Definition

1. Noun:
   • Retribution by karma; karma: The concept, originating from Buddhist philosophy, that one's actions in this or previous lives (karma) inevitably cause corresponding future consequences, either positive or negative. It emphasizes the moral law of cause and effect across lifetimes.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ta tin rằng những khổ đau hiện tại là nghiệp báo từ kiếp trước. (He believes his current sufferings are retribution by karma from a past life.)
  • Làm việc thiện để tránh nghiệp báo xấu. (Do good deeds to avoid bad karmic retribution.)
  • Câu chuyện đó là một minh họa rõ ràng về luật nghiệp báo. (That story is a clear illustration of the law of karma.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in a broader, sometimes colloquial sense to describe an inevitable and seemingly deserved consequence, even outside strictly religious contexts.
  • Hắn lừa đảo nhiều người, giờ bị bỏ tù, đúng là nghiệp báo. (He deceived many people; now he's in prison. That's just karmic retribution.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nghiệp (n): Karma; the cumulative sum of a person's actions which determines their fate.

  • Vận mệnh con người chịu ảnh hưởng bởi nghiệp của chính họ. (A person's destiny is influenced by their own karma.)

• Quả báo (n): The specific retribution or fruit (result) of one's karma.

  • Gieo nhân nào gặt quả báo ấy. (As you sow, so shall you reap [karmic fruit].)

Synonyms

• Karmic retribution: The punishment or reward resulting from karma.
• Karmic consequence: The outcome dictated by the law of karma.
• Cosmic justice: A more secular term implying a universal moral balance.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Gieo gió gặt bão: To sow the wind and reap the whirlwind; to face severe consequences for one's actions. This idiom conveys a similar cause-and-effect idea as "nghiệp báo" but in a secular, proverbial form.
  • Hắn đã gieo gió, giờ phải gặt bão. (He sowed the wind; now he must reap the whirlwind.)

1. Retribution by karma; karma