Karma and Rebirth by Rev Ryuei Michael McCormick Ryuei.net > Pali Canon > Mahayana > Lotus Sutra > Blog

Intentional Actions and their Consequences

Now let us focus on what the Buddha had to say about the law of karma itself: what it is and how it functions. As shown above, the Buddha defined karma as intentional or volitional actions of thought, word, and deed. These intentional actions or karma then become the seeds that will eventually come to fruition in good or bad ways depending on the quality of the karmic act. Citing the verses of some ancient wise seers, the Buddha taught:

Whatever sort of seed is sown,
That is the sort of fruit one reaps:
The doer of good reaps good;
The doer of evil reaps evil.
(SN 11:10, see Connected Discourses of the Buddha, p. 328)

In response to questions, the Buddha did provide overviews of the kinds of consequences that would result from various intentional actions. For instance, in the discourse known as the Culakammavibhanga Sutta (Shorter Exposition of Action Discourse) the brahmin student Subha asked the Buddha what were the causes and conditions that made some people more or less fortunate than others:

Master Gautama, what is the cause and condition why human beings are seen to be inferior and superior? For people are seen to be short-lived and long-lived, sickly and healthy, ugly and beautiful, uninfluential and influential, poor and wealthy, low-born and high-born, stupid and wise. What is the cause and condition, Master Gautama, why human beings are seen to be inferior and superior?  (MN 135: 3, see Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, p. 1053)

This is the question many of us may have. Why is there so much inequality and injustice in the world? Today, we might respond by pointing to genetics or social conditions or some other external circumstance, but people want to know if there is some deeper cause than the lottery of natural and historical circumstances, esp. as it impacts the lives of ourselves and those that we love and care for. In response, the Buddha points to people's karmic accountability.

Student, 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: 4, see Ibid, p. 1053)

The Buddha asserts that the nature of our existence is our own responsibility insofar as we generate the karmic actions that result in the givens of the changing circumstances that we are faced with in life. Even the very nature of our body and mind from moment to moment and lifetime to lifetime is determined by the consequences of past karma. As the Buddha states in one discourse on karma:

And what, monks, is old karma? The eye is old karma, to be seen as generated and fashioned by volition, as something to be felt. The ear is old karma ... The nose is old karma ... The tongue is old karma ... The body is old karma ... The mind is old karma, to be seen as generated and fashioned by volition, as something to be felt. This is called old karma.  (SN 35: 146, see Connected Discourses of the Buddha, p. 1211)

At Subha s request, the Buddha goes on to describe some representative wholesome and unwholesome actions and attitudes and their corresponding effects. In this discourse the Buddha does not factor in other contributing causes and conditions pertaining to the laws of inanimate nature, biological processes, non-volitional mental processes, processes pertaining to the unfolding of the Dharma, or other people s choices, but restricts himself to speaking solely about the causes and effects pertaining to karmic activity. In the case of the unwholesome actions, the Buddha states that those engaging in them will after death reappear in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell  (MN 135: 5, see Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, pp. 1053-1054) and that even if they do not they will be reborn into the corresponding unfortunate condition or circumstance. On the other hand, in the case of wholesome actions, the Buddha states that those engaging in them will after death reappear in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world  (Ibid, pp. 1054) and even if they do not they will be reborn into the corresponding fortunate condition or circumstance. The following is a listing of unwholesome and wholesome actions and their corresponding consequences to the duration and quality of a human life:

This is the way, student, that leads to short life, namely, one kills living beings and is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings...

This is the way, student, that leads to long life, namely, abandoning the killing of living beings, one abstains from killing living beings; with rod and weapon laid aside, gentle and kindly, one abides compassionate to all living beings...

This is the way, student, that leads to, sickness, namely, one is given to injuring beings with the hand, with a clod, with a stick, or with a knife...

This is the way, student, that leads to health, namely, one is not given to injuring beings with the hand, with a clod, with a stick, or with a knife...

This is the way, student, that leads to ugliness, namely, one is of an angry and irritable character; even when criticized a little, he is offended, becomes angry, hostile, and resentful, and displays anger, hate, and bitterness... This is the way, student, that leads to being beautiful, namely, one is not of an angry and irritable character ... and does not display anger, hate, and bitterness...

This is the way, student, that leads to being uninfluential, namely, one is envious, resents, and begrudges the gains, honor, respect, reverence, salutations, and veneration received by others...

This is the way, student, that leads to being influential, namely, one is not envious ... towards the gains, honor, respect, reverence, salutations, and veneration received by others...

