KAMMA IN THIS LIFE

How it arises
And gives its result

Sayadaw
Dr. Nandamᾱlᾱbhivaṃsa
First printing: 2017

Number of copies: 500

Published by the Dhamma Sahāya Sāsana Centre - Institute for

Dhamma Education (IDE) at Aung Chan Thar, Pyin-Oo-Lwin,
Myanmar.

Printed by Full Colour, Mandalay, Myanmar.

© Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa
No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced in any
form or by any means without written permission of the
publisher.

Note to readers
Kamma in this Life: How it arises and gives its result is a
compilation of Sayadaw Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa’s lectures and
Dhamma talks given throughout the years at several venues in
Myanmar and abroad. Some talks had to be transcribed or
translated first. This book is a follow-up to Kamma at Death and
Rebirth which was published in 2016 by the German
Abhidhamma Association. In acknowledgement of her help with
the computer work and donation of writing materials, I thank
Ms. Orchid.
Vimalañāṇī, compiler

ii
Contents
Biography of Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa iv
Introduction 1
Buddhist kamma: unlike other “kammas” 7

1 Kamma as the cause of an action

How kamma arises in the mind 13
Where is kamma stored? 19
Motivation is kamma 23
Which cetanā? Which kamma? 27
The mind that decides our life 32

2 Kamma as action due to motivation

How lying is accomplished 36

In causing death: who is guilty? 40

3 Kamma gives its result

Repetition gives results 46

Friend or foe? 51
Seeing with kamma’s reflection 55
6 drops of honey plus 1 drop of liquid iron 58

4 Factors that affect kamma

No equal treatment 62
Quality makes a difference 66
Success and failure 71

Can we avoid bad kamma-result? 75

iii
Biography of Dr. Nandamᾱlᾱbhivaṃsa

Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱlᾱbhivaṃsa, born

in Sint-ku in the Union of Myanmar in
1940, began his education in a monastic
school in Mandalay Division. He was
ordained a novice at 10 by Sankin
Sayadaw of the prestigious Vipassanᾱ
Monastery in Sagaing Hills.

At the age of 16, he had already passed

the Dhammᾱcariya (Dhamma teacher)
examination; and at 21 he had cleared the difficult Abhivaṃsa
examination. He also furthered his education in Sri Lanka and
India, obtaining higher degrees. His doctorate thesis was about
Jainism in Buddhist literature.

Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱla is one of the founders of the well-

reputed study-monastery Mahᾱsubodhayon in Sagaing Hills. In
2003 he founded Dhammavijjᾱlaya (Centre for Buddhist
Studies) adjoining Mahᾱsubodhayon Monastery for foreigners
keen to further their studies and practice. He also established
the Institute of Dhamma Education (IDE), a Buddhist learning
centre in Pyin Oo Lwin. Since its opening in 2013, he has been
holding courses for both local and overseas students. Another
study centre Dhammavinaya Centre was opened in 2015. Since
2016 courses have been given for monks and foreigners.
At the same time Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱla holds numerous
responsibilities: among them, he is the rector of Sītagu
International Buddhist Academy (Sagaing Hills). Also, after the
opening of the International Theravᾱda Buddhist Missionary
University (ITBMU) in 1995, he served as a visiting professor.
Since 2005 he has been its Rector.

Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱla serves to promote and propagate the

Buddha’s teachings both in Myanmar and abroad. In 2003 he
began teaching Abhidhamma in Europe, Malaysia and
Singapore. Having given many Dhamma talks throughout the
years in Myanmar, he is well-known to the public for his
individual, lively and practical approach, using examples from
daily life. He is also the author of numerous books in Myanmar,
Pᾱḷi and English (see below).

List of some publications in English

• The 90 Years of Life of Daw Malayee (1975)

• The Exposition of True Meaning (Paramattha dīpanī)
with Critical Introduction to the Text (Thesis for the
degree of Master of Philosophy) (1996)
• Buddhism and Vegetarianism (1990)
• Fundamental Abhidhamma (1997)
• A Study of Jainism according to Buddhist Literature
(Thesis for the degree of Ph.D.) (2004)
• How to Practise the Four Noble Truths

v
 • Akusala: the Nature of Poison (2010)
• The Path to Happiness (2010)
• The Buddha’s Advice to Rāhula and Rāhula’s Life (2012)
• Eight and One (2013)
• The Exits of Mind (2013)
• Samatha and Vipassanā (2013)
• An Analysis of Feelling (Vedanā) (2013)
• A collection of Dhamma Talks 1 (2014)
• The Great Teacher: Collected Dhamma discourses
(2015)
• Kamma at Death and Rebirth (2016)

Because of his excellent knowledge of the Buddha’s teachings

and his experience in teaching, in 1995 and 2000 he was
conferred the titles of Aggamahāganthavᾱcakapaṇḍita (Senior
Lecturer) and Aggamahāpaṇḍita respectively by the government
of Myanmar.

*****

vi
 Introduction

__________

Day in and day out we perform all kinds of actions non-stop

through the three doors. So like a tree bearing fruit endlessly,
we are accumulating a large amount of kamma. In addition
there is an immense reserve of it due to our innumerable past
lives. According to the Buddha, this is connected to the mental
state of motivation (cetanā) – how through its stimulation a lot
of kammas are collected. They cannot disappear or get lost.
These acts we commit at one time or another will return to us
as a consequence in the process of cause and effect. This is the
law of action and reaction: if this exists, then that will come to
exist1.

Reaping what is sown

Hence according to the act carried out, the result corresponding

to it will arise. Also a type of kamma will only give a result
related to its type. Put in another way, having performed a
kammic act, you will receive its result in a similar form or quality

1
Imasmiṃ sati idaṃ hoti.
in this life or another. An example regards the Buddha who was
in Rājagaha at one time.

Flowers for a Pacceka Buddha

During that period He was invited to Vesālī by its king to help
solve the state’s problems. For the journey to the border King
Bimbisāra arranged to have the entire route decorated. On its
part Vesālī also decorated its roads. (This took place even
though the two states had political differences and kept well-
guarded borders. You could not cross from one state to the
other just like from Germany to the Netherlands.)

Great ceremonies were held during the trip. The Buddha

explained that in a previous life, He had paid respect and
offered flowers to a Pacceka Buddha, spreading the flowers all
over the pavement of the tomb. Now flowers were spread all
along the way for Him. This was due to His previous kusala
kamma which was now bearing its result.

This is kamma niyama, or nature’s characteristic where good

begets good, and bad begets bad. There is never a case where
good kamma gives a bad effect and vice-versa. The law of
nature is never wrong.

Guaranteed repayment

Though it is simply called “kamma”, no two kammas are alike or

have the same level of energy. So the capacity and quality of

2
one are unlike the other, shown by their differences in status, in
function, in the time needed to mature, as well as the lifespan.
The results they give also differ.

Thus out of these kammas in store, one is ever ready to

produce its result. Having accumulated full power, it will give its
result. There is no such thing as not having to experience its
effect. Nor can we get rid of it so that it cannot produce its
effect. As long as there is life in the body, it will continue to give
its effect. Indeed the Buddha taught that any act of kamma
based on greed, hatred and delusion (lobha, dosa and moha)
can produce its result even in this present life, or the next, or
for as long as saṃsāra remains2. Take the case of a butcher
who for over 50 years had been slaughtering cows and selling
the beef for a living.

Kammic tit for tat

One day after carrying out his usual routine, he returned to the
house, telling his wife that all the meat had been sold, except
for a cut that he was fond of. This portion he had saved for
himself. Asking her to prepare the meal with the beef, he went
off to have his bath at the river-side.

In his absence a close friend of his arrived at the house, asking,

“Hey, isn’t there any more beef left?”

“All have been sold. Only this piece left is for him to eat,”
replied the wife.

2
Nidāna Sutta, Aṅguttara Nikāya.

3
“Give it to me please. I really need to have it as a guest has
turned up at my house,” saying so, he seized the meat and
went off with it.

By the time the butcher returned to the house, the wife was
setting the table for the meal.

“Where’s the beef?” he demanded.

“Oh, your friend dropped in. He said a guest had turned up in

his house. Although I told him the meat was meant for you and
couldn’t be given to him, he took it away.”

What did the butcher say next?

“I can’t eat if there’s no meat on the table,” saying this, he

grabbed a knife and went outside to the back of the house
where the cows were kept. Taking hold of one, he forced open
its mouth and sliced off its tongue. Returning to the house, he
told his wife to cook it.

Just consider how cruel it was, with the cow bellowing in pain.
It would surely die.

When the dish was ready, the butcher took a piece and placed
it in his mouth. Immediately his own tongue was ripped off. For
this man who had been killing cows for fifty years, this turned
out to be the day dukkha came for him. Bellowing in pain just
like the cow, he too faced imminent death. This was kamma’s
immediate repayment in kind for an extremely brutal deed.

4
He now had to face the consequence of the work he had been
carrying out for years.

Kamma as your own property

The Buddha also taught that we owe our existence here in this
life to kamma, the producing cause. It decided whether we
would be good-looking or ugly, have sharp eye-sight or some
congenital defect like blindness. Through kamma we are
unique: differing from one another in our lifespan, looks,
intelligence, state of heath, status and so on, even within the
family. According to Commentary the diverse differences in
society simply bear out what the Buddha taught about kamma,
that is, kammassakatā sammā diṭṭhi. This is to say that the
kamma we perform is our property. Whether that kamma is
kusala or akusala, we have to receive its result. It is the only
property that we can inherit. So it concerns the doer in whom it
occurs and nobody else.

Need to study the subject

Concerning what the Buddha taught about kamma, there is an

immense amount, not only in the suttas but in Abhidhamma as
well. What I am teaching at present is only a gist – just to give
you some understanding of the subject. It is possible to speak
in great detail and at great length about it.

5
Since kamma takes place in our mind and body, we should
study and find out how it arises in the nāma-rūpa, where it
collects, how it ripens and gives its result during our lifetime
and in saṃsāra.

