The Laws Of Karma According To Buddhism

Buddhism is a philosophy and a religion made up of practical teachings, such as meditation, for example, which claims to induce an internal transformation of those who practice it. It promotes the development of wisdom, awareness and goodness to achieve a state of enlightenment.

In Buddhism, existence presents itself as a permanent state of change. The condition for benefiting from this change is to develop a discipline on our mind. It must focus on positive states, concentration and calm.

The goal is to be able to deepen the emotions associated with understanding, happiness and love. In addition, for Buddhism, all spiritual development materializes and is completed with areas such as social work, ethics and philosophy.

The nature of karma in Buddhism

The word Karma means action and consists of a force that transcends. This type of energy is infinite and invisible and  is a direct consequence of the actions of the human being. Karma is based on twelve laws. Each of them allows us to understand the spiritual meaning of existence.

In Buddhism there is no god who controls, these laws come from nature (like the law of universal gravitation) and people have the free will to apply them or not. Consequently, doing good or bad depends only on us and the consequences for which we are largely responsible depend on this decision.

The twelve laws of karma

These are the twelve laws of karma according to Buddhism:

1. The great law : this law can be summed up in the phrase “we reap what we sow”.  It is also known as the law of cause and effect: what we give to the universe is what the universe gives us back, but if it’s a bad thing, it will give it back multiplied by ten. If we give love, we receive love; if we give out of love, we will receive out of love multiplied by ten.

2. The law of creation : we must participate in life. We are part of the universe, therefore we are one with it. Around us we find clues to our distant past. Create the options you want for your life.

3. The law of humility : what we refuse to accept will continue to happen to us. If we are only able to see the negative aspects of others, we will stagnate at a lower level of existence; conversely, if we accept them with humility, we will ascend to a higher level. 

4. The law of growth : wherever you go, there you will find yourself. In the face of things, places and other people, it is we who have to change, and not what surrounds us, to evolve in our spirituality. When we change our being, our life changes.

5. The law of responsibility : when a negative event happens to us, it is because there is something negative in us, we are a reflection of the surrounding environment. Consequently, we have to approach the actions in our life responsibly.

6. The Law of Connection :  Everything we do, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is in connection with the universe. The first step leads to the last and everyone is equally important, because together they are necessary to achieve our goal. Present, future and past are connected to each other.

7. The Law of Focus :  It is not possible to think of two things simultaneously. We go up step by step, one at a time. We cannot lose sight of our goals, because insecurity and anger would take effect on us.

8. The Law of Giving and Hospitality : If you think something is true, the time will come when you can prove it. We must learn to give to put into practice what we have learned.

9. The law of the “here and now” : holding on to our past prevents us from enjoying the present. Old thoughts, bad habits and frustrated dreams prevent us from moving forward and renewing our spirit.

10. The Law of Change : History will repeat itself until we assimilate the lesson we need to learn. If a negative situation arises several times, it is because there is knowledge in it that we must acquire. We must direct and build our path.

11. The law of patience and reward : rewards are the result of the previous effort. More dedication, more effort and, therefore, greater gratification. It is a work of patience and perseverance that bears fruit. We must learn to love our place in the world, our effort will be honored at the right time.

12. The Law of Importance and Inspiration : The value of our triumphs and errors depends on the intention and energy we use for that purpose . We contribute individually to a totality, therefore our actions cannot be mediocre: we must put our whole heart into every contribution we make.