n (context|Hinduism|Buddhism) The concept of "action" or "deed" in Indian and Nepalese religions understood as that which causes the entire cycle of causality|cause and effect (i.e., the cycle called samsara) described in the dharmic traditions, namely: Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist philosophies. The total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence, regarded as determining his next incarnation.