Before we can move on to the second component in the Noble Eightfold Path, which is right intention, we must first understand karma. Karma is the foundation for all Buddhist thought on morality. The Buddha said, “It is intention that I call karma*. For after making a choice one acts by way of body, speech, and mind” (AN 6.63). In Buddhism, morality is not prescribed by a transcendent God, but is an essential part of the nature of reality.