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Thoughts on bill roaches comments about 'paedophiles victims' are caused because of PAST LIVES??
Perhaps he uses his belief in this type of Karma to justify his actions. I sure hope not. Can you imagine? "I believe that karma caused me to rape that girl because of actions we both had in our past lives." If he did assault her, I wonder what he was thinking when he made the comments he did about reincarnation and abuse. We have crazy ways of justifying our actions sometimes.
I'm sure a person with PTSD post event does not appreciate his comments. Maybe he will be abused in a future life owing to his comments. Terrible ignorance is what I see. If he has a deep teaching quoted out of context may he shut his mouth in public.
Uk soap actor Bill Roache said in an interview that people who are abused etc etc bring it on themselves because of what they did in past lives etc etc...
This general concept -- that bad things happen to you based on your past lives -- is a very prevalent belief among Thai Buddhists. My ex, for example, who had multiple health issues (especially including a serious heart problem), often blamed his past lives...and he is among the top 10% of Thais in terms of education and profession. Another example often cited is that handicapped people became handicapped because of what happened in past lives.
Buddhism gets a little tougher when it's looked at in this way, doesn't it. It's not all peace, love, and compassion.
Perhaps he uses his belief in this type of Karma to justify his actions.
This is what worries me about the concept of karma, that people can twist it to justify their wrong actions. It's a disturbing thought, but then sick minds will use anything to convince themselves that what they are doing is right.
Belief in karma can be beneficial in a number of ways.
Firstly, it is the proximate cause for the development of equanimity. For example, the belief in karma can help you see a bad situation that happens to you or to someone else as one that was unavoidable and therefore, any wish/desire for the situation to be any other way would be futile. Upon reflection, one comes to a realization that the situation should just be accepted for what it is, ie. a fruit of past action. Thus it is not about being unlucky or life being unfair, etc. We can see it as simply a natural manifestation of events in accordance with the laws of cause and effect based on our own past deeds, and this helps to remove feelings of resentment.
However, this doesn't mean one should just sit around and do nothing to try to change a bad situation into a good one, but it is said that the proper reaction is to try our best to improve the situation, but when we are unsuccessful, we should reflect that this is the fruit of past action which is unavoidable. For example, let's say you have cancer. So of course, you should try to cure it by seeing the doctor, taking medicine, etc. But if you are unsuccessful at curing it, reflecting that this cancer is the result of your own past action and therefore unavoidable can help you to develop equanimity towards the situation.
Secondly, reflection on the laws of karma is also an effective way to stop anger when someone does something harmful to you because rather than putting the blame on the person who is causing you to suffer, you can view their harmful acts and the suffering they cause as simply fruits of your own past actions.
Thirdly, belief in karma can motivate a person to perform good deeds as a way of accumulating merit and to refrain from unwholesome conduct out of fear of the negative karma generated by such behaviour. In fact, fear of the karmic results of wrongful conduct is regarded by the Buddha as one of the two "white Dhammas"/"bright states" that "protect the world" from immoral conduct.
If I punch someone and break his nose, is that his karma? I guess I don't buy that that is the case. SOME things are karma. But not all things are for everyone person. Perhaps it was his karma to get punched. But that doesn't mean it was my Karma to punch him, but now I've generated my own that in the future will come back to me. It might come back to me in terms of I'll trip and fall on my way out the door and break my arm. or it might come in the next lifetime.
I think it's *possible* that suffering in this life is related to acts done by me in a former life. It has to be, otherwise if it is not, to me, Karma doesn't make sense. But that doesn't mean you go around thinking "oh, look at that kid. He's 2 and has cancer. Pfft, he must have done something bad in his last life!" I'm not saying anyone here said that of course.
I think some of the Western lack of wanting to think this way is related to our holding on so much to being victims. Everyone is a victim of something. Their schooling, their parents, their ill-health, the act of a terrorist and so on. We have a hard time accepting randomness and assign a victim and someone to blame to everything. We have a really hard time accepting personal responsibility and to say that you are born disabled in this life means taking the ultimate responsibility for actions you don't even remember committing. It's not something most people want to grasp, not even those who have a better understand of Karma beyond it being a bitch.
