The Great Exposition of Karma (sutra)

Family Guy; Ven. Ñanamoli Thera (trans.), Maha Kammavibhanga Sutra (MN 136, PTS: M iii 207, accesstoinsight.org); Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

What'll it be, Peter? The Ten Courses of Wholesome or Unwholesome Karma? It'll catch up with you.

The Great Exposition of Karma

INTRODUCTION: The Maha-kamma-vibhanga Sutta (MN 136) is a celebrated sutra by the Buddha. It shows some of the complexities of karma and its many results.

Beginning with a strange view expressed by a confused wandering ascetic and a confused answer given by a Buddhist monk, the Buddha gives a discourse on the Great Exposition of Karma, which is based on four "types" of people:

1. the harm-doer who goes to hell (or some other low state of rebirth called apaya)
2. the harm-doer who goes to heaven
3. the good person who goes to heaven
4. the good person who goes to hell (or other low rebirth).

The Buddha then shows how wrong views can arise from having only a partial understanding of truth. One can see the stages of this:

• (1) A mystic "sees" in a vision an harm-doer suffering in hell.
• (2) This confirms what s/he had heard about moral causality.
• (3) So s/he says, "Harm-doers always go to hell."
• (4) Dogma hardens and becomes rigid when s/he says (with the dogmatists of all ages and places), "Only this is true; everything else is false."

The stages of this process are repeated for each of the four "persons," after which the Buddha proceeds to analyze these views grounded in partial experience and points out which portions are true (verifiable by one's own experience) and which are unjustified and dogmatic.

Finally, the Buddha explains the Greater Exposition of Karma, which shows that notions of invariability like "the harm-doer goes to hell" are much too simple.

The minds/hearts of people are complex, so they make many different kinds of karma even in one [instant, to say nothing of one whole] lifetime, some of which may influence the last moment of life when karma [leading to the relinking consciousness] is made before death, which in turn is the basis for the next life [the afterlife, the next rebirth destination].

SUTRA

1. Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living in Rajagaha ("Royal Hills"), in the Bamboo Grove, in the Squirrels' Feeding Ground. On that occasion Venerable Samiddhi was living in a forest hut.

Then the wandering ascetic Potaliputta, walking about for exercise, came to the Buddhist monk Ven. Samiddhi and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down respectfully to one side, and said:

2. "I heard and learned this, friend Samiddhi, from [the Buddha] the monk Gautama's lips: 'Bodily karmas (intentional actions, deeds, conduct) are vain, verbal karmas are vain, only mental karmas are true.' But there is actually that attainment having entered upon which nothing (of result of karmas) is felt at all."

"Do not say so, friend Potaliputta, do not say so! Do not misrepresent the Blessed One. It is not good to misrepresent the Blessed One. The Blessed One would not say: 'Bodily karmas are vain, verbal karmas are vain, only mental karmas are true.' And there is actually that attainment having entered upon which nothing (as a result of karmas) is felt at all."

Potaliputta asked, "How long is it since you went forth [into monkhood], friend Samiddhi?"

"Not long, friend. It has been three years."

"There now, what shall we say to the elder monastics when the young monastic fancies the Teacher is to be defended in this way? After doing intentional deeds (karma), friend Samiddhi, by way of body, speech, or mind, what does one feel (as a result)?"

"After doing an intentional karma (deed), friend Potaliputta, by way of body, speech, or mind, one feels suffering (disappointment as its result)."

Then neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his words, the wanderer Potaliputta got up from his seat and went away.

3. Soon after Potaliputta the wanderer had departed, Ven. Samiddhi went to Ven. Ananda and exchanged greetings. And when the courteous and amiable talk was done, he sat down respectfully to one side and recounted to Ven. Ananda his conversation with Potaliputta the wanderer.

When this was said, Ven. Ananda told him: "Friend Samiddhi, this conversation should be told to the Blessed One. Come, let us go to him and tell him about this. As he answers, so we shall bear it in mind." 

"Even so, friend," Ven. Samiddhi replied. Then they went together to the Blessed One, and after paying respects sat down to one side. Ven. Ananda told the Blessed One about their conversation.

4. When this was said, the Blessed One replied: "Ananda, I do not know the wanderer by sight. How could there have been such a conversation? The wanderer Potaliputta's question ought to have been answered after analyzing it. But this misguided man Samiddhi answered it without qualification [Note 1].

When this was said, Ven. Udayin interjected "'But, venerable sir, suppose when Ven. Samiddhi spoke, he was referring to the idea, 'Whatever is felt is unsatisfactory'" [2].

5. Then the Blessed One said: "Ananda, see how this misguided man Udayin interferes? Ananda, I knew that this misguided man Udayin would unreasonably interfere just now. To begin with, it was the three kinds of feeling that were asked about by the wanderer Potaliputta.

"If, when this misguided man Samiddhi were asked, he had answered the wanderer Potaliputta in this way —

1. 'After doing an intentional deed (karma) by way of body, speech, or mind (whose result is) to be felt as pleasure, one feels pleasure;
2. after doing an intentional deed by way of body, speech, or mind (whose result is) to be felt as pain, one feels pain;
3. after doing an intentional karma by way of body, speech, and mind (whose result is) to be felt as neither-pain-nor-pleasure, one feels neither-pain-nor-pleasure [neutral]' —

"Ananda, by answering him in this way, the misguided man Samiddhi would have given the wanderer Potaliputta the correct answer.

"In any case, Ananda, who are these foolish and thoughtless wandering ascetics of other traditions that they will understand the Tathagata's Great Exposition of Karma?

