Overview
Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म; Pali: kamma) is an ancient Indian concept referring to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term denotes a principle of cause and effect: an individual's intent and actions are understood to influence their future, with good intent and deeds said to contribute to good karma and happier rebirths, while bad intent and deeds are held to result in bad karma and less favourable rebirths. In some scriptures, however, no direct link is drawn between rebirth and karma.
In Hinduism, karma is traditionally classified into four types. Sanchita karma refers to accumulated karma from past actions across lifetimes. Prārabdha karma is the portion of Sanchita karma that is currently bearing fruit and is believed to determine the circumstances of the present life. Āgāmi karma denotes future karma generated by present actions, while Kriyamāṇa karma is the immediate karma created by current actions, which may yield results in the present or in the future.
Karma is often misunderstood as fate, destiny, or predetermination. In Sanskrit, however, fate, destiny or predetermination have specific terminology and are referred to as Prarabdha. The concept of karma is closely associated with the idea of rebirth in many schools of Indian religions, particularly Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, as well as in Taoism. In these traditions, karma in the present is held to affect one's future in the current life as well as the nature and quality of future lives, shaping one's saṃsāra.
Beyond its traditional religious context, the idea has been adopted in wider cultural settings. Many adherents of New Age thought also accept karma, often treating it as a law of cause and effect that assures cosmic balance. In some such interpretations, it is emphasised that karma is not understood as a system that enforces punishment for past actions, but rather as a natural principle of moral causation.