The Natural Law of Kamma: How Your Decisions Shape Your Life
- David Roylance
- Aug 2
- 24 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Every decision produces a result.
Our intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood influence the condition of our mind, the quality of our relationships, and the experiences that arise throughout our life. This process is explained through The Natural Law of Kamma.
Kamma is not a mystical force, a system of divine judgment, or a form of punishment. It is the natural law of cause and effect—action and result.
The Natural Law of Kamma teaches us that our decisions matter. Wise decisions produce wholesome results (i.e. wholesome Kamma), while unwise decisions produce unwholesome results (i.e. unwholesome Kamma). By understanding this natural law, we can learn to make wiser choices that lead to a more peaceful mind and a more peaceful existence.
Table of Contents
What Is Kamma?
Kamma refers to the natural relationship between our decisions and the results of those decisions.
One practical way to understand Kamma is:
Kamma is the result of our own decisions.
Everything we intentionally think, say, or do produces an effect. These effects may influence us immediately, later in this life, or in a future existence if craving has not been extinguished and rebirth occurs.
Our Kamma is created through:
Our intentions
Our speech
Our actions
Our livelihood
When these are wise and wholesome, influenced by generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom, they produce wholesome Kamma or wholesome results. When they are unwise and unwholesome, influenced by craving, anger, or ignorance (i.e. unknowing of true reality), they produce unwholesome Kamma or unwholesome results.
The Natural Law of Kamma is not created, administered, or controlled by any person or entity. It simply exists. Every being is subject to it, regardless of whether they understand it or even believe that it exists.
This natural law functions as a sequence of events.
The Natural Law of Kamma is not something you believe in but instead, something you learn, reflect on (i.e. independently verify), and practice to be able to see the truth for yourself. By cultivating wisdom of The Natural Law of Kamma, the mind awakens to understanding this reality and experiences improved results in a Practitioner’s life.
Learn how Buddhist Wisdom for Daily Life can be applied.
Kamma and Karma: What Is the Difference?
Many people are familiar with the word karma.
Karma and Kamma refer to the same natural law, but the words come from different languages. Karma is the Sanskrit term, while Kamma is the Pāli term.
The Teachings of The Buddha are preserved in the Pāli language. For this reason, Practitioners learning from The Pāli Canon will typically use the word Kamma rather than karma.
The difference is therefore primarily linguistic. Both terms refer to cause and effect, action and result—the results of our intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood.
Kamma Is Not Reward or Punishment
Kamma is often misunderstood as a system that rewards people for doing good and punishes people for doing wrong.
However, The Natural Law of Kamma is not a system of rewards and punishments. It is the natural result of the decisions we make.
No being is deciding who should receive a reward or punishment. No entity is monitoring our behavior and distributing pleasant or painful experiences. Kamma functions naturally and objectively as a sequence of events.
A harmful decision creates conditions for harmful results. A wise and wholesome decision creates conditions for wholesome results.
For example, a person who repeatedly lies may gradually lose the trust of others. This is not a punishment imposed by someone else. It is the natural result of repeatedly choosing to speak falsely.
Similarly, a person who chooses to speak at the proper time, truthfully, gently, beneficially, and with a mind of loving-kindness creates healthier relationships and a more peaceful mind.
These results arise from the person’s decisions.
That is Kamma.
The Importance of Doing No Harm
All of The Teachings of The Buddha center on the importance of not doing any harm.
When we harm another being through our intentions, speech, actions, or livelihood, we also cause harm to ourselves through The Natural Law of Kamma.
When we place wise and wholesome intentions, speech, and actions into the world, wholesomeness will return to us. When our intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood are pure, our life becomes calmer, steadier, and more peaceful.
However, when our intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood are unwise and unwholesome, unwholesome results return to us. When we cause harm, we create the causes for harm to arise in our own life.
You cannot cause someone else to experience discontentedness. Just like your own mind’s discontentedness is caused by its own cravings/desires/attachments, this is true about other people’s mind as well. But, you can cause someone harm.
You could cause harm to someone’s physical body, their material possessions, or their reputation. When you cause harm, there will be harm experienced returning to the individual who caused the harm.
The results may not appear immediately or return in exactly the same form.
Nevertheless, the causes we create will eventually produce corresponding results. Learn how the mind causes its own discontentedness in The Four Noble Truths.
