When people are happy and contented, they tend to take life for granted. It is when they suffer, when they find life difficulty, that they begin to search for a reason and a way out of their difficulty. They may ask why some are born in poverty and suffering, while others are born in fortunate circumstances. Some people believe that it is due to fate, chance, or an invisible power beyond their control. They feel that they are unable to live the life they desire so as to experience happiness always. Consequently , they become confused and desperate. However, the Buddha was able to explain why people differ in their circumstances and why some are more fortunate in life than others. The Buddha taught that one's present condition, whether of happiness or suffering, is the result of the accumulated force of all past actions or karma

Definition of Karma

Karma is intentional action, that is, a deed done deliberately through body, speech or mind. Karma means good and bad volition (kusala Akusala Centana). Every volitional action (except that of a Buddha or of an Arahant) is called Karma. The Buddha's and Arahants do not accumulate fresh Karma as they have destroy all their passions.

In other words, Karma is the law of moral causation. It is action and reaction in the ethical realm. It is natural law that every action produces a certain effect. So if one performs wholesome actions such as donating money to charitable organizations, one will experience happiness. On the other hand, if one perform unwholesome actions, such as killing a living being, one will experience suffering. This is the law of cause and effect at work. In this way, the effect of one's past karma determine the nature of one's present situation in life.

Karma is a law itself. But it does not follow that there should be a law-giver. The law of Karma, too, demands no law giver. It operates in its own field without the intervention of an external, independent agency.

Wholesome and Unwholesome Karma

Actions are considered wholesome if they produce happiness for oneself and others , and unwholesome if they produce suffering. There are ten unwholesome actions which need to be avoided if one wishes to be happy. They are:

(1) Killing                                             (6) Harsh speech
(2) Stealing                                           (7) idle talk
(3) Sexual misconduct                           (8) greed
(4) telling lies                                         (9) anger 
(5) tale bearing                                     (10) wrong views.

Alternatively, there are ten wholesome actions which one ought to strive to perform. They are:

(1) charity                                            (6) transfer of merit
(2) self - restraint                                  (7) rejoicing in the merit of others  
(3) meditation                                       (8) hearing the Dharma
(4) reverence                                        (9) teaching the Dharma
(5) service                                           (10) straight one's views.

Short term and Long term karma

The effect of an action done in this life can be experienced within this lifetime. This is called short term karma. For example, in the time of the Buddha, the ambitious Ajatashatru imprisoned and killed his old father, king Bimbisara, in order to rule the Kingdome. Later, when Ajatashatru become king , he was in turn killed by his son for the same motive.

In some cases, actions do not produce their effects in this lifetime. The effects are felt in future lives. Similarly, actions done in past lives may produce effects in this life. These are the effects of long term karma. It can be seen at work on the case of Maudgalyayana , one of the Buddha's chief disciples, who died at the hands of bandits. According to the Buddha, Maudgalyayana had, in previous life, taken his old parents into the forest where he had beaten them to death and then claimed that they had been killed by bandits. The effect of this previous act was experienced by Maudgalyayana when he himself was beaten to death by bandits.

To take another example, if a person refuses to study and spends his money on drug and also steal to support his habit, one can easily foresee the suffering he will experience in this life, unless he breaks his bad habits. Obviously, effects that will arise in future lives are not visible to people unless they have developed the capacity and wisdom to see into the future. Nevertheless, the effects will occur. The Buddha and His prominent disciples were able to see the future effects of karma through their own extraordinarily understanding. People have the free will to act wisely or foolishly. If  a person acts wisely by performing wholesome actions, he will experience happiness in this life as well as in future lives. If he act foolishly, by performing unwholesome actions, his unwholesome karma will result in suffering in this life and in future lives.

Neutral Actions

The law of karma does not apply to actions such as walking, sitting or sleeping. Such actions do not produce effects apart from the actions themselves. Similarly, accidentally killing an insect is considered a neutral action because it is unintentional.

There was once a blind monk who would , while walking about, accidentally step on ants, thereby killing them. when his fellow monks noticed this, they report it to the Buddha who pointed out that as the blind monk's killing of the ants was unintentional, it was neither wholesome nor unwholesome karma and no corresponding effect would arise.

Determining One's Destiny

The law of karma is a natural law of cause and effect. Intentional actions will at some time or produce their effects. People in their present lives are experiencing the effects of their past actions or karma. However it is possible to alter or reduce the effects of these actions through counteraction. By their present actions , people can produce new karma with short term and long term effects. This new karma will determine their situation in future lives. Thus understanding the law of karma helps one realise that people are whatever they make themselves to be. They are entirely responsible for their destiny.