(Skt., deed) In Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, the universal law of cause and effect, as applied to the deeds of people. A (deliberate) good or bad deed leads a person's destiny in the appropriate direction. The ripening of the deed may take more than one lifetime, tying the agent to the cycle of rebirth, or samsara ; only deeds free from desire and delusion have no consequences for karma .
Philosophy dictionary. Academic. 2011.