11

Results of Karma

THROUGH OUR INTENTIONS and our actions, we create our experiences. Each of us experiences the results of intentional actions we have done. The Buddha explains (AN 3.34):

Whatever kamma an ignorant person [has done]

born of attachment, anger, and confusion,

whether what was fashioned by him be little or much,

it is to be experienced right here:

there exists no other site [for it].

Right here means in ourselves. We cannot transfer our karma to others so they experience the result, nor do we experience the result of others’ actions. The results of our actions are concordant with their causes: if we create the cause for happiness, we experience happiness; if we create the causes for pain, that is what we will experience. The Buddha says (MN 136.6):

Having done an intentional action by way of the body, speech, or mind [whose result is] to be felt as pleasant, one feels pleasure. Having done an intentional action by way of body, speech, or mind [whose result is] to be felt as painful, one feels pain. Having done an intentional action by way of body, speech, or mind [whose result is] to be felt as neutral, one feels neutral.

Experiencing the long-term results of our actions does not contradict the fact that our actions influence others here and now. Giving another person food, we temporarily cure his hunger as well as create the cause to have resources in our future lives. Dedicating virtuous actions for a dear one who is deceased may affect that person’s rebirth in a positive way. Similarly, the Buddha’s awakening was a result of his own efforts, but we also share the good fruits of his accumulation of merit over three countless great eons. In all these examples, one person’s karma has not been transferred so that another person experiences its result. Rather, as sentient beings we are interdependent, and the actions of one person may activate the ripening of another person’s karma.

The karmic result corresponds to the ethical nature of the action, which is primarily determined by the intention that motivated it. Actions done with a good motivation bring agreeable results for the person who does them, and actions done with destructive motivations bring miserable results in the long term. Actions may have immediate results that do not correspond with the ethical quality of the intention; these immediate results are not karmic results. For example, with the intention to help, Jeff gives some money to a friend. The next day someone steals the money, buys alcohol, and then injures someone in a car accident. Jeff’s action was still a virtuous one, although it had an immediate, unintended suffering result.

Three Results of Karma

Our actions bring several results: some are immediate results, others are karmic results that ripen later. When we are angry and speak harshly to someone, we immediately feel uneasy and experience an unpleasant reaction from the other person. In addition, the mental action of malice and the verbal action of harsh speech leave karmic seeds (latencies) on our mindstream. After a few years, lifetimes, or even eons, those seeds will ripen in our experiencing unpleasant events.

The scriptures speak of three results that come about due to actions done with all four branches (basis, attitude, performance, completion) accomplished: the ripening result (vipākaphala), causally concordant result (niṣyandaphala), and environmental result (adhipatiphala).

To be a ripening result four factors are required: (1) The cause is either virtuous or nonvirtuous. (2) The result is connected with the continuum of sentient beings. (3) The result comes after the cause. (4) The result itself is neutral, neither virtuous nor nonvirtuous.54

An example of a ripening result is the human psychophysical aggregates — form, feeling, discriminations, miscellaneous factors, and consciousnesses — we appropriated in our present life. Their cause was virtuous karma and they are connected with the continuum of a sentient being. Our rebirth came after its karmic cause, and our body itself is neutral, neither virtuous nor nonvirtuous. Āryadeva says (CŚ 297):

Suffering is a ripening

and thus is not virtuous.

Similarly, birth too is not virtuous,

being a ripening [result] of actions.

Suffering arises due to nonvirtuous causes, but itself is neutral. Similarly, the body of a new life is a result of virtuous or nonvirtuous karma, but itself is ethically neutral. In general, a heavy destructive action brings rebirth as a hell being, a middle one brings rebirth as a hungry ghost, and a minor one results in rebirth as an animal.55

With the exception of the causally concordant behavioral result, all other results are neutral. How we respond to suffering and happiness and to the different situations in which they occur creates the causes for more future results. As causes, these actions may be virtuous, nonvirtuous, or neutral; they leave karmic seeds on our mindstream and these produce more rebirths and the experiences we encounter in them.

The causally concordant result is usually experienced when we are again born as a human. It is of two types: (1) The causally concordant experiential result is our experiencing circumstances similar to what we caused others to experience. Killing results in experiencing injury, illness, or a short life. Generosity brings resources. (2) The causally concordant behavioral result is the tendency to behave in the same way in the future. Someone who lies in this life will have the tendency to lie and deceive others in future lives, whereas someone who trains in truthful speech will readily speak truthfully in future lives.

