We have often heard sayings like “You reap what you sow” or “What goes, comes around”. In fact, the very famous scientist Newton found out “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”.
Some of us vouch for Newton’s law because our experiences have shown us a mirror. Some of us are still in disagreement because we are not sure if our actions define our lives or if our actions in the present make an impact on our future. In recent years, a lot of people have been coining the word “karma” or “Laws of Karma”.
Everyone has a different interpretation of this word. Some believe in it deeply and some don’t believe in the idea of it but the truth is, according to Hinduism and Buddhism, Karma is considered as something that can make or break your life. Other religions also define Karma in their own ways.
Simple Definition of Karma
Karma is a Sanskrit word, which literally means action. The word was used a lot in the Vedic times and thus, hold a lot of significance. In Indian and Buddhism philosophy the word is treated as something that has the power to determine the future of one’s existence.
Good karma is considered to bring good returns while bad karma is considered to bring bad returns. A lot of people can turn around and ask “what is good and what is bad”? Well, to answer your question, it is important to understand that anything that is not the inherent nature of your soul, can be considered bad karma.
If you feel guilty, hurt, angry, sad or irritated while doing something or after doing something, it is probably bad for you. However, there are some very basic principles related to what you shouldn’t do to people in order to get bad karma on you.
NOTE
It should be noted that Karma shouldn’t be seen as punishment. It is meant to guide you through this path of life. No matter what religion you follow, Karma laws apply to each one of us in similar ways.
The Law of Karma
It is believed that our soul never dies and when we come back in the universe in another body, our past karma comes with us. Thus, it is extremely important to be conscious of your actions. If you want proof, you can notice the actions and reactions happening in your life.
The idea of Karma is simple if one keeps negative thoughts and assumptions aside. Law of Karma wants to teach us but unless we don’t stop making the same mistakes, history repeats itself. There are a total of 12 laws of Karma. If you understand each one of them, you can change your life.
12 Laws of Karma
1. The Cause and Effect Law
This law is also known as cause and effect law. It works on the basic principle that if you want happiness or love, you must give out love and happiness. It is easy to understand all Karma laws if we think in terms of energy.
As the famous saying by Nicola Tesla goes “If you want to understand the world, think in terms of energy, Vibrations, and Frequency”. As per the first law of Karma, the kind of energy you put out in the universe, the same you receive.
2. The Law of Creation
The second karmic law gives a messaging of creating. Nothing happens without our efforts. If we want something in life, we must make efforts. We must create that kind of energy.
Every one of us has the power within ourselves to create something for ourselves and for the world. This law wants to make sure that you are not only sitting and performing wishful thinking.
3. The Law of Humility
This law can be seen as a law of acceptance. It teaches one to focus on accepting his or her reality. It is only when you accept everything about yourself and those around you, you can start bringing changes.
If you are too busy just picking on negatives of the others, then you are not connected to your higher self and you are not accepting things as they are.
4. The Law of Growth
Gandhi very famously said, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. This law also says something similar. It teaches you to constantly work on your growth. It also tells you to do what you want others to do.
You can’t make decisions for anyone else, nor you can force them to reach a conclusion. You have to have your own understanding of Karma depending on your life experiences.
5. The Law of Responsibility
As the name suggests, this karmic law wants you to take ownership of your own actions. Your outside world right now depends on what you are inside. If you want to change anything externally, you have to change something within yourself.
You must take full responsibility for what is happening outside and then make efforts to change your inner self. No matter what situation you are in, it can be changed just by accepting and then taking responsibility.
6. The Law of Connection
This Karma law speaks about the connection between past, present, and future. If you are wondering how can you take ownership of your past actions and not let them affect your present and future, you can focus on your present Karma. Your past energy can be healed on the basis of your new Karma.
7. The Law of Focus
Spiritually, it is extremely important to focus on one goal and keep working towards achieving it. This law tells you to direct your focus towards your single goal. You can come to your other goals once the first one is achieved. If you want to focus on your higher self, you can’t have any attachment with lower vibration energies.
8. The Law of Giving and Hospitality
This law of Karma is about being selfless and giving others without expecting anything in return. It is also about practicing what you preach. We often believe in something very deeply but when the chance comes for us to take action on it, do we run away or we face the situation and showcase our values? This law indicates that in life, we will get the opportunity to prove our beliefs.
