KAMMA IS INTENTION


If we want to understand kamma and rebirth correctly, we have to see 
them in the light of non-self. They proclaim non-self quite vividly 
and yet most people usually don't take that into consideration at all, 
but talk about "my" kamma and "my" rebirth. Especially "my" rebirth, 
which is absurd. Do they mean the last one or future one? Do we think 
it will be "me" again? However in ordinary language we have little 
choice, yet the spoken word has evolved out of our thinking processes.

People often ask what is reborn, if it isn't "me"? Kamma as a 
residual effect in the rebirth consciousness is reborn. but it 
certainly doesn't look or act like the one we know, doesn't have the 
same name, may not have the same form or sex, may not even be human. 
It has no other connection than kamma. Since we can see quite clearly 
that the one who is reborn only connects through kamma in the rebirth 
consciousness with a previous life, we can see just as clearly that 
kamma is impersonal, without identity. While we talk about "my" kamma, 
it's really an impersonal process. It is not crime and punishment, 
although it may appear like that, and is one of the most commonly held 
views. Many of our entrenched views are so deeply ingrained that it 
becomes extremely difficult to understand anything radically 
different.

Kamma, actually, just means action. In the India of the Buddha, 
that's how it was understood. In order to make people aware of what it 
really implies, the Buddha said: "Kamma, oh monks, I declare, is 
intention," which arises first in our thoughts, then generates speech 
and action. This was the new interpretation that the Buddha gave to 
kamma, because it was largely misunderstood and used as predetermined 
destiny. There were teachers in his day that taught it that way, which 
was denounced by the Buddha as wrong view, misleading and liable to 
have unwholesome results. This view of pre-determined destiny is just 
as rampant today as it was at the Buddha's time. It is often voiced 
like this: "There's nothing I can do about it, it's my kamma." This is 
the greatest folly one can adhere to, because it puts the onus of 
one's own intentions on some nebulous previous person whom one doesn't 
even know. In other words, one doesn't take responsibility for one's 
own actions, which is a very common failing.

It is harder to find a person who does take responsibility than to 
find one who doesn't. Most people don't want to take responsibility 
for themselves, if they can just manage to stay alive. From that 
difficulty arises the idea of pre-determined destiny. "What can I do, 
it's not my fault, it's my kamma." That takes away all possibility for 
practicing the Dhamma. The Buddha said: "If that were so, the holy 
life would not be possible, nor would it be feasible to become 
enlightened." This is the first wrong view that one has to quickly 
eliminate from one's thinking process, if one wants to practice a 
spiritual discipline.

Kamma is intention, and intention is now, which means kamma is being 
made now, in every waking moment. However when two people make the 
same kamma, they do not get the same results. This is another point 
the Buddha emphasized. Since kamma is impersonal, it is strictly 
concerned with a flow of events which are creating results by 
themselves. It's a matter of cause and effect. That's all there is, 
and the Buddha's teaching is sometimes called the teaching of cause 
and effect.

Sometimes we see people who are very nice, they would not hurt a 
fly, and yet a lot of misfortune befalls them. Or others who are 
difficult and unfriendly, but everything always seems to go right for 
them. How is it possible? It depends entirely upon their accumulations 
of good or bad kamma that have resulted in their particular mind 
continuum. The Buddha gave the following simile: "If one puts a 
teaspoon of salt in a cup of water, that cup becomes undrinkable. If 
one puts a teaspoon of salt in the Ganges River, it doesn't make the 
slightest difference to the river, the water remains exactly the 
same." If one makes bad kamma and has only a cupful of good kamma; the 
results will be disastrous. If one has a river full of good kamma to 
support one, the results will be negligible. Therefore, we can never 
compare the results that people have, because we don't know their past 
histories.

