Karma

Karma exists in most eastern religions, although it has different meanings in each religion. Karma is the past actions that affect us positively or negatively in the future. For a Buddhist karma goes beyond the life one is in. even enlightened ones are not except. One example given by the Buddha is that his cousin tried to kill him with a boulder but the rock only hurt the Buddha’s foot. The Buddha said the was karma for trying to kill his step brother in a past life. Karma can also have and affect on where a person will be placed in their next life. The Buddha said that every action shapes the future life, both positively and negatively. Karma is important in Buddhism because it helps the individual to understand why things happen.  It also helps a buddhist to chose their actions. For example a bad person will have bad karma and a good person will have good karma. It helps Buddhist to chose the best path, even though they have no control over karma.