Karma and Destiny: The Law of Action and Reaction.
- Erika Mourão Cireia
- May 5, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: May 18, 2021

In Eastern religions and philosophies, Karma is related to the principle of cause and effect that links beings to Samsara, that is, the cycle of life, death and rebirth. The principles of Karma developed from the Vedic Upanisads and are fundamental in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and other Eastern religions.
However, in the West, they were disseminated in the 19th century by the Theosophical Society and developed by today's New Age philosophies. The karmic law states that actions are causes and consequences of other actions, so there is nothing random, but everything is interconnected in an intertwining of cause and effect links.
Therefore, according to the karmic principle, actions that produce “negative” effects negatively influence Dharma or “universal law” and bring “negative” Karma; while “positive” actions bring “positive” Karma, all of this both in the present life and in the following ones.
The law of Karma, in the Vedic Upanishads, states that man's destiny in life and after death is marked by his conduct, therefore, any human action produces future consequences.

Karma and Western Religions
Karma is a principle on which many Eastern religions are based and, although the concept of karma is unique, it takes on slightly different nuances depending on the religions.
BUDDHISM Karma is the concept that an integral action causes one or more positive rebirths, while an incorrect action, which produces suffering, causes negative rebirths. But for Buddhism, there is also Karma that leads to "liberation" or "enlightenment", where all the karma of current and past life can be annihilated when the individual reaches the stage of Samadhi - Enlightenmen. HINDUISM The karmic principle is linked to that of Sara - The Way and Moksha - Liberation, the paths that lead to liberation from the cycle of rebirths. Dharma or universal law, in the sense of right action, without mistake, prevents the accumulation of negative Karma. Krishna told Arjuna, in the text of the Bhagavad Gita: “It is better to do one's own dharma imperfectly than to do someone else's dharma perfectly. Whoever fulfils the duty prescribed by his innate nature does not commit sin. ” JAINISM
The release of the impurities of Karma can be achieved with the right conduct. In Jainism, the actions and emotions of the present life determine future incarnations, not as punishment or reward, but as a consequence of conscious and unconscious life choices. Consequently, as a consequence of these principles, Jainism places great emphasis on the purity of thought and ethical behaviour. Karma in Yoga
In the ancient book of the Patanjali Yoga Sutra, the fundamental text of classical Yoga, Karma is influenced by Klesha states - suffering, which are:
Avidya - Spiritual ignorance
Asmita - Ego (Asmita)
Raga - Attachment
Dvesha - Aversion
Abhinivesha– Attachment to life
Also according to the Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Raja Yoga is the way to cancel this pain; through Yoga, the Spirit frees itself from the suffering of matter.

Karma in quantum physics.
In the West, the concept of Karma is often reduced to the idea of destiny, generally seen as the result of one's actions or as a superior force that can be called God or the destiny that determines it. Science, together with quantum physics, approaches the concept of Karma as an order underlying material things, a non-random force that interweaves the Whole and organizes it.
Carlo Rubbia, 1984 Nobel Prize in Physics, states that: “Talking about the origin of the world inevitably leads to thinking about creation and, looking at nature, one discovers that there is a precise order that cannot be the result of chance. But I think it is more evident in us than in others, the existence of a pre-established order in things ”.
In addition, the scientist, when talking about the relationship between the mind of human beings and the universe, called the subatomic particles "mental tendencies", because they are carriers of information, supporting the idea that Everything is in everything, that each small part The Universe has the information of the Whole.
In the 1950s, David Bohm came to conceive of quantum physics as a phenomenal manifestation of a deeper holistic reality. The Meaning of Karma.
The term "Karma", an adaptation of the Sanskrit term "Karman", comes from the root "Kr" which means "to do", "to act", but this term has a large number of philosophical and religious implications that, depending on the context, changes its use of meaning.
Karma is not just the action as an end in itself, but the set of actions carried out in an individual's thought, body, word and spirit. In all their lives and in each life, it determines the subsequent rebirth.
Furthermore, Karma is also a universal action, that is, a balance of energies for which each action corresponds to an equal and opposite reaction, as the third principle of Newton's dynamics mentions.
Science today is increasingly validating this concept with unified field theories. The "Everything" or "Nothing" from which everything originates. Furthermore, this field is active, so that man is part of an active Whole to which he is connected. Hence the principle of "Everything is One", which summarizes all the sacred texts and the most spiritual philosophies.
Fate or Karma is malleable through the realization that what happens outside you is a mirror of what you are inside. Be they thoughts, words, actions and so on. Then, by becoming aware of yourself, you give yourself the possibility to change your Karma or destiny.
As quantum physics has clearly explained, time is an illusion, so the past, the present and the future live in the eternal now. So, if you change your consciousness in the now, you will change every past, present and future life. Because everything happens now. In addition, in order not to create more negative karma, it is essential to living a life in relation to the principles of yoga, yamas and niyamas.
karma is not just a way of defining the concept of cause and effect, but energy that uses that principle to manifest itself. The law of Karma reminds us that we are here for the sake of souls and that, in addition to individual Karma, there is also collective and planetary Karma and that these energies lead to the evolution of Consciousness.
The discipline of Karma states that any action has an apparent and immediate effect and an invisible effect that will develop, like a seed that hatches when the right conditions arise. So, everything is interconnected.
These seeds are stored in the soul and each reincarnation is linked to the opportunity to resolve karma itself. According to the karmic principle, time is circular and "Samsara" shows the cycle of rebirth, which allows it to complete the path of spiritual development and purification.
In this cycle of rebirth, there is the possibility of consciously changing Karma itself, recognizing the signs of our true Self. The different facets of Karma form the inclinations and needs that lead to new levels of consciousness. The karmic principle must be seen not as a condemnation that cannot be changed, but as a possibility to face what has remained unsolved. Knowing how to turn these crises into opportunities gives meaning to suffering and helps it to mature.
Comments