The residual mind continuum that we bring with us certainly has a 
bearing on this life, particularly on where we are born, under what 
circumstances and in what sort of family. The Buddha gave a simile for 
that: "If there is a herd of cows locked in a barn, and the barn door 
is opened, the cow that is the strongest will go out first. If there 
isn't one like that, then the one who is the habitual leader will go 
out first; if there is no habitual leader then the one nearest the 
door will go out first. If there is none like that, they will all try 
to go out at the same time" This depicts the mind moments at death. 
Since death is imminent for everyone no matter what their age, it is 
skillful to be ready for it now.

The last thought moment at death is the one that impels the rebirth 
consciousness to its next destination. We can compare that to going to 
sleep at night and our last thought moment is that we will wake up at 
four o'clock in the morning. Most people can easily do that. The last 
thought moment becomes the first one upon waking. Dying is exactly the 
same, except that the body that wakes up is a new one, and looks 
different now. It is likely that it will be a human being again, 
unless one has behaved too badly for such a rebirth. Even though 
people often wish for rebirth in a deva realm, most people probably 
return as human beings.

The last thought moment is the one that connects with the strongest 
experience in this life time. If, for instance, one has murdered a 
person, that would be a very strong memory and could be the last 
thought moment. If one has built a monastery or temple that may be a 
very strong though formation. Or, if one has always kept one's moral 
conduct intact, that may be the last thought moment. Whatever is the 
strongest in one's mind, that is most likely to arise.

Otherwise one's habitual thinking takes over. If one has usually 
been dissatisfied or angry, then that will be in the mind. If one has 
had much living-kindness, compassion and helpfulness toward others, 
those thoughts will arise.

If there is no particular thinking habit, then that which comes 
nearest the sense doors at death takes precedence. The last sense to 
go is hearing. It is very common, therefore, in most religions that 
some devotional words are chanted by monks or priests which may help 
to have a good last thought moment. If these last mental formations 
are wholesome, one's rebirth will be favorable. That doesn't mean that 
the rest of the kamma resultants disappear. It only means that the 
impulsion that arises at death takes a certain direction. Therefore 
the last thought moments are of crucial importance.

If one has been a very generous person, that can be a last thought. 
It is therefore considered extremely beneficial to remind a dying 
person of all the good things they have done in this life, such as 
their generosity, bringing up their children well, their kindness, 
because ordinary worldlings are apt to have regrets and self-blame. It 
has in recent years been recognized that dying is a very important 
part of living, even though in the West many people do not believe in 
rebirth. Everyone pays a lot of attention to a baby being born, 
because that baby is going to be around for a long time, and will be 
an important member of the family. But few have paid sufficient 
attention to the death moment, because after all that person is gone, 
finished. but it is now understood that this is not a wholesome way of 
treating a human being and in the West there are many hospitals for 
terminally ill and dying people, where great attention is paid to 
their mind states, to reduce or eliminate fear and anxiety. Yet, 
hardly anyone there believes in rebirth, but even without that, death 
is considered very important.

Another factor has entered into our death experience. We are now 
technologically advanced enough, so that in some instances, people who 
were clinically dead, could be brought back to life, using new methods 
that are available in Western hospitals. A number of these people 
talked to their doctors about their "death" experiences. Some doctors, 
particularly Dr. Moody, wrote about these phenomena. An outstanding 
feature of the stories told, is the fact that they were practically 
identical in their important aspects. This gives us another clue to 
non-self (//anatta//). All of them, without fail, were extremely 
pleased with their "death" and reluctant to come back. One woke up 
extremely angry at the doctor for being instrumental in 
re-establishing the life continuum.

The experiences were all connected with a very bright light, 
containing total awareness of the mind, but lacking a body. Each 
person was able to see his/her own body in the hospital bed and 
wandered off towards the bright light, quite aware of these 
occurrences, including watching the doctor at work. Then, removing 
themselves from the hospital and entering an area of bliss, happiness 
and great peace, some of them talked about beings they met. Most of 
them described one particular being which was "light." None of the 
descriptions had any religious symbolism in them but all of them were 
similar, some identical. With such books becoming more widely known 
the death moment has gained its rightful importance.

