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Karma

ClayTheScribeClayTheScribe Veteran
edited August 2011 in Buddhism Basics
So I've read a bit about karma and I think I have a good understanding of it, but I want to be sure. Say, for example, that I commit an unwholesome act, say stealing a loaf of bread from the bakery. Does Buddhism teach that somehow that action will come back to affect me or is it more like me stealing a loaf of bread means the baker loses money which means he can't afford a new electronic sign which means he attracts less business and has to close down and so on and so forth? That's my understanding, but I've also read that you can accumulate karma by performing unwholesome acts which can continue you forth on the wheel of samsara and that you can have bad things happen in this life because of bad things you did in your past life. How does that work exactly? Are there any lectures or teachings on the subject I should read?

Comments

  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    edited August 2011
    Why should the baker suffer so many consequences for your unwholesome act? It's more like...you steal the loaf of bread, and he calls the police, or bans you from the bakery. Or you become uneasy around him, even though he doesn't know it was you who stole the bread, because your conscience begins bothering you.

    RE: how does the accumulation of karma work, with some spilling over to the next life--the Buddha said the details of that are "imponderable", due to its complexity and unpredictability. It's possible your next life, as an honest man as opposed to your current life as a thief, might go fairly smoothly. But in the life after that, some of your "thief" karma might nail you. You might be born to a poor family, because you were a thief in this lifetime. Or you might suffer theft yourself. It doesn't work like clockwork, where you pay in the very next life for everything you did in this one. It can be much more random than that.
  • DhammaDhatuDhammaDhatu Veteran
    edited August 2011
    It means you become a dishonest person. Your mind worries due to fear of getting caught. Others will cease to trust you, if they learn. If you get caught, you may end up in prison or lose your job. Plus, the baker may suffer. Regards :)
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    As has been suggested the exact workings are not something that we can work out - the interconnected nature of existance means that there are effects from all our actions - rather than being totally in control or a pawn on a chess board we have some input into what happens to us ... and we can also choose our responses to the events which occur to us and others.
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