Abhidhamma in Daily Life (by Ashin Janakabhivamsa)

by Ashin Janakabhivamsa | 66,666 words

English translation of "Abhidhamma in Daily Life" by Professor Ko Lay. Revised by Sayadaw U Silananda, International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University, Yangon, 1999...

The mind-body continuum of every sentient being is accompanied by bad kammic forces of the past. These bad kammic forces by themselves cannot produce effects severe enough to kill that being. But when that miscreant, having intelligence or knowledge of how to look after himself, will not be mindful of his health and daily living, these kammic forces would get the opportunity to bring danger or death to the individual. If, in the past, one had starved, tortured, beaten, burnt, drowned or tormented others, then one is due to meet the same fate. Those who had tortured others in the past suffer from chronic diseases such as asthma, leprosy, debility, etc. and lived out their miserable, unhappy life spans to die subsequently from those ailments. Negligence in one’s living habits invites bad kamma of the past to take effect.

The wise men of the past had left many saying: “Life is safe guarded by foresight and wisdom: disaster is caused by one false step; one’s life is endangered by one morsel of bad food; foolishness to go into tiger’s den is surely courting danger which cannot be averted by luck; do no jump into fire entrusting one’s kamma which will not save one from burning.”

What these sages of yore mean is - every one has an accumulation of past kammic forces; if they are not too strong, they cannot get opportunity to come to fruition by themselves. If one is vigilant, mindful and careful in one’s way of living, they lack means of causing ill effect. The upaccheda kammic forces can take effect only on the negligent and forgetful. Hence the exhortations by the wise to the succeeding generations and the serious reminder that death is just round the corner and will easily jump on those unwary, unmindful individuals who lack fore sight and precaution to look after themselves.

In conclusion among the four classes of death, the last category is common nowadays because most people live recklessly. Negligence in way of living is the main cause of untimely deaths. Those who wish to live their full life span must safeguard their lives with mindfulness and knowledge.

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