If I was born ugly, is that my bad karma?

hermitwin

Why are some people born beautiful?
Why are some born intelligent while others are slow learners?

compassionate_warrior

Well, according to some traditions, it's due to your past life karma.

BonsaiDoug

Irrespective of the reason, the important thing is that your rebirth has been into a precious human body.

hermitwin

My nephew is very handsome but he is diagnosed as educationally subnormal (ESN).

Talisman

It isn't "your bad karma." Appearances, marks, and signs are characteristics of Form. Form is determined by prior volitional intent. "Bad Karma" is not like a force or entity that shapes the way you look. Karma is action, which leads to effect. There is no "you" in form.

patbb

It's because you are a human.

humans have different characteristics.

Some have big jaws, some small jaws.
Some can see, some don't.
Some are tall, some are short.

To take any of theses characteristics and define them as good or bad come is a different topic; but mainly has to do with primitive programming.
Looking for the ideal mate to promote the specie.

Deformed

I question the concept of "slow learner".

Regarding learning what? Regarding learning how?

Roger

I look at it this way. Of the seven cats I was honored to have as pets I had ONE cat who was extraordinary.

I'm sure that cat "graduated" to human form in his next life. My other cats? Every one was also delightful pet.

My ONE extraordinary cat? He's probably now a good student in some human-ish school somewhere in one of the infinite universes. I know he's a cute kid.

Judgements, assessments like cute, ugly, smart, not-too-bright: what's the big deal? It's just some silly human making distinctions which are like what happens during a game show on TV: they mean nothing once the 30 minute game show is over. I'm talking 30 minutes, literally, not 30 minutes as an analogy for a lifetime.

federica

Why are some people born beautiful?
Why are some born intelligent while others are slow learners?

Why not?

finding0

all is perfect. it is only human perspective that has such judgment

Cinorjer

We now know about genetics and also how natal and postnatal environmental factors can cause problems. People are born looking the way the combined genetics of their parents cause them to look.

Try to imagine a time before we knew about genetic codes and medical commplications. Then, the only answer to, "Why was my son born with a club foot?" or "Why did I have a daughter instead of a son?" and such was the will of the Gods, or in our case, "past life karma". It was the best explanation the best minds could come up with at the time.

Past life karma should be left in the past, since it's outlived its purpose.

DaltheJigsaw

I question the concept of "slow learner".

Regarding learning what? Regarding learning how?

Exactly!
I was diagnosed with ADHD because I ran around a lot and was very active.
I was also put into special ed program for 2 years for my math skills.
They told my mom that if they didn't do that I would not pass.
It seemed like fear had a roll in this decision.

DaltheJigsaw

all is perfect. it is only human perspective that has such judgment

Yes!:)

Spock

Ha....
I was born ugly, slow and have the ginger gene!

I think it was good karma.....I help people laugh and smile as I compensate with humour and compassion. My brain is slow wired, but it helps me make sense of very complex concepts and making them easy for others to understand. I also know that my girlfriend loves me because I'm me, rather than getting one over on her friends.

I am me and I like being me

aMatt

Buddha noted that examining karma in that way leads to madness.

Its better, productive, to look at how ugly/beautiful relates to your mind with attraction/repulsion. When you sit and become still, the judgement of ugly and beautiful dissolve into the simple observation of qualities without specific form or meaning.

Dakini

Buddha noted that examining karma in that way leads to madness.

Its better, productive, to look at how ugly/beautiful relates to your mind with attraction/repulsion. When you sit and become still, the judgement of ugly and beautiful dissolve into the simple observation of qualities without specific form or meaning.

I agree with all the comments to this effect. However, the sad fact remains that most of humanity judges people by their appearance (so many texts even in TB about women and girls who are beautiful, extolling their physical characteristics), and we are born into this world. The lamrim teachings are very specific with regard to how karma causes our circumstances in the present life; if one is born to wealth, it means one was generous in the previous lifetime. If one is born to beauty, it means one was kind in previous lives, and so forth.

That said, one can overcome one's circumstances through one's own efforts. Appearance is only part of the equation--personality often wins out in the end. Be kind, thoughtful, and make people laugh, and you'll go far.

being

Ugly/beautiful are only fabrications of the mind, not reality.

sndymorn

You were "Born that way! "Check out Lady GAGA on you tube with youngster from Winnepeg. sorry I cannot attach as I am inept.

DhammaDhatu

The suttas state:

Here, student, some woman or man is angry, much given to rage; even when little is said, he is furious, angry, ill-disposed, resentful, he shows ill-temper, hate and surliness. Due to having performed and completed such kammas, on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation. If instead he comes to the human state, he is ugly wherever he is reborn. This is the way that leads to ugliness, that is to say, to be furious, angry, ill-disposed, resentful, and to show ill-temper, hate and surliness.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.135.nymo.html</blockquote
It should be noted, however, this sutta does not appear in the Chinese version of the same set of discourses leading to speculation it is a later addition & not the words of the Buddha

However, the message is, if we want to be beautiful, then free the mind from anger, resentment & dislike.

Kind regards

GuyC

Hi Hermit,

To borrow a simile from Ajahn Brahm: The quality of ingredients you are given (the ripening of past kamma) is not as important as what you do with those ingredients (present kamma).

Some people have the best possible resources and waste them. Others have very limited resources but make the most of them.

Instead of asking "why am I the way I am?", the more skilful question is "what am I doing with the qualities I have?"

Metta,

Guy

GuyC

Hi Cinorjer,

Past life karma should be left in the past, since it's outlived its purpose.

