Karma, the Law of Cause and Effect 
업

Our life is shaped by our mind: we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it.
- Dhammapada

Buddhism says that such change is possible because of the Law of Karma. The word karma means “action.” The Law of Karma states that actions have consequences: positive actions have positive consequences; negative actions have negative consequences.

We can see evidence of this all around us: a seed changes to become a flower; if we exercise, we become fitter. Buddhism says that we can even do the same with our hearts and minds. By choosing how we act now, we create our future happiness.

Everything we do, think or say has an effect on the world around us and on us. Change will happen to us anyway, but through the choices we make about how to behave, we can change ourselves, and the world around us, for the better.

Adapted from the website (www.clear-vision.org)
 

​- excerpt from Buddhist English (Elementary 1) published in 2014 by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism​​​