Introduction
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa
Introduction to 3.6.10 Sīlānisaṃsakathā
What Are the Benefits of a Virtuous Life?
Lobhajaṃ dosajañceva, mohajañcāpaviddasu;1
Yaṃ tena pakataṃ2 kammaṃ, appaṃ vā yadi vā bahuṃ;
Idheva taṃ vedaniyaṃ, vatthu aññaṃ na vijjati.
Tasmā lobhañca dosañca, mohajañcāpi viddasu;
Vijjaṃ uppādayaṃ bhikkhu, sabbā duggatiyo jahe3’ti.4
Whatever kamma an ignorant person has performed –
Born from greed, ill will or delusion, insignificant or performed in excess,
He has to experience it right here – there exists no other occasion.
Therefore a wise person, should abandon all deeds born from greed, ill will or delusion,
A Bhikkhu with arising wisdom should thus forsake all states of suffering.
Anyone who rejects the concept of kamma and kamma-results (kammavaṭṭavipākavaṭṭavasena)5 as ‘foolish faith’ or ‘mere fatalism’ will miss the opportunity of using a healthy and supportive tool for this very life. Even if kamma were nothing but blind belief or mere fatalism, a person who embraces ethical standards and moral principles, enforced by faith in this ‘concept’, will encounter benefits in this life!
At one time the Buddha emphasised to Ānanda:
“Avippaṭisāratthāni kho, ānanda, kusalāni sīlāni avippaṭisārānisaṃsānī”6
“Ānanda, wholesome virtues have non-remorse as their reason and non-remorse as their result.”
It is stated that the succession of kamma and its effects can be fully perceived only by a Buddha but not by his disciples.7 A mindful meditator, however, with regular practice will surely become more and more aware of positive and negative consequences of one’s actions. A Vipassana meditator, who practices insight meditation, will be able to experience at least some kamma one has generated and some of its effects:
Vipassakena pana kammantarañca vipākantarañca ekadesato8 jānitabbaṃ.
When a meditator increases awareness and apprehension of the events of the mental-material-structure, one will understand how the present occurrence, and potential future occurrences, of this mind-matter phenomenon are generated due to conditions based in kamma and kamma-results.9 One understands clearly:
Iti kammañceva kammavipāko ca, kammavaṭṭañca vipākavaṭṭañca, kammapavattañca vipākapavattañca, kammasantati ca vipākasantati ca, kiriyā ca kiriyāphalañca.
This is kamma and kamma-result; this is the round of kamma and the round of kamma-result; this is the occurrence of kamma and the occurrence of kamma-result; this is the continuity of kamma and the continuity of kamma-result and this is action and the fruit of action!
Further comprehension may allow a mindful person to recognize a logical thread of arising and origination depending on a cause, not only in this existence but likewise in the future.
In the Nidānasuttaṃ,10 the Buddha points to the three causes from which kamma originates:
Tīṇimāni, bhikkhave, nidānāni11 kammānaṃ samudayāya.
Katamāni tīṇi? Lobho nidānaṃ kammānaṃ samudayāya, doso nidānaṃ kammānaṃ samudayāya, moho nidānaṃ kammānaṃ samudayāya.
There are, Bhikkhus, three causes for kamma to originate.
What are the three? Greed is a cause for kamma to originate; ill will is a cause for kamma to originate and ignorance is a cause for kamma to originate.
The Buddha also points to the fact that kamma may take effect in any of the existences:
Yaṃ, bhikkhave, lobhapakataṃ kammaṃ lobhajaṃ lobhanidānaṃ lobhasamudayaṃ yatthassa attabhāvo nibbattati tattha taṃ kammaṃ vipaccati dosapakataṃ kammaṃ dosajaṃ dosanidānaṃ dosasamudayaṃ yatthassa attabhāvo nibbattati tattha taṃ kammaṃ vipaccati mohapakataṃ kammaṃ mohajaṃ mohanidānaṃ mohasamudayaṃ, yatthassa attabhāvo nibbattati tattha taṃ kammaṃ vipaccati.12
Whatever kamma gets created through greed, is born from greed, caused by greed and originated from greed bears fruit whenever the individual is reborn. Whatever kamma gets created through ill will, is born from ill will, caused by ill will and originated from ill will bears fruit whenever the individual is reborn. Whatever kamma gets created through ignorance, is born from ignorance, caused by ignorance and originated from ignorance, bears fruit whenever the individual is reborn.
With each cause the Buddha concludes:
Yattha taṃ kammaṃ vipaccati tattha tassa kammassa vipākaṃ paṭisaṃvedeti, diṭṭhe vā dhamme upapajja vā apare vā pariyāye.
Wherever this kamma bears fruit one experiences its results, either in this life, in the next or in some further existence.
