KAMMA

KAMMA

"Beings are owners of their actions, heirs of their actions; they originate from their actions, are bound to their actions, have their actions as their refuge. It is action that distinguishes beings as inferior and superior.‖

- MN 135

The Buddha also described skillful view as understanding kamma (karma in Sanskrit). Traditionally kamma is described as the moral law of the universe. We are all the owners of our actions. If we commit harmful acts to ourselves or others we shall, at a later time, reap unpleasant results from those actions. If we commit skillful ones we will reap favorable results. According to the Buddhist view, this cycle can occur within our lifetime or a later life. This view, which is a commonly accepted one in Asia where Buddhism began, has it that the kamma we produce and the kamma results we experience are caught up in samsara, an endless cycle of birth and death (and suffering). Buddhist tradition believes that there is no divine agent driving kamma and that there is no beginning of samsara. The goal of practice, many believe, is to get off this samsaric wheel of suffering. Some Western practitioners have difficulty believing in this world view. There has been debate in Western Buddhist circles as to whether belief in kamma is necessary for practice. In many discourses of the Buddha he says that it is. Each practitioner needs to determine for themselves how they want to relate to this aspect of the teachings.

―Intention, I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of body, speech, and mind.‖

-AN 6.63

Intention is the essential piece in working with kamma. As the above famous quote signifies, the most important thing we can do is set skillful intentions. Regardless of the outcome of our actions, our intentions are paramount. According to the Buddhist view on intention, even if we kill someone accidentally, if our true intentions were wholesome, then we would not incur negative kamma and would not be blamable. In understanding the workings of kamma in our own lives, sometimes it is easy to see the unpleasant results from our unwholesome actions. Other times the results of our actions are not apparent to us. We can continue creating suffering for long periods of our lives unaware of the cumulative harm of our conduct. Sometimes we consciously or unconsciously cover over an unskillful intention with a skillful one. For example, we may be dishonest with someone, telling ourselves that they cannot handle the truth, when the real reason for our deception was to satisfy our own desire. Often our true motives have to do with building up our own image and sense of self (e.g., not wanting to look foolish or inadequate in front of others). The progressive nature of Dhamma practice helps us see deeply into our behaviors and their underlying motivations. We can use that wisdom to set ourselves free.