TheLawofKarmaandMindfulness

by

KarelWerner

BuddhistPublicationSocietyKandy•SriLanka

BodhiLeavesNo.61ReprintedfromWorldBuddhismVesakAnnual1965

Copyright © Kandy, Buddhist Publication Society(1973)

BPSOnlineEdition©(2009)

Digital Transcription Source: Buddhist PublicationSociety

For free distribution. Thisworkmay be republished,reformatted, reprinted and redistributed in any

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medium. However, any such republication andredistributionistobemadeavailabletothepublicona free and unrestricted basis and translations andother derivative works are to be clearly marked assuch.

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TheLawofKarmaandMindfulness

Man lives in a world which seems to him to besomethingquiteseparatefromhimself.Heoftenfeelsas if he were cast into a hostile environment thatresists his endeavours to shape it according to hiswishes.

Ataprimitivestageofdevelopment,mansuspectsaconscious individual is behind everyphenomenonofthematerialworldandhetriestocometotermswiththese powerful forces that he usually calls deities orgods.Hedoesnotwanttobeattheirmercyandwantsto influence them for his own immediate personalbenefit.

At a later stage of development, he ascribes thepowerandcapacitytoruleoverthehappeningsintheword—and,consequently,overtheeventsofhisownlife, too—to one supreme being, an almighty God, acreator and, similarly as in the previous stage ofdevelopment, tries to come to terms with thissuspecteduniversal,thoughpersonal,force.

The ways in which he tries to influence thesuspected creator and ruler of theworld to his own

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benefit are manifold—from a naive persuasion inprayers, through bargaining with deities by offeringthemsacrificesinexchangeforhismaterialwelfare,tosubtlemethodsofapproachasseeninthemeditationofamystic.

In the latest stage of development of humanthought,whensciencecameintobeing,manarrivedatthe formulation of impersonal forces of nature thatregulate all happenings and events in theworld andhecallsthemthelawsofnature.

However, the scientist seems to be able tounderstandandgrasponlythelawsofmaterialeventsand some psychological phenomena; he seems to beunable to extend his observation to the operation oflaws in thesphereofmoralaction. In thisrespect,heeitherretainsthebeliefinawisealmightycreatorwhosupervises this sphere and takes care of righteousretribution of man’s deeds, or he denies any lawfulconsequencesofman’smoralactionsaltogether.

Bothoftheseattitudesshowclearlythedeficienciesinmodernman’soutlookandaredirectlyresponsibleforthepoorstateofaffairsintheworldoftoday.

He who believes in an almighty creator is by hisvery belief prevented from trying to extend hisknowledge of the laws of nature gained byobservationandexperiment,and formulated through

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theprocessofabstractthinkingtothesphereofmoralaction.

IfitisbelievedthatnothinghappenswithoutGod’swill, no investigation into the unknown ways ofoperation of natural laws in the moral sphere isencouraged.Andwhen thebelief inGodweakensorevendisappears,asitisoftenthecasetoday,thenmanstandsherewithemptyhandsagainstahostileworldoutofwhichhethentriestogainasmuchforhisownpersonal benefit as he possibly can, withoutsufficientlyconsideringthepossibleevilconsequencesfor others as he does not assume that he could behimselfcaughtbythemoneday.

Really, if man believes only in what he perceivesthroughhis fivesensesanddeniesapriorieverythingelse,he isblindto theoperationof laws in themoralsphere,evenifhe isagiftedscientistandknowsandcanmakethebestuseofthelawsofvisiblenature.Hisouter behaviour is then seldomadequate to the highmoral standards conducive to real happiness ofmansothathisscienceoftenservesmost immoralaimsofpower-seekingindividualsorsocialgroups.

Such a man usually short-sightedly prefers hisimmediate advantage and the satisfaction of hispresent desires to the wise consideration of thewelfare of all fellow beings. It is a sad fact that the

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politicsofnearlyallcountriesoftheworld,bothintheEast and in theWest, arebasedon this short-sightedphilosophy.

Thewarsbetweennationsandsocialgroupsaretheoutcome of the false view that coercion can bringadvantage to the oppressors, and that theconsequencesof theirmisdeedscannotreachthemorcan be avoided. Themenace of a destructive atomicwar hanging over the world became somewhat lessfrightening to nations, because those who possessedthepowertostartsuchawarcouldnomorefeelsafefromtheimmediateconsequencesofit.However,thisisnotareliablesecurityfromthepossibilityofsuchaterrible world war breaking out. Hence a deeperinsightintoworldeventsisindispensable.