By studying and understanding His teachings on the subject, we

can try to make an end of kamma. This is by, first of all,
refraining from performing akusala kamma, and by doing only
wholesome deeds. For those unwholesome kammas already
committed, instead of regretting, we should find ways to avoid
committing more. We do this by creating a lot of good kammas.
Also by working to put an end to our mental defilements, in the
end we can free ourselves from kamma. We obtain the
cessation of kamma itself, that is, kammakkhaya.

******

6
 Buddhist kamma: unlike other “kammas”

________________________________

“What is actually the meaning of this kamma that Buddha

taught in kammassakatā sammā diṭṭhi?” you might ask. After
all, it is a popular term among the religions in India. “Kamma”
not only belongs to Buddhism and those who believe in it need
not be Buddhists. Since other religions also use the word, those
who study Indian religions get confused. Some mistakenly
assume that the Buddha obtained it from Hinduism. It is
important to distinguish the “kamma” of Buddhism from that of
other religions. Even if the Buddha used the same term, the
meaning is different.

Atta tied to kamma

Other religions hold up the notion of a permanent entity or atta.

It is this soul which performs good and bad kammic actions.
Thus it is held in kamma’s bondage. Because kamma is binding
it, it cannot be free from suffering but has to wander in
saṃsāra. Atta can be freed from kamma if the person can
remove its bondage. Doing so, he can attain liberation.
What makes Buddhism different from other religions is that the
Buddha explained kamma without atta. This point is an
important distinction as He rejects the notion of a soul or
permanent entity. According to Him there is no “person” who
acts. You might then ask, “If so, then who will receive the effect
of kamma?” It is only phenomena which act and phenomena
which receive. There is no doer who acts ̶ no experiencer ̶
only mental and material processes at work. In mental
processes phenomena perform good and evil kamma. Therefore
kamma-result appears in this process. In other religions it is the
permanent self which performs and therefore it experiences the
result. So the word is the same but the meaning is different.
Thus we need to know its meaning. In Pāḷi “kamma” literally
means “action”.

Searching for the cause (of an action)

It is said in the Commentaries that if you were to throw a stone

at a jackal, it will bite the stone, not the thrower. If the stone is
thrown at a lion, it will come and bite you – not the stone.
Stone is just the effect; more important is the thrower. If a
doctor gives treatment, he will search for the cause of the
disease, and not just treat the symptoms. The Buddha is the
same like them, always searching for the cause.

So in Buddhism – unlike other religions – mere action alone is

not kamma. Action appears because of motivation. Actions are
so many: even while asleep you can still talk, move or even hit

8
someone near you. The cause to produce action is more
important to understand. We can look at it this way: kamma is
the cause of an action. Or it can be put in another way: kamma
as action is the effect of the cause, that is, the motivation.

This action can be classified into three: mental, verbal and

physical action. The first type is just in the mind. A verbal or
physical action begins in the mind and then appears as speech
or is performed by the body respectively.

Mind is foremost

This is to say that verbal and physical actions occur with the
mind. In Jainism they are thought to occur without the mind’s
involvement. Thus according to Buddhism, mental action starts
it off. However action done without intention is not kamma.
This is contrary to what Jains say. For example while walking on
the road, we crush some insects unknowingly. No kamma is
done unless we stepped on them deliberately. So of the three
kinds of action, mental action is most important, being the
cause of the other two actions.

Unlike other religions’ kamma, the Buddha declared that kamma

was motivation or stimulation (cetanā3). This mental state is
kamma because it encourages us to think, speak and act. So

3
It is usually translated as “volition” though motivation or stimulation
is more accurate.

9
through motivation there is action produced by the mouth and
the body. Through it we perform all acts good and bad.

As for the third type, mano-kamma is just in the mind and is

not put into action by the mouth or body. Some mental actions
can be very powerful. Indeed, according to the Buddha, it is the
most powerful since the mind creates everything. In samatha
one can perform supernormal feats through mind power alone.

Kamma in thought

Though cetanā was stated by Buddha to be kamma, there are

other mental states associated with it which are considered also
to be kamma. Note that where physical and verbal actions
(kāya-kamma and vacī-kamma) are concerned, cetanā is the
primary propelling force. However, at the time mano-kamma
occurs, it is no longer motivation alone, there are other
powerful mental states taking part. Though this mental action is
not put into action by the mouth and body, it is still kamma.
However, according to Abhidhamma, not all mental states
(cetasikās) arising in the mind can be called mano-kamma –
except for 21 including cetanā. Take covetousness or abhijjhā
as a start.

Covetousness is an aspect of greed or lobha. It wants to own

others’ property. This is not simple craving as abhijjhā covets
other people’s possessions. Many people are attached to their
property – that is simple craving. It cannot be called abhijjhā,
which according to Buddhist text, is a mental action. So we

10
must understand that, following this definition, not all kinds of
craving become mano-kamma – only the type which desires to
own what belongs to others.

Then all kinds of hatred (byāpāda) are mentioned as mental

actions. Byāpāda is the wish to hit or kill another or to wish ill of
others: “It’s better that person dies” or “May she not be well
off.” So any hatred arising becomes mano-kamma.

Another type of mental action is wrong view (miccha diṭṭhi).

What makes a view wrong? It is one that is devoid of the
Dhamma, not according to the Dhamma, and which is its
opposite. Three types are especially significant. One type
rejects kamma-result by denying that effect exists4, for instance
of performing dāna. Another type is the non-acceptance of both
kamma and its result, good and bad5. Then the third is the view
of causelessness6.

By arising in the mind these three akusala mental states

become kamma.

On the good side of kamma

Regarding the kusala aspect, there are the three counterparts

of covetousness, hatred and wrong view: non-covetousness

4
Natthika diṭṭhi.
5
Akiriya diṭṭhi.
6
Ahetuka diṭṭhi.

11
(anabhijjhā), non-hatred (abyāpāda) and right view (sammā
diṭṭhi).

Besides these there are the seven factors of enlightenment

(bojjhaṅgas) and the eight factors of the Noble Path
(maggaṅga). However, in other religions they are not regarded
as kamma. Why did the Buddha consider them as kamma? It is
because these factors can destroy kilesas or mental
defilements, leading to the cessation of kamma. As very
powerful kammas themselves, they never produce rebirth.
Instead they lead to Nibbāna in making an end to kamma in
saṃsāra. That is nature to nature: good nature if powerful
enough removing the bad one.

You should note that these cetasikās associated with

unwholesomeness are not kamma. The Buddha never taught
that. Only when they are associated with bojjhaṅga and
maggaṅga are they kamma. For example, not all kinds of pīti
are kamma, only when it is a factor of enlightenment. This is to
say these mental states can lead to Nibbāna only at the higher
level.

Thus to have a better understanding of kamma, it is necessary

to know about the workings of the mind where kamma
originates.

******

12
 How kamma arises in the mind

_________________________

The mind is so quick, working like a generator. According to

Commentary, billions of minds arise and cease during one
second due to the briefness of the mental moment. That is why
we can watch TV, listen to music, eat and laugh all at the same
time: like a juggler working first with two balls, then three, four
and so on. Yet it is only one citta at a time.

For example we think that we see and hear at the same time
but the disappearing eye consciousness gives the opportunity
for hearing consciousness to arise. It is like lighting a candle:
the darkness in disappearing allows light to appear.

So how then does kamma arise in the mind? If you would like
to find out, you should be familiar with how the mind works.
This has to do with the mental process (citta-vītthi): a fixed
sequence of cittas which arise on the impact of an object on a
sense-door.

Suppose a visible object comes into view at the eye-door. What

happens then?
“Who’s knocking at the door?”

To help you follow the process, let’s say that you are at home.
Then a visitor arrives at your front door and knocks on it.
Hearing the sound you go to open the door. On opening it, you
see that there is a visitor. Seeing that he is your friend, you
invite him in. Asking, “What brings you here?” you offer him a
seat and some refreshments. After the conversation is over, the
visitor goes off, saying goodbye. You then close the door. This
visit is only process.

We have six doors in our body for “visitors” to come knock on

them. Take the eye-door for example. When an object is
reflected on the eye-base, 17 minds in a series start to work
with it (making one process).

First we open the door with the five-door attending

consciousness (pañcadvārāvajjana) which takes notice of the
present visual object and then eye-consciousness (cakkhu-
viññāṇa) sees it. We receive the object-visitor with the receiving
consciousness (sampaṭicchana), while the investigating
consciousness (santīraṇa) makes an enquiry.

Next we determine what the object is with the determining

consciousness (voṭṭhabbana). After that we experience it with
the dynamic consciousness (javana) which runs usually for
seven times in a row. Then with the retentive consciousness
(tadārammaṇa) – which is like an aftertaste of the experience –
we take leave of the object.

14
Closing the door is when the passive mind (bhavaṅga citta7)
arises as the object’s lifespan has come to an end8. It lasted as
long as the 17 mind moments which make up the eye-door
process (for a very great object).

Mind as generator

Contact with the outside through the sense-organs such as the

eye is then followed by thought, that is, the mind-door process.
This is because the initial (first stage) five-door process only
perceives the object.

After that thinking occurs at the mind-door recalling what was

seen. This is the second stage after the eye has seen the
object. We need at least three consecutive mind-door
processes to realise what the object is (see table below).
9

7
It literally means factor of life (bhava = life + aṅga = cause, factor).
It is usually translated as “life continuum”.
8
For an eye-door process with a very strong object: B1 – B2 – B3 –
Pañcadvāravajjana – Cakkhu-viññāṇa – Sampaṭicchana – Santīraṇa –
Voṭṭhabbana – Javana1 – Javana2 – … – Javana7 – Tadārammaṇa1 –
Tadārammaṇa2 – B – B – … Here B is bhavaṅga.
9
A mental process with a very great object: B – B –
Manodvārāvajjana – Javana1 – Javana2 – … Javana7 –
Tadārammaṇa1 – Tadārammaṇa2 – B …. In this case
manodvārāvajjana is the attending consciousness at the mind-door.

