True Faith in Cause and Effect
In conventional truth through consciousness, isn't it taught that we must believe in kamma (kammassaka sammādiṭṭhi) - the two principles of wholesome and unwholesome actions? From killing to taking intoxicants, from killing to wrong views - when committed, are these wholesome or unwholesome?
Isn't it taught that due to unwholesome kamma, one is reborn in hell, animal realm, hungry ghost realm, or demon realm immediately after death? Is this happiness or suffering? Isn't it frightening? This results from unwholesome kamma.
When abstaining from killing through to abstaining from intoxicants, from killing through to wrong views - is this unwholesome or wholesome? Isn't it taught that due to wholesome kamma, one is reborn in human realm or six heavenly realms? Is this suffering or happiness? This results from wholesome kamma. Isn't this worth believing?
We must believe in kamma. Suffering comes from unwholesome kamma, happiness from wholesome kamma. Therefore, abstaining from killing through to abstaining from intoxicants creates wholesome kamma. Breaking them creates unwholesome kamma. Isn't this worth examining?
For one who believes in kamma, #let's_examine_ourselves: Will someone who truly believes in kamma still consult astrologers, spirit mediums, or fortune tellers? No, because they believe in kamma.
Consulting astrologers, mediums, and fortune tellers shows disbelief in kamma. Without this belief, is it easy to escape the 31 planes of existence? #No_it's_not. This needs examination, understand? So let's examine what it means to believe in kamma.
Here's something unprecedented: A person receives guidance from a good teacher. From waking until sleeping, they maintain the five precepts perfectly without breaking them.
Maintaining precepts creates wholesome kamma, doesn't it? Daily wholesome actions, from waking until sleeping.
Yet despite these wholesome actions, they struggle with basic needs. Food is scarce, clothing inadequate. Despite doing wholesome deeds, shouldn't we ask why they still struggle?
While this life has wholesome kamma, past unwholesome kamma from previous lives is giving results. That unwholesome kamma might give results for 15 years. During these 15 years, can they live comfortably? No, they suffer greatly.
Despite such hardship, do they turn to fishing or stealing for survival? #They_believe_in_kamma. When one truly believes in kamma, no matter how difficult life becomes, #they_won't_create_unwholesome_kamma, understand?
Isn't it worth believing that despite doing good deeds, if one struggles, it's due to past unwholesome kamma giving results? With such belief, does one create new unwholesome kamma? Don't old kammic debts get cleared? Daily, old kammic debts are being cleared.
Don't these old unwholesome kammic results gradually decrease? And don't wholesome actions increase daily? After about 15 years, the unwholesome kamma's results end. Then their wholesome deeds suddenly bear fruit.
Like when a close friend gives a lottery ticket as a wedding gift, and it wins 300 lakhs. When unwholesome kamma ends, doesn't wholesome kamma take its turn? This is kammassaka sammādiṭṭhi (right view of ownership of kamma). Isn't it worth believing in both unwholesome and wholesome kamma?
With such belief, no matter how poor one becomes, #will_they_create_new_unwholesome_kamma? No, they won't.
Consider some people in Mandalay or Yangon who slaughter thousands of buffalo and cattle daily for sale. Is this wholesome or unwholesome? They create unwholesome kamma daily. Is this happiness or suffering? It's suffering.
They appear wealthy with multiple houses, cars, gold and diamonds, living luxuriously. Don't some people with little knowledge of the teachings say they're prosperous?
But this prosperity comes from their past wholesome kamma that couldn't give results before, only bearing fruit during their current unwholesome actions. When this wholesome kamma gives results, despite their unwholesome actions, isn't the wholesome kamma predominant? They have houses, cars, gold and diamonds.
For those who believe in kammassaka sammādiṭṭhi, when past wholesome kamma gives results, they prosper. But their current unwholesome actions will give results one day. Maybe the wholesome kamma has 10 years of results to give.
After 10 years, when the wholesome kamma's results end, their cattle die, buffalo die, pigs die - capital loss. Their meat sales go into debt.
Eventually, with no capital, they must sell their houses, cars, diamonds, and gold. One day, they have nothing left, nowhere to live, staying in roadside shelters. Can they escape the lower realms after death? No, they cannot.
Prospering while doing unwholesome deeds comes from past wholesome kamma turning. Struggling despite doing wholesome deeds comes from past unwholesome kamma turning. Isn't this worth believing in?
One who believes this can no longer create new unwholesome kamma. Isn't this worth examining? Therefore, this is the path of kamma, a teaching to be believed...
Don't these old unwholesome kammic results gradually decrease? And don't wholesome actions increase daily? After about 15 years, the unwholesome kamma's results end. Then their wholesome deeds suddenly bear fruit.
Like when a close friend gives a lottery ticket as a wedding gift, and it wins 300 lakhs. When unwholesome kamma ends, doesn't wholesome kamma take its turn? This is kammassaka sammādiṭṭhi (right view of ownership of kamma). Isn't it worth believing in both unwholesome and wholesome kamma?
With such belief, no matter how poor one becomes, #will_they_create_new_unwholesome_kamma? No, they won't.
Consider some people in Mandalay or Yangon who slaughter thousands of buffalo and cattle daily for sale. Is this wholesome or unwholesome? They create unwholesome kamma daily. Is this happiness or suffering? It's suffering.
They appear wealthy with multiple houses, cars, gold and diamonds, living luxuriously. Don't some people with little knowledge of the teachings say they're prosperous?
But this prosperity comes from their past wholesome kamma that couldn't give results before, only bearing fruit during their current unwholesome actions. When this wholesome kamma gives results, despite their unwholesome actions, isn't the wholesome kamma predominant? They have houses, cars, gold and diamonds.
For those who believe in kammassaka sammādiṭṭhi, when past wholesome kamma gives results, they prosper. But their current unwholesome actions will give results one day. Maybe the wholesome kamma has 10 years of results to give.
After 10 years, when the wholesome kamma's results end, their cattle die, buffalo die, pigs die - capital loss. Their meat sales go into debt.
Eventually, with no capital, they must sell their houses, cars, diamonds, and gold. One day, they have nothing left, nowhere to live, staying in roadside shelters. Can they escape the lower realms after death? No, they cannot.
Prospering while doing unwholesome deeds comes from past wholesome kamma turning. Struggling despite doing wholesome deeds comes from past unwholesome kamma turning. Isn't this worth believing in?
One who believes this can no longer create new unwholesome kamma. Isn't this worth examining? Therefore, this is the path of kamma, a teaching to be believed...