The Causes

 Karma

    All felicity and adversity and all joys and sorrows of
      birth and death and so forth are dominated by our
                             karma.
                     - Karma Chagme, Naked Awareness(1)

The Sanskrit word karma literally means ‘action’, though in English it is often used to denote the fruit of an action.
   
For sentient beings, karma is the primary force of development. Thoughts, words and deeds based on intention(2) produce an energy that leaves karmic seeds, or traces, in the mind stream.(3) These traces essentially define the course of future events as they ripen under the influence of external factors.
    
How do these traces affect the future? Consider a building. The third floor does not appear independently; rather, it depends on the first and second floors for its position. In turn, these levels depend on each brick or stone for their stability. If several bricks are defective or placed insecurely, a problem will arise at a higher level. In other words, we can say that the energy from these bricks is transmitted through the whole structure. The traces imprinted on the mind stream influence the nature of the whole stream in a similar way. In the future, the consequences of the acts that left the traces will be experienced.
    
With regard to the nature of the traces, the Buddha observed that mental, verbal and physical acts motivated by selfless generosity and goodwill produce pleasant and favourable results when the conditions are right. These are the solid bricks. In contrast, those governed by a mind distorted by greed, hatred, attachment, jealousy, pride or delusion are the bricks that lay the ground for future hardships.(4)
    
These karmic traces or seeds are similar to the latent potential for sound to resonate from vocal chords or for ice to form in water. They cannot be discerned, but when stirred by external factors, sound and ice are produced. In the same way, when karmic seeds meet conducive circumstances, a situation arises according to the nature of the seed. In an earthquake, for example, a house constructed with defective bricks might collapse. The Treasury of Precious Qualities(5) states:

    Soaring high in the sky
    The eagle's shadow is lost from sight,
    But like action and its result
    The two are intrinsically connected,
    And when conditions are ripe,
    It will be clearly seen.(6)

The concept that past acts determine future circumstances can be difficult to comprehend. So, let us look at another example. As a youth, you exercised regularly and had a healthy diet. Now you are a middle-aged executive who likes to eat junk food and put his feet up in front of the TV. Even though this lifestyle is unhealthy, you will still reap the benefits of your previous good habits, though they will diminish in time. Equally, the rate at which they diminish will depend on the input of other actions. A diet consisting purely of junk food and exercise limited to switching TV channels will exacerbate a decline in health far more than a mixed diet and moderate exercise. In the same way that exercise primarily affects the continuum of the body, actions influence the continuum of the mind.
   
The results of one's acts, however, bear fruit at different periods. They can materialize within the same lifetime that they are committed, within the next lifetime, or at some time far in the future. We might see those that cheat and commit atrocities living in wealth and opulence, while the good and kind are often poor and sick. This kind of situation arises because those that are currently engaged in unwholesome acts but who live in style are reaping the benefits of past positive actions, while those that are kind and generous but who experience ill health or poverty are suffering the effects of former negative actions. In Buddhism, it is often said that to know our past lives we need only look in a mirror, while to know the future we need only observe our present attitude and conduct. The Sutra of One Hundred Actions(7) describes the connection between cause and result in the following way:

      The joys and sorrows of beings
      All come from their actions, said the Buddha.
      The diversity of actions creates the diversity of
      beings.
      And impels their diverse wanderings.
      Vast indeed is the net of actions!(8)

It is said that for every cause, there are a number of effects, and for every effect, there are a number of causes. Moreover, an outwardly similar act can produce different consequences, depending on various factors. For example, the result of a generous act depends on the intention, the level of assistance offered, the beneficiary, and whether the benefactor regrets or rejoices in the action later. Assistance offered to impress or to gain reward, for example, is like planting a tainted seed. The fruit will be adversely affected. In addition, the value of wholesome action is increased when it is directed towards beings to whom we are indebted, such as the Buddha, the guru or a parent. The law of karma is like a river that twists and turns, absorbing both filth and fresh rain as it cascades down a mountain.
    