15
Four stages in one act of seeing

Stage Kind of process What occurs

One Eye-door Object appears at
the eye-base
Two Mind-door Recalls the past
object
Three Mind-door Names the object or
catches the name
Four Mind-door Catches the meaning
of or knows the
object

Together with the eye-door process, this set of four stages

refers to only one act of seeing with its 17 mind-moments,
which is very brief indeed.

Let’s say we catch sight of a book. By the time our attention is

drawn to it, three bhavaṅgas would have passed by. After
appearing at the eye-door, its lifespan is over after 17 mind-
moments. Then another process appears in the eye (not the
same one).

If we were to look at the book for five minutes, the act of

looking is repeated over and over for that period. Mental
process in sequence runs like a roll of film, one at a time, never
simultaneously.

16
When kamma starts to accumulate

A generator needs many rounds to get electricity. It is the same

for the mind. Just one round will not be enough to tell us that it
is a book that we are looking at because it is just initialisation.
Only at the third mind-door process do we know that it is a
book.

The process is the same for hearing sound. For one syllable,
four stages are needed at the very least. Then the syllables are
combined to get the full meaning. First the ear-door captures
the sound. Then at the second stage the mind-door recalls the
sound. Next, the mind-door catches the word at the third stage.
Only at the fourth stage, do we realise the meaning10.

So we need a minimum of four mental processes to recognise

that it is a book we see or that the sound that we hear is “dog”.
Stage Four is thus the decisive process when we realise what
the object is or what it means.

Beginning at this point and from the fifth stage onwards greed,
anger and delusion (lobha, dosa and moha) make their

10
For instance, somebody says “dog”. (1) We hear the sound of it. (2)
We recall it as a past sound. (3) At this point, we catch the word, and
name it. (4) Only then do we know the meaning: that “dog” is an
animal. If we do not know English or have not come across this word
before, there is no recognition of that sound. In that case the mind
will repeatedly ask what it is, searching for the meaning. Therefore
there will be a delay in deciding. If we understand the word as soon
as we hear it, there is no delay. This is because we have a record and
a picture of a dog appears quickly.

17
appearance, saying: “I love/dislike that object.” Thus this is
where kamma starts to accumulate.

******

18
 Where is kamma stored?

____________________

Where does kamma accumulate in us? Does it remain in the

brain? Or is it kept in the heart? Is it stored in just one place?
Some people think that it is in the brain because that is where
the record is.

We must consider why kamma is not kept in the brain. You see,
sound is stored in a record or tape. Should the disc be
destroyed or damaged, all that sound would be gone. Similarly
should we lose the brain, kamma will be lost. It is the same also
when we die since the brain is matter. In certain cases we may
be still alive but considered brain dead. Then if kamma is kept
in the heart and should there be a heart transplant, the
situation would not be good. Thus if kamma is recorded in such
places, we will be lost.

It is not easy to explain how kamma accumulates as it cannot

be seen, being without substance. But it can be known by
knowledge. So where does it accumulate? It lies in the mental
process. You may think that consciousness is momentary,
arising then disappearing – never coming back again – to be
followed by a new one. “So kamma then also disappears?” you
ask. Consider candlelight. By extinguishing the flame, can we
bring it back? No, it is gone for good, just like consciousness. So
if kamma is stored in the mind, then it is momentary also. Yet it
does not disappear or get lost.

Kamma is online

Mental process never remains, as the mind rises and falls non-
stop11. In spite of that, there is no change, no shifting
somewhere else: once done, kamma remains firmly established.
Even so, it is not fixed or persisting. The energy, unit by unit, is
passed on from one citta to another12. Once the preceding citta
has ceased, it leaves behind to the following citta its kammic
force. In turn it passes this energy to the third citta, and so on.
Nowadays we would say that this is online for kamma to remain
in the mental process.

Citta One does not become Citta Two. It is because Citta One
has disappeared that Citta Two can appear. Though One and
Two are related, Citta One does not turn into Two. With Citta
One present, Two cannot come into being.

11
There are only two instances where the process is suspended:
during attainment of mental cessation (nirodha samāpatti), accessible
only to non-returners and arahants; and rebirth in the asañña satta
plane of rūpāvacara brahmas.
12
In Paṭṭhāna this is natthi, vigata, samanantara and anantara
paccayo.

20
Immature fruit

Just like fruits and seeds, there are both immature and mature
kammic forces, according to the Buddha. As soon as the
kammic force starts accumulating, it has yet to mature. Like the
seed of an unripened fruit, it cannot sprout. Its energy remains
latent in the mental process. With time it develops. How to
understand that latency?

When we are young, we go to school to study. Starting from

then, our knowledge is not lost. Instead it goes on developing
though our brain does not get any bigger. Beginning with the
ABC we learnt in primary school, its quality is not lost but
remains. Or how else can we continue to progress up to
university, to getting a doctorate? Each one of us has our
unique quality which is different from the rest. Kamma is like
that. It remains as a quality in our thought process, given our
habitual tendencies.

For example let’s say that we often get angry, sometimes with
someone or something. This mental state (cetanā) becomes a
kammic force, accumulating within us, lying latent. This
becomes a habitual practice: the anger arising again and again.
It turns into a tendency as angry thoughts appear repeatedly.
Thus it increases in quality through repetition. With time the
kammic force gets to mature with the help of other conditions.

21
Aeons to perfect pāramīs

On the good side, look at the Bodhisatta in a past life as

Sumedha. From the time He received the prophecy from
Dīpaṅkara Buddha that he would become the Buddha one day,
He began to fulfil His dāna pāramīs (perfections). Without
keeping the “memory” alive, how could these pāramīs be able
to accumulate for Him to become a Buddha eventually? These
remained in the mental process as a kammic force, running with
it, passing from one citta to the next in a countless succession
of lives. They remained online from the hermit Sumedha to
Gotama Buddha till the pāramīs were fulfilled. The power which
had been accumulating all this while saw to the manifestation of
the Buddha.

Consider yourself: without having gone through primary and

middle school, you would not be able to understand and get
through high-school education. Without middle and high-school
studies, you would not be able to comprehend what is taught in
university. So it is clear that what is acquired is not lost. In the
same way kamma remains in your mental process. At the end
of this life, it will recur in the next life. At death in the next life,
it will continue in the third life. In a continuous relay, this
process never disappears in saṃsāra.

******

22
 Motivation is kamma

__________________

The Buddha declared that cetanā was kamma13. Yet many

people in Myanmar are mistaken about the meaning of cetanā.
Thinking it is wholesome, many say, “I’ve the cetanā when it
comes to doing merit,” or “I speak with cetanā.” But it is not
good every time.

Myanmar people take this mental state to be only on the good

side probably because on Dhamma occasions they often hear
“Oh, with ardent cetanā this offering is presented.” When
cetanā is associated with kusala, then it is wholesome. With
akusala it becomes unwholesome. By itself it cannot be said to
be good or bad, isn’t it?

Then when people talk about their good or bad kamma, many
are probably unaware that it is cetanā they mean, as taught by
the Buddha.

Cetanā has usually been translated as “volition”. With my

knowledge of English and with the help of a dictionary, I found
that volition comes with a wish to do. However, cetanā is not
about wishing. Rather, it is motivation or stimulation. It is better

13
Cetanāhaṁ bhikkave kammaṁ vadāmi. Nibbedha Bhagiya Sutta (or
Nibbedhika Sutta in English), Aṅguttara Nikāya.
to follow the literal meaning, being closer to the sense of the
word.

Why did the Buddha specify this mental state as kamma? When
we are thinking about something, it is through cetanā’s
stimulation. In speaking, it is through cetanā’s impulsion that
we are able to do so.

As for our bodily actions, it is because of cetanā’s motivation

that we can do so. Verbal and physical action without intention
is not kamma. Only intentional action carries kamma with it. For
this reason cetanā is very important and its function should be
understood.

Cetanā as manager and energiser

Cetanā is one of the seven universal mental states14 found in all

cittas. These seven inseparables form the most basic (and
weakest) core of the mind which can take a sense object. The
function of this mental molecule is just bare awareness of the
object.

The other associated cetasikas in this group are phassa which

makes contact with the sense object; and feeling (vedanā)
which experiences its sensation. Then there is perception
(saññā) to mark it for future reference. With one-pointedness
(ekaggatā) the mind has only one object. The faculty for mental

14
The universal aññasamāna cetasika (mental state common to
others) associates with all cittas.

24
life (jīvitindriya) protects it, enabling the unit to continue.
Manasikāra as attention keeps the mind directed to the object.
So each mental state has a different function, though all work
together in harmony as an 8-in-1 (including the citta).

As for cetanā, it plays a double role. Firstly it has the ability to

assemble the others together. Nowadays we would compare it
to an organiser or a manager who has to oversee his staff’s
work while carrying out his own task. By gathering the others
together and through its encouragement, cetanā gets more
work done. (For example, it pushes lobha to craving, dosa to
anger and moha to confusion.)

Only then is there energy on the whole. This is due to cetanā’s

other ability to energise and accumulate energy. It collects and
builds up the energy of all the associated dhammas while
building up its own power. This way it gets to become kamma
when its power is full. Thus it is able to produce its result. In
doing so, what happens? Thought or mano-kamma, speech
(vāci-kamma) or bodily action (kāya-kamma) arises.

So, without cetanā to gather the others together, there is no

energy. But once all are gathered together, the resulting force
allows movement and action: mental, vocal and physical. This is
kamma.

However, although kamma actually means action, it is not solely

the act but rather the motivation behind it. In this way we have
the idea to go for a 10-day vipassanā retreat. A thief has the
idea to carry out a theft. Thus cetanā stimulates action. So the

25
cause is kamma and the deed is the effect. Who causes it? It is
cetanā. That is why the Buddha declared it as kamma.