0
zombiegirlbeating the drum of the lifelessin a dry wastelandVeteran
edited May 2013
I have a hard time believing that MY karma affects me from MY past lives for a few reasons:
Firstly, talking about rebirth, I thought it was said that although we are reborn, we aren't the same. We aren't identical, nor completely different than before. I take this to mean it is more like the drop of water going back into the ocean, if you get my drift.
Secondly, if the above is true, how can my karma follow me if I'm not the same as before? The only answer I have found that makes sense to me is that when you do something to create karma for good or for bad, it cannot be isolated and affects other things in the world. With each action, we create a ripple effect that goes out and in that way, each action creates a collective karma. Each action changes the world, sometimes in big ways (think Hitler), sometimes in small ways (think the random act of kindness you just performed on the street that could have completely changed someone's outlook and changed the way they react for the rest of the day, thus creating more ripples). The closer the circumstance and the smaller the circle, the more likely you are to experience the direct result of your action (i.e. You stole from your sister and as a result it has a negative effect on your relationship), but the other ways in which we interact with the world could come full circle in ways we can't even imagine.
Given these two ideas, I don't feel like it's necessary to believe that my current issues are a direct result of MY past lives. Why do we have to explain away everything? Is it really that big of a deal to just say, "Well, sucks you were born disabled. It is what it is."
I'd like some input on this. What do you guys think?
Aaaagh, this topic was one I agonized about greatly when I first started looking into the Buddha's teachings. It's a tough one.
According to Theravada, at least as I understand it, the Buddha rejected past-life determinism (pubbekatahetuvada). So with statements like "you got shot because you shot someone in a past life"....well, I can't see how that aligns with what the Buddha taught. Drawing a simple linear equation like that is, to me, clearly an example of the kind of determinism that he rejected. Kamma as presented in the Pali Canon is more complex and variable.
However, the Buddha also rejected two other types of explanations, namely:
(2) sh-t happens because God made it happen, and (3) sh-t happens purely by chance.
More about all this here. It seems to fit with the Buddha's more general rejection of eternalism and annihilationism.
Most of us in the West, I would say, have a tendency towards either the second or third of these...depending on whether we're more influenced by monotheistic religion (i.e Christianity) or by atheism/existentialism. In the latter perspective, lots of things happen to us by sheer chance -- it's often just our bad luck that we inherited the wrong set of genes or encountered somebody who wanted to harm us.
Usually when I've asked Theravadins questions like "did this person's suffering happen because of something they did in a past life", the answer that comes back is "maybe. Only a Buddha would know." The precise workings of kamma are considered an imponderable. I get the sense that Mahayana and Vajrayana take a more deterministic view, however.
I definitely think it's a mistake when people pull out kammic "soundbites" (oh, you know, this happened because so-and-so did wrong in a past life) because they can be really misleading without an understanding of the overall context. Also, however we explain phenomena, there is no sense in which Buddhism justifies or endorses harmful behavior. Those who carry out such acts are creating really, really bad kamma for themselves, while those who suffer as a result of previous kamma now have eliminated that burden -- and might come back as a deva in the next life.
Yes, it is his karma. otherwise, in a world of 7 billion people, he would be nowhere near you.
and you would not punch your own beloved baby, would you?
we cant explain the intricacies of karma, we are not there yet, we cant even meditate properly for an hour. but the law of cause n effect is hard to argue with.
If I punch someone and break his nose, is that his karma? I guess I don't buy that that is the case. SOME things are karma. But not all things are for everyone person. Perhaps it was his karma to get punched. But that doesn't mean it was my Karma to punch him, but now I've generated my own that in the future will come back to me. It might come back to me in terms of I'll trip and fall on my way out the door and break my arm. or it might come in the next lifetime.
I think it's *possible* that suffering in this life is related to acts done by me in a former life. It has to be, otherwise if it is not, to me, Karma doesn't make sense. But that doesn't mean you go around thinking "oh, look at that kid. He's 2 and has cancer. Pfft, he must have done something bad in his last life!" I'm not saying anyone here said that of course.
