Search results for: past karma
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- Virtue & Right View… It may be because we’ve got some old karma from the past that we can’t remember at all. It may seem wrong that we’re still held responsible for things we can’t even remember—but that’s the way cause and effect work. So you have to put aside your impatience, put aside your moods, and just say, “Okay, how can …
- Safety… When the Buddha explained how we experience things, though, part of it comes from past actions, your past karma, but an important part comes from what you’re doing right now. That’s where the Buddha focused. You can’t go back and undo what you did in the past, but you can develop skills right here, right now, that you can depend on …
- Sensitive to Fabrication… You can take the Buddha’s teachings on karma, you can take the Buddha’s teachings on rebirth, you can take the Buddha’s teachings on experience in general and use those to recast your stories of who you are, where you come from, what’s happened in the past. That way, you can settle a lot of issues. So if you want, think …
Handful of Leaves, Volume Two
MN 101 At Devadaha | Devadaha Sutta
… The first point concerns the Buddhist teaching on action, or kamma (karma). The general understanding of this teaching is that actions from the past determine present pleasure and pain, while present actions determine future pleasure and pain. Or, to quote a recent book devoted to the topic, “Karma is the moral principle that governs human conduct. It declares that our present experience is conditioned …- Intoxication… They act on impulse and do all sorts of destructive stuff, harming not only themselves but also the people around them, with no thought for the past, no thought for the future. Mindfulness is what helps sober us up, the ability to remember. Even when you get infatuated with something that looks pretty, you remember: How long is that going to last? What would …
- Finding the Openings… But what do you get for it? The pleasures you’ve gotten from attachment in the past: Where are they now? Usually what remains is the karma that comes from that attachment, the things you did in order to hold on, some of which were not very skillful at all. Reflect on the past, then look at the present: What are you doing right …
- Feelings of Unworthiness… What he needed was some good karma, and he didn’t have much in his past, at least as far as he could see, that he could build on. But he could build on his determination now that he wanted to learn, and on his confidence that he could learn. That’s why he ordained. That’s why, when he ordained in a village …
- Conviction & Persistence… What is this element of freedom that we have in the present moment, where we can choose to do one thing rather than another? On the one hand, we hear that there’s the impact of past karma. The past karma simply gives us a range of choices. And we do have freedom to make the choice. Oftentimes, we abdicate that freedom. We just …
- In Tune… Which is why when he heard that there were people saying that what you experience in the present moment is totally based on past karma, he went and argued with them. He said, “Do you realize what you’re doing? If that were true, then people would kill and steal and have illicit sex and do all kinds of unskillful things because of some …
- The Skill of Patience… You’re here, and they can just wash past, wash past. You don’t have to get involved. Some of the thinking comes from past karma—and it’s going to happen. Other thinking comes from the fact that you’re getting involved with your past-karma thinking. You want to add a few more thoughts, a few more details. But then you twist …
- To Strengthen the Path… This is our karma right now: good karma, karma in the present moment. You want to make that power we have to shape things work to our advantage. If any thoughts come up that doubt the value of this, say, “No. The Buddha knew what he was talking about.” Take that as your working hypothesis. And, as he said, the key to understanding things …
- The Seven Treasures… They start with conviction—conviction in the Buddha’s awakening, conviction in the principle of karma. You’re convinced that the Buddha really did discover that there is a deathless and that it was possible for him to do that through his own actions. That’s his discovery of the fourth type of karma: the one that leads to the end of karma. That …
- From Anxiety to Confidence… Remember that question the Buddha has you ask: “Days and nights fly past, fly past. What am I becoming right now?” Well, suppose he showed up in front of you and asked you, “Today is flying past. What are you doing right now?” You’d want to give him an answer that you’re not ashamed to give. That kind of shame is a …
- Determination… If you just let your life go with what the Thais call* yathaakam—*in other words, wherever your past karma pushes you, you just go in that direction—it’s usually not a good direction. You’ve got to make up your mind, “I want something out of this life. I want something to show for the fact that I’ve been alive and …
- Chanting Before Meditation… But then you realize, their karma is their karma, your karma is your karma. No matter how much goodwill or compassion you have for others, there’s only so much you can do for them. You develop equanimity for things you can’t change so that you can give energy to your real responsibility: You’ve got to focus on your actions. This, again …
- Sources of Lasting Happiness… When they talk about karma, all too often we think about past karma from previous lives. But the Buddha’s main focus was on your karma in the present moment, because the mind is very active. We’re not just sitting here passively receiving impressions. The mind is trying to figure things out: what to do now, where to focus now, how to interpret …
- World Peace Begins Inside… Even though you may have some past bad karma from other worlds that you’ve been creating for yourself, at the very least you’re creating good ones right now. That’s what matters. So get the mind to settle down with the breath, at peace with the breath. And listen to what the breath needs, listen to what the body needs, and provide …
- Preparing to Meditate… This is why the Buddha’s very basic level of right view is conviction in the principle of karma, because what we’re doing as we meditate is a very active application of that principle. In other words, your experience depends on your past actions and your present actions together. If you meditate hoping that enlightenment is just going to land on top of …
- Present-Moment Intelligence… You’ve got raw material coming in from your past karma, but you’re going to experience it because of your present karma. And not only that, you’re going to shape it in certain directions with your present karma. One of the purposes of meditation is to see how you do that. This is why it’s so important that the meditation focuses …
- A Tale of Two Kings… Lie down, be very still, put up with all the pain of lying still and not eating, and then at some point the pain will be done when all the bad karma is burnt out. But the Buddha taught kamma in a different way. Your life is shaped not only by your past actions but more importantly by your present ones: what you’re …
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