The Waves We Create in the World
One way to understand Kamma is to imagine that every intention, word, and action creates a wave in the world’s seas.
When we create calm, steady, kind, and polite waves, similar qualities will gradually return to us. The results may not appear immediately, but over time we will experience greater calmness, steadiness, trust, and peace.
When we create damaging, hateful, or vicious waves, we contribute to fierce and violent waters. Those waters will eventually create turmoil, conflict, and destruction within our life.
The waves that return may not look exactly like those we originally created. Kamma is not always instantaneous, and the results may arise through different people, circumstances, or experiences.
However, the quality of the causes we create influences the quality of the results we experience.
Wholesome and Unwholesome Kamma
Wholesome Kamma is produced through wise and wholesome intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood.
When the mind is free from craving, anger, and ignorance, our decisions become purer.
We become increasingly capable of acting through generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom.
Wholesome Kamma could potentially be experienced as:
A peaceful and calm mind
Trustworthy relationships
Greater stability
Improved decision-making
A more harmonious life
Progress on The Path to Enlightenment
Unwholesome Kamma is produced through unwise and unwholesome intentions, speech, actions, or livelihood.
When the mind is influenced by craving, anger, or ignorance, our decisions become polluted. We become increasingly incapable of functioning through wholesome qualities and the unwholesome qualities affect our ability to make wise decisions, thus unwholesome Kamma is experienced.
Unwholesome Kamma could potentially be experienced as:
Mental disturbance
Conflict with others
Loss of trust
Harmful relationships
Legal or social consequences
Increased discontentedness
Continued rebirth
Understanding the difference between wholesome and unwholesome Kamma allows us to observe our decisions more carefully and influence more wholesome outcomes through wise and wholesome decisions.
Before speaking or acting, we can investigate:
Is this decision influenced by craving?
Is this decision influenced by anger?
Is this decision based on ignorance or an unknowing of true reality?
Will this intention, speech, or action cause harm to myself, others, or both?
Will this decision contribute to peace or conflict?
Is this wholesome for me and for other beings?
These questions help awaken the mind to The Natural Law of Kamma.
The Three Poisons and Unwholesome Kamma
The Three Poisons, also known as The Three Unwholesome Roots, are:
Craving or greed
Anger or hatred
Ignorance, delusion, or an unknowing of true reality
These three conditions of mind are the roots of unwholesome Kamma. The Buddha explained the causes for the origination of unwholesome Kamma:
Three Causes for the Origination of Unwholesome Kamma
"Monks, there are these three causes for the origination of (unwholesome) Kamma.
What three?
(1) Craving (Desire/Greed/Attachment) is a cause for the origination of (unwholesome) Kamma;
(2) Anger (Hatred/Ill Will) is a cause for the origination of (unwholesome) Kamma;
(3) Ignorance (Delusion/Unknowing of True Reality) is a cause for the origination of (unwholesome) Kamma."
(Reference: AN 3.34)
When craving is present, we cling to what we want and resist what we do not want.
When anger is present, we may think, speak, or act in ways that harm ourselves, others, or both. When ignorance is present, we misunderstand true reality and make decisions without wisdom.
As long as these unwholesome roots remain active in the mind, they will continue producing unwholesome intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood.
The goal of The Teachings of The Buddha is to eliminate these Three Poisons, and attain Enlightenment.
When craving, anger, and ignorance have been completely extinguished, the roots that produce unwholesome Kamma have also been eliminated.
There will no longer be any unwholesome Kamma produced, and a Practitioner can extinguish 100% of all unwholesome Kamma experiencing only peace and joy in their life. Their life becomes completely and entirely fulfilling. They will be living the ideal life, where life is no longer difficult or a struggle. All their relationships will be harmonious, and their life and mind will be peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy.
The Three Wholesome Roots
The antidotes to The Three Poisons are The Three Wholesome Roots:
Generosity
Loving-kindness
Wisdom
Generosity is the antidote to craving and greed.
Loving-kindness is the antidote to anger and hatred.
Wisdom is the antidote to ignorance, delusion, and an unknowing of true reality.
These are the direct opposites of craving, anger, and ignorance.
