Is playing GTA VI bad karma (Pt. 2)

I can't wait to kill 'em all on GTA VI

There are three kinds of karma (actions). One is bodily, the other verbal, the third mental. One may think a thought (form an intention) then speak it then do it. If one did, that is THREE acts, three DEEDS. They are all separate even though they are very closely connected. You may think one thing, say another, and do a third.

In any case, it is three ACTS. The mental act is the one that concerns us here. If karma takes three forms (by the vehicle, body, tongue, or brain), it is qualitatively different but nevertheless effective in producing resultants. If one feels guilty about so much as thinking of doing something, that is a kind of mental resultant. If one is joyful over thinking of doing something, that is a mental resultant. When the fruit of that action ripens, it will be experienced as welcome, neutral, or unwelcome depending on the act.

I was about to attack; a bus killed him for me.

So let's say I play pretend killing mofos for 23 hours straight, a new household record because I love GTA VI so much, what kind of intentions have I been forming, rehearsing, exercising for those hours? Skillful, neutral, or unskillful? Wholesome, neutral, or unwholesome? Good, neutral, or bad? The idea that because it is "just" a thought it has no result is wrong. To prove that, let us look at the Buddha's own words in this short sutra.

Before killing, what karma are soldiers already doing?

We wish to ask a question of the Blessed One.

The village Headman Yodhajiva ("Warrior") went to the Buddha (the Blessed One), paid his respects, sat to one side, and asked:

"Venerable sir, I have heard it passed down through the ancient teaching lineage of warriors that, 'When a warrior strives and exerts himself in battle, if others strike him down and slay him while he is striving and exerting himself, with the breakup of the body, after death, he will be reborn in the [good] company of the devas who were slain in battle.' What does the Blessed One say about this?"

"Enough, headman, set that aside and do not ask."

But a second time and a third time, the Headman Yodhajiva asked.

"Apparently, headman, I am unable to get past you by saying, 'Enough, headman, set that aside and do not ask,' so I will answer it directly.

What did you say, man? I'll F you up right now.

"When a warrior strives and exerts himself in battle, HIS MIND IS ALREADY SEIZED, debased, and misdirected by the thought, 'May these beings be slaughtered, struck down, destroyed, annihilated, and may they cease to exist.'

"If others strike that warrior down and slay him while he is thus engaged in striving and exerting himself, with the breakup of the body, after death, he will be reborn in a hell called the realm of those slain in battle.

This simulation is mentally real but not physical

"Moreover, if he holds a view such as, 'When a warrior strives and exerts himself in battle, if others strike him down and slay him while he is thus striving and exerting himself, with the breakup of the body, after death, he will be reborn in the company of the devas slain in battle,' that is his WRONG VIEW.

"Now, there are two destinations for a person holding such a wrong view, I say, either a hell or the animal world.'

I was lied to and fooled.

When this was said, the Headman Yodhajiva began to sob then burst into tears.

The Buddha then said, "That is what I could not get past you by saying, 'Enough, headman, set that aside and do not ask.'"

"Venerable sir, I am not crying because of what the Blessed One said, but rather because I have been deceived, misled, and fooled for so long by that ancient teaching lineage of warriors." — SN 42.3

• Yodhajiva Sutta: "To the Warrior" (SN 42.3)
• Right Livelihood (samma ajivo)
• Veterans Day: "Fight Till Death" (sutra)

The Workings of Kamma (Pa Auk)

Given that this person is striving, exerting, and mentally hunting down enemies, behaving like a would-be killer, gangster, or trained soldier already mentally engaged in violence, BUT has not yet killed anyone, what's the harm?

The Buddha points to that mental harm: The warrior's mind (heart, citta-stream) is ALREADY seized, debased, and misdirected.

The person need not do anything else yet bad karma (unskillful, unwholesome deeds) will have already accrued. The seeds with the capacity to produce results in the future will have already been planted. The gamer need not go any further (with speech or bodily action) to have already made karma.

What kind of karma was made? There are six kinds: wholesome, neutral, or unwholesome (mundane or supermundane). All of this so far is mundane. What makes a deed good or bad?

ALL bad deeds have only three roots. The same is true for all good deeds. Those unwholesome roots are greed, hatred (which includes fear), and delusion. If one thinks, speaks, or does (acts) motivated by one or more of these roots, the outcome is bad (unskillful) karma. It is called "bad" karma because it will produce, when it ripens, unwelcomed, unwished for results.

It would be "good" karma if it were rooted in nongreed (letting go, giving, unselfishness, releasing, contentment, charity, sharing, providing), nonhatred (loving kindness, compassion, sympathy, equanimity, help), and/or nondelusion (right view, wisdom, insight, understanding).

What is one nourishing while playing Grand Theft Auto VI? It must be goodwill, kindness, love, affection, sympathy... Who knows who's playing that game. When we get in the hotseat and start shooting, we as gamers are exercising the worst qualities: grand theft, mass murder, rape, psychotic violence, endangering others, and so on.

• Dhr. Seven (text) edited by Amber Larson, Ashley Wells as taught to videogame aficionados Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly