The Law of Karma
We have come to a couple of related
ideas which are common in Buddhism and they are the ideas of karma and rebirth.
These ideas are closely inter-related, but because the subject is a fairly wide
one, we will begin to deal with the idea of karma todayand rebirth in another
lecture.
We know that what binds us in samsara
are the defilements — desire, ill-will and ignorance. We spoke about this when
we talked about the Second Noble Truth — the truth of the cause of suffering.
These defilements are something which every living being in samsara shares,
whether we speak of human beings or animals or beings who live in the other
realms which we do not normally perceive. In this, all living beings are alike
and yet amongst all the living beings that we can normally perceive, there are
many differences. For instance, some of us are wealthy, some are less wealthy,
some are strong and healthy, others are disabled and so forth. There are many
differences amongst living beings and even more so there are differences
between animals and human beings. These differences are due to karma.
What we all share - desire, ill-will
and ignorance - are common to all living beings, but the particular condition
in which we find ourselves is the result of our particular karma that
conditions the situation in which we find ourselves, the situation in which we
may be wealthy, strong and so forth. These circumstances are decided by karma.
It is in this sense that karma explains the differences amongst living beings.
It explains why some beings are fortunate while others are less fortunate, some
are happy while others are less happy. The Buddha has specifically stated that
karma explains the differences between living beings. You might also recall
that the understanding of how karma affects the birth of living beings in happy
or unhappy circumstances — the knowledge of how living beings move from happy
circumstances to unhappy circumstances, and vice versa, from unhappy to happy
circumstances as a result of their karma - was part of the Buddha’s experience
on the night of His enlightenment. It is karma that explains the circumstances
that living beings find themselves in.
Having said this much about the
function of karma, let us look more closely at what karma is. Let us define
karma. Maybe we can define karma best by first deciding what karma is not. It
is quite often the case that we find people misunderstanding the idea of karma.
This is particularly true in our daily casual use of the term. We find people
saying that one cannot change one’s situation because of one’s karma. In this
sense, karma becomes a sort of escape. It becomes similar to predestination or
fatalism. This is emphatically not the correct understanding of karma. It is
possible that this misunderstanding of karma has come about because of the
popular idea that we have about luck and fate. It may be for this reason that
our idea of karma has become overlaid in popular thought with the notion of
predestination. Karma is not fate or predestination.
If karma is not fate or
predestination, then what is it? Let us look at the term itself. Karma means
action, means "to do". Immediately we have an indication that the
real meaning of karma is not fate because karma is action. It is dynamic. But
it is more than simply action because it is not mechanical action. It is not
unconscious or involuntary action. It is intentional, conscious, deliberate,
willful action. How is it that this intentional, will action conditions or
determines our situation? It is because every action must have a reaction, an
effect. This truth has been expressed in regard to the physical universe by the
great physicist Newton
who formulated the law which states that every action must have an equal and
opposite reaction. In the moral sphere of conscious actions, we have a
counterpart to the physical law of action and reaction, the law that every
intentional, will action must have its effect. This is why we sometimes speak
either of Karma-Vipaka, intentional action and its ripened effect, or we speak
of Karma-Phala, intentional action and its fruit. It is when we speak of
intentional action together with its effect or fruit that we speak of the Law
of Karma.
In its most basic sense, the Law of
Karma in the moral sphere teaches that similar actions will lead to similar
results. Let us take an example. If we plant a mango seed, the plant that
springs up will be a mango tree, and eventually it will bear a mango fruit.
Alternatively, if we plant a Pong Pong seed, the tree that will spring up will
be a Pong Pong tree and the fruit a Pong Pong. As one sows, so shall one reap.
According to one’s action, so shall be the fruit. Similarly, in the Law of
Karma, if we do a wholesome action, eventually we will get a wholesome fruit,
and if we do an unwholesome action eventually we will get an unwholesome,
painful result. This is what we mean when we say that causes bring about
effects that are similar to the causes. This we will see very clearly when we
come to specific examples of wholesome and unwholesome actions.
We can understand by means of this
general introduction that karma can be of two varieties - wholesome karma or
good karma and unwholesome karma or bad karma. In order that we should not
misunderstand this description of karma, it is useful for us to look at the
original term. In this case, it is kushala or akushala karma, karma that is
wholesome or unwholesome. In order that we understand how these terms are being
used, it is important that we know the real meaning of kushala and akushala.