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Long before Western science came into being toformulateitsconceptionofimpersonallawsofnature,thewise seers ofVedic times in India gained adeepinsight into the courseof events in the cosmos.Theyexpressed this insight by the term rita denoting thelawfulcourseof things inallspheresof theuniverse.Accordingtothisconception,theuniverseisgovernedbyan impersonal law thatmanifests itself outwardlyasnaturalorderinthephysicalworldandinwardlyasthe urge towards righteousness in the hearts ofmen

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andgods.

Whenthepathofritaisfollowed,harmonyprevailsin the world. The same path of harmony or law isfollowedbythesunandstarsontheirdailyroutesinthe firmament as by the righteous man in his dailyconduct. Both the outer order in the cosmos and theinnerharmonyinman,whichbecomesmanifestashisvirtue, are the outcome of the same impersonal lawcalledrita.

Theconceptofritaasanimpersonalforcegoverningthecourseofthingsintheouteruniverseaswellasinthesphereofmoralitywasnotpreservedinitspurityand became coupled first with a guarding deity(Varuna) and later onwith other gods or a supremeGod. However, its deeper philosophical significancewas never lost to Indian thinkers and it became thefoundation of a more elaborate doctrine of karma.Karma is, in fact, the application and elaboration ofthe concept of rita in its moral aspect and from thepointofviewofindividualbeings.

Owing to this background, it is quite natural formost people in India and otherOriental countries toconsider their moral actions as forces producingeffectsthatcannotgetlostandmustinfluence,sooneror later, the course of life of the doer. On the otherhand,modernEuropeanswhoelaboratedtheconcept

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oflawsofnatureintheirsciencefinditoftendifficulttoextendthisconcepttothesphereofmorality.

InEurope,themoralspherewasformanycenturiesthe sole domain of an almighty creator who wassupposed to punish and reward men’s deeds orbestowmercyuponmenaccording tohisdivinewillwhichcouldnotbeunderstoodbymen.Withthelossoffaith,themodernEuropeanlostthenotionofmoralretribution and often even of personal responsibilityfor all his deeds, especially for those that are notclassified as crimes or transgressions by his variouscodes and statute books. With respect to the moralspherehethusbecameanaivematerialist.

Western philosophers still try in vain to find, byway of speculation, the obligatory principleunderlyingtheirpostulatedtablesofmoralvaluesthatusuallyformsomepartoftheirphilosophicalsystems.It is oftenverydifficult for an educatedEuropean tograspthefullmeaningofthefactthatso-calledmoralretribution is inherent in thecourseof things, similartothenaturalsequenceofphysicalphenomenaintheouter cosmos that he so wonderfully expresses inscientificformulaecalledthelawsofnature.

The best formulation of the moral aspect of thenatural course of things manifest in the life ofindividual beings was given by the Buddha in his

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doctrine of karma (kamma). In Buddhist tradition,karma (kamma), which means “action,” is nothingexternal. The term denotes the mental process ofvolition, of intention in the course of which a beingceasesmerelytoobservetheexternalhappenings,butmentally takes part in them, identifies himself orherself with this or that standpoint and opposesanother one, thus becoming mentally entangled inouterbecoming.Thismental takingpartorbecomingentangled in outer happenings is, of course,immediately followed by some act that may beperformedbybody,speechormerelybythought.

The nature of this entanglement lies in ignorance.One is ignorant of one’s own insubstantiality anddeemsoneself tobean independent centreofmentaland outer activity. This ignorance of one’s owninsubstantialityenablesonetoassumetheimportanceof one’s own personality and the necessity ofcultivatingit.Incultivatingone’sownpersonalityoneconsiders,forthepurposeofthiscultivation,onethingasdesirableandanotherthingasundesirable.

Theresultofthisfalseviewisthatonethenpursuesthedesirable thingsandavoids theundesirableones.This pursuit and avoidance takes on various forms,from subtle feelings of liking and disliking to grossemotionsofcravingandhate.

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Thetroubleis,thatallthisproceedsveryquicklyinone’s mind so that one is usually aware only of theend result of this compound process, namely, of aperformed deed, a pronounced word, a formulatedthoughtorsomeotherparticularstateofmind.Onlyavery careful and repeated analysis of theseprocessesin retrospection and during the time when theseprocesses are in motion enables one to get someglimpseofthesesubtledetails.

