Karma

Every human being, every animal, every insect, even a ghost or a

god will face death of their existence form. Thinking about death is
the key to understand impermanence in life. Every process has a
beginning and has an ending. Death is the end process of a life
which starts with a birth.

In the point of view of Buddhism, death just gives birth to a

beginning of the next life. Sticking with this nature of
impermanence, every process has a beginning and ending. Life,
objects and any phenomena subject to impermanence change at
any rate from their current states and with each change be it subtle
or gross lead to the end process. Likewise our life is at each second
shorter and death is at each second closer. We are loomed with the
approaching death but usually only too late to recognize it when it is
already knocking our door. This is an impermanence.

With this understanding, we appreciate our precious human rebirth

that consists all the perfect means for the path to enlightenment
and the mechanism behind this engine of these cycles of births. If
one is overwhelmed by the impermanence, the next-to-be concern
will be the inquisitive mechanism decided our next rebirth –
throwing us relentlessly and repeatedly and yet continuously in one
of the six realms; hell, hungry ghost, animal, human, demi-god and
god realms. Astounded with the knowledge of the immense
sufferings and the seemingly endless period of limbo, surely no
forms of any being wish to see their next rebirth in one of the 3
lower realms (the first three of the list). To have such conviction to
not reborn in these 3 lower realms, we thus have to engage
ourselves in the knowledge of what is this mechanism to decide our
‘fate’. Karma is the indigenous devise for this mechanism.

How genius is this karma? Well, for those actions with good
motivation, it means good results to come. Vice versa, for those
with bad motivations, it means bad results to be expected. A simple
rule of thumb for our actions to watch-up. It’s genius because we
becomes our own police to rule us out from any bad intentions or
bad actions to harm others. As it is, on the humane level,
Buddhism contributes a value to preserve the world peace – not
simply any rules imposed by a government can provide as such.
Despite the saying that rules are sometimes meant to break – we
don’t see the reasons for thieves were to prove the efficiency of
police, the killers to test out the fairness of our judiciary system, the
corruption to be regarded as a charity. If inner value is ignored that
is the responsibility of oneself, in spite of any protection by rules
and regulations, by refined processes, by high-technology system,
there are always those minor few would be out of their mind to
break through this protection range. If only they allow themselves
yearning to the faith of karma, their action could be bounded. We
judge our ‘fate’ for this next life. Not the god.

Karma is referred to action in Sanskrit. Action could be acted

through our body, speech and mind. Via these three, karma is
created. And for each karma being created, an effect experienced
is certainly arisen from a previous cause. Likewise a good seed for
good harvest, bad seed for bad harvest, happiness and suffering
come from virtuous and non-virtuous karma. In simple, no
happiness or suffering occur in the absence of causes. The other 3
principles as a guide to the nature of Karma are: karma will amplify
with times; no effect will be experienced if there is an action done
by the same being; karma once created does not perish.

For those even with a killing of a mosquito, it means that: (1) a

result is definitely a suffering; (2) the result if not happened
immediately now, as along the times, will be amplified such that it
could be equivalent to have killed a human if the actions of killing
were not countered by any antinodes (3) the person convicted with
the killing action or commissioned a third party for such an action
will suffer from the effect of killing (4) the karma of killing will not
perish and the sufferings will happen to that person who killed or
requested the third party to kill. Thus, it could see that if one were
sufficed with the knowledge on karma topic, they would not even
harm a tiny insect by the action of killing. They would practice
patience and equanimity to any beings, and certainly to avoid non-
virtuous.

To make our life simpler, Buddha has taught us what are the main
ten non-virtuous to avoid such that we would not suffer from
rebirths in the 3 lower realms. The ten non-virtuous are: killing,
stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, offensive
speech, senseless speech, covetousness, malice and wrong views.
In terms of how these actions could be engaged, the first three
involve the body, the middle four the speech and the last three the
mental. To be motivated in refraining oneself from these non-
virtuous actions, it is simply to understand their effects. The
Exegesis of the Discipline says: If you practice these three paths of
action – guarding your speech, being restrained mentally, and not
committing physical non-virtues – you will achieve the path taught
by the Sage. The foundation of Buddhism is based on ethical
discipline and as one can see as to why this forms one of the three
higher trainings as the main practice to attain liberation from the
cyclic process – samsara. As such Buddha has taught that when
one gives up these ten non-virtuous actions one should also adopt
virtuous actions and named the ten virtuous actions. These ten
virtuous actions form the taproot of the whole path to nirvana for
the lower goal of self-liberation or full enlightenment for ones who
seek the same for all sentient beings as the ultimate goal. And as
to what these ten virtuous actions are, they counter the ten non-
virtuous actions: reflect on the faults of and establish virtuous
attitude against the three body non-virtues, the four vocal non-
virtues and the three mental non-virtues.

