Right Action (Dharma and Karma)

Dharma: doing what is right

Dharma means the right way to act in each situation. It is your duty to yourself, your family, your work and the world around you. A parent's dharma is to care for the children. A teacher's dharma is to teach honestly. Dharma is not fixed rules; it asks: what is the right thing to do here, now?

Karma: every action has a result

Karma means action, and the result that follows it. Good actions bring good results, and harmful actions bring difficult ones, sometimes soon and sometimes much later. Karma is not punishment. It is a law of nature, like cause and effect.

Karma can be softened

The Vedic tradition teaches that we are not helpless. Good deeds, kindness, honest work, giving to those in need, prayer and meditation all bring positive results. They can soften the hard results of the past, so that difficulties come in a form we can bear.

The four aims of life

The Vedas describe four aims of a full human life:

• Dharma: living rightly
• Artha: earning a good living honestly
• Kama: enjoying life's pleasures in a healthy way
• Moksha: inner freedom and peace

All four are respected. A good life balances them, with dharma as the guide.