion that the quality of our actions is intimately tied to the purity of our motives. Additionally, it underscores the importance of conscious choices, recognizing that each decision carries profound consequences that reverberate throughout the cosmos. Furthermore, the Law of Karma elucidates the role of habits in shaping our destiny, emphasizing the power of consistent patterns of behaviour in shaping our reality. Drawing upon strategic management principles, this paper proposes practical frameworks for navigating the Law of Karma effectively. By cultivating mindfulness and awareness, individuals can align their intentions with higher principles, thereby steering their actions towards positive outcomes. Moreover, strategic planning and foresight enable individuals to make informed choices, mitigating potential karmic repercussions and fostering growth-oriented trajectories. Moreover, this paper examines diverse religious perspectives on Karma, elucidating how different spiritual traditions interpret and apply this universal law. By synthesizing insights from Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, a holistic understanding of Karma emerges, enriching our appreciation of its profound wisdom. In essence, this paper serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding, managing, and integrating the Law of Karma into our lives, empowering individuals to navigate the complexities of existence with wisdom, purpose, and grace. KEYWORDS: Karma, Law of Intentions, Law of Choices, Law of Habits, Strategic Management, Religious Perspectives

Work engagement among higher education teachers: exploring the influence of human values and subjective well-being

PurposeIn today’s competitive environment, understanding employee well-being and work engagement (WE) is crucial. This study explores the relationship between values, well-being and WE within positive organizational behavior (POB). The research aims to provide insights for promoting employee well-being and enhancing WE.Design/methodology/approachUsing a cross-sectional approach, three hundred and seventy-two teachers from higher education institutes in India participated by completing questionnaires. Covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) was employed to examine the mediation effect.FindingsHuman values i.e. benevolence (BE) and universalism (UN) significantly impacted teachers' WE. These relationships were mediated by positive emotions (PE), negative emotions (NE) and satisfaction with life (SWL). Interestingly, UN exhibited a positive relationship with PE and SWL and a negative relationship with NE. These findings contradict existing theories and may be attributed to India’s cultural aspects, particularly the concept of karma orientation.Research limitations/implicationsThe quantitative results obtained through CB-SEM could be complemented by future qualitative studies. Employing longitudinal research might yield different results. Generalizing the findings to other populations requires caution.Practical implicationsInstitutions should prioritize human values in teacher recruitment and development to improve engagement. Promoting PE, managing NE and enhancing SWL can boost WE. Future research should explore mediation with other variables and use longitudinal studies to understand cultural impact and intervention strategies.Originality/valueThe study contributes to knowledge on WE within positive organizational behavior by examining BE and UN. Additionally, exploring the mediating effect of PE, NE and SWL adds further value.

Karma as a Means of Wartime Political Mobilization: A Reading of Chinese Buddhists’ Response to the Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945

The concept of karma is of great significance for scholars of modern China seeking to comprehend the impact of Buddhism on the Second Sino-Japanese War. This paper explores the sociopolitical function of karma within China’s wartime society and its profound implications for Nationalist politics. It examines how karma was articulated by wartime Chinese Buddhists as a means of Nationalist mobilization for China's war effort. Moreover, this paper situates the discourse on karma within the framework of modern nationalism by comparing the sociopolitical utilization of karma by Chinese and Japanese Buddhists during the war. As such, it reveals that the divergent interpretations of karma by Buddhists in the two nation-states had enduring and far-reaching consequences on their respective societies.

Refocusing Indian education system in the perspective of ancient Indian education system

