Karmapatha, Karman-patha: 6 definitions
Introduction:
Karmapatha means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita SastraKarmapatha (कर्मपथ) refers to “paths of action”, according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter 41).—Accordingly, “[According to the Sautrāntika].—[...] Sins (āpatti) are the ten bad paths of action (daśākuśala-karmapatha), killing (prāṇātipāta), etc. If there were no impermanence [in other words, if the victim of the killing were eternal], there would be no sin of killing, etc., and, as is said in the Mithyādṛṣṭīvibhaṅga: ‘A knife driven into the body and impaling the seven places would do no harm’. Merits (puṇya) are the ten good paths of action (daśakuśala-karmapatha), abstaining from killing (prāṇātipātavirati), etc. [...]”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryKarmapatha (कर्मपथ).—
1) the direction or source of an action.
2) the path of religious rites (opp. jñānamārga).
Derivable forms: karmapathaḥ (कर्मपथः).
Karmapatha is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms karman and patha (पथ).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionaryKarmapatha (कर्मपथ).—m. (nt. noted only Kāraṇḍavvūha 46.1—2 daśa kuśalāni karmapathāny; = Pali kammapatha; seems to be a fundamentally Buddhist term, tho recorded once by [Boehtlingk and Roth] in Mahābhārata Calcutta (see LV.) 13.583, which is followed by a list of the ten items substantially as in Buddhism, belief in the law of fruition of actions taking the place of No. 10, absten- tion from heresy), course of action; almost always, as in Pali, of a set of ten good (kuśala) actions consisting in avoidance of ten bad (akuśala) actions, three of body (taking life, theft, fornication or adultery), four of speech (lying, harsh speech, spiteful speech, idle or silly, dis- connected speech), and three of mind (covetousness, malevolence, heresy); these are listed without use of the term karmapatha, as daśākuśalāni and or daśa kuśalāni, in Dharmasaṃgraha 56 and Mahāvyutpatti 1681—4, 1685—1698; but the same list is given in texts as the ten (a)kuśala karmapatha, so Mahāvastu i.107.13—15; Divyāvadāna 301.22—25; 302.7—10; Śikṣāsamuccaya 69.13 ff. and Daśabhūmikasūtra 23.6 ff., in both of which each item is treated at some length, especially in Śikṣāsamuccaya which describes the torments suffered in hell by those guilty of each of the 10 sins; in Mahāvastu ii.99.5—12 the ten karmapatha are slightly different; a fourth sin of the body (use of liquor) is added, and the number ten is kept by omitting one of the 4 sins of speech (harshness), also avidyā, ignorance, replaces abhidhyā, covetousness (this seems likely to be a mere corruption of [Page171-a+ 71] tradition); in Mahāvastu i.26.12 akuśala karmapatha is used more loosely, of sinful acts in general, specifically exemplified by the five ānantarya, q.v.; in Mahāvastu i.282.14 the term ten kuśala karmapatha (in prose) is immediately followed (in verses) by a list of ten vaśitā, apparently implying that they are the same (not the usual 10 karmapatha); in Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra 6.11 the expression is daśakuśalamūlakarmapatha; often a form of the verb sam-ā-dā-, adopt, take to, adhere to, governs the noun, as in Mahāvastu ii.77.11 daśa kuśalakarma- pathāṃ (acc. pl.) samādāya; Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra 6.11…°thaṃ samādā- payet; in Mahāvastu ii.425.10 read with mss. daśa-kuśalakarma- patha-samādānaṃ vartitvā (= vartayitvā, having practised the taking-upon-oneself, the vow, of…); compare samādiyati, °dāpayati, °dāna; other references to the 10 kuśala, or akuśala, karmapatha, without listing, are found Mahāvastu i.3.1; 46.10; 101.18; 193.15; iii.357.14; Divyāvadāna 318.22; Karmavibhaṅga (and Karmavibhaṅgopadeśa) 31.13, 14; Gaṇḍavyūha 521.4.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English DictionaryKarmapatha (कर्मपथ):—[=karma-patha] [from karma > karman] m. the way or direction or character of an action, [Mahābhārata; Kāraṇḍa-vyūha]
[Sanskrit to German]
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Karma, Patha, Pata, Patta.
Full-text: Mithyadarshana, Avidya, Abaddhapralapa, Mithyadrishtika, Vairamana, Dashakushala, Kushala, Sambhinnapralapa, Mithyadrishti, Marga, Samadana.
Relevant text
Search found 4 books and stories containing Karmapatha, Karman-patha, Karma-patha; (plurals include: Karmapathas, pathas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Sushruta Samhita, volume 1: Sutrasthana (by Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna)
Mahabharata (English) (by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)
Section CCXCVII < [Mokshadharma Parva]
Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)
Act 5.9: All beings obtained the mind of equanimity < [Chapter XIV - Emission of rays]
III. Exhortations to the practice of the six perfections (pāramitā) < [Part 3 - Establishing beings in the six perfections]
II. The knowledge of the retribution of actions (karmavipāka-jñānabala) < [Part 2 - The ten powers in particular]
Abhidharmakośa (by Leo M. Pruden)