The 12 Laws Of Karma: What Are They & Why Do They Matter?

Karma is a central theme in Eastern religions, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In these religions, karma can be defined as "the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences."

According to Steven Vose, Ph.D., a visiting assistant professor at the University of Colorado at Denver and religious studies expert, karma begins to appear in religious text as early as the Upanishads, a foundational text that laid the groundwork for Hinduism around 800 to 200 B.C.

He adds that the text makes it clear that humans act in accordance with their desires, and these actions are our karma. In other words, karma is action—for better or worse. So for those who believe in karma in this sense, he explains, "it's a matter of learning how to sever one's connection with one's desires—partly through renunciation, through self-control through the body, with meditative and ascetic practices that we might call yoga. Ultimately, that was a way to short circuit the cycle of karma."

And in the cycle of reincarnation, he adds, it's even believed karma can transcend lifetimes, theoretically explaining why bad things happen to good people—and vice versa.

Karma can be thought of as a system at play all around us, even though we can't see it. The 12 laws of karma, then, are simply the rules that karma "abides" by, much like the seven hermetic principles, and the 12 laws of the universe (which, you'll find, have some striking similarities).

And as clinical psychologist Carmen Harra, Ph.D., previously wrote for mbg, "Heavy karma can trap us in the same old patterns by pulling us toward the same types of people, jobs, illnesses, events, accidents, and unneeded burdens. A much-needed break in the karmic cycle can occur when we analyze our personal karma and take the necessary steps to resolve it."

The Great Law, also known as the Law of Cause and Effect, is the first law of karma on the list—and for good reason, as it lays an important foundation. As Vose explains, this is the main principle of how Indian traditions have always thought about karma and works essentially like Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Next up we have the Law of Creation, which according to Vose, is all about how your relationship to karma will influence the life you're creating. In some cases, he notes, we can be unwittingly influenced by our own karma rather than actively creating the reality we want.

The Law of Humility can be understood by thinking about what the word itself actually means. Humility is defined as "a modest or low view of one's own importance," and when it comes to karma, it takes humility to accept any bad karma that's come back around your way.

The Law of Responsibility relates to holding yourself accountable, both for your past and your future. In terms of the past, it reminds us that what we've done in our lives comes back around at one point or another. And in terms of the future, it reminds us that we have certain duties to attend to in our lives.

The Law of Connection highlights the interconnectedness of all things. It says that beyond our senses, every thought, action, and event is in some way connected to anything and everything else. In Jain tradition, for example, Vose explains that it's believed our souls are interdependent, creating an all-encompassing "network" of sorts.

The Law of Focus, also sometimes called the Law of Force, relates to how we're directing our energy at any given point. And the bottom line with this law, according to Vose, is how our mental application of focus or force translates to our karma.

Vose explains that the Law of Giving and Hospitality relates to the Eastern concepts of dāna and puja, with puja being acts of devotion, and dana being the practice of cultivating generosity. In relation to karma, he explains, "One of the key acts of puja really is showing hospitality to the thing that you're honoring, whether that's God, a guru, your elders, your parents or grandparents, and so forth."

The Law of Here and Now involves releasing the past, as well as acting without projecting into the future. Vose notes that self-forgiveness can come into play with this law, as it's easy to fret about things we know may have won us some bad karma.

"We can believe in paying for our crimes, [but] karma is going to do that for you eventually, anyway," he explains, adding that in Buddhism, they think of karma as things that weigh on you. And so when we're trapped in the past, we're not in the here and now. Similarly, when we are too future-oriented, we're also missing out on the present moment.

It was Albert Einstein who said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result," which Vose notes is a good way to sum up the 10th law of karma. We always have the option to change something—our mindset, our relationships, our living arrangements—it's just up to us to do it.

If karma can truly cross lifetimes, it should go without saying that you may not see results for good deeds—or bad ones—right away. In some cases, Vose says, you may be displeased to know your good karma might be rolling around in the next lifetime—though that's not to say you won't get any of it in this life.

And last but not least, we have the Law of Significance and Inspiration, which reminds us that we all have a valuable part to play in the human story. As Vose says, a teacher once told him, "It's not that we're unimportant, it's that we're infinitesimally important," and that's essentially what this law is all about.