Karma

as 'work'

Morphological analysis

• Etymon: Karma from Sanskrit kárma: 'action, work'
• Functional cognate: energy: 'working into'

Essential definition

The essential definition of Karma is work: the act of doing, the transformation of latent potential or ability into kinetic expression or purpose.

Semantic context

• Conventional sense: The sum total of a person's actions, which determine the person's next incarnation in samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth. (Note: Semantic drift from essential meaning)
• Essential meaning (my usage): work

Philosophical significance

Defining karma as "work" philosophically reframes existence from a static state into a dynamic process of becoming, where being is an active transformation of latent ability into expressed purpose. This integrates physical and metaphysical principles, positioning all action as an energetic exchange aimed at elegant, low-resistance flourishing. Consequently, it grounds ethics in the natural law of reciprocal exchange, making justice a functional requirement for sustainable systems rather than merely a moral ideal.

Usage in this lexicon

When I use the word karma in my work, I mean exactly 'work'. This definition:

• clarifies the original meaning by redefining karma as "work" which rescues the concept from common misinterpretations as fatalistic "destiny" or "reward and punishment" and grounds it in the active and present-moment process of doing and becoming while aligning with its Sanskrit root meaning 'to act';
• initiates an ontological shift from static to dynamic being by transforming the understanding of existence from a state of "having being" to a process of "doing being" where a being is not a static noun but an active verb as an event of continual work and self-enactment;
• achieves integration with physical law by creating a direct parallel with physics where work is the transfer of energy that produces motion or change and frames existence itself as a thermodynamic process where latent power or ability is transformed into kinetic energy or work along a path;
• places emphasis on agency and present-moment action by interpreting karma as work which places primary emphasis on current action rather than on the deterministic weight of past actions and highlights immediate agency and the capacity to shape one's becoming through present work;
• proposes a path of elegance over force by linking this 'work' to the 'path of least resistance' which reframes striving by making the goal not forceful struggle but the discovery of the most efficient and elegant and aligned expression of one's ability as an economy of being that conserves energy and increases flow;
• affirms the moral dignity of all striving by stating that if all being is work then all entities from humans to stones are engaged in a dignified process of transforming potential into presence which universalizes the inherent value and effort in all forms of existence;
• provides a resolution of potential into purpose by clarifying that power or ability only becomes purposeful when enacted as work where latent potential is incomplete and purpose is realized only through the transformative work of expression;
• establishes a framework for an energetic economics of action by introducing a framework for evaluating action through a benefit-cost ratio or BCR where wise 'work' involves investing energy as cost to gain greater power as 'ability' or benefit which guides choices toward sustainable flourishing;
• formulates an ethical imperative of reciprocal exchange by stating that when work is done in concert with others within a conference the model demands mutual sharing of costs and benefits which makes ethical reciprocity a functional necessity for stable and low-resistance systems and not just a moral preference;
• enables a synthesis of diverse philosophical traditions by serving as a synthesis point for process philosophy with its emphasis on becoming over being and existentialism with existence precedes essence and Taoism with following the Way and dharmic ethics with right action which presents a unified view of active and purposeful existence.

Related terms

• Energy

Sources

• Wiktionary

*This definition follows morphological essentialism principles. See the Methodology for details.