******

26
 Which cetanā? Which kamma?

________________________

Every day who is it who prompts us into thinking, planning,

speaking and doing something? It is cetanā through its
stimulation. By giving the push to the other mental states, their
energy increases. Consequently they function better. Depending
on this, merit and demerit arise. Should lobha, dosa or moha
for instance take the lead then unwholesome kamma comes
into being. If alobha, adosa or amoha is in control then good
kamma arises.

So two kinds of kamma can be distinguished. Similarly, two

types of cetanā can be identified depending on the kind of
consciousness it associates with.

Nānākkhaṇika-cetanā and sahajāta-cetanā

One type is nānākkhaṇika-cetanā15, that is, cetanā of a different

period. The “different” refers to the moment when cetanā as
kamma occurs which is different from the moment when
kamma produces its result. The two moments are not the same

15
Nānā = different, khaṇa = period. So nānākkhaṇika means “of a
different period”.
as the kamma-result appears at a different moment. Sometimes
it can be right afterwards as in magga-phala: the first moment
is magga; the second moment is phala (the effect). At other
times it can be aeons apart. Let’s say in saṃsāra aeons ago we
committed murder. The kamma follows us, causes sickness and
even untimely death.

What if the effect is immediate? If akusala kamma were to give

an instant result, people would be afraid of wrongdoing. As for
wholesome deeds, suppose there is a donor whose meritorious
dāna can cause rebirth in the deity world. At the time of
offering, he would no longer be human as he would have
become a deity. That is if cetanā were to give an instant result.
It means that while you are observing sīla, at that moment you
get to become a deity right there and then.

So nānākkhaṇika-cetanā or kamma gives its result at a different

moment. It is this type of cetanā which associates with kusala
or akusala. As good and bad cetanās, they thus produce their
effect once their power is completely built up. This is the
kamma we mean when we talk about good and evil kamma
being done. This is the type that launched us from the previous
life to our present existence.

The other variety is the ordinary universal cetanā found in every

citta. Unlike nānākkhaṇika-cetanā, it is not the one people refer
to when they say, “Oh, it’s all according to kamma.” Arising
together with its associated mental states, it gathers them
together. With its power it stimulates them with energy, while
carrying out its own task of accumulating power. Known as

28
sahajāta-cetanā or sahajāta-kamma16, it is not the type which
produces something as a result as it is associated with the other
normal cittas.

Which cetanā is kamma?

Which cetanā did the Buddha mean in His discourses about

kamma? When He declared that cetanā was kamma17, it was
nānākkhaṇika-cetanā that He meant. In the suttas only the
cetanā associated with kusala and akusala cittas is called
kamma. Thus for example when the Buddha taught that kamma
was one’s own property or only inheritance, the kamma refers
to nānākkhaṇika-kamma. Then if you were to look up Paṭicca
Samuppāda at the section “Saṅkhāra paccayā viññāṇa,” there
saṅkhāra is nānākkhaṇika-kamma.

However in Paṭṭhāna of Abhidhamma, all cetanās are

considered as kamma, regardless of their association with cittas
– even with vipāka and kriya cittas. So, sahajāta-cetanā is
included as well. Why this is so is because, being of the same
kind, sahajāta-cetanā has the potential in ability to give a result
too just like nānākkhaṇika-cetanā.

16
Saha = together, jāta =born; so sahajāta means “born together”.
17
Nibbedha Bhāgiya Sutta, Aṅguttara Nikāya.

29
Ever-fruiting cetanā tree

So like a tree perpetually bearing fruit, we perform countless

actions through thought, speech and the body. Like fruit with
many seeds, our actions bear seeds of kamma. With the
support of conditions, they can develop and sprout.

Where does the reproductive energy lie in a tree? It is found

only in the fruit and seed. We get many different parts
developing from the seed: such as the root, trunk, branch, leaf,
flower and fruit. But the reproductive power does not lie in
these parts except for the fruit and the seed.

Except for the dynamic mind (javanas), all the different cittas
taking part in mental process (citta-vīthi) such as the five-door
attending consciousness (pañcadvārāvajjana), eye-
consciousness (cakkhu-viññāṇa) and receiving consciousness
(sampaṭicchana) can be likened to the various parts of a tree,
that is, the leaves, roots, trunk, and so on. However the
reproductive power is found only in the seed and not the other
parts. Likewise, the reproductive kammic force gathers only in
the cetanā of the javanas. The other cittas’ cetanā lacks this
kammic energy which can construct a new life. For instance the
cetanā in pañcadvārāvajjana or cakkhu-viññāṇa cannot
accumulate power, being sahajāta-kamma.

According to Commentary18 cetanā performs its accumulating

function only when it associates with kusala and akusala cittas
and not the other types, such as vipāka and kriya. Only then is

18
Aṭṭhasālinī.

30
it called kamma as it is able to build up energy fully. As kamma,
it is able to produce its result, rebirth for example. Thus as
cetanā with its strong thrust at the arising of the javanas – it is
here that kamma comes to be formed.

******

31
 The mind that decides our life

________________________

Why does cetanā gather energy only with kusala and akusala
cittas? Commentary gives no reason why. As javanas19 are
mostly wholesome and unwholesome, that is where kamma can
accumulate.

Every time we see an object, thought process occurs. It is the

same for hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, or thinking as
objects invade us through the six doors. In the mental process
that follows, bhavaṅga never works with any new object
because it has its own already. Pañcadvārāvajjana as gate-
opener is neither kamma nor its effect. Looking to see who the
visitor is, cakkhu-viññāṇa is kamma-result. The receiving
consciousness or sampaṭicchana is also the result of kusala and
akusala, just like santīraṇa, the investigating consciousness. The
determining consciousness or voṭṭhabbana is neither kusala nor
akusala and not kamma-result either. As it leaves, what citta
comes to arise? It is javana (dynamic consciousness). In
thought process that is a very important stage.

The cittas before it, that is pañcadvārāvajjana, cakkhu-viññāṇa

and so on, run naturally according to conditions – nothing can

19
I usually call it “dynamic consciousness” or “energetic mind”.
be done about them. Only this dynamic consciousness
experiences the object. Being energetic, unlike the rest, the
javana citta also makes the final decision about the object: that
it is beautiful, ugly, etc. If it finds something desirable, it says,
“It’s so nice. I want it.”

Like lightning

Capable of gaining power or momentum, javanas are unlike the

other cittas. We can compare their surge of energy to a
lightning bolt. The important point is not whether javanas are
quicker than the rest. Slower or faster – it is all the same for
cittas. According to Ledi Sayadaw, they are cittas which can
gain a driving force or impetus with regard to the object.

Consider what happens when the eye sees something it likes.

Attachment or desire surges up. This is the impulsion of lobha
javanas. For an undesirable object, there is a sudden rise of
hatred or loathing of dosa javanas. Depending on wise and
unwise attention, wholesome or unwholesome energetic minds
arise.

For example, on seeing a flower, a person might think, “What a

lovely flower! I could wear it in my hair. It would look nice on
the dining table too.” This kind of thought is due to lobha
javanas arising. For another person the thought will not be this
way. Instead it is “How beautiful the flower is! I shall offer it at
the altar to the Buddha.” Considering this way shows the surge

33
of kusala javanas. The cetanās associated with them can
produce their effect on gathering enough energy.

Root support

So with unwise attention (ayoniso manasikāra) lobha javana

can arise as greed, or dosa javana as hatred. Also in not
knowing the nature of the object, there is the delusion of moha
javana. The three roots of evil (greed, hatred and delusion) as
well as the good roots of anti-greed, anti-hatred and anti-
delusion, give great support because in their absence, energy
cannot remain. This is to say that they are root conditions20. For
such reasons kammic energy can build up only in kusala and
akusala javanas.

However, it does not accumulate in vipāka and kriya javanas

even though alobha, adosa and amoha are found in
mahāvipāka and mahākriya cittas also. So cetanā cannot remain
with kammic energy when it is associated with such cittas.

Are the roots different in vipāka and kriya cittas?

The anti-greed, anti-hatred and anti-delusion in mahāvipāka
and kriya cittas are unlike those of kusala and akusala javanas.
Why is it so? Concerning mahāvipāka citta, this is because it is
just the effect of mahākusala. So it cannot be active, being only
a mirror image. According to Commentary, the mahāvipāka citta

20
Hetu paccayo. In Paṭṭhāna such a condition fortifies its conditioned
state.

34
is quiet and passive. Like the reflection in the mirror, it cannot
be changed. Even the cetanā associated with the citta’s three
wholesome roots cannot accumulate kammic energy.

Then let’s consider the mahākusala citta. When it arises in us, it

is mahākusala. When it arises in arahants it is referred to as
mahākriya citta. Why can’t cetanā accumulate kammic force in
mahākriya-javana? Commentary compares this citta to a
flowering tree whose root has been cut off. If so, can the
flowers develop into fruit? No, they cannot anymore. (If the
root is intact, they can.) In the same way within the arahants,
the roots of lobha, dosa and moha have been cut off. Their
mahākriya-javanas are like the flowers of a tree with severed
roots. Therefore the cetanās of these cittas cannot gather
kammic energy.

This is what I think as Commentary gives no explanation except

that cetanā associated with kusala and akusala accumulates
energy. In us we have the roots of good and evil in our mental
process. Unlike arahants, kammic power accumulates within us
in the ever-continuing stream of javanas.

******

35
 How lying is accomplished

_____________________

The mouth and body are the cause of verbal and bodily actions
respectively. The two act as doors for kamma to emerge. Thus
kamma arises from bodily and vocal intimation21. When we act
physically or speak intentionally, that is kāya kamma and vāci
kamma22.

Though the mouth is included in the body, it is special. Even if

lying by bodily movement is possible, it is done in particular by
the mouth. Hence since lying is mostly by speech, it is counted
as one medium apart from the body.

Though there are four types of unwholesome verbal action (see

the footnote below), we shall discuss only that of telling
untruths.

