Today is Vap Full Moon Poya Day Buddhist concept of Kamma
In other words Kamma is the law of moral causation. It is action and reaction in the ethical realm. Kamma does not necessarily mean past action only; it may be both present and past actions. It is not fate. Nor is it predestination which is imposed on us by some mysterious unknown power to which we must helplessly submit ourselves. It is one's own doing which reacts on one's own self, and so it is possible for us to divert the course of our Kamma.
Kamma is action and Vipaka, fruit, is its reaction. It is the cause and the effect. Like a mango seed is Kamma, Vipaka, effect, is like the mango fruits arising from the tree. The leaves and the flowers are like the Vipakanisansa – inevitable consequences. As we sow, we reap either in this or in a future birth. What we reap today is what we have sown either in the present or in the past.
Kamma is a law in itself. But it does not follow that there is a lawgiver. Ordinary laws of nature, e.g. gravitation, need no lawgiver. It operates in its own field without the intervention of an external, independent ruling agency. Inherent in Kamma is the potentiality of producing its due effect. The cause produces the effect; the effect explains the cause. The seed produces the fruit; the fruit explains the seed, and both are inter-related. Even so Kamma and its effect are inter-related; 'the effect already blooms in the cause'.
Kusala Kamma
There are ten kinds of Kusala Kamma or meritorious actions. They are: 1. Generosity or Dana, which yields wealth; 2. Morality or Seela, which gives birth in noble families and in states of happiness; 3. Meditation or Bhavana, which gives birth in Realms of Form and Formless Realms, and which tends to gain Higher Knowledge and Emancipation; 4. Reverence or Apachayana, cause of noble parentage; 5. Service or Veyyavachcha, which tends to produce a large retinue; 6. Transference of merit or Paththidana, which serves as a cause to give in abundance in future births; 7. Rejoicing in others' merit or Paththanumodana, which is productive of merit wherever one is born; 8. Hearing the Doctrine or Dhammasavana, which promotes wisdom; 9. Expounding the Doctrine or Dhammadesana, which promotes wisdom; and 10. Straightening of one's own views or Ditthijjukamma, which strengthens one's confidence.
These ten are sometimes treated as twelve. Then Praising of Others' Good Actions or Prasansa is added to Rejoicing in Others' Merit; and Taking the Three Refuges or Sarana and Mindfulness or Anussathi are used instead of Straightening of One's Views. Praising, others' good deeds results in getting praise to oneself. The seeking of the Three Refuges results in the destruction of the passions.
Mindfulness promotes diverse forms of happiness. The Five Rupa Jhanas and the Four Arupa Jhanas are also regarded as Kusala Kamma pertaining to the Realms of Form and the Formless Realms, respectively.
Akusala Kamma
There are ten Akusala Kamma or evil actions which are caused by deed, word and thought. Three are caused by deed, namely, killing or Panathipatha, stealing or Adinnadana and un-chastity or Kamesumichchachara. Four are caused by word, namely, lying or Musavada, slandering or Pisunavacha, harsh speech or Pharushavacha and frivolous talk or Samphapalapa. Three are caused by mind, namely, covetousness or Abhijjha, ill-will or Vyapada and false view or Michchaditthi.
Killing means the destruction of any living being. The Pali term Pana strictly means the psycho-physical life pertaining to one's particular existence. The speedy destruction of this life force, without allowing it to run its due course, is Panathipatha. Animals are also included in living beings, but not plants. The following five conditions are necessary to complete this evil of killing: 1. A being, 2. Consciousness that it is a being, 3. Intention of killing, 4. Effort and 5. Consequent death. The evil effects of killing are: short life, disease, constant grief caused by separation from the loved ones, and constant fear.
Five conditions are necessary to complete the evil of stealing, namely: 1. Another's property, 2. Consciousness that it is so, 3. Intention of stealing, 4. Effort, and 5. Consequent removal. The evil effects of stealing are: poverty, wretchedness, unfulfilled desires, and dependent livelihood.
Four conditions are necessary to complete the evil of un-chastity, namely: 1.The mind to enjoy the forbidden object, 2.The attempt to enjoy, 3. Devices to obtain, and 4. Possession. The evil effects of un-chastity are: having many enemies, getting undesirable wives, being born as a woman or as a eunuch.
Four conditions are necessary to complete the evil of lying, namely: 1. An untrue thing, 2. Intention to deceive, 3. The corresponding effort and 4. Communication of the matter to others, The evil effects of lying are: being tormented by abusive speech, being subject to vilification, incredibility and a foul smelling mouth.
Four conditions are necessary to complete the evil of slandering, namely: 1. Persons that are to be divided, 2.The intention to separate them or the desire to endear oneself to one of them, 3. Corresponding effort and 4.The communication. The evil effect of slandering is the dissolution of friendship without sufficient cause.
Three conditions are necessary to complete the evil of harsh speech, namely: 1.A person to be abused, 2. Angry thought and 3.The abuse. The evil effects of harsh speech are: being detested by others though absolutely blameless, and a harsh voice.
Two conditions are necessary to complete the evil of frivolous talk, namely, 1.The inclination towards frivolous talk and 2.Its narration. The evil effects of frivolous talk are: defective bodily organs and incredible speech.
Covetousness has the characteristic mark of thinking, "Ah, would this property were mine!" the two conditions necessary to complete this evil are: 1. Another's property, and 2. Adverting to it saying, "Would this be mine!" the evil effect of covetousness is non-fulfilment of one's wishes.
Two conditions are necessary to complete the evil of ill-will, namely: 1. Another being and 2.The thought of doing harm. The evil effects of ill-will are: ugliness, manifold diseases and a detestable nature.
False view is seeing things wrongly. False beliefs, like the denial of efficacy of deeds and so on, are also included in this evil. Two conditions are necessary to complete this evil, namely 1. Perverted manner in which the object is viewed, and 2.The understanding of it according to that misconception. The evil effects of false view are: base attachment, lack of wisdom, dull wit, chronic disease and blameworthy ideas.
The best way not to accumulate Akusala Kamma meaning demerits is to observe the Five Precepts, namely (i) Abstention from Killing, (2) Abstention from Stealing, (3) Abstention from Uttering Falsehoods (4) Abstention from Sexual Misconduct, and (5) Abstention from Taking Intoxicating Liquor.
Killing
Killing includes the intentional taking of the life of another human being or of an animal. The killing of a human being is also strictly prohibited by law with the threat of visitation of condign punishment on the perpetrator. Murder has always been followed with capital punishment in the past but the current view is that it amounts to judicial homicide and should therefore be substituted with imprisonment for life.
This conforms to the First Precept in Buddhism, too. Further, as Buddhism is non-vindictive and enjoins one to commiserate with even a wrong-doer with a view to reform such wrong-doer capital punishment is out of the question. The Buddha reforming even Angulimala is a pointer to this fact.
As regards the killing of animals although one should not slaughter them by himself one may consume the flesh of animals killed by hunters as done in the past or slaughtered by butchers. However, it's best for the Buddhists to emulate the Hindus and become vegetarians depending on the five milk products for the animal protein content in their diets.
The people of our country, especially, after the introduction of Buddhism in 247 CE, did not consume the flesh of animals as a habit until, beginning in 1505, the westerners invaded the country. King Devanampiya Tissa on a hunting expedition pursuing a deer being stopped in his tracks by Arahant Mahinda is symbolic of this. Their food consisted mainly of rice, and other grains, the five milk products i.e. milk, curd, whey, ghee and butter, pulses, vegetables, yams and fruits. It has now been scientifically established that this is the ideal food for human beings.
(Facts largely drawn from 'A Manual of Buddhism' that was a text book of Buddhism for the Senior School Certificate Examination, in use at my alma mater Ananda College, Colombo, in the 1950s, authored by Ven. Narada Thera, who followed by Ven. Piyadassi Thera, also delivered the weekly Dhamma sermon in English to us Middle School students of the College.)