Ancient or Traditional Indian Education System has always been a topic of interest among researchers as well as general educators. The New Education Policy rolled out by Government of India in 2020 has also focused upon this ancient Indian educational pedagogy. This article is an attempt to highlight the relevance of reorienting our present educational structure towards the ancient educational system, which was considered to be the best system of imparting value based and morally structured education among common masses. This article elaborates the relevance of knowledge acquisition, knowledge discrimination and knowledge mining from the ancient education system point of view as well as it’s relevance in the present day education system. This article is an attempt to elaborate the philosophy of Ancient Indian education system through the insight of the knowledge and use of this knowledge which helps in restoring and restructuring of human moral values for society and nation building rather than just gaining it without a defined purpose. In this article, it has been emphasized that for rejuvenating and restructuring the present Indian Education System and provide a national moral value to the education system, we need to understand the outstanding characteristics of Indian Ancient philosophy of life, that revolved around the concept of Karma. And as such it is need of the hour to have a holistic approach in the Present Education System based on our Ancient Education System of India, which provides both physical as well as spiritual solitariness. This article has emphasized on the fact that in order to bring back ancient glory that existed in terms of knowledge acquisition, knowledge discrimination and knowledge mining in our ancient education system we need to re-orient the present education system with Ancient Indian Value based Education.

Cause and Effect: A Study on the Concept of Karma in the Buddhist Tradition

The most fundamental aspect of the Buddhist tradition is the concept of Karma. Karma is the basis of Buddhist ethics and principles that maintain that the entire universe is bound to a similar law. Our actions will decide what will happen to us, for we caused it. The current state of our existence is with our past Karma, and the present action will determine our future condition of existence. Karma is a special instance of cause and effect, according to which all our actions of body, speech, and mind are causes and all our experiences are their effects. The Law of Karma explains why each individual has a unique mental disposition, a unique physical appearance, and unique experiences. These are the various effects of the countless actions that each individual has performed in the past. We cannot find any two people who have created the same history of actions throughout their past lives. So we cannot find two people with identical states of mind, identical experiences, and identical physical appearances. Therefore, each person has different individual Karma, and each individual has to face the action of one's own Karma. Thus, the significance of this study is to determine the true concept of karma and its implication beyond our life in the Buddhist tradition.

Tracing Karma in Meiji Japan

Abstract Despite its doctrinal importance, the concept of karma or karmic causality has come to occupy a complicated place in contemporary Japanese Buddhism, due to its historical connection with discrimination against outcast groups and disabled people. Furthermore, among post-war Japanese intellectuals, the idea of karma has often invoked criticism in the context of modern values such as free will and human potential. Against this conventional framework, this paper demonstrates how the concept of karma was the focus of intense interest among Meiji Japanese intellectuals and a center concern in the developing global network of modern Buddhists. At the intersection of the multifaceted problems facing the Buddhist world at that time—namely, the Buddhist search for scientific religion, civil morality in the nation-building process, reformulating Buddhism for non-Japanese audiences, and the confrontation with competing forms of Western thought—lies the relatively unexamined story of karma in Meiji Japan (1868–1912).

The Concept of Karma and Buddhist Cosmology: A Study in the Early Buddhist Context

The Concept of Karma and Buddhist Cosmology: A Study in the Early Buddhist Context

Just World Belief: How People Are Influenced in India by The Concept of Just World Belief, Whether They Are More Inclined Towards Helping a Victim or Towards Derogation of a Victim?

In this paper my study will analyze data collected from people in India. The purpose of this study is to see whether in India people believe in victim blaming in the case of an incident caused due to external causes or they try to compensate them. Just world belief plays a significant role in preserving people’s view in justice. Many people who believe the society is just are also more inclined towards the principle of just world belief. In many studies psychologists have studied the effect of just world belief in western societies. In western culture people-power distance relation is not huge as compared to India and western culture is an individualistic society as compared to India. In India crime rate is more as compared to western culture which also plays an important role. In India people hold a strong belief in karma which is basically “people get what they deserve”. Concept of karma is similar to just world belief. In India karma is one of the important factors which determines whether a person is more willing to contribute or blame the victim. The other factor which determines the willingness to help is income standard of the person. People who fall in upper class income status they are less willing to help and hold a stronger stand on victim blaming, whereas, people in middle class income group try to contribute more rather than victim blaming. People in middle class are more empathetic towards victims further they hold a strong view in karma and try to do well to others. According to me people belonging to middle class families try to donate more or find ways to help victims as compared to upper class people. As per the survey conducted, I will try to establish that “Indians when given an opportunity will compensate victims more and when asked to evaluate victim will derogate them and not compensate”. Opportunity plays an important role when it comes to deciding whether to compensate or derogate. This is not dependent on different cultures or types of society.

