Mike, You are confusing cause and effect which is obviously true (even though Bill denies it) and karma which is a pre-scientific moralistic view of cause and effect....
Edgar On Jun 28, 2013, at 9:23 AM, [email protected] wrote: > Edgar, > > You're certainly entitled to your opinion that karma is "nonsense", but I > agree with the Buddhadharma - that on observing the natural world there are > laws that affect it. These laws govern the universe and as we are part of the > universe those same laws govern us. Whether you see them as real, illusory or > delusional doesn't really matter. You'll still grow old. Your hand will still > burn if you put it in a fire. And your suffering or happiness will still > depend on your thoughts and actions (happiness or suffering are not just > random events, but are created by prior causes and conditions). If tomorrow > morning you wake up as an elephant, then maybe I'll reconsider that the > observable universe doesn't have an order. Of course, these laws are > conceptual, so much of this will also depend on whether you recognise that > there are two truths - the relative and the ultimate. Buddha did and that's > what I also witness. > > > Mike > > > Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPad > > From: Edgar Owen <[email protected]>; > To: <[email protected]>; > Subject: Re: [Zen] Re: Fw: It was like Shiva dancing in rage > Sent: Fri, Jun 28, 2013 11:40:32 AM > > > Mike, > > First, the law of karma is nonsense. I'm not defending it, just explaining it. > > Also as you can see your reply as received was garbled so don't have time to > wade through it all.. > > Yes, karma plays itself out eventually. As to karma suddenly ceasing that's > only when all forms cease in what is called nirvana which Buddhism in general > (there are some variant beliefs) takes as cessation of all form. Nirvana is a > state far beyond enlightenment in which one does not leave the world of forms > but just sees them for what they truly are, empty forms of Buddha Nature. In > nirvana all forms cease permanently. > > Standard Buddhist doctrine believes that one may eventually work through all > one's karma through successive reincarnations and eventual escape form > altogether. > > But since there is NO reincarnation the true understanding is that dying is > equivalent to nirvana, because it is only in death that all forms cease (to > the dead person) and only in death does one escape the world of forms and > reach nirvana. At death one's karma automatically ceases whether one is good > or bad, or enlightened or not. > > Sort of crazy that Buddhists take death as the ultimate salvation when seen > in the proper light..... > > That's the proper understanding of karma which properly understood is just > cause and effect in the world of forms that ceases when one leaves the world > of forms in death. And also believing that good always beget good and evil > evil is total nonsense. Maybe slightly above 50% at best depending on who is > doing the judging.... > > Edgar > > On Jun 28, 2013, at 3:07 AM, [email protected] wrote: > > > Edgar,<br/><br/>There is no confusion in what I said at all and it also > > depends on from which tradition you're talking about karma. As I've been > > taught, karma will indeed play itself out, but only as long as a person > > still identifies themselves with a self. Upon awakening to our Original > > Nature (which can happen at any time) karma is extinguished because where > > is the self for karma to attach to? Unless of course you're getting karma > > confused with the crazy notion that karma is fatalistic and/or > > deterministic which would make emancipation from karma > > impossible.<br/><br/>Here are a few snippets on the subject. There are > > many, many more out there if you care to do the research..<br/><br/>>He who > > believes in Karma does not condemn even the most corrupt, for they, too, > > have their chance to reform themselves ***at any moment*** > > (buddhanet.net)<<br/><br/>>Since basic nature transcends all duality and is > > ultimate, there is no one to receive the effect, whether > > it is good or bad, and no one to whom any effect can apply. Cause and > > effect, just like birth and death, lose their significance at the > > Enlightened level because at the level of basic nature there is no one to > > receive the effect of the Karma, whether it is good or bad. Therefore, at > > the extreme, when one is Enlightened, the law of Karma is not applicable > > (angel-fire.com)<<br/><br/>>In the Vajrayana tradition, it is believed that > > the effects of negative past karma can be "purified" through such practices > > as meditation on Vajrasattva.[91] The performer of the action, after having > > purified the karma, does not experience the negative results he or she > > otherwise would have.[92]<br/>(Wiki)<br/><br/>>The Japanese Tendai/Pure > > Land teacher Genshin taught that Amida Buddha has the power to destroy the > > karma that would otherwise bind one in > > saṃsāra.[89][90]<br/><br/><br/>Mike<br/><br/>Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPad > > >
