What is Karma?

How does Karma Work?
All deeds leave imprints or seeds on our consciousness, which ripen into our experiences when the appropriate conditions come together. For example, if we help someone with a kind heart, this action leaves a positive imprint on our mindstream. When conditions are suitable, this imprint will ripen in our receiving of help when we need it.

Karmic seeds continue with us from lifetime to lifetime. However, if we do not create the cause or Karma for something, we will not experience that result. If one does not plant a certain seed, that plant will not grow. The Buddha taught:

According to the seed that is sown,
So is the fruit you reap.
The doer of good will gather good result,
The doer of evil reaps evil result.
If you plant a good seed well,
Then you will enjoy the good fruits.

What are the Effects of Karma?
Karma affects our future rebirths and influences what we experience during our lives: how others treat us, our wealth, social status etc. Karma also affects our personality and character: our talents, strong personality traits and habits. The kind of environment we are born into is also influenced by Karma.

We are according to what we have done.
We will be according to what we do.

What Kinds of Karma are There?
If an action brings pain and misery in the long term for oneself and others, it is unwholesome or negative Karma. And if it brings happiness, it is wholesome or positive Karma. Actions are not inherently good or bad- they are only so according to their motivations and the consequences they bring. Whatever happiness and fortune we experience in our lives comes from our own positive actions, while our problems result from our own negative actions.

How is Negative Karma Created?
There are ten unwholesome actions which should be avoided if one does not wish to create negative Karma.

1. Killing
2. Stealing
3. Sexual Misconduct
4. Lying
5. Tale-bearing
6. Harsh Speaking
7. Idle Talking
8. Having Craving (Greed)
9. Having Aversion (Anger)
10. Having Wrong Views

How is Positive Karma Created?
There are ten wholesome actions which one ought to strive to do to create positive Karma. The ten wholesome actions also include the avoidance of the ten unwholesome actions.

1. Practising Charity
2. Practising Self-Restraint
3. Practising Meditation
4. Having Reverence
5. Practising Service
6. Transferring of Merit
7. Rejoicing in Others' Merit
8. Hearing the Dharrna
9. Teaching the Dharma
10. Straightening One's Views

Can Karma be Created Together?
Karma can be both collective and individual. Collective Karma is action done together as a group. For example, a platoon of soldiers may kill together. The results of this action can be experienced together as a group, often in future lives. Yet each member of the group thinks, speaks and acts differently, thus also creating individual karma, the results of which he will experience for himself.

Who Controls Karma?
There is no one that decides the “rewards and punishments” for what we do. We create the causes of our actions, and we experience their results. We are responsible for our own experience. The Buddha discovered the law of Karma- He did not create it. (No one created it.) By teaching us the law of Karma, the Buddha shows us how to work within the functioning of cause and effect in order to attain True Happiness and avoid pain.

Is Everything Subject to Karma?
The law of Karma does not apply to “mindless” actions such as walking, sitting or sleeping. Such actions do not produce effects apart from the actions themselves. (However, Karma applies to the intentional thoughts one thinks.) Similarly, accidents are considered neutral Karma because they are unintentional. However, we should always work towards increasing our mindfulness such that accidents do not occur.

Can Karma Change?
Karma is not inflexibly fixed- it does not mean fate or predetermination. Intentional
actions at some time or other produce their effects when favouring conditions exist. Though people in their present lives are experiencing the effects of their past actions (Karma), it is possible to change, reduce or increase the effects of these past actions through present actions, which can affect the immediate future and future lives. Understanding the law of Karma helps one realise that we are whatever we make ourselves to be. We are entirely responsible for our destiny.

How do We Know Our Karma?
The Buddha gave us general guidelines about the results of various actions. For example, the Buddha taught us that killing causes a short life and generosity results in wealth. However, only a Buddha's omniscient Mind can understand the complete dynamics of Karma.

There is flexibility in the functioning of actions and their results. While we know that constantly insulting others, for example, brings us an unfortunate rebirth, just exactly what form we will be reborn into varies. If the action was very heavy- for example, with strong anger we repeatedly abused many people and felt gratified that we had hurt their feelings, the result will be more unpleasant than if we casually teased someone and later regretted our insensitivity. The conditions present at the time that karmic seed ripens also influences what specific results it brings.

Is Karma Always Fair?
When we see dishonest people who are wealthy, or cruel people who are powerful, or kind people who die young, we may doubt the law of Karma. But many of the results we experience in this life are the results of actions in previous lives, and many of the actions we do in this life will only ripen in future lives- this is called long-term Karma. (Short-term Karma is that which show results within a short term of time.) The wealth of dishonest people might be the result of their generosity in past lives. Their current dishonesty is however, leaving karmic seeds for them to experience poverty in future lives. Likewise, the respect and authority given to cruel people is due to positive actions they did in the past. In the present, they are abusing their power, thus creating the cause for future pain. Those who die young are experiencing the result of negative actions such as killing done in past lives. However, their present kindness is planting seeds or imprints on their mindstreams for them to experience happiness in the future.

Will We Surely Experience Negative Karma?
When seeds, even small ones, are planted in the ground, they will eventually sprout- unless they do not have the needed conditions for growth such as water, sunlight and fertilisers. The ultimate way to uproot karmic imprints or seeds is by meditation on the emptiness of inherent existence. This is the way to purify the disturbing attitudes and the karmic imprints completely. At our level, this may be rather difficult, but we can still stop the harmful imprints from ripening by purifying them. This is like preventing the seed from receiving water, sunshine and fertiliser. Doing much good too can “dilute” the ill effects of negative Karma.

How Can We Purify Negative Karma?
Purification is very important as it prevents future suffering and relieves guilt. By purifying our Minds, we are able to be more peaceful and understand the Dharma better.
The four opponent powers used to purify negative imprints or seeds are:

1. Regret
2. Determination Not to Repeat the Action
3. Taking the Threefold Refuge and Generating Compassion towards Others
4. Actual Remedial Practice
    (Any Positive Action- including Meditation and Chanting)

The four opponent powers must be done repeatedly. As we have done many negative actions, we cannot expect to counteract all of them at once. The stronger the four opponent powers are, the firmer our determination not to repeat the action and the more powerful the purification will be.

Does Karma Influence Whom We Meet?
Yes- but this does not mean that all relationships are predetermined. We may have certain karmic predispositions to feel close to or to have friction with certain people. But, this does not mean that our relationships with them must continue along the same lines. If we are kind to those who speak ill of us and try to communicate with them, the relationships will change, creating positive Karma that will bring happiness in the future.

We are not karmically bound to others- there are no special people who are the one and only one for us. Since we had many past lives, we have had contact with every being some time before. Our relationship with any particular person also changes constantly. However, past karmic connections can influence our present relationships. For example, if someone has been our spiritual mentor in a past life, we may be drawn to that person in this lifetime, and when he or she teaches us the Dharma, it may have a very strong effect on us.

If Others Suffer Due to Negative Karma, Can We Help Them?
We know what it is like to feel miserable, and that is exactly how others feel when they are experiencing the results of their own destructive actions. Out of empathy and compassion, we should definitely help. Though others created the causes to experience their difficulties, maybe they also created the causes to receive help from us! We are all alike in wanting happiness and trying to avoid pain. It does not matter whose pain or problem it is- we should try to relieve it. For example, to think, “the poor are poor because of their own past lives? miserliness. I would be interfering with their karma if I tried to help,” is a cruel misconception. We should never rationalise our own laziness, apathy or smugness by misinterpreting cause and effect. Compassion and universal responsibility are important for our own spiritual development and world peace.

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© January 2004 My Healing Hands ALL RIGHTS RESERVED