Представление о карме в философии индуистского тантризма. Часть I

The tantric interpretation of karma is in many ways in line with general Indian be­liefs. Karma is a complex causal mechanism that enslaves souls, which itself, in turn, is based on the activities of these souls. The actions of the soul arise from karmic impulses, which prepare it for a certain experience. Tantra knows the vari­ous classifications of karma (as valuable as neutral) and karmic fruits, as well as bodies into which souls enter under the influence of karma. Karma is “sleeping” and “waking up”. The Supreme God controls karma for his own purposes, provid­ing the souls with their well-deserved living conditions; the unfolding of the world itself correlates with an increase in karmic activity. In Kashmir Śaivism, karma be­comes one of the three main types of enslavement of individuals (kārma-mala) and a direct source of saṃsāra. “Karma is the cause of saṃsāra” (Abhinavagupta). Karma is a part of the universal restrictive mechanism, niyati (Utpaladeva). The distinction between an action that carries karmic consequences (karma) and an ac­tion that doesn’t carry such consequences (kriyā) can also be considered a tantric contribution to the concept of karma. Representatives of the Nātha school under­stand karma as a part of the physical body and distinguish five types of karma.

Представление о карме в философии индуистского тантризма Часть II

The tantric interpretation of karma is in many ways in line with general Indian be­liefs. Karma is a complex causal mechanism that enslaves souls, which itself, in turn, is based on the activities of these souls. The actions of the soul arise from karmic impulses, which prepare it for a certain experience. Tantra knows the vari­ous classifications of karma (as valuable as neutral) and karmic fruits, as well as bodies into which souls enter under the influence of karma. Karma is “sleeping” and “waking up”. The Supreme God controls karma for his own purposes, provid­ing the souls with their well-deserved living conditions; the unfolding of the world itself correlates with an increase in karmic activity. In Kashmir Śaivism, karma be­comes one of the three main types of enslavement of individuals (kārma-mala) and a direct source of saṃsāra. “Karma is the cause of saṃsāra” (Abhinavagupta). Karma is a part of the universal restrictive mechanism, niyati (Utpaladeva). The distinction between an action that carries karmic consequences (karma) and an action that doesn’t carry such consequences (kriyā) can also be considered a tantric contribution to the concept of karma. Representatives of the Nātha school under­stand karma as a part of the physical body and distinguish five types of karma

Sanctity of Human Life, Corpse’s reverence and Abortion in Islam and Buddhism: Comparative Study

Human beings are the cynosure of the whole universe. Islam and Buddhism both emphasized the sanctity of human life. The killing of people is not allowed in Islam in any form whatsoever. In Buddhism, the non-violence (Ahimsa) philosophy states that every living thing’s life is sacred. This study is aimed to identify the teachings of Islam and Buddhism regarding corpse’s reverence and abortion. Islam markedly stress on the holiness of human life. In Islam, it is not permissible for a person to attack someone's life or property or reputation. According to Buddhist’s concept of Karma and Cycle of Samsara, the life of human beings is equal to that of all other living things that is why Buddhism does not allow the killing of insects. A comparative methodology will be adopted in this study. It is concluded that both Islam and Buddhism have the same viewpoint on the sanctity of human life but regarding the corpse’s reverence and abortion, these have a different perspective.

Eradicating Poverty: The Mission, Vision and Conviction

Eradicating poverty is one of the prime goals included in the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in its Post-2015 Development Agenda. Clearly, this is a mission set for the world to achieve but do humans have a moral obligation to fulfill it? In other words, is there a moral obligation on the part of the affluent of the world to help the needy poor? Drawing on the relation between a moral obligation and a moral right, one view is that if there is a moral obligation to help the needy poor of the world, then we can say that those afflicted by severe poverty have a moral right (human right) to be free from poverty. But being an example of a socioeconomic right, it is writ with problems leading some philosophers to doubt that there is such a right. On the other hand, many attempts have been made to justify such a right. The paper looks at some attempts that have been made to justify the existence of such a right on the metaethical principles of justice, humanity and the concepts of karma and dharmic duty. It further delves into the nature of the moral obligation to eradicate poverty where this philosophical exercise provides the vision and the insight into the extent and scope of the mission. Lastly, the paper suggests how in view of the complex theoretical issues involved, one can attempt to generate the conviction that there is a human moral obligation to eradicate poverty.