Actually, it is impossible for the ordinary mind to fully grasp the intricacies of the law of karma; it is similar to a blind man trying to imagine a colour he has never seen — it can only be understood through direct experience. Consequently, the Buddha deemed speculation regarding such metaphysical matters a waste of time.
    
A common misunderstanding, however, is to confuse karma with predestined fate. The difference is that with predestined fate, there is no free will. While Buddhism does not deny that our circumstances are generally beyond our control, it emphasizes that the way in which we handle them is not.
   
The following example illustrates this distinction. Some people are in a small boat on the ocean, and a strong wind is blowing,  threatening to capsize the vessel. These circumstances arose because of the past actions of those on board, and are presently unalterable. Nevertheless, the people have a choice in how they respond to the situation and to the others, and what they do will determine their future. A selfish response plants the seeds for future suffering, while calm and selfless action lays a foundation for future happiness. In order to make wise choices, it is very important to understand this point.
   
The Buddha rejected the idea of a soul, or atman. Yet, we have discussed karmic seeds ripening in future lives. What is it that transmits from one body to the next after death? It is the karmic traces, the residual forces themselves. When a snooker ball hits another, the first one stops and the second continues. They are not the same ball, but there is transference of energy, and the way the first ball was hit determines how the second moves. This is similar to the process of death and rebirth. The Zen monk Ryokan(9) also uses the example of a ball to explain life and rebirth in a playful poem:

    Once we start to bounce a ball,
    We will only be led on to
    Counting: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
    eight, nine, ten,
    Only to start again — from at the beginning!(10)

The cycle of birth and rebirth is known as samsara, and, as we have seen, is created by beneficial as well as non-beneficial acts of body, speech and mind. However, if even beneficial action leads to further samsaric existence, why did the Buddha admonish his monks, saying: ‘Do not be afraid of deeds of merit’?(11) In addition, why did he teach practices specifically aimed at creating merit?
    
According to the Mahayana,(12) perfection of the two accumulations (merit and wisdom) is a prerequisite to attaining full enlightenment. Alone, merit does not lead to liberation, but only to higher states within samsara.(13) However, by dedicating the meritorious act to the liberation of all sentient beings, the character of the seed is transformed. If one plants an apple seed, an apple tree will grow. Likewise, seeds dedicated to liberation will lead to liberation. Prior to performing any positive act, one should thus affirm one's motivation: ‘May all benefits from this act help sentient beings attain complete enlightenment.’ In addition, while engaged in the activity, one should reflect that the giver, recipient and object given are empty of inherent existence.(14) This protects the merit.(15) Finally, the activity should be ‘sealed’ by dedicating the merit towards the enlightenment of all beings. In the same way that a drop of water is preserved by adding it to the ocean, dedicating one's merit to the ‘great ocean’ of beings sustains its power until the fruit of complete Buddhahood is attained. The Middle Perfection of Wisdom Sutra(16) explains this in the following way (paraphrased):

    O Sabhuti!(17) When one develops the excellent
    mind of enlightenment,(18) even the ten virtuous
    deeds and so forth will become liberative
    virtues.(19)

Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche(20) concurs on this point:

    Relative practices are very, very important for
    those who, like ourselves, are still involved in
    living in the relative world. We cannot deny the
    operation of karma and how our conditioning
    continues to bind us.（21）

The results of negative past actions create obstacles to the attainment of enlightenment. For example, a person may find that he is unable to find a qualified teacher, or that his environment is not conducive to practice. Obstacles appear in many forms, but they all have one thing in common: they can be purified.
   
Consider a polluted river. Adding fresh water will dilute the level of pollution and bring the quality of the water nearer to its original state. In reality, however, the original body of water is neither sullied by the filth nor sweetened by the fresh water (the molecules are not penetrated by either). Yet, the fresh water is able to clear the murkiness, and thus enable the practitioner to draw closer to reality. Here, the ‘original flow' is synonymous with our original, or Buddha nature, which permeates all sentient beings in the same way that oil permeates a sesame seed, while the pollution and fresh water represent negative and positive karma.（22） Thus, we can see that any action that benefits others is of tremendous value; how much truer this is when it is driven by a great aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.
   
