1.
karma; (one's) deeds; inescapable fate
In Buddhism, the accumulated effect of one's past actions that shapes one's destiny. By extension, a deep-rooted nature or burden one cannot escape.
A Buddhist term (Sanskrit "karma"). Read ごう in this sense; the same kanji is read 業 for "work, occupation" and わざ for "deed, feat," which are separate words.
Common expressions
- 業が深い: to be deeply sinful or burdened by karma
- 業を背負う: to bear one's karma
- 業を煮やす: to lose patience; to become exasperated
Register
Literary and somewhat heavy in tone. In everyday conversation it appears mainly in the fixed idiom 業を煮やす.