9. The Law of Here and Now
As the name suggests, this law is all about the present moment. We often forget to live in the present moment and constantly worry about the future or dwell in the past. The best way to be connected with your higher self is to constantly live in the moment. Old thoughts, memories, pain, etc stop us from moving forward and growing.
10. The Law of Change
We often witness the same things happening to us again and again. We also sometimes get exposed to the same kind of pain over and over again. That’s a universe’s way of teaching us a lesson that we are not learning. The law of change teaches us to change our actions if we are being exposed to the same thing repeated times. It wants us to understand the sign and change something within us.
11. The Law of Patience and Reward
Sometimes we work towards something but we don’t see ourselves growing or moving from one place. Well, this law teaches us to be patient and persistent. This law tells us that if we work hard towards something, we are likely to reach or destination at the right time. We should just be focusing on the work and not on the result. The very famous Hindu Scripture, Bhagwad Geeta also sends out the same message.
12. The Law of Significance and Inspiration
Sometimes we feel like our actions don’t matter. But this law teaches us to contribute, no matter what happens. It wants us to put out our energy into what we believe in. It tells us that small actions do matter a lot. Even a little energy is extremely significant. It can be inspiring for somebody else.
Law of Karma Quotes
1. “The law of Karma is the law of causation.”
– Swami Vivekananda
2. “How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”
– Wayne Dyer
3. “The universal law of karma … is that of action and reaction, cause and effect, sowing and reaping. In the course of natural righteousness, man, by his thoughts and actions, becomes the arbiter of his destiny.”
– Paramahansa Yogananda
4. “What goes around, comes around.”
– Willie Nelson
5. “The law is simple. Every experience is repeated or suffered till you experience it properly and fully the first time.”
– Ben Okri
6. “Karma moves in two directions. If we act virtuously, the seed we plant will result in happiness. If we act non-virtuously, suffering results.”
– Sakyong Mipham
7. “There’s a natural law of karma that vindictive people, who go out of their way to hurt others, will end up broke and alone.”
– Sylvester Stallone
8. “For the keynote of the law of Karma is equilibrium, and nature is always working to restore that equilibrium whenever through man’s acts it is disturbed.”
– Christmas Humphreys
9. “As long as karma exists, the world changes. There will always be karma to be taken care of.”
– Nina Hagen
10. “If you give a good thing to the world, then over time your karma will be good, and you’ll receive good.”
– Russell Simmons
11. “Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
– Leonardo Da Vinci
12. “You cannot do harm to someone because someone has done harm to you. You will pay just like they will.”
– Ericka Williams
13. “A man is born alone and dies alone; and he experiences the good and bad consequences of his karma alone; and he goes alone to hell or the Supreme abode.”
– Chanakya
14. “Nothing happens by chance, by fate. You create your own fate by your actions. That’s Karma.”
– Unknown
15. “Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”
– Edwin Hubbel Chapin
Closing thought
In life, everyone wants to be loving and showcase kindness. The concept of Karma begins from believing that your actions impact, not just your own life but the life of others around you. To be conscious of thoughts and actions at each step of your life is paramount for receiving good Karmic results.
Laws Of Karma FAQs
What does karma really mean?
A simple definition of karma is actions. Karma literally means actions. Your actions define what you will receive back from the universe. Thus, they say you should be scared of Karma.
Is Karma Good or Bad?
You decide your actions. However, anything that doesn’t feel right to your soul is bad karma and things that feel good to your soul can be seen as good karma.
Where does karma come from?
The concept of Karma dates back to a thousand years. It was highly believed by people of Hinduism and Buddhism. It is believed that the universe is an ultimate source. If you do bad karma, it is the universe that throws back bad karma at you.
How do you give and receive positive karma?
To give positive karma, you should always try to be compassionate, kind and loving. Anything done with these feelings is mostly counted as good karma. When you do good karma, you receive good and positive karma.
What is an example of karma?
Examples of karma is – suppose you have done great work selflessly for poor people in your past life, then you will receive love in abundance from people in your current life. An example of bad karma is – suppose someone steals a phone and later it bursts while charging more harm for the person.
Ankita calls herself a road-child because of her love for road trips and landscapes. A journalist turned digital nomad, she is either telling stories or looking outside the car window aimlessly. She has traveled most of India by road, and encourage other women to take such life-changing journeys. Ankita is also a mental health advocate and a survivor herself. She likes to tell her story through writing and photography, with the aim to change at least some lives.