Become Unrighteous

Monks, when Kings are unrighteous, the royal subordinates (vassals) become unrighteous.

When the royal subordinates (vassals) are unrighteous, Brāhmins and Householders become unrighteous.

When Brāhmins and Householders are unrighteous, the people of the towns and countryside become unrighteous.

When the people of the towns and countryside are unrighteous, the sun and moon proceed off course.

When the sun and moon proceed off course, the constellations and the stars proceed off course.

When the constellations and the stars proceed off course, day and night proceed off course.

When day and night proceed off course, the months and weeks proceed off course.

When the months and weeks proceed off course, the seasons and years proceed off course.

When the seasons and years proceed off course, the winds blow off course and at random.

When the winds blow off course and at random, the deities become upset.

When the deities are upset, sufficient rain does not fall.

When sufficient rain does not fall, the crops ripen irregularly.

When people eat crops that ripen irregularly, they become short-lived, ugly, weak, and sickly.

(Then, The Tathāgata explained in the above, in detail, with the opposite causes with the opposite results. ‘Monks, when Kings, are righteous, the royal subordinates (vassals) become righteous...When sufficient rain falls, the crops ripen in season. When people eat crops that ripen in season, they become long-lived, beautiful, strong, and healthy’)

(Reference: AN 4.70)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how a leader of a community can throw an entire population of people into significant and unfortunate circumstances.

When “Kings are unrighteous, the royal subordinates (vassals) become unrighteous”. As a King would be the leader of a community or population of people and when a leader is unwholesome, all who follow that individual will also be unwholesome.

This “cause and effect” or “action and result” is further explaining The Natural Law of Kamma how each of our individual decisions lead to results or consequences.

The Buddha traces this one decision from the King demonstrating how it affects aspects of the environment, thus, causing lack of food, shortened lifespan and even sickness for an entire population of people.

There is a corresponding discourse where Gotama Buddha shares the opposite that when a leader of the community is righteous or wholesome, that leads to positive effects that benefit all.

You can apply this to your household, professional environment, and all those surrounding you. That through your efforts to practice these wholesome Teachings, others around you will also choose to make wholesome decisions. You can influence and guide children, co-workers, and all those close to you, whom you care about, through your own choices within your life practice choosing to practice wholesome moral conduct.

People will learn through your own wholesome conduct which will influence their decisions. Observing and understanding this “cause and effect” or “action and result”, essentially the results of our decisions, is to understand The Natural Law of Kamma applying it to your daily life.

Through wise wholesome decision making, a Practitioner will experience wholesome outcomes. It is these Teachings that will help guide you in making wholesome decisions in your life that will lead to wholesome outcomes. The more deeply you understand these Teachings including The Teachings on The Natural Law of Kamma, you will be able to make wise wholesome decisions to improve the condition of the mind and your life, thus, benefiting you and all those around you.

Detailed explanation of The Natural Law of Kamma is available in this same book series found in Chapter 9 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1) and “The Natural Law of Kamma” (Volume 6).