The Buddha also explained the causes for the origination of wholesome Kamma:
Three Causes for the Origination of Wholesome Kamma
"Monks, there are these three causes for the origination of (wholesome) Kamma.
What three?
(1) Non-Craving (Generosity) is a cause for the origination of (wholesome) Kamma;
(2) Non-Anger (Loving-kindness) is a cause for the origination of (wholesome) Kamma;
(3) Non-Ignorance (Wisdom) is a cause for the origination of (wholesome) Kamma."
(Reference: AN 3.34)
By developing generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom through The Eight Fold Path, a Practitioner gradually transforms the mind.
The mind becomes less reactive, less attached, and less likely to produce harmful intentions. As wholesome qualities increase, wholesome Kamma also increases.
This transformation supports the development of a peaceful, calm, serene, content, and joyful mind.
Having eliminated The Three Unwholesome Roots and fully cultivated The Three Wholesome Roots, an individual’s life and mind will have completely transformed.
Practical Examples of Kamma
The Natural Law of Kamma can be observed in everyday life.
Taking Life
A person murders another being and is later imprisoned. The person loses freedom, relationships, opportunities, and quality of life.
These are the results of the decision to cause harm.
Taking What Is Not Given
A person steals and is later imprisoned or becomes surrounded by people who also steal. Others no longer trust the person, and the person’s quality of life becomes worse.
The loss of trust and security is connected to the harmful decision to steal.
Sexual Misconduct
A person engages in sexual contact with someone who is already involved in a relationship. The relationship is discovered, leading to verbal conflict, physical confrontation, damaged relationships, and emotional disturbance.
The harmful results arise from the decision to participate in sexual misconduct.
False Speech
A person repeatedly lies, gossips, or slanders others. Eventually, people no longer trust the person’s words. Relationships become difficult, business becomes difficult, and the person may experience others lying in return.
The inability to establish trust is the result of repeatedly practicing harmful speech.
Intoxicating Substances
A person consumes substances that cause heedlessness. Mindfulness and concentration decline, making it difficult to focus on work, relationships, and ordinary daily activities.
The reduced quality of life is connected to the decision to consume substances that produce heedlessness.
These examples show that harmful decisions create harmful conditions. The results are not mysterious. They arise through “cause and effect”.
This is how The Natural Law of Kamma can easily be seen and verified as being true.
Kamma Is Created Individually
Kamma is created individually.
Each person has their own Kamma because each person makes their own decisions. Our intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood cannot be transferred to another person.
We may influence each other, but each individual is responsible for the decisions they personally make.
Each person has the ability to make choices. Based on those personal choices, corresponding effects will be experienced.
This means that our present existence is connected to the accumulated results of our previous decisions. Our wholesome and unwholesome deeds contribute to the conditions we experience today.
We cannot run from or hide from our Kamma. The results of our decisions must eventually be experienced and extinguished.
This can be understood through The Words of The Buddha.
The Buddha taught:
“Monks, beings are the owners of their Kamma, the heirs of their Kamma; they have Kamma as their origin, Kamma as their relative, Kamma as their resort; whatever Kamma they do, wholesome or unwholesome, they are its heirs.”
(Reference: AN 10.216)
“And what is the result of Kamma? The result of Kamma, I say, is threefold: [to be experienced] in this very life, or in the [next] rebirth, or on some subsequent occasion. This is called the result of Kamma.”
(Reference: AN 6.63)
It is impossible for other people to create Kamma for us and it is impossible to run or hide from the Kamma that we produce.
It is our decisions that lead to the results we experience, and we will experience the results of our decisions.
Old Kamma and New Kamma
The Natural Law of Kamma can also be understood by examining Old Kamma and New Kamma.
Old Kamma refers to the accumulated results of decisions that have already been made - past decisions that we are experiencing the results of now. New Kamma refers to the results of intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood we are producing in the present moment that will be experienced in the future.
Our current existence is influenced by both.
We are experiencing the results of previous decisions while simultaneously making new decisions that will produce additional results. Therefore, each moment contains both the effects of the past and the opportunity to create a different future.
Old Kamma: The results being experienced now from decisions made previously. New Kamma: The results being created for the future through decisions made in the present moment. The opportunity: We cannot change past decisions, but we can choose a wise and wholesome response now. |
What Is Old Kamma?