The great Tibetan yogi Jetsun Milarepa（23）was responsible for the deaths of many people in his youth. Later, he regretted the action and turned his mind to the Buddha Dharma. His teacher, Marpa,（24） realized that the results of Milarepa's previous actions would create insurmountable obstacles to his practice. Consequently, Milarepa's first few years as Marpa's student were not spent in meditative absorption in a cave, but in constructing houses for his teacher. Once one building had been completed, Marpa would find fault with it, and instruct him to demolish the structure and rebuild it in a different place. Milarepa actually completed four houses before finally Marpa felt that his karmic stream had been sufficiently purified to receive meditation instruction.

The Indian monarch King Ashoka(25) had likewise caused the deaths of many beings. Later, he undertook to build many monasteries, stupas,(26) and hospitals throughout his kingdom as a means to cleanse himself of these actions. In order to make these purification practices effective, however, they must flow from a mind moved by repentance. If there is no deep sense of regret for one's negative actions, then the ‘purifying’ deeds will be tainted by negative emotions; consequently, their effect will be greatly reduced.
    
Samsara is the product of karmic seeds ripened under the influence of contributing factors. Therefore, as a compounded phenomenon, it is ultimately non-existent. This explanation may sound complicated, but actually it just means that everything we perceive is composed of elements and is therefore neither permanent nor self-sustaining. For example, take a bicycle. On a relative, day-to-day level, it exists. We can sit on it and cycle away. However, under analysis, we can find no one thing that actually constitutes a bicycle.
    
Take out one spoke. Is this spoke the bicycle? Take out another spoke. Ask the same question. Piece by piece dismantle the entire bicycle, including the parts of the frame that are welded together. At some point, we will realize that the bicycle no longer exists — but where did it go? At what point did it cease to be a bicycle? We will discover that on an absolute level, there is not one thing we can call a bicycle. It is compounded, and therefore, as the Buddha realized, does not ultimately exist.
    
All phenomena are the same. This book did not spontaneously arise, but is the result of a combination of factors. The paper is made from wood and water. The wood came from a tree that had absorbed water, sunlight, and nutrition from the soil. Thus, when we look deeply into the book, we can see that it exists only relatively. It is merely a temporary combination of elements, and there is not one thing that we can actually call a book. This is what Buddhists call ‘emptiness’
(Skt. shunyata).(27)
    
The samsaric world created by karma is therefore no more than the result of our projections based on ignorance and conditioning. Like a dream, it does not ultimately exist. In the same way that a person who is dreaming believes his experiences are real, we also are convinced of the ultimate reality of what we perceive. In a dream, we may find ourselves in a different land and a member of an unknown family. Yet, we do not for one moment think to investigate the situation. In fact, even if someone entered our dream and told us we were dreaming, we would just see them as part of the mistaken reality and carry on our lives as before. Because of this difficulty, the Buddha taught the expedient path of the ‘six perfections’,(28) which through the accumulation of merit and wisdom create the causes and conditions for sentient beings to awake to reality.
   
In conclusion: any act of body, speech or mind committed with intention creates a karmic force that produces a corresponding result in the future. In our daily life, we cannot avoid intention; consequently the Buddha established practices that channel these energies towards liberation rather than continued samsaric rebirth. A Buddhist saying states:

    Used well, this body is a ship to liberation,
    Otherwise, it is an anchor in samsara.
    This body is the agent of all good and evil.(29)

Among these practices and attitudes, bodhichitta(30) and its root, compassion, are perhaps the most sublime relative teachings that the Buddha offered the world. Open and spacious, the mind of bodhichitta transforms even the most mundane deed into a spiritual endeavour.
______________________________________

