Kamma

Question 1

What is Kamma?

Answer 1

• One reason why Kamma is relevant is because Kamma is the natural law of cause and effect; all actions have consequences.
• This means that Buddhists believe that everything we think, say or do will impact our future and that everything that happens to us is the karmic consequence of actions in this or previous lives, and affects everyone.

Question 2

What are good and bad rebirths explained as?

Answer 2

• Good and bad rebirths are not explained as rewards or punishments for doing the right/wrong thing but are understood as the natural results of actions taken in life.

Question 3

What does the Dhamma say about Karma?

Answer 3

• “If one speaks or acts with a wicked mind, because of that, pain follows one. If one speaks or acts with a good mind, because of that, happiness follows one.”
• This explains that if you have bad intentions, you will gain negative karma for the next life and in this life, consequently stepping off from the Eightfold Path.
• However, instead, Buddhists would do positive actions e.g the dhamma and getting closer to enlightenment, which would gain them good karma.

Question 4

What is one implication about the belief in kamma?

Answer 4

• An implication of the belief in karma is that Buddhists will try to act more compassionately towards others and may look for ways to help in bad situations.

Question 5

What is a second implication about the belief in kamma?

Answer 5

• Another implication of the belief in kamma is that Buddhists may become motivated to practice the Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts as these develop positive actions based on compassion and generosity.
• For example, ‘Abstain from what taking is not given’ helps Buddhists to be more generous and avoid taking things out of want or greed.

Question 6

accident

What is one evaluation point about the belief in kamma?

Answer 6

• Overall, Kamma is extremely relevant to Buddhists because, without an understanding of kamma, someone might accidentally perform actions that result in more suffering in their present and future life, meaning they are stuck in the cycle of samsara forever and experience endless suffering.

Question 7

What is a second evaluation point about the belief in kamma?

Answer 7

• As well as this, understanding kamma is important as it helps lead people away from acting selfishly and out of hatred. Instead, it encourages people to act selflessly and compassionately and in doing this it drives away the characteristics of the three root poisons.

Question 8

What is another reason why kamma is important?

Answer 8

• Another reason why kamma is relevant is that Kamma explains the reason for suffering.
• This is because Buddhists believe that unskillful actions such as lying or gossiping are unethical and will gain you bad kamma and continue the cycle of samsara.

Question 9

What do Buddhists believe that makes an action unskilful?

Answer 9

• Buddhists believe that what makes an action unskillful is a matter of intention, actions motivated by the three root poisons are unskillful. For example, accidentally killing an insect will not gain you as much bad kamma, but killing it intentionally will gain you more.

Question 10

What does Kamma help Buddhists realise?

Answer 10

• Kamma helps Buddhists realise dukkha, and then Buddhists can then develop the right intention through the Eightfold Path which is more likely to bring them to more skilful actions such as meditating to find enlightenment.
• However, this is not solely enough as you must find the right intention through right actions, this is why Buddhists must develop wisdom as well as intention.

Question 11

How does the Buddha show the right intention?

Answer 11

• Having the right intention is shown through the Buddha himself as he used the example of a father who uses the promise of various toy carts to get his children out of a burning house.
• Once they are outside, he gives them all one large cart to travel in instead. In this situation, it is skillful to lie as the intention is to save others.
• This highlights further that it is our intentions, actions and consequences that all matter when it comes to kamma.

Question 12

What is a third implication of the belief in kamma?

Answer 12

• An implication of the belief in kamma is that Buddhists will try to avoid actions that are rooted in the three root poisons as this will lead to unskillful actions. For example, they will avoid theft because it causes suffering to more than one person and they know this is unskillful and will only lead to more of this.

Question 13

What is a fourth implication of the belief in kamma?

Answer 13

• Another implication of belief in kamma is that skillful actions will become engrained within Buddhist characters as they do this more and more often, leading to better rebirths and defeating the cycle of samsara.

Question 14

What is a third evaluation point for the belief in kamma?

Answer 14

• Overall, Kamma is relevant to Buddhist beliefs because it means not only the person will benefit and experience greater happiness because of skillful actions, but others will too as they will experience a person’s generosity, kind and wise actions.

Question 15

What is a fourth evaluation point for the belief in kamma?

Answer 15

• Also, it is important because a person’s actions can cause happiness or suffering is an incentive to cultivate a more skillful way of life.

Question 16

What is a final reason why kamma is relevant to Buddhists?

Answer 16

• A final reason why kamma is relevant to Buddhists is that it can help them reach Nibbana. This is because Nibbana is the goal of all Buddhists as it is the absence of kamma, and this can only be reached when there is no better or bad kamma.

Question 17

How can Buddhists change their actions?

Answer 17

• Buddhists can change their actions by doing more skilful actions like fundraising or becoming a monk to more likely reach enlightenment, this is following the Eightfold Path and giving them one step closer to Nibbanna.
• Although Buddhists may not reach enlightenment in this life, kamma is seen as a transfer of energy, so this can be achieved over many lives.

Question 18

What is one example of Kamma’s energy?

Answer 18

• This is seen through the example of the candle. If you use one lamp to light another, the flame of the second lamp is brought into being by the energy of the first lamp; the flame is the same but is not at the same time. This means that you can follow the Eightfold Path in any life, and that kamma is a key principle in achieving Nibbana.

Question 19

What is a second example of Kamma’s energy?

Answer 19

• A second example of kamma is the snooker ball.
• The first strikes the second, the first stops (representing death) and the energy is transferred to the second ball (rebirth). The second is not the same as the first. however the conditions at the time of death created the conditions for the second to come to life.

Question 20

What is a fifth implication of the belief in kamma?

Answer 20

• An implication of the belief in kamma is that Buddhists may become very aware of their thoughts and actions and must carefully consider everything to make sure they are acting skillfully.

Question 21

What is the sixth implication of the belief in kamma?

Answer 21

• Another implication of belief in kamma is that it can create a more compassionate community as they will have the right mindset and will be acting more skillfully and following the Eightfold Path to reach Nibbana.

Question 22

What is the fifth evaluation point for the belief in kamma?

Answer 22

• Overall, Kamma is important to Buddhists because it is a person’s karmic energy that will determine if they can be able to attain the state of enlightenment, therefore, to achieve their goal of Nibana a Buddhist must know how to act skillfully. If they are unaware of Kamma, they may act unskillfully and move further way from their goal.