Kamma

　　Dr. Sunthorn Plamintr

　　What is kamma

　　Etymologically, the Pali word kamma (Sanskrit: karma) is derived from the root "kam" meaning "to do," "to commit," or "to perform." Kamma literally means action, something we do or perform. But according to the Buddhist philosophy, not all actions are designated kamma; only those actions that are volitionally motivated are called kamma. The Pali word for volition is cetana. It is the most crucial conditioning factor behind human actions and determines the nature of such actions. The Buddha has clearly explained: "Monks, volition do I call kamma. Having willed, man commits kamma through body, speech, and mind." In his Abhidhammasamuccaya, Asanga, an eminent Mahayana commentator, defines volition as "mental construction or mental activity, the function of which is to direct the mind in the sphere of virtuous, evil, and neutral activities."

　　The doctrine of kamma is based on the principle of causality or the law of cause and effect. It is the natural law of morality, which asserts that an intentional action will lead to a result proportionate in nature and intensity to that intention. Kammically productive actions are those which are based on skillful or unskillful volition. The Pali word for skillful is kusala, which is variously translated as wholesome, good, meritorious, virtuous, and intelligent. The Pali word for unskillful is akusala, translated as unwholesome, evil, bad, deleterious, unvirtuous, and unintelligent. A skillful action produces a result which is desirable, good, and happy, while an unskillful deed brings about just the opposite. As the Buddha has eloquently declared : "Just as the seed is sown, so will the fruit be obtained. The doer of good receives good; the doer of evil receives evil."

　　Often the word kamma is used not only in reference to an intentional action, but also, wrongly, to indicate the result thereof. This kind of confusion is common even among the educated, not to mention the untrained, who tend to be rather indiscreet in their choice of terms. Kamma means an action, never its result. The Pali words for the result are phala, vipaka, or kammavipaka. It is important to be aware of this distinction to avoid misunderstandings about kamma.

　　Skillful or unskillful intention constitutes the motivation underlying the performance of an action. When there is an intention to perform kamma, there arises volitional energy that provides a moving force for the action, whether wholesome or unwholesome, depending on the kind of volition at the moment. This action may be expressed through any of the three channels of body, speech, and mind. In fact, it is intention that conditions man”s action and constitutes the basis for all mental formations.

　　The law of kamma and moral justice

　　The law of kamma has nothing to do with the idea of moral justice. Although some scholars try to claim their common origin or confuse them through analogy, there is no justification for such efforts. To begin with, the theory of moral justice is grounded on the assumption of a supreme being or a so-called creator God, the lawgiver who sits in judgment over all actions. It is he who is believed to mete out justice, giving punishment to sinners and rewards to believers as the case may be. But the meaning of the expression ”moral justice” in theistic religions is ambiguous, and history has shown that much injustice has been made in the name of moral justice. The criteria for defining moral justice are, to say the least, rather arbitrary and subjective. Often they serve only as a pretext for righteous bigotry and political opportunism, with decidedly self-defeating effects.

　　The law of kamma, on the other hand, is a natural law. It is a law of cause and effect, of action and reaction. The…

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