I think some of the Western lack of wanting to think this way is related to our holding on so much to being victims. Everyone is a victim of something. Their schooling, their parents, their ill-health, the act of a terrorist and so on. We have a hard time accepting randomness and assign a victim and someone to blame to everything. We have a really hard time accepting personal responsibility and to say that you are born disabled in this life means taking the ultimate responsibility for actions you don't even remember committing. It's not something most people want to grasp, not even those who have a better understand of Karma beyond it being a bitch.
no matter what Karma we carry around with us Dukka (suffering) we experience because we live in Samsara. If a child is abused no matter what Karma, it is at least an highly unfortunate situation. Now, if I pretend to be a Buddhist I have the possibility to see how the circle of Samsara now upholds itself. For the perpetrator and the victim both are trapped. If the perpetrator not understands his unwholesome action deeply regrets and develops Compassion, rebirth in the realm of desire (Samsara) including the lower and higher Realms is unavoidable. Also the victim has a huge job to do to clear away all negative Emotions and especially low self-esteem. (very Christian). Yes, Karma works but maybe we should see it more like that we can work on our future with the actions we do now, because we cannot change the past(forget the storyline). And the Actions we do now should be as Compassionate as possible and if we fail we should develop Compassion for this sentient being(me) to. This is at least how I understood the teachings.
I also think it is most important to remember that we cannot be sure whether our (or others) experiences of suffering are due to 'personal' Karma or not.
We can be sure that we must respond to that suffering with compassion.
But that doesn't mean you go around thinking "oh, look at that kid. He's 2 and has cancer. Pfft, he must have done something bad in his last life!"
I agree with that completely. Reflection on karma should rather be used to develop equanimity. This is helpful in situations where a loved one is suffering and we get too caught up in their suffering which may result in our own grief and depression. To return the mind to a more balanced state, it has been advised to practice equanimity meditation through reflection on these traditional phrases, half of which relates to the law of karma and the other half more generally on accepting things as they are:
Beings are owner of their own karma. Their happiness and unhappiness depend on their actions, not so much on my wishes for them. Whether I understand it or not, things are unfolding according to a lawful nature. All Beings meet their joys and sorrows according to a lawful nature. Things are just as they are. May I accept things just as they are. May I be undisturbed by the comings and goings of events. I will care for other people but cannot keep them from suffering. No matter how I might wish things to be otherwise, things are as they are.
Given these two ideas, I don't feel like it's necessary to believe that my current issues are a direct result of MY past lives. Why do we have to explain away everything? Is it really that big of a deal to just say, "Well, sucks you were born disabled. It is what it is."
Actually, "necessary" is quite an extreme position and I don't think there is any necessity to believe that present life conditions have been influenced by actions done in past lives. Nonetheless, in my own personal experience, having such a belief in that kind of karma has been useful for me.
A lot of times in my life, I don't feel I need to explain things. It's sometimes easy to just let go of things without thinking about it much. But at other times, I do find myself in situations where I get frustrated and feel resentful. For example, by being inflicted with an illness for several years now that isn't always responding well to medication. In this kind of situation, I've found it useful to reflect on the law of karma as a way to come to terms with the situation. By reflecting that this illness is a fruit of my own actions from the past, I find it easier to relate to the situation with less frustration and resentment, ie. the mind has more equanimity.
But that is not to say that this is the only way to overcome a difficult situation. There are other ways, for example, by contemplating that things like getting ill, loss of wealth, loss of loved ones, etc. are a normal part of every person's life. I do that kind of contemplation also. Nonetheless, I just happen to find that reflection on karma is another useful tool for me and is effective. In fact the Buddha recommended that one should often reflect that, "'I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir." (Upajjhatthana Sutta)
And like I mentioned in my post above, reflecting on karma is also very useful for stopping anger when someone does something harmful to you. Again, it's not the only way that one can overcome anger. I personally use a variety of different methods such as generating compassion or awareness on feelings. But reflection on karma is an extra tool I have as an option and I use it quite often as it can be quite effective. I find that I often use this more in situations where it is the same person who is annoying or hurting me over and over again. This is probably the case because these are the people who I feel I have stronger karmic links with.