Each nonvirtue also gives an environmental result, affecting the ambiance in which we live. The chart will help you see the results of the ten nonvirtues at a glance. The causally concordant behavioral result is not listed because it is the tendency to do that same action again.

ACTION	CAUSALLY CONCORDANT EXPERIENTIAL RESULT	ENVIRONMENTAL RESULT
Killing	Short life, poor health.	Place with strife and war. Food and drink aren’t healthy, medicine is not potent.
Stealing	Poverty, our things are stolen or we don’t have the power to use them.	Poor place with many dangers, droughts, or floods, poor harvests, natural disasters.
Unwise and unkind sexual conduct	Disagreeable or unfaithful spouse, marital disharmony.	Life in a dirty place with poor sanitation, a foul odor, and misery.
Lying	Others slander and deceive us, don’t believe or trust us, accuse us of lying when we are telling the truth.	Place with disharmony in the workplace, deceitful people, corruption in society, and you feel afraid.
Divisive speech	Lack of friends, people don’t like to be with us, we are separated from spiritual masters and Dharma friends, have a bad reputation.	Rocky, uneven land with cliffs, place where travel is difficult, dangerous.
Harsh words	We are insulted, blamed, and criticized even when we speak with a good intention; others misunderstand us.	Barren, dry place that is inhabited by uncooperative people and has thorns, sharp stones, scorpions, and dangerous animals.
Idle talk	People do not listen to our words or value what we say, others laugh at us.	Drab place with an unbalanced climate where fruit does not ripen at the proper time, wells go dry, flowers and trees don’t blossom.
Covetousness	We have intense desires and cravings, can’t complete projects or fulfill our wishes and hopes, our ventures fail.	Small crops; our property, belongings, and the environment constantly deteriorate; isolated and poor place.
Malice	We feel great hatred, fear, suspicion, guilt, paranoia, and fright for no obvious reason.	Place with epidemics, disputes, dangerous animals, and poisonous snakes; wars and calamities, unpleasant food.
Wrong views	We are very ignorant and dull mentally, have difficulty understanding the Dharma, take a long time to gain realizations.	Few crops, lack of a home and protector; natural resources are exhausted, springs go dry, polluted environment, chaotic society.

Nāgārjuna outlines the effects that will occur in future lives by engaging in harmful actions now. Some of these results may also occur in this life (RA 14–19).

Due to killing one is born with a short life span;

due to violence one encounters much torment;

due to stealing one becomes impoverished;

due to adultery one has enemies.

By lying one becomes reviled;

through speaking divisively, one loses friends;

due to speaking harshly, one hears unpleasant sounds;

from engaging in idle talk, one’s words will be disregarded.

Covetousness destroys one’s desired objects;

malice is said to bestow fear;

wrong views lead to evil worldviews;

consuming intoxicants brings mental confusion.

Through not giving gifts one is poor;

wrong livelihood results in getting tricked;

arrogance leads to a lowly station;

jealousy brings about unattractive appearance.

From anger comes a bad complexion;

stupidity from not questioning the wise.

These are the effects when one is [reborn as] a human,

but prior to all of them is a bad rebirth.

Such are widely known to be the ripening results

of these [actions] that are called the nonvirtues.

For all of the virtuous actions

there are the opposite effects.

REFLECTION

1.Reflect on your life, noting your habitual actions and any strong karmas you may have done.

2.One by one, consider what their ripening result, causally concordant results, and environmental result will be.

3.Be aware that through your choices and actions, you are creating the causes for your future.

4.Have the sense of your life being a conditioned event, and you are the one creating the conditions.

Sūtras and texts all agree on which actions are virtuous and which are not, although they may have slightly different presentations of their specific results. Also, some texts describe karma in a simplistic manner, as if only one action produced a complex situation. It is helpful to remember that the purpose of these statements is to give ethical direction to average people in ancient times and that the precise functioning of karma is a complex matter.

An action with all three parts complete — preparation (the branches of the basis and attitude), performance, and culmination — can produce all three results over a period of lives. The First Dalai Lama explains (EPL 623):

If one asks: What is the reason that all the karmas yield the three [results]?

In the case of killing, for example: by the preparation one causes another to suffer [which yields the ripening result], in the actual act one kills [which yields the causally concordant result], and subsequently one has extinguished [the victim’s] vitality [which yields the environmental result]; therefore [each action] yields three types of fruit.

