Chapter 1 - Kamma And Its Result

The Dhamma taught by the Buddha is based on conditional relation between cause and effect or action and its results ( Kamma and kamma vipaka ). To understand Buddhism or the Dhamma, in its plain sense, one should know that there are only two views or concepts in the world, namely:

1. Soul or Self (Atta); and
2. No-soul or No-self (Anatta) theories.

Several other religions, except Buddhism, advocate the Soul or God or Self theory in various denominations.

With reference to Anatta theory, there are two views, namely:

1. Kammasakata Samma Ditthi Nana, i.e. the knowledge of proper understanding of one's own actions and their reactions, or cause and effect; and
2. Vipassana Nana, i.e. the insight knowledge of realisation of things as they really are.

With regard to the first view, Buddhists do not believe, like followers of other religions, in any creation by God or Divine Being or other supernatural powers or in a permanent or indestructible Soul or Self, which are regarded in Buddhism as Issara Nimmana Ditthi, meaning the wrong view of creation by dominant Power or Soul or God. And they also do not hold the view that what is experienced, whether good or bad, happy or unhappy, in this present life is due to past cause only (Pubbekatahetu Ditthi. In a similar fashion, Buddhism teaches that there are causal relationships for our existence, resultant from the past births and the things do not evolve by blind chance or no-cause (Akiriya or Ahetuka Ditthi), but dependent on their previous cause. According to the causal or conditional law of nature, there is also the possibility of resultant existence after one's life, as long as one has craving or clinging for something in one's mind.

Other religions generally believe in transmigration or reincarnation, eternalism and nihilism, self-indulgence and self-mortification, pessimism and optimism, all of which differ from Buddhist Teaching. But Buddhists believe only in the principles of Cause and Effect, the Cycle of Dependent Origination (Paticca Samuppada).

With regard to Kamma formation, Buddhists believe that in the whole universe there are only three phenomena, namely wholesome ( Kusala Dhamma ), unwholesome ( Akusala Dhamma ), and neither wholesome-nor-unwholesome ( Avyakata Dhamma ). According to the Buddhist concept, wholesome means good action, good speech and good thought, whereas unwholesome means evil action, evil speech and evil thought.

Buddhists try to cultivate good actions, speech and thought. That is, one is trying to create and accumulate good Kamma as much as possible. Kamma here means wholesome and unwholesome volition. Good resultant fruits are acquired by creating good volition or good Kamma, and vice versa.

It therefore depends upon how one cultivates Kamma, for good or bad during one's lifetime. Quite simply, you can expect that the result of what you are related to what you have done, and will also result from what you are doing presently. Good begets good and evil begets evil.

It is natural and scientific law of the universe that whoever does any good or bad action will surely have good or bad reaction. As an old proverb says; "As we sow so shall we reap". Similarly, there is also a Buddhist saying that 'a tree will bear fruits according to its seed, whether bitter or sweet' (Yadisam vappate bijam tadisam harate phalam).

Buddhist Kamma is neither fatalism nor determinism. It is dynamic and moves always upwards and downwards according to one's activities, movements or volition either good or bad. One will see, therefore, that one's Kamma can be modified or created as one likes, so that one can progress to a higher realm of life. As such, man is supreme master of himself; it is man's creative power and that alone makes himself, his status, or his Kamma to be developed for the betterment of his life. One must strive to raise the degree of one's moral virtues and cultivate good Kamma for spiritual evolution.

In Buddhism to have faith in Kamma and its effects is first and foremost essential. If one does not believe in Kamma and its effects and wrongly believes that an Almighty Being or God is arranging the good and bad results, human power or capacity becomes of no use for one's own destiny and one must then solely surrender oneself to God only. If that is so, man is not required to do anything good and just has to wait for the guidance of God. Thus he is more inclined to do bad deeds instead of good since man mostly delights in evil things. As a result, he will not enjoy happiness, but surely meet sufferings which are natural consequences of his own bad deeds.

Those who have done meritorious deeds in the past gain prosperity and happiness in the present. They are born in high and noble families. Their hearts are full of kindness and love for their fellow beings. They shun evil actions, and love honesty and truth. Their minds are occupied with noble thoughts. They receive the love and respect of the people. They are brave and fearless in doing right; they act, speak and think rightly. They act calmly and thoughtfully. Other people regard them as their true leaders. Their good fame spreads far and wide all over the county and the world. These are the results of meritorious actions done only by themselves in the past as well as the present.