21
Kāya and vāci viññatti where viññatti means “signifying”.
22
There are three types of akusala kāya kamma: killing (pāṇātipātā),
stealing (adinnādāna) and unlawful sexual relations
(kāmesumicchācārā). The four vāci kammas: telling lies (musāvādā),
speech that breaks up a friendship (pisuṇavācā), using abusive
language (pharusavācā) and senseless talk (samphappalāpā).
A full act of kamma

It is through motivation that we lie. Let’s say that craving arises

in us and we tell a lie. So telling a lie (musāvādā) is a verbal
action due to motivation. Therefore there are two phenomena:
the first being motivation (cetanā), followed by a verbal action.
As stated by the Buddha, it is motivation that is vāci kamma.
Why this is so is that because of motivation, the verbal act of
lying occurs.

Hence, according to Buddhism, it refers to the cause, not the

effect. We need to see it this way: motivation is the cause; lying
is the effect. If there is no motivation, lying does not occur.

Therefore vāci kamma (verbal action) refers to the cause. What

if, despite the motivation to lie, the outcome does not take
place? In that case it is not vāci kamma. You may be motivated
to tell an untruth but you do not carry it out. With only the
motivation without a lie spoken; this cannot be called vāci
kamma. There is no full act of lying.

Only if the motivation produces an untruth – this is vāci kamma.

Thus the motivation that leads to a lie is called vāci kamma. In
the text this kamma is said to be kamma-patha23 or kamma
which is full fledged or grown.

23
Patha = the way or road. So kamma-patha = [put on] the way of
kamma.

37
Two steps in lying

Just at the moment of motivation, it can be called kamma. As it

has still to produce a lie, it is not yet kamma-patha. So
motivation is at one moment. Telling the lie is at another
moment. We may have the motivation (which can be called
kamma). But if the falsehood is not spoken, then it cannot be
called kamma-patha.

Most people do not distinguish between kamma and full-grown

kamma, only those who study the text such as Abhidhamma
which clarifies the two. When motivation leads to telling a lie, it
means kamma is running online as musāvādā.

It takes three steps not to lie

The opposite action is to abstain from musāvādā. In this case it

is kusala. Similarly, motivation arises first – not to tell a lie. To
abstain from lying: just that absence of an act becomes
kamma-patha. To refrain from lying is a verbal action which is
kusala kamma. Yet no action is involved, just holding back
speech. Since it involves the mouth it is called vāci kamma. This
is because keeping silent is the act not to use the mouth.

Then the third stage is telling the truth, a wholesome kamma.

At first the motivation not to lie is at one moment. Abstaining
from speaking an untruth is at another. Then telling the truth is
developed kusala kamma.

38
Thus motivation is the key as it leads to not just lying but all
forms of misconduct. For instance when hatred arises, there is
abusive speech. After that one wants to act physically: to hurt
or kill.

*****

39
 In causing death: who is guilty?

_________________________

In 1991 on a visit to Malaysia, I was told by a lady that she felt

remorse that on her account her mother had died in hospital.
Her mother had asked for some water to drink. So the lady
gave her a cup. Drinking from it, her mother choked. Unable to
breathe, she died. The daughter felt responsible for causing her
death.

So I asked her what her intention was then. She did not want
her mother to die: her mind was pure.

Intention is more important than the act. If there is no motive

to kill, then there is no guilt. The Buddha gave a clear analogy:
if your hand is not injured, even if you use it to touch poison, it
is not affected. The meaning is that if the mind is pure,
although one brings about someone’s death, one is blameless.

Following the lady’s action, her mother’s death occurred. But

she had no wish to cause it. So there is no responsibility. In an
unintentional act when there is no volition to kill, there is no
kamma.
Killing as a full act of kamma

The volition to kill is the first moment. After that the bodily act
of taking a life becomes full-grown kamma (kamma-patha).
However, in order that kamma accumulates in the killer-to-be,
five factors must be fulfilled. First, there must be a living being.
Second, the person knows that the victim is alive. Third, there
must be the motivation to kill. Fourth, there is action taken to
cause the victim’s death. Fifth, death must ensue.

If these five conditions are complete, kamma accumulates

within the person responsible. But if the victim does not die,
then it is not a fully kammic action. For an unintentional act
where there is no volition to cause death, it is not kamma. To
check, the five points must be considered one by one: for
example, the person is in a forest. He mistakes something (such
as a bush) for a living being. So he tries to kill it. Hatred could
even arise in him. Nonetheless it is not the physical act of
pāṇātipātā kamma simply because the first factor is not there.

As for the second factor: though the being is alive, the person
thinks it is not a sentient being. Even though he tries to destroy
it, that is also not the physical act of killing. Thus for pāṇātipātā
to occur, the five factors must be there.

Giving or obeying the order to kill

If the full five factors are present, then there is kamma

committed for the one who orders or incites a killing. The head

41
of state who sends the army to fight and kill may not be guilty
in the eyes of the law. But according to natural law, he cannot
be free of responsibility. In the case of euthanasia the patient
asks for a suicide injection, not wanting to suffer any longer. If
the doctor complies, then he is just as responsible as the
patient. What if he gives the patient medicine to save his life,
but it causes death instead? In this case the doctor is not at
fault.

Then what about those who are just carrying out the order to
kill? Consider the case of the king’s executioner during the
Buddha’s lifetime.

Tambadāṭhika the executioner

For a period of fifty years he had been killing those sentenced
to death by the king. Now in his old age he happened to meet
Venerable Sāriputta. Seeing the monk gave Tambadāṭhika so
much saddhā that he offered him the milk rice that he was
going to eat. Later Venerable Sāriputta preached the Dhamma
to him.

What was going on in Tambadāṭhika’s mind then? Those who

have killed would not usually be able to follow a Dhamma
discourse. His mind was restless and uneasy with the thought,
“I have already taken this particular course in my life.”

42
At this point Venerable Sāriputta sized up the situation. He
stopped his Dhamma talk to ask, “Dāyaka24, what are you
thinking that makes you anxious?”

“For many years I’ve been putting people to death. Listening to

the Dhamma is of no benefit to me.”

The Venerable then asked, “Were those men executed because

you wanted to?”

“No, it was the king who gave the order.”

“In that case, if you had done so at someone’s request, are you
responsible?”

Hearing this, Tambadāṭhika felt as though a weight had been

lifted from his chest. He thought with a sense of relief, “That’s
right. I executed those men because I was ordered to – not
that I wanted it.”

He presumed that there would be no guilt in killing at others’

command. Actually, even at someone else’s orders, the act of
killing is blameworthy. Whether you kill on your own initiative or
at others’ request, it is still the same.

At this time, Venerable Sāriputta continued his discourse. Note

that the Venerable did not say that there was no guilt.
However, by his posing this question, the assumption of non-
guilt arose in Tambadāṭhika’s mind, calming it down. Now with
a peaceful mind he could follow and grasp the Dhamma, so

24
Lay supporter.

43
much so that he gained vipassanā sammā diṭṭhi (saccānulomika
sammā diṭṭhi)25.

Are meat-eaters guilty of pāṇātipātā?

If someone was to eat fish and meat, is it considered

pāṇātipātā or not? In Jainism, the meat-eater is thought to be
just as responsible. This is to say that the slaughterer and the
meat-eater have a fifty-fifty share in guilt. What is your opinion?

If you think that non-vegetarians are guilty of taking life, then

we need to consider also the case of arms manufacturers. The
weapons they produce enable others to commit murder. Yet
nowadays only murderers face capital punishment, not those
arms manufacturers. Are they just as liable or not as the killers?
The law does not hold them responsible, unlike those who use
their products to kill others. In that case, why then should non-
vegetarians be held responsible for the death of fish and
animals they consume?

Nonetheless we need to consider whether the mind is

wholesome or not. If such people take the fish and meat to be
just food to be eaten, then they should not be held responsible.
In the case of those who rear animals to slaughter for their
meat, then there is responsibility. Wanting to kill a living thing
in order to eat it shows that the person is mentally impure. If
he does so he is guilty of pāṇātipātā.

25
At his death he was reborn in the deity realm.

44
It is the same for those rich people who hunt as a sport. When
I was young I was told that British officers used to shoot birds
with rifles but they never ate them. It is no different for some
vegetarians too: they do not eat meat but their shoes, bags or
coats are made of leather, skin or fur.

So how is one to avoid being at fault? In the Buddha-Dhamma,

it is only intentional killing that matters. Otherwise nobody can
avoid being responsible. You see, when we are walking about,
we are killing many insects. But we don’t see; we don’t know.
Though we have no intention, death is happening. Intention –
and the hatred of wanting to kill – is more important.

******

45
 Repetition gives results

___________________

Let’s say that you want to recite “Namo tassa bhagavato

arahato sammāsambuddhassa” again and again till you are
familiar with it. Having said it for the first time, you repeat it.
You find that it is easier. At the third attempt, your reciting
becomes even smoother. After many times, even if you were
awakened from sleep and told to recite it, there would be no
mistakes made.

This ability is due to repetition or āsevana26. So through

repeated practice skill is gained. Whatever that is done or
occurs only once will not amount to much – only if it is carried
out many times until it is as though a crease has formed in a
fabric. This “fold” in the mind shows ability has been acquired.

In the mental process it is āsevana paccayo27 when similar

cittas arise repeatedly, with the preceding citta passing on to
the succeeding its energy. Without this transferring taking
place, you would make no progress in memorising any text or
learn a skill. You would not even be able to function normally in
your daily or habitual activities. For instance in taking a meal

26
Ā = repeatedly, sevana = to depend on.
27
It is a repeating condition for the arising of its conditioned state.
you would not remember the actual process of eating – that the
spoonful of food goes into the mouth (and not the ear). This is
because repetitive condition allows habits to form. Accordingly
routine actions can be carried out without conscious effort.

With āsevana condition the energy and proficiency increase with

each citta. Note that all the different types of consciousness
taking part in the mental process – except for javana cittas –
are not able to develop in power and proficiency through
repetition. As normal cittas they arise only once to carry out
their function. This is not the case with javanas, given that
energy increases with each repetition of this dynamic
consciousness.

