Understanding Karma
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http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/karma.html
BUDDHIST KARMA
PAGE CONTENTS
Introduction
Why believe in karma?
How karma works
The four laws of karma
What is needed for karma to ripen?
What decides the severity of the results?
What is "Good" and "Bad" karma?
What can I do to remove previous negative karma?
The four powers of purification
Practical consequences of karma
Fate is in our hands - a parable
Positive karma is just a mouse click away!
How to change the home page of your browser
A hint on meditation on karma
"I am the owner of my karma .
I inherit my karma.
I am born of my karma.
I am related to my karma.
I live supported by my karma.
Whatever karma I create, whether good or evil, that I shall inherit."
The Buddha, Anguttara Nikaya V.57 - Upajjhatthana Sutta
INTRODUCTION
"Countless rebirths lie ahead, both good and bad. The effects of karma (actions) are inevitable, and in previous lifetimes we have accumulated negative karma which will inevitably have its fruition in this or future lives. Just as someone witnessed by police in a criminal act will eventually be caught and punished, so we too must face the consequences of faulty actions we have committed in the past, there is no way to be at ease; those actions are irreversible; we must eventually undergo their effects."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from 'Kindness, Clarity and Insight'
The Sanskrit word Karma (or kamma in Pali) literally means action. In Buddhism however, karma mainly refers to one's intention or motivation while doing an action.
The shortest explanation of karma that I know is: 'you get what you give'. In other words; whatever you do intentionally to others, a similar thing will happen to yourself in the future.
Our largest obstacle to understanding or even believing in karma may be time. The 're-actions' or results of our actions show up with a time delay, and it becomes extremely hard to tell which action caused which result. Actions done in a previous life can create results in this life, but who can remember their past life? For ordinary humans, the mechanisms of karma can be intellectually understood to some extent, but never completely "seen".
The idea behind karma is not only found in Buddhism and Hinduism; it seems that the Bible certainly conveys the same essence:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A person reaps what he sows.
(Gal. 6:7)
All things whatsoever you would that men should do to you,
do even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
(Matthew 7:12)
Also the 'Golden Rule' of Confucianism makes a similar statement:
Tzu-kung asked, "Is there one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life?"
Confucius answered, "Is not reciprocity such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."'
From His Holiness the Dalai Lama's book Path to Bliss:
"Some people misunderstand the concept of karma. They take the Buddha's doctrine of the law of causality to mean that all is predetermined, that there is nothing that the individual can do. This is a total misunderstanding. The very term karma or action is a term of active force, which indicates that future events are within your own hands. Since action is a phenomenon that is committed by a person, a living being, it is within your own hands whether or not you engage in action."
You can find suggestions for a meditation on karma (or other subjects) in the List of Sample Meditations.
WHY BELIEVE IN KARMA?
Simply said, if we chose to ignore the workings of karma, we tend to create many problems for ourselves. For example, if we like to have something expensive, but we cannot afford it, it becomes very tempting to steal. If we are smart and attentive enough, we may never be caught stealing. However, by stealing, we create problematic situations for ourselves in the future, like poverty, or being the victim of robbers. Therefore, if we chose to ignore karma, the results of our actions will still haunt us.
Every mainstream religion teaches us about the consequences of our actions. The explanations may differ, but does it really matter in the end whether the law of karma causes us trouble or God himself in his final judgement?
Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
Unknown source
Two of my personal favourite reasons to believe in karma, are that it represents ultimate justice as everyone will harvest the results of their actions, and even if karma would not exist, as long as I try to avoid negative actions, the world would be a better place to live in for everyone anyway.
Science itself comes with another argument for karma. In physics. like every other Western science, there is a direct causal relationship between action and reaction. It may be interesting to look at the next explanation of the four laws of karma and see how "scientific" it sounds.
Endless knots the Buddha taught:
"Do not think a small sin will not return in your future lives.
Just as falling drops of water will fill a large container,
The little sins that steadfast accumulate will completely overwhelm you.
Do not think a small virtue will not return in your future lives.
Just as falling drops of water will fill a large container,
The little virtues that steadfast accumulate will completely overwhelm you."
The Auspicious or Endless Knot (see image on the right) symbolises the nature of reality where everything is interrelated and only exists as part of a web of karma and its effect. (It can also be seen as an auspicious sign for long life, as it is endless.) -
HOW KARMA WORKS
A very good and succinct explanation by Geshe Tashi Tsering in his book The Buddha's Medicine for the Mind: Cultivating Wisdom and Compassion:
Intention is the most important of all mental events because it gives direction to the mind, determining whether we engage with virtuous, non-virtuous, or neutral objects. Just as iron is powerlessly drawn to a magnet, our minds are powerlessly drawn to the object of our intentions.
