Buddhism is a monastic eastern religion that originated in Asia around the 6th BCE. Buddhism is a very philosophical and spiritual and is an expression of life. The origins of Buddhism as a religion began with the veneration of a man named, Buddha, which means “enlightened one. ” One of the main pursuits of Buddhism is enlightenment which can only be achieved through the “yana” which means “the way, method, or means by which one may attain Enlightenment. ” On the path of “yana” karma needs to be considered since it affects the present life and future lives of the individual.
The Buddhist notion of karma is an important aspect of Buddhism and is integrated in their deeds, words, and thoughts. Reincarnation is also an important aspect of Buddhism and is interconnected with karma. The foundational doctrines of karma and reincarnation are crucial to the belief system of Buddhism and are its identifying features. In comprehending karma and reincarnation one needs to have a basic understanding of Buddhism and their perspective and beliefs. There are three components to Buddhism, the first is Buddha, the second is its teachings, and the third is the community.
The originator of Buddhism was a man named, Buddha, who was a great “sattha” which means teacher, who was also seen as a great man and universal ruler. The religion of Buddhism began with a minor following which became widespread across China, Korea, India, and many more countries. Tolerance is huge in Buddhism which can be seen in the influence of society upon the development of Buddhist beliefs and their literature. Traditionally, the beliefs of Buddhism was communicated orally until the development of the literature of “Tipitaka” which means “Three Baskets. Even with the development of the “Three Baskets” into different languages, scripts, and canons to be inclusive of different cultures there still continues a strong tradition for memorization amongst the Buddhists.
One of the main pursuits of Buddhism is enlightenment which is encouraged through the development of different schools of thought. The purpose and the goal of enlightenment is to attain “freedom in perfect existence,” which is the ultimate achievement of a Buddhist. “Perfect existence” is freedom from karma or causality and attaining the “nirvana. It is the Buddhist belief that enlightenment or “perfect existence” is only achieved through the individual’s own means, i. e. , karma, since everyone is a potential “Buddha,” i. e. , an enlightened one. Karma is the main means to attain “perfect existence” and is the reason why it is so fundamental to Buddhism. Karma is a crucial aspect to the Buddhist religion since it’s their understanding about life. According to Neel Buddhism declares, “All things spring from a cause,” which exemplifies the doctrine of karma as the doctrine of causality and consequences.
In order to comprehend karma one needs to have an understanding of the definition and what it entails. The term karma directly translated means “deed” or “action” but it can be also defined as actions that have consequences in the future. More specifically “karma” can be expounded as good or bad deeds that lead to fortune and pleasant consequences or misfortune and unpleasant consequences in this life or the next. Karma is the perception or understanding that prosperity in this life or failure is not caused by the will of the gods but is rather caused through one’s past deeds and words.
The ramifications of karma leads to reincarnation. Reincarnation is vital and unique to Buddhism since it is interwoven with karma and its affects. In order for one to comprehend the doctrine of reincarnation one needs to have an understanding of the definition and its aspects. The concept of reincarnation can be defined as a rebirth after death. Reincarnation is a cyclic rebirth called “samsara” which means “endless wandering. ” This notion of “endless wandering” is intriguing since it demonstrates that there is no hope or actual meaning of life.
In the Buddhist mentality the meaning of life is to overcome suffering and better one’s next life. The Buddhist believes that being reborn or reincarnated has no clear beginning or end but is rather an infinite or endless occurrence. In their comprehension of reincarnation or rebirth the cycle can only be concluded when the thirst for life or to exist ends. This loss of thirst for life ends the cycle of reincarnation when the individual attains the “nirvana. ” “Nirvana” is understood as the end of all suffering and is the ultimate aim of every Buddhist.
The Buddhist religion is very hierarchical including in their notion of karma and reincarnation which exhibits different levels of karma and realms of existence. To the Buddhist understanding of the cosmos there are thirty-one realms that are divided into three spheres of existence. The three spheres of existence are the “formless” sphere which is the highest realm, the “form” sphere which is the middle realm, and the “five senses” sphere which is the lowest realm.
The hierarchy continues in the six domains of rebirth or reincarnation which are the domain of gods, humans, titans, ghosts, animals, and hells. The highest is the realm of the “gods,” which is the most difficult to attain. The second is the “human” realm, which is ideal since one can experience happiness and suffering. The third domain of reincarnation is the “titian,” which is the violent demonic realm. The fourth is the “ghost” realm, which is where the unsatisfied shadows of mankind wander.
The fifth is the domain of the “animal,” which is undesirable since one will be ruled by animalistic instinct. The lowest realm is “hell,” which is where the individual is tormented and only finds escape when the punishment runs its course. The beliefs of the Buddhist on the hierarchy of the cosmos and realms of existences influences the understanding of karma and its levels. Hierarchal aspects of Buddhism continues in the different levels of karma and its consequences. The notion of levels continues in “punya” which means merit.
According to the Buddhist merit is made up of three categories of good karma; the first is “generosity,” the second is “ethnical conduct” and the last is “mediation. ” Buddhism has different levels of understanding of what is good and bad karma, such as killing a man is worst than killing animal or being generous to a monk is better than being generous to a friend. There are also different levels of consequences in karma which are affected by the intentional bad or good deeds, speech, and thoughts of the individual leading to the hierarchy of being reincarnated in lower or higher realms.
The interwoven hierarchies of karma and reincarnation affects the belief system of Buddhism on life and death. The Buddhist attempts to live life trying to attain and reincarnate to a higher level of existence and reach the “nirvana”. The method that the Buddhist uses is to do good deeds, which in turn purifies the individual, in order to not do evil deeds which corrupts the individual. To the Buddhist perspective evil actions in this life or past lives causes suffering in the individual’s life and next lives.
The same is thought of good actions in this life or past lives leading to happiness in the individual’s life and the next. To the Buddhist understanding no one is wronged since it is the causality of the individual’s actions that causes suffering and pain which flows from current or past actions or vices. Basically, it is placing the blame on the individual and not on others for the their own suffering or happiness. The aim of the Buddhist is to overcome the suffering and to do good deeds in order to better one’s next lives.
The idea of karma seems like a noble notion but in reality demonstrates the hopelessness of Buddhism. Studying karma and reincarnation has lead to the conclusion that Buddhism has nothing to offer the individual in terms of salvation since it relies on the efforts of the individual to reach the “nirvana. ” Placing one’s faith, trust, and belief on oneself is not comforting since there is no assurance that one will reach “perfect existence” or be reborn into a higher realm. The Buddhist understanding of the cosmos and life is quite dreadful and offers no satisfaction or enjoyment of life.
The constant worry about karma and attempts to do good karma casts doubt on the motivation of the individual which intern casts doubt on the deed. The notion that reincarnation is a “endless wandering” allows one to conclude that life has no meaning or purpose but that it is an endless journey to nowhere. In conclusion, the ultimate goal of the Buddhist is to reach “perfect existence” or “nirvana” which has to take into account karma and reincarnation. To achieve “nirvana” and enlightenment one can only accomplish it through good karma and reincarnation into the higher realms.
The Buddhist understanding of karma and reincarnation does not give any hope and assurance that the individual will actually reach “nirvana. ” The fundamental concepts of karma and reincarnation are interwoven and are crucial to the Buddhist comprehension of life. The hierarchal nature of karma and reincarnation plays an important role in the Buddhist mentality of the cosmos and of each other. Karma and its consequences on the individual leads to ramifications on the cyclical notion of reincarnation. The Buddhist concepts of karma and reincarnation are unique and are its main identifying features.