Karma: definition and the different types that exist

Have you ever heard the popular expression “you are paying karma”? Karma is one of those words that has been around the popular lexicon lately, what we understand by context, but of which we do not really know its meaning or the history behind it.

For all those who want to know what karma is and what it is for, we have written this article to tell you everything there is around the meaning of karma. The next time you use this fascinating word, you can do it more properly.

• Related article: "50 phrases about karma (to reflect on life)”

What is karma and where does it come from

Karma is a concept that makes fundamental part of eastern philosophies such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Karma is a Sanskrit word that means "done, action." In order to understand what karma is, we are going to start with the definition of the RAE that says that “in some religions of India, energy derived from the acts of an individual, which conditions each of the successive reincarnations of him, until he reaches the perfection".

As defined by the RAE, karma is a transcendent energy that envelops all reality and acts as the law of cause and effect. This means that every moral action we commit and every way we use energy, already whether verbally, mentally or physically, are causes that have consequences or effects: our experiences. In this way, every act or cause of our life comes back to us in the form of a reaction, consequence or effect, whatever you prefer to call it.

In this sense, karma teaches us that from each positive act that we do, we will obtain a positive reaction or effect, and the same happens with the negative causes that we have. One way of interpreting this is that people have a responsibility to create everything that we consider good or bad in our lives, so we must be aware of ourselves to have the right intentions and attitudes.

What is the karma of each person

Each person has their own karma and is responsible for building it positively or negatively. during her time in the world and in her way of relating to herself, to other people and to the world itself.

Remember that Hindu and Buddhist philosophies believe in reincarnation after death, so each unique aspect that each person is born with, from our physical aspect, the family in which we grow up, our place in society and even the diseases that we may have during our lives, are consequences not only of our way of living today, but of lives past. This ideology can give you a clearer vision to understand what karma is.

In the same way, this way in the one we behave today is working out the karma of the next reincarnation, and we live as many times as necessary to free ourselves from the impurities and negativities of our being. You can realize that, far from giving the responsibility to an external agent over our lives, for example God, the very meaning of karma teaches us to take responsibility for each of our acts.

Types of Karma

Karma is not always lived the same way, and it has traditionally been said that there are three different types of karma. Although like everything in our life, they are related to each other. We will tell you about them below.

1. Sanchita karma

This type of karma, the sanchita karma, is the one that we have accumulated during all our past lives and that it will bear fruit in the future.

2. Prarabdha karma

When we are born in this life, a portion of the sanchita karma comes with us conditioning different aspects of our life. These effects or consequences that are manifesting in the presentBut coming from past actions, they constitute the kind of karma that we call prarabdha. This can manifest immediately whether the action has been performed or in future lives.

Some consider that this kind of karma is what we call destiny, but there are also theories that totally disagree with that statement.

• Related article: "Destiny: its meaning and its relation to chance”

3. Kriyamana or agami karma

The third type of karma is kriyamana karma or also called by some as agami karma. It's about the kind of karma that we are doing in the present moment or that are in motion, in action today. These karmas that we are building (positive or negative) are added to the sanchita karma, which is our accumulated karma, and can bear fruit in the current life or in future lives.

Now you must remember that karma is a concept from which we can live our lives, taking it as the responsibility of live correctly and assume the consequences of our actions. Keep in mind that the karma that we are creating is both positive and negative, although we tend to make mistakes and think that it is only negative.

The secret to increasing positive karma is to live our life from inner peace and direct our actions by what we consider that is correct, with unconditional love, empathy and compassion, but not from the ego, insecurity and afraid. Bear in mind who we are in each act and remember that even our thoughts manifest and bear fruit as karma.

• It may interest you: "Namasté: what does this word mean and why is it used in yoga”