Metta

Love (Metta) is ........

Love, without desire to possess, knowing well that in the ultimate sense there is no possession and no possessor: this is the highest love.

Love, without speaking and thinking of "I," knowing well that this so-called "I" is a mere delusion.

Love, without selecting and excluding, knowing well that to do so means to create love's own contrasts: dislike, aversion and hatred.

Love, embracing all beings: small and great, far and near, be it on earth, in the water or in the air.

Love, embracing impartially all sentient beings, and not only those who are useful, pleasing or amusing to us.

Love, embracing all beings, be they noble-minded or low-minded, good or evil. The noble and the good are embraced because love is flowing to them spontaneously. The low-minded and evil-minded are included because they are those who are most in need of love. In many of them the seed of goodness may have died merely because warmth was lacking for its growth, because it perished from cold in a loveless world.

Love, embracing all beings, knowing well that we all are fellow wayfarers through this round of existence — that we all are overcome by the same law of suffering.

Love, but not the sensuous fire that burns, scorches and tortures, that inflicts more wounds than it cures — flaring up now, at the next moment being extinguished, leaving behind more coldness and loneliness than was felt before.

Rather, love that lies like a soft but firm hand on the ailing beings, ever unchanged in its sympathy, without wavering, unconcerned with any response it meets. Love that is comforting coolness to those who burn with the fire of suffering and passion; that is life-giving warmth to those abandoned in the cold desert of loneliness, to those who are shivering in the frost of a loveless world; to those whose hearts have become as if empty and dry by the repeated calls for help, by deepest despair.

Love, that is a sublime nobility of heart and intellect which knows, understands and is ready to help.

Love, that is strength and gives strength: this is the highest love.

Love, which by the Enlightened One was named "the liberation of the heart," "the most sublime beauty": this is the highest love.

And what is the highest manifestation of love?

To show to the world the path leading to the end of suffering, the path pointed out, trodden, and realized to perfection by Him, the Exalted One, the Buddha.



The Four Sublime States
Contemplations on Love, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity
By Nyanaponika Thera © 1994–2011

Emptiness

Seeing impermanence (anicca) is the key that opens mind to see suffering,
and non-self!

The moment we understand this very clearly, our mind opens
to the fact that things change without leaving a trace behind to follow the
path that impermanence has taken. This is called voidness or signlessness...
This awareness evaporates the desire for anything that is impermanent!
It also evaporates all aversion growing from our disappointed expectations.
Then naturally, this clean mind becomes fully aware of not having any agent,
immovable mover, or controller, which sometimes is called "Self, I, Me, Ego"
or even "Soul" by some people. This element of Dhamma, this basic intrinsic
nature of all, this law of Dhamma is known in Buddhism as emptiness of self!

The Blessed Buddha said: Sabbe Dhammā Anatta = All States are Selfless!
Seeing impermanence with wisdom is the key to detachment, calming, stilling,
ceasing, and releasing mental relinquishment. Joyous Freedom is the result!

The Daughters of Mara are Dancing

What makes the Buddha a "Buddha" is, as his name implies, his Knowledge and Wisdom.

He has to make great Effort to learn this Knowledge and acquire his vast wisdom; he was not born with it.

The Buddha is also "Jina" the conqueror, one who has conquered his defilements. We read of the 3 daughters of Mara appearing to him to tempt him; this allegorical story has their names as Desire, Unrest and Pleasure.

Today in the 21st century, the 3 daughters of Mara dance in front of us everyday the instant we switch on the internet! Countless emails sent to my Inbox daily tempt me with every pleasure of the flesh and mind, from "Do you want to be my friend?" to drugs promising miraculous enhancements of my bodily parts. Click on to the News sites and at the sides are small boxes offering to satisfy my every desire!

Mara's daughters no longer come and go, today they are here to stay within every step of the net.

Worse still are emails from good friends, their accounts obviously hacked, asking me to click on this and that site. I just called a sister a few minutes ago, she had from her account "sent" me an email asking me to visit some most unusual webpages! I called her to inform her that her email account has been compromised, perhaps she should change the password or consult some expert on the matter.

