Karma is followed and understood by millions of people throughout the world. Karma is a term that comprises the entire cycle of cause and effect. For many, it is a more understandable idea than eternal damnation for the bad. For others it is simply natural that the wicked will be punished in some way and the good rewarded. Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done is currently doing and will do. The effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for their own life, and the pain in others. All living creatures are responsible for their karma and way of life. Karma literally means action. We first take an intent and follow it up with action in the form of thought, speaking to others, planning and execution. Karma is the idea that: every action taken to achieve a result or profit leaves a trace of karmic residue.
Karma is the notion that deeds create the cycle of cause and effect. The cycle of cause and effect already exists, but the causes of the cycle are actions or deeds. Performing positive deeds creates good results in one's life, whereas negative actions create negative results. The effects may be quick or delayed until later in life, or in the afterlife. Therefore, good actions may result in something good happening in one’s life. It’s the idea that every action has and equal reaction.
To accept the logical idea behind karma is to behave responsibly. If we accept the idea of Karma which is essentially, if you do good things, good things will happen to you and if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you, then it is easy to find parallels with other religions that do not rely on karma as a doctrine. Karma is the judge of one's deeds, similar to the idea of the Christian God as judge of good and bad actions. Most teachers proclaim that being subject to karma is not avoidable and is part of daily living. Each human is advised to avoid, control or become aware of the results of desires and aversions as a way to change karmic destiny.
Karma can also be thought of in a metaphysical way. Since karma is a force of nature and not an entity capable of making judgments (like a person could), karma is not about good and evil actions. Applying those labels would be judgmental. It is about positive and negative energy. Negative energy can include things not normally thought of as "being bad" like fear or depression. Positive energy can be released by creativity, love or virtuous acts. This type of philosophy includes ideas involving psychic energy and ability, souls, synchronicity (things that occur at the same time are related), as well as concepts from quantum physics.
In its major conception, karma is the physical, mental system of neutral rebound, "cause and effect," that is inherent in existence within the bounds of time, space, and causation. Essentially what this means is that the very being which one experiences (say, as a human being) is governed by an immutable preservation of energy, vibration, and action. It is comparable to the Golden Rule but denies the ostensible arbitrariness of Fate, Destiny, Kismet, or other such Western conceptions by attributing absolute reason and determinism to the workings of the cosmos.
Karma, for these reasons, naturally implies reincarnation since thoughts and deeds in past lives will affect one's current situation. Thus, humanity (through a sort of collective karma) and individuals alike are responsible for the tragedies and good 'fortunes' which they experience. The concept of an inscrutable "God" figure is not necessary with the idea of karma. It is vital to note that karma is the physical and spiritual 'physics' of being. As gravity governs the motions of heavenly bodies and objects on the surface of the earth, karma governs the motions and happenings of life, both inanimate and animate, unconscious and conscious, in the cosmic realm.
Thus, what certain philosophical viewpoints may term "destiny" or "fate" is in actuality, according to the laws of karma, the simple and neutral working out of karma. Many have likened karma to a moral banking system, a credit and debit of good and bad. However, this view falls short of the idea that any sort of action, whether we term it 'good' or 'bad', binds us in recurring cause and effect. It may not be wise to ignore the idea of karma since it may be part of the driving force in the cycle of life and where your own cycle may take you now and in the future.