Kushala means intelligent or skilful, whereas akushala means not intelligent,
not skilful. This helps us to understand how these terms are being used, not in
terms of good and evil but in terms of skilful and unskilful, in terms of
intelligent and unintelligent, in terms of wholesome and unwholesome. Now how
wholesome and how unwholesome? Wholesome in the sense that those actions which
are beneficial to oneself and others, those actions that spring not out of
desire, ill-will and ignorance, but out of renunciation, loving-kindness and
compassion, and wisdom.
One may ask how does one know whether
an action that is wholesome or unwholesome will produce happiness or
unhappiness. The answer is time will tell. The Buddha Himself answered the
question. He has explained that so long as an unwholesome action does not bear
its fruit of suffering, for so long a foolish person will consider that action
good. But when that unwholesome action bears its fruit of suffering then he
will realize that the action is unwholesome. Similarly, so long as a wholesome
action does not bear its fruit of happiness, a good person may consider that
action unwholesome. When it bears its fruit of happiness, then he will realize
that the action is good. So one needs to judge wholesome and unwholesome action
from the point of view of long-term effect. Very simply, wholesome actions
result in eventual happiness for oneself and others, while unwholesome actions
have the opposite result, they result in suffering for oneself and others.
Specifically, the unwholesome actions
which are to be avoided relate to the three doors or means of action, and these
are body, speech and mind. There are three unwholesome actions of the body,
four of speech and three of mind that are to be avoided. The three unwholesome
actions of body that are to be avoided are killing, stealing and sexual
misconduct. The four unwholesome actions of speech that are to be avoided are
lying, slander, harsh speech and malicious gossip. The three unwholesome
actions of mind that are to be avoided are greed, anger and delusion. By
avoiding these ten unwholesome actions we will avoid their consequences. The
unwholesome actions have suffering as their fruit. The fruit of these
unwholesome actions can take various forms. The fully ripened fruit of the
unwholesome actions consists of rebirth in the lower realms, in the realms of
suffering — hell, hungry ghosts and animals. If these unwholesome actions are
not sufficient to result in rebirth in these lower realms, they will result in
unhappiness in this life as a human being. Here we can see at work the
principle of a cause resulting in a similar effect. For example, habitual
killing which is motivated by ill-will and anger and which results in the
taking of the life of other beings will result in rebirth in the hells where
one’s experience is saturated by anger and ill-will and where one may be
repeatedly killed. If killing is not sufficiently habitual or weighty to result
in rebirth in the hells, killing will result in shortened life as a human
being, separation from loved ones, fear or paranoia. Here too we can see how
the effect is similar to the cause. Killing shortens the life of others,
deprives others of their loved ones and so forth, and so if we kill we will be
liable to experience these effects. Similarly, stealing which is borne of the
defilement of desire may lead to rebirth as a hungry ghost where one is totally
destitute of desired objects. If it does not result in rebirth as a ghost, it
will result in poverty, dependence upon others for one’s livelihood and so
forth. Sexual misconduct results in martial distress or unhappy marriages.
While unwholesome actions produce
unwholesome results - suffering, wholesome actions produce wholesome results -
happiness. One can interpret wholesome actions in two ways. One can simply
regard wholesome actions as avoiding the unwholesome actions, avoiding killing,
stealing, sexual misconduct and the rest. Or one can speak of wholesome actions
in positive terms. Here one can refer to the list of wholesome actions that includes
generosity, good conduct, meditation, reverence, service, transference of
merits, rejoicing in the merit of others, hearing the Dharma, teaching the
Dharma and straightening of one’s own views. Just as unwholesome actions
produce suffering, these wholesome actions produce benefits. Again effects here
are similar to the actions. For example, generosity results in wealth. Hearing
of the Dharma results in wisdom. The wholesome actions have as their
consequences similar wholesome effects just as unwholesome actions have similar
unwholesome effects.
Karma, be it wholesome or unwholesome,
is modified by the conditions under which the actions are performed. In other
words, a wholesome or unwholesome action may be more or less strong depending
upon the conditions under which it is done. The conditions which determine the
weight or strength of karma may be divided into those which refer to the
subject — the doer of the action — and those which refer to the object — the
being to whom the action is done. So the conditions that determine the weight
of karma apply to the subject and object of the action. Specifically, if we
take the example of killing, in order for the act of killing to have its
complete and unmitigated power, five conditions must be present — a living
being, the awareness of the existence of a living being, the intention to kill
the living being, the effort or action of killing the living being, and the
consequent death of the living being. Here too, we can see the subjective and
the objective conditions. The subjective conditions are the awareness of the
living being, the intention to kill and the action of killing. The objective
conditions are the presence of the living being and the consequent death of the
living being.