Perspectives of Hinduism and Zoroastrianism on abortion: a comparative study between two pro-life ancient sisters

Hinduism and Zoroastrianism have strong historical bonds and share similar value-systems. As an instance, both of these religions are pro-life. Abortion has been explicitly mentioned in Zoroastrian Holy Scriptures including Avesta, Shayast-Nashayast and Arda Viraf Nameh. According to Zoroastrian moral teachings, abortion is evil for two reasons: killing an innocent and intrinsically good person, and the contamination caused by the dead body (Nashu). In Hinduism, the key concepts involving moral deliberations on abortion are Ahimsa, Karma and reincarnation. Accordingly, abortion deliberately disrupts the process of reincarnation, and killing an innocent human being is not only in contrast with the concept of Ahimsa, but also places a serious karmic burden on its agent. The most noteworthy similarity between Zoroastrianism and Hinduism is their pro-life approach. The concept of Asha in Zoroastrianism is like the concept of Dharma in Hinduism, referring to a superior law of the universe and the bright path of life for the believers. In terms of differences, Zoroastrianism is a religion boasting a God, a prophet, and a Holy book, while Hinduism lacks all these features. Instead of reincarnation and rebirth, Zoroastrianism, like Abrahamic religions, believes in the afterlife. Also, in contrast with the concept of Karma, in Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda can either punish or forgive sins.

The living will, cultural aspects of death, and mourning rituals

Indian subcontinent, diverse though in many respects, has a common systematized cultural mechanism to cope with loss. What is unique about Hindus is their belief in reincarnation and the concept of karma. Writing Living Will (LW) or the Advanced Directive, I thought, was a brilliant idea to guide families to deal with the end-of-life situation of their loved ones. I enthusiastically advised my elderly colleagues in various forums to write the LW, lest had I predicted any negative fallout of this deed. I describe below the heated debates due to LW within the bereaved families. In both cases, the families argued that the reincarnation and transmigration of the soul cycle would be interrupted by not cremating the dead. Some instructions left in the LW were at variance with the traditional practices that created potentially explosive situations in the cases I describe below. Most contentious directive was no cremation and postdeath rites and rituals that created conflict of ideology and moral dilemma for the children. The author wants to share the latter with readers and stimulate discussion. Mourning and traditional grieving is encouraged in many cultures; can this not tantamount to systematic grief therapy? In many cultures, grief, and bereavement, through ages, have inspired renowned poets and scientists to express their viewpoints.

Worldview and relationships to the world: The concepts of karma(n) and bhakti in Weber's study on Hinduism and Buddhism

Weber's Comparative Essays on the Sociology of Religion raise the problem of intercultural translation, still insufficiently attended to in discussions of Weber's work. This article discusses questions of translation in the context of his concept of world relations and with respect to his representation of Hinduism. Weberian sociology of religion has established a schematic classification of world religions in terms of world views and attitudes towards the world. The article contends that a relationship to the world comprises phenomenological, hermeneutic, and practical-ethical aspects. It criticizes Weber's textualist reading of Hindu religions and his neglect of the interpretive capacities of groups in India embedded and living in the world. The article demonstrates the implications of this neglect for intercultural translation and understanding taking the examples of karma theory and of world-affirming attitudes of bhakti.

