For Buddhists, Dharma means ultimate truth, both about the nature of human
existence and about the nature of the universe and the world. Dharma is not a
being or a god who controls human existence, instead it is an eternal principle
that transcends everything else, but is also present everywhere around us. To
Buddhists, Dharma is a source of both refuge and awe.
It is an idea set forth in some of the Buddha’s earliest teachings, and is
central to the Buddhist understanding of reality. This truth, or Dharma, that
Buddha preached stated that there is nothing in this world that is permanent or
absolute, not even self. Instead, we live in an ever-changing world where there
is nothing to cling to. But because we cling to the material world and the idea
of a permanent, eternal self, we suffer, Buddha said, and so we should let go.
Karma
In the Buddhist view, a person’s actions not only have consequences in this
life, but can also shape a person’s destiny in subsequent lives. Buddhists
believe that all people are reborn again and again, in a cycle called samsara,
until they achieve spiritual enlightenment and reach nirvana. How they are
reborn in the next life depends on how they behave in this life. A person’s
behavior and the consequences resulting from their behavior, are called karma.
According to Buddhist principles, nothing is random. Both suffering and
reward are direct consequences of a person’s behavior, whether in this life or
in a previous one. Good deeds are rewarded by a better rebirth, and bad deeds
are punished by a lesser rebirth. Whatever the state of a person’s life, it is
completely justified, because it is based on their own deeds. Karma dictates every
aspect of a person’s rebirth, including their:
financial situation
physical appearance
social class
health and longevity
species
intelligence
A human can be reborn as anything, from an insect to a god. Gods have no otherworldly
powers, however, and are only concerned with their own pleasure. They cannot
achieve enlightenment, and so rebirth as a human is the ultimate goal, because
they are the only ones who can attain nirvana.