Karma

This week the topic was karma. I see it as deeply connected to the doctrine of dependent origination so I explained it that way. Technical explanation in this post, opinions to follow in part 2~~

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“by what path will you lead him,  

The trackless buddha of infinite range?” — The Dhammapada  

I would like to explore the definition of karma through the lens of dependent origination. This philosophy is unique to Buddhism, and one of the major points of departure from the dominant philosophies at the time of the Buddha. Principally, the view at that time was that there is an Atman, or personal soul, that moves through reincarnations, and the actions it takes determines the quality of the rebirth it takes. The doctrine of dependent origination stands in direct contrast to this philosophy, as its basic unit of operation is the web of causality itself, not a singular entity thought to be a soul. Dependent origination forces us to look at ourselves and the world around us not as solid distinct entities, but instead as fluid processes that are always in motion and always changing. A key part of this philosophy is the interdependence of all phenomena. Things can only exist in context and relation to everything that surrounds them. This also applies to people, we exist contingent upon the matter that we are made from, the coming together of our parents, the community that supports us, and the resources we continually depend on for survival. Any action one can take is predicated on the endless forces that led to the creation of that urge in that moment, and the results of that action will cascade through space and time in the web of interconnected phenomena.

So how does this relate to the Buddhist view on karma? When we take dependent origination as our base and consider how cause and effect might look in such a system, we can see that we are dealing with something far more subtle and complex than a boomerang coming back when you throw it. Karma is the entire pulsing web of action and reaction, rippling between every person, place, and thing. An action taken may bear fruit for oneself, someone else, or no one; 2 minutes later, in a few lifetimes, or never. The connective tissue that is interdependence is mysterious in its operations, by nature of the sheer complexity of the mechanics. This is why the Buddha emphasized the value of practical advice as opposed to metaphysical pondering; how karma works does not matter as much as how its function impacts one's pursuit of liberation. This also allows for a spaciousness in his metaphysics, where one doesn’t have to look over one's shoulder to make sure not to step on any cracks out of fear of karmic repercussions, as there is so much fluidity in the web that it is unknown how or when karmic results might manifest. As such, the only thing that matters is doing one's best to have awareness of the inner experience so that reactions and emotions can be experienced with more clarity, and acted upon in ways that bring about the least suffering.

The value of virtuous behavior becomes self-evident when relating through the lens of dependent origination. We can see that taking good, positive action will lead to positive or neutral results for oneself or someone else somewhere in the great web of interdependence, and taking harmful action will do the opposite. Once we realize that we are connected to everything, the desire to hurt or harm begins to dissolve, as it becomes clear that any action taken against someone else will only end up harming ourselves, and generate more suffering for all parties. In the Buddha's teachings we are led to see karma as the connective tissue that binds the phenomenal world together, and we participate in it with every breath we take. The question then becomes how best to act to benefit the interdependent whole, instead of how to better ones own experience, as the latter becomes subsumed by the former.

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