Classification of Kamma.
Kamma can be classified according to function, priority of result, time of taking place of result, and place in which result takes place. The first division is according to function:
1. Reproductive kamma,
2. Supportive kamma,
3. Obstructive kamma, and 4. Destructive kamma.
Reproductive kamma means kamma which produces results. Supportive kamma does not produce results but supports the results of another kamma. Obstructive kamma is something like supportive kamma – but in the opposite sense; it can interfere with the result of other kamma. Destructive kamma is one that destroys the result of other kamma. All of these kammas may be good or bad, kusala or akusala. With respect to priority of result, we have:
1. Weighty,
2. Proximate,
3. Habitual, and
4. Reserve kamma.
Weighty kamma is very serious kamma. Weighty akusala kamma would be some act such as killing your father or mother; on the wholesome or kusala side, it is the attainment of jhàna (higher states of meditative consciousness). If you kill your parents, you are sure to be reborn in the lowest of the hells; if you die with jhàna state of meditation intact, you will be reborn in the Brahma world. Proximate kamma is that done at the moment of death. Habitual kamma is the kamma which one does habitually in life, such as practicing meditation every day or performing some akusala action every day. Reserve kamma is that which will give results when the other three are not present. Now, when there is weighty and proximate kamma, then weighty kamma will give results in the next life. When there is proximate and habitual, the proximate will give results. If there is habitual and reserve, the habitual will give results. Proximate kamma is very important because the kamma done at the last moments before death determines the immediate rebirth. There is a story of an evil man who hunted animals all his life. For killing so many beings, he was going to be reborn in a woeful state. But his son was an Arahant and helped him in the last moments before death to attain a better rebirth. With respect to the time of taking place, we have kamma which gives results in: 1. the present life, 2. the next life, and 3. some lifetime after that. In this category we have another kamma called defunct kamma, kamma which has passed its time of giving results. But the kamma which gives results in lives after the present life and in lives after the next life can never become defunct as long as there is continuity of rebirth and death. The kammas which give results in the present life and in the next life never can become defunct if they do not give results during respective periods, due to unfavorable periods, due to unfavorable circumstances. But the kamma giving results in lives after the next life never becomes defunct as long as one does not escape from the always sentiment beings. That is why animals have a chance to be reborn as human beings, even though most of what they do in the animal did in the past may have a chance to give results, and so the animal can escape from being an animal or from being in a worse woeful state. The final classification of kamma is by place where results can occur. Kamma gives results in the various sphere, and the formless sphere. For example, unwholesome kamma gives results in the four woeful states and in human beings and even in some celestial beings. Wholesome kamma pertaining to the sense sphere gives in every kind of existence. What are the results of kamma? Only two things are the result of kamma. One is cittas and cetasikas; the other is råpa, material properties. The resultant types of consciousness and the cetasikas going along with them are the results of kamma. Some, but not all, material properties in our bodies are also caused by kamma. Thus, when we say what the results of kamma are, we mean this: the material properties caused by kamma. A rose is not the result of kamma; it is simply there, depending on natural causes. But the seeing of it or the experiencing of it – the seeing consciousness by which you see the rose – is caused by kamma. And the eye, or rather the eye-sensitivity with which you see is also the result of kamma. Your reaction to the rose is not a result of kamma. In this way, there is the result of kamma and a new kamma and then there will be the result of this new kamma again later. In this way, cause and effect go on and on and on. The law of kamma states that beings get what they deserve, but that does not mean that we are not to help people, that we are not to relieve people from suffering. As much as we can, we must do whatever we can to relieve suffering, but if we cannot eliminate suffering any more, we must understand the cause of the suffering as kamma and cultivate compassion. Compassion or karuõà is a good quality to cultivate, but while cultivating karuõà, we may cross over into anger. For example, some people want to help the animals being used in laboratories for experiments. While helping those animals, some are also cultivating anger and hatred at the people doing the experiments. When we practice karuõà, we have to be careful not to cultivate unwholesome states. If we have hatred, we are not practicing karuõà any longer. I would like to complete this part of the lecture with an illustration of a thought process and the place of in it. This is the mango simile, and I will number each part of the process.
