1.4.6

Karma & the Cycle of Rebirth

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The Cycle of Rebirth

The idea of the cycle of rebirth is a key belief within both Buddhism and Hinduism. Both religions have a belief in something called karma. The understanding of these concepts is not the same for both religions.

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The desire to escape the cycle

  • Samsara is the belief that when a person dies they are reborn according to the choices they made in their past life.
  • Buddhists do not desire to be constantly reborn. Buddhists do not fear death or want to live another life.
  • Buddhists believe that life is unsatisfactory because it brings suffering from impermanent desires.
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Nirvana

  • The goal of a Buddhist is to escape this cycle by achieving enlightenment called nirvana.
  • Understanding how they can do this depends on understanding the idea of karma.
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Karma

  • The word Karma translates to actions, and the consequences of actions. It is also described as cause and effect.
  • Human beings have no option but to perform actions in their lives. Most moments in life involve choosing what to do in different situations.
  • The Buddhist idea of karma tells us that we affect our future lives by the quality of our actions.
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Actions

  • The Buddhist idea of karma says there are two types of actions.
  • Kind actions involve showing understanding of the problems faced by other people.
    • They may be the result of careful thought about the right thing to do.
  • In other cases, some people may act with bad intentions, selfishly or out of greed.
    • They may give no thought to the consequences of what they do or say.

Jump to other topics

1Year 7

1.1Origins of Abrahamic Faith

1.2Judaism

1.3Christianity

1.4Buddhism

2Year 8

3Year 9

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