The word karma, in its Sanskrit translation, simply means "action". In the Western context, it is often used to refer to fate or fortune. However, the Buddha explicitly mentioned that this was not its real meaning.
Karma refers to the natural law that describes the workings of cause and effect. Each action is defined by a series of previous actions that are interdependent – each action triggers a multitude of subsequent actions. It is the impersonal play of cause and effect that is continuous, inexorable and completely dispassionate.
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