From the Panchatantra… The Banana Peel

. . . a proud Brahmin - one noble in name - came upon a banana peel in his path. He communed with himself, saying, "every man reaps in the future the fruits of all his acts. If, therefore, I take this peel from the pathway, I shall have done a deed of merit, and be rewarded by karma in my next life. " So mused the Brahmin, and he carefully removed the peel. For this crafty thought of self, the proud Brahmin was born in a lower caste in his next life.

In western societies karma is a term applied to events with out really understanding why it is being used. "Ooh, bad karma!” Or “Its your karma that this happened to you.” John Lennon made “Instant Karma” a household phrase. However, what really is karma? What does it mean to Hindu’s and Buddhists?

According to the Random House College Dictionary, karma is an action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, in this life or in a reincarnation.

Karma is a Sanskrit word that translates into "action". It literally means "deed or act”, but more broadly describes the principle of cause and effect. Simply stated, karma

Despite its independent development, Buddhism is essentially an Indian religion. Karma, Dharma and Nirvana, are words that are used by Buddhists everywhere; yet these words are not Buddhist in origin. They are from the Hindu vocabulary. Karma is a basic concept common to Buddhism. The doctrine holds that one's state in this life is the result of physical and mental actions in past incarnations and that present action can determine one's destiny in future incarnations. Karma is a natural, impersonal law of moral cause and effect; only those who have attained nirvana, or liberation from rebirth, can transcend karma. (4)

If there are no persons at all, then there is no self and no other. There is no distinction between one's own pain and pain that which is another person's. Whether pain is known directly or indirectly, there is either an urge to quell it or an urge to cultivate it. Whether joy is known directly or indirectly, there is either an urge to nourish it or to quell it. In the conventional language of speaking of events personally, the urge to quell all pain and to nourish all joy is known as being ethical or good (skillful). The urge to nourish pain and quell joy is known as being unethical or bad (unskillful). (5)

Some topics in this essay:
Law Karma, Ancient Hindu, Nirvana Vaishyas, Dharma Nirvana, Fate Buddha, Isaac Newton, Heart Sutra…Gone, Banana Peel, Karma Sanskrit, College Dictionary, law karma, cause effect, unpleasant sensation, hindu belief, level level, past karma resolved, indirectly urge, urge quell, urge nourish, karma resolved, past actions, directly indirectly urge, opportunity afforded complete, level level past, level past actions,