This does not mean that the preparation alone produces the ripening result and so forth, for a karma has to have all these branches complete to give rise to all these results. Linking parts of the action to specific results is a matter of emphasis.

One destructive action may bring many effects, and some effects may last for a long time. The same is true regarding constructive actions. In other cases, many karmas come together to make one effect.

Although karma and its effects have been presented primarily in terms of nonvirtuous actions, the same four branches are necessary to complete constructive actions and the same factors apply to make a constructive action heavy. The results of virtuous karma are the opposites of those for nonvirtuous actions. It is important for us to contemplate the ten virtues, the branches that make them complete, the factors that increase their strength, and the various results that come from them.

The Shorter Exposition of Action (Cūḷakammavibhanga Sutta, MN 135) speaks of pairs of opposite actions and their contrasting results. In each pair, the destructive action leads to an unfortunate rebirth and the constructive one to a fortunate rebirth. When we later are born human again, we will experience the causally concordant and environmental results of the action. Injuring sentient beings brings poor health and illness; refraining from causing injury brings good health. An angry and resentful character leads to being ugly; refraining from anger, hostility, and resentment — especially when criticized — results in being attractive. Envy and begrudging the achievements and honors of others lead to having little influence and people not listening to or paying attention to our words. Refraining from envy leads to gaining influence and respect. Stinginess leads to poverty; generosity brings wealth. Being obstinate and arrogant and not showing respect to those worthy of respect results in a lack of social status and educational and employment opportunities. Being free from obstinacy and arrogance and showing respect to those worthy of respect brings high status and many valuable opportunities. Being uninterested in discerning virtue from nonvirtue and what to practice from what to abandon on the path leads to being dull and stupid. Being interested in these, inquiring, and learning about them brings wisdom.

Is whatever we experience — pleasant, painful, or neutral — caused by previously created karma? Although karma is not always the direct cause of our experience, it is involved. The Buddha elucidates (SN 36.21):

Bile, phlegm, and also wind,

imbalance [of the three] and climate too,

carelessness and assault,

with kamma as the eighth.

Some painful feelings occur from imbalance in the three humors — bile, phlegm, wind, or all three together — while others have to do with change in climate, reckless behavior, or assault. We know this from our own experience, and it is considered true in the world. In saying this, the Buddha does not dismiss the role of karma in producing painful feelings. Rather, he rejects the claim that karma is the one and only direct cause for all painful feelings and affirms that karma plays a role in the feelings directly caused by the humors and external circumstances. Karma is given as the eighth cause of painful feelings, possibly indicating its dominant role when no physical disease or injury can be found as the immediate cause of a person’s pain. The Abhidharma explains that all painful physical feelings are due to karma, although they are not necessarily produced only by karma.

Our motivation influences the result of our actions. Even fabricated bodhicitta is a powerful motivation for engaging in the ten constructive karmic paths. Tsongkhapa explains (LC 1:239):

The Sūtra on the Ten Grounds says that those who have cultivated these ten [virtues] through fear of [the dangers of] cyclic existence and without [great] compassion, but following the words of others, will achieve the fruit of a śrāvaka. There are those who are without [great] compassion or dependency on others, and who wish to become buddhas themselves. When they have practiced the ten virtuous [paths of] actions through understanding dependent arising, they will achieve the state of a solitary realizer. When those with an expansive attitude cultivate these ten through [great] compassion, skillful means, great aspirational prayers, in no way abandoning any living being, and focusing on the extremely vast and sublime wisdom of a buddha, they will achieve the ground of a bodhisattva and all the perfections. Through practicing these activities a great deal on all occasions, they will achieve all the qualities of a buddha.

The Ripening of Karmic Seeds

Our mindstream is home to countless karmic seeds. Our future rebirth is not due to the sum total of all these seeds, but to whichever seed or seeds ripen just prior to our death. Cooperative conditions — such as our present thoughts and emotions and the events around us — influence which karmic seeds ripen in the present. Just as a daisy seed will not grow into a daisy without proper fertilizer, heat, and water, karmic seeds will not ripen without certain conditions being present in our lives. A virtuous mental state enables seeds of constructive actions to bear results, while nonvirtuous thoughts and emotions fertilize the seeds of nonvirtuous karma. Drinking and taking recreational drugs establishes conditions in life that facilitate the ripening of the seeds of destructive actions.

Vasubandhu commented on which karmic seed is most likely to ripen at the time of death (ADKB):

Actions cause fruition

in cyclic existence — first the heavy,

then the proximate, then the habituated,

then what was done earlier.

