QUESTION
Dear Ven Robina
During a recent teaching you mentioned you had a list of causes linked with their environmental results. And you kindly undertook to send me this list.
I am so grateful for your teachings. Thank you.
What is it that we have done in the past which has caused us to be born in environments that are increasingly toxic; ravaged by fires and floods; and waterless. Where food insecurity is growing and pandemics rife? If we can be told the cause, then we can change our behaviour and therefore the result.
I know nothing about karma. Let alone collective karma. But I am confident the answer lies in the Dharma. If you could help me find that list you mentioned, that would be a great gift. I thank you in advance fir your kindness.
Yours in the Dharma
J
ANSWER
Happy to hear from you, dearest J!
Yes, the topic of karma is a minefield. As you know, of course, everything everyone experiences can be explained in terms of the law of karma, so, like with any law, we need to understand even the basics.
There are four ways that our past actions ripen in the present —
1. As a type of rebirth; in our case, human
2. Our mental tendencies, in other words, habits from having thought them before
3. Our experiences similar to the cause: things that happen to us, especially at the hands of others
4. Our environment
1. Our human rebirth
This is the fruit of particularly the action of non-killing. Seven billion of us got one of those!
2. Our tendencies, habits
A person with a good rebirth, as a result of virtue, can have negative tendencies – look at human beings’ actions!
3. Our experiences
We can see that we’re very social beings; our lives are lived in relation to others from the time of conception. We can easily divide all our experiences into two categories: those beings who’ve helped us and those who’ve harmed us – and the same beings can change categories pretty quickly!
We can see around the world that some people – groups or individuals – are treated nicely, respected, liked. And there are some who are treated badly, seen as low, etc. Every one of these beings is just naturally experiencing the results of their past actions.
4. Environmental results
It seems pretty abstract that our actions can ripen as the very way that the environment impacts upon us, but it can be understood when we understand the teachings in the Vajrayana that explain that the universe consists of minds and matter; and matter is made up of the four elements; and that all minds are inextricably linked to their own set of the four elements and that whatever we think and do and say programs the mind and also affects the elements.
Virtuous thoughts program the mind with those habits and purify the wind energies they’re connected to, which in turn, over many lifetimes impacts upon the external elements causing them to be harmonious and thus to help us, support us: food is delicious, the water is pure, the air is pure, etc.
Negative thoughts program the mind in those habits and pollute the wind energies, which eventually causes the external elements to be disharmonious and to harm us.
Happy to discuss! I find this topic incredibly helpful. I remember when I first heard the teachings I didn’t have a clue about much of what Lama Zopa Rinpoche said, but karma really triggered something for me. I felt that is what had been missing in my life.
All the best to you, dear J,
Robina