karma

Purifying Negative Karma

Over the past seven weeks, we discussed Karma and how it affects us all. During that discussion, a number of you asked that even if we stop creating negative Karma moving forward, how do we deal with the negative Karma we have already created in the past. I thought this was such an important point that today we want to discuss how to purify our past negative Karma.

Now, when we talk about past negative Karma, we are not only talking about this lifetime but all previous lives. By that standard, we have created enormous negative Karma. The first step in the preparation of purification is that when we are experiencing consequences of our negative Karma, in whatever form that may be in, we should realize that these consequences are due to our past negative Karma and we need to do whatever it takes to purify past negative Karma so we do not end up in this situations again and again.

Here is from the book Universal Compassion by Geshe Kelsang: Strong purification made every day over a long period of time will completely purify even the heaviest negative Karma; less powerful purification will slightly reduce our negativities, and a small amount of purification will prevent the power of the negative Karma from increasing. So any amount of effort we make is helpful.

There are four so-called opponent powers that help us purify negative Karma. They are: 1) the power of regret; 2) the power of reliance; 3) the power of the opponent force, and 4) the power of promise.

Let’s look at each one. First is the power of regret. If we understand the dangers of suffering created by negative actions, we will develop sincere regret for having committed these actions. If we contemplate that we have created enormous amounts of negative Karma over our lifetimes and we will eventually have to suffer the consequences of that. By contemplating this way, we will develop remorse for our past negative Karma. If our remorse is sincere, we will be determined to prevent future negative Karma. This remorse is what is known as the power of regret. The more regret we generate, the more powerful our purification will be.

Next is the power of reliance. Most of the objects of our negative actions are other living beings. But at the same time, we have created negative actions against objects of refuge. The objects of our refuge whatever higher authority that we may believe in. Sometimes, we talk down the object of refuge or ridicule these objects. To remove these negative actions or purify these previous negative Karma, we need to develop a reliance on objects of refuge—whatever that may mean to us. This will allow us to generate compassion towards all living beings and that in turn will purify our negative Karma.

The next is the power of the opponent force. When we have remorse for a specific negative Karma, and if we apply the opponent to that negative action (antidote of sorts); it helps us purify our negative Karma. What is the opponent force you may ask? It is actually any virtuous action performed to purify a specific negative Karma. Similar to paying a fine for a traffic violation if you will!

The next and final power is the power of promise. This is very important. In this phase, we are promising not to repeat past negative Karma. Without this promise, none of the other powers really work as well. This one power if applied effectively and regularly helps purify our negative Karma. There are types of negative Karma we can give up and promise never to commit again. There may be some negative Karma that we are not ready to give up and we can promise not to commit for a short period of time say a week or a month. We have talked about this before. If you are a fisherman, it is understandable not to promise to kill all living beings. But you can start with every living being except fish. Then later expand to no-killing fish for one day a week and so forth.

After learning all the consequences of our negative Karma, I think it is only appropriate for us to begin to apply these opponent powers to begin purifying our negative Karma. Hope this helps and you can begin your purification practice in some small way.

Positive Karma

We have been talking about Karma for the last few weeks. We discussed what Karma is, types of negative Karma, factors that influence how Karma ripens, and other topics. We will wrap up our Karma discussion in this session. Today, let’s talk about virtuous or positive Karma. There are three parts to this discussion. 1) ten virtuous Karma; 2) factors in the beneficial powers; 3) the effects of virtual Karma.

Positive Karma is a path that leads to happiness. Similar to ten negative actions, there are ten positive actions. They are essentially the opposite of ten negative actions. Each of the ten positive actions is to refrain from their respective negative action. They are abandoning killing, abandoning stealing, abandoning sexual misconduct, abandoning lying, abandoning divisive speech, abandoning hurtful speech, abandoning idle chatter, abandoning covetousness, abandoning malice, and abandoning holding wrong views.

To refrain deliberately from non-virtuous actions, having understood their danger is what is important for it to be a virtuous action. For example, when a baby does not steal does not mean that baby is practicing virtuous action because the baby does not understand the dangers of the effects of stealing. Let’s take killing as an example. Some people are able to take all living beings as their objects and try to abandon the killing of all living beings. This means insects on up. Some people say a fisherman whose job it is to catch fish may not want to do that initially. But they can take all objects except a fish and abandon the killing of those objects. They can then slowly introduce not killing a fish on weekends, at night and so forth slowly increasing these periods of time. Once we have made this decision as long as we remain mindful, our virtuous actions are being fulfilled. Just like non-virtuous actions, the more we perform a virtuous action, the more powerful it becomes.