An intention is a mental action; it may be expressed through either physical or verbal actions. Thus, action, or karma, is of two types: the action of intention and the intended action. The action of intention is the thought or impulse to engage in a physical or verbal act. The intended action is the physical or verbal expression of our intention. Karma actually refers to the action of intention but in general usage it includes the intended action and the seeds that are left in the mind as a result.
How do we accumulate karmic seeds? Every physical and verbal action is preceded by mental activity. Goodwill motivates a kind gesture; ill will motivates nasty words. Ill will is the intention to cause mental, emotional or physical harm. Thus, before and during a bad action, ill will is present in our mind. The presence of ill will before and during this act has an impact and influence on the mind due to which a certain potential is left behind. This potential is a karmic seed, a seed planted in our mind by physical, verbal or mental action. The strength or depth of this seed is determined by a number of factors, including how strong our intention is, whether we clearly understand what we are doing, whether we act on our intention and whether the physical and verbal action is completed.
Seeds will remain in the mind until they ripen or are destroyed. Seeds left by negative mental events and actions can be destroyed by the four opponent or antidotal powers. The most important of these four powers are regret for the negative act and a firm resolve not to act that way again in the future. Seeds left by positive mental events and actions can be destroyed by anger.
Even if we do not act on a negative intention, a karmic seed of diminished potency is still left in the mind. This incompleted seed is easier to remove. If it is not destroyed, a negative seed will eventually produce an unpleasant and negative effect while a postive seed will produce a pleasant and positive effect. Karmic seeds do not go to waste even after one hundred aeons. They will come to fruition when the time comes and the conditions assemble.
Actions motivated by the wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings and dedicated to that end have a special feature. The positive effects of such an act will be experienced many times over without being exhausted. For this reason, virtue dedicated to complete enlightenment is likened to a magnificent tree that bears fruit every season without fail. Such virtues will bear fruit until Buddhahood is attained.
A fragment of the The Sutra of the Causes and Effects of Actions by Shakyamuni Buddha, from Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archives that probably conveys the idea very straight-forward:
"Then the Buddha spoke to Ananda thus, “This question that you are asking--it is all on account of a previous existence, in which every one’s mind was not alike and equal. Therefore, in consequence, the retribution is of a thousand and a myriad separate and different minds. Thus the person who in this world is handsome comes from a patient mind, and the ugly comes from amid anger; the needy come from meanness. The height and noble comes from prayer and service, and the lowly and base comes from pride. The great and tall person comes from honor and respect and the short-legged person comes on account of contempt. The person who hinders the bright splendor of the Buddha is born black and thin; and the one who tastes the food of the fast is born deprived of food. The person who is too sparing of fire and light is born infirm; the one in whose eyes fault always appears is born night-blind. The person who slanders the Law is born dumb; and the person who does not want to hear the Law is born deaf. ..... The person who is compassionate is born long-lived, and the one who kills living beings is born short-lived. The one who gives gifts is born rich. The one who gives a gift of horse and carriage to the three jewels has many horses and carriages. Then the person who reads and asks about the sutra is born intelligent; but the stupid person comes from an animal existence. The person who cannot stay in his place comes from among the apes; the one who binds the hands and feet of living beings is born paralyzed in hand and foot. The person who is of evil passions comes from snakes and scorpions; the one who keeps the precepts (sila) is complete in the six kinds of organ, but the person who breaks the precepts is incomplete in the six kinds of organ. The unclean person comes from the existence of pigs; the person who likes song and dance comes from among actors. The one who is greedy comes from dogs; the one who eats alone, their neck is goiterous. The one who castrates living beings has incomplete pudenda; the one who on one side abuses his superior has a short tongue. The one who seduces the spouse of another, after dying falls among the geese, and a person who commits incest will fall into the existence of sparrows."
THE FOUR LAWS OF KARMA
Domino Globe1. Results are similar to the cause. Simply said, when I cause other people harm, I will harvest suffering myself. It is important to note here, that "positive" actions are defined as actions that have happiness as a result; "negative" actions are defined as actions that lead to suffering as a result.