Old Kamma is the accumulated result of our previous intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood.
These decisions may have occurred earlier in this life or during previous lives. Their results contribute to the conditions of our present existence.
Our current life is an accumulation of the results of our past wise and unwise decisions.
The situations we encounter, the conditions in which we live, and some of the experiences that arise may be connected to Kamma that was created previously.
Old Kamma may produce pleasant experiences, painful experiences, or experiences that are neither painful-nor-pleasant.
Some difficult circumstances may arise without an immediately recognizable cause. We may not understand why a particular event has happened or why a certain condition repeatedly appears in our life.
In these situations, Kamma can become an unbiased Teacher.
Rather than responding with anger, blame, resentment, or confusion, a Practitioner can observe the experience and investigate what changes may be needed. The results arising in the present can help reveal attachments, cravings, habits, intentions, speech, or actions that need to be understood and abandoned.
Old Kamma cannot be escaped by running away from it or hiding from it. The results of unwise decisions need to be experienced and extinguished to attain Enlightenment, where a Practitioner has fully extinguished 100% of all unwholesome Kamma.
However, this Teaching does not need to create fear.
Understanding Old Kamma allows a Practitioner to respond to present experiences with greater wisdom. Even when a situation cannot immediately be changed, the Practitioner can choose not to produce additional unwholesome Kamma through anger, hatred, harmful speech, or harmful actions.
What Is New Kamma?
New Kamma is the Kamma we are creating through our present decisions which will then be experienced in the future.
Every current intention, word, action, and way of earning a livelihood produces a result.
These decisions may be wise or unwise, wholesome or unwholesome depending on the condition of the mind from which they arise.
When our present decisions are influenced by craving, anger, or ignorance, we create New Unwholesome Kamma - these are The Three Unwholesome Roots.
When our present decisions are guided by generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom, we create New Wholesome Kamma - these are The Three Wholesome Roots.
New Kamma is produced through:
What we intend
What we think about
How we speak
How we treat other beings
The actions we perform
The livelihood we maintain
The way we respond to pleasant and painful experiences
Each person has the ability to make decisions in their life. These decisions are personal choices, and the resulting effects will be personally experienced.
This means that while we may be experiencing Old Kamma, we are not without the ability to make wise choices now to produce New Wholesome Kamma.
We cannot change a decision that has already been made, but we can change how we respond in the present. Through a wise and wholesome response, we avoid adding further harm to the conditions we are already experiencing.
You can extinguish your old unwholesome Kamma by making wise decisions in the present moment to produce New Wholesome Kamma. The Eight Fold Path guides a Practitioner in making wise decisions that produce only New Wholesome Kamma, thus extinguishing 100% of all Old Unwholesome Kamma and choosing not to generate any New Unwholesome Kamma. Learn The Eight Fold Path to support your journey to Enlightenment.
How Old and New Kamma Work Together
Old Kamma and New Kamma are continually interacting within our life.
A present situation is the result of a previous decision. Our response to that situation then becomes a new decision that creates New Kamma.
For example, a person may experience harsh speech from another individual. The experience itself is connected to previous decisions. However, the person will now need to decide how to respond.
The person could react with anger, hatred, lying, gossip, slander, or harsh speech. This response would create New Unwholesome Kamma.
Alternatively, the person could respond calmly, truthfully, gently, beneficially, and with a mind of loving-kindness. This response would create New Wholesome Kamma.
The same experience can therefore lead to very different future results depending on the decision made in the present moment.
Old Kamma is the situation we encounter, but our present intentions, speech, and actions determine the New Kamma we produce in response.
This is why awareness of the mind is so important.
Without mindfulness and wisdom, a person may repeatedly respond to Old unwholesome Kamma through craving, anger, and ignorance. This creates more unwholesome Kamma, New Unwholesome Kamma, and allows the same patterns of conflict and discontentedness to continue.
Through learning and practicing The Eight Fold Path, a Practitioner develops the ability to respond differently.
The Practitioner becomes increasingly capable of meeting difficult circumstances without creating additional harm.
An individual might choose to simply walk away, understanding that this could be the wisest response and would avoid producing New Unwholesome Kamma through speech.
Old Unwholesome Kamma
Old Unwholesome Kamma consists of the accumulated results of previous decisions influenced by craving, anger, and ignorance.
A person cannot run from or hide from this Kamma. It will need to be experienced and extinguished through the pursuit of Enlightenment.
As a Practitioner learns and practices The Eight Fold Path for an extended period of time, unwholesome Kamma from this life and previous lives is gradually extinguished.
This does not mean that a Practitioner should become preoccupied with identifying the exact past cause of every unpleasant experience.
The most beneficial response is to observe what is occurring now and ensure that the mind does not create more unwholesome Kamma.
When a painful situation arises, the Practitioner can ask:
Am I responding with craving?
Am I responding with anger?
Am I responding through ignorance?
Am I producing harmful thoughts?
Am I preparing to speak or act in a harmful way?
Can I respond through generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom?
Through this investigation, Old Kamma becomes a Teacher that guides the Practitioner toward better decisions.
Creating New Wholesome Kamma
The present moment provides the opportunity to create New Wholesome Kamma.
A Practitioner creates wholesome Kamma by developing pure intentions, wholesome speech, wholesome actions, and wholesome livelihood. The Eight Fold Path guides a Practitioner in cultivating the wisdom needed to accomplish this goal.
This is supported through the practice of:
Generosity
Loving-kindness
Wisdom
These Three Wholesome Roots weaken and eliminate craving, anger, and ignorance. The Three Wholesome Roots are the direct opposites of The Three Unwholesome Roots, and this is how the transformation occurs.
New Wholesome Kamma is created when we:
Choose not to harm other beings
Speak at the proper time
Speak truthfully
Speak gently
Speak beneficially
Speak with a mind of loving-kindness
Take only what is freely given
Avoid sexual misconduct
Refrain from substances that produce heedlessness
Maintain a wholesome livelihood
Respond to difficulties without anger or revenge
Practice generosity without expecting a return
Make decisions based on wisdom
As wholesome decisions are repeated, the mind becomes calmer, steadier, and more peaceful.
The Practitioner gradually stops producing the causes of conflict and discontentedness.
Preventing New Unwholesome Kamma
A central goal of the practice is to eliminate the production of New Unwholesome Kamma.
This process begins in the mind.
Before unwholesome speech or action occurs, there is often an unwholesome intention influenced by craving, anger, or ignorance.
The Practitioner will therefore need to observe the mind carefully.
When craving arises, it should be understood and weakened through generosity.
When anger arises, it should be understood and weakened through loving-kindness.
When ignorance arises, it should be understood and weakened through wisdom.
By addressing the roots within the mind, the Practitioner prevents those roots from developing into harmful speech, actions, and livelihood.
The production of New Unwholesome Kamma gradually decreases as the practice of The Eight Fold Path becomes deeper.
Old and New Kamma on The Path to Enlightenment
To attain Enlightenment, a Practitioner needs to extinguish Old Unwholesome Kamma while eliminating the production of New Unwholesome Kamma.
This is accomplished through practicing The Eight Fold Path completely and entirely for an extended period of time.
Through the practice, the Practitioner:
Understands the results of past decisions
Responds wisely to present experiences
Stops creating new harm
Produces wholesome intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood
Eliminates craving
Eliminates anger
Eliminates ignorance
Gradually extinguishes accumulated unwholesome Kamma
Progresses toward the complete elimination of discontentedness
As the Practitioner produces less unwholesome Kamma, fewer causes of conflict and disturbance are created.
Life becomes more comfortable, fluid, and peaceful because the Practitioner is no longer continually creating harm within the world.
Kamma and Personal Responsibility
The Teaching of Old and New Kamma is a Teaching of personal responsibility.
We may not fully understand every condition that has arisen from the past, but we remain responsible for the decisions we make now.
Blaming other people does not purify the mind.
Responding with revenge does not extinguish unwholesome Kamma.
Creating more harm does not correct previous harm.
The wise response is to understand the present experience, investigate the mind, and choose intentions, speech, and actions that do not create additional unwholesome results.
Old Kamma is what we are currently experiencing from decisions already made.
New Kamma is what we are creating through the decisions we make now.
The present moment is where a Practitioner can apply effort.
By learning, reflecting on (i.e. independently verifying), and practicing The Eight Fold Path, we can stop creating New Unwholesome Kamma, produce only wholesome Kamma, and gradually extinguish the accumulated unwholesome Kamma of this life and previous lives.