Metta Lodge Public, our eDhamma site used to be attacked on a daily basis with similar mail; this most inappropriate postings on a Dhamma site only stopped after I reset the settings to direct all mail to me first before it is allowed to be posted on the site. The site is saved BUT I AM not! For now all the mail comes to me!!

The struggle for Enlightenment is described vividly in the texts, we all similarly struggle. I certainly do. The daughters of Mara are ceaselessly dancing all around me and you; I do not know about you, but I certainly have to struggle to keep sane.

BTW if any one of you know how to prevent our accounts from being hacked and "interesting mail" canvassing the whole world forwarded from it, please let me know! And I will let the sister know!

Thanks!

Funeral

The early Buddhists followed the Indian custom of cremation. The Buddha’s body was cremated and this set the example for many Buddhists. 

When someone is dying in a Buddhist home, monks and laypeople come to comfort them by chanting verses for them, and sharing the Dhamma. It is hoped that if the last thoughts of the patient are directed to Buddha and the Dhamma, taking refuge in the Triple Gems and Precepts, and recalling a virtuous life keeping the precepts, then the fruit of this meritorious act will bring good to the deceased in his/her new existence. The dying person must be put at ease from pain, and given a serene and familiar place to have a composed and calm mind. He and the family must be reassured that the wholesome acts done in the past will assure a good rebirth. He/she and the family must be counseled that Death is a natural process and merely a door to a new existence. Birth and Death are but 2 sides of a coin. 

Anathapindika was once very ill, and at his request the Venerable Sariputta visited him (S.v,380). On being told that the pains are excruciating and increasing Sariputta delivered a discourse reminding Anathapindika of his own virtues. Sariputta explained that the uninstructed worldling who has no faith in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha and who has not cultivated virtuous moral habits goes to a state of woe on the destruction of the body. But Anathapindika has unshakable conviction in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, and has cultivated noble moral habits.

Sariputta pointed out that uninstructed worldlings reach a state of woe on the disintegration of the body as they have not cultivated the Noble Eightfold Path. But on the contrary Anathapindika has cultivated the Noble Eightfold Path. 

We too must reassure our dying brethren on the above.

There is much material in the Pali Canon on counseling the terminally ill. Speaking about death to a terminally ill patient and his family is not avoided as an unpleasant topic. On the contrary, the reality of death and perhaps its imminence are accepted without any pretense and the patient and relatives are made to face the prospect of death with confidence and tranquillity.

The family must be counseled to let go and give permission for the dying to die without worries or insecurity. They and Dhamma brothers and sisters can radiate Metta continuously to the dying person.

(A.iii,295-98). Once Nakulapita was seriously ill and his wife Nakulamata noticed that he was anxious and worried. She advised him thus: 

"Please, sir, do not face death with anxiety. Painful is death for one who is anxious. The Buddha has looked down upon death with anxiety. 

It may be you are anxious that I will not be able to support the family after your death. Please do not think so. I am capable of spinning and weaving, and I will be able to bring up the children even if you are no more. 

Perhaps you are worried that I will remarry after your death. Please do not think so. We both led pure wholesome lives according to the noble conduct of householders. So do not entertain any anxiety on that account. 

It may be you are worried that I will neglect attending on the Buddha and the Sangha. Please do not think so. I will be more devoted to the Buddha and the Sangha after your death. 

Perhaps you are worried that I will neglect keeping to the precepts. Please do not have any doubts on that account. I am one of those who fully practice the moral habits declared for the laity, and if you wish please ask the Buddha about this matter. 

Perhaps you fear that I have not gained inner mental composure. Please do not think so. I am one of those who have gained inner mental composure as much as a householder could gain. If you have any doubts about this, the Buddha is at Bhesakalavana, ask him. 

Perhaps it occurs to you that I have not attained proficiency in the Buddha's dispensation, that I have not gone beyond doubt and perplexity without depending on another. If you wish to have these matters clarified ask the Buddha. But please do not face death with anxiety, for it is painful and censured by the Buddha." 

Sudden Deaths

Mahanama tells the Buddha that when he comes to the serene atmosphere of the monastery and associates with pious monks of noble qualities, he feels quite calm and self-possessed. But when he goes out into the streets of Kapilavatthu, busy with constant traffic, he feels frightened over the future birth that would await him should he meet with a violent death in a traffic accident. 