Anyhow, as a Thai, it's been a natural thing for me to believe in rebirth and karma (in the sense of actions having effects across lifetimes) as it is an integral part of Thai culture. Most Thais will believe that bad things happen to us because of our own bad deeds in previous lifes, which is in accordance with the Buddha's teachings. eg. In the Cula-kammavibhanga Sutta, Buddha said that causing injury to living beings will cause us to be sickly when reborn as a human or in the Vipaka Sutta, Buddha said that stealing will cause us to lose wealth when reborn as a human. However, Thais do believe that we can "fix/repair" (to translate directly from Thai word) our past bad karma, but different people will have different ideas on how to go about doing this ranging from meditation to performing good deeds (usually some form of dana) to engaging in rituals.
...But that doesn't mean you go around thinking "oh, look at that kid. He's 2 and has cancer. Pfft, he must have done something bad in his last life!" ...
...But that doesn't mean you go around thinking "oh, look at that kid. He's 2 and has cancer. Pfft, he must have done something bad in his last life!" ...
Millions of Buddhists do think exactly that.
That doesn't necessarily settle the question, though. Millions of Buddhists could be mistaken in their understanding of the Dhamma.
Appeal to the majority (argumentum ad populum) is a fallacy, no?
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
If there is any truth to the hackneyed phrase "What goes around, comes around" the Ken Roache is a living example.....
...But that doesn't mean you go around thinking "oh, look at that kid. He's 2 and has cancer. Pfft, he must have done something bad in his last life!" ...
Millions of Buddhists do think exactly that.
That doesn't necessarily settle the question, though. Millions of Buddhists could be mistaken in their understanding of the Dhamma.
Appeal to the majority (argumentum ad populum) is a fallacy, no?
Of course not. But my point is that any idea that Buddhists have come to any conclusion or agreement about how karma works or even what exactly it is, is a fallacy.
My idea of how karma and rebirth work isn't so much in line with most of Buddhism. I think there isn't really some cosmic scorekeeper for karma. I think karma is more so just within us, and as @zombiegirl said, it ripples outwards, every second of every day of our lives. When we die, whatever is left over (a stream of energy of sorts is generally how I see it) is freed from physical existence and the suffering that comes with it. I don't mean enlightenment, but just that simply no longer being bound to human existence frees us from some of that suffering. And I think at that point that stream is able to take account of the lifetime and karma within it, and use what is learned to choose the next birth. And I think at least sometimes (maybe not always, I don't know how I think on that yet) we choose the circumstances that will be present in that life because of what we need to learn from it.
So, looking at my diabetic son, in saying "perhaps he has diabetes because of his past karma" for me isn't so much "he did something really bad and now the master of the karmic scoreboard has put him in the penalty box with diabetes" but perhaps the karma in his last life (or lives) was such that that stream of energy opted to experience a diabetic life.
I just think that we are always, only, fully accountable to our"selves." I don't believe there is a big scorekeeper out there that then assigns us to a good or bad life or anything else. I think we assign/choose ourselves.
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personDon't believe everything you thinkThe liminal spaceVeteran
edited May 2013
Buddhism teaches us that our actions are the result of our afflicted mental states (ignorance, hatred, craving) and that when someone acts in a harmful way towards themselves or others they aren't in full possession of themselves or all the facts.
That being the case we can have compassion for them, or ourselves, as a type of victim of these afflictions.
If these afflicted actions carry consequences across lifetimes it would be a wrong understanding then to turn a cold heart towards someone suffering from them.
So just because someone believes that karma carries across lives isn't a good reason to be indifferent to someone with obvious suffering such as poverty or a birth defect.
Not only that but if we were to reach out a hand and show some kindness or offer some help then they would also have that good karma. Since we don't know what kind of karma a person may or may not have, using bad karma as an excuse to turn away from them isn't right understanding.