Moreover, these processes proceed more or lessautomaticallywithoutanycreativeparticipationoftheindividualconcerned.Oneonlyseemstochoosefreelytheobjectsofone’slikesanddislikes,but,infact,thereis only blind pursuit of seeming pleasures withunforeseen consequences. As the welfare of everybeingdependson thequalityof theseprocesses, it isveryimportantforeverybodytogetsomeinsightintothismatter.

ConsequencesofMentalVolitionsEvery mental act of volition is, first of all, aconditioned act of the mind. It springs from thereactiontosomeouterimpulse.Oneidentifiesoneselfwith that reaction and thus makes it one’s ownvolition. This then producesmanifold results. Let usconsidersomeofthem.

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The first result of amental volition is aperformedactofbody,speechormind.Thisactis,atleastatthemoment, consideredor feltby thedoerasperformedofhisownfreewillortohisownbenefitorinhisowninterest.However, further results of his act are quiteindependent of the doer’s opinion and seldomcorrespondtohiswishes.Byhisacthe influenceshisenvironmentandtheattitudeofotherbeingstowardshimself,and,asthesebeingsusuallypursuetheirowndifferentaims,collisionsareinevitable.

Byperforminganactofbody,speechormindastheoutcomeofone’svolition,onealsocreatesapossibilitytoactinasimilarwayinfuture.One,sotospeak,laysfoundationsforcreatingawayofbehaving,ahabitora tendency. In other words, one adds some new orstrengthens some old feature of one’s personality,perpetuating thereby one’s state of conditionedexistenceanddetermining thequalityofone’s futurecharacter.

Further, by acts of mind and by mentalconcomitants of the acts of body and speech, onedeeply influences one’s outer appearance. Evenduring the moments of performing those acts,transitory changes are clearly observable. Kindthoughtsandstatesofmindoutofwhichweperformkind acts or speak kind words make the features ofour countenance look bright and pleasant or even

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beautiful. Thoughts,words and acts of anger orhatecreateinourfacefeaturesofugliness.

Duringourlifetimeinourpresentform,thelastingresults of these changes are not so obvious and ourbodily appearance cannot adequately reflect allchangesofourcharacter.However,whenanewformis being created in a new existence, its outerappearance corresponds to the characterof thebeingatthatmoment.OfthiswehavedirectevidenceinthewordsoftheAwakenedOne.

Furthermore, as well as the immediate result ofinfluencing one’s environment and the attitude offellow-beings,thereisalsoafarmoreimportantresultofone’sactsinthemoreremotefuture.Inaway,itisthecontinuationoftheimmediateresultofinfluencingone’s environment. Every act, in fact, changes thewhole universe, the cosmic process, even if it is aninfinitelysmallchange.Butthetotalityofactionsofanindividual during his whole lifetime represents asowing of influential powers which has its time ofripeningandbearingfruits.

Thus, an adequate environment comes intoappearance that precisely corresponds to the innertendencies and outer actions of the individualconcerned, though, inhis ignorance,he isnotable torealise that thesurroundingshe lives inare inreality

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only projections of his own mind and that variousevents andoccurrenceshemeetswith areonly fruitsofhisownpastdeeds.

The manifold and complicated relations of onebeing to another, and the many similar desires andtendencies that they share, cause various beings toappear,sotospeak,inoneandthesameworld.Thuswhole worlds (and the whole universe, too) arecreatedbytheinnerandblindtendenciesofthebeingsthereinas theypursuetheirparticularaims, tryingtosatisfy the urge of their individual desires andtendencies. Though outwardly it looks like we areliving in one and the same world, mentally everybeing is caught in thenetofhisown ideasabout theworld,andlives,infact,inhisownself-createdworld.

However,beingignorantofthelawsofthisprocessof creating the world, no more remembering one’spastdesires,wishes,angers,deeds,etc.,whicharethereal seeds fromwhich the presentworld has grown,one comes to the false opinion that one is a separatesubject, living in an objective world that is quiteindependentfromallotherconsciousbeings.

SomewiseseersoftheVedicandUpanishadictimesknew this well and their insight survived in Hindusystems of philosophy of later times in the variouslyformulatedandmuchmisunderstoodtheoryofmaya.

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But our aim here is not to spend more time onspeculations regarding these philosophical theories.TheAwakenedOnehas shownus clearly the futilityofallspeculationsandhasstressedtheimportanceoftaking practical steps on the path to liberation. So,having gained an initial insight into the operation ofkarmic laws, how canweprofit thereby in ourdailystruggletoprepareourselvesforthegreatmomentofliberation?