I do not necessarily see a contradiction between advances in scientific knowledge and the law of kamma. Could it not be possible that the biological and chemical processes are a manifestation of kamma-vipaka?

Metta,

Guy

compassionate_warrior

"Why was my son born with a club foot?"

Beauty is a mental and cultural construct: In Classic Mayan culture, a club foot was a sign of divinity.

one can overcome one's circumstances through one's own efforts. Appearance is only part of the equation--personality often wins out in the end. Be kind, thoughtful, and make people laugh, and you'll go far.

Instead of asking "why am I the way I am?", the more skilful question is "what am I doing with the qualities I have?"

Here's your ticket, hermitwin.

hermitwin

We have 2 choices. Buddhism does not attribute such features to karma or it does.
I believe it is the latter.
Our actions has consequences. So why should we not reap what we sow?
My nephews' condition has made me very supportive and protective of people with disability.
To say a disabled child has done sth to deserve it is very hard to stomach for many people. If it was my son, I would probably get angry as well.
Beauty is subjective but there are standards of beauty in every culture. Otherwise, cosmetics and cosmetic surgery would not thrive.
Sorry, no evidence to offer here, it just makes sense to me. You reap what you sow.

compassionate_warrior

Well, that's what some traditions teach. I don't know if it's what all traditions teach.

MindGate

Well... I'm pretty sure the combination of your parents genes during conception gave rise to ones characteristics. Conditioning conditioning conditioning.

Disney

Oh Dragon King, when you behold the body of the Buddha born from a hundred thousand of Kotis of merit, with all the marks adorned, the splendor of its radiance covering the whole of the great assembly, even if there were immeasurable Kotis of Ishvara and Brahma devas they all would not come again into appearance. Those who look with reverence at the Tathagata's body how can they but not be dazzled. You again behold all these great Bodhisattvas of marvelous appearance, dignified and pure. All this comes into being entirely through the merit of cultivating wholesome actions. Again all the powerful ones like the eight classes of devas and dragons, and suchlike they also come into being because of the merits of wholesome actions.

Now all beings in the great ocean are of course and mean shapes and appearances, they all whether small or large performed unwholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions out of all kinds of thoughts from their own minds. Thus is that each being receives its own result according to its action.

You ought to practice and to study constantly in this way, and also to bring beings to a thorough understanding of cause and effect and to the practice of wholesome actions. In this you must have unshakable right view and you must not fall again into the views of annihilation and eternity. As to the fields of merit you rejoice in them, respect them and support them because of this you will also be respected and supported by men and devas.

Oh Dragon King you must know that Bodhisattva has one method which enables him to cut off all sufferings of evil destinies. What kind of methods is this? It is constantly, day and night, to recollect, to reflect on and to contemplate on the wholesome dharmas so as to cause the wholesome dharmas to increase from thought- moment to thought-moment, without allowing the least unwholesome thought to mingle in. This will then enable you to cut off all evil forever, to bring the wholesome dharmas to completion and to be constantly near all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and other holy communities.

Cloud

I posted on another board's thread about "understanding karma logically" and would like to quote it here:

Karma is choice. Chosen thought, chosen speech, chosen action. The fruit of karma is consequence. Hence, your choices and their consequences. Act skillfully, and wholesome consequences (generally) result.

With regards to enlightenment, you choose to think, speak and act in accordance with the teachings of impermanence, not-self, dukkha, the (Five) Precepts, the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path and the like, and the consequence is that the mind is lead away from a state of clinging to having (Supramundane/Noble) Right View, where craving and clinging drop away as the mind discerns its true nature and the nature of all things as nothing but a cloud of change, ungraspable, causing suffering to chase after.

Understanding choice and consequence is how we take responsibility for ourselves, as well as the reason that the Noble Eightfold Path actually works. If you choose to follow this path and exert Right Effort, it lets you accept reality and let go of your striving and craving. Looking for some special/magical/supernatural meaning to life is what got us into such problems that we have now, and belief systems. See the simplicity right in front of you, here and now, because that's the only place you'll ever find Nirvana.

Daozen

Life is about playing the cards you are dealt, not blaming the dealer.

Cloud

That's a nice simple way to put it @Daozen. We can't choose the circumstances of our birth, our parents and family et cetera. But we do have a choice in how we live our lives. Our choices determine where we end up, that's just common sense. The question is, do you choose to investigate reality honestly and follow a path of purifying your mind (and non-harm)? If we've come into contact with the Buddha's Dharma, this opens up the possibility that we'll chose to go down that road, but we have to take it seriously or we may never get to the end of our journey (or perhaps not to the right destination!).

hermitwin

Once again you have multiple choices;
A. I dont care why I was born with Down's Syndrome.
B. Its all genetics and probabilities
C. Its karma, maybe I did sth to deserve it. (or dont call it karma if you have a problem with the word)

Disclaimer: I dont have Down's.(just an eg)

I choose C because at least I have some control over it. Its not about placing blame or being depressed & complaining & whining. Well, you can go down that road but I would not advise it.
I will be careful of my thoughts and actions if I dont want bad results. Skillfull actions, kusala.
When you know better, you do better.

hermitwin

I think Buddha did say if you come in contact with his teachings, you are lucky.
So you have have done sth decent. (carelessly paraphrased)

DhammaDhatu

Well... I'm pretty sure the combination of your parents genes during conception gave rise to ones characteristics.

Please accept me as your humble disciple.

:bowdown: