Kamma (Deeds) are three fold as actions by thought,
speech and body or Citta kamma, Vachee kamma and Kaya kamma. Also referred to
as Sankara they are further classified as Punyabhi, Apunyabhi and Anidyabhi
sankara in form of meritorious, sinful and static (experienced in
inmaterial dhyanas) sankaras.
Kamma made in material and immaterial existences are known
as white kamma as they are meritorious. In sensual realms of heavenly abodes and
in human world, both black and white kamma are present. Only black kamma exist in lower realms. Nirvana is the state where there are kamma which are
neither black nor white.
An unwholesome act weather it occurs as thought speech or
action becomes a kamma and gets accumulated when the action is executed. Say
when someone accuses another or does physical harm, both become sinful kamma. It
is the same for wholesome acts such as offering alms, having wholesome thoughts
etc. where one gathers meritorious kamma.
Even though the action is complete an impressions is often
retained in the mind which can be retrieved through a simple mental trigger to
unfold the whole action again and again.
When one remembers a wholesome act like worshiping the sacred
Ruwanwelisaya the whole action with surrounding things including people who
were there is played back in the mind as a video recording. One can also recall
an unwholesome act such as killing an animal in a similar way
The belief that the things exist before its being seen and
that it continues to remain after the act of seeing results in gathering
kammas. On the other hand deeds done through thought, speech and bodily action
by a person having the right view i.e, the knowledge that things do not exist
before or after the act of seeing but just arise to the occasion, do not get
accumulated. His actions are not driven by unwholesome thoughts and there is no executor involved, only a phenomenon.
If one retains what is experienced the kamma get
collected. For example when we look into a pond we see our image on the water
surface. The image is seen only because you look into the water. Whatever you think,
say or act on that image, you will not retain or leave behind. If we live with
this view we will not retain impressions of what we experience in mind. If we
can shape our lives to live in that manner we won’t be bothered by those who accuse
us or find fault with us and we will never get hurt. Seeing the causality of
these occurrences with the right view is the way forward for liberation.
The difference in an animal’s, say a dog's, delusion and the yatha butha nana (ability to see things as they are) we have in the instance of reacting
to the image in the water is that the animal doesn't know if the image was
there in the water before or after and its ignorance make it to believe that
there is another animal out there in the water. Not only that it is ignorant of
the momentariness of the image but it has no idea that it is looking just at an
image, hence, Avidya paccaya sankara.
The dog’s thoughts, bark and action are done with mistaken
identity and ends up in gathering kamma. When it moves away from water the
barking continues as it still thinks of another dog in the water. This state
of not recognising the image is common for both the animal in this instance and
us in our day to day encounters due to ignorance. Not knowing it is an image is dog’s delusion hence its reaction is to another dog in the water, not to
the image. In that instance as we know it is an image in the water we have no
ignorance and therefore, we do not gather kamma through thoughts, speech or
action with regard to it. This is being free of Avidya paccaya sankara.
However, identical to the way the dog is deceived in
the above example we are deceived in our worldly affairs. If we realise the truth
of what goes on before and after an act of seeing, i.e. causality,
we can liberate. The notion of a person that exists out there makes us to interact
with him or her through thought, speech and action. This interaction is with the
person in our mind, as we do not know the reality or truth.
An Arhat who has realised the phenomenon of cause and
effect and that nothing exists before and after sense experiences, sees emptiness
and hence does not think, talk or act in such away that kamma are gathered.
The wrong view is a result of ignorance of not knowing
the truth. Observing three marks, impermanence, suffering and non self, is the
path to achieve yatha buta nana. In
the example of the reflection in water we do not gather kamma but in our real
life we do. An Arhat continues to relinquish kamma at all times.
