Karma
Actions have consequences
Buddhism teaches that all things inevitably change. Because of this it is possible to change things for the better.
We can see evidence of this all around us: a seed changes to become a flower; if we exercise we become fitter; our thinking can improve through study. Buddhism says that we can even do the same with our hearts and minds. By choosing how we act now, we create our future happiness.
The Dhammapada, one of the best-known Buddhist texts, begins with these verses:
Our life is shaped by our mind: we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it.
Our life is shaped by our mind: we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.
Buddhism says that such change is possible because of the Law of Karma.
The word karma means “action”.
The Law of Karma states that
actions have consequences:
positive actions have positive consequences;
negative actions have negative consequences.
Everything we do, think or say has an effect on the world around us and on us. Change will happen to us anyway, but through the choices we make about how to behave, we can change ourselves, and the world around us, for the better.