All positive Karma also has three kinds of effects. The ripened effect, the effect similar to the cause, and the environmental effect. The ripened effect is taking birth in a higher realm such as human birth. Effects tendencies similar to virtuous actions allow us the opportunity to perform the same kind of virtuous actions over and over. As long as we don’t resist these tendencies, we will have an opportunity to add to our balance of virtuous actions. Experience similar to cause affords better living conditions. For example, an experience similar to abandoning killing is that we enjoy a long life; the experience similar to abandoning stealing is that we effortlessly accumulate wealth. Have you ever noticed some people tend to have a Midas touch and make money effortlessly in anything they try? That is an experience similar to the previous virtuous action of abandoning stealing. Experience similar to the action of abandoning sexual misconduct is that we have stable friendships and happier family life. The environmental effects of virtuous actions are opposite to the environmental effects of non-virtuous actions. It is important to point out that an environmental effect is not a quality of external conditions but the quality of the mind that experiences that. What do I mean by that? The same external conditions can be experienced as different environmental effects by different minds. For example, in a place where most people find the food good and nourishing, some people experience nausea and indigestion. Two people can take the same medicine and one of them can get an adverse side effect. So it is the individual Karma of each one of us that determines the environmental effect.

The object of virtuous action also affects the power of our actions. For example, if we give a pair of clothes to a hungry person, it counts. But, if we give them food, it is much more powerful. The motivation behind any action is also important. For example, we give something that we don’t have any need for counts. But if we give something with a wish to benefit someone is much more powerful. Actions are most powerful when they are directed toward someone who has been kind to us such as our parents. If we take a vow to take positive action, the action becomes more powerful. So if you are going to do it anyway, take a vow!

As you can see there is a lot to unpack here. Karma is a deep and profound subject. Hopefully, over the last few sessions, we have scratched the surface and all of us are beginning to think about the long-term effects of our day-to-day actions.

Continuing on our Karma series, let’s talk about the severity of negative Karma. Sometimes we feel that the response to our negative action is not proportional to the action itself. Not every negative Karma results in similar suffering. The degree of suffering depends upon the power of our actions.

This power depends upon six factors including 1) the nature of the action; 2) the intention; 3) the method; 4) the object; 5) how often the action is committed, and 6) the application of the opponent. Now let’s look at each one and understand what it means.

First the nature of the action. Some negative actions are more severe than others. We briefly touched on this during our previous sessions. For example, killing is a lot more severe than idle chatter. So if you recall the ten negative actions: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, hurtful speech, idle chatter, and so forth; the degree of severity among them is in descending order. Meaning killing is the most severe and idle chatter is the least severe.

The next factor in suffering is intention. For example, to kill in a violent rage is more harmful than to kill in mild anger. But then I don’t who would kill in mild anger right? If we are lying for the sake of lying or lying to hurt someone has a different response when it comes to suffering. One is a lot more severe than the other.

The method is the next factor affecting suffering. How we perform that action. For example, killing an animal swiftly has less suffering attached to it than killing sadistically applying slow and painful death.

The object is also an important factor. If one kills someone who has been kind to them versus someone who is a total stranger, it has more severe implications. Similarly, if someone repeatedly commits the same offense, it has higher consequences as compared with a one-time offense.

The last factor is the application of the opponent. This means that when one commits negative action but along with that one also performs positive actions, then the severity of suffering is reduced.

Now let’s talk about the effects of our negative actions. There are three effects; 1) the ripened effect; 2) the effects similar to the cause and 3) the environmental effect. Let’s look at each one individually.

The ripened effect of a negative action is rebirth in one of the lower realms. For example, if a living being takes rebirth in the animal realm then the ripened effect of that particular negative action has occurred and will not show up again.

The effects similar to the cause have two types; a) tendencies similar to the cause and b) experiences similar to the cause. Tendencies similar to the cause is a compulsion. For example, we know that we are prone to certain types of negative actions even when realize it is wrong but instinctively, sometimes we end up committing those. This in turn creates more negative actions and creates this vicious cycle. Essentially, this effect makes it difficult for us to avoid rebirths in lower realms in the future. We essentially have a compulsion to certain negative behavior. You may have noticed that some kids tend to kill bugs and other insects. Tendency similar to sexual misconduct is being attracted to someone else’s partner. What we have here are tendencies that make one create negative actions that in turn will ripen in future sufferings.

Experiences similar to the cause are different for each negative action. For example, an experience similar to the cause of killing is a short life full of sickness. By killing, we shortened another being’s life so we are experiencing ill health or shortened life as a result. Experience similar to stealing is a lack of wealth and possessions. Experience similar to sexual misconduct is separation from friends and family. Experience similar to cause for lying is that no one trusts us; divisive speech is difficulty creating harmonious relationships, hurtful speech is people say bad things about us; idle chatter is that no one takes us seriously. Experience similar to covetousness is that our desires are not fulfilled; malice is that we are prone to fear, and holding wrong views is that we have great confusion.

The third effect of a negative action is the environmental effect. This means that it is our living environment that is affected. For example, the environmental effect of killing is poverty; stealing is we live in a barren area; sexual misconduct is we live in unsanitary conditions. The environmental effect of lying is that we live in a place where people cheat and are deceptive; divisive speech is that we live in a place that is hard and inhospitable; hurtful speech is that we live in an area with dense undergrowth that can sting our body; idle chatter is that we live in a place where crops don’t grow. The environmental effect of covetousness is that we live in a place where resources are easily destroyed; malice is that we live in a war zone; holding a wrong view is that we live in a place that lacks water and other basic necessities.

So as you can see negative actions ripen in different ways. To sum up, the worst way it can ripen is birth in lower realms such as the animal realm. Effects similar to cause give us tendencies to perform similar negative actions or provides poor life experiences. The environmental effect makes our surroundings difficult. So that concludes our discussions on negative Karma. Next week, we will begin to look at positive Karma and its effects.

Karma

We have been discussing Karma for the last three sessions. We will continue with our Karma discussion. You may recall we discussed bodily negative Karma in our last session. Today, we will discuss the speech and mental negative Karma. Let’s begin with lying. Lying is a negative action of speech. Although one can commit this action by writing or staying silent.

A classic example of this is Yudhishthira during the Kurukshetra war. Someone asks him if Ashwatthama is dead and he said Ashwatthama was indeed dead not clarifying that it was the elephant and not the Guru. Also for lying to create negative consequences, the object of lying must be present along with determination and delusion. Another important point is that the other person has to understand before action is considered complete. For example, if we utter a lie to an infant who cannot process what we are talking about, then the action is not complete.

Divisive speech is something when we create division between people. A lot of this is going on in our society at this time where people make statements just to incite hatred amongst groups of people. There is also a divisive speech of gossip where people talk about other people behind their backs trying to create a rift among friends. The object of divisive speech is two or more people who have a relationship with one another. The divisive speech causes that relationship to deteriorate or make it worse. One thing to point out is that even if something is true but it can cause harm in a relationship between two people then it is considered divisive speech.

Hurtful speech is again, a type of negative action that is intended to hurt someone. If a person is hurt by our speech, it is hurtful speech. As before, if we intend to hurt John but end us hurting Jim then the action is not complete. Also, if we get angry at a non-living being say weather then there is no hurt caused so no negative action occurs. Sarcasm is also a form of hurtful speech. Before we speak or post something on social media, we should contemplate, is it true; is it necessary; is it kind? If the answer to any of these three questions is no, then don’t do it?

Idle chatter is the least affecting negative Karma. This means a meaningless conversation. Although it is not harmful to others too much idle chatter can prevent us from working on positive Karma. So it is indirect negative Karma if you will.

So those are all verbal or speech negative Karma. Now, we will take a look at mental negative Karma. Covetousness is a negative Karma where one desires something that does not belong to them. It can be a material possession, a job, a higher position, or someone else’s partner. This is one Karma that creates negative results just with a train of thought. For the negative Karma to occur, we must first correctly identify the object of desire. We must be determined to possess it. And we must be influenced by delusion. Usually, we repeatedly consider how we will obtain this object and the action is complete when we chose a method and decide to apply it to procure the object ourselves. I should point out that this does not apply to a free will transaction. For example, if you want to purchase something from someone and contemplate how you are going to approach this transaction, that is not covetousness.

Malice is expressing ill will towards other people to harm them. We engage in malice by repeatedly contemplating the best method to express ill will towards someone and the decision to cause harm by our chosen method. A train of thought that combines all three, causes the negative action of malice to occur.

Holding wrong views is where we reject universal truths such as Karma, the Cycle of birth and death, and so on. We engage in this negative action by repeatedly considering how to deny these universal truths. There are many methods that include repudiating these truths, incorrect ways of reasoning for opposing views, etc.

So we covered all ten types of negative actions over the last two sessions. If we commit ourselves to avoiding these ten negative Karmas, our lives will drastically improve for ourselves and those around us.