My teacher often says that whenever someone does something harmful to us, that person is acting out of a type/degree of anger, greed or delusion which he/she has not yet been able to overcome. We should first reflect and look into ourselves whether we too are still afflicted by the same type/degree of anger, greed or delusion which that person has displayed. If we find that we are actually in a similar position as that person, then we should reflect that in similar circumstances we too could have acted in the same way as that person did. Therefore, we shouldn't be angry but should reflect that we are in the same boat as that person, both of us not yet able to free ourselves from such type/degree of anger, greed or delusion, and both still liable to suffer the resulting karmic consequences, and we should make the wish, "May I and that person have the chance to practice the Dhamma until the both of us can be free from such anger, greed or delusion that we have not yet been able to overcome."
However, if upon reflection, it happens that we have been able to overcome the type/degree of anger, greed or delusion that the person has shown towards us, then we should reflect further that we are more fortunate than that other person who is still unable to overcome such type/degree of anger, greed or delusion. We should then also reflect how unfortunate it is that that person would have to suffer the karmic consequences of his/her actions and make the wish, "May that person have the chance to practice the Dhamma until he/she can be free from such anger, greed or delusion that he/she has not yet been able to overcome."
My teacher often says that whenever someone does something harmful to us, that person is acting out of a type/degree of anger, greed or delusion which he/she has not yet been able to overcome. We should first reflect and look into ourselves whether we too are still afflicted by the same type/degree of anger, greed or delusion which that person has displayed. If we find that we are actually in a similar position as that person, then we should reflect that in similar circumstances we too could have acted in the same way as that person did. Therefore, we shouldn't be angry but should reflect that we are in the same boat as that person, both of us not yet able to free ourselves from such type/degree of anger, greed or delusion, and both still liable to suffer the resulting karmic consequences, and we should make the wish, "May I and that person have the chance to practice the Dhamma until the both of us can be free from such anger, greed or delusion that we have not yet been able to overcome."
However, if upon reflection, it happens that we have been able to overcome the type/degree of anger, greed or delusion that the person has shown towards us, then we should reflect further that we are more fortunate than that other person who is still unable to overcome such type/degree of anger, greed or delusion. We should then also reflect how unfortunate it is that that person would have to suffer the karmic consequences of his/her actions and make the wish, "May that person have the chance to practice the Dhamma until he/she can be free from such anger, greed or delusion that he/she has not yet been able to overcome."
Well written, except that it is assuming the other person has any desire to overcome the problem and/or has any interest to pursue the Dhamma.
Well written, except that it is assuming the other person has any desire to overcome the problem and/or has any interest to pursue the Dhamma.
Actually, I've always thought the wish implies the hope that if the person has not yet realized the harmfulness of such anger, greed or delusion, that he/she would come to that realization and thereby develop a desire to overcome it. I also believe it covers the situation where the person has not yet developed an interest to pursue the Dhamma, that we hope such person would develop an interest.
But of course, the wordings of the wish could be tweaked or adjusted in a way that would make you feel more comfortable with it. I think the underlying purpose is that through making such a wish, you are bringing your mental state to one of compassion. So as long as the wish can serve that purpose, the exact wording of it is less important.
But of course, the wordings of the wish could be tweaked or adjusted in a way that would make you feel more comfortable with it. I think the underlying purpose is that through making such a wish, you are bringing your mental state to one of compassion. So as long as the wish can serve that purpose, the exact wording of it is less important.
I don't have a problem with the concept, but -- at least here in the States where Buddhists make up less than 1% of the population -- it seems pretty unlikely many people are going to begin to seek the Dhamma.
Comments
“ "My beliefs have evolved in
the last eight or nine years, that
the spirit has to come back again,
that is nothing new, that has been
around for thousands of years. You
have to come back to learn and face
some of the things you have done,
good and bad. There are too many
injustices around."
"You and I have been physically
given two hands and two legs and
half-decent brains. Some people have
not been born like that for a
reason. The karma is working from
another lifetime. I have nothing to
hide about that. It is not only
people with disabilities. What you
sow, you have to reap."
"You have to look at things that
happened in your life and ask why.
It comes around."