2. No results without a cause. As is obvious within science, things do not just appear out of nothing.
3. Once an action is done, the result is never lost. Similarly as above, things do not just disappear into nothing.
4. Karma expands. Once we have an imprint of an action in our mind, it tends to be habit-forming. As is often said in wars for example, killing the first enemy is tough, but after a handful, one quickly loses count and it becomes "normal". Also psychology often stresses a similar point when e.g. explaining actions of adults from their childhood experiences.
WHAT IS NEEDED FOR KARMA TO RIPEN?
1. A previous action, or karmic potential.
2. Conditions: the circumstances must be available before I can undergo a specific result.
3. A deluded mind. Without delusions in our mind, we will never experience the results of previous actions. This happens to Arhats and Buddhas; their minds have been purified from delusions, and they are beyond the realm of karma.
It should be realised that without any karma to ripen at all, we could never experience anything unpleasant - most likely, when this occurs, we are in a blissful state of nirvana or full enlightenment.
WHAT DECIDES THE SEVERITY OF THE RESULTS?
The severity of the results of our actions depends on various factors:
1. Our intention or motivation - the intention is the most important aspect by far, as karma is mainly connected to the intention of the action, be it positive or negative.
2. The nature of the action: obviously, gossiping is less severe than killing.
3. The actual deed: whether we kill in self-defence or sadistically torture someone to death does make a difference, usually this directly related to intention.
4. The basis or object: it does make a difference whether we kill our mother or an ant.
5. Repetition; how often do we repeat the action, which reinforces the habit, and makes even killing feel less negative.
6. Doing the reverse: if we always behave negatively to others and never try to do any good, consequences will be severe.
How we experience the result of an actions does depend on our other actions in life. For example, if we experience the result of being hungry for a day, there is a huge difference whether we experience this as a malnourished person in a hopeless situation, or as a healthy fast for an obese person. -
WHAT IS "GOOD" AND "BAD" KARMA?
Interestingly enough, the Buddhist answer to this question forces you to think and decide for yourself.
Positive actions are defined as their result being a pleasant experience, negative actions are defined by their unpleasant results.
Obviously, the results mentioned here are unlikely to come immediately (so-called 'instant karma' is considered rare), instead the karmic result may take lifetimes to ripen. For example, if I steal an ice-cream and enjoy eating it afterwards, the enjoyment is not a karmic result of stealing the ice-cream; it may be the result of helping someone else. The karmic result of stealing an ice-cream is an unpleasant experience, like when something will be stolen from me.
In A Living Buddhism for the West, Lama Anagorika Govinda expresses another approach:
"All the suffering of this world arises from a wrong attitude.
The world is neither good or bad.
It is only the relation to our ego that makes it seem the one or the other."
This approach relates to the way our mind perceives the world; see the page on delusions.
WHAT CAN I DO TO REMOVE PREVIOUS NEGATIVE KARMA?
Nobody likes to suffer, so we all like to rid ourselves of negative karmic potential.
There are several possibilities, and in fact we may need to try and apply all of these methods as much as we can:
- To avoid having negative thoughts that lead to negative actions in the future, we need to observe and control our own thoughts and behaviour, and destroy our negative attitudes.
- Similarly, we can observe/study (meditate) our own mind and encourage positive thoughts that lead to positive actions.
- We can avoid negative karmic seeds to ripen by purifying it, using the four powers of purification (see below). Although this does not eliminate the negative karmic actions, it can avoid the results to occur.
- Ultimately, when we realise emptiness directly (see the page on Wisdom), and remove all our delusions, we are not under the control of past karma anymore.
THE FOUR POWERS OF PURIFICATION
The purification practices found within Buddhism are not unlike the practices applied in many other religions. The most essential mental factor that one requires is sincerity or honesty with oneself. When one wants to purify past negative karma, one has to do some action with the correct motivation.
This is summarised in the following Four Powers of Purification:
1. Power of the Object: One should practice thinking of all sentient beings one may have hurt. Traditionally, one remembers all sentient beings and the Three Jewels of Refuge (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), by generating compassion for all sentient beings and taking refuge.
2. Power of Regret: This should not be senseless guilt or self-recrimination, which are said to be useless emotional torture. What is intended here is to examine oneself and one's actions and to recognise that negative actions done in the past were very unwise.
3. Power of Promise: As a logical consequence of the above, one should promise not to repeat these negative actions. It is good if one can promise to avoid a negative behaviour for a specific time, or at least promise that one will put effort in avoiding repetition. Not being honest at this stage makes the practice useless or even harmful to oneself.