In general, heavy karma will ripen before lighter karma. If two heavy karmas are equal in weight, the one whose potential was reinforced nearer to the time of death will ripen first. If the potentials are equal, the action that is more habitual will ripen first. If the person is equally habituated to both actions, the one that was done first (earlier) will ripen.

The Pāli commentator Buddhaghosa describes the order in which karma producing rebirth ripens at the time of death in a slightly different order (Vism 19.15). Heavy karma, be it virtuous or nonvirtuous, will ripen first. The heaviest virtuous karma is the attainment of one of the dhyānas; the heaviest nonvirtuous karmas are the five actions of immediate retribution: killing one’s mother, father, or an arhat, wounding a buddha, and causing a schism in the saṅgha.

If there is not an exceptionally heavy karma, an action done very habitually will ripen. Paying attention to our habitual behaviors is important. Having a regular daily meditation practice, making offerings, praising others, and reflecting on the four immeasurables are good habits to develop. Habitually lying to others, losing our temper, and cheating others become strong karmic forces that will propel us into an unfortunate rebirth if they ripen at death.

In the absence of a habitual karma, a death-proximate karma — an action that is vividly remembered just before death — will ripen. The memory is so strong that it pushes the mind in that direction.

Reserve karma is any other karma not included above that is strong enough to bring a rebirth. In the absence of any of the above three, a karma that has been done often will ripen at the time of death and project the next rebirth.

The ripening of one karmic seed temporarily prevents the ripening of another. The ripening of the seed of a heavy karma means the seed of a lighter karma cannot ripen at that time. When a karma to be reborn in the formless realm ripens, all karmic seeds that could bring painful results are temporarily unable to ripen because beings in the formless realm do not experience feelings of pain. Those seeds remain on the person’s mindstream until suitable conditions manifest for them to ripen. Similarly, when a karmic seed to be reborn as a hungry ghost bears its result, karmic seeds to receive wealth are temporarily blocked from ripening. These seeds are not destroyed or lost, but will ripen later when appropriate conditions are present.

Our karma will definitely bring results unless the seeds are inhibited from ripening. When the four opponent powers are applied to nonvirtues sincerely and diligently, those seeds will become unable to bear a result or will ripen in minor suffering. Similarly, when strong anger or wrong views manifest in our mind, they impair the ability of seeds of virtue to ripen: these seeds will either not be able to ripen or will bring only a minor result. In both these cases, the karmic seeds have not been totally eradicated: they are still present, but like damaged seeds, they are unable to bring their full results. If the purification or the anger is very strong, the potency of the karmic seed is so damaged that even when appropriate conditions are present, it will not bear any result, just as a burned seed cannot grow even when water, fertilizer, and sunshine are present. However, only direct, nonconceptual realization of emptiness fully removes seeds of destructive karma.

When cooperative conditions are not present, karmic seeds may exist in someone’s mindstream but be impeded from ripening. For example, someone on the fortitude stage of the path of preparation has not yet abandoned the seeds for unfortunate rebirths, but these seeds cannot ripen into such rebirths because of the power of this person’s inferential realization of emptiness.

The Questions of Upāli Sūtra (Upāliparipṛcchā Sūtra) speaks of a case in which a monastic with pure behavior holds malice toward another monastic with pure conduct. It says his “great roots of virtue are diminished, thoroughly reduced, and completely consumed.” Diminish means that the result of great virtue becomes less and the duration of its happy result is shorter, but not all the good effects are stopped. Reduce means it can bring only a small pleasant result, and consume indicates that a result cannot ripen at all.

On the other hand, the Teaching of Akṣayamati Sūtra (Akṣayamatinirdeśa Sūtra) says that one of the benefits of dedicating merit for awakening is that the merit will not be consumed until awakening is attained, just as a drop of water that has flowed into the ocean will not be consumed. The Array of Stalks Sūtra (Gaṇḍavyūha) states that bodhicitta and virtues associated with it cannot be extinguished by afflictions or polluted actions.

How are we to understand these seemingly inconsistent passages? Saying that merit dedicated for awakening will not be consumed until awakening is attained means that this merit will not finish bearing its effects until then. However, that does not mean that anger and wrong views cannot damage it. Although they cannot destroy the merit completely, they can interfere with when, how, and for how long it ripens. Nevertheless, the results of that merit, although impeded, will not finish until awakening has been attained. Anger can render merit that has not been dedicated for awakening incapable of bearing any result. For this reason, dedicating our merit for full awakening is extremely important.