”
—Glenn Hoddle, from Matt Dickinson
interview
Buddhism gets a little tougher when it's looked at in this way, doesn't it. It's not all peace, love, and compassion.
tough?
If you jump off a tall building, you will be smashed.
that is tough too. but its reality.
I will have no problem thinking that it may be due to my past bad karma.
The story of how Sariputta died is a good illustration of
past karma catching up with someone.
Take people like Hitler or Stalin who killed many innocent people.
Don t you think their bad karma will result in something unpleasant.
We talk so much about karma, yet when something bad is
attributed to past karma, people cant deal with it.
Talk to your respected buddhist teacher and see what they say.
read the suttas and see what it says.
If you sow evil seeds, you will reap evil fruits, it is just that simple.
Firstly, it is the proximate cause for the development of equanimity. For example, the belief in karma can help you see a bad situation that happens to you or to someone else as one that was unavoidable and therefore, any wish/desire for the situation to be any other way would be futile. Upon reflection, one comes to a realization that the situation should just be accepted for what it is, ie. a fruit of past action. Thus it is not about being unlucky or life being unfair, etc. We can see it as simply a natural manifestation of events in accordance with the laws of cause and effect based on our own past deeds, and this helps to remove feelings of resentment.
However, this doesn't mean one should just sit around and do nothing to try to change a bad situation into a good one, but it is said that the proper reaction is to try our best to improve the situation, but when we are unsuccessful, we should reflect that this is the fruit of past action which is unavoidable. For example, let's say you have cancer. So of course, you should try to cure it by seeing the doctor, taking medicine, etc. But if you are unsuccessful at curing it, reflecting that this cancer is the result of your own past action and therefore unavoidable can help you to develop equanimity towards the situation.
Secondly, reflection on the laws of karma is also an effective way to stop anger when someone does something harmful to you because rather than putting the blame on the person who is causing you to suffer, you can view their harmful acts and the suffering they cause as simply fruits of your own past actions.
Thirdly, belief in karma can motivate a person to perform good deeds as a way of accumulating merit and to refrain from unwholesome conduct out of fear of the negative karma generated by such behaviour. In fact, fear of the karmic results of wrongful conduct is regarded by the Buddha as one of the two "white Dhammas"/"bright states" that "protect the world" from immoral conduct.
I think it's *possible* that suffering in this life is related to acts done by me in a former life. It has to be, otherwise if it is not, to me, Karma doesn't make sense. But that doesn't mean you go around thinking "oh, look at that kid. He's 2 and has cancer. Pfft, he must have done something bad in his last life!" I'm not saying anyone here said that of course.
I think some of the Western lack of wanting to think this way is related to our holding on so much to being victims. Everyone is a victim of something. Their schooling, their parents, their ill-health, the act of a terrorist and so on. We have a hard time accepting randomness and assign a victim and someone to blame to everything. We have a really hard time accepting personal responsibility and to say that you are born disabled in this life means taking the ultimate responsibility for actions you don't even remember committing. It's not something most people want to grasp, not even those who have a better understand of Karma beyond it being a bitch.
Firstly, talking about rebirth, I thought it was said that although we are reborn, we aren't the same. We aren't identical, nor completely different than before. I take this to mean it is more like the drop of water going back into the ocean, if you get my drift.
Secondly, if the above is true, how can my karma follow me if I'm not the same as before? The only answer I have found that makes sense to me is that when you do something to create karma for good or for bad, it cannot be isolated and affects other things in the world. With each action, we create a ripple effect that goes out and in that way, each action creates a collective karma. Each action changes the world, sometimes in big ways (think Hitler), sometimes in small ways (think the random act of kindness you just performed on the street that could have completely changed someone's outlook and changed the way they react for the rest of the day, thus creating more ripples). The closer the circumstance and the smaller the circle, the more likely you are to experience the direct result of your action (i.e. You stole from your sister and as a result it has a negative effect on your relationship), but the other ways in which we interact with the world could come full circle in ways we can't even imagine.
Given these two ideas, I don't feel like it's necessary to believe that my current issues are a direct result of MY past lives. Why do we have to explain away everything? Is it really that big of a deal to just say, "Well, sucks you were born disabled. It is what it is."