Karma

We are going to continue with our Karma series. In previous sessions, we talked about the definition of Karma and the four characteristics of Karma. The next topic is the types of Karma and their effects. So there are two types of Karma. Virtuous or positive Karma and Non-Virtuous or negative Karma. Let’s begin with non-virtuous or negative Karma. There are just about a million negative Karmas one can create. However, all of those mostly fall into ten negative Karma. They are killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, hurtful speech, idle chatter, covetousness, malice, and holding wrong views. Out of these, killing, stealing and sexual misconduct fall into what is called bodily actions. Lying, divisive speech, hurtful speech, and idle chatter are so-called verbal actions. I want to point out that when you write an email or something on social media, that is also considered speech and falls into the verbal action category. The last three, covetousness, malice, and holding wrong views are mental actions.

So let’s begin with bodily negative Karma. We think I have not killed anyone so I am good. Let’s take it slow. If we killed a mosquito with an intention to kill because it was bugging us, that is a killing action no different than committing first-degree murder. If we accidentally killed a living being that does not have the negative Karma attached to it.

There need to be four factors present for us to suffer the consequences of a negative action – the object, the intention, the preparation, and the completion. So in our mosquito example, the mosquito is the object. Our intention to kill arrives when it starts bugging us. We prepare to kill by using a squatter or some other object and the action is complete when we actually kill the mosquito. A couple of points of note here. Let’s say you are trying to kill a mosquito and by mistake, you end up killing a fly. In this case, you do not suffer consequences because you did not kill a mosquito and you did not intend to kill a fly. Also, a point to bear in mind is that if we direct someone to kill a mosquito for us, and they complete that action, both of us suffer the consequences of that negative action. This is a very important point. We cannot say I did not kill the mosquito so I do not suffer the consequences. In fact, in this case, both the person giving the instruction to kill and the person killing suffer from negative consequences. You know there is a war going on in Ukraine right now. The soldiers who kill for sure suffer the negative consequences but the commanders and generals and leaders actually suffer a lot more of these consequences. Leaders are responsible for the negative actions of all the people underneath them! Talk about overwhelming negative Karma. So being a powerful politician is the worst-case scenario because one ends up suffering from the negative actions of so many underlings. Similarly, if a group of people decides to perform a negative action through only one person, the entire group will suffer negative consequences of that Karma.

For us to have created intention, there have to be three factors at work. One discrimination, two determination, and three delusion. What does that mean? Well, discrimination means identifying the living being we intend to kill. For example, if you are a hunter and go out to hunt an animal but accidentally kill a human being, the intention is not there. So in this case, you do not get the negative consequences of killing an animal or a human being! The next factor that needs to be present for there to be intent is determination. Once you identify the object an animal in the hunting example, we carry out the plan to kill the animal. We have our hunting gear, the traps, and whatnot. We will not be preparing for this unless we are determined to do it. And the last factor that needs to be present is the delusion. Our intent only occurs if we are motivated by one of the delusions such as anger, attachment, hatred, etc. For example, a soldier kills out of hatred for the enemy. A thief kills out of attachment for valuables and so on. In our previous example of mosquitoes, we kill a mosquito out of anger. So who kills out of delusions you may ask? Well, if we kill out of compassion—say an animal is hurt and is suffering. There is no way to save that animal and killing that animal only takes it out of its misery; killing out of compassion will not result in negative Karma even when we have discriminately identified the object and have the determination to kill.

Next, let’s look at stealing. Again, we think we never stole anything from anyone. But let’s examine this a little bit deeper. If we ever took our work product from one job to another, for example, that is a form of stealing. Not paying our taxes or defaulting on loans is a form of stealing. Stealing means anything that is not freely given to us. If we manipulate, bribe, blackmail to get something, that is stealing. As described before, we must identify the item we want to steal, and have the determination and delusion in order for us to suffer negative consequences. Here is an interesting point. Let’s say we borrowed a book from someone. We have every intention of returning it. We refer to that book as someone else’s book. In this case, there is no stealing. But let’s say a few years pass and now we consider that book as our book. As soon as that happens, we have completed the negative Karma of stealing and will have to suffer appropriate consequences.

Sexual misconduct is the last type of bodily negative Karma. If we are in a committed relationship or have taken celibacy vows, the object of sexual misconduct is any other person. If we are not in a committed relationship, the object of sexual misconduct is someone else’s partner or anyone else who does not consent.

So those are all the bodily negative actions. We will pick up verbal negative actions next week.