Theanswerisquitesimple.Wehavetobemindful,tobeawareofeverystateandofeveryactionofourmind.Wecantherebycatchtheimportantmomentinwhichakarmic result from thepast (vipāka) presentsitselftoourmindandthemind’sreactiontoitcomesintobeing, i.e.avolitionalactionisbeingundertakenwherebythekarmicprocessissetintomotionanew,isbeingperpetuated.

InnerTendencyOur conscious life is based on perception. But noteverything that is perceived becomes also fullyconscious.Manyphysiologicalprocesses inourbodyaretheproductsofreactionsofournervoussystemonvarioussenseperceptionsofwhichwetakenonotice,of which we are not aware. These reactions, thoughunconscious—or perhaps, just because they are

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unconscious—are no doubt a constituent of ourconditioned state of being; they add to ourentanglement and bind us, in a way, to our presentunfree state of existence. It would be useless for us,however, to try to bring these unconscious reactionsunder our conscious control, as some systems ofHinduyoga try to do,whenwedonot even controlourhighermentalreactions, leavingthemtofunctionautomatically.

Other perceptions become more or less conscious.We take brief notice of them, examining themsuperficially as to their usefulness for our pattern oflife,andsoonforgetthemagain.

But then there are those perceptions that awakenour interest, becoming fully conscious, because theycorrespondtosomeinnertendencyofourcharacter—either positively or negatively—and we then takeappropriate steps to prolong or repeat, or to avoidsuchsortofperceptions,asthecasemaybe.

Though this process goes on consciously, it isnevertheless an automatic and blind sequence ofmentalphenomenawithoutanyrealmeaninganditisquite similar to the sequence of unconsciousphysiological phenomena in a living organism. Thepurpose of both these sorts of processes ismerely toperpetuate themselves and renew themselveson and

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on,endlessly.

Consciousness here plays no deeply metaphysicalpart; it isonlyanoutcomeoftheprocessofselection.Outofinnumerableobjectsofperceptionthatpresentthemselves to our sense organs, only those thatcorrespond, positively or negatively, to some part ofour inner tendency awaken, through agreeable ordisagreeable feeling, our interest and becomeconscious. The perceptions thus selected andpresentedtotheconsciousnessbecomethentheobjectof our desire and attachment, or of our hate andrepulsion.

Now all perceptions—and there is no world, noenvironment for us outside perception—are theoutcome of our past action, i.e. of our deeds, of ourspeech and of our active mental states. In short, allperceptions—conscious as well as unconscious—arekamma-results.

Those perceptions that do not influence us, whichfindnoresponseinus,passawaywithoutanyfurtherconsequences. But those perceptions that findresponseinus,whichawakenourinterest,becomeanopportunity for new action whereby the kamma-producingprocessrenewsitself.

Whenever an object presents itself throughperception toourmind,wecan, ifwe try,watchour

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immediate reaction. We either like or dislike theobject;iteitherpleasesusormakesussad;itawakensour desire to possess it, or our envy, if it belongs tosomeoneelse,etc.Usuallythatreactionisfollowedbypractical steps. We modify our living in order toacquire such a desired object;weplan some steps tochange a disagreeable situation; we say a few harshwords to silence someone who speaks against ouraims;orweatleast,judgeinthought,takesomeone’sside,evenwhenonlylisteningtodisputesorwatchingsome events, even when we are not concernedpersonally.

Allthisisaction;allthisiskamma.Allthisproducesresultsinthefuturethatwillcometousindisguiseofvarious agreeable and disagreeable perceptions,constituting pleasant or unpleasant conditions andfavourableorunfavourableeventsinourfuturelives.

SuspensionofKammicProcessOnce we realise the futility of this endless andpurposeless kaleidoscopic sequence of phenomenacalled saṃsāra, we may, with the help of thoroughattentiveness,suspenditinthisorthatmoment,inthisor that situation and thus free ourselves, for thatmomentorsituation,fromthenecessityofbeingapartof it, from blindly identifying ourselves with this

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automaticprocessofconditioning.

We can then proceed by assuming an impersonalattitudeofobservingeverythingthathappenstous,orthatwehappentodo.Wetrynottoloseourselvesinthe course of events, andwe try not to live as ifwewerea fixedandseparatecentreofactivity,andas iftheworldwere the sceneof it, containing theobjectswecanusetoproduceafeelingofsatisfactioninus.Inotherwords,westopseekinganything;wegiveupthenotionofacquiringanything,eventhehigheststateoflastinghappinessforourselves,andonlymaintaintheobserving attitude of watchful mindfulness withoutawaitinganyresult.