Through this process, the mind becomes increasingly peaceful, calm, serene, content, and joyful as the Practitioner progresses toward Enlightenment.
Do Good Without Expecting a Return
When creating wholesome Kamma, it would be unwise to demand or expect that something pleasant will immediately return to us.
Wholesome intentions, speech, and actions will need to be practiced because they are wholesome and because they are the right thing to do.
When we perform a wholesome action only because we expect a reward, the intention has become influenced by craving. The action is no longer entirely pure because it is connected to an expectation of personal gain.
A Practitioner should therefore practice generosity, loving-kindness, truthfulness, and moral conduct without calculating what will be received in return.
We create wholesome Kamma because it contributes to peace within ourselves and within the world. Learn how The Five Precepts support wholesome conduct.
Why Kamma Does Not Need to Be Feared
There is no fear in these Teachings, and there is no need to fear Kamma.
Fear arises when a person does not understand The Natural Law of Kamma or does not know how to make wise decisions.
Once the mind begins to understand that wholesome causes produce wholesome results, life becomes easier to navigate.
The purpose of learning about Kamma is not to create anxiety about past decisions. The purpose is to awaken the mind so that wiser choices can be made now.
The more a Practitioner learns, reflects on, and practices The Teachings of The Buddha, the more clearly the mind understands The Natural Law of Kamma.
With deeper understanding, the Practitioner can:
Recognize harmful mental states
Abandon unwholesome intentions
Improve speech and conduct
Develop a wholesome livelihood
Reduce harm
Create more peaceful conditions
Progress toward Enlightenment
Kamma could therefore be understood as a Teacher rather than something to fear.
Kamma as an Unbiased Teacher
Difficult situations may arise in life that are challenging to understand.
A person may ask:
Why is this happening to me?
Why am I repeatedly experiencing this problem?
What decision led to this result?
What needs to change?
Kamma can be an unbiased Teacher.
By observing the results arising in our life, we can investigate the intentions, habits, attachments, speech, and actions that may need to change.
This does not mean reacting with anger, blame, guilt, or fear. It means learning to observe life with wisdom.
Through a deep understanding of The Natural Law of Kamma, difficult experiences can guide us toward better decisions and more wholesome conduct.
The Natural Law of Kamma and the Law of Gravity
The Natural Law of Kamma can be compared to the natural law of gravity.
Gravity affects everyone, whether they understand it or not. No person or entity monitors gravity or decides when it should function. Gravity simply exists.
As a young child, you did not understand gravity. Walking, running, jumping, and moving through the world were difficult.
Gradually, your mind and body became more familiar with this natural law. You learned how to balance, move, and function with greater ease.
Gravity did not change. Your understanding of it changed.
The Natural Law of Kamma functions in a similar way.
When the mind does not understand Kamma, a person may repeatedly make decisions that create conflict, instability, and discontentedness. Life may feel confusing and difficult to navigate.
As the mind becomes more awakened (i.e. wise) to Kamma, decisions become wiser. The Practitioner learns how to create wholesome causes and avoid unwholesome causes.
Life gradually becomes more comfortable, fluid, and peaceful—not because The Natural Law of Kamma has changed, but because the Practitioner has learned how to live in harmony with it through cultivating wisdom and making wise decisions.
The Natural Law of Kamma and The Eight Fold Path
The Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the complete elimination of discontentedness in the mind.
Through learning and practicing The Eight Fold Path, a Practitioner develops wise and wholesome intentions, speech, actions, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration, and understanding (i.e. Right View).
This practice supports the production of wholesome Kamma while gradually eliminating unwholesome Kamma production.
To attain Enlightenment, a Practitioner will need to practice The Eight Fold Path completely and entirely for an extended period of time.
The practice gradually:
Eliminates craving
Eliminates anger
Eliminates ignorance
Purifies intentions
Purifies speech
Purifies actions
Purifies livelihood
Prevents New Unwholesome Kamma
Extinguishes accumulated unwholesome Kamma
As the practice deepens, the Practitioner causes less harm in the world. Because less harm is being created, less harm is returned.
The mind becomes peaceful because it is no longer continually producing the causes of disturbance.
Begin With the Mind
We often focus on attempting to prevent other people from speaking or acting unwholesomely.
