Karma outcomes

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
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tellyontellyon
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Karma outcomes

Post by tellyontellyon »

Hi,
I know Karma is not a simplistic topic, but does anybody have any information on the kinds of typical outcomes a person might expect from particular misdeeds?
E.g. If you are a bully you might get bullied yourself... type of thing.

Thank you. :heart:
“To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
daverupa
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Re: Karma outcomes

Post by daverupa »

That level of detail is actually unconjecturable.
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
Coyote
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Re: Karma outcomes

Post by Coyote »

Kamma is complex and non-linear, so it's not the case that one can predict that one type of action will inevitably lead to a certain result. But the suttas do give some general guidelines. The suttas quoted in The Buddha's Words on Kamma are a good start.
"If beings knew, as I know, the results of giving & sharing, they would not eat without having given, nor would the stain of miserliness overcome their minds. Even if it were their last bite, their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared."
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Sam Vara
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Re: Karma outcomes

Post by Sam Vara »

You might want to have a look at this sutta
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .nymo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Here, student, some woman or man is a killer of living beings, murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. Due to having performed and completed such kammas, on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell. If, on the dissolution of the body, after death, instead of his reappearing in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell, he comes to the human state, he is short-lived wherever he is reborn. This is the way that leads to short life, that is to say, to be a killer of living beings, murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings.
etc., etc.

But treat this with extreme caution - I don't think it is intended to be a model for fantasy extrapolations that we might want to make.
nmz
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Re: Karma outcomes

Post by nmz »

Sam Vara wrote:You might want to have a look at this sutta
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .nymo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Here, student, some woman or man is a killer of living beings, murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. Due to having performed and completed such kammas, on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell. If, on the dissolution of the body, after death, instead of his reappearing in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell, he comes to the human state, he is short-lived wherever he is reborn. This is the way that leads to short life, that is to say, to be a killer of living beings, murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings.
etc., etc.

But treat this with extreme caution - I don't think it is intended to be a model for fantasy extrapolations that we might want to make.
Maha Kammavibhanga Sutta: The Greater Analysis of Action
2 translations
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .nymo.html
peterve
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Re: Karma outcomes

Post by peterve »

tellyontellyon wrote:Hi,
I know Karma is not a simplistic topic, but does anybody have any information on the kinds of typical outcomes a person might expect from particular misdeeds?
E.g. If you are a bully you might get bullied yourself... type of thing.

Thank you. :heart:
There is no typical outcomes when it concerns Karma.
Your karma of the past life may also play important role.
Let's take an example, you have heard of Ven. Moggallana.
He is considered as the chief disciples of Lord Buddha.
That typically means he have only positive karma.
But due to his negative karma, he experienced bad death.
So no typical outcomes.
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