There isnodoubt thatwe shallnot succeed innotidentifying ourselves with our outer-actingpersonality right from the beginning, and that veryoftenweshallloseourselvesineagerandspontaneousactions,words,feelingsandthoughtsasweusedtodopreviously. However, later on, when we recall ourintentiontoobserve,weshallbeabletodosoatleastretrospectively.

It isa thingofhighest importance tobear inmind,when retrospectively examining events in which weplayed some part, that we ought not judge thoseeventsorourpartinthem.Weshouldnotapproveofnorcondemnthem.Thatwouldbeanewactofmental

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volition and hence a new kamma-producing activity.Weshouldonlycallthemtoourmindandjustwatchthemasdisinterestedlyasamarionetteplay.

When proceeding in this way, we shall soondiscoverthatnowandthenwehaveamomentofnotmerely retrospective observation, but of immediatewatchingofwhat is justgoingon. Ifwethenanalysethose moments and our actions performed duringthem, we shall see that these actions of ours wereprofoundly influenced by themere fact of our beingawareofthem,ofourmindfulobservingthem.

We shall find out that when doing anything withfullawareness,whenfullyknowingthatwearedoingsomethingandwhat it iswearedoing,weneverdoanythingthatweshouldrepentafterwards.Ouractionwilloutwardlylookselflessandinwardlywillleaveinusasenseofunsoughtforjoyandhappiness.

Furthermore,iftheattitudeofwatchfulmindfulnesscomes to us in a moment when we start doingsomethingthatwouldstrengthenourself-centrednessorwhenwewere just about to do something out ofdesire for advantage or out of hate, envy or otherdeluded state of mind, the action will remainunfinished or the intention unaccomplished. Thedeludedstateofmindwillfallfromusandweshallbeabletowatchitsslowfadingaway.

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In this way our observing attitude will graduallydeepenandwiden.Fromobservingourownandourfellow-men’sbehaviourweshalluncoercivelyproceedtoobservethemotivesbehindthatbehaviour.Asthisobservingisnotcombinedwithjudging,theseeingofother people’s motives behind their self-centredactionswillnotbefollowedbyourcondemnation,butin seeing theundesirable consequences they bring tothemselves thereby, a feeling of compassion will beborninus.

And seeing the true motivations behind our owndeluded actions and intentions, we shall notaccomplish them, for we shall see that these actionsandintentionsaretheoutcomeofthemotivesbehindthem that spring from pleasant and unpleasantreactions. The motives in themselves, however, arepowerless. The capacity to accomplish the actioncomes from our identification with the motive. Thatidentificationceaseswhenweareawareofthemotiveandmakeittheobjectofobservation.

In such amoment of livingwatchful awareness ofwhat just is in us, we gain a real insight into theoperation of the law of kamma. We clearly see thatwithout mindfulness we are living in the realm ofmerciless reactivity; and with mindfulness we arestandingonthethresholdoffreedom.Formindfulnessfreesusfromtheblindsequenceofmentalphenomena

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that follow each other according to the impersonallawsofwhatwecallkamma, i.e.fromthesequenceofkamma-resultant perceptions followed by blindreactions out of which come, or part of which aremental volitions, which again are kammic forcesproducing further kammic results and so on,endlessly.

Mindfulness disperses, step by step, the blindignorancewithwhichbeingsidentifythemselveswiththisprocessofbecomingandgraduallyleadsthemtohigherknowledge. In thiswayalso thegermsof twocardinalBuddhistvirtues,ofwisdomandcompassion,willstarttodevelopinus.

The observing attitude of constant everydaymindfulness which we thus assume, does notnecessarily stop all our outer activity, does not forceustoretirefromtheworldtoamonasteryoranothersortofouterseclusion.Wecangoon livingwithourfamily and be active in some suitable occupation. Asuperficial observerwill hardly notice any change inus. True mindfulness does not cause one to lookextraordinary or to be conspicuous in a particularway.

However, a more careful observer might notice acertain pertinence in the deeds andwords of such aperson,andafeatureofunselfishnessinhismotives.

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If we are in some situation in which we play anactivepart,weusuallyact soas togainsomebenefitforus, to obtain a result thatwebelieve is beneficialfor us. Sometimes we take into consideration thebenefit of others, too, but at other times, out ofselfishnessorneglect,wedonot.Thefactthatwearenot in possession of true knowledge or wisdomusually causes us to take as beneficial thatwhich, infact, is harmful to us, producing unexpected resultsand thus prolonging our entanglement andconditionedstateofbeing.

