Buddhism Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [karma]

For questions about ethically potent action (karma) and its effects.

Karma (Sanskrit, also karman, Pāli: kamma) is a Sanskrit term that literally means "action" or "doing". In the Buddhist tradition, karma refers to action driven by intention (cetanā) which leads to future consequences.

Those intentions are considered to be the determining factor in the kind of rebirth in samsara, the cycle of rebirth.

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Are actions in computer games bad for karma?

What if I play a bad person in a computer game, cheating people. Or I play an assassin who kills people. Or my character in a game belongs to some evil cult. Or I roleplay a thief and steal. Or my character has an affair with a woman without being…
user5463
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Who/what/how is the keeper of karma?

I have seen multiple references to karma on this site, varying in its descriptions dependent on the question. Most answers appear to have the same answer e.g. Whereas Karma is what happens as a result of your actions or your choices. - Source If…
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Doubts about Karma and/or Rebirth

I have been a staunch follower of the Buddha's words for the past 1.5 years. I do believe in the Buddha in so far as the Denial of God, Creationism, Destiny is concerned but considering the events in my life and what I see around, I am now…
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Are there any differences in karma?

Is there a difference in karma of giving someone $ 1 and giving someone $ 1000, or its same for anything given? and Is there a difference in karma of killing a small animal (like mosquito or small fish) and killing an big animal (like a cow or an…
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Do lions create bad kamma for their next life when they kill?

In Buddhism, bad Kamma begins with a bad intention. What can we say about animals, let's say a tiger or a lion that kills other living beings by instinct? They don't have the same understanding as we do as human beings and they simply cannot become…
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What Bad Karma Awaits Adulterers?

Will they get to suffer in hell? I am trying to find out more about their fate..I know that if you get angry a lot you get reborn ugly..But what happens to people who cheat on you??Will they get cheated on in a future life?Or will a worser fate…
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If A is killed by B due to A's past karma of killing B, will B suffer from this karma of killing A?

I am trying to deepen my understanding of the law of karma. Let's say: A killed B. B killed A in next life. Is this particular karma of A considered "completed", that B will not suffer since this is just the effect of A's karma? Or does B still…
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I need an answer as to why i received a mother who makes me feel like an outcaste?

Buddhism teaches to respect parents. I do follow. But when ever i bow down our relation with my mother, she constantly tries to bring me down. She makes me feel bad for the way i look. I cannot change my skin color or my height. She nags about my…
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Won't bad karma cause a chain reaction?

So consider the situation where you did something bad like killing someone (or something less serious) which means that you now have bad karma. So now something bad needs to happen to you, considering all things this thing will statistically caused…
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If karma is objective, how come it's cause for "good" rebirth?

EDIT: I'll try to be clearer in what I want to know. The philosophy of good/bad, like/dislike is really irrelevant. Question: If karma is neutral, then how come "good" karma leads to "good" rebirth. These aren't my words, I've heard it being said:…
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Is surrounding yourself with good people a form of aversion?

I am unsure the definition of 'good' in Buddhism. My assumptions are of 'good' are; Caused no bodily harm intentionally Caused no mental harm intentionally No expectations when help is offered Willingness to help and support to those who need…
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What, besides karma, determines the future?

Since karma isn't the only thing that determines what happens to you, what are the other aspects? I remember hearing a dharma talk where someone explained that there were like eight things that determined what happened to you and that karma was only…
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Can somebody remove their bad karma by believing that it doesn't exist?

If somebody does sin or bad karma, harms other living beings, but that person doesn't believe in karma and believes that karma is just an illusion. then how does his bad actions will harm him? For example, if I kill a mouse but I totally believe…
user10568
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If I undergo suffering now, will my next birth be better?

This answer points out that Karma is not something which is accumulated. Hence considering karma as just cause & effect, if I undergo suffering now, like disease, disability, etc, will my future births be better since the cause has yielded a result…
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Is there a way to "reset" all karmic conditions with immediate effect?

It is my basic understanding that certain actions such as killing one's parents or harming the Buddha has immediate karmic reactions. Are there actions that have immediate "wholesome" outcomes or ones that allow you to start with a clean slate?
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