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 Karma, Moksha & Samsara
Promoting Human Dignity, Mutual Respect & Pluralism
What is Karma?
 Within Hindu philosophy,
The Sanskrit word every action, or

KARMA KARMA
means has a
A C T I O N or D E E D R E A C T I O N or O U T C O M E

When people follow their dharma by

a c t i n g s e l f l e s s l y o r r i g h t e o u s l y, t h e y
experience positive effects or rewards.
If their actions are negative
(lying, stealing, hurting, etc.),
the results will be likewise.
The karma of
ones actions,
Positive or negative,
may be experienced
i m m e d i a t e l y, s o m e t i m e
later in ones present
life, or possibly in a
future life or lives

A persons karma is based on the

choices they make and the thoughts,
words, or actions that are the result.
What are the 3 types of Karma?
 Kriyaman Prarabdha Sanchita
KARMA KARMA KARMA

The karma a person produces This is karma whose effects have This is the accumulation of all
and reaps in their daily lives. It is already begun. It takes longer to past karma, and the results of this
the most immediate form. manifest, but occurs at some usually occur in a future lifetime.
point in ones present lifetime.
What is Reincarnation?
According to K A R M A generates
circumstances, but not
The cycle of birth,
death, and rebirth is
This belief often leads to
the respect that Hindus
Hinduism, ones response to them. called S A M S A R A . show for all forms of life,
and is one of the reason
every soul is attracted Hinduism teaches that that many Hindus may
to circumstances that the free will exercised in choose to be vegetarian.
will help balance out ones response to both
ones karmic needs good and bad
and debts while circumstances must be
advancing spiritually. informed by wisdom.
Some Hindus believe
that people can even be reincarnated as
other living things based on their previous
actions, and what circumstances will best
a l l o w t h e m t o a d v a n c e s p i r i t u a l l y.

The concept of karma

acts as a positive motivator for
leading a spiritual life, but samsara is,
in many ways, a negative reinforcer
Hindus strive to be free of this cycle.

Everyones birth
is the result of his or her
unique karmic circumstances.
What is Maya?
Many Hindus
believe that

U n d e r M AY A , The mistaken
SAMSA R A is This karma
the individual belief in ones
a feature of life keeps the
forgets not only own autonomy
b a s e d o n M AY A individual tied
their own Divine from the rest of
or the deluded to the cycle of
nature, but the existence is what
belief that ones S AMS A R A.
presence of drives one to act
existence is
that same selfishly or in
independent of
Divine nature a fashion that
everything and
in the rest of generates
everyone else.
Existence. KARMA.
Others define
maya as

Selfish karma
To o v e r c o m e keeps the
the state of
As a result, M AY A , o n e s individual tied
forgetfulness
one forgets actions must to the cycle of
of the complete
the need for also be in loving S AMS A R A.
dependence of
all actions to devotion to God
existence on
be selfless. in addition to
the Divine.
being selfless.
What is Moksha?
The ultimate goal in
most schools of
Hinduism is for the
individual to work
through their reservoir
of karma, replacing
the negative with the
positive, until freedom
from attachment to the
fruit of all actions
(consequences or
rewards) is attained.

This state is known as M O K S H A

(liberation) and achieved through
Self-realization (atma-jnana) or
realization of one's true, divine nature.
For many Hindus,

It manifests as
In this state,
the perfected
the soul stops
ability to live in
creating the
MOKSHA is the present moment,
KARMA that
the result of and experience
binds it to the
self-realization. absolute peace
physical world,
and the awakening
and finds
of pure compassion
liberation.
towards all.
Other Hindus
believe that

MOKSHA,
i n t h i s v i e w, the depth
the path to
can only be of which is
MOKSHA is
attained at dependent on
paved by loving
physical death the innate nature
devotion to God
and is described of the individual
and selfless
as bliss and soul and their
service.
closeness KARMA.
to God,
 Moksha Some believe Moksha
is liberation moksha also means union
from the cycle of can be attained of the soul and God,
birth and rebirth during while living though the extent of
(samsara). while others believe union is understood
it is only possible differently by the major
upon the death. schools of thought.
What about Heaven and Hell?
Because Hindus believe in karma and
reincarnation, the concept of heaven
and hell as worlds of eternal glory or
damnation do not exist for them.

Hindus also do not ascribe to the concept of Satan or a devil

that is in eternal opposition to God.

Some Hindus may believe in what

is described in Hindu scriptures as
two planes of existence that can be
likened to heaven and hell. These
are respectively svarga and naraka.

Neither svarga or naraka, are either permanent or eternal.

Both are intermediary planes of existence in which the soul
might exhaust a portion of its karmic debt or surplus before
taking physical birth once again to strive for moksha.
 TA K E A W AY S

Maya
Moksha
Samsara can be forgetting
is the perfected
is the cycle of ones own Divine
nature which is ability to live in
birth and rebirth the present moment
shared with the
rest of Existence and experience
Moksha or
absolute peace
is liberation and the awakening
forgetting the of pure compassion
from this cycle dependence of towards all
Existence on God
THANK YOU