May on base of these profitable ethics more and more beings get inspired to establish proper understanding through meditation and encounter and realize the working principles of kamma and kamma-results – kammavaṭṭavipākavaṭṭavasena. This would corroborate determination to ascertain a wholesome livelihood for the benefit of one and all in the ‘advanced’ world of today, yet filled with so much poverty, trouble, suffering and pain where selfishness and rapacity dominate over sympathy and empathy! May the profitable principles of sīla and moral ethics as highlighted in this Sīlānisaṃsakathā13 and the benefits ensued thereof prevail in this world!
Kammā vipākā vattanti, vipāko kammasambhavo;
Kammā punabbhavo hoti, evaṃ loko pavattatīti.14
Kamma-result proceeds from kamma, result has kamma as its source;
Further becoming springs from kamma - that is how the world rotates.15
1. mohajañcāpaviddasu: moha + jaṃ + cāpi + aviddasu: delusion + born from + ignorant person.
2. pakataṃ: pakaroti (pp.): perform, act, make.
3. jahe/jaheyya: jahāti (3rd sing. opt.): should abandon, give up, renounce.
4. Nidānasuttaṃ, Devadūtavaggo, Paṭhamapaṇṇāsakaṃ, Tikanipātapāḷi, Aṅguttaranikāyo.
5. kammavaṭṭavipākavaṭṭavasena: kamma + vaṭṭa + vipāka + vaṭṭa + vasena: kamma + round + result + round + on account of.
6. See Pāli section for vocabulary!
7. Paccayapariggahakathā, Kaṅkhāvitaraṇavisuddhiniddeso, Visuddhimaggo:
Iti imesaṃ dvādasannaṃ kammānaṃ kammantarañceva vipākantarañca buddhānaṃ kammavipākañāṇasseva yāthāvasarasato pākaṭaṃ hoti, asādhāraṇaṃ sāvakehi.
dvādasannaṃ kammānaṃ: the twelve kinds of kamma are: 1) to be experienced in this very life (diṭṭhadhammavedanīyaṃ kammaṃ); 2) to be experienced in the next existence (upapajjavedanīyaṃ kammaṃ); 3) to be experienced in any further existence (aparāpariyavedanīyaṃ kammaṃ); 4) which has been (ahosikammaṃ - kamma unable to produce result); 5) weighty (yaṃ garukaṃ kammaṃ - powerful profitable or unprofitable kamma dominating the other effects); 6) habitual (yaṃ bahulaṃ kammaṃ - kamma created by regularly applied and often repeated actions); 7) actions remembered at the time of death (yadāsannaṃ kammaṃ); 8) outstanding kamma yet to be realized (kaṭattā vā pana kammaṃ - only when the previous three are lacking this one can occur); 9) reproductive (janakaṃ kammaṃ - producing the material and immaterial aggregates at birth and in the course of existence); 10) consolidating or sustaining (upatthambhakaṃ kammaṃ - does not produce any result but consolidates the results, pain and pleasure that has been produced by any of the other kamma); 11) oppressive or obstructive (upapīḷakaṃ kammaṃ - does not produce any result but oppresses and obstructs the results, pain and pleasure that has been produced by any of the other kamma); 12) destructing or suppressive (upaghātakaṃ kammaṃ – cuts off weaker kamma and supports the arising of its own results).
8. ekadesato: part, portion.
9. So evaṃ kammavaṭṭavipākavaṭṭavasena paccayato nāmarūpassa pavattiṃ disvā ‘‘yathā idaṃ etarahi, evaṃ atītepi addhāne kammavaṭṭavipākavaṭṭavasena paccayato pavattittha, anāgatepi kammavaṭṭavipākavaṭṭavaseneva paccayato pavattissatī’’ti. Paccayapariggahakathā, Kaṅkhāvitaraṇavisuddhiniddeso, Visuddhimaggo.
10. Devadūtavaggo, Paṭhamapaṇṇāsakaṃ, Tikanipātapāḷi, Aṅguttaranikāyo.
11. nidānāni: (pl.) cause, origin, source.
12. vipaccati: ripen, bear fruit.
13. Sīlānisaṃsakathā, selected from Visuddhimaggo, refers here to the following suttas: Kimatthiyasuttaṃ, Ānisaṃsavaggo, Dasakanipātapāḷi and Nissayavaggo, Ekādasakanipātapāḷi, Aṅguttaranikāyo and Sīlavanttaānisaṃsā, Mahāparinibbānasuttaṃ, Mahāvaggapāḷi, Dīghanikāyo.
14. Paccayapariggahakathā, Kaṅkhāvitaraṇavisuddhiniddeso, Visuddhimaggo.
15. More thoughts on the workings of kamma have been highlighted at 3.5.10 and 3.6.9 Cūḷakammavibhaṅgasuttaṃ as well as 3.5.11 Mahākammavibhaṅgasuttaṃ – Kamma and Its Significance for Future Existence.