In the five daily recollections the Buddha asks us to remember that 
we are of the nature to die. At other times he talks about the fact 
that the last thought moment is extremely important and consequently 
it is essential to get one's thoughts in order now. On one's deathbed 
it's too late. The wholesome aspects of our thoughts are always 
connected with loving kindness, compassion, generosity and equanimity. 
If we arouse those in our minds now, as a habitual way of thinking, we 
can carry that with us to our deathbed. We are then assured not only 
of a favorable rebirth, at the very least, but also of harmony during 
our lifetime. This will make it possible for us to easily practice the 
Dhamma again. If we are born into a very poor family where nobody has 
enough to eat, it will be very difficult to sit down in meditation, 
because in a poor family everybody has to work to survive. If we are 
reborn in a society where meditation is unknown, it will be very 
difficult to continue our practice. It is not wise, therefore, to wait 
till old age and death, but rather get our thinking process in order 
now. This entails knowing our thought-formation, through mindfulness 
and attention.

Our appearance here is very short-lived -- even 70 years is not very 
long -- so we can think of ourselves as a guest performer, always 
waiting for applause. Naturally that makes life pretty difficult. 
First one has stage fright. Is one going to perform properly? Having 
given the performance, will the applause be following? If one doesn't 
get it, one feels devastated. Being a guest performer on this planet 
is a skillful way of thinking, but waiting for the applause is wrong 
view. If we know that we're being the best we can with all our 
faculties, we don't have to wait for somebody else's approval. We can 
have right intention again and again. That's what matters most, 
because intention towards goodness concerns both oneself and others. 
Less self-concern frees us to embrace others.

We must not decline in Dhamma and meditation practice, of course, 
because only if we have developed ourselves to some extent, can we 
help others, otherwise we act in ignorance, which will not bring good 
results.

If we are concerned with our next rebirth, we are really living in a 
dream. The person who is making the kamma now is not the one who's 
going to reap the results. The only connection will be the kammic 
residue, the result (//vipaka//). Even this connection is very 
tenuous, because we can break the chain. If a person has made a lot of 
bad kamma and in the next rebirth makes much good kamma, the bad 
resultants may never fruit, and vice versa.

The case in point is Angulimala, who killed 999 people and yet 
became an Arahant, because he came to be in a monastery under the 
Buddha where his bad kamma didn't get a chance to fruit. However, 
Mahamogallana, already an Arahant, was killed by robbers and his bones 
pulverized, due to past kamma. We cannot establish a credit account of 
good kamma against all eventualities, because we have no jurisdiction 
over the person who will inherit the kamma that we made in this life. 
But making good kamma now, brings immediate results, happiness and 
contentment in the mind, and usually some happiness for others also. 
If one is able to give happiness to others, there is again a cause for 
joy for oneself.

It's useless to think about kamma made in a past life, or to be made 
in a future life. None of us will know anything about the next life, 
nor do we remember anything from our last life. Why worry about these 
then? Only this moment, right now, is important. The past is like a 
dream and the future is yet to come. When the future actually 
happened, it's always the present. Tomorrow never comes; when it does, 
it's called today. One cannot live in the future nor in the past. One 
can only live this single moment. If we really paid attention to every 
single moment, we would meditate well. We would also have no doubt 
about impermanence (//anicca//). In fact we would see it so clearly, 
we could let go of our attachments, our clinging.

We could consider thus: "Have I used every moment to the best 
advantage?" If we have made some bad kamma in the past, we can resolve 
to quickly perform some good action. That's the only value the past 
can provide. Otherwise the most effective and compelling aspect of 
impermanence is that we are moving away from thought, speech and 
action so quickly, that we cannot even remember them, never mind hold 
on to them.