4. Power of Practice: Basically any positive action with a good motivation can be used as practice. Traditionally in Buddhism, one can practice e.g. making prostrations (throwing oneself to the floor - as a means to destroy pride), making offerings (to counteract greed), reading Buddhist texts (to counteract ignorance and negative thoughts), reciting mantras etc.
It is often explained that one needs to clear a field by purifying it from rocks and weeds, then planting seeds by study and meditation, giving water and fertiliser by doing positive actions, and automatically new harvest will grow.
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PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES OF KARMA
"What fisherman looks for water in dry, dead riverbeds?
He who hopes for spiritual progress, but cultivates neither wisdom nor merit."
His Holiness the 7th Dalai Lama, from 'Songs of spiritual change' translated by Glenn Mullin.
To begin with, I need to understand that I cannot immediately change my present situation, but I should understand that:
- The reason why I am experiencing this is only due to my own actions in the past, my mind filled with delusions or positive thoughts, and the right circumstances for the karma to ripen.
- I can chose to have a selfish reaction to my situation and create my own suffering in the future.
- I can chose to have a reaction considering others' welfare and create happiness for myself as well in the future.
- If I react without thinking, it is easy to create negative results for the future, and even make that a habit.
- The others whom I like to blame for hurting me, are merely the circumstances that make my negative karma ripen.
- Understanding karma means that I have full responsibility for everything that happens to me in the past, present and future.
- Positive thinking and acting will do others and myself much more good than being negative and acting that way.
"Karma is not something complicated or philosophical.
Karma means watching your body, watching your mouth, and watching your mind.
Trying to keep these three doors as pure as possible is the practice of karma."
Lama Thubten Yeshe, "The Bliss of Inner Fire"
FATE IS IN OUR HANDS - A PARABLE
In a time long past, there was an old monk who, through diligent practice, had attained a certain degree of spiritual penetration.
He had a young novice who was about eight years old. One day the monk looked at the boy's face and saw there that he would die within the next few months. Saddened by this, he told the boy to take a long holiday and go and visit his parents. 'Take your time,' said the monk. 'Don't hurry back.' For he felt the boy should be with his family when he died.
Three months later, to his astonishment, the monk saw the boy walking back up the mountain. When he arrived he looked intently at his face and saw that they boy would now live to a ripe old age.
'Tell me everything that happened while you were away,' said the monk. So the boy started to tell of his journey down from the mountain. He told of villages and towns he passed through, of rivers forded and mountains climbed.
Then he told how one day he came upon a stream in flood. He noticed, as he tried to pick his way across the flowing stream, that a colony of ants had become trapped on a small island formed by the flooding stream. Moved by compassion for these poor creatures, he took a branch of a tree and laid it across one flow of the stream until it touched the little island. As the ants made their way across, the boy held the branch steady, until he was sure all the ants had escaped to dry land. Then he went on his way. 'So,' thought the old monk to himself, 'that is why the gods have lengthened his days.'
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POSITIVE KARMA IS JUST A MOUSE-CLICK AWAY!
In case you came this far, and the above did not bore you away, you are already creating positive energy or karma.
It takes nothing special to create positive actions, you can do it, even with a few simple clicks of your mouse and a compassionate thought.
Interested? Why not click one or all of the buttons below while you think of the benefit to others.
If you want to go a simple step further, change the home page of your browser to www.thehungersite.com and take a second to donate food for free every day you go on the Internet (see below how to do that). Can it be made any easier?
You want to do more than just clicking? Need some ideas? Try the following links:
Plan International to help children Unicef of the United Nations -
Killing may generate good karma too... Like killing a tyrant hellbent on doing evil... So is it bad karma?
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u still dun grasp what kamma is lar.Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Killing may generate good karma too... Like killing a tyrant hellbent on doing evil... So is it bad karma?
only Buddhas and Arahats do not accumulate kamma in their next life.
when they pass away in existences, they enter final nirvana isn't it.
for us, we do, we bring our kamma, good or bad, into the next life, where ever it may it.
if you think that killing a tyrant is a necessary evil so as to save life, good for u.
maybe you can also channel this thinking into vowing to be a Buddha to save sentient being, but there is no escape from killing that tyrant.