Worldview and relationships to the world: The concepts of karma(n) and bhakti in Weber’s study on Hinduism and Buddhism11From the conference, ‘Translating and editing Max Weber: experiences, insights and irritations’, on the occasion of the one hundred an

Worldview and relationships to the world: The concepts of karma(n) and bhakti in Weber’s study on Hinduism and Buddhism11From the conference, ‘Translating and editing Max Weber: experiences, insights and irritations’, on the occasion of the one hundred an

Reflecting on Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness from a positive psychological perspective

In its quest for a non-medical, pro-health approach to psychotherapy, positive psychology surprisingly focuses on concepts that are biblical and specifically present in the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. In this paper,(1) the teaching of Jesus in the synoptic tradition on forgiveness will be compared to recent positive psychological approaches (e.g. McCullough & Witvliet); attention will be paid to the (2) contexts of forgiveness (interpersonal and/or political); (3) the (philosophical) positive or negative judgement on forgiveness as a positive notion (e.g. the Buddhist concept of karma, [e.g. Arendt, Deridda, Wolterstorff]); (4) the (perceived) positive role of forgiveness in psychotherapy; (5) the ‘techniques’ or method of forgiveness when the latter seems difficult; and (6) the relation between forgiveness and religion or spirituality.

How affiliates of an Australian FPMT centre come to accept the concepts of karma, rebirth and merit-making

The karma-rebirth doctrine is one of the core doctrines of the Buddhist worldview. Some forms of Western Buddhism emphasize doctrinal study and meditation practice over traditional Buddhist elements that have their foundation in the karma-rebirth doctrine, such as merit-making practices and other forms of ritual. Conversely, the worldwide Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhist Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) encourages its affiliates to perform traditional ritual such as chanting and pujas to make merit for oneself and others, in addition to attending teachings and developing a regular meditation practice. During their exploration of the FPMT's activities, participants undergo a process of experimental validation of the teachings and practices, in which they come to accept doctrinal notions in one of two ways: the notion's capacity to validate and give meaning to personal experience, or to lend conceptual support to the newly acquired framework of ideas. Utilizing data obtained from fieldwork undertaken between 2003 and 2006 at Vajrayana Institute (VI), an FPMT centre in Sydney, Australia, I illustrate the way in which the karma-rebirth doctrine supports those aspects of the belief-system more capable of experiential validation through their capacity to frame and give meaning to personal experience. The acceptance of notions such as karma, rebirth and merit-making involves an interpretive shift from previously held notions about cause and effect and the nature of this-worldly existence, toward a Buddhist appreciation of these concepts.

Enacting Selves, Enacting Worlds: On the Buddhist Theory of Karma

The concept of karma is one of the most general and basic for the philosophical traditions of India, one of an interconnected cluster of concepts that form the basic presuppositions of Indian philosophy. The focus of this essay is on two interrelated aspects of the Buddhist theory of karma. After some preliminary comments on the general philosophical notion of karma and on the enactivist approach to philosophical psychology, I will explore the distinctively Buddhist idea that through the karmic process we enact ourselves—that is, we make and remake ourselves through our actions. Second, I will discuss the idea that we also enact our world(s) through karma—that is, our patterns of action and reaction bring forth meaningful worlds, which in turn shape those very patterns for better or worse. Finally, I will briefly discuss the character and cultivation of enlightened action, action free from the production of karma.

Taking the MINI to Mustang, Nepal: methodological and epistemological translations of an illness narrative interview tool

Illness narratives and explanatory models have been a research focus for the discipline of medical anthropology for decades. In recent years, standardized qualitative research tools have been developed to elicit illness narratives as a means of conducting socio-cultural analysis and as a springboard for health-related interventions – particularly with reference to communities experiencing rapid socioeconomic transition or those in which trauma has been experienced. Nevertheless, gaps persist in terms of the latent methodological and epistemological challenges of translating and transplanting such research tools to new contexts. This paper chronicles the adaptation of the McGill Illness Narrative Interview (MINI) for use in the culturally Tibetan region of Mustang, Nepal. This analysis is based on 44 in-depth interviews using an adapted version of the MINI to elicit narratives about experiences of illness. The MINI proved to be a compelling research tool, particularly in terms of engaging research assistants in the field. Yet its deployment in a context where distinctions between individual and social suffering can be blurred, where the dichotomization of ‘religion’ and ‘medicine’ makes little sense, and where understandings of causality are rooted in the concept of karma, revealed the extent to which the MINI – and, by extension other such qualitative research tools – emerges from particular models of narrative construction and assumptions about the relationships between self and other, cause and effect. Concluding recommendations are made regarding the adaptation of this tool to other settings.