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A proof of the inviolability of karma
Sangha,
It has long been my belief that enduring happiness can best be achieved by living a life in pursuit of noble dream.
The life purpose that I set myself many years ago is somewhat grandiose …
To bring an end to the age of barbarism on earth.
At one time people believed that the earth was flat.
This misguided belief constrained their behavior and prevented them from sailing to discover the new world.
Disproving this single belief changed the world.
In a similar fashion, it is my belief that underlying all of the barbarism in our world today is a single misguided belief. Namely, the belief that we can achieve happiness for ourselves by bringing unhappiness to others.
To that end I have struggled for many years to scientifically prove the inviolability of karma.
Recently I believe that I may have actually succeeded.
The proof that I have written is rooted in the hard science of neuro-science.
I am in need of assistance.
I need help from others to either validate or invalidate the proof.
Any assistance that would help to move me towards my goal would be very much appreciated.
With Metta,
Alex
Here is a link to the article:
A proof of the inviolability of karma: http://bit.ly/aadYZC
Here is a summary of the proof:
Karma is the punishment/reward system that we unconsciously use on ourselves to persuade ourselves to follow the golden rule.
Karma is inviolable because the very biology of our brain is designed to ensure that the happiness/unhappiness that we experience varies in direct proportion to our harmony/disharmony with our conscience.
The delusion that happiness can be achieved for ourselves by bringing unhappiness to others is the root cause of our unhappiness. This belief gives birth to disharmony within which, in turn, gives birth to barbarism without. To the extent to which we change such beliefs we will bring greater peace and happiness to both ourselves and our world.
It has long been my belief that enduring happiness can best be achieved by living a life in pursuit of noble dream.
The life purpose that I set myself many years ago is somewhat grandiose …
To bring an end to the age of barbarism on earth.
At one time people believed that the earth was flat.
This misguided belief constrained their behavior and prevented them from sailing to discover the new world.
Disproving this single belief changed the world.
In a similar fashion, it is my belief that underlying all of the barbarism in our world today is a single misguided belief. Namely, the belief that we can achieve happiness for ourselves by bringing unhappiness to others.
To that end I have struggled for many years to scientifically prove the inviolability of karma.
Recently I believe that I may have actually succeeded.
The proof that I have written is rooted in the hard science of neuro-science.
I am in need of assistance.
I need help from others to either validate or invalidate the proof.
Any assistance that would help to move me towards my goal would be very much appreciated.
With Metta,
Alex
Here is a link to the article:
A proof of the inviolability of karma: http://bit.ly/aadYZC
Here is a summary of the proof:
Karma is the punishment/reward system that we unconsciously use on ourselves to persuade ourselves to follow the golden rule.
Karma is inviolable because the very biology of our brain is designed to ensure that the happiness/unhappiness that we experience varies in direct proportion to our harmony/disharmony with our conscience.
The delusion that happiness can be achieved for ourselves by bringing unhappiness to others is the root cause of our unhappiness. This belief gives birth to disharmony within which, in turn, gives birth to barbarism without. To the extent to which we change such beliefs we will bring greater peace and happiness to both ourselves and our world.
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Comments
Section 5.1 of the proof is dedicated to proving that all human beings have a conscience. The fact that our conscience goes to sleep when our destructive emotions take over us does not negate that fact. When it wakes up is when we will pay the price. As I argue in the proof, the feeling of guilt that we feel when the destructive emotions subside *is* the hidden driving force behind what we call karma.
As far as I know, this isn't a proof. It's just an argument. I've done a whole lot of mathematical and other sorts of proofs in my time at college, (computer science major, haha,) and you've really got to start with facts. You've got to have some kind of structure, like proof by contradiction, or proof by induction, something like that.
You say in conclusion:
"The purpose of this paper has been to simply raise that unconscious belief to the level of full consciousness with a clear and accurate explanation of why it is true."
So maybe you did not intend for it to be a proof in the sense I'm talking about, in which case you did raise a lot of good and interesting points which are good arguments for karma. But in the case of a proof, you've really got to start somewhere. You've got to start with facts and build on them and have there be no doubt. The point I raised in a previous post is just one example of a question someone can legitimately raise. Another example is in 501 where you say:
"We are biologically driven to dial down the intensity of our alarm bell away from the state of extreme panic and towards the state of total bliss.
Every decision that we make in our lives is driven is driven by this desire."
Every decision? Really? How do you know that? Why do people go on roller coasters and watch horror movies then?
Your document is riddled with statements that make sense to me, that I believe, but I couldn't find a starting point, a place where we can all agree "yes this is a fact" and work from there. I'm not saying it's possible. Some things you just can't prove to people who haven't seen the truth through meditation or what have you. And in any case, one thing I've come to learn is that you can't teach people who don't want to learn. And if they've been hurt badly enough to really want to change, I don't think you need a proof to convince them.
Anyway, if you want to tighten up and strengthen your document, let's discuss it some more! I'm just raising some points here for your perusal. I hope it has been somewhat helpful.
I wish I could help you. While I think that everything you say is right, and while it is a noble goal to educate other people about the importance of morality, conscience, mental development and karma, I am quite convinced that proof, in the sense of ontological proof, is impossible. Believe me, if it was possible, it would already have been done. The Buddha has declared the precise workings of karma as one of the four unconjecturables not without reason.
Cheers, Thomas
Thanks very much for your great feedback and your generous offer to help me tighten up and strengthen this document. It is much appreciated and I am very grateful.
I will respond to each of your points when I am able to, but for now I will just say the following.
It was intended to be a proof insofar as the goal is to raise the belief in karma to a level of absolute certainty needed in order to profoundly change the world for the better. It is clear to me now that this objective has not been achieved and that further work is required.