However, we will first need to examine our own mind.
Unwholesome Kamma can be produced through our own thoughts and intentions before any words are spoken or actions are performed.
If the mind is polluted by craving, anger, or ignorance, our attempts to guide others may be confusing or poorly received.
When the mind is pure, our intentions, speech, and actions become clearer. Our words carry greater integrity because they arise from wholesome mental states.
Through learning and practicing The Teachings, we become better able to assist others because our guidance is supported by our own conduct.
The practice must therefore begin within.
Kamma, Craving, and Rebirth
Craving determines whether rebirth occurs.
Kamma determines the realm, situation, and condition of the new being upon rebirth.
When craving has not been extinguished, it becomes the fuel or spark that causes a new existence to emerge. Each existence is a new being, while craving and residual memories from previous existences are carried forward.
The new being may continue creating unwholesome Kamma based on cravings that have not yet been extinguished.
For this reason, craving will need to be eliminated.
Through eliminating craving, anger, and ignorance, the Practitioner extinguishes the conditions that produce unwholesome Kamma and continued rebirth.
To escape The Cycle of Rebirth, a Practitioner will need to attain Enlightenment through practicing The Eight Fold Path.
All unwholesome Kamma from this life and previous lives will need to be experienced and extinguished. As the practice deepens and unwholesome Kamma is exhausted, the Practitioner experiences fewer negative events and life becomes more peaceful and easier to navigate.
Kamma and Clinging to Feelings
Throughout life as an unEnlightened being, we experience conditioned feelings such as:
Pleasant feelings
Painful feelings
Feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant
A Practitioner will need to learn not to attach or cling to any of these feelings.
Clinging to pleasant feelings creates craving for continued pleasure. Resistance to painful feelings will create anger and aversion. Ignorance regarding feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant can lead to heedlessness and a lack of mindfulness.
Through learning and practicing The Eight Fold Path, the Practitioner develops the ability to eliminate conditioned feelings. The mind can be trained to no longer form its feelings based on external circumstances.
This eliminates the production of unwholesome Kamma and supports the complete elimination of craving.
The Natural Law of Kamma and the Laws of Society
The laws of society are created and enforced by human beings.
Because humans create these laws, imperfections and errors can be introduced. Laws may be interpreted differently, applied inconsistently, or fail to address conduct that causes harm.
The Natural Law of Kamma is different.
It was not created by humans and is not administered by humans. It operates objectively according to the wholesome or unwholesome nature of our intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood.
We should follow the laws of society. However, merely following the law does not guarantee that we are avoiding harm or progressing toward Enlightenment.
Some conduct may be legal but still produce unwholesome Kamma.
Freedom of speech is one example. In some societies, people have a legal right to say almost anything. However, having the legal right to speak does not make hate speech, gossip, slander, lying, or harsh speech wholesome.
Unwise speech (i.e. wrong speech) causes harm and therefore creates unwholesome Kamma, even when it does not result in criminal or civil punishment.
Laws of society may determine what is legally permitted. The Teachings of The Buddha guide us in determining what is wholesome so that we can make wise decisions and experience exclusively wholesome Kamma.
Do Not Become Overwhelmed by Perceived Wrongs
Understanding The Natural Law of Kamma can reduce the craving to personally right every perceived wrong.
Human systems may fail. Laws of society may be applied incorrectly. People may appear to escape the consequences of their decisions.
However, no one escapes The Natural Law of Kamma.
This does not mean that we ignore harmful conduct or refuse to take wise and appropriate action. It means that we do not need to overwhelm the mind with anger, resentment, revenge, or the craving to control every result.
We can act wisely while understanding that The Natural Law of Kamma always exists.
This understanding helps release unnecessary stress, burden, and mental disturbance.
Three Teachings for a More Peaceful World
The entire world would benefit from practicing three essential Teachings:
Universal Love for All Beings
Do No Harm
Be a Good Moral Person
When these principles guide individual decisions, people create more wholesome Kamma.
When families, communities, and nations create more wholesome Kamma, the conditions for peace increase.
The more people who pursue Enlightenment and eliminate craving, anger, and ignorance, the more peaceful humanity can become.
Peace in the world begins with the purification of each individual mind.
