Karma (Sanskrit for "action") is the moral law of cause and effect. Every thought, word and deed leaves a trace, shaping the kind of person you become and the kind of rebirth you may experience.

Good actions - generosity, kindness, honesty - create good karma. Bad actions - greed, hatred, deceit - create bad karma. Buddhists see karma not as a punishment from a god but as a natural law, like gravity.

Samsara - the Cycle of Rebirth

When the body dies, the karmic energy a person has built up continues into a new life. Buddhists call this rebirth (not reincarnation, which suggests a soul moving between bodies). Because of anatta (no permanent self), nothing solid passes from one life to the next - it is more like a flame being passed from one candle to another. Each candle is different, but the flame is connected.

The cycle of birth, death and rebirth is called samsara. Rebirth is possible in many forms: as a human, an animal, in heavenly realms, or in hell realms. Of these, being born as a human is precious because only humans can practise the Dharma.

The Goal: Nirvana

By following the Eightfold Path, a Buddhist reduces craving and builds wisdom. When craving is finally extinguished, the cycle of rebirth ends - this is nirvana, the deathless state beyond suffering.

Y9 Buddhism

Karma and Rebirth in Buddhism