Except for the last javana (J7), each of the other six javanas
conditions its neighbour through the conditioning force of
āsevana. Thus the succeeding citta’s power becomes greater
than that of the previous one. In order of increasing power, the
javanas can be divided in three groups: the first group
consisting of only J1; the second group comprising J2 to J6; and
the third group with only J7.

Expiry date at the end of this life

Being the first in the series J1 has limited power, as it is only

just starting to gather energy. Why is this so? That is because it
has no preceding citta with āsevana conditioning force. Its
neighbour is voṭṭhabbana (determining consciousness), a
different type of citta. So J1 cannot be conditioned by the

47
power of āsevana. Thus it is unable to produce a new life. It
can only give support in the present life. This is diṭṭha dhamma
vedanīya (immediately effective) kamma, producing its effect in
this life. As its energy is not enough, it cannot go beyond to the
next life. At the end of this life, its kammic force expires as
ahosi kamma, meaning that it cannot produce a result anymore
– just like medicine that has expired. So, if J1 has no chance to
mature within its time limit which is this life, it becomes expired
kamma.

Waiting for conditions to sprout in the next life

In ceasing, J1 passes its energy on to the second javana J2.

The latter’s energy is then transferred to J3. As a result J2 is
stronger than J1, while J3 becomes more powerful than J2. In
this way there is a passing on of energy by successive cittas. By
the time it reaches J6, this javana is packed with power. Then
this accumulated energy is piled on to the last dynamic mind in
the series. In this way J7’s cetanā gets the support from all the
previous javanas. Its power is enough to produce rebirth at the
end of this life.

However to give rebirth result, kamma is unable do it by itself.

It is only possible when other supporting conditions come
together. Only then the result takes place. Thus for J7, when
does its result occur? Due to the kamma’s high-level energy it
happens in the next life – that is, the nearest possible life-
existence – only if given the chance and with the help of

48
conditions. This subsequently effective kamma
(upapajjavedanīya kamma) can be compared to trees waiting to
bud at the start of spring: they “hide” in the frost, waiting for
warmer days. Or it is like candidates in the waiting list for a job.
With the help of conditions, this kamma “must” sprout in the
next life. If there is no opportunity for it to give its result, then
it becomes expired28. It does not go on to the third life.

Despite its accumulated power from the other javanas, being

last in the sequence, it cannot act as āsevana conditioning
state. What comes after J7? It can be the retentive
consciousness (tadārammaṇa) or bhavaṅga – both of which are
of a different nature. So J7 cannot pass on its force to it by
means of repeating condition. On ceasing it can only leave
behind its energy to the succeeding citta29.

A hunter’s dog giving chase in saṁsāra

Then for the remaining javanas, as it is not possible to specify

which citta is involved, we have to refer to them generally as
the group of the five middle javanas. These are collectively
termed as indefinitely effective kamma (aparāpariya vedanīya
kamma), meaning that there is no time limit. Starting from the
third life onwards, these kammas will continue to bear fruit for

28
With the exception of garuka kamma. Because of its great force, it
has to produce its effect.
29
This is by the usual means of anantara, samanantara, natthi and
vigata paccayo for ordinary cittas.

49
as long as we remain in the cycle of rebirths. As long as there is
a lifespan, they are waiting to sprout, some with the power to
produce rebirth. Though they can be isolated, they cannot be
avoided. Within this group which one has the greatest
conditioning power? It is J6 as there is a stepwise increase in
energy starting from J3. Its conditioning power exceeds that of
J2, while the power of J4 is more than that of J3 and so on.
Their conditioning forces will continue to give their effect in any
lifetime starting from the third life.

So this is the longest-lived type of kamma. Venerable

Buddhaghosa has compared it to a hunter’s dog. Seeing a deer
it gives chase. Should the deer stumble and fall, the dog will
seize it. In the same way these kammas will keep tracking us
through saṃsāra – even if we had committed a bad act
hundreds of thousands of lives ago.

As for kusala kamma, an example would be the Bodhisatta in

one lifetime as Sumedha. On meeting Dīpaṅkara Buddha, He
obtained His prophecy that He would be the Buddha one day.
From then on, Sumedha began accumulating pāramīs in a
countless successions of lives until His last birth as Gotama.

******

50
 Friend or foe?

___________

Kamma not only produces a new life as janaka (producing)

kamma, there are yet three other types, each with a different
(non-producing) function. Kamma’s way is such that while it is
giving its result during the course of life (pavatti), it will help by
supporting those of the same nature as itself. Otherwise it will
act to interfere or hinder by weakening, delaying, even by
disrupting or giving trouble. Should its power develop to a great
extent, it acts to cut off or destroy. So that is the nature of
kamma during a lifetime.

Just consider our own selves: we are born as humans due to

janaka kamma. It was also responsible for our faculties, such as
the eyes. That is why some people even in their eighties do not
need glasses, unlike some young children who do. Then as we
grow up, our parents, their care, food, medicine, and so on are
supportive (upathambhaka) kammas. The function of this kind
of kamma is only to support janaka kamma’s work. So once
productive kamma has done its job, upathambhaka kamma
takes charge to prevent any breakdown and to maintain our
lifespan.

Then when we fall sick – needing treatment and medicine – it is

obstructive kamma at work. Upapīḷaka kamma’s function is to
weaken, delay or even disrupt the other kammas’ result.
However its interference works both ways for kusala and
akusala. When wholesome kamma is giving its result, akusala
kamma enters to disturb, and vice-versa.

Should our illness turn out to be incurable, then it is due to

destructive kamma (upaghātaka or upacchedaka kamma) when
we die. This type destroys another kamma’s result through
interception, just like an anti-aircraft missile. According to
Commentary it can also produce its own result after removing
the other kamma’s effect.

Why are there such occurrences? It is because people do both

good and bad. So their kusala and akusala kammas are
accumulating every day. Whenever there is an opportunity, a
kamma when its energy is full enters to disrupt (or to help).

Plagued by misfortune

Let’s say there is a person who had been doing both good and
bad deeds in his life. At his death, one of his kusala kammas
had the chance to ripen so that he was reborn again as a
human being. His akusala kammas said, “Ahh, that kusala
kamma got there ahead of us.” They then waited for an
opportunity. Though good janaka kamma had him sent to the
human world, his bad kammas lying in wait gave him trouble at
every opportune moment they could find. Every now and then
these obstructive kammas would cause illnesses to appear.
Every now and then they would have him hospitalised. He

52
would find himself subject to unjust accusations. His belongings
would get damaged, and so on. In this way his bad kammas
caused him to experience all kinds of dukkha. Then one which
was powerful enough to be destructive kamma ripened to bring
his life to a premature close in an accident.

A lucky dog’s life

Suppose there was another person who had also been

committing both good and bad. One akusala kamma had the
opportunity to ripen first at the end of his life. He was reborn
as a dog.

Seeing this, his kusala kammas said, “Oh, if we’d the chance,
we would have sent him to the human or deity world. We were
too late. His akusala kamma got there first. So he’s now having
a dog’s life. But as best as we can, we’ll look after him.” So his
good kammas had him sent to a rich man’s mansion. There, this
dog lived like a person, driven about in an expensive car. (I
have heard that in some homes, the pet eats out of a gold dish,
filled with exclusive dog-food.) Its standard of living was
grander than many people’s.

So although this person’s akusala kamma was the first to give

its result, his wholesome ones looked after him as supportive
kamma.

However for stray dogs, their kamma would be of the akusala

obstructive type. Also, their unwholesome kamma would be

53
acting as supportive kamma. This is because supporting can
work either way (just like obstructive kamma): supporting to be
better or worse. The first is wholesome, while the other is
unwholesome. Akusala kamma is supported by
unwholesomeness. One becomes happier and happier or one
has more and more suffering. It is as though an enemy and a
friend are always following behind. If the friend is stronger,
there is support. Should the enemy be more powerful, death
ensues.

******

54
 Seeing with kamma’s reflection

______________________________

Kamma produces its result or vipāka30 at every suitable

opportunity. This occurs twice: once, when life starts at
conception, the time of paṭisandhi. The other is afterwards.
Once life has been established, from then on till death, kamma
will continue to give its results throughout the lifespan (pavatti).
What are they? The eye-, ear-, nose-consciousness, and so on
are the result of kamma. These viññāṇa cittas arise due to past
kammas which have been accumulating and now have
ripened31.

However it is not that these viññāṇas come to arise simply

through kamma alone. Why they appear is due to a sense
object coinciding with a base. Only then can they arise. At other
times they are not able to. In this case you might wonder, “At
such a time where have these viññāṇas gone?”

30
“Vi” means “dissimilar” (in nature). What is it referring to? Here it
indicates the kusala and akusala dhammas which are of different
natures. Then “pāka” means “the result” (of these sabhāvas which
have ripened). In this case the term “vipāka” only indicates cetanā’s
result, that is, the vipāka citta’s mental concommitants or cetasikas.
31
Dhammasaṅgaṇī.
Where is eye-consciousness kept?

In a lighter where is the flame kept? Try to find out yourself.

When you do, you will know where eye-consciousness is hidden
too. So where is the flame kept in a lighter? There is none. But
due to the meeting together of right conditions, won’t the flame
appear? It will. We can say that the latency is there. And
similarly for seeing, what are the conditions where eye-
consciousness can occur? It is kamma which has created the
sensitive eye (cakkhu pasāda). A visible object then comes to
be reflected there. This takes the form of an impingement
though ordinarily we are unaware of this striking action. The
impact of the two is like switching on the light; or like the
positive and negative ends of wires coming into contact with
the sudden appearance of light.

So seeing consciousness comes into being when an external

object impinges on the sensitive eye, as taught by the Buddha
in several suttas. He never taught that seeing consciousness
was continuously present, only that it appeared with the right
conditions. According to Him, it is the result of kamma, though
it can only happen with the contact between the object and the
eye-base. Apart from this moment, it does not arise. This is the
nature of kamma producing its result of vipāka cittas during
pavatti. At the meeting of sense objects at their respective
bases, due to the impact these resultants arise. However which
is the main cause? It is only kamma.