How to Apply The Natural Law of Kamma Every Day
Understanding Kamma will influence how we live.
Before making an important decision, pause and investigate the mind.
Ask yourself:
What is my intention?
Is craving influencing this decision?
Is anger influencing this decision?
Am I seeing the situation clearly?
Could my words or actions cause harm?
Will this decision produce peace or conflict?
Is this consistent with The Eight Fold Path?
Am I acting through generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom?
Am I expecting something in return?
Is this the decision of a good moral person?
The more frequently we investigate our intentions, the more awakened the mind becomes.
Over time, wise and wholesome decision-making becomes more natural. Life becomes steadier because we are no longer repeatedly creating the causes of conflict and discontentedness.
Your Decisions in the Present Moment
The Natural Law of Kamma places responsibility for our life in our own hands.
Our present existence is influenced by the accumulated results of our past decisions.
Our future experiences will be influenced by the decisions we make now.
We cannot change decisions that have already been made. We can become more attentive to the intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood we create today.
Each wholesome decision contributes to a more peaceful existence.
Each moment of generosity weakens craving.
Each moment of loving-kindness weakens anger.
Each moment of wisdom weakens ignorance.
Through continued practice of The Eight Fold Path, the mind is gradually purified.
Unwholesome Kamma production is eliminated, accumulated unwholesome Kamma is extinguished, and the Practitioner progresses toward Enlightenment.
Practice in Daily Life
Before speaking or acting, investigate:
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kamma in Buddhism?
Kamma is The Natural Law of cause and effect, or action and result. It refers to the results produced by our intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood.
Is Kamma the same as Karma?
Yes. Kamma and Karma refer to the same natural law. Kamma is the Pāli word, while Karma is the Sanskrit word.
Is Kamma a system of punishment and reward?
No. Kamma is not administered by a being or authority. It is the natural result of wise and unwise or wholesome and unwholesome decisions.
What is the difference between Old and New Kamma?
Old Kamma refers to the results we are experiencing now from decisions made in the past. New Kamma refers to the results we will experience in the future from decisions made in the present moment.
Can someone escape their Kamma?
A person cannot run from or hide from The Natural Law of Kamma. Unwholesome Kamma will be experienced and needs to be extinguished through the pursuit of Enlightenment.
How does The Eight Fold Path affect Kamma?
Practicing The Eight Fold Path helps a Practitioner produce wholesome Kamma, eliminate New Unwholesome Kamma production, and gradually extinguish accumulated unwholesome Kamma.
How can a Practitioner create wholesome Kamma?
A Practitioner creates wholesome Kamma through wise intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood guided by generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom. Practicing The Eight Fold Path helps a Practitioner make decisions that produce wholesome results.
Does wholesome Kamma return immediately?
Not necessarily. The results of Kamma may be experienced immediately, later in this life, during the next rebirth, or on a subsequent occasion. A Practitioner would be wise to create wholesome Kamma because it is right and wholesome, not because they expect an immediate return.
Conclusion
The Natural Law of Kamma is the natural law of cause and effect, action and result.
Kamma is not a punishment, reward, superstition, or mysterious force. It is the result of our intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood.
When we create wholesome causes, we create the conditions for wholesome results.
When we create harmful causes, we create the conditions for harmful results.
The purpose of understanding Kamma is not to produce fear. It is to awaken the mind to the wisdom of this natural law and how it functions.
Through understanding Kamma, we can make wiser decisions, reduce harm, develop generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom, and gradually eliminate craving, anger, and ignorance.
The Eight Fold Path provides the complete practice for ending unwholesome Kamma production and eliminating discontentedness from the mind.
No one can run from or hide from The Natural Law of Kamma. However, everyone can learn to understand it.
As the mind becomes more awakened to this natural law, life becomes easier to understand and navigate. Decisions become more wholesome, relationships become more peaceful, and the Practitioner progresses toward the calm, serene, content, and joyful mind of Enlightenment. Explore The Teachings of The Buddha and what is needed to attain Enlightenment through The Words of The Buddha book series - available at no cost.
David Roylance is a dedicated Practitioner, Teacher, and published author who has taught The Teachings of The Buddha since 2005. Based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he guides Household and Ordained Practitioners worldwide through courses, retreats, and special events on The Path to Enlightenment.
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