This is the way, student, that leads to poverty, namely, one does not give food, drink, clothing, carriages, garlands, scents, unguents, beds, dwelling, and lamps to recluses and brahmins...

This is the way, student, that leads to wealth, namely, one gives food ... and lamps to recluses and brahmins...

This is the way, student, that leads to low birth, namely, one is obstinate and arrogant; he does not pay homage to one who should receive homage, does not rise up for one in whose presence he should rise up, does not offer a seat to one who deserves a seat, does not make way for one for whom he should make way, and does not honor, respect, revere, and venerate one who should be honored, respected, revered, and venerated...

This is the way, student, that leads to high birth, namely, one who is not obstinate and arrogant ... and honors, respects, reveres, and venerates one who should be honored, respected, revered, and venerated...

Here, student, some man or woman does not visit a recluse or brahmin and ask: "Venerable sir, what is wholesome? What is unwholesome? What is blamable? What is blameless? What should be cultivated? What should not be cultivated? What kind of action will lead to my harm and suffering for a long time? What kind of action will lead to my welfare and happiness for a long time?" ... This is the way, student, which leads to stupidity, namely, one does not visit a recluse or brahmin and ask such questions...

This is the way, student, that leads to wisdom, namely, one visits a recluse or brahmin and asks such questions.  (MN 135: 5-18, see Ibid, pp. 1054-1057)

On another occasion, the brahmins of Sala ask the Buddha a similar question.

When they were seated, they said to the Blessed One: Master Gautama, what is the cause and condition why some beings here, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell? And what is the cause and condition why some beings here, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world?  (MN 41: 4, see Ibid, pp. 379-380)

In response, the Buddha explains to them that it is due to unrighteous conduct that beings are reborn in unhappy circumstances, and due to righteous conduct that they are reborn in happy circumstances. When the brahmins ask for a more detailed explanation, the Buddha responds in terms of ten unwholesome bodily, verbal, and mental acts that bring demerit and lead to a sorrowful rebirth, and ten wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental acts that bring merit and lead to a happy rebirth.

Householders, there are three kinds of bodily conduct, conduct not in accordance with the Dharma, unrighteous conduct. There are four kinds of verbal conduct not in accordance with the Dharma, unrighteous conduct. There are three kinds of mental conduct, conduct not in accordance with the Dharma, unrighteous conduct.

And how, householders, are there three kinds of bodily conduct, conduct not in accordance with the Dharma, unrighteous? Here someone kills living beings; he is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. He takes what is not given; he takes by way of theft the wealth and property of others in the village or forest. He misconducts himself in sensual pleasures; he has intercourse with women who are protected by their mother, father, mother and father, brother, sister, or relatives, who have a husband, who are protected by law, and even with those who are garlanded in token of betrothal. That is how there are three kinds of bodily conduct not in accordance with the Dharma, unrighteous conduct.

And how, householders, are there four kinds of verbal conduct, conduct not in accordance with the Dharma, unrighteous conduct? Here someone speaks falsehood; when summoned to a court, or to a meeting, or to his relatives' presence, or to his guild, or to the royal family's presence, and questioned as a witness thus: "So, good man, tell what you know," not knowing, he says, "I know," or knowing, he says, "I do not know"; not seeing, he says, "I see," or seeing, he says, "I do not see"; in full awareness he speaks falsehood for his own ends, or for another's ends, or for some trifling worldly end. He speaks maliciously; he repeats elsewhere what he has heard here in order to divide [those people] from these, or he repeats to these people what he heard elsewhere in order to divide [these people] from those; thus he is one who divides those who are united, a creator of divisions, who enjoys discord, rejoices in discord, delights in discord, a speaker of words that create discord. He speaks harshly; he utters such words as are rough, hard, hurtful to others, offensive to others, bordering on anger, unconducive to concentration. He is a gossip; he speaks at the wrong time, speaks what is not fact, speaks what is useless, speaks contrary to the Dharma and the discipline; at the wrong time he speaks such words as are worthless, unreasonable, immoderate, and unbeneficial. That is how there are four kinds of verbal conduct not in accordance with the Dharma, unrighteous conduct.