The Buddha assures him that a person who has cultivated moral virtues and led a righteous life need not entertain such fears. He explains the situation with the help of a simile. If a pot of ghee is broken after being submerged in water, the potsherds will sink to the riverbed, but the ghee will rise to the surface. Similarly, the body will disintegrate, but the cultured mind will rise up like the ghee.

After Death
After death, while the dead person is being prepared for the funeral, the monks and laypeople continue to chant to console the family and to help all recall the Dhamma. There will understandably be grieve and lamentation but calmness must be encouraged and maintained as such negative emotional states will help no-one. Wailing and emotional outbursts are discouraged as this will only create more attachments for both the dying, the dead and the relatives.The mind that arises at the time of death is usually the one that the person is most habituated to. People tend to die in character, although this is not always so. So it is emphasised strongly that the time to prepare for death is now, because if we develop and gain control over our mind now and create many positive causes we will have a calm and controlled mind at the time of death and be free of fear. In effect, our whole life is a preparation for death and it is said that the mark of a spiritual practitioner is to have no regrets at the time of death. "It's time we started swotting for the finals!"The Funeral serviceDon't fall victim to funeral scams. 

Firstly we must realise that there is NO prescribed Funeral rite that MUST be done; the only prescribed rites are in the Vinaya for the Sangha community only. Secondly, rites makes NO difference to the departed. The Buddha however did not stop anyone from acts of respect and love towards the departed. Wisdom tells us that a simple solemn dignified service showing respect to the dead is adequate; this allows a rite of passage for the relatives and loved ones who needs closure. Local traditions as long as it does not violate the precepts are allowed as it gives the friends and relatives a sense of doing "something" and to facilitate mourning.

In the pristine practice of Buddhism, It should be as simple as possible. Perhaps just a candle will do. Some may want to add incense or jossticks. Whatever that is done, is not taught by the Buddha. Whatever suits the tradition and culture of the diseased, it is all right, so long as it is done with dignity and without harm to any being.

What is discouraged is meaningless and wasteful practises based on superstition and abuse by priests and funeral directors. 

It is a basic teaching of Buddhism that existence is unsatisfactory and stressful, whether birth, daily living, old age or dying. This teaching is never in a stronger position than when death enters a home. To conduct the rites for the dead is one indispensable service rendered the community by the monks, lay Brothers and sisters and any Buddhist Temple or society. 

What can we do to help

When death occurs all the kammic forces that the dead person accumulated during the course of his or her lifetime become activated and set about determining the next rebirth. For the living, death is a powerful reminder of the Buddha's teaching on impermanence.

Over the basic mood of gloom is the feeling that meritorious acts can aid the condition of the departed. For this reason relatives do what they can to ameliorate the condition with the offering of Requisites to the Sangha on behalf of the deceased. In fact, the Sanghikadana and sharing of Merits is the most important part of the funeral service. In concluding the service, a jug full of water is gradually emptied into a bowl, while radiating thoughts of metta towards the departed one. This is a symbolic gesture in which the water in the jug represents the merits acquired by the friends and relatives by good deeds and metta, which are then shared with the departed by pouring the water into the bowl.

It is quite common to print for distribution books sharing the Dhamma. Such books are not only a tribute to the dead and a means of making merit but they have practical educational value as well. 

Offering of Food

In Janussoni Sutta (AN 10.177), a brahmin named Janussoni asked the Buddha, 

"Master Gotama, we brahmins give dana and do things in full faith, thinking, 'May this dana reach our departed relatives. May the departed relatives make use of this dana.' Master Gotama, can this dana reach our departed relatives? Can the departed relatives make use of the dana?" 

The Buddha's answer was: 

"If there is an opportunity, they can. If there is no opportunity, then they cannot." 

He then clarified thus:

~ conditions of non-opportunity:
o those who do evil and hold wrong views and are reborn as hell beings
o those who do evil and hold wrong views and are reborn as animals
o those who refrain from evil and hold right views and are reborn as humans
o those who refrain from evil and hold right views and are reborn as devas

~ condition of opportunity:
o those who do evil and hold wrong views and are reborn in the realm of ghosts.

It is clear here that food dana can only reach the deceased if he is reborn as a ghost.
In this sutta, we learn three important points:
o The dana given by the living to the deceased cannot reach him if he is born in hell, in the animal kingdom, in the human world or even in heaven.
o The dana can only reach the deceased if he is born in the realm of ghosts.
o Dana here has to specifically mean offering food and drinks to the departed relatives, since this dana cannot be received by a departed one reborn as a deva. 

It is not the transference of merit because this other type of dana can reach a departed relative born as a deva, who benefits by feeling honoured.

BUT It would be difficult to know where a departed relative had been reborn. There is still a chance that he or she could have been reborn in the realm of ghosts. In such a case, the departed relative could eat the offerings.

Even if the departed relative was not born there, other ghosts who were related to one in previous lives could eat the offerings.

Sharing Merits with Devas

In Pattakamma Sutta (AN 4.61) the Buddha said to Anathapindika that a noble disciple who acquired his income through righteous means should spend it by making five types of offerings. These are offerings to
o living relatives
o guests
o departed relatives
o the king (government)
o devas.

There is also a verse in Ratana Sutta (Khp 6) that urges deities to protect humans because they make offerings to them day and night.

The above references bring us to the following conclusion: a Buddhist is actually encouraged by the Buddha to make offerings to departed relatives as well as to devas.

Dedication of Offerings to Devas

In the story on the making of Pataliputta village found in Mahaparinibbana Sutta (DN. 16), the Buddha advised people to offer dana to virtuous monks and dedicate the offering to the devas there. These devas, being honoured and cherished, will honour and cherish the occupants of the house in return.

We can make two types of offerings: the direct offering of food and drinks to the departed ones, and the dana to the Sangha followed by sharing of merits. So, whether or not one’s offerings are appreciated or used by the recipient does not affect the validity of the wholesome kamma of doing puja.

Recall that

"Good health is simply the slowest way a human being can die."

1. Everyone must die...
2. The remainder of our life span is decreasing continually.
3. Death will come regardless of whether or not we have made time to practice the dharma.
4. Human life expectancy is uncertain.
5. There are many causes of death.
6. The human Body is very fragile.
7. Our wealth cannot help us.
8. Our loved ones cannot help.
9. Our body cannot help but grow old.It is our conjecture that yearning for life is greatest when the fear of death is greatest. The fear of death is greatest when one's sense of guilt is greatest, the fear that one has squandered the great opportunity of human life, an opportunity which could have been well utilized for spiritual growth. If, on the other hand, one has well utilized the opportunity of human life for spiritual growth, one can face the inevitability of death with relative calm, contentment and happy satisfaction.

It can also be very helpful to consider NOW how we would react if we were told, for example, that we only had 3 or 6 months to live, to ask ourselves questions like:

• am I ready to die?
• what unfinished business do I have?
• what do I want to do or achieve in the time I have left?
• will my priorities change?
• what can help me at the time of death?
• "Live each day as though it were your last and one day you'll be right!"

--
Always be mindful of the Kindness

and not the faults of others.

Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; 

you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.

Worldly Gains

Futility of Worldly Gains

I see men wealthy in the world, who yet
From ignorance give not their gathered wealth.
Greedily they hoard away their riches
Longing still for further sensual pleasures.

Most other people, too, not just a king,
Encounter death with craving unabated;
[With plans] still incomplete they leave the corpse;
Desires remain unsated in the world.

Clad in a shroud, he leaves his wealth behind,
Prodded with stakes he burns [upon the pyre].
And as he dies, no relatives or friends
Can offer him shelter and refuge here.

While his heirs take over his wealth, this being
Must pass on according to his actions;
And as he dies nothing can follow him;
Not child nor wife nor wealth nor royal estate.

Longevity is not acquired with wealth
Nor can prosperity banish old age;
Short is this life, as all the sages say,
Eternity it knows not, only change.

Majjhima Nikaya 82:42 (Ratthapala Sutta)

The Forest Monk

Sutta Nipata I.3

Khaggavisana Sutta

A Rhinoceros Horn

Renouncing violence
for all living beings,
harming not even a one,
you would not wish for offspring,    so how a companion?


Wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

For a sociable person
there are allurements;
on the heels of allurement, this pain.
Seeing allurement's drawback,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

One whose mind
is enmeshed in sympathy
for friends & companions,
neglects the true goal.
Seeing this danger in intimacy,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Like spreading bamboo,
    entwined,
is concern for offspring & spouses.
Like a bamboo sprout,
    unentangling,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

As a deer in the wilds,
    unfettered,
goes for forage wherever it wants:
the wise person, valuing freedom,
wanders alone, a rhinoceros horn.

In the midst of companions
-- when staying at home,
    when going out wandering --
you are prey to requests.
Valuing the freedom
that no one else covets,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

There is sporting & love
in the midst of companions,
& abundant fondness for offspring.
    Feeling disgust
at the prospect of parting
from those who'd be dear,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Without irritation in all four directions,
content with whatever you get,
enduring troubles with no dismay,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

They are hard to please,
some of those gone forth,
as well as those living the household life.
Shedding concern
for these offspring of others,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Cutting off the householder's marks,
    like a kovilara tree
    that has shed its leaves,
the prudent one, cutting all household ties,
wanders alone, a rhinoceros horn.

If you gain a mature companion,
a fellow traveler, right-living & wise,
overcoming all dangers
    go with him, gratified,
    mindful.

If you don't gain a mature companion,
a fellow traveler, right-living & wise,
    go alone
like a king renouncing his kingdom,
like the elephant in the Matanga wilds,
    his herd.

We praise companionship
    -- yes!
Those on a par, or better,
should be chosen as friends.
If they're not to be found,
    living faultlessly,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Seeing radiant bracelets of gold,
well-made by a smith,
    clinking, clashing,
    two on an arm,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn,

[Thinking:]
"In the same way,
if I were to live with another,
there would be careless talk or abusive."
Seeing this future danger,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Because sensual pleasures,
elegant, honeyed, & charming,
bewitch the mind with their manifold forms --
seeing this drawback in sensual strands --
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

"Calamity, tumor, misfortune,
disease, an arrow, a danger for me."
Seeing this danger in sensual strands,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Cold & heat, hunger & thirst,
wind & sun, horseflies & snakes:
enduring all these, without exception,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

As a great white elephant,
with massive shoulders,
renouncing his herd,
lives in the wilds wherever he wants,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

"There's no way
that one delighting in company
can touch even momentary release."

Heeding the Solar Kinsman's words,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Transcending the contortion of views,
    the sure way attained,
    the path gained,
[realizing:]
"Unled by others,
I have knowledge arisen,"
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

With no greed, no deceit,
no thirst, no hypocrisy --
    delusion & blemishes
        blown away --
with no inclinations for all the world,
            every world,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Avoid the evil companion
    disregarding the goal,
    intent on the out-of-tune way.
Don't take as a friend
someone heedless & hankering.
Wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Consort with one who is learned,
    who maintains the Dhamma,
    a great & quick-witted friend.
Knowing the meanings,
subdue your perplexity,
[then] wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Free from longing, finding no pleasure
in the world's sport, love, or sensual bliss,
abstaining from adornment,
speaking the truth,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Abandoning offspring, spouse,
father, mother,
riches, grain, relatives,
& sensual pleasures
    altogether,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

"This is a bondage, a baited hook.
There's little happiness here,
next to no satisfaction,
all the more suffering & pain."
Knowing this, circumspect,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Shattering fetters,
like a fish in the water tearing a net,
like a fire not coming back to what's burnt,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Eyes downcast, not footloose,
senses guarded, with protected mind,
not oozing -- not burning -- with lust,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Taking off the householder's marks,
    like a coral tree
    that has shed its leaves,
going forth in the ochre robe,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Showing no greed for flavors, not careless,
going from house to house for alms,
with mind unenmeshed in this family or that,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Abandoning barriers to awareness,
expelling all defilements -- all --
non-dependent, cutting aversion,
            allurement,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Turning your back on pleasure & pain,
as earlier with sorrow & joy,
attaining pure equanimity,
            tranquillity,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

