2. Did the Buddha believe in past Karma having effect on future life ?
1. The Law of Karma was enunciated by the Buddha. He was the first to say: " Reap as you sow."
2. He was so emphatic about the Law of Karma that he maintained that there could be no moral order unless there was a stern observance of the Law of Karma.
3. The Buddha's Law of Karma applied only to Karma and its effect on present life.
4. There is, however,' an extended doctrine of Karma. According to it Karma includes Karma done in past life or lives.
5. If a man is born in a poor family it is because of his past bad karma. If a man is born in a rich family it is because of his past good karma.
6. If a man is born with a congenital defect it is because of his past bad karma.
7. This is a very pernicious doctrine. For in this interpretation of karma there is no room left for human effort. Everything is predetermined for him by his past karma.
8. This extended doctrine is often found to be attributed to the Buddha.
9. Did the Buddha believe in such a doctrine?
10. To examine this extended doctrine properly it is better to change the language in which it is usually expressed.
11. Instead of saying that past karma is transmitted it should be better if it was said that past karma is inherited.
12. This change of language enables us to test it by the law of heredity. At the same time it does no harm to the doctrine either to its de jure or de facto connotation.
13. This restatement makes it possible to pose the two questions which could not otherwise be posed and without answering which the matter could not be made clear.
14. The first question is how is past karma inherited ? What is the process ?
15. The second question is what is the nature of past karma in terms of heredity ? Is it an inherent characteristic or acquired characteristic ?
16. What do we inherit from our parents ?
17. Starting with science the new individual begins when a sperm enters the egg. Fertilisation consists in fusion of the head of the sperm with the nucleus of the egg.
18. Each human being takes its origin from the union of two bits of living matter, an egg from the mother which has been fertilised by a single sperm from the father.
19. That human birth is genetic is told by the Buddha to a Yakkha who came to discuss the matter with him. 20. The Exalted One was then staying near Rafagraha, on the hill called lndra's Peak.
21. Now that Yakkha drew near to the Exalted One and addressed him as follows: ' Material form is not the living soul ' So says th' Enlightened One. Then how doth soul possess this body ? Whence to soul doth come Our bunch of bones and bowels ? How doth soul within the mother-cave suspended bide?
22. To this the Exalted One replied: At first the Kalala takes birth, and thence the abudde. Therefrom the pesi grows, Developing as ghana in its turn. Now in the ghana doth appear the hair, The down, the nails. And whatsoever food and drink the mother of him takes, thereby the man in mother's womb doth live and grow. 23. But the Hindu doctrine differs.
24. It says that the body is genetic. But the soul is not. It is implanted into the body from outside—the doctrine is unable to specify the source.
25. Turning to the second question as to what is the nature of past karma, it must be determined whether it is an inherent characteristic or an acquired characteristic.
26. Unless an answer to this question is forthcoming it cannot be tested by the scientific theory of heredity. 27. But assuming there is an answer one way or the other to this question how is it possible to get any help from science whether it is a sensible theory or senseless theory.
28. According to science a child inherits the characteristics of his parents.
29. In the Hindu doctrine of karma a child inherits nothing from its parents except the body. The past karma in the Hindu doctrine is the inheritance of the child by the child and for the child.
30. The parents contributes nothing. The child brings everything.
31. Such a doctrine is nothing short of an absurdity.
32. As shown above the Buddha did not believe in such an absurdity.
33. " Yes, if it were not reborn; but if it were, no." no.
34. " Give me an illustration. "
35. " Suppose, 0 king, a man were to steal another man's mangoes, would the thief deserve punishment ? " 36. "Yes"
37. " But he would not have stolen the mangoes the other set in the ground. Why would he deserve punishment ? "
38. " Because those he stole were the result of those that were planted."
39. "Just so, great king, this name-and-form commits deeds, either pure or impure, and by that karma another name-and-form is reborn. And therefore is it not set free from its evil deeds ? "
40. " Very good, Nagasena ! "
41. The king said : " When deeds are committed, Nagasena by one name-and-form, what becomes of those deeds ? "
42. " The deeds would follow it, O king, like a shadow that never leaves it."
43. " Can any one point out those deeds, saying: ' Here are those deeds or there ? '
44. " No. "
45. " Give me an illustration."
46. " Now what do you think, 0 king ? Can any one point out the fruits which a tree has not yet produced, saying:
47. ' Here they are, or there ? ' "
48. " Certainly not, sir,"
49. " Just so, great king, so long as the continuity of life is not cut off, it is impossible to point out the deeds that are done."
