Hi Nina,
>Whatever conduct we follow in daily life, it is conditioned by the
>wholesome or unwholesome roots accumulated from life to life. There
>is no
self who can determine to do wrong or to do what is right, it
>is
conditioned by the roots and many other factors. Each moment,
>whatever we do, is conditioned.
I know this is an age-old question, but if there is "no self who can determine to do wrong or to do what is right" who is it that awakens to and follows the Eight Fold Noble Path? Did the Buddha not believe in free will? Certainly from reading his teachings, it seems like he did. Please explain,
Thanks,
Bryan
________________________________
From: Nina van Gorkom <
vangorko@...>
To:
pali@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, April 6, 2010 10:44:30 AM
Subject: [Pali] Abhidhamma Series, no 7. Kamma and Result.
Dear friends,
Kamma and Result.
As we have seen, three cetasikas are unwholesome roots, akusala
hetus: lobha (attachment), dosa (aversion) and moha (ignorance).
Three cetasikas are beautiful roots, sobhana hetus: non-attachment,
alobha, non-aversion, adosa, and pa~n~naa.
Akusala hetus can motivate ill deeds through body, speech or mind.
Ill deeds are called in Påli: akusala kamma. Kamma is the cetasika
(mental factor arising with the citta) which is intention or
volition, in Pali: cetanaa. However, the word “kamma'' is also used
in a more general sense for the deeds which are intended by cetanaa.
The term kamma-patha (literally “course of action'') is used as well
in this sense. There are akusala kamma-pathas and kusala kamma-
pathas, ill deeds and good deeds, accomplished through body, speech
and mind. As regards akusala kamma-patha, there are ten akusala kamma-
pathas and these are conditioned by lobha, dosa and moha. They are:
killing, stealing, sexual misbehaviour, lying, slandering, rude
speech, frivolous talk, covetousness, ill-will and wrong view
(di.t.thi).
Sobhana cetasikas motivate good deeds such as generosity, abstention
from ill deeds, mental development which includes samatha and
vipassanaa.
Whatever conduct we follow in daily life, it is conditioned by the
wholesome or unwholesome roots accumulated from life to life. There
is no self who can determine to do wrong or to do what is right, it
is conditioned by the roots and many other factors. Each moment,
whatever we do, is conditioned.
When we are generous, helping others or paying respect, we may
believe that there are only kusala cittas. However, what we take for
wholesome may be motivated by akusala, such as conceit or being
intent on some advantage for ourselves. Kusala cittas and akusala
cittas alternate in our life. This shows how deeply rooted
defilements are.
Kamma is a mental activity which can be accumulated. Since cittas
that arise and fall away succeed one another in an unbroken series,
the force of kamma is carried on from one moment of citta to the next
moment of citta, from one life to the next life. In this way kamma is
capable to produce its result later on. A good deed, kusala kamma,
can produce a pleasant result, and an evil deed can produce an
unpleasant result. Kamma produces result at the first moment of life:
it produces rebirth-consciousness in a happy plane of existence such
as the human plane or a heavenly plane, or in an unhappy plane of
existence such as a hell plane or the animal world.
Throughout our life kamma produces seeing, hearing and the other
sense-impressions that are vipåkacittas, cittas that are results.
Vipåkacittas are neither kusala cittas nor akusala cittas. Seeing a
pleasant object is the result of kusala kamma and seeing an
unpleasant object is the result of akusala kamma. If there is right
understanding of the citta that is cause and the citta that is result
we shall know the meaning of anattaa. We shall come to understand
that there is no self who can cause the arising of pleasant or
unpleasant experiences through the senses. Due to kamma gain and
loss, praise and blame alternate in our life.
*******
Nina.
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