With persistence aroused
for the highest goal's attainment,
with mind unsmeared, not lazy in action,
firm in effort, with steadfastness & strength arisen,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Not neglecting seclusion, absorption,
constantly living the Dhamma
    in line with the Dhamma,
comprehending the danger
in states of becoming,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Intent on the ending of craving & heedful,
learned, mindful, not muddled,
certain -- having reckoned the Dhamma --
    & striving,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Unstartled,     like a lion at sounds.
Unsnared,     like the wind in a net.
Unsmeared, like a lotus in water:
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Like a lion -- forceful, strong in fang,
living as a conqueror, the king of beasts --
resort to a solitary dwelling.
Wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

At the right time consorting
with the release through good will,
            compassion,
            appreciation,
            equanimity,
unobstructed by all the world,
        any world,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

Having let go of passion,
            aversion,
            delusion;
having shattered the fetters;
undisturbed at the ending of life,
wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

People follow & associate
    for a motive.
Friends without a motive these days
    are rare.
They're shrewd for their own ends, & impure.
Wander alone, a rhinoceros horn.

The Way to Happiness

A Religionless Religion

The Buddha is not the founder of Buddhism - Buddhism is a by-product, a complex and multifaceted religious system developed by his latter disciples that evolved into different traditions, schools and "yanas".

The Buddha is instead the founder of a way of life, unique in the world.

That is why the way of life He promoted is based on the Noble 8 Fold PATH; Not the Noble 8 Fold Religion or Ritual or Creed!

If one must insist on a religion, then He is the founder of religionless religion.

The wonder of wonders is that He has propounded not religion but religiousness.

Let us go back to what He taught, NOT what the centuries evolved.

--

Worth It?

Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for

Dhamma

The Six Qualities of the Dhamma

The Dhamma is:

1. Svakkhato Bhagavata Dhammo - well-proclaimed by the Blessed One,
2. Sanditthiko - self-realized,
3. Akaliko - followed by fruit without delay (of immediate result),
4. Ehipassiko - worthy of the invitation "Come and see",
5. Opaneyyiko - brought to oneself,
6. Paccattam Veditabbo Vinnuhi - realized by the wise each for himself.

The Dhamma can be listened, studied, practiced and realized with great honor and adoration by those, not by ordinary person - but by the ones who accumulated meritorious deeds, who wish to enjoy peace and happiness. It is so valuable that it cannot be appraised and incomparable and superior to any other worldly treasure. But it is extremely difficult to come across, to listen and to learn because the Dhamma is available to us only when a Buddha appears.

--

Egoless

Buddha once said:
Blissful is solitude for one who is content, learned & who see the True Dhamma.
Blissful is harmlessness towards all beings without exception.
Blissful is freedom from any sensual urge whatsoever.
Yet, the supreme bliss, is the elimination of the abysmal conceit “I am”!’
Udana – Inspiration: II – 1

Kamma

Brother Yin Onn,

Can you please help on these questions that my son sent to me:

Thought you might like to know my questions about Karma.

1) Who keeps track of karma?

NO ONE.

No one keeps track of a pen falling off a table, it Just Is!

No one tells you to drink when you are thirsty, it Just Is a Process of Cause and Effect.

No One makes you grow Up. It just is a symphony of hormones and genes, an entirely Impersonal process.

Kamma is Impersonal, it is the process of natural laws. Energy can not be created or destroyed, merely converted fr one form to another, it too is impersonal and is the way it is!

2) If good begets good and evil begets evil, what determines what is good and what is evil?

The use of the words Good or Evil makes it difficult to understand, it is simply a cause giving rise to an effect ... what we call 'good causes' gives rise to what we call 'Good effects' but it is just a result.

Call it by any label, it does not matter......

You plant durian and you get durian, you plant bitter gould and you get bitter gould..... neither durian or bitter gould thinks of itself as Good or Evil, but durian is sweet and Bitter gould BITTER. Cause and Effect, .......

3) If good begets good and evil begets evil, then would karma be 'sort of' a just system?

You can again call it by such words but it is just words!!

Call it just system if you must, to me it is simply an Impersonal process, is a cup falling off a table and breaking "Just' ?

... it simply is!

4) Since it seems to be a just system, which implies that it is omniscient (knows and sees all), perhaps we can dare call karma a 'sort of' god?

Again why do we want to label, labelling carries LUGGAGE for it implies a lot of stuff which may NOT be accurate.