Once a deed is committed, no way you can escape from it. Even the Buddha and his disciples, although they have attained enlightenment, they are not exempted from past kamma committed in past lives, but their minds are not affected by it, unlike us. -
the thing about karma is very complex. yes, good can become bad and bad can become good.
say Hitler who killed many people and go to hell realm(the association of fear & guilt). . since his act was greatly critised, He had on the other hand shown/taught people NOt to follow his foot step. for that act of teaching people, he would have accumulated great amount of good karma, hence may even go to heaven after withstanding the great suffering or 'sentence' in hell realm.
in a way, karma play itself out naturely.
knowing this is pure karma.
/\ -
it's also explained in Liao Fan lessons:
If we were to examine goodness closely, we would find that there are many different kinds
http://www.etext.org/Religious.Texts/Misc/4teachen.html
What is real goodness and false goodness?
What is honest goodness and crooked goodness?
What is hidden goodness and visible goodness?
What seems to be goodness but is actually not, and what does not appear to be goodness but actually is
What is improper goodness and proper goodness?
What is half goodness and full goodness?
What is big goodness and small goodness?
What is difficult goodness and easy goodness?
/\ -
What do you mean by their minds being unaffected by past karma?Originally posted by marcteng:u still dun grasp what kamma is lar.
only Buddhas and Arahats do not accumulate kamma in their next life.
when they pass away in existences, they enter final nirvana isn't it.
for us, we do, we bring our kamma, good or bad, into the next life, where ever it may it.
if you think that killing a tyrant is a necessary evil so as to save life, good for u.
maybe you can also channel this thinking into vowing to be a Buddha to save sentient being, but there is no escape from killing that tyrant.
Once a deed is committed, no way you can escape from it. Even the Buddha and his disciples, although they have attained enlightenment, they are not exempted from past kamma committed in past lives, but their minds are not affected by it, unlike us. -
Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
past karma is like a seed planted in the past. but the seed need conditions/yuan like water, sunlight, soil to reap and fruition into a tree.
What do you mean by their minds being unaffected by past karma?
so by stopping these conditions or even pour concrete to the seed, noble being(arahat) are able to suppress their past karma.
Karma is intentional action, that is, a deed done deliberately through body, speech or mind. Karma means good and bad volition (kusala Akusala Centana). Every volitional action (except that of a Buddha or of an Arahant) is called Karma. The Buddha's and Arahants do not accumulate fresh Karma as they have destroy all their conditional passions(3 mental poison of greed, hatred and ignorance) .
In other words, Karma is the law of moral causation. It is action and reaction in the ethical realm.
The Buddha said,
"According to the seed that is sown,
So is the fruit you reap
The door of good of will gather good result
The door of evil reaps evil result.
If you plant a good seed well,
Then you will enjoyed the good fruits."
ie an apple seed shall become an apple tree and not an orange tree.
Karma is a law itself. But it does not follow that there should be a law-giver. The law of Karma, too, demands no law giver. It operates in its own field without the intervention of an external, independent agency.
/\ -
sinweiy,Originally posted by sinweiy:past karma is like a seed planted in the past. but the seed need conditions/yuan like water, sunlight, soil to reap and fruition into a tree.
so by stopping these conditions or even pour concrete to the seed, noble being(arahat) are able to suppress their past karma.
Karma is intentional action, that is, a deed done deliberately through body, speech or mind. Karma means good and bad volition (kusala Akusala Centana). Every volitional action (except that of a Buddha or of an Arahant) is called Karma. The Buddha's and Arahants do not accumulate fresh Karma as they have destroy all their conditional passions(3 mental poison of greed, hatred and ignorance) .
In other words, Karma is the law of moral causation. It is action and reaction in the ethical realm.
The Buddha said,
"According to the seed that is sown,
So is the fruit you reap
The door of good of will gather good result
The door of evil reaps evil result.
If you plant a good seed well,
Then you will enjoyed the good fruits."
ie an apple seed shall become an apple tree and not an orange tree.
Karma is a law itself. But it does not follow that there should be a law-giver. The law of Karma, too, demands no law giver. It operates in its own field without the intervention of an external, independent agency.
/\
Your explaination does not fit the question I posed, which is how someone can be not affected by past karma? How about choosing not to cut and paste? -
Originally posted by sinweiy:
Does one's intentions play a part as well?
the thing about karma is very complex. yes, good can become bad and bad can become good.
say Hitler who killed many people and go to hell realm(the association of fear & guilt). . since his act was greatly critised, He had on the other hand shown/taught people NOt to follow his foot step. for that act of teaching people, he would have accumulated great amount of good karma, hence may even go to heaven after withstanding the great suffering or 'sentence' in hell realm.
in a way, karma play itself out naturely.
knowing this is [b]pure karma.