And how, householders, are there three kinds of mental conduct not in accordance with the Dharma, unrighteous conduct? Here someone is covetous; he covets the wealth and property of others thus: "Oh, may what belongs to another be mine!" Or he has a mind full of ill will and intentions of hate thus: "May these beings be slain and slaughtered, may they be cut off, perish, or be annihilated!" Or he has wrong view, distorted vision, thus: "There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed; no fruit or result of good and bad actions; no this world, no other world; no mother, no father; no beings who are reborn spontaneously; no good and virtuous recluses and brahmins in the world who have themselves realized by direct knowledge and declare this world and the other world." That is how there are three kinds of mental conduct not in accordance with the Dharma, unrighteous conduct. So householders, it is by reason of such conduct not in accordance with the Dharma, by reason of such unrighteous conduct that some beings here on the dissolution of the body, after death, are reborn in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. (MN 41: 7-10, see Ibid, pp. 380-381)

The Buddha then explains the ten kinds of righteous conduct that consists of refraining from these ten acts of engaging in killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, speaking maliciously, speaking harshly, engaging in idle chatter, giving in to covetousness, giving in to ill will, or holding wrong views. Even more than mere restraint, the ten kinds of righteous conduct include the three wholesome bodily acts of compassionately acting to protect life, giving to others, and maintaining chaste contentment; the four wholesome verbal acts of speaking honestly, speaking in a way to bring about peace and harmony between people, speaking in a gentle and pleasing manner, and speaking responsibly and to the point; and the three wholesome mental acts of cultivating generosity, loving-kindness, and right view.

The Buddha taught that the moral quality of an act is determined not only by their immediate external effects on ourselves and others (such as killing a person or saving their life) but even more importantly by the internal motivations that drive us to act or not act in a given situation.

There are, O monks, three causes for the origination of action? Greed, hatred, and delusion.

An action done in greed, born of greed, caused by greed, arisen from greed, will ripen wherever the individual is reborn; and wherever the action ripens, there the individual experiences the fruit of that action, be it in this life, or in the next life, or in subsequent future lives.

An action done in hatred, born of hatred, caused by hatred, arisen from hatred, will ripen wherever the individual is reborn; and wherever the action ripens, there the individual experiences the fruit of that action, be it in this life, or in the next life, or in subsequent future lives.

An action done in delusion, born of delusion, caused by delusion, arisen from delusion, will ripen wherever the individual is reborn; and wherever the action ripens, there the individual experiences the fruit of that action, be it in this life, or in the next life, or in subsequent future lives.

It is, monks, as with seeds that are undamaged, not rotten, unspoiled by wind and sun, capable of sprouting and well embedded in a good field, sown in well-preserved soil: if there is plenty of rain, these seeds will grow, shoot up and develop abundantly.

Similarly, monks, whatever action is done out of greed, hatred, or delusion ... will ripen wherever the individual is reborn; and wherever the action ripens, there the individual experiences the fruit of that action, be it in this life, or in the next life, or in subsequent future lives.

These, monks, are three causes for the origination of action.

There are, O monks, three other causes for the origination of action. What three? Non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion.

If an action is done in non-greed, born of non-greed, caused by non-greed, arisen from non-greed ... If an action is done in non-hatred ... If an action is done in non-delusion, born of non-delusion, caused by non-delusion, arisen from non-delusion, once greed, hatred, and delusion have vanished that action is thus abandoned, cut off at the root, made barren like a palm-stump, obliterated so that it is no more subject to arise in the future.

It is, monks, as with seeds that are undamaged, not rotten, unspoiled by wind and sun, capable of sprouting and well-embedded: if a man were to burn them in fire and reduce them to ashes, then winnow the ashes in a strong wind or let them be carried away by a swiftly flowing stream, then those seeds would have been radically destroyed, fully eliminated, made unable to sprout and would not be liable to arise in the future.

Similarly it is, monks, with actions done in non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion. Once greed, hatred, and delusion have vanished, these actions are thus abandoned, cut off at the root, made barren like palm-tree stumps, obliterated so that they are no more subject to arise in the future.

These, monks, are the other three causes for the origination of action.  (AN 3:33, see Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, pp. 49-50)

Unwholesome actions are those that are motivated by a mind filled with either greed or hatred. Both greed and hatred are in turn based on delusion, and delusion may be buttressed by holding wrong views, which is another type of mental action. Laziness, negligence, and carelessness are also mental actions, and so it is also possible that an accident  may indeed be a karmically unwholesome act if caused by such attitudes. Actions with greed, hatred, and delusion as the motivating intentions are actions that look to gain something either in the short or long-term. In this way they perpetuate the process of rebirth as the "self" constantly seeks satisfaction even as it suffers from the ripening of the bad causes it has sown.

