Karma

43 snips

Jul 18, 2024

In this discussion, Monima Chadha, a Professor of Indian Philosophy at Oxford, delves into the fascinating doctrine of Karma, tracing its origins in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. She explores how our actions shape not only our present but future lives, emphasizing the importance of intention. The conversation delves into concepts of free will, ethical implications, and the cyclical nature of existence, contrasting Hindu beliefs with Buddhist impermanence. With layered insights, the complexities of karma as a moral framework come to light.

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ANECDOTE

Cosmic Cycle of Rebirth

The Kaushitaki Upanishad uses the imagery of a soul's journey after death, potentially returning as various life forms.
This illustrates the cyclical nature of existence and the possibility of rebirth as anything from a worm to a human.

INSIGHT

Classical Karma's Explanation of Inequality

Classical Karma explains inequalities in this life and across lives.
It addresses questions of caste and individual characteristics, reflecting societal concerns in ancient India.

ANECDOTE

Karma in Puranas

Hindu Puranas use stories to teach Karma, including tales of rebirth as animals or even objects.
The Yoga Sutra even mentions rebirth as a cooking pot for bad behavior, emphasizing moral consequences.

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Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the doctrine of Karma as developed initially among Hindus, Jains and Buddhists in India from the first millennium BCE. Common to each is an idea, broadly, that you reap what you sow: how you act in this world has consequences either for your later life or your future lives, depending on your view of rebirth and transmigration. From this flow different ideas including those about free will, engagement with the world or disengagement, the nature of ethics and whether intention matters, and these ideas continue to develop today.

With

Monima Chadha Professor of Indian Philosophy and Tutorial Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford

Jessica Frazier Lecturer in the Study of Religion at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

And

Karen O’Brien-Kop Lecturer in Asian Religions at Kings College London

Producer: Simon Tillotson

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production

Reading list:

J. Bronkhorst, Karma (University of Hawaii Press, 2011)

J. H. Davis (ed.), A Mirror is for Reflection: Understanding Buddhist Ethics (Oxford University Press, 2017), especially ‘Buddhism Without Reincarnation? Examining the Prospects of a “Naturalized” Buddhism’ by J. Westerhoff

J. Ganeri (ed.), Ethics and Epics: Philosophy, Culture, and Religion (Oxford University Press, 2002), especially ‘Karma and the Moral Order’ by B. K. Matilal

Y. Krishan, The Doctrine of Karma: Its Origin and Development in Brāhmaṇical, Buddhist and Jaina Traditions (Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, 1997)

N.K.G. Mendis (ed.), The Questions of King Milinda: An Abridgement of Milindapañha (Buddhist Publication Society, 1993)

M. Siderits, How Things Are: An Introduction to Buddhist Metaphysics (Oxford University Press, 2022)

M. Vargas and J. Dorris (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Moral Psychology (Oxford Univesrity Press, 2022), especially ‘Karma, Moral Responsibility and Buddhist Ethics’ by B. Finnigan

J. Zu, 'Collective Karma Cluster Concepts in Chinese Canonical Sources: A Note' (Journal of Global Buddhism, Vol.24: 2, 2023)