Saying that bodhicitta and the virtues associated with it cannot be extinguished by afflictions or polluted actions means that afflictions and karma cannot harm bodhicitta to the same extent that bodhicitta can harm them. It does not mean that afflictions and destructive karma cannot damage our bodhicitta and the virtues associated with it at all. Anger can harm our bodhicitta in two ways: we will not be able to generate new paths quickly but will have to again accumulate the merit that produces them, and we will experience the undesirable effects of nonvirtue.

In addition to anger and wrong views, in the Compendium of Training (Śikṣāsamuccaya) Śāntideva points out other actions that damage the virtues of one following the bodhisattva path: staying with householders who have strong attachment to material possessions and entertainment, boasting about spiritual attainments we do not have, and abandoning the Dharma by neglecting the Buddhadharma and making up our own version of the Buddha’s teachings. These actions also impede our progress along the path, even if we do virtuous practices. Studying this text as well as Nāgārjuna’s Compendium of Sūtras (Sūtrasamuccaya), which also discusses the bodhisattva path, is very helpful.

Contemplating how the ripening of karma can be affected by counteracting forces makes us more conscientious. This, in turn, strengthens our mindfulness and introspective awareness in daily life. We become aware that getting angry is completely counterproductive. This increases our inner strength to set anger aside, just like a person seeing a delicious-looking sweet quickly puts it down upon hearing that it is laced with poison.

Since karma influences our experience of happiness and suffering, its ripening strongly influences our feeling aggregate. Although we often discuss karma ripening as the four effects discussed above, the reason we find some results desirable and others not is because of the experiences of happiness or misery they bring us. The situations we encounter in life as well as the pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings we experience in them are related to our previous actions.

While encountering people who criticize us is due to our destructive karma of harsh speech, sometimes we hear criticism where there is none. In this case our feeling of being hurt is due to our misinterpretation of the event. As we become more familiar with the practice of mind training, which encourages us to view situations from more positive perspectives, the experience of mental pain declines. In fact, if we practice well, even if people wish to hurt our feelings we won’t feel hurt.

We may find that certain emotions or intentions easily and frequently arise in our minds. This is a result of habits in previous lives. Someone who angers easily has a strong habit with this emotion. Should the anger grow to become physical violence, the physical deed may be related to previous karma, since the causally concordant behavioral result of violence is the tendency to do the action again.

Some children like to kill insects or torment animals. This is another instance of a causally concordant behavioral effect of killing. Other children naturally help others from a young age, even though their parents did not explicitly teach them. This behavior, too, is a causally concordant behavioral result. In addition, these children were habituated with certain emotions — anger or compassion — in previous lives.

We can apply our understanding of karma when watching the news or hearing of the good and bad experiences of others. Here we reflect on the types of actions people have done that created the causes for their present pleasurable and miserable experiences. In a natural disaster, many people lose their lives and property. What kind of actions could have caused this? Many first-responders and neighbors come to their aid and there is an outpouring of donations to help them resettle. What actions caused them to receive this help? What will be the long-term results for the people who offered aid? This is a very practical way to contemplate karma and apply our understanding to our lives.

When doing this, as noted above, do not fall into a wrong understanding of karma and its effects by thinking that others deserve to suffer or are morally inferior because they are suffering. Suffering comes as a result of our actions, not as a reward or punishment for them. Since all of us have created destructive karma in this and previous lives, judging others as morally inferior and ourselves as superior is absurd. A person and his actions are different. The action may be harmful, but the person is not evil — each of us has the potential to become a fully awakened buddha.

Some people question, “Is helping suffering people interfering with their karma?” Such thinking is foolish. Compassion is the appropriate response to misery, and we should always reach out to aid those who are suffering. The notion of karma must never be used to justify oppression or apathy in the face of problems that can and must be corrected. If we remain idle, we create the karma to not receive help when we are in misery.

REFLECTION

1.Think of some of the good circumstances you have in your life, for example, health, sufficient wealth, family, education, friends, hobbies, satisfying work, opportunities to hear Dharma teachings, connection with the monastic saṅgha, and so on.

2.Think of the types of actions you must have engaged in during previous lives to create the causes for these excellent circumstances.

3.Rejoice at the virtue you created and make a strong determination to engage in virtuous activities in this life to make preparation for good future lives where you will be able to continue your Dharma studies and practices.