I'd like some input on this. What do you guys think?
According to Theravada, at least as I understand it, the Buddha rejected past-life determinism (pubbekatahetuvada). So with statements like "you got shot because you shot someone in a past life"....well, I can't see how that aligns with what the Buddha taught. Drawing a simple linear equation like that is, to me, clearly an example of the kind of determinism that he rejected. Kamma as presented in the Pali Canon is more complex and variable.
However, the Buddha also rejected two other types of explanations, namely:
(2) sh-t happens because God made it happen, and
(3) sh-t happens purely by chance.
More about all this here. It seems to fit with the Buddha's more general rejection of eternalism and annihilationism.
Most of us in the West, I would say, have a tendency towards either the second or third of these...depending on whether we're more influenced by monotheistic religion (i.e Christianity) or by atheism/existentialism. In the latter perspective, lots of things happen to us by sheer chance -- it's often just our bad luck that we inherited the wrong set of genes or encountered somebody who wanted to harm us.
Usually when I've asked Theravadins questions like "did this person's suffering happen because of something they did in a past life", the answer that comes back is "maybe. Only a Buddha would know." The precise workings of kamma are considered an imponderable. I get the sense that Mahayana and Vajrayana take a more deterministic view, however.
I definitely think it's a mistake when people pull out kammic "soundbites" (oh, you know, this happened because so-and-so did wrong in a past life) because they can be really misleading without an understanding of the overall context. Also, however we explain phenomena, there is no sense in which Buddhism justifies or endorses harmful behavior. Those who carry out such acts are creating really, really bad kamma for themselves, while those who suffer as a result of previous kamma now have eliminated that burden -- and might come back as a deva in the next life.
otherwise, in a world of 7 billion people,
he would be nowhere near you.
and you would not punch your own beloved baby,
would you?
we cant explain the intricacies of karma,
we are not there yet,
we cant even meditate properly for an hour.
but the law of cause n effect is hard to argue
with.
If a child is abused no matter what Karma, it is at least an highly unfortunate situation. Now, if I pretend to be a Buddhist I have the possibility to see how the circle of Samsara now upholds itself. For the perpetrator and the victim both are trapped. If the perpetrator not understands his unwholesome action deeply regrets and develops Compassion, rebirth in the realm of desire (Samsara) including the lower and higher Realms is unavoidable. Also the victim has a huge job to do to clear away all negative Emotions and especially low self-esteem. (very Christian).
Yes, Karma works but maybe we should see it more like that we can work on our future with the actions we do now, because we cannot change the past(forget the storyline). And the Actions we do now should be as Compassionate as possible and if we fail we should develop Compassion for this sentient being(me) to.
This is at least how I understood the teachings.
I also think it is most important to remember that we cannot be sure whether our (or others) experiences of suffering are due to 'personal' Karma or not.
We can be sure that we must respond to that suffering with compassion.
Beings are owner of their own karma. Their happiness and unhappiness depend on their actions, not so much on my wishes for them.
Whether I understand it or not, things are unfolding according to a lawful nature.
All Beings meet their joys and sorrows according to a lawful nature.
Things are just as they are.
May I accept things just as they are.
May I be undisturbed by the comings and goings of events.
I will care for other people but cannot keep them from suffering.
No matter how I might wish things to be otherwise, things are as they are.
Actually, "necessary" is quite an extreme position and I don't think there is any necessity to believe that present life conditions have been influenced by actions done in past lives. Nonetheless, in my own personal experience, having such a belief in that kind of karma has been useful for me.
A lot of times in my life, I don't feel I need to explain things. It's sometimes easy to just let go of things without thinking about it much. But at other times, I do find myself in situations where I get frustrated and feel resentful. For example, by being inflicted with an illness for several years now that isn't always responding well to medication. In this kind of situation, I've found it useful to reflect on the law of karma as a way to come to terms with the situation. By reflecting that this illness is a fruit of my own actions from the past, I find it easier to relate to the situation with less frustration and resentment, ie. the mind has more equanimity.
But that is not to say that this is the only way to overcome a difficult situation. There are other ways, for example, by contemplating that things like getting ill, loss of wealth, loss of loved ones, etc. are a normal part of every person's life. I do that kind of contemplation also. Nonetheless, I just happen to find that reflection on karma is another useful tool for me and is effective. In fact the Buddha recommended that one should often reflect that, "'I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir." (Upajjhatthana Sutta)
And like I mentioned in my post above, reflecting on karma is also very useful for stopping anger when someone does something harmful to you. Again, it's not the only way that one can overcome anger. I personally use a variety of different methods such as generating compassion or awareness on feelings. But reflection on karma is an extra tool I have as an option and I use it quite often as it can be quite effective. I find that I often use this more in situations where it is the same person who is annoying or hurting me over and over again. This is probably the case because these are the people who I feel I have stronger karmic links with.
Anyhow, as a Thai, it's been a natural thing for me to believe in rebirth and karma (in the sense of actions having effects across lifetimes) as it is an integral part of Thai culture. Most Thais will believe that bad things happen to us because of our own bad deeds in previous lifes, which is in accordance with the Buddha's teachings. eg. In the Cula-kammavibhanga Sutta, Buddha said that causing injury to living beings will cause us to be sickly when reborn as a human or in the Vipaka Sutta, Buddha said that stealing will cause us to lose wealth when reborn as a human. However, Thais do believe that we can "fix/repair" (to translate directly from Thai word) our past bad karma, but different people will have different ideas on how to go about doing this ranging from meditation to performing good deeds (usually some form of dana) to engaging in rituals.
Appeal to the majority (argumentum ad populum) is a fallacy, no?
So, looking at my diabetic son, in saying "perhaps he has diabetes because of his past karma" for me isn't so much "he did something really bad and now the master of the karmic scoreboard has put him in the penalty box with diabetes" but perhaps the karma in his last life (or lives) was such that that stream of energy opted to experience a diabetic life.
I just think that we are always, only, fully accountable to our"selves." I don't believe there is a big scorekeeper out there that then assigns us to a good or bad life or anything else. I think we assign/choose ourselves.
That being the case we can have compassion for them, or ourselves, as a type of victim of these afflictions.
If these afflicted actions carry consequences across lifetimes it would be a wrong understanding then to turn a cold heart towards someone suffering from them.
So just because someone believes that karma carries across lives isn't a good reason to be indifferent to someone with obvious suffering such as poverty or a birth defect.
Not only that but if we were to reach out a hand and show some kindness or offer some help then they would also have that good karma. Since we don't know what kind of karma a person may or may not have, using bad karma as an excuse to turn away from them isn't right understanding.
My teacher often says that whenever someone does something harmful to us, that person is acting out of a type/degree of anger, greed or delusion which he/she has not yet been able to overcome. We should first reflect and look into ourselves whether we too are still afflicted by the same type/degree of anger, greed or delusion which that person has displayed. If we find that we are actually in a similar position as that person, then we should reflect that in similar circumstances we too could have acted in the same way as that person did. Therefore, we shouldn't be angry but should reflect that we are in the same boat as that person, both of us not yet able to free ourselves from such type/degree of anger, greed or delusion, and both still liable to suffer the resulting karmic consequences, and we should make the wish, "May I and that person have the chance to practice the Dhamma until the both of us can be free from such anger, greed or delusion that we have not yet been able to overcome."
However, if upon reflection, it happens that we have been able to overcome the type/degree of anger, greed or delusion that the person has shown towards us, then we should reflect further that we are more fortunate than that other person who is still unable to overcome such type/degree of anger, greed or delusion. We should then also reflect how unfortunate it is that that person would have to suffer the karmic consequences of his/her actions and make the wish, "May that person have the chance to practice the Dhamma until he/she can be free from such anger, greed or delusion that he/she has not yet been able to overcome."
But of course, the wordings of the wish could be tweaked or adjusted in a way that would make you feel more comfortable with it. I think the underlying purpose is that through making such a wish, you are bringing your mental state to one of compassion. So as long as the wish can serve that purpose, the exact wording of it is less important.