A certain man with his head covered went to sleep at the foot of a fruiting mango tree (0). Then a ripe mango loosened from the stalk fell to the ground, grazing his ear
(1, 2, 3). Awakened by that sound
(4), he opened his eyes and looked
(5). Stretching out his hand, he took the fruit
(6), squeezed it
(7), smelt it
(8), ate it with enjoyment (9-15), and swallowed it (1617). Then he went to sleep (0). There are seventeen thought moments or cittas when an object is presented to the mind through one of the five sense doors, as in the case of this mango simile. We have the life continuum (bhavanga) (0, 1, 2, 3), a type of undercurrent or inactive consciousness, and we have a series of the following types of thought consciousness sense-door adverting (4); seeing (5); receiving (6); investigating (7); determining (8); apperception or impulsion (9-15); registering (16-17); and then bhavanga again (0). The thought-moments in which kamma is performed are seven moments of apperception or impulsion, known in Pàëi as javana. In these moments, one experiences the object fully, and they are the moments when one creates kamma. In the first of these seven thought moments, one acquires kamma which, getting favorable circumstances, gives results in the present life. In the seventh and last thought-moment of javana, one acquires kamma which gives results in the next life. In the five thought-moments in between, one acquires kamma which gives results in the lives after the present and next life, that is, from the third lifetime onward reckoning the present life as the first. If the first javana does not give results in this life, it becomes defunct; if the seventh javana does not give results in the next life, it becomes defunct. But the five javanas between the first and seventh can give results through every lifetime until one dies as an arahant. Therefore the seven moments of javana – when you do kusala or akusala kamma – are the most important moments in the thought process of the Abhidhamma. In those moments, how we react to the object (either in a wholesome or unwholesome manner), produces results which we will have to be responsible for in the future.
1. Reproductive kamma,
2. Supportive kamma,
3. Obstructive kamma, and 4. Destructive kamma.
Reproductive kamma means kamma which produces results. Supportive kamma does not produce results but supports the results of another kamma. Obstructive kamma is something like supportive kamma – but in the opposite sense; it can interfere with the result of other kamma. Destructive kamma is one that destroys the result of other kamma. All of these kammas may be good or bad, kusala or akusala. With respect to priority of result, we have:
1. Weighty,
2. Proximate,
3. Habitual, and
4. Reserve kamma.
Weighty kamma is very serious kamma. Weighty akusala kamma would be some act such as killing your father or mother; on the wholesome or kusala side, it is the attainment of jhàna (higher states of meditative consciousness). If you kill your parents, you are sure to be reborn in the lowest of the hells; if you die with jhàna state of meditation intact, you will be reborn in the Brahma world. Proximate kamma is that done at the moment of death. Habitual kamma is the kamma which one does habitually in life, such as practicing meditation every day or performing some akusala action every day. Reserve kamma is that which will give results when the other three are not present. Now, when there is weighty and proximate kamma, then weighty kamma will give results in the next life. When there is proximate and habitual, the proximate will give results. If there is habitual and reserve, the habitual will give results. Proximate kamma is very important because the kamma done at the last moments before death determines the immediate rebirth. There is a story of an evil man who hunted animals all his life. For killing so many beings, he was going to be reborn in a woeful state. But his son was an Arahant and helped him in the last moments before death to attain a better rebirth. With respect to the time of taking place, we have kamma which gives results in: 1. the present life, 2. the next life, and 3. some lifetime after that. In this category we have another kamma called defunct kamma, kamma which has passed its time of giving results. But the kamma which gives results in lives after the present life and in lives after the next life can never become defunct as long as there is continuity of rebirth and death. The kammas which give results in the present life and in the next life never can become defunct if they do not give results during respective periods, due to unfavorable periods, due to unfavorable circumstances. But the kamma giving results in lives after the next life never becomes defunct as long as one does not escape