For example, a person receives good education and moral teaching in his or her youth from good parents, guardians and teachers. He or she thus enjoys at a later date the fruits of his or her labours. In the same way, persons who performed good deeds in the past enjoy good fruits in the present as a consequence of their good deeds; they lead a life of prosperity, peace and happiness.

There are four kinds of personalities, namely:

1. One who is born of rich parents and became rich and prosperous, is said to be good in both past and present Kamma - like Anathapindika and Visakha;
2. One who is born of rich parents, but become poor and low in one's living is said to be good in the past but not good at present, like a begger son of a very rich man;
3. One who is born of poor parents, but becomes rich and prosperous is said to be bad in the past and good at present Kamma;
4. One who is born of poor parents and became low in living is said to be bad in both the past and present Kamma.

Though the past Kamma is not exempt now in the present life and is supporting occasionally, unless one cultivates the present Kamma as good as possible, one cannot by any means become rich and prosperous.

Therefore in order to fulfil the present Kamma better, one must earn one's living according to the following four ways;

1. One should live according to the means of alertness or diligence in doing one's business, education, service, etc. (Utthana Sampada).
2. One should live according to the means of wariness, watchfulness and good care, etc. so that one's wealth and possessions may not be lost (Arakkha Sampada).
3. One should live according to the means of association with good friends (Kalayana Mittata) who have such good qualities as:
   A. Faith (Saddha)
   B. Morality (Sila)
   C. Liberality (Caga )
   D. Wisdom (Panna)
4. One should live within one's means (Samajivatata).

In observing the above mentioned factors, it is obvious that the inequalities in human characters, appearances, positions, abilities, status, etc. are only due to their own actions (Kamma) and experiences of their resultant effects. Apparently, in this world, the basic and natural process of individual mentality or tendency differs from person to person. Consequently, as the manner of their actions differs from one another, their consequences also are not the same, lust like their fingers. Such being the case, we, all human beings, appear in the world in different forms and qualities. That is why some are rich while some are poor, and some are wise while some are foolish and so on. It is a well-known fact that the natural phenomenon, like Kamma, can never produce two identical things; that is the reason why even identical twins of the same parents differ from one another.

The Lord Buddha teaches us about the consequences of actions. Kamma literally means action. In the ultimate sense of the term, Kamma means good and 'bad volition, Kamma dose not necessarily mean only past action; it may be both past and present actions; Kamma is action and Vipaka its fruit, is reaction. The, various kinds of bad and good volition engender the resultant mental properties and material qualities produced out of one's actions, as a result of Kamma.

It is not like fate, nor predestination which is imposed on us by some mysterious unknown being to whom we must helplessly submit ourselves. In a plain sense, it is one's own doing or action which reacts or result on one's own self. It is a natural law in itself.

As Kamma is good or bad actions, and Vipaka is the natural consequence of those actions, no one can escape from the consequence of one's moral or immoral actions. In other words, every action or cause is followed by its reaction or effects like a shadow following the person. For no power on earth or heaven can prevent the consequence of one's own actions or avert the actions resulting therefrom.

It is therefore necessary to perform whatever action may be, bodily, verbally, and mentally, with good will or intention, as far as possible. The meritorious deeds done in the present life will bear fruits of a future blissful state either in the heavenly birth or human abode. But in the performance of any activity, one should not forget to use right effort, right judgement, common sense and reason. Otherwise, for the lack of these, one's actions in the past may not bear good resultant fruits in the present.

Buddhism attributes that one's action is one's own heir, one's own inheritance, one's own cause, one's own kinsmen, ones own refuge. If one, does good or bad, one is the heir of that action.

Here we shall take an instance how the Buddha delivered the Doctrine of Kamma, the Law of Cause and Effect and replied to the questions by the young man, Subha, the son of Todeya as follows:

"Why is that among human beings some live short, whilst some long lives, some have poor health whilst some good health, some are ugly whilst some beautiful, some are friendless whilst some have plenty, some are poor whilst some rich some are low-born whilst some high-born, some are ignorant whilst some intelligent? Why is it that human beings have these differences?"