/\
[/b]
If I have the best of intentions but I ended up doing more harm than good, will my karma be affected? -
Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
as mentioned, by destroying the conditional passions(mental poison of greed, hatred and ignorance) .
Your explaination does not fit the question I posed, which is how someone can be not affected by past karma?
and the antidote for the 3 poison are discipline of mind and body, concentration/confidence and transcendant wisdom/insight respectively.
with discipline of mind and body, concentration/confidence and transcendant wisdom/insight, one would not be affected by karmic affliction.
/\ -
Originally posted by Beyond Religion:
one's intention does play a part.
Does one's intentions play a part as well?
If I have the best of intentions but I ended up doing more harm than good, will my karma be affected?
yes, your karma will be affected. as one still have to undertake the fruition of the harm that was made/sow.
that's when wisdom is also very important. best of intentions is associated with unconditional compassion. wisdom and compassion have to go hand in hand.
another interesting twist: Devattata hurt the Buddha, but Buddha do not hate Devatatta. Instead Buddha was grateful to Devatatta for increasing Buddha's cultivation of tolerance. hence due to this gratefulness of Buddha. Devatatta shall enjoy heavenly bliss IN Hell realms!
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What if the parents kill insects for the children and the children didn't ask for it ?
Her or his intention purely comes out for his or her love for the kids. Then what kind of karma will he or she reaps ? -
Originally posted by sinweiy:
Can you dicipline your body not to react when you are feeling hurt or in pain? Are you sure you are always right in all actions and speech? Wisdom in some can be considered stupidity in others, so definitely there is no equivalency at all to the topic at hand.
as mentioned, by destroying the [b]conditional passions(mental poison of greed, hatred and ignorance) .
and the antidote for the 3 poison are discipline of mind and body, concentration/confidence and transcendant wisdom/insight respectively.
with discipline of mind and body, concentration/confidence and transcendant wisdom/insight, one would not be affected by karmic affliction.
/\
[/b] -
Originally posted by Isis:
that'll be ignorance karma, ignorance result. as a whole, it also accumulated into the collective karma of the world.
What if the parents kill insects for the children and the children didn't ask for it ?
Her or his intention purely comes out for his or her love for the kids. Then what kind of karma will he or she reaps ?1. Black kamma, black result.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/9280/kamma.htm#Contents
2. White kamma, white result.
3. Kamma both black and white, result both black and white.
4. Kamma neither black nor white, result neither black nor white, this being the kamma that ends kamma.[32]
/\ -
Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
can~. more of discipline of the mind than body. famous story in Romance of the Three Kingdom, Guan Yu was shot by a poison arrow that went right to the bone. and He was operated by HuaTuo without using any anesthetic.
Can you dicipline your body not to react when you are feeling hurt or in pain? Are you sure you are always right in all actions and speech? Wisdom in some can be considered stupidity in others, so definitely there is no equivalency at all to the topic at hand.
also recorded, Grand Master XuYun was beaten by the chinese communists, He happily just mentally went to listen to Maitreya's preaching in the Tusita heaven, and didn't felt a thing.
--
depends on one's severing of discrimination. if there's no notion of discrimination, where's the notion of right and wrong?
--
yes, wisdom can be foolish to the one who holds an ego.
fyi:
www.taoism.net/theway/wisdom.htmWisdom and compassion are the essence of an enlightened life.
/\
Wisdom and compassion are inextricably linked. They are two sides of the same coin. They are a unit. Separating them is an artificial, intellectual act.
When compassion is taken out of the equation, wisdom turns into worthless platitudes, which easily become destructive. Without compassion, wisdom degenerates into an escapist entanglement in concepts, theories and dogmas.
Wisdom is more than just cleverness plus compassion. It differs in quality to a point where it may seem to have little to do with cleverness. Sometimes, the actions of wise people seem to go against common sense. In fact, wise people often act in ways which are considered foolish by clever people.
the greatest love seems indifferent, the greatest wisdom seems childish.
--(Tao Te Ching, Chapter 41)
They would, for example, sacrifice their own interests for the sake of others, or accept defeat, sometimes even their own destruction, when they had every chance of winning or escaping. They would refuse to speak in their own defense when it seems expedient to do so, or they would speak up when it means putting themselves in jeopardy. Often, wise people would ignore what seem like clever strategies, and choose suffering instead.
