The four types of karma in Buddhism

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When talking about the four types of karma in Buddhism, what is referred to is the possible destiny that our actions, words and thoughts can have. Each person builds their present, which is the seed of their future.

Buddhism states that there are four types of karma and that each of them corresponds to the nature of the actions we carry out and their respective consequences. The concept of karma is complex. It became popular in the West as a synonym for punishment or as a kind of retaliation from fate. This is not accurate.

The basic law of karma In Buddhism it indicates that the good and bad we do in life brings or produces good and bad consequences respectively.. This action must be intentional, that is, it does not include reflex actions, although it does include unconscious ones. In the unconscious there is also intentionality, although we are unaware of it.

Due to the above, The effect of karma is not always negative, but can also be positive: it all depends on that initial action that is carried out intentionally. From this, Buddhism suggests that there are four types of karma: dark with dark results; brilliant with brilliant result; dark and bright with dark and bright result; and neither dark nor bright, with a result that is neither dark nor bright. Let’s see.

“Strange things conspire when one tries to deceive destiny”.

-Rick Riordan-

1. Dark, one of the four types of karma

The first of the four types of karma is dark karma with dark results. It is associated with negative realities such as unfortunate accidents, illnesses, deficiencies and what is commonly called “bad luck”. In general, it corresponds to situations that only allow painful feelings to be experienced.

According to Buddhist teaching, dark karma with dark result originates when a person makes bodily, verbal and mental actions that are harmful . In these cases, everything at some point resurfaces in a harmful world, which corresponds to the lower plane of existence; It is something similar to what we know as the concept of “hell.”

2. Bright

The second of the four types of karma is brilliant karma with brilliant results. It is diametrically opposite to the previous one and It is generated when someone produces acts, words and mental processes who are not bound by affliction. These are non-harmful realities that are born from joy and pleasure.

Buddhism points out that whoever intentionally acts in harmony with brilliant karma you will see your being reborn in a reality in which only feelings take place of joy and well-being. They generate realities devoid of affliction and they extend their effects and touch again the person who produced them. In these conditions, there is no room for pain.

3. Dark and bright

Another type of karma is one that is both dark and bright and results in a reality that is both dark and bright. As can be assumed, this corresponds to those who produce actions, words and mental processes that are harmful and not harmful at the same time. In this case, the result or the reunion with your being will occur under the same conditions.

An example of this is someone who, for example, criticizes another person, which is true, but said in such a way that it hurts their feelings. It is brilliant, due to its attachment to the truth, but at the same time dark, due to its intention to hurt.

From the point of view of Buddhism, Actions, words and ideas like these bring to life situations in which there is joy and pain, anxiety and hope at the same time.

4. Neither dark nor bright

Karma that is neither dark nor bright has as its fruit a reality that does not have those characteristics either. It means complete freedom and peace. For Buddhists, the absence of intention is the highest form of spiritual evolution and results in the total overcoming of karma.. In other words, a liberation from the logic of cause and effect.

Karma that is neither dark nor bright corresponds to what we could call “letting flow.”. Do not intervene to direct actions in one direction or another, but rather “empty” yourself and allow everything to take its course. It is the complete independence of pain and joy, which leads to balance and complete inner serenity.

As you can see, the four types of karma tell us about a totally logical fact: Everything we do, think or say has consequences. Along the same lines, nothing would be the result of chance, but rather it would be the harvest of what we ourselves have sown and cultivated.