Buddhism 102: Ethics

Lesson 4: Karma And Skillful Means

This lesson will explore karma as a Buddhist concept relating to ethics. We will also discuss skillful means, and how to make decisions that are wise as well as correct.

Karma and Exercise #9

Common Misconceptions About Karma

The word "karma" is often misused in our culture. People have some understanding of what it means, but tend to add elements that confuse the issue and inhibit mindfulness. So, to correct some misconceptions:

• Karma is not a mystical force. Karma is a natural phenomenon, like gravity. Our actions have consequences; that's what karma means. It also means that our situation right now is the result of actions in our past. (See Veylanswami)
• Karma is not strictly a phenomenon across lifetimes. You can understand karma by looking at the way the person you were yesterday became the person you are today. You don't have to know about your past lives to see that.
• Karma is not a judgment. Having difficult karma does not mean that we're bad people; it means that our actions in the past have made things difficult for us, and cultivated a mental state where we experience difficulty.
• Karma does not work on a point system. I sometimes hear the phrases "positive karma points" and "negative karma points," as if karma comes about because some mysterious being is keeping score. Again, karma is the natural consequence of what is. If you love someone, and they love you back, you're not getting "love points"; you're getting love. If you don't eat, you don't get "hunger points"; you get hunger. Your actions cause karma, not "karma points."
• Karma is not who you are. People are not "good karma" or "bad karma"; people experience karma, and it has positive and negative effects. You shouldn't stop an acquaintance with a person just because that person has what you perceive as "bad karma." You should do positive acts so that person can experience your virtue and be blessed with better karma.

Karma is action and reaction. When we act with anger, we create anger in other people, and the anger eventually comes back, directed at us. When we act with compassion, we create compassion in other people, and the compassion eventually comes back to us. It's a simple truth.

It may be difficult if we look at karma from the worst-case scenario. We imagine a person living in circumstances of misery, and ask, "Did that person do something to deserve a terrible fate?" It makes more sense when we look at it from a more reasonable situation. Think of a time in recent days when you felt frustrated. What way did your actions and expectations create that frustration? What could you do to create less frustration in the future?

We can deal with karma when we recognize our connection with all beings. We don't want to cause other people pain, because that is the same as causing pain to ourselves.

It's also helpful to remember that our acts create our reality. A negative act is its own punishment. The punishment for being angry is living with the weight of anger. The punishment for being greedy is living with the weight of greed.

When we observe our karma carefully, we find our own desire to live ethically. We don't make ethical choices because someone told us to; we make ethical choices because it's the wisest thing to do.

We start living ethically by taking responsibility for the karma of our past. (Anderson 29) Because we're connected to all other beings, our karma has been in place since time began. We can stop perpetuating our negative karma by letting go. Stop being angry that other people hurt you. Stop trying to get what you think you deserve.

If you would like to learn more about the concept of karma, look at the resources for this lesson.

Exercise #9

Think of where you are right now. Take a few moments to make a mental inventory: what's your situation? What thoughts, feelings, and circumstances make up "you" right now?

Then, think of what actions in your past led you up to this point. How did your past actions put you here?

Then, think of how your current actions can work to make a better future for yourself and the world.

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