What is the Three Karmas 三业?
Paul PengShare
The Three Karmas refer to bodily karma, verbal karma, and mental karma.

- Bodily karma: The karmic consequences resulting from the good or evil deeds that people physically perform in daily life.
- Verbal karma: The karmic consequences arising from faults in daily verbal communication, such as using flowery and deceitful words, speaking harshly, or making false statements.
- Mental karma: Evil thoughts and malicious intentions that exist in the mind even when no physical action is taken or no words are spoken. Such thoughts, once aroused, are known to ghosts and gods.
74 Articles
Part of the Series
This article is part of our comprehensive guide covering all core Taoist philosophies, concepts, and practices — curated from the classic Encyclopedia of Taoism.
View Full Guide → ✦ Explore All Topics
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is the curator of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
Read his full story →