In very ancient times (thousands and thousands of years ago before the English language was born) the word "Karma" had a very mundane meaning. Unfortunately with all of these spiritual philosophies developing over time that used the word "karma," it took on a spiritual meaning, and lost its once original meaning.
Fortunately, there are some records left in the halls of ancient languages that still possess the more ancient pre-spiritualize meaning of "karma."
The first is a little known, or little spoken about Brahminical God named "
Vishvakarman."
Vishvakarman is the Supreme Architect of the Universe... the Utmost BUILDER. He is the patron deity of all craftsmen. There is/was a small Caste in old India named after him called the
Vishvabramins, composed of carpenters, blacksmiths, stonemasons, and so on.
In those very ancient times, the pre-spiritualized meaning of the word "Karma" was to "Build/Make." In Pali, the old meaning of the word "kamma" is to Build, and a Kammaka is a Builder or Smith.
For those Buddhist here who are Theravadins, this little known god Vishvakarman actually is a Deva/devatta who is spoken about in the Tipikata (Pali Canon).
In the Pali Canon Vishvakarma is still an Architect. He is said in the Tipitaka to reside in the 32 level of the Bhavachakka. He played a small yet significant role in the story of the Buddha. The Tipitaka says that when the Blessed One (Buddha) desired to come down to the realm of man, he asked Vishvakarman to build him a descending staircase of 33 steps made of emerald, by which the Blessed One descended to the world of man.
In Theravada countries like Cambodia, there are still festivals dedicated to Vishvakarman. During the consecration ceremony of a new Wat (temple) a hole is dug in the precinct of the Wat, stones are placed in the hole along with offerings of food, and Vishvamarman is paid homage to. In those countries he is known by the name "Bisnu" (Bee-Snoo).
The word "karma" or "kamma" is not the only architectural word found in Buddhism.
Dharma/Dhamma had a pre-spiritualized meaning once. Dhamma meant "Foundation," "Instruction," "Constitution." Today we would call it a "Blueprint." The kammaka draws out the plans of a Temple on a dhamma, and the workers take that dhamma to manifest it physically.
The word "Upasaka" (masculine) & "Upasika" (feminine) also fits into this architectural theme. It means an assistant, or attendant. The kammaka draws up his plans on a dhamma, gives it the upasaka to kamma.
The word Tipitaka also fits in with this building theme. Ti (Tri in Sk.) meaning Three, and Pitaka meaning Basket.
In ancient days, stonemasons used woven baskets to haul raw material to construction sites to build their temples. Naming the words and teachings of the Buddha the Three-Baskets is intended to imply that the material one finds in the Tipitaka are only Raw Material, which you/we as Upasakas/Upasika are then to labour (kamma) to make real.
For instance, Buddha is the architect, on his dhamma is the plan of Metta. As an Upasaka it is then your duty to Labour (kamma) to make that Metta real by living it, expressing it, thru your/our actions and deeds.
Two other concepts Buddha used also fits in with this building theme. In Theravada, if a person desired to be a doctor, and this person went to college for many years, and he became a doctor, the Labour/work (kamma) this person put into becoming a doctor is described as being Kamma Kosala meaning literally Constructive Building (Labour/Work).
On the other hand, if a husband was addicted to gambling, and because of his addiction he lost his job, lost his house, his wife, and children, and ended up destitute, in Buddhism we describe his kamma (work he put into life) as being Kamma Akosala literally meaning Unconstructive Building/Labour.
The Buddha can be all wise, and even the dhamma may be excellently drawn out, but if the Upasaka Assistant Builder is undisciplined and his work is kamma akosala, then the Vipaka (fruit) of his labour will always be defective.
It is Causality/Causation which makes kamma work. We exist in a causal universe. Causal meaning a causal system. A vending machine is a causal system. We put in a dollar, and it gives us a bag of chips. The causal world works in the same way. We input action, and it out puts end result. And therefore, because we can understand this causal Nature of our world, there needs not be a god or some hocus pocus cosmic principle watching our every deed and punishing or rewarding us accordingly.
The Buddha had several contentions with the Brahmin's host of gods. The first issue he had was how he defines what is real. Real is That which can be verified. Gods can't be verified.
A second contention is the other way Buddha used the word dhamma, to mean Natural Phenomenon. By default, a natural phenomenon is observable as a phenomenon of nature. Gods can't seem to be observable phenomena in and of nature.
The Brahmin may counter this by saying that God/Creator is the creator and the source of Life, and therefore Brahma/Jehovah/Allah is everywhere around us. This leads into another contention Buddha had with gods. The word in the Tipitaka is Papanca (said as papancha).
In some uses of the word, Papancha in English can mean Reification. reification is when we take an idea, ideal, conceptualization of mind, and we treat it as if it were a concrete object/thing. And so when people say things like God is everywhere because he is Life, it is reification. Because we have taken the idea of Life, and the idealization of Life, and we reify it into something objective/concrete, as if such were things.