Ifwe,however,succeedinmaintainingtheattitudeofwatchfulmindfulness in aparticular situation, theintention to act outof self-centredmotives falls fromusandnofoundationforfuturekammicresultsislaid.

Nevertheless, life is no static state; it is a dynamicprocess that does not stop. It mostly proceeds ininadequatedirections,obstructedbyselfishactionsofindividuals. Yet, in itself, life is a harmonious flow,tendingtoliberation.Craving,desire,hate,etc.arenotoflife;theyareofthedeadrealmofmerephenomena.

Thus, ifwebecomeawareof the falsenessof someintendedactandwedropit,andweare,at thesametime,abletoseewhetheranotherouteractionorwordisnecessarytohelptobringthesituationtoitsrightorharmonioussolution,weshall,ofcourse,performthat

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actorutterthatword.Isthisalsoakamma-producingaction? I think not. Outwardly, such an act looksunselfish, self-sacrificing or beneficial to others; itlookslikeagooddeedwhichshouldberewarded.Butifitisperformedinutterinnerdisinterestedness,onlyoutofmomentaryperceptionofitsobjectiverightnessinthegivensituation,orifitismotivatedbyuniversallove (mettā) or compassion (karuṇā), then there is nobindingpowerinsuchanaction.

On the contrary, it has a liberating effect. Any actwhich, be it for a single moment, unburdens one ofoneself,tendstoliberation,providedthatthislittleselfofourpersonalityisnotmasqueradingassomebiggerself, over-self, higher self, etc., due to the seductiveanddeceptivepowerofspeculationwhichtakesholdofoneifmindfulnessisnotconsistentlyappliedeventothought.

Thus if, at leastat someperiods,puremindfulnessremains undisturbed and firm in us, even inoutwardly difficult situations provoking the mostpowerful tendencies in us to bring us to immediateblindreaction,thenwemaysomedayinonemomentclearlyexperiencethatwearefreeinthismoment;weclearlyseethatthetendenciesinusarenotours,thatthereisno“I”inthem,thattheydonotconstituteany“self”inus.Neitheraselfnoranyselfisbeingfeltorexperiencedinthatmoment. It isamomentaryactof

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pureawareness,butthisexpressionisnotquitefitting,either.Itisa“momentaryliberation.”

Thoughtheconditionedprocessofindividuallifeinterms of “I,” “mine” and “self” emerges againafterwards,yet,inaway,thereisthewholeliberationin that momentary liberation. Though such anindividual is not nearer to liberation than any otherbeing,yet there isonedifference:nomoreproducingnewkamma-results,oratleastlesseningtheamountofkamma-producing actions. Such an individual,watchingthekamma-resultscoming frompastactionsand presenting themselves to him as perceptions ofenvironment,ofevents,ofthoughtsandideas,knowsthatonedaytheywillcometoanend.

Noentityiscomingnearertoliberationduringthisprocess,onlythesequenceofconditionedphenomenais gradually nearing its end, for no life is beingbestowedupon them in thedeludedprocessofone’sidentification with them. It may take some time orsome aeons before that end comes. But time has nomeaninghere.

In the meantime, of course, the accidental gooddeedsproduce theirgoodresults.Suchan individualgradually grows out of unfavourable circumstancesandhisouterdestinybecomesbetter.This isalso thereasonwhy,inBuddhisttradition,futureBuddhasare

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borneintonobleandrichfamilies.

Butthewatchfulmindfulnessguardssuchapersonfrombecoming attached to any outer advantage andto be seduced by the pursuit of these things.He canuse them occasionally in a purposeful way to solvesome situation harmoniously or to help others tobetterunderstanding,whichhedoeswithhisgrowinginsightoutofwisdomoroutof loveandcompassiontoalllivingbeings.

And when such a person perceives that the outercomfortablecircumstancesmightbecomeahindrance,herenouncesthem.Andwhendeprivedof themandperhaps even deprived of the possibility to helpothers, he even then remains mindful and withoutresentment.

Mindfulness thus in any situationproves tobe theonly way to the cessation of the sequence ofconditionedphenomena,tothesuspendingofkammicprocess,whichisliberation.

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TableofContents

Titlepage 2TheLawofKarmaandMindfulness 4ConsequencesofMentalVolitions 11InnerTendency 15SuspensionofKammicProcess 18

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