It is my belief that the theory is solid but that I need to do a better job at communicating it and more clearly exposing the structure of the deductive logic so that others will more easily be able to follow the reasoning and critique it.
Here is a link to a facebook page that I have created for this project:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-inviolability-of-karma-project/112368085475611?v=info
With Metta,
Alex
With respect, I would encourage you to contemplate the following words of the Buddha and re-consider your belief ...
"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."
I agree with Cristina though, as it lacks clearity. It is difficult to understand and difficult to read. In addition, there arn't any facts, nothing that grounds the proof. Therefore, it isn't a proof. Although I really wish it was, I love proofs
But, raising questions as they come up:
So lets assume that Karma is an unconscious system. If it's an unconscious system, then the human brain needs to know about it in order for it to utilize this system. It is impossible the brain to think about something and use it if it doesn't know it exists, either consciously or unconsciously.
So under this theory, would Karma not affect individuals that don't know about it? Would karma only affect an individual, either consciously or unconsciously, after they learn of its existence and not before?
So then a child, who is born as a result of their parent's karmic actions, would be impervious to it's own karmic consequences until it gains a level of consciousness necessary to unconsciously understand and utilize the topic of karma. So the result of karmic actions would have no karmic consequences of it's own for a period of time (potentially indefinitely), but then would regain those karmic consequences of previous actions once they know of karma?
Maybe I got this wrong, just thoughts as I read though.
Thank you for your very helpful feedback.
As mentioned to Cristina, I accept the critique that this work needs to be improved to increase clarity, make it easier to read & understand, & that the facts to ground the proof need & the deductive logic of the proof itself needs to be more clearly presented.
In regards to your question about the nature of the unconscious nature of the enforcement system …
Natural selection has molded the brain to pursue pleasure and push-away pain. We are driven by our very biology to pursue happiness.
(I believe this to be a fact.)
Natural selection has molded the brain in a fashion such that attaining and sustaining happiness requires us to keep our empathy for all beings switched on and to *only* switch it off to protect ourselves when we are in *real* danger.
(I also believe this to be a fact.)
[This is what the human brain unconsciously knows.]
The problem arises when we choose to pursue things which we believe will bring us short term pleasure that require us to switch off our empathy for others. In so doing we gain immediate gratification at the cost of hindering our long term ability to be happy because we are no longer able to keep our empathy for all beings switched on at all times. Whenever we have thoughts that remind us of what we have done, our guilt will prevent us from being happy.
Unconsciously we *know* that by violating our conscience we are destroying our long term ability to be happy. That’s why we feel an inner civil war going on when we act in this fashion. It is a battle between different parts of ourselves both believing that they know the path to happiness.
This, in a nutshell, is how I believe that karma works in the brain.
The amount of happiness / unhappiness that we experience varies in direct proportion to the amount of happiness / unhappiness that we bring to others because our ability to attain and sustain happiness is a function of our ability to keep our empathy for all beings switched on at all times.
I hope this answers your question.
With Metta,
Alex
I think it might be worthwhile to review a few mathematical proofs though, if you havn't already. Do you mind if I ask what your level of education is? (not trying to judge or put you down, just wondering at what level I should explain things, if at all).
A proof must demonstrate that a statement is true in all cases, without a single exception. To do so, proofs usually use statements that are already known to be true in all cases, without any single exception. Through the use of multiple truths (or facts) you can get to your end proposition. For example (gotten from Wikipedia):
1. The sum of any two positive even integers will be even.
2. Consider two separate, even integers x and y.
3. Since they are even, they can be expressed as x=2a and y=2b, for any integers a and b, since two times any positive integer will result in an even integer.
4. x+y can be written as x+y=2a+2b=2(a+b).
5. Since x+y has 2 as a factor and therefor is even, the sum of any two integers is even.
I might be digressing, if so I apologize.
Believing it to be a fact doesn't make it one. This might be true though, I don't know.
This is where you lose me in your explanation. Are you saying that happiness requires subconscious empathy for all beings? And it is only switched off to protect yourself? Where did you get this "fact" from, or is it a self realized and self observed statement?
I think it's a bold statement to say that you need empathy for ALL beings for ALL attainment of happiness, either "unconsciously" (although I think you meant subconsciously) or consciously.
This is where your explanation falls apart to me. By basing the rest of your discussion on something that hasn't been proven, without a single exception, it becomes difficult to understand your rationalization.
I'm not saying you have a bad view point, I think it's actually rather intuitive, but to claim it as an assertion, or a proof, it isn't that.
So you are saying:
Quantity of pain we experience = quantity of pain we cause others
Quantity of pleasure we experience = quantity of pleasure we cause others
Is that right?
If so, that's a very self centered view. Again, not necessarily bad or wrong, but it's very focused on the individual rather than the whole. Just an observation.
Anyway, while this might be true in some cases, it can't be true for every case. If I am litterally an angel on earth, never harming a living being and never causing anyone else pain, I too will eventually grow old, sick, and die. In the process I will feel pain, after not having any of it caused by me inflicting it on someone else.
Or, if I was just me, I could walk down the street and step on a nail. The reason why my foot hurts isn't because I hurt someone in the past, it's because I stepped on a nail. Standing on the side of the road wondering what I've done to deserve such pain, or who I've caused similar pain to is pointless. I stepped on a nail. That's why I "deserve" such pain.
You view Karma as an unconscious balancing of events, while I view it quite differently. To me, karma is the word used for the seeds of future actions. If I go around killing insects, the seeds of bad actions are planted into my brain, later to grow into bad action plants.
But who's correct? Only the Buddha himself knows for sure
Good luck with your proof though, I look forward to it's progression.