A psychological view of karma – part 3: Mental states

As we saw in A psychological view of karma (part 2), karma – which literally means ‘action’, but refers specifically to an intention or mental action – influences our life by creating mental tendencies that will affect the way we experience our life in the future. For example, if I act out of greed,  in […]

A psychological view of karma – part 2: Karmic effects

As explained in a psychological view of karma (part 1), the Buddhist understanding of karmic actions entails some sort of intention. Therefore, as frequently misunderstood, our karma has more to do with the consequence of our past intentions than the result of our past deeds. But what about our karmic ‘effects’? Can an intention make us […]

A psychological view of karma – part 1: Karma as volition

Karma is becoming an increasingly popular term in the Western culture and language. However, for those who have not tried to comprehend deeply its meaning yet, this word may bear obscure and extramundane connotations, alluding to the folk belief of a personal retribution law according to the nature of one’s own actions. It is not […]