The Buddha points out that one must take a longer view. One cannot just observe what happens to someone within the short span of one lifetime or a single death and rebirth and then jump to conclusions about the efficacy or inefficacy of good and bad actions. The ripening of karma is not always immediate. The circumstances, including rebirth, that one faces could be the results of actions made a moment ago, a year ago, in a previous lifetime, or in some lifetime before that. The views that one holds, esp. at the time of death, may also have a decisive effect on rebirth. Wrong views may hasten misfortune and right views may lead to the mitigation of karmic suffering or even total liberation from it. So one cannot presume that the effects that are ripening in a person s life or even in the circumstances of their rebirth are necessarily the result of immediately preceding causes. It is not so easy to trace the connections between causes and effects.
In the case of a person who commits one or more of the ten courses of unwholesome conduct and is soon faced with unfortunate circumstances, it is indeed possible that they may be suffering the effects of the unwholesome conduct in question. But the misfortune they experience may be the result of some other bad causes, as the Buddha points out, ...either earlier he did an evil action to be felt as painful, or later he did an evil action to be felt as painful, or at the time of death, he acquired and undertook wrong view. (MN 136: 17, see Ibid, p. 1064) The unwholesome conduct will eventually have its effect, but one cannot presume to know exactly when. As the Buddha says, ...he will experience the result of that either here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some subsequent existence. (MN 136: 17, see Ibid, p. 1064)
In the case of a person who commits one or more of the ten courses of unwholesome conduct but find themselves rewarded with good fortune, it may seem that they have gotten away with their unwholesome conduct or even been rewarded for it. But the good fortune they experience is the result of good causes done at another time, as the Buddha points out, ... either earlier he did a good action to be felt as pleasant, or later he did a good action to be felt as pleasant, or at the time of death he acquired and undertook right view. (MN 136: 18, see Ibid, p. 1064) In this case, the good fortune is not the result of, or in spite of, the unwholesome conduct; it is the result of some other conduct that was wholesome. The unwholesome conduct will, however, eventually have its effect as in the first case.
In the case of a person who follows the ten courses of wholesome conduct and is soon faced with fortunate circumstances, it is indeed possible that they may be reaping the rewards of the wholesome conduct in question. But the good fortune they experience may be the result of some other good causes, as the Buddha points out, ... either earlier he did a good action to be felt as pleasant, or later he did a good action to be felt as pleasant, or at the time of death he acquired and undertook right view. (MN 136: 19, see Ibid, p. 1064) The wholesome conduct will eventually have its effect, but one cannot presume to know exactly when. As the Buddha says, ...he will experience the result of that either here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some subsequent existence. (MN 136: 19, see Ibid, p. 1065)
In the case of a person who follows the ten courses of wholesome conduct but find themselves suffering some misfortune, it may seem as though they have not received any benefit for their wholesome conduct or have even been punished for it. But the misfortune they experience is the result of bad causes done at another time, as the Buddha points out, ...either earlier he did an evil action to be felt as painful, or later he did an evil action to be felt as painful, or at the time of death, he acquired and undertook wrong view. (MN 136: 20, see Ibid, p. 1065) In this case, the misfortune is not the result of, or in spite of, the wholesome conduct; it is the result of some other conduct that was unwholesome. The wholesome conduct will, however, eventually have its effect as in the previous case.
The Buddha summarizes these four cases with the following statement:
Thus, Ananda, there is action that is incapable [of good result] and appears incapable; there is action that is incapable [of good result] and appears capable; there is action that is capable [of good result] and appears capable; and there is action that is capable [of good result] and appears incapable. (MN 136: 21, see Ibid, p. 1065)
Because the recluses and brahmins with the divine eye jumped to conclusions based on their limited observations of a single lifespan or rebirth, they made unwarranted dogmatic assumptions about the nature of karma. They assumed that either karma would immediately reward the good and punish the bad or that there were no rewards or punishments if they were not immediately forthcoming. On the basis of having recalled countless rebirths and his much greater mastery of the divine eye to observe the passing and rebirth of countless beings, the Buddha taught that the unfolding of karma is much more complex, and its course is not so simple or predictable.
The important lesson for us is that we should also not presume that our good conduct will always be immediately rewarded, nor should we presume that there are no past misdeeds that have not yet ripened into suffering. Good causes will not negate the retributions of bad causes, but neither do bad causes negate the rewards of good causes. Finally, according to this teaching, wrong views can lead even an otherwise good person into states of suffering, because they lead to confusion, clinging, anxiety, and despair at the moment of death. Only the cultivation of right view and all that follows from it, in short the eightfold path that leads to liberation, can truly lead beyond the entanglements of karma and its rewards and retributions.
Another complications of the law of karma is that while it is true that a good cause cannot wholly negate a bad cause nor a bad cause wholly negate a good cause, it is also true that the overall karmic pattern of a being provides a context in which good and bad causes may be felt more or less strongly. So the effects of an unwholesome action might be mitigated or offset by the effects of wholesome actions. On the other hand, the effects of a wholesome action might be diluted or offset by the effects of unwholesome actions. The Buddha, therefore, denies that a cause will rigidly give rise to a specific effect. Rather, the effect will emerge according to its kind but in conjunction with the larger pattern of causes and conditions of which it is a part. The Buddha explains this by using the analogy of a salt crystal thrown into different bodies of water.
"There is the case where a trifling evil deed done by a certain individual takes him to hell. There is the case where the very same sort of trifling deed done by another individual is experienced in the here and now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment.
"Now, a trifling evil deed done by what sort of individual takes him to hell? There is the case where a certain individual is undeveloped in [contemplating] the body, undeveloped in virtue, undeveloped in mind, undeveloped in discernment: restricted, small-hearted, dwelling with suffering. A trifling evil deed, done by this sort of individual takes him to hell.
"Now, a trifling evil deed done by what sort of individual is experienced in the here and now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment? There is the case where a certain individual is developed in [contemplating] the body, developed in virtue, developed in mind, developed in discernment: unrestricted, large-hearted, dwelling with the immeasurable. A trifling evil deed done by this sort of individual is experienced in the here and now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment.
"Suppose that a man were to drop a salt crystal into a small amount of water in a cup. What do you think? Would the water in the cup become salty because of the salt crystal, and unfit to drink?"
"Yes, lord. Why is that? There being only a small amount of water in the cup, it would become salty because of the salt crystal, and unfit to drink."
"Now suppose that a man were to drop a salt crystal into the River Ganges. What do you think? Would the water in the River Ganges become salty because of the salt crystal, and unfit to drink?"
"No, lord. Why is that? There being a great mass of water in the River Ganges, it would not become salty because of the salt crystal or unfit to drink."
"In the same way, there is the case where a trifling evil deed done by one individual [the first] takes him to hell; and there is the case where the very same sort of trifling deed done by the other individual is experienced in the here and now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment.
[Source]
Another complication that must be taken into account when considering the Buddha s teaching about the law of karma is that there are not only wholesome actions and unwholesome actions. There is also what the Buddha calls mixed actions that partake of both, and also a kind of activity that does not produce karma but rather releases the doer from being bound by karma. The Buddha explained these four types action to the ascetic Punna in the Kukkuravitaka Sutta (Dog-duty Ascetic Discourse).
Punna, there are four kinds of action proclaimed by me after realizing them for myself with direct knowledge. What are the four? There is dark action with dark result; there is bright action with bright result; there is dark-and-bright action with dark-and-bright result; and there is action that is neither dark nor bright with neither dark-nor-bright result, action that leads to the destruction of action.
And what, Punna, is dark action with dark result? Here someone generates an afflictive bodily formation, an afflictive verbal formation, an afflictive mental formation. Having generated an afflictive bodily formation, an afflictive verbal formation, an afflictive mental formation, he reappears in an afflictive world. When he has reappeared in an afflictive world, afflictive contacts touch him. Being touched by afflictive contacts, he feels afflictive feelings, extremely painful, as in the case of beings in hell. Thus a being s reappearance is due to a being: one reappears through the actions one has performed. When one has reappeared, contacts touch one. Thus I say beings are the heirs of their actions. This is called dark action with dark result.
And what, Punna, is bright action with bright result? Here someone generates an unafflictive bodily formation, an unafflictive verbal formation, an unafflictive mental formation. Having generated an unafflictive bodily formation, an unafflictive verbal formation, an unafflictive mental formation, he reappears in an unafflictive world. When he has reappeared in an unafflictive world, unafflictive contacts touch him. Being touched by unafflictive contacts, he feels unafflictive feelings, extremely pleasant, as in the case of the gods of Refulgent Glory. Thus a being s reappearance is due to a being: one reappears through the actions one has performed. When one has reappeared, contacts touch one. Thus I say beings are the heirs of their actions. This is called bright action with bright result.
And what, Punna, is dark-and-bright action with dark-and-bright result? Here someone generates a bodily formation that is both afflictive and unafflictive, a verbal formation that is both afflictive and unafflictive, a mental formation that is both afflictive and unafflictive. Having generated a bodily formation, a verbal formation, a mental formation that is both afflictive and unafflictive, he reappears in a world that is both afflictive and unafflictive. When he has reappeared in a world that is both afflictive and unafflictive, both afflictive and unafflictive contacts touch him. Being touched by both afflictive and unafflictive contacts, he feels both afflictive and unafflictive feelings, mingled pleasure and pain, as in the case of human beings and some gods and some beings in the lower worlds. Thus a being s reappearance is due to a being: one reappears through the actions one has performed. When one has reappeared, contacts touch one. Thus I say beings are the heirs of their actions. This is called dark-and-bright action with dark-and-bright result.
And what, Punna, is action that is neither dark nor bright with neither-dark-nor-bright result, action that leads to the destruction of action? Therein, the volition in abandoning the kind of action that is dark with dark result, and the volition in abandoning the kind of action that is bright with bright result, and the volition in abandoning the kind of action that is dark and bright with dark-and-bright result: that is called action that is neither dark nor bright with neither dark-nor-bright result, action that leads to the destruction of action. These are the four kinds of action proclaimed by me after realizing them for myself with direct knowledge. (MN 57: 8-11, see Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, pp. 495-496)
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