How to cross a river

Early in the morning a poor fisherman is walking to his boat.
On the bank of the river, looking like a Buddha statue covered in the golden light of the dawn, a young monk is deep in his meditation.
As the fisherman approaches, the monk gets up and starts crossing the river, walking on the surface of the water.
Seeing him, the fisherman stops and nods.
- No, no, no! You are doing it all wrong!
The young monk turns around surprised and looks at the raggedy fisherman.
- Come, follow me. I will show you how to do it. Says the fisherman.
The monk follows him in silence to the old wooden boat where they get in.
The fisherman picks up the oars and starts rowing. When the boat reaches the other shore of the river, the fisherman says.
- See monk. This is the proper way to cross the river.

What is Karma in Buddhism

Buddhism Basics – What is Karma in Buddhism

An Introduction to the Buddhist Belief in Past and Present Actions

Karma has an important role in Buddhism and for Buddhists. Learn more about this Buddhism concept, types of karma and its importance in the Buddhist belief in rebirth. The word ‘karma’ is a Sanksrit word that means ‘action’ or ‘deed’. The concept of karma is a basic Buddhist belief and it helps to understand how the karmic cycle works in order to grasp its complete importance.

Understanding what karma is also helps to understand the concepts of rebirth and the importance of actions in Buddhism. Read on to learn about the role the concept of karma plays in Buddhism.

The Buddhist View of Karma

Buddhism regards karma as central to the position a person is in. For instance, how does one explain the inequality that exists in society? Buddhism relies on karma to explain why one person may be rich and another poor, may have particular talents or differences in fortune. Again, while factors such as heredity and environment do play a role, the basic reason for being born to particular parents or in a particular environment is attributed to karma.

Kevin Trainor describes this in Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide when he writes, “What makes humans differ from one another is karma, the key factor accounting for the variations in people’s physical traits, mental abilities and character.”

Types of Karma According to Buddhist Belief

Karma does not just refer to physical action. In fact, Buddhism regards the thought behind the action as more important. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in Introduction to Buddhism discusses the three types of karma. Mental karma is the intention or determination to perform an action, physical karma is the bodily activity caused by the mental action while verbal karma are the words that are spoken as a result of the physical activity.

Gyatso writes, “From this we can see that mental karma is more important than either bodily or verbal karma.” In other words, whether an action is good or not, depends upon the intention or thought that spurs it.

The Buddhist Belief in Karma and Rebirth

Karma in life plays an important role in rebirth. Good karma creates the foundation for a happy and positive life in the next birth. According to Gyatso, “If we die with a peaceful mind, this will stimulate a virtuous seed and we will experience a fortunate rebirth.”

Trainor describes how past karma determines a person’s circumstances at the time of birth. While the full extent of one’s past karma may be unknown, it can be understood by examining conditions and circumstances at the time of birth and in life, thereafter.

Accumulating good karma is what all Buddhists aspire and aim to do. While it may seem difficult, good karma is more a matter of being compassionate and considerate towards one’s fellow beings and doing the right thing. Following the Eightfold Noble Path will surely make the task of accumulating good karma easier for lay Buddhists.

By Prerna Malik