from the always sentiment beings. That is why animals have a chance to be reborn as human beings, even though most of what they do in the animal did in the past may have a chance to give results, and so the animal can escape from being an animal or from being in a worse woeful state. The final classification of kamma is by place where results can occur. Kamma gives results in the various sphere, and the formless sphere. For example, unwholesome kamma gives results in the four woeful states and in human beings and even in some celestial beings. Wholesome kamma pertaining to the sense sphere gives in every kind of existence. What are the results of kamma? Only two things are the result of kamma. One is cittas and cetasikas; the other is råpa, material properties. The resultant types of consciousness and the cetasikas going along with them are the results of kamma. Some, but not all, material properties in our bodies are also caused by kamma. Thus, when we say what the results of kamma are, we mean this: the material properties caused by kamma. A rose is not the result of kamma; it is simply there, depending on natural causes. But the seeing of it or the experiencing of it – the seeing consciousness by which you see the rose – is caused by kamma. And the eye, or rather the eye-sensitivity with which you see is also the result of kamma. Your reaction to the rose is not a result of kamma. In this way, there is the result of kamma and a new kamma and then there will be the result of this new kamma again later. In this way, cause and effect go on and on and on. The law of kamma states that beings get what they deserve, but that does not mean that we are not to help people, that we are not to relieve people from suffering. As much as we can, we must do whatever we can to relieve suffering, but if we cannot eliminate suffering any more, we must understand the cause of the suffering as kamma and cultivate compassion. Compassion or karuõà is a good quality to cultivate, but while cultivating karuõà, we may cross over into anger. For example, some people want to help the animals being used in laboratories for experiments. While helping those animals, some are also cultivating anger and hatred at the people doing the experiments. When we practice karuõà, we have to be careful not to cultivate unwholesome states. If we have hatred, we are not practicing karuõà any longer. I would like to complete this part of the lecture with an illustration of a thought process and the place of in it. This is the mango simile, and I will number each part of the process.
A certain man with his head covered went to sleep at the foot of a fruiting mango tree (0). Then a ripe mango loosened from the stalk fell to the ground, grazing his ear
(1, 2, 3). Awakened by that sound
(4), he opened his eyes and looked
(5). Stretching out his hand, he took the fruit
(6), squeezed it
(7), smelt it
(8), ate it with enjoyment (9-15), and swallowed it (1617). Then he went to sleep (0). There are seventeen thought moments or cittas when an object is presented to the mind through one of the five sense doors, as in the case of this mango simile. We have the life continuum (bhavanga) (0, 1, 2, 3), a type of undercurrent or inactive consciousness, and we have a series of the following types of thought consciousness sense-door adverting (4); seeing (5); receiving (6); investigating (7); determining (8); apperception or impulsion (9-15); registering (16-17); and then bhavanga again (0). The thought-moments in which kamma is performed are seven moments of apperception or impulsion, known in Pàëi as javana. In these moments, one experiences the object fully, and they are the moments when one creates kamma. In the first of these seven thought moments, one acquires kamma which, getting favorable circumstances, gives results in the present life. In the seventh and last thought-moment of javana, one acquires kamma which gives results in the next life. In the five thought-moments in between, one acquires kamma which gives results in the lives after the present and next life, that is, from the third lifetime onward reckoning the present life as the first. If the first javana does not give results in this life, it becomes defunct; if the seventh javana does not give results in the next life, it becomes defunct. But the five javanas between the first and seventh can give results through every lifetime until one dies as an arahant. Therefore the seven moments of javana – when you do kusala or akusala kamma – are the most important moments in the thought process of the Abhidhamma. In those moments, how we react to the object (either in a wholesome or unwholesome manner), produces results which we will have to be responsible for in the future.
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