When wisdom is taken out of the equation, compassion is perverted, for it loses direction totally. It becomes like a lost ship without navigational means drifting aimlessly on a stormy ocean. A good example of love without wisdom is when parents spoil their children, giving them everything they want, without giving them direction in life. Another example is if someone lacks the courage to tell his friend when she is wrong out of fear he might lose her friendship. A friend that allows you to go astray does not qualify as a friend.
Without wisdom, compassion lacks the detachment essential to perspective and constructive support. Wisdom gives the compassionate person the strength to act against her own personal interests and desires. -
He was playing chess with Ma Liang while going through the operation, nevertheless this part of Romance of Three Kingdoms came from Luo Guang Zhong who was borned centuries after the Three Kingdoms Era.Originally posted by sinweiy:/\
The question isn't about ego but about wisdom and stupidity. There's always opportunity lost in this world when someone commits an action or decision and thus, a single action or decision can be viewed both ways. -
26 Jan 06 (Fri) - Karma & Divinity
Venue: Kong Meng San Phor Kak See Monastery Memorial Hall
Time : 7:45pm
Can the Law of Cause and Effort be influenced by "divine" intervention? Do Gods play a part in the outcomes of our lives? What is the best way of living to get what we want in life? What determines our next destination after death? This talk will discuss these thought provoking questions to better understand how we need to take responsibility of our own lives.
Ajahn Brahm Dhamma Talks -
mm how can i helped to alleviate the ignorance karma caused by my loved one who had already passed away? Will my loved one be condemned to lower three relam due to his killing of pests but with intention for love of his children?Originally posted by sinweiy:
Firstly, he isn't a buddhist when he was alive.
How can i help him gain "yuan" with buddhism in his next life so that he can learn the dharma, practise the eightfold path and acquiring the wisdom. -
Originally posted by neutral_onliner:
anyone going? i will surely go if i am free that day
[b]26 Jan 06 (Fri) - Karma & Divinity
Venue: Kong Meng San Phor Kak See Monastery Memorial Hall
Time : 7:45pm
Can the Law of Cause and Effort be influenced by "divine" intervention? Do Gods play a part in the outcomes of our lives? What is the best way of living to get what we want in life? What determines our next destination after death? This talk will discuss these thought provoking questions to better understand how we need to take responsibility of our own lives.
Ajahn Brahm Dhamma Talks [/b] -
Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
keep seeing wrong/stupidity in others is in itself the fault of the discriminating mind and an attachment to one's view is always right, hence lack of wisdom and egoistic.
The question isn't about ego but about wisdom and stupidity. There's always opportunity lost in this world when someone commits an action or decision and thus, a single action or decision can be viewed both ways.
beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, my friend, outside phenomona is originally free from discrimination. tis the human mind that judge which makes it defiled in either right or wrong.
/\ -
Originally posted by Isis:
ic. it depend on which realm he entered. would be harder if one went to hell realms. which might need the help of the sangha community. but i think since it's for the best intention of the children, it wouldn't be so serious of rebirth in hell realm.
mm how can i helped to alleviate the ignorance karma caused by my loved one who had already passed away? Will my loved one be condemned to lower three relam due to his killing of pests but with intention for love of his children?
Firstly, he isn't a buddhist when he was alive.
How can i help him gain "yuan" with buddhism in his next life so that he can learn the dharma, practise the eightfold path and acquiring the wisdom.
you can practise the Dharma, cultivate good deeds and transfer(wholeheartly) the merits to him. recite in the mind, 'may he be free from suffering' and 'may he encounter the Dharma'. the mental energy, unlike light is indeed without boundaries.
/\ -
Kamma is an impersonal, natural law that operates in accordance with our actions. It is a law in itself and does not have any lawgiver. Kamma operates in its own field without the intervention of an external, independent, ruling agent.
Kamma or karma can be put in the simple language of the child: do good and good will come to you, now, and hereafter. Do bad and bad will come to you, now, and hereafter.
In the language of the harvest, kamma can be explained in this way: if you sow good seeds, you will reap a good harvest. If you sow bad seeds, you will reap a bad harvest.
In the language of science, kamma is called the law of cause and effect: every cause has an effect. Another name for this is the law of moral causation. Moral causation works in the moral realm just as the physical law of action and reaction works in the physical realm.
In the Dhammapada, kamma is explained in this manner: the mind is the chief (forerunner) of all good and bad states. If you speak or act with a good or bad mind, then happiness or unhappiness follows you just as the wheel follows the hoof of the ox or like your shadow which never leaves you.
