..續本文上一頁 law of kamma operates on its own, requiring no assumption of a God, and has nothing to do with the idea of reward or punishment. In fact the concept of justice is irrelevant, a mere expedient in the cause of convenience of expression, a convention. Of course, the law of kamma operates with full and perfect justice, but that is quite a different matter from the concept of justice as understood in theistic religions. When the Buddha says, "The doer of good receives good, the doer of evil receives evil," he is not passing a judgment of reward or punishment, but simply stating the fact of how the law of kamma operates. If you fall down from a tree and break your leg, it is not a matter of justice or punishment, but simply the operation of the law of gravity, a natural law which we all are subject to. Likewise, if you eat good food and remain healthy, your health is only natural, not a reward given to you by some supreme being. Whether a supreme being exists or not, you will remain healthy and strong if you treat yourself properly in accordance with the law of nature. Of course, we may refer to the broken leg as a punishment and good health as a reward, but that is just a way of talking. The law of kamma operates in much the same manner, the difference being that it functions within the framework of morality, based on the principle of cause and effect.
There are those who assert that it is God who made all these laws, and if the law of kamma were true, it must also have been created by God. We can see that the introduction of God into the subject only serves to confuse and obscure the issue. Historically, the Buddhist doctrine of kamma was first condemned by Christians as the teaching of Satan, or a heretic view at best. However, with better understanding and the subsequent realization of the sound logic and validity of this particular doctrine, some Christian scholars have compromised by reducing it to one of the ”Laws” established by the ”Father in Heaven.” This maneuver calls to mind the practice of Hindus of old who first condemned the Buddha and later reduced him to one of Vishnu”s incarnations. But since the existence of God is as yet a matter of conjecture, such a claim does not hold much weight and may serve only to pert us from pursuing the subject in the right direction.
Results of kamma
Kamma can be committed through the three doors or channels of action: actions done through the body, such as giving things in charity, killing, stealing, or taking narcotic drugs, are called bodily actions (kayakamma); those performed through speech, such as telling the truth, lying, or using abusive language, are called verbal actions (vacikamma); those performed through the mind, such as indulging in hateful thoughts or practicing concentration and insight meditation, are called mental actions (manokamma).
Most people do not see thoughts as a kind of action and fail to realize how they can be anything more than mere subjective phenomena. But it is interesting to note that Buddhism not only lists the function of the mind as constituting a kind of action, but gives it prime significance. According to Buddhism, it is through mental action that man can be elevated to the highest stage of spiritual development, and it is again through mental action that he will be tempted to commit the most heinous crime. Thus cultivation of mind occupies the most important place in the Buddhist scheme of spiritual training.
A volitional action, good or bad, skillful or unskillful, is bound to produce some appropriate result one way or another. Sometimes the consequences of an action are immediate and explicit; sometimes they are not. This really depends on many factors. Some actions may bear fruit in the present life, others may bring results in some…
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