For presenting these actions – the karma could be further analyzed

in terms of basis, attitude, performance and culmination. A further
dissection is to identify causes and criteria that make actions
weighty and powerful actions before one to analyse the fruition of
the effects. For the example of killing, basis is the living person or
animal or insect or living being. Attitude refers to the affliction due
to the three mental poisons (anger, attachment, ignorance)
combined with the motivation of desire to kill. As for the
performance, it matters not killing by oneself or commission
someone else to do it. The culmination is the death at point of
killing or later of the basis as intended. When the action of killing
requires an accurate perception towards a particular being such that
if the killing caused a death of another being, an actual killing karma
is not created. Another interesting point to highlight is suicide or
when the killer dies before or at the same time as the victim, no
killing infraction is created. For the other nine non-virtuous actions,
similar attributes can be drawn from this example in determining
karma. However, for the first three of the four vocal non-virtuous
actions, the culmination requires the party to whom the speech is
spoken must understand. For sexual misconduct, there are four
bases: inappropriate person with whom one should have sex,
inappropriate body parts, inappropriate places and inappropriate
times. For the three mental non-virtuous actions, the performance
is having that contemplated motivation or thought or purpose as so
named being attached to possessions of someone, ill-will against
someone and denial of correct views.

There are weights attached to each karma. Again for the example
of killing, the karma is heavy if the motivation is due to very intense
mental poisons, while killing also delighting in it or praising it or
repeatedly, without any antidote such as regret or repentance,
combined with wrong view and if the basis is such as parents, guru,
or arya beings. In general, non-virtuous that are directed towards
one’s close kin, parents, guru or anyone of the three jewels will
create heavy karma. Similarly, if one has performed virtuous
actions towards the three jewels, one’s guru or parents or close kin,
the merit is great. The other three factors that could give strength
of actions are whether one has taken vows or how many vows being
taken, dharma teachings as an offering, and the intensity and long-
lasting of the mental poison while wrongdoing.

Understood how karma is created, the next step is knowing the

effect. With this, it helps one refraining from the wrong deeds but
cultivate the good ones. There are three effects: fruitional, causally
concordant and environmental. The fruit of a bad karma depends
on the three strengths of small, medium and great of the three
mental poisons such that the great forms will lead to reborn in hells,
the medium as hungry ghost and the small as animals. When the
bad karma is ripened there are two types of causal concordant
effect: behavioural and experiential. For the example of killing, one
can suffer a short life span in the next life as an example of the
former. Worst still, one is born with liking to kill even once been
born a human with this causal concordant behaviour; thus subject
the person to endless cycles. The third form of effect for killing
could lead one reborn in little life potency environment such that
food and drinks are little, medicine ineffective, and helps are
remote.

On top of the abovementioned, other classifications of karma

include distinction between projecting and completing karma, and
further divided by four permutations between karma done and
accumulated. Briefly, projecting karma throws a rebirth into a
happy or miserable realm and completing karma sets the conditions
experienced within that realm. While we know karma is done
through mental intention, physically or vocally, it is however not
accumulated if those actions are done in dreams, unknowingly, in
error or not continuously or even eradicated by some remedy or
regret. Killing that is accumulated but not done is such as planning
a long time to kill a living being but no execution in actuality. Killing
that is done but not accumulated is described earlier such as done
in a dream, or even forced by others or eradicated by antidotes.
Killing that is done and accumulated is referring to all killing actually
done and not subject to the last two permutations. Then the rest
forms the last permutation of killing that is neither done nor
accumulated.

To have a good rebirth, other than giving up the ten non-virtuous

actions, one also needs to consider also the eight attributes of the
fruition. By contemplating on these effects, one will act towards
acquiring a good body and mind to cultivate the path to
enlightenment. Coupled with pure attitude, pure application and
pure recipient, one should cultivate to (1) not harm living beings for
rebirth in a happy realm; (2) offer light and clothing without jealousy
for a good body; (3) respect to gurus and the three jewels for a high
regard person; (4) giving shelters and necessities for surrounded
with great resources; (5) giving up the four vocal non-virtuous for
being a trustworthy and authoritative; (6) supplication and offerings
to the three jewels and gurus for fame and high acclamation; (7)
delighting in the attributes of a male not yearnings for females’
body for having the capacity for all good qualities; lastly (8) offering
aids and collaboration willingly for having power in activities and
naturally experiencing little injury or illness.
With beginningless rebirths in this cyclic existence, we have created
many virtuous and non-virtuous karma that exist in our mind-
stream. In terms of timeliness at which we experience a result, the
karma shall ripen first in the order of weight of action, action done
near the time of death, frequency of such action and action done
earliest. Thus we should watch up our mental poison and its
intensity particularly hatred at the point of nearing death.

At the first glance the multi-facets of karma could be overwhelming

for digestion in considering the various accounts: principles,
weights, effects, timeliness. However the advantage of
understanding karma will help us in dictating our ‘fate’ as
immediate as now for the next page of our life. This can be done by
avoiding the sufferings through giving up the ten non-virtuous and
creating the happiness through enacting the ten virtuous deeds. To
our delights, with the hindsight of the nature of karma, the potency
of ripening our existing karma can be eradicated by means of
proper antidotes. Similarly, with the hindsight of the power of our
parents, the three jewels and our gurus, we could also create an
immense merit by offerings dharma teachings, our practice and any
materials offerings. In conclusion, with this conviction of law of
karma binding every being in this cyclic existence and
impermanence of death that we may lose our precious human
rebirth at any rate, we seek nothing but liberation from this cyclic
existence and with strong faiths taking refuge in our gurus and the
three jewels for cultivating the path to enlightenment.

Namo Guru Vajrabhairavaya. Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo Sanghaya.

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