This week's focus is on sila paramita, or the perfection of morality. In the many commentaries on sila one usually finds discussion of karma. Lots of Buddhist "westernizers" think that karma ought to be done away with, however.
For example, Owen Flanagan -- a professor of philosophy and neurobiology at Duke University -- has been going around saying things like "if one subtracts [from Buddhism] the beliefs in karma, rebirth and nirvana, what remains is a philosophy that should be attractive to contemporary analytic philosophers."
Now, I've said before that I'm agnostic about rebirth, and even the historical Buddha advised that trying to imagine nirvana is a waste of time. But I draw the line with karma. An appreciation of karma is important to understanding Buddhist morality and practice.
One of the first things I was taught about karma is that once in motion, it tends to stay in motion. In other words, our volitional acts set off causal waves like ripples on a pond, and we don't always see where they go. One act can set off a chain reaction of causes and effects that continues long our of our sight and even beyond our lifetimes.
Why is that important? We tend to assume that if we don't see an immediate consequence to what we do then there's no harm, no foul. But just because we are not aware of harmful effects caused by our actions doesn't mean there aren't any. It also means that all of our choices are weighted with responsibility that extends to all beings.
Teachings on also make us aware of how our choices, moment to moment, shape our lives. Every choice we make, including seemingly insignificant ones, shape our character and our circumstances. Who we are, what we are, where we are, it very much the result of countless choices.
In The Six Perfections: Buddhism and the Cultivation of Character, Dale S. Wright said that karma is "... one of the most ingenious cultural achievements to emerge from ancient India. It has enormous promise for future world culture� -- a way to understand the relationship between moral acts and the kinds of life that they help shape."
People like Owen Flanagan who reject karma assume it is something supernatural, but this is not how I understand it. Buddhism teaches there is no cosmic intelligence directing karma; instead, it is a volitional action -- in thought, speech, or deed. And the teaching of karma is that such volitional action always bring about effects. What could be more rudimentary to morality?
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