Karma, Samsara & Nirvana
Religious Studies: KS3, topic 2.3.12
Karma, Samsara & Nirvana
The concepts of Karma, Samsara and Moksha were inherited from Hindu Dharma, but reinterpreted within Buddhism.
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 reborn. Buddhists do not fear death and do not want to live another life.
- Buddhists believe that life is unsatisfactory because it brings suffering from impermanent desires.
Nirvana
- The goal of a Buddhist is to escape this cycle of rebirth by achieving enlightenment (nirvana).
- When someone reaches nirvana, they are freed from suffering and attachment.
- Understanding how to reach nirvana depends on understanding the idea of karma.
Karma
- The word Karma translates to actions and their consequences. 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.
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.
Test yourself on Karma, Samsara & Nirvana
What is considered a kind action according to the teachings of the Buddha?