The Buddha taught that these vipāka cittas are quiet and free of
any activity. They can be compared to a reflection in the mirror.

56
The person’s image there only moves if he was to move. Can an
image make any movement on its own accord? No it cannot.
Thus these vipāka cittas appear as kamma’s reflections. So
there can be no activity on their part. Their nature is only to
reflect whatever action of kamma. This is how kamma gives its
effect during a lifetime.

******

57
 6 drops of honey plus 1 drop of liquid iron

_________________________________

Consider the eye. We do not see (or hear, smell, taste, touch
and think about) what is good or pleasant all the time. What we
see is not only with liking. What is not good or pleasant is also
perceived. What is eye-consciousness based on when it arises
produced by akusala kamma? It appears on seeing an
undesirable object or aniṭṭhārāmmaṇa32. The seeing is with
dissatisfaction, unlike seeing something desirable with pleasure.

A good or desirable object is iṭṭhārāmmaṇa. On perceiving it,

the seeing consciousness that arises is kusala’s result. So there
are two kinds of cakkhu-viññāṇa. It is the same way too for the
ear in hearing a sweet or harsh sound, for the nose in smelling
a fragrant or smelly odour, the tongue in tasting delicious or
tasteless food, or the body in feeling a pleasant or unpleasant
touch. For instance, when the leg knocks against something
hard, isn’t it painful? It is the most obvious type of unpleasant
contact.

Try to observe what goes on in the various kinds of

consciousness that appear throughout the day in your daily life:

32
An object which is not good and undesirable is called aniṭṭha, the
opposite of iṭṭha, that is, desirable or good.
in seeing, smelling, tasting and so on. Anything unpleasant
which is experienced is the result of akusala. What is pleasant is
kusala’s effect.

What you like I might not like

When people like something, it is a desirable object. If they do

not like it, it is not to be desired. Generally speaking, people
usually consider something they like to be good, isn’t it? At
times though it is hard to designate what is iṭṭha or aniṭṭha or
to distinguish between what is “good” or “bad”. What is
undesirable to you may be desired by someone else.

Passing by a rotting carcass of a dog, people will hold their

noses, then hawk and spit in disgust. On the other hand
vultures will be delighted. Drawn by the carcass’ powerful
aroma, even from afar they will fly and alight on it. Then for
those people who like durians, the fruit is iṭṭhārāmmaṇa, but
not for those who dislike the fruit, finding the smell unpleasant.

So how to set any criteria? It is only by generalising and finding

a general consensus of what many hold to be good or bad. For
example, in seeing something which causes an unhappy feeling,
we can say that the object is not good. If a happy feeling was
to arise instead, then it can be considered a good thing. Except
for mentally unsound people, such an object will be liked by the
rest.

59
Six drops of honey plus one drop of liquid iron

Now let’s look at the result of akusala produced during a

lifetime. Besides the eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue- and body-
consciousness, there are the receiving consciousness
(sampaṭicchana) and investigating consciousness (santīraṇa):
the seven akusala vipāka cittas. What do they have in common?

In terms of vedanā, the indifferent feeling of upekkhā is mostly

the case. However body-consciousness is accompanied by
pain33, unlike the others with upekkhā (which is neither happy
nor unhappy). For this reason this unwholesome resultant citta
with painful feeling has been likened to a drop of molten iron.
The remaining cittas accompanied by indifference are like drops
of honey.

After adding this drop of liquid iron to the six drops of honey,
the mixture is then poured onto the tongue. How would it feel?
Would it be pleasant? Would the taste of honey be apparent?
The drop of liquid iron among the six drops of honey is
comparable to the body-consciousness accompanied by pain.
The dukkha becomes overwhelming.

This is especially so in the case of hell-beings. For them there

can be no interval of relief. Pain is all predominant.

33
Dukkha-sahagata kāya-viññāṇa.

60
Can hell-beings experience kusala’s result?

Normally only undesirable objects are experienced in the hell

realm with the inhabitants screaming and groaning in pain and
fear. However, during the Buddha’s lifetime, Venerable
Moggallāna would now and then visit hell, using his psychic
power. His purpose was to give the beings there a chance to
worship and pay respect to an arahant34 as well as to listen to
the Dhamma.

For these beings with enough suffering to make them scream,

“Save me! Help me!” – what did Venerable Moggallāna do to let
kusala arise in them? With his supernormal power he
extinguished the hell-fire for a while. During that interval,
making his form visible, he briefly preached the Dhamma to
them. In that short period with the flames quenched, the hell-
beings were relieved of their suffering, allowing them to behold
him with reverence. This is iṭṭhārāmmaṇa. Another good object
was the sound of the Venerable’s discourse which they listened
to.

So within this short time, iṭṭhārāmmaṇas were able to appear to

them, these wholesome objects being the result of kusala.

******

34
Samaṇānañca dassanaṃ.

61
 No equal treatment

_______________

Take a group of devotees who are gathering together to offer

Kathina robes and to listen to a Dhamma talk. You may wonder,
“Would kamma give the same result for them for their collective
meritorious deed?”

Can people share the same kamma-result? It cannot be

identical for everyone because kamma ripens based on
conditions and qualities which vary from person to person.
Although it is a shared meritorious act, the cetanā cannot be
alike. Conditions and qualities too cannot be the same.
Therefore the effect as well cannot be the same.

Just consider those who commit killing. For their act of murder,
they are sentenced to death or receive a life sentence. Yet the
prison hangman who carries out the execution of these
condemned murderers not only escapes punishment, he is
given a promotion and a bonus by the authorities. It is the
same act of taking a life but the effect is different. Why?

It is because conditions are not the same for everybody.

Moreover there are still other factors at work so that kamma
cannot produce its result for each and every person.
Depending on its supporting conditions kamma gives its effect.
For someone who is supported by good conditions, akusala
kamma is not able to produce its result. Also kusala kamma
cannot take effect if bad conditions are prevailing for that
person.

According to the Buddha, it is like putting a lump of salt in a cup

of water35. It becomes too salty to be drunk. Should this lump
be added to a lake or a river like the Ganges or Ayeryarwady,
that salty taste would be lost.

In the same way some people’s morals are not good. What’s
more, they do no meritorious deeds. Should they commit some
minor wrongdoing, they will suffer a lot for it.

In contrast let’s take someone of good moral conduct who is

ever good-hearted. He has also been carrying out a lot of good
deeds. Nonetheless, being a putthujjana, misdeeds are
occasionally committed. Yet they seem to be of no
consequence, disappearing completely.

So kamma-result differs from person to person. It is not that

kamma shows favouritism. It is because there are other factors
to give support.

35
Loṇakapalla Sutta (Aṅguttara Nikāya, Book of the Threes).

63
Worldly conditions

If a poor man was to steal a fish from a fishmonger, he would

get into trouble. If a rich man in a chauffeured-driven car was
to do the same, he might even be given another one, as
complimentary. Preference is given to the wealthy, not to the
destitute. This is only the way of the world.

Isn’t it usually the case (in certain places) that when there is
money and influence, there is no need to face punishment by
the law? The situation is usually different for someone who is
rich and another who is poor, even though it is said that “all are
equal under the law”. The one without money gets imprisoned
for a crime, probably not the other. For the latter, although the
offence is the same, the matter is likely to blow over. Through
bribery he can get away with it. So in the same way for
someone with rank or power, there is often no retribution.
Another person without these has more to bear in punishment.

Depending on how you look at it, you could call this injustice.
Or you could say that this is a worldly situation. In such a case
money (as well as influence and power) can be taken as a type
of condition.

This is not to say that money – or the lack of it – makes a

difference with kamma. Where kamma is concerned, it is rather
whether there is the absence or not of qualities. For someone
having such attributes, the consequence is less severe, unlike
the one who has done no merit. Thus he gets to suffer a lot
even for any minor misdeed. This is only natural.

64
The implication is that should one commit some akusala, to
alleviate that bad kamma, one should then do a lot of merit.

******

65
 Quality makes a difference

_____________________

In whatever good or bad that is performed, there is always level

and degree, that is, the quality. When kusala or akusala is
carried out, are the mental force and quality the same for
everyone?

Whether it is offering dāna, observing sīla or practising

meditation, a person’s mental force and its quality are unlike
another’s. Consider the act of offering dāna. Before it happens,
you have good thoughts about your offering. Even afterwards,
kusala mind arises when you think about this dāna.

It would be different for another person with doubts and wrong

ideas before and after the offering is done. Therefore as this
wholesome act is surrounded by an unwholesome mind before
and afterwards, the kammic potentiality is weakened. It is
termed as inferior36.

In your case where no akusala mind surrounds the act of

offering, it is superior37 with only kusala mind arising with
knowledge, that is, the three good roots of alobha, adosa and
amoha are present. (If knowledge is not present, then the

36
Omaka kusala kamma.
37
Tihetuka ukkaṭṭha
condition is two-rooted or dvihetuka.) Superior and inferior are
distinguished thus by means of knowledge38 and whether the
wholesome act is surrounded by akusala cetanās or not.

As for akusala, take the example of a hungry boy who sees an

apple. Craving arises and he steals it, thinking it is all right
because of his hunger. Another boy in such a situation, knowing
it is wrong, hesitates. But with a friend’s encouragement, he
takes it.

Thus there is a difference in the mental force and quality of

these two boys’ actions.

So even if the act of stealing or of offering dāna, keeping

precepts or meditating is the same, the level and degree are
not the same for everybody. This is to say that the quality
varies. Although the act remains just as it is, kamma’s quality is
not the same. Isn’t that right?

Different makes, different worlds

Look at the consumer goods in use nowadays with their

differences in quality. Yet the item’s generic name – doesn’t it
remain the same? Take a radio for example. Which are the
companies that manufacture radios? You look them up. “This
one produces good-quality radios. That one makes poor-quality
ones,” you conclude. Whether the quality is good or bad, it is

38
When knowledge leads, the merit gained is called ñāṇa-sampayutta
kusala. Without amoha, it is said to be ñāṇa-vipayutta.