Wholesome actions, on the other hand, are those motivated by positive mental states such as generosity or loving-kindness. These actions sow karmic seeds that will ripen into fortunate rebirths and circumstances. Actions based on right view are even better, because those actions are not tainted by delusion. Actions whose intentions are free of greed, hatred, and delusion are not grasping for any kind of results, they are actions free of regret and longing, hope and fear, so these actions do not perpetuate the process of rebirth.

In the foregoing discourses, no mention is made as to whether bodily, verbal, or mental actions have equal importance or whether one type has more impact than the others. At one time, a Jain monk named Digha Tapassi asked the Buddha his view about this:

Of these three kinds of action, friend Gautama, thus analyzed and distinguished, which kind of action do you describe as the most reprehensible for the performance of evil action, for the perpetration of evil action: bodily action or verbal action or mental action? 

Of these three kinds of action, Tapassi, thus analyzed and distinguished, I describe mental action as the most reprehensible for the performance of evil action, for the perpetration of evil action, and not so much bodily action and verbal action.  (MN 56: 4, see Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, pp. 478-479)

The Jains believed that bodily actions counted for more karmically speaking than mental actions. So hearing of the Buddha's reply to Digha Tapassi s question, a Jain lay follower named Upali tried to debate the Buddha's assertion, but the Buddha pointed out that even the Jains recognized that an ascetic who longs for something is still bound by it, that ascetics who cause harm unintentionally are not held accountable, and that recluses and brahmins are said to be able to cause greater harm through mental acts of hate than a man with a sword. Upali was thereby convinced that indeed, mental actions are considered to be more crucial than verbal or bodily actions, particularly because bodily and verbal acts depend upon the underlying motivation, which is a mental act. Intention is therefore acknowledged and confirmed as the key element of karma.

If karma is understood to be intentional activity, then the view that we should not help the unfortunate because it would interfere with the ripening of their karma is greatly mistaken. What counts is the quality of our intention towards other people. If our intention is callous indifference or cruelty, followed up with metaphysical rationalizations, then the karma we generate will be unwholesome, regardless of whether or not the people we refuse to help are suffering because of ripening karma or some other reason. Remember that from the Buddhist point of view we cannot blame the victim because karma is only one of several factors. Also, even if we are unable to provide effective assistance or we unintentionally make matters worse, what ultimately counts is whether our actions are genuinely compassionate or not. Of course, doing our best to act in an informed and skillful manner is better than acting foolishly and carelessly. Wholesome intention isn't simply to mean well  or have good intentions  but to act with care and forethought and not impulsively out of ignorance. The bottom line is that causing or being indifferent to the suffering of others is an unwholesome cause based on unwholesome intentions rooted in greed, hatred, and delusion; whereas doing our best to skillfully relieve suffering and lead ourselves and others to liberation is a wholesome cause based on wholesome intentions rooted in generosity, loving-kindness, and ultimately the wisdom of right view.

So far, only the intention of the individual has been discussed, but the concept of group karma  and transference of merit  should also be mentioned here in connection with karma as intention. An individual may take part in a group activity, and to a greater or lesser extent share in the intention of the group. At the very least, by their active participation they are cooperating with the group s intention. To a lesser extent, even if they stand aside, they are making an intention to not participate or not impede what the group is doing. If it is a wholesome action, then their non-participation is unfortunate, especially if they do not participate out of greed, hatred, or delusion. If it is an unwholesome action and out of greed, hatred, or delusion they do not try to prevent it or at least voice disapproval if prevention is not possible, then they also share some responsibility. One such case of unwholesome group karma was attributed to the Shakya clan. Towards the end of the Buddha s life, King Virudhaka massacred the Shakya clan because they had insulted him in his youth. The later commentary to verse 47 of the Dhammapada has the Buddha explain that the deeper reason for the massacre was because in an earlier life, the Shakyas had as a group killed a great multitude of fish by poisoning a river.

In the case of the transference of merit, a work known as the Petavatthu contains a multitude of stories about hungry ghosts whose living relatives make donations made in their name. The hungry ghosts are able to share in the merit of these donations because of the intention to rejoice in such acts of goodness done in their name. Through the merit generated by such a wholesome mental act the hungry ghosts are then reborn in heaven. Though technically it is not possible to transfer karma to another person, the act of making offerings to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in the name of other people, particularly the deceased, so that they can share in the merit by rejoicing in that act came to known as the transference of merit.