"[However,] if you, Ananda, would listen to the Tathagata as he expounds the Great Exposition of Karma [you might understand it] [3].

Ananda replied, "This is the time, Blessed One! This is the time, Sublime One, for the Blessed One to expound the Great Exposition of Karma. Having heard it from the Blessed One, the meditators will bear it in mind."

"Then listen, Ananda, and heed well what I will say."

"Even so, venerable sir," Ven. Ananda replied. The Blessed One then said:

6. "Ananda, there are four kinds of persons existing in the world. What are the four?

(i) "Here [in this Dharma, in this training, in this Doctrine and Discipline] some person kills living beings, takes what is not given, misconducts oneself with regard to sexual desires, speaks falsehood, speaks maliciously, speaks harshly, speaks uselessly, is covetous, is ill-willed, and has wrong view [4].

"On the dissolution of the body, after death, that person reappears in states of deprivation [the downfall], in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in a hell.

(ii) "But here some person kills living beings...and has wrong view [these Ten Courses of Unwholesome Karma]. On the dissolution of the body, after death, that person reappears in a happy destination, even in a heavenly world.

You mean I have a choice? Freewill is hard.

(iii) "Here some person ABSTAINS from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misconduct with regard to sexual desires, from false speech, from malicious speech, from harsh speech, from useless speech, is not covetous, is not ill-willed, and has right view [5].

"On the dissolution of the body, after death, that person reappears in a happy destination, even in a heavenly world.

(iv) "But here some person abstains from killing living beings...and has right view. On the dissolution of the body, after death, that person reappears in the states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in a hell.

7. (i) "Here, Ananda, in consequence of ardor, endeavor, dedication, diligence, and right attention, some wandering ascetic [monastic, shramana] or Brahmin [priest or person made worthy by merit, wholesome conduct, and training in this life] attains such concentration of mind that, when the mind is concentrated, that person sees with the divine eye [dibba cakkhu], which is purified and surpasses the human:

"That person sees that some person kills living beings here, takes what is not given, engages in misconduct with regard to sexual desires, speaks falsehood, speaks maliciously, speaks harshly, speaks foolishly, is covetous, is ill-willed, has wrong view.

"One sees that on the dissolution of the body, after death, that person has reappeared in the states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in a hell. One therefore concludes: 'It seems that there are unwholesome actions (akusala karma) and that there is the result of misconduct.

"For I have seen that a person killed living beings here...had wrong view. And I have seen that on the dissolution of the body, after death, that person had reappeared in the states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in a hell.'

"One therefore concludes: 'It seems that one who kills living beings...has wrong view, will always, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in the states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in a hell.

"Those who know this know rightly; those who know otherwise are mistaken in their knowledge.'

"So one obstinately misapprehends what oneself has known, seen, and felt. Insisting on that alone, one concludes: 'Only this is right, and everything else is wrong.'

8. (ii) "But here in consequence of ardor, endeavor, dedication, diligence, and right attention, some wandering ascetic (shramana) or Brahmin (brahmana) attains such concentration of mind that, with mind concentrated, one sees with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, that some person kills living beings here...has wrong view.

 
"One sees that on the dissolution of the body, after death, the person has reappeared in a happy destination, even in a heavenly world.

Wait, Brian. Is the Buddha saying I'm not in trouble in the afterlife? I love this Dharma.

.

"He therefore concludes: 'It seems there are no unwholesome karmas, there is no result of misconduct. For I have seen that a person killed living beings here... had wrong view.

"And I have seen that on the dissolution of the body, after death, that person has reappeared in a happy destination, even in a heavenly world.'

"One therefore concludes: 'It seems that one who kills living beings...has wrong view will always, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a happy destination, even in a heavenly world. Those who know this know rightly; those who know otherwise are mistaken in their knowledge.'

"So one obstinately misapprehends what one has known, seen, and felt. Insisting on that alone, one concludes: 'Only this is correct, and everything else is wrong.'

9. (iii) "Here in consequence of ardor, endeavor, dedication, diligence, and right attention, some wandering ascetic or Brahmin attains such concentration of mind that, when mind is concentrated, one sees with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, that some person abstains from killing living beings here...has right view.

"One sees that, on the dissolution of the body, after death, that person has reappeared in a happy destination, even in a heavenly world.

"One therefore concludes: 'It seems that there are good deeds (karmas), there is result of good conduct. For I have seen that a person abstained from killing living beings here...had right view.

"And I saw that on the dissolution of the body, after death, that person had reappeared in a happy destination, even in a heavenly world.'

"One therefore concludes: 'It seems that one who abstains from killing living beings...has right view will always, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a happy destination, even in a heavenly world. Those who know thus know rightly; those who know otherwise are mistaken in their knowledge.'

"So one obstinately misapprehends what one has known, seen, and felt; insisting on that alone, one says: 'Only this is true; everything else is incorrect.'

10. (iv) "But here in consequence of ardor, endeavor, dedication, diligence and right attention, some wandering ascetic or Brahmin attains such concentration of mind that, when mind is concentrated, one sees with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, that some person abstains from killing living beings here...has right view.

"One sees that on the dissolution of the body, after death, one has reappeared in the states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in a hell." More

NOTES

1. These are two of the four ways of answering a question, the other two being to reply with a counter-question or "setting aside" a question, for example, replying with silence.
2. This is a quotation from the Buddha's words: see Samyutta Nikaya, Vedana Samyutta, Rahogata-vagga Sutra 1.
3. This is an addition necessary for understanding this sentence.
4. These are the Ten Unwholesome Courses of Karma.
5. These are the Ten Wholesome Courses of Karma.