As you sow.. So shall you Reap - Understanding Karma

Karma is a term you may have heard before. It simply means "What goes around, comes around".

For everything action, there is a reaction.

When an individual's actions are positive, selfless and righteous (dharmic), they will experience positive effects. If their actions are negative (such as lying, hurting etc), the results will be negative.

It sounds pretty straightforward, but it isn't

Straight VS cyclical concept of time

The western world believes in linear concept of time

But Hindus believe in the circular concept of time called reincarnation

Every birth is the result of past karmic action. People may be

- Born into troubling circumstances due to bad decisions made from previous lives

- Born with minimal suffering as a reward for past dharma

- Born as a completely different living being (bug, dog etc) based on past karma.

The cycle of reincarnation (birth, death and rebirth) is called Samsara. Karma acts as a positive motivator for leading a spiritual life but Samsara can act as a negative reinforcer in some ways, because -

Hindus strive to be free of this reincarnation cycle.

The ultimate goal is for the individual to work through their reservoir of good and bad karma in order to attain moksha. A soul attains Moksha when it completely balances its "karmic bank account". In order words, the individual has reaped all consequences of bad actions and all rewards for good actions, and then attains Moksha.

Moksha is the ultimate freedom and liberation. It is the release from the cycle of rebirth.