As in your example.....

So is falling off a table an act of divinity?...

Or just a simple act of Falling Off the Table!! Why label.

Thank you.

Small Change

Be gentle with yourself. Change takes time

A Ceaselessly Changing state

Mind is NOT an entity BUT a Process

Simply LOOKING inwards

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.

Good, Bad, Who Knows!

If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars - Rabindranath Tagore

On the lighter side

Kamma

The law of kamma is different from the idea of fatalism or predetermination.

In fact, Buddhism teaches about causal relationships, NOT things being predetermined. There are three views concerning Kamma which the Buddha clearly REJECTED.

The first is past-action determinism, which asserts that all our experiences in the present life are solely determined by past actions.

The second is theistic determinism, which means that all our experiences and all events are due to God's creation and will.

And the third view rejected by the Buddha is called accidentalism, which holds that all experiences are merely manifestations of fortuitous elements, uncaused and unconditioned. This fallacious view rejects the principle of causality and the law of kamma.

The first two views allow no room for free will, and are fatalistic in nature. The third is obviously untenable for the simple reason that it goes directly against common sense and the well-established truth of causal relationship.

Buddhism teaches that with kamma, our experiences are conditioned by our actions rather than being predetermined or willed by God. It realistically allows for a plurality of causes or conditioning factors, including the factors of will and natural phenomena. In this way the Buddha's teaching of kamma is sensible and has a strong appeal for modern critical minds.

The complex workings of Kamma - Vipaka is unfathomable, something beyond our mortal understanding. Even when the Ven MahaKassapa was trying to understanding the workings of kamma, the Buddha explained to him that this is beyond even the Mind of an Arahant.

Why do we assume that

"bad things should not happen to Good people"?


The reality is WHY NOT!? One being Vegetarian will not stop a Bull from charging at you!

Think about it. This is important.

When we ask "Why do bad things happen to good people," the question itself is pregnant with a few assumptions. It assumes the existence of someone or something who is supposed to make sure that 'this does not happen'.

What you are saying is : "I think there is some form of a God or gods, and he/she is supposed to be good. And if he is good, then why do bad things happen to good people?"

Alternatively, the question "Why do bad things happened to good people," may really be saying "I'm not sure that God exists, or that if he does exist, is able to do anything and everything, and that is why such things are happening."

So we should be clear what it is we are actually questioning!



Let us first understand what are the "ground rules" for existence. Using this we see clearly that things happen because of causes and conditions, not because someone protected you or Failed toprotect you, or made things happen in a certain way.

Why did the tsunami happen? Is it because God/s made it happen? So many good people died, what happened to theirGod/s at that time? Was he on vacation? Or was it gross negligence on his part to his subjects who invested in him?

The tsunami happened because 2 earth plates MOVED. That's it. That's the cause and because of it, a tsunami results.

Because we are stuck in a narrow finite perspective of time and space, we tend to blame whatever we cannot understand on the divine. What is positive we call a miracle, we is negative we label as punishment from the divine.

In discussing this issue, we're NOT able to give an answer as to why particular things happen in a particular situation to someone. While I can say it is sad that one boarded a bus with a sleepy driver, it is beyond me to speculate as to why one chosethis bus over the next.

To understand kamma-vipaka as interpreted in the things that happened and that DID NOT happen to us is beyond us. We all have such a HUGE load of kammic causes both positive and negative that can ripen and come to fruition under the right conditions, that it is impossible to unentangle them and say "this is because of that action."

We can only do what is wholesome NOW and keep our precepts well, so that we dilute the unwholesome kamma and not have the conditions for its fruition to be present. It is so important that we act wisely and NOT create more conditions for unwholesome events to take place. It's obvious for example that by not mixing with the "wrong" crowd, abstaining from alcohol, pubs, drugs, late nights partying, etc that we reduce the chance of an unhappy event occuring.

Please do not blame anyone divine for what happened, No One is in charge... only we are in charge of ourselves and EVEN that is relative and NOT absolute. There are many many factors beyond our control and we can only do our best within what is in our sphere of influence.

And the first thing is to be sure we keep our precepts well. That is what will protect us, from our own possible unwholesome acts.

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