50. " Very good, Nagasena."
1. The Law of Karma was enunciated by the Buddha. He was the first to say: " Reap as you sow."
2. He was so emphatic about the Law of Karma that he maintained that there could be no moral order unless there was a stern observance of the Law of Karma.
3. The Buddha's Law of Karma applied only to Karma and its effect on present life.
4. There is, however,' an extended doctrine of Karma. According to it Karma includes Karma done in past life or lives.
5. If a man is born in a poor family it is because of his past bad karma. If a man is born in a rich family it is because of his past good karma.
6. If a man is born with a congenital defect it is because of his past bad karma.
7. This is a very pernicious doctrine. For in this interpretation of karma there is no room left for human effort. Everything is predetermined for him by his past karma.
8. This extended doctrine is often found to be attributed to the Buddha.
9. Did the Buddha believe in such a doctrine?
10. To examine this extended doctrine properly it is better to change the language in which it is usually expressed.
11. Instead of saying that past karma is transmitted it should be better if it was said that past karma is inherited.
12. This change of language enables us to test it by the law of heredity. At the same time it does no harm to the doctrine either to its de jure or de facto connotation.
13. This restatement makes it possible to pose the two questions which could not otherwise be posed and without answering which the matter could not be made clear.
14. The first question is how is past karma inherited ? What is the process ?
15. The second question is what is the nature of past karma in terms of heredity ? Is it an inherent characteristic or acquired characteristic ?
16. What do we inherit from our parents ?
17. Starting with science the new individual begins when a sperm enters the egg. Fertilisation consists in fusion of the head of the sperm with the nucleus of the egg.
18. Each human being takes its origin from the union of two bits of living matter, an egg from the mother which has been fertilised by a single sperm from the father.
19. That human birth is genetic is told by the Buddha to a Yakkha who came to discuss the matter with him. 20. The Exalted One was then staying near Rafagraha, on the hill called lndra's Peak.
21. Now that Yakkha drew near to the Exalted One and addressed him as follows: ' Material form is not the living soul ' So says th' Enlightened One. Then how doth soul possess this body ? Whence to soul doth come Our bunch of bones and bowels ? How doth soul within the mother-cave suspended bide?
22. To this the Exalted One replied: At first the Kalala takes birth, and thence the abudde. Therefrom the pesi grows, Developing as ghana in its turn. Now in the ghana doth appear the hair, The down, the nails. And whatsoever food and drink the mother of him takes, thereby the man in mother's womb doth live and grow. 23. But the Hindu doctrine differs.
24. It says that the body is genetic. But the soul is not. It is implanted into the body from outside—the doctrine is unable to specify the source.
25. Turning to the second question as to what is the nature of past karma, it must be determined whether it is an inherent characteristic or an acquired characteristic.
26. Unless an answer to this question is forthcoming it cannot be tested by the scientific theory of heredity. 27. But assuming there is an answer one way or the other to this question how is it possible to get any help from science whether it is a sensible theory or senseless theory.
28. According to science a child inherits the characteristics of his parents.
29. In the Hindu doctrine of karma a child inherits nothing from its parents except the body. The past karma in the Hindu doctrine is the inheritance of the child by the child and for the child.
30. The parents contributes nothing. The child brings everything.
31. Such a doctrine is nothing short of an absurdity.
32. As shown above the Buddha did not believe in such an absurdity.
33. " Yes, if it were not reborn; but if it were, no." no.
34. " Give me an illustration. "
35. " Suppose, 0 king, a man were to steal another man's mangoes, would the thief deserve punishment ? " 36. "Yes"
37. " But he would not have stolen the mangoes the other set in the ground. Why would he deserve punishment ? "
38. " Because those he stole were the result of those that were planted."
39. "Just so, great king, this name-and-form commits deeds, either pure or impure, and by that karma another name-and-form is reborn. And therefore is it not set free from its evil deeds ? "
40. " Very good, Nagasena ! "
41. The king said : " When deeds are committed, Nagasena by one name-and-form, what becomes of those deeds ? "
42. " The deeds would follow it, O king, like a shadow that never leaves it."
43. " Can any one point out those deeds, saying: ' Here are those deeds or there ? '
44. " No. "
45. " Give me an illustration."
46. " Now what do you think, 0 king ? Can any one point out the fruits which a tree has not yet produced, saying:
47. ' Here they are, or there ? ' "
48. " Certainly not, sir,"
49. " Just so, great king, so long as the continuity of life is not cut off, it is impossible to point out the deeds that are done."
50. " Very good, Nagasena."
No comments:
Post a Comment