Question asked by Jennifer
Dear Pastors,
I am very interested in the Buddhist way of life. I have a great knowledge about it, since I read a lot of books and listened to dear Tsem Rinpoches speeches as well as speeches from the dear Dalai Lama.
The way karma works makes sense, it brings justice to our life. Finally we know, if our actions are bad, we will sooner or later get bad actions back in return.
The only thing I do have trouble with, as with any religion I suppose, is to believe whether it is true or not. Please tell me, how can you be so sure, that for example little children die due to bad karma in their previous lifes? Isn't it all just coincidence? Of course there is no proof to any of this, and I find this very hard to grasp.
I am very thankful for a response, since I simple love the idea of living the Buddhist way. But it just seems that being a Buddhist means being a good person, and this is also what being a Christian is all about, being a better person.
Thank you so much!
All the best to you,
Jennifer
Dear Jennifer,
Karma is something that is very hard to prove, so it is natural to doubt. You say you like Buddhism, but in order to have any results in our Dharma practice, we have to dispel our doubts about the fundamental Buddhist doctrines like the law of cause and effect. The law of cause and effect is the start of putting the Dharma into practice. Dharma is the act of modifying our behaviour according to the law of cause and effect. Therefore, if you do not develop believing faith in karma, you will not be able to modify your behaviour accordingly.
How do we remove our doubts regarding karma and develop believing faith in it? Just look at your present life and you will understand your previous life. And to have an idea of what your next life will be, look at what you are doing in this life. The Buddha had predicted that we will go to the upper realms if we are virtuous and to the lower realms if non-virtuous. These are the only two places to take rebirth. You can assess inferentially to which of these two you will be going.
In the Cause and Effect Sutra, the Buddha said, “Do not think that no one can see the causes and effects in this life. They will all be exemplified either immediately in your own present life or later in the lives of your younger generations. Should you doubt the truth and have little faith in remaining a sober vegetarian or in the giving of charity, the sight of the happy and prosperous people around you can well be the witness.”
The beautiful thing about Buddhist practice is that negative karma can be purified by modifying our behaviour and applying the four opponent powers: regretting our actions, taking refuge in the Three Jewels, promising not to repeat the action and applying the antidote or the opposite of the non-virtuous action.