Kamma is simply action. Within animate organisms there is a power or force which is given different names such as instinctive tendencies, consciousness, etc. This innate propensity forces every conscious being to move. He moves mentally or physically. His motion is action. The repetition of actions is habit and habit becomes his character. In Buddhism, this process is called kamma.
In its ultimate sense, kamma means both good and bad, mental action or volition. 'Kamma is volition,'says the Buddha. Thus kamma is not an entity but a process, action, energy and force. Some interpret this force as 'action-influence,' It is our own doings reacting on ourselves. The pain and happiness man experiences are the result of his own deeds, words and thoughts reacting on themselves. Our deeds, words and thoughts produce our prosperity and failure, our happiness and misery.
Kamma is an impersonal, natural law that operates strictly in accordance with our actions. It is law in itself and does not have any lawgiver. Kamma operates in its own field without the intervention of an external, independent ruling agency. Since there is no hidden agent directing or administering rewards and punishments, Buddhists do not rely on prayer to some supernatural forces to influence karmic results. According to the Buddha, kamma is neither predestination nor some sort of determinism imposed on us by some mysterious, unknown powers or forces to which we must helplessly submit ourselves.
Buddhists believe that man will reap what he has sown; we are the result of what we were, and we will be the result of what we are. In other words, man is not one who will absolutely remain to be what he was, and he will not continue to remain as what he is. This simply means that kamma is not complete determinism. The Buddha pointed out that if everything is determined, then there would be no free will and no moral or spiritual life. We would merely be the slaves of our past. On the other hand, if everything is undetermined, then there can be no cultivation of moral and spiritual growth. Therefore, the Buddha accepted neither strict determinism nor strict undeterminism. -
Misconceptions regarding Kamma
The misinterpretation or irrational views on kamma are stated in the Anguttara Nikaya which suggests that the wise will investigate and abandon the following views:
the belief that everything is a result of acts in previous lives;
the belief that all is the result of creation by a Supreme Ruler; and
the belief that everything arises without reason or cause.
If a person becomes a murderer, a thief, or an adulterer, and, if his actions are due to past actions, or caused by creation of a Supreme Ruler, or if that happened by mere chance, then this person would not be held responsible for his evil action.
Yet another misconception about kamma is that it operates only for certain people according to their faiths. But the fate of a man in his next life does not in the least depend on what particular religion he chooses. Whatever may be his religion, man's fate depends entirely on his deeds by body, speech and thought. It does not matter what religious label he himself holds, he is bound to be happy world in his next life so long as he does good deeds and leads an unblemished life. He is bound to be born to lead a wretched life if he commits evil and harbors wicked thoughts in his mind. Therefore, Buddhists do not proclaim that they are the only blessed people who can go to heaven after their death. Whatever the religion he professes, man's kammic thought alone determines his own destiny both in this life and in the next. The teaching of kamma does not indicate a post-mortem justice. The Buddha did not teach this law of kamma to protect the rich and to comfort the poor by promising illusory happiness in an after life.
According to Buddhism kamma explains the inequalities that exist among mankind. These inequalities are due not only to heredity, environment and nature but also to kamma or the results of our own actions. Indeed kamma is one of the factors which are responsible for the success and the failure of our life.
Since kamma is an invisible force, we cannot see it working with our physical eyes. To understand how kamma works, we can compare it to seeds: the results of kamma are stored in the subconscious mind in the same way as the leaves, flowers, fruits and trunk of a tree are stored in its seed. Under favorable conditions, the fruits of kamma will be produced just as with moisture and light, the leaves and trunk of a tree will sprout from its tiny seed.
The working of kamma can also be compared to a bank account: a person who is virtuous, charitable and benevolent in his present life is like a person who is adding to his good kamma. This accrued good kamma can be used by him to ensure a trouble-free life. But he must replace what he takes or else one day his account will be exhausted and he will be bankrupt. Then whom will he be able to blame for his miserable state? He can blame neither others nor fate. He alone is responsible. Thus a good Buddhist cannot be an escapist. He has to face life as it is and not run away from it. The kammic force cannot be controlled by inactivity. Vigorous activity for good is indispensable for one's own happiness. Escapism is the resort of the weak, and an escapist cannot escape the effects of the kammic law.
The Buddha says, 'There is no place to hide in order to escape from kammic results.' (Dhammapada 127).