Definite and Indefinite Karma

Some actions are definite (niyata karma) to produce a result unless that karmic seed is impeded from ripening; others are indefinite (aniyata karma) in that their producing a result is not certain. Levels of Yogic Deeds (Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra) explains (LC 1:240):

Karma whose results are definite to be experienced are actions that are consciously done and accumulated. Karma whose results are not definite to be experienced are actions that are consciously done but not accumulated.

Definite karma are actions that have been done (kṛta) and accumulated (upacita); their results are certain to be experienced unless they are purified in the case of destructive actions or impeded by anger or wrong views in the case of constructive actions. Done means we consciously thought about or set something into motion physically or verbally. Accumulated means that we had an intention to act. All virtuous and nonvirtuous mental actions are accumulated. No one can force us to engage in mental actions.

It is not certain that results will be experienced from actions that have not been both done and accumulated. The four possibilities between done and accumulated are given below, together with examples.

Karma done but not accumulated are the ten following actions. They are not certain to bring results; their motivation is weak or has changed since the time the action was done. Almost all other actions aside from these ten are accumulated karma. Here we can see the great impact motivation has on our actions and their results.

1.Actions done in dreams. We dream of making offerings to the Buddha or of killing an enemy. If, upon waking, we rejoice at virtuous actions in a dream, we create virtuous mental karma; if we regret them, the karma is nonvirtuous. Rejoicing at destructive actions in a dream creates nonvirtuous mental karma; regretting those actions and making a strong determination not to do them in waking life is virtuous mental karma.

2.Actions done unknowingly. Believing the art supplies on the table are for everyone to use, we take them without knowing that they in fact belong to a particular person.

3.Actions done unconsciously. We accidentally step on an insect without any conscious intention.

4.Actions done without intensity or continuity. We off-handedly utter a few words of idle talk or chit-chat for a short time.

5.Actions done mistakenly. Someone wishes to steal a book, but steals a box instead; someone intends to praise one person, but mistakenly praises another.

6.Actions done forgetfully. We tell a friend that we will not share his comments with others, but forgetting that we said this, we tell others.

7.Actions done unwillingly. Someone has no wish to kill another person but is forced at gunpoint to do so.

8.Actions that are ethically neutral. Walking, sweeping, reading, driving, cycling, eating, sleeping.

9.Actions eradicated through regret. Although in general we speak truthfully, we lie to someone and later have strong regret.

10.Actions eradicated with a remedy. Seeing the disadvantages of killing, we no longer wish to go fishing, hunting, or take the life of any living being and take a precept to abandon killing. Alternatively, we weaken worldly attachments by attaining dhyānas or eradicate the seeds of those destructive actions by direct perception of emptiness.

Karma that is both done and accumulated are the main causes producing a rebirth and are not included in the ten above. In general, their four branches are complete and their result is certain to be experienced. These karmas have six characteristics (EPL 652):

1.The action is done deliberately, not impulsively or coercively against our will.

2.All parts of the action are complete. This eliminates situations such as trying to kill someone, but only injuring them, or thinking to attend Dharma teachings, but not going.

3.We do not regret the action afterward.

4.No antidote is applied to purify the karma.

5.We rejoice at having done the action.

6.The result is certain to be experienced.

Although actions with all four branches complete are definite karmas, they may not be strong enough to propel a rebirth. For example, the motivation is very weak or the action insignificant. Karma that is not done but accumulated is, for example, plotting for a long time to rob someone and then deciding against it, or dreaming of helping others and rejoicing when we wake up. Karma that is neither done nor accumulated is having no intention to cause an accident, but almost hitting another vehicle when driving.

Definite actions are certain to bring results unless we apply counterforces to them. Definite does not mean that events are predetermined or fated and therefore there is no purpose exerting energy to oppose them. Purifying destructive karmas by means of the four opponent powers is effective in lessening or stopping the result.

When Karma Ripens

In terms of when karma ripens, definite karma may bear results in this life (dṛṣṭa dharma karma), the very next life (upapadya), or lives subsequent to that (aparaparyāya). Karma that is the second of the twelve links will ripen in the next life or one after that. Actions that ripen in this life are those that are very strong owing to the special qualities of the field — for example, holy beings — or the strength of our intention. Levels of Yogic Deeds lists four pairs of actions that may ripen in the same life as they are created:

1.Nonvirtuous actions done with strong attachment to our body and virtuous actions done with strong disinterest in our body.

2.Nonvirtuous actions done with great malice toward others and virtuous actions done with heartfelt compassion for them.

