Jump to content
Dharmaling Forums

Recommended Posts

Can there really be such a thing as individual karma if there is no such thing as an inherent existence? Surely karma cannot be inherent and therefore everybody's karma is interdependent and connected to varying degrees. Is what we call karma a limited phenomena present only in what we call samsara and when we are liberated we find it no longer exists? What do we mean therefore by such terms as accumulation of merit or purification of karma?

 

Oh so many questions spring to mind and all prompted by Rinpoche's posting on Facebook about a the birth of a three-headed goat. Are not the appearance of these questions in my mind itself not proof of some kind of connected or shared karma?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Anyone who has really helped us in some way or another must have some karmic connection to us or he/she would have been unable to help and because of that karmic connection they are open to our help. Likewise of course anyone who has harmed us in any way is also karmically connected with us and has therefore also proved themselves open to our help. Those people who have neither harmed nor helped us are of course worthy of our attention, as it would be worthwhile establishing some kind of karmic connection at whatever level for future benefits to flow either way.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Anyone who has really helped us in some way or another must have some karmic connection to us or he/she would have been unable to help and because of that karmic connection they are open to our help. Likewise of course anyone who has harmed us in any way is also karmically connected with us and has therefore also proved themselves open to our help. Those people who have neither harmed nor helped us are of course worthy of our attention, as it would be worthwhile establishing some kind of karmic connection at whatever level for future benefits to flow either way.

Hmm, I think it isn't as simple - from beginningless time we have created carmic connections with an infinite number of beings, right? So we have karmic connections with billions of beings. And this doesn't automatically mean they are open to our help (as shown by experience :dontknow:) ...

 

As for the question whether karma is a limited phenomenon present only in samsara - I would guess it surely has a sort of existence. If we put ourselves into the world of karma (samsara), then it is there; if we would exit such world, it probably wouldn't be there in the same way?

Imagine you would live in a 2-dimensional world - all reality would have two dimensions then, right? But if you were inside, living in that world, that would be all you knew, you would perceive it as the true form of existence. But looking from the outside, from a 3D world, you would see it differently. You would still see the two dimensions, but wouldn't be limited by them. :huh:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I still think that if someone has managed to help us then a karmic connection exists and where we are unable to help or be helped then the karmic connection has been broken.

 

I think that as our bodhicitta increases and our wisdom mind or realisation of the empty nature of phenomena also manifests we shall be able to form karmic connections with more beings and help more beings.

 

Milarepa's life (from sinner to saint) proves that enlightenment is possible in one lifetime - that is, a person's perception of the reality can change to correspond to the original perception of his/her Buddhanature in this very lifetime.

 

BUT, what kind of karma, if any, does a Buddha create?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
BUT, what kind of karma, if any, does a Buddha create?

What creates karma? = mistaken mind ie. on basis of misunderstanding the reality of phenomena, the mind "moves" towards illusions which it takes for real, and this movement creates the karma.

A Buddha's mind is unmistaken, so, no karma.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I still think that if someone has managed to help us then a karmic connection exists and where we are unable to help or be helped then the karmic connection has been broken.

You know, this term "karmic connection" may sound a little bit new-agey ... in fact, I didn't hear it much in a the context of Buddhist teachings. Usually it is said that something can happen if the person created the causes for it.

 

I think that as our bodhicitta increases and our wisdom mind or realisation of the empty nature of phenomena also manifests we shall be able to form karmic connections with more beings and help more beings.

Not sure that when we will realise Emptiness we will create MORE karma - I thought we would create less karma once realising Emptiness? To continue what I wrote above, with more wisdom and realisations on our side, maybe more beings would also create the causes to be helped by us? :dontknow:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...