(1) Karma Chagme, 2000: 57.
(2) Skt. chetana; Tib. sems-pa. These terms imply a conscious effort to accomplish a task.
(3) Buddhism divides the stream of consciousness into eight levels. It is the eighth, the alaya, where the residual forces of intentional thought, word or deed are stored.
(4) The result is also influenced by the strength of the imprint.
(5) Tib. yon tan rinpoche che'l mdzod. A famous treatise composed by Jigme Lingpa (see f.n. 37).
(6) Sodachi Khenpo, 1997: 9.
(7) Skt. Karmashataka Sutra.
(8) Patrul Rinpoche, 1996: 118.
(9) (1758-1831). A Japanese monk in the Soto Zen lineage (Ch. Ts'ao-tung) He was famous for his poetry and carefree lifestyle.
(10) Ryokan, 1999: 57.
(11) Skt. punya. AN IV IX (59a).
(12) The Great Vehicle. This tradition emphasizes compassion and merit, combined with realization of wisdom, as a means to attain enlightenment. Mahayana is the predominant school in Bhutan, China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Singapore, Taiwan, Tibet and Vietnam.
(13) Buddhism recognizes six distinct realms of existence: the hell, hungry ghost, animal, human, demi-god and god realms. These are understood to be created by the mind's propensities, and mistakenly taken to be real. Consequently, none of these states are permanent, and beings transmigrate through them depending on their karma. While all sentient beings have the potential to attain enlightenment, only the human form provides the necessary conditions to do so. Beings in the other realms are either beset by too much suffering or ignorance to engage in Buddhist practice or they are overly absorbed in bliss, and consequently do not consider seeking a deeper meaning to life.
(14) This is explained in detail at the end of this chapter.
(15) There are four ways that positive karma can be destroyed: through failing to dedicate the merit in favour of others' enlightenment, anger, regretting having performed the beneficial deed and boasting of one's positive action.
(16) Skt. Prajnaparamita Sutra.
(17) One of the Buddha's ten major disciples.
(18) Dedication of one's efforts towards the liberation of all beings from the cycle of karmic suffering.
(19) Longchen Rabjam, 1996: 225.
(20) (1926-1999). A Dzogchen master and teacher of many contemporary masters known in the West.
(21) Nyoshul Khenpo, 1995: 64.
(22) In the Vajrayana (Tibetan Buddhism) branch of Mahayana, the allegory of the sun obscured by clouds is often used to describe the relationship between our original nature and karmic obscurations. The clouds do not in any way interfere with or change the sun, and once they dissipate the rays of light, which have always been there, can be seen. In this way, we can understand that the mind before and after enlightenment is the same. What changes is our perception.
(23) (1040-1123). One of Tibet's great yogis and poets, and a leading figure in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.
(24) (1012-1097). Often referred to as Marpa the Translator as he was instrumental in translating many Tantric texts into Tibetan. He studied primarily under the great yogi Naropa (1016-1100).
(25) (270-230 BCE). The first monarch to rule over a united India and a historically influential patron of Buddhism. He is primarily remembered for having the moral aspirations of Buddhism carved into pillars and stone (known as the rock and pillar edicts) throughout his kingdom, abolishing war, and establishing clinics for the welfare of both men and animals.
(26) A domed monument containing Buddhist relics.
(27) Nagarjuna (second century CE — A great Indian Buddhist scholar and logician) said: 'That which originates dependently we call emptiness. This apprehension is the understanding of the Middle Way. Since there is nothing whatsoever originating independently, nothing whatsoever exists that is not empty. So emptiness and interdependent origination mean the same thing, and that is the Middle Way.’ Traleg Kyabon Rinpoche, 2002: 75.
(28) For detailed information regarding these practices, see appendix 3, ‘The Six Perfections’.
(29) Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, 1994: 15.
(30) Lit. The mind of enlightenment. This is explained in detail in the second part of the next chapter.

related post:  The Motivation

Source Of Information:
《Releasing Life: An Ancient Buddhist practice in the Modern World》, by Shenphen Zangpo (Stephen Powell), distributed by: Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Amitabha Malaysia, 90 & 92, Jalan Pahang, Gombak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.