3.Nonvirtuous actions done with deep malice and lack of respect for the Three Jewels or our spiritual mentors and virtuous actions done with deep confidence and regard for them.

4.Nonvirtuous actions done with intense animosity toward those who have been kind to us, such as parents and teachers, and virtuous actions done with an intense wish to repay their kindness.

In general, the results of heavy constructive and destructive karmas may be experienced in the same life in which they are created, whereas karmas that are slightly less heavy are likely to be experienced in the very next life. Karmas that are not as heavy as those are experienced in lives after that.

The Pāli Abhidharma also discusses karma that ripens in this life, in the next life, and in lives subsequent to that, and adds another option, karma that becomes defunct.56 Karma that ripens in this life brings its result in the same life in which it was created. If such karma fails to encounter cooperative conditions for its ripening, it becomes defunct and does not ripen at all. Karma that ripens in the very next rebirth must produce its result in the next life. If it does not meet the conditions to ripen then, it becomes defunct. Karma that ripens in subsequent lives is karma that ripens whenever suitable conditions come together in any life subsequent to the next one. This karma becomes defunct only with the attainment of final nirvāṇa, when an arhat passes away. Contrary to the description in the Sanskrit tradition, the Pāli Abhidharma says that in order of its strength, karma that ripens in subsequent lives is the strongest, followed by karma that ripens in the next life, with karma that ripens in this life being the weakest.

Defunct karma is not a specific class of karma but describes karma that could have ripened but does not owing to a lack of appropriate conditions. For example, karmic seeds remaining on the mindstreams of arhats become defunct when they die and enter nirvāṇa without remainder.

How is the idea of “defunct” karma reconciled with the Buddha’s explanation that the results of our actions will definitely be experienced? The Buddha says (AN 10.217):

I declare, monastics, that actions willed, performed, and accumulated will not become extinct as long as their results have not been experienced, be it in this life, in the next life, or in subsequent future lives. As long as these results of actions willed, performed, and accumulated have not been experienced, there will be no making an end to suffering, I declare.

This statement applies to karmas that are capable of yielding results (vipakarahakamma). Within the certainty that destructive actions will produce misery, never happiness, and constructive actions will lead to happiness, never suffering, there is some flexibility as to how, when, and if a karma ripens. Just as undamaged seeds that have the capability to grow will sprout when planted in fertile soil with sufficient water, so too will seeds of constructive and destructive karmas bring their results when planted in the mindstream of an ordinary being.

Nevertheless, as a conditioned phenomenon, the ripening of karma can be affected by other forces. If this were not the case and karmic seeds could never be modified, we could never reach the end of duḥkha because the karma to be experienced would be endless. The Buddha elaborates (AN 3.34):

[However,] once greed, hatred, and confusion have vanished, that action is thus abandoned, cut off at the root, made barren like a palm-tree stump, obliterated so that it is no more subject to arise in the future.

It is like seeds that are undamaged, not rotten, unspoiled by wind and sun, capable of sprouting and well-embedded: if a person were to burn them in fire and reduce them to ashes, then winnow the ashes in a strong wind or let them be carried away by a swiftly flowing stream, those seeds would be radically destroyed, fully eliminated, made unable to sprout, and would not be liable to arise in the future.

When ordinary beings later become arhats, their polluted karma — be it virtuous or nonvirtuous — may still ripen as pleasant or unpleasant experiences when they are alive. When they pass away and attain nirvāṇa without remainder, all polluted karma becomes defunct.

Other circumstances can also render karma defunct. The Book of Analysis (Vibhaṅga) explains that there are certain cases in which a constructive or destructive karma will not bring a result. Four factors may prevent this.

1.The realm of rebirth. A destructive karma is due to ripen in the next existence as an unfortunate rebirth, but the person creates a powerful constructive karma that causes her next life to be in a fortunate rebirth. Blocked from ripening, that destructive karma “dries up” and does not ripen.

2.The person’s physical body or possessions. A constructive karma in the person’s mindstream has the tendency to ripen in a particular rebirth, but the person has a weak body or lacks the requisites to sustain his life. The situation of his body and possessions inhibits the constructive karma from ripening.

3.The time. A constructive karma has the tendency to ripen in a certain rebirth but the person is born in a time of war, drought, or economic depression. Since the cooperative conditions for the ripening of this constructive karma are not present at that time, the karma loses its effectiveness and does not ripen.

