The Law of Kamma and Liberation

According to Theravāda Buddhism Kammassakata Samma ditthi (Right View at the mundane state) is highly regarded for the progress of human character. This is the view that any conscious action or kamma can produce good or bad results

 Its literal name is right view of the ownership of action, and it finds its standard formulation in the following,

Sabbe Satta Kammasaka	Beings are the owners of their actions,
Kamma dayada	The heirs of their actions,
Kamma yoni	All beings are the descendants of their own kamma,
Kamma bandhu	Kamma alone is one’s real friend,
Kamma patisarana	Kamma alone is the real Refuge of all beings.

It denotes that whatever deeds we do, good or bad, of those we shall be the heirs. The belief affirms that virtuous action has moral significance, that good and bad deeds produce corresponding fruits.  

It is also said that Kamma is the law of cause and effect in the ethical realm. The understanding of the law of Kamma helps one to have self-reliance and responsibility. According to Buddhism, good result comes naturally from good deeds and bad result comes from wrong deeds. Such phenomena can be called moral doctrines. Indeed, one’s own good will play the main role in every action he does. This is what Kammassakata Samma ditthi means.

Nevertheless, do we have a permanent liberation from this law of kamma?

Our deeds or Kamma has the characteristic of causing consequences (vipaka). Kamma occur due to ignorance, it is a function of ignorance. The ignorance is, not seeing the things as they are or in other words not knowing the arising ceasing nature of five clinging aggregates. The extent of gaining merits and demerits is subject to the deeds done, either wholesome or unwholesome, which is determined by the state of ignorance.

According to the Dependant origination doctrine, formation of Kamma has its consequences in formation of rebirth consciousness. Rebirth consciousness takes possession of a form, hence the resultant Name-Matter inherit the properties of consciousness. In the process of formation of Name-Matter the mind (consciousness) is spent on the function itself.

The Six sense bases are formed by Name –Matter and therefore, it can be concluded that the sense bases are formed in relation to the properties of kamma, in form of karmaja rupa (forms derived from deeds). Once the sense bases are formed one is not free from developing further kamma in account experiencing or feeling as pleasant or unpleasant as conditioned by contact.

There are no designated places that exist as hell and heaven. The existence or Bhava is formed by oneself in accordance with the faculty of sense bases that arise as determined by his previous deeds (kamma). Therefore, the existence or the world formed around you is determined by none other than your own deeds, kamma is the refuge and hence no friend no relative can help.

Cognising the shapes as form is the ability of the eye. We crave and cling to the resultant product of the eye contact according to our likes and dislikes and respond through thought, speech and action. In accordance with the Dependent Origination cycle, craving and clinging leads to formation of Bhava or existence. This process occurs in mind due to ignorance; not knowing what is seen is not what is out there. The Dependent origination doctrine further defines that ignorance is connected to or endowed with formation or sanskara.

The aggregates arise and cease but due to ignorance sanskaras (kamma) are formed on the sensations upon our likes and dislikes. The craving and clinging that follows result in formation of the existence. The sense of being present or existent is identified as bhava. The act of seeing is due to old kamma as said before, due to formation of sense bases as a consequence of previous kamma. The ignorance that was instrumental  in creating kamma and the resultant craving & clinging in the past come into play again at the present generating  craving and clinging on our responses (Sanskaras) through thought, speech and action, forming the next existence, which lead to further becoming.

The Dependent Origination theory demonstrate this occurrence from the point of moving from one object to the other (arammana to arammana), as it occurs at both momentary and continuum (Ekshanika & santhathi) states. When one recognises arising and ceasing nature of sense bases as discussed above with insight, he overcomes ignorance, hence, no further craving and thus no formation of bhava.

As the sense bases arise due to old kamma the aggregates can also be considered as derivations old kamma. If there is no clinging an existence will not be formed today and hence, no future becoming. The whole process is determined by kamma driven by ignorance.

“We are preoccupied with what we create around us that we do not make any attempt to escape from the misery we are in. The external world is a void but we just assume it is out there. We dwell in the existence we form. Belief of everything exist is ignorance and hence the formation of kamma, craving and clinging.”

 “We make our own prison and dwell within, without making any effort to escape from it, I call it the Universal Prison”, says Venarable Sudassana.

Seeing a heap of sand is what eye creates (due to ignorance) for us to experience, where sand particles are grouped in a particular manner. The heap of sand did not exist before or after but was created by the eye as we looked through the eye. This is how we feel that things exist and due to this delusion we think, speak and act, generating craving in the process according to the state of kamma. Tranquillity (Samatha) meditation helps to cultivate concentration which is central to gain insight.

One should learn to see insight through any object. Think of a friend for instance. Who is he? It is a form created by aggregates or edible food. One should practice to see beyond the form or the object in this manner and do this back and forth. He should learn to experience that things only occur in mind and realise that the world is created within. This is the state of not being deluded by a Mirage, the state that should become his life, the state of Anagami.

Liberation is bhava nirodha with some old kamma still remaining. This is the state of realising the truth, as preached by Buddha, “Yan kinci samudaya dhammam sabbantham nirodha dhammam”, 'whatever that arises due to causes all that are subject to cessation". The one, who reaches this state of enlightenment with some remnants of aggregates (sopadishesha nirvana), holds nothing before or after the act of seeing, hearing smelling etc., until his final attainment of full enlightenment (Anupadhishesha nirvana) with the cessation of the remaining aggregates.