Similarly, there are five conditions
that modify the weight of karma and they are persistent, repeated action;
action done with great intention and determination; action done without regret;
action done towards those who possess extraordinary qualities; and action done
towards those who have benefited one in the past. Here too there are subjective
and objective conditions. The subjective conditions are persistent action;
action done with intention; and action done without regret. If one does an
unwholesome action again and again with great intention and without regret, the
weight of the action will be enhanced. The objective conditions are the quality
of the object to whom actions are done and the nature of the relationship. In
other words, if one does a wholesome or unwholesome action towards living
beings who possess extraordinary qualities such as the arhats, or the Buddha,
the wholesome or unwholesome action done will have greater weight. Finally the
power of wholesome or unwholesome action done towards those who have benefited
one in the past, such as one’s parents, teachers and friends, will be greater.
The objective and subjective
conditions together determine the weight of karma. This is important because
understanding this will help us to understand that karma is not simply a matter
of black and white, or good and bad. Karma is moral action and moral
responsibility. But the working of the Law of Karma is very finely tuned and
balanced so as to match effect with cause, so as to take into account the
subjective and objective conditions that determine the nature of an action.
This ensures that the effects of actions are equal to and similar to the nature
of the causes.
The effects of karma may be evident
either in the short term or in the long term. Traditionally we divide karma into
three varieties related to the amount of time that is required for the effects
of these actions to manifest themselves. Karma can either manifest its effects
in this very life or in the next life or only after several lives. When karma
manifests its effects in this life, we can see the fruit of karma within a
relatively short length of time. This variety of karma is easily verifiable by
any of us. For instance, when someone refuses to study, when someone indulges
in harmful distractions like alcohol and drugs, when someone begins to steal to
support his harmful habits; the effects will be evident within a short time.
They will be evident in loss of livelihood and friendship, health and so forth.
We cannot see the long-term effect of karma, but the Buddha and His prominent
disciples who have developed their minds are able to perceive directly the
long-term effects. For instance, when Maudgalyayana was beaten to death by
bandits, the Buddha was able to tell that this event was the effect of
something Maudgalyayana had done in a previous life when he had taken his aged
parents to the forest and having beaten them to death, had then reported that
they had been killed by bandits. The effect of this unwholesome action done
many lives before was manifested only in his last life. At death we have to
leave everything behind — our property and our loved ones, but our karma will
accompany us like a shadow. The Buddha has said that nowhere on earth or in
heaven can one escape one’s karma. So when the conditions are correct,
dependent upon mind and body, the effects of karma will manifest themselves
just as dependent on certain conditions a mango will appear on a mango tree. We
can see that even in the world of nature certain effects take longer to appear
than others. If for instance, we plant the seed of a papaya, we will obtain the
fruit in shorter period than if we plant the seed of a durian. Similarly, the
effects of karma manifest either in the short term or in the long term.
Besides the two varieties of karma,
wholesome and unwholesome karma, we should mention neutral or ineffective
karma. Neutral karma is karma that has no moral consequence either because the
very nature of the action is such as to have no moral consequence or because it
is done involuntarily and unintentionally. For example, sleeping, walking,
breathing, eating, handicraft and so forth in themselves have no moral
consequence. Similarly, unintentional action is ineffective karma. In other
words, if one accidentally steps on an insect, being unconscious of its
existence, this also constitutes neutral karma because there is no intention -
the intentional element is not there.
The benefits of understanding the Law
of Karma are that this understanding discourages one from performing
unwholesome actions which have suffering as their fruit. Once we understand
that in our own life every action will have a similar and equal reaction, once
we understand that we will experience the effect of that action, wholesome or
unwholesome, we will refrain from unwholesome behavior, not wanting to
experience the effects of these unwholesome actions. And similarly,
understanding that wholesome actions have happiness as their fruit, we will
cultivate these wholesome actions. Reflecting on the Law of Karma, of action
and reaction in the moral sphere encourages us to renounce unwholesome actions
and cultivate wholesome actions. We will look more closely at the specific
effects of karma in future lives and how karma conditions and determines the
nature of rebirth in our lecture next week.
Extract
from "Fundamentals of Buddhism", by Dr. Peter Della Santina.
Source: www.buddhanet.net