4.Personal effort. Someone may have a destructive karma on her mindstream that is due to ripen in premature death, but she makes wise choices, behaves ethically, puts herself in good situations, and cultivates friendships with ethical people. As a result, the destructive karma lacks the conducive circumstances to ripen. However, if she drinks and drives, she provides ample opportunity for that destructive karma to ripen. Although we do not have much control over the first three factors, by living wisely here and now we can influence which karmic seeds in our mindstreams will ripen.

How Karma Functions

With respect to how karma functions, the Pāli Abhidharma describes four types (CMA 200): productive, supportive, obstructive, and supplanting karmas. Productive karmas are the virtuous or nonvirtuous intentions that produce the aggregates of a rebirth. This includes the body and mind at the first moment of the new life as well as mental states and aspects of the body, such as the sense faculties, that develop later on.

Supportive karma does not produce its own result but supports the production or duration of the result of another karma by creating conducive circumstances for the other karma to ripen. After a virtuous karma results in our having a fortunate rebirth, supporting karma could extend our life span, prolong a disease caused by a nonvirtuous karma, or lengthen the time that we experience happiness or misery.

Obstructive karma also does not produce its own result but interferes with the ripening of another karma, making its result weak or shorter in duration. If we had created the constructive karma to receive an inheritance, obstructive karma would prevent us from claiming it. If we had created the destructive karma to have a severe illness, obstructive karma could mitigate the effect so that we have a mild stomachache instead.

Supplanting karma is virtuous or nonvirtuous karma that cuts off the ripening of a weaker karma and ripens in its place. Unlike obstructive karma, supplanting karma does not simply interfere with the ripening of another karma but actually ripens instead of it. A destructive karma may be about to ripen at the time of death, but through a change of circumstances a stronger supplanting constructive karma ripens instead. A particular karma may perform any of these four functions at different times.

The Benefits of Contemplating Karma and Its Effects

Contemplating karma and its effects helps us to see ourselves, our experiences, and our lives as dependent on a variety of factors: they arise and cease due to causes and conditions. They are neither random nor predetermined — both of those positions contradict conditionality. This awareness of conditionality prepares us to later study the twelve links of dependent origination that describe how we are born into saṃsāra and how to free ourselves from it. It also prevents us from slipping into nihilism when we study and meditate on the emptiness of inherent existence: the fact that people and things arise and change due to causes and conditions assures us that they exist.

When we experience adversity, life seems unfair and we ask, “Why me?” When we have knowledge of how the law of karma and its effects operates we understand that we created the causes for our experiences. The mind-training teachings suggest that we reflect on the karmic causes of our problems because it helps us to accept responsibility for our actions and stop blaming others for our unhappiness. Recalling that we have acted destructively humbles our arrogance and leads us to change our attitudes and behavior.

Our mindstream resembles a garden with a variety of seeds planted in it. Depending on which seeds are watered, particular plants will grow at that time. The other seeds are still in the ground; they will ripen whenever the proper amount of water, fertilizer, and heat are present. Similarly, karmic seeds from numerous actions we have done in previous lives and this life are on our mindstream. Our present thoughts and actions act like water and heat causing specific seeds to ripen. Gambling waters the seeds of destructive karma, making it easier for us to have financial problems. Speaking with kindness will water seeds of virtuous karma, making it easier for them to bear their results.

The maturation of karma is not fatalistic; we have some ability to influence which seeds ripen. We also see that our lives are not the sum total of all actions we have ever done, but depending on which karmic seeds ripen we can go from a good situation to an unpleasant one and back again quickly. We also get a sense of the incredible swirl of countless causes created in previous lives that come together to bring about just one event in our lives. The intricacy and complexity of the functioning of karma and its effects is far more than we can currently grasp. Nevertheless, learning the general and specific characteristics of karma and its results aids us in making wise decisions.

Once we break our leg, we cannot unbreak it, although we can work skillfully with the situation to minimize the pain. Similarly, once karmic seeds have ripened, we cannot undo their results. Understanding this, we will accept unpleasant events in our lives rather than rail against them and make effort to create constructive karma when dealing with difficult situations. If we give way to anger and the wish to retaliate against the driver of a car that rear-ended us, we compound our misery in the present and create more destructive karma, the result of which we will have to experience in the future. However, if we remain calm and speak respectfully to the person, we avoid creating more causes for suffering.

In short, Buddhaghosa indicates the strong role karma plays in our lives (Vism 19.18):

Kamma-result proceeds from kamma,

result has kamma for its source,

future becoming springs from kamma,

and this is how the world goes around.