Yet we're trying to hold on to other people, to our ideas, views and 
opinions; we hang on to this body, to physical manifestation and 
mental aberrations and try to make them solid. It's impossible and 
cannot be done, there's only each moment. We can easily see in digital 
clocks how each moment comes and goes. Just watch a clock for five 
minutes, and realize five precious moments of your live are gone. The 
past is actually forgotten, except some highlights, but otherwise it 
has disappeared. That shows us with clarity that we are a flowing 
phenomenon without any substance. We're putting a substance into it, 
out of an ignorant appraisal of totally untrue reality, in which we 
are living. It is like a theater, something we have made up ourselves, 
where people wear costumes and say their lines and believe this to be 
real life. We want to keep the theater going, but that is not possible 
and so everybody has //dukkha//, which cannot be eliminated through 
non-knowing or indifference, but only through a change of awareness 
and view.

Kamma-making is initially in the mind. Our mental formations make 
our kamma. Unless we become master of our mind, we cannot escape from 
making bad kamma. The mind is constantly in danger of thinking 
something unwholesome. The negativities in the mind are innumerable: 
"I don't like it, can't stand it; I'm afraid, it's boring..." All are 
negativities concerned with anger. "I want to get it, keep it, renew 
it," are also bad kamma, connected with greed. All arise in the mind.

Very few people watch their mind. They believe it to be difficult 
and tiring. But it's much more tiring to make bad kamma, because the 
results are heavy and unpleasant. Very few people have that inner 
buoyancy which denotes independent joy. Most people are bogged down by 
their mind's negativities, not by outer circumstances. Watching one's 
own mind and making sure that one practices the four supreme efforts 
is the most beneficial thing one can do for oneself, and secures good 
kamma.

Out of our thoughts arise speech and action. We can't talk without 
having thought it first, and we can't act without having made up our 
mind to do so. Although people speak and act so impulsively that they 
are not aware that a thought has gone ahead, that doesn't mean there 
was none. It just means that mindfulness and clear comprehension were 
lacking. Our mind is the most precious asset we have. No jewel can 
compare with it, because the mind contains the seed of enlightenment. 
Unless we use it properly, we're foolishly burying a jewel in the 
dirt. People often do so, primarily because they have had no training 
otherwise.

When we recognize that we have this most precious jewel of a mind, 
we will guard it from being scratched, bumped and dirtied, losing its 
luster and brilliance, but rather make sure that it remains pure and 
luminous and thereby make good kamma. The action itself, the Buddha 
said, is not of the foremost importance, it's the intention behind it. 
Even generosity can be extended from a wrong motivation. If the 
intention is to store up some merit for the future, that's rather 
selfish. If it's done out of compassion for those who have less, that 
is the ideal way. Yet, even with wrong motivation, it's still better 
to be generous than not. There's good kamma in it, because one has let 
go of something that one owns.

The guard we keep on our mind will assure that whatever we do is 
done with right intention, the second step on the Noble Eightfold 
Path, which is our guideline. Kamma making depends on the mind, and 
the mind's purity depends on meditation. If we meditate diligently and 
regularly, eventually we will see with clarity what goes on in our 
mind. Some people are satisfied with gaining a little peace, but even 
that is already an advantage and growth aspect. If we watch the mind 
in meditation, we will learn to watch the mind also in daily living. 
Then we have a very good chance of making good kamma.

If we become tired of the ever-recurring cycle of loss and gain, 
praise and blame, fame and ill-fame, happiness and unhappiness (the 
eight worldly dhammas), we need to make a determined effort to shed 
clinging and craving. This effort has meditation as its base, but 
that's not all. Meditation is a means for gaining access to the 
ability to rid oneself of the tendencies of greed and hate. The 
meditative process gives the mind the clarity to see these tenancies 
within oneself, so that one can do something about them.

Our duty in this life as human beings with senses and bodies intact, 
and able to hear the true Dhamma, is to guard our mind and experience 
its original nature, which is purity, luminosity, pliability. Such a 
mind can reach the depth of the teaching, where we find nobody that 
owns the mind.

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