Karma is a fundamental concept in Buddhism. Karma is the manifestation with a volition of our mind in actions, words, and thoughts (mental states). Such manifestations are possible because of the laws of cause and effect, and of the interdependence and interconnectedness of all phenomena, things and events. Those laws are often expressed in the following simple statements from the Buddha:
If this exists, then that is formed; if this emerges, then that emerges; if this does not exist, then that is not formed; and if this does not emerge, then that does not emerge.
According to the Dalai Lama, "karma refers to an act engaged in with intent. The quality of our intention --itself a mental karma--determines the quality of the physical action it motivates, thereby establishing the quality of the resultant experience of the pleasure or pain we undergo. The role of karma is therefore understood in relation to our experience of suffering and happiness." (p. 49)
Suffering and happiness stem from our mistaken notion of self. But we are our own masters, and our future is in our hands. (pp. 52-53)
Our ignorance leads to our karma. If we would like to transform our karma, to break the cycle of samsara, and attain liberation from life and death within our lifetime, we need meditation practice and wisdom/spiritual cultivation. With meditation practice, we may gradually develop insights about impermanence, suffering, emptiness and no self. The cultivation of the right view is the first step for us to control our own actions, words and mental states. Thanks to diligent practice, we may transform our karma.
Source;
The Dalai Lama. A Profound Mind: Cultivating Wisdom in Everyday Life. Edited by Nicholas Vreeland. (New York, NY: Harmony Books, 2011).