67
not so that the one of an inferior make cannot be called a radio.
It is still a radio, just like the one of high-quality.

In this way, depending on the quality of kamma, the result that

is produced varies.

There is food for thought in this question: all beings belonging

to apāya share the same rebirth consciousness (upekkhā
santīraṇa) whether they are hell-beings, animals, petas or
asuras. Do they also share the same suffering? And if not, why
not?

The rebirth mind is common to all but what beings have to

undergo in the various locations is not the same. In the plane of
niraya, there is only extreme suffering without even a drop of
happiness. Its inhabitants have the worse sort of existence.
Animals are a little better off. The Buddha compared hell to a
huge pit of red-hot coals39, while life in the animal kingdom was
like being in a pit of excrement. By comparison petas and
asuras are better off although He likened their situation to being
in a very hot location with barely any shade, the rocky ground
rough with sharp-edged stones.

Why do beings in hell have more suffering than the others? It is

because the mental force used in performing akusala – along
with the kammic quality – is not the same. The extreme kind of
evil-doing results in hell. It also means that the quality of
kamma is at its highest.

39
In Mahāsīhanāda Sutta, Majjhima Nikāya.

68
Also the result can be determined by seeing the degree of
akusala. The higher the degree, the more drastic is the
environment, like a fiery volcano. So depending on the degree,
there is intensely hot, then hot and less hot environment in
different levels of planes.

Thus the suffering is most intense in Avīci where there are no

gaps between the inhabitants who are as closely packed as
needles in their casing. That is why this lowest of hells is called
Avīci. Also there are no spaces between the blazing fires which
are continuously burning.

A less extreme type of akusala with a lower kammic quality

brings its result in the animal world. Then a sort that is not so
extreme brings about peta existence.

Likewise human and deity happiness are dissimilar due to the

difference in quality even though there is the same rebirth
consciousness. All vehicles with four wheels which can carry a
small number of passengers are called cars. Yet given the
different types and makes, are they all of the same value? No
they are not. In this way this is like the dissimilarity between
human and deity happiness.

How did the Buddha describe human existence? It is like finding

yourself seated under an enormous tree providing good shade.
“Oh, how cool it is here!” you say. Yet no matter how cool and
shady, seated on the ground, you cannot avoid getting the
sloping rays of the sun or the rain.

69
As for life in the deity world, the Buddha compared it to living in
a well-furnished room with a big sofa and a bed with a
mattress, secure from the wind and rain. Are these two
situations alike? No, they are not the same. The difference is
due to the quality of the act of kusala, such as dāna and sīla.
The result given is thus different.

******

70
 Success and failure

_______________

Although kamma is the essential condition, we cannot just

consider it by itself. We also need to look at the other
conditions and the overall situation. Take it this way: a tree
needs the supporting conditions of soil, water, light, heat and
fertiliser, and so on if it is to grow. The kind of soil or a
temperature that is too high or low, for example, will affect its
growth. So many conditions are involved.

It is the same for kamma. No matter how good the kusala

kamma, once it meets the adverse situation of vipatti40, it
cannot do its task. Similarly akusala kamma -- however big – in
the condition of complete sampatti cannot function and bring
about dukkha. This nature of kamma should be understood.

The plane of existence and the times

A person could be born in a plane of existence that is not good:

in hell, the animal kingdom, or in the realm of petas and asuras.
Once he arrives at such a bad destination (gati vipatti), even
though he has kusala kammas which would like to give their

40
Vipatti means failure, while sampatti is success.
result, they are not able to. At most they can only see to it that
he gets enough to eat. They are unable to provide human or
deity existence where life would not be degenerate and
incomplete.

Then during bad times people are demoralised and likely to

commit misconduct. During the dark period of kāla vipatti
akusala kammas are usually performed. In such a period
nobody is at peace or trouble-free. The Second World War was
such a period when it was hard to obtain any merit or benefit. I
was born in 1940 just before the war. Due to the bombing and
disease-outbreaks, many innocent people died. Even in our
village one whole family died. Many in the country died because
of the plague, including some well-known scholars.

On the other hand the time during which people have the
chance for good moral behaviour is kala sampatti. This is a
period where progress is made in all fields, with the economy
booming, improvement in education, and so on.

One’s appearance

Looks matter too – even for a dog. If it is cute-looking, people

will say, “How pretty that dog is!” and give it food. That is
called upadhi sampatti. As for upadhi vipatti: if it was a starving
mongrel with sores, they are likely to throw a stone at it
instead.

72
It is the same for a person. No matter how wealthy one is, with
ugly looks, social acceptance is hard to come by. For instance,
there is an account of a minister at one time in Ceylon (now Sri
Lanka) who had a rather ugly wife. On ceremonial occasions
she would be mistaken for a house-slave. Nobody treated her
with respect. Because of upadhi vipatti, no one thought she was
a minister’s wife.

With upadhi vipatti even a king’s son would have no chance to

succeed to the throne. In Ceylon there was once a prince who
was keen on cock-fighting even at a young age. During one
match his eye was damaged by a cock’s spur. As a result he
became blind in one eye. As he came of age, his mother (the
queen) approached the king to ask if her son would be made
the crown price. What was the king’s reply?

“The prince is handicapped. He can’t become king. It has been

quite a long while since there was a one-eyed king.”

So kingship over Ceylon was not given to the prince. He was

given a tiny island to rule over instead. If he had not lost an eye
– if there had been no upadhi vipatti – he would have become a
king for sure. Even if there had been kusala kamma to give its
result, it could not because everything had gone wrong.

Then there was a general of dwarf-size who was extremely

skilled in archery. Yet the king did not like him as an archer in
his service, thinking that everyone would laugh to see an ugly
dwarf as one of the king’s personal archers. So the general had
a good-looking fellow take his place, while he waited on this
substitute-archer. If there was something that required his

73
service, he would do it discretely in place of his substitute –
without being seen.

So even in securing an appointment, one’s appearance carried

weight, especially in the old days of slavery. It did not matter
how lowly or poor one was. One’s mother could be a slave-
woman. But so long as one had good looks, rank and
appointment could be had.

Thus kamma in producing its result is affected by conditions of

sampatti and vipatti. It does not wholly rely on itself to do so.

*****

74
 Can we avoid bad kamma-result?

__________________________

As long as we are not free of avijjā’s ignorance of the Truth, we

can be said to be walking blindly along the road without a
guide. At times we may be able to keep to the path and reach
our destination. At other times we may not get there. In our
journey through saṃsāra through ignorance as putthujjanas we
do not know what should or should not be done. Thus what
should be done we think should not be done. What should not
be done we think should be done.

In this way we act following what we think: from time to time

we happen to do merit; occasionally we do evil. These acts
committed will bear fruit and return to us as a result. This is
nature’s law of action and reaction.

Having done what should not be done

If misdeeds have been committed, such as killing, what is to be

done? Do we give up in despair for the rest of our lives? We
need not lose heart as the Buddha has shown a way to escape
from bad kamma.
First we must be aware that what had been committed is not
good: that any wrongdoing is not good. After all the Buddha
had warned, “Don’t do what is unwholesome. If you do, akusala
kamma will give its unhappy and painful result.”

With this realisation we should make a resolution either to

ourselves, a teacher or a trusted friend. “I’ve already done
wrong. Thinking about it makes me remorseful. Though I can
get over the feeling, I cannot put things right as the deed has
already been done. I’ll never commit the wrongdoing again
from now on. I’ll only do what is meritorious.”

We should keep to our resolve, making sure that the misdeed is

not repeated. This is the solution. By abstaining from akusala,
we keep performing what is kusala. Carrying out what is good,
avoiding what is evil: if so we can surely free ourselves from
this bad kamma troubling us. This does not mean that we
destroy or cancel it out – which is impossible. It is just a
method to escape from it.

It is not useful or necessary to become depressed thinking

about what has been done. It is not something that can be
corrected or changed. So we should think no more about it.

More important is to make sure that this kind of misdeed is no

longer repeated in the future. This is the only way. Otherwise
how could someone like Aṅgulimālā be able to become an
arahant despite having killed so many people? By following this
method of avoiding evil and cultivating good, kamma will be

76
isolated41, according to the Buddha. Because kilesas fertilise
kamma, it will grow. If the mental defilements are removed,
kamma ceases. But as long as they remain, so will kamma.

When I was living in America, at one time I gave a talk about

how to be liberated from bad kamma. One layman said,
“Venerable Sir, it seems as though you‘re encouraging wrong-
doers in your discourse.”

I replied, “This is only speaking realistically. Otherwise what’s

the use of the Dhamma? Demerit is usually what puthujjanas
do. Having done so, if it’s so that there is no escape route or
solution, what will be the case? But of course there’s a solution.
This the Buddha pointed out in Saṅkhadhamma Sutta.”

Don’t surrender to kamma

Thus kamma is not something that you give in to. Instead it can
be modified. You can substitute what is bad with something
good – akusala is got rid of using kusala. In coming to
understand the nature of kamma and realising the results it
gives, you will abstain from performing bad kamma. You will
make the effort instead to do good. If so you can, if you wish,
remain happily in saṃsāra.

However no longer wanting the dukkha of aging, sickness and

death, you still continue to cultivate good, while making an

41
Kilesa nirodhe, kamma nirodho.

77
effort to understand what the Buddha taught about kamma.
There will come a time when you can understand and
discriminate between the two types of kamma in your life – the
type to be avoided and that to be kept. Striving to perform
wholesome kammas, you also strive in practice to remove
kilesas. This is in order to liberate yourself eventually from all
kammas good and bad. At the point when you are able to
remove kilesas, kamma will no longer be able to give its result.
This is when you have gained the happiness of Nibbāna.

******

78
 Sabbadānaṃ dhammadānaṃ jināti

(The gift of Dhamma excels all gifts)

Five hundred copies of Kamma in this Life were printed for free
distribution by Sayalay Vimalañāṇi.

May all beings share in the merits gained through this

publication.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!