--- Infernal Elk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> i see this often:
>
> "No karma was produced during the composition of
> this letter".
>
> one question i have is: what exactly does this mean.
>
> another question i have is: regardless of whether
> karma is produced by
> composing the letter, is karma produced by SENDING
> the letter?
>
> another question is: does understanding (or
> "comprehending") the
> nature of karma further our practice?
>
> these are honest questions & not asked with the
> intent of being snarky.
>
> meanwhile i will do some more reading about karma
> too.
Lemme step into this pile of shit again...
I have already explained these issues not that long
ago, but you may have not read them. I'll repeat here
what I can fit in a nutshell, and then I'll duck:
The Buddha himself was often asked the same questions.
What is karma? Please explain karma to me, o Mighty
One!
Typically, the Buddha would opt to remain silent to
such questions. Every now and then, he would retort
that it would absolutely not be possible for him to
explain what karma is to mere mortals. He would then
add: "I can't explain it to you, but I can tell you
one thing about karma -- it works!"
For us, serious Buddhist practitioners, there is no
denying that karma works. Same as there is no denying
that fire burns us. But the question is: how does
karma work?
Simply put, the Buddhist doctrine teaches that every
act, performed under the auspices of substantiality,
that is to say under the belief that there is a
substantial self which is separate and unique, that
very act must bear fruit. In other words, it would not
be possible in the Buddhist universe for an act to
remain 'unnoticed'.
In addition to the above 'iron' dictum, another 'iron'
dictum is that only the very person who is under the
delusion of performing an act will eventually taste
the fruit of that act. This means that there is no way
for someone to wiggle out, to avoid experiencing the
consequences of one's actions.
And finaly the third corollary of the doctrine of
karma is that it would be absolutely impossible for
someone else to taste the consequences of another
person's actions. This means that, as long as we
believe we are separate, unique 'persons', we will be
forced to experience and taste the fruits of our
previous actions. We cannot 'offload' those
consequences onto others. Jesus cannot help us here.
This simple principle, called karma, ensures that we
live in a full blown ethical world. If this principle
didn't apply, people would grow either complacent or
desperate. If practitioners thought that regardless of
what they do, things are either predetermined or
chaotical, they wouldn't be able to find the firm
ground from where to base their practice. Only this
law of karma insures that we are given ample
motivation to practice and are given the chance to
transform the world.
Thus, understanding this principle is very useful, as
it puts our mind at ease and makes it very clear to us
that only we ourselves can do something to abolish
ours, as well as others' suffering. As such, this
principle is absolutely indispensable in the serious
Buddhist practice.
Alex
No karma was produced during the composition of this letter
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