-- The Three Principles of the Path (verse 4)
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a
filthy cloth.
We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
- Isaiah 64:5-6
We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
- Isaiah 64:5-6
The weight or heaviness of karma in Buddhist philosophy is influenced by several key factors:
- Intention and Motivation: The mental intention or motivation behind an action significantly determines the weight of the karma. Actions motivated by emotions like hatred, greed, or ignorance create heavier negative karma, while those driven by compassion, love, and wisdom generate positive karma.
- Nature of the Action: The inherent nature of the action plays a critical role. Harmful actions, especially those that take life, create heavy negative karma, whereas actions that protect and benefit others create positive karma.
- Frequency and Habituation: Repeatedly engaging in a particular action reinforces its karmic impact. Frequent negative actions accumulate heavy negative karma, while consistent positive actions strengthen beneficial karmic tendencies.
- Objects Involved: The impact of karma can vary depending on the objects or recipients of the action. Actions involving spiritually advanced individuals or vulnerable beings like children or animals can carry greater karmic weight.
- Consequences of the Action: The extent of the impact or consequences of an action also adds to its karmic significance. Actions leading to significant outcomes have a heavier karmic weight.
- Presence of Five Heinous Actions: Buddhism identifies five grave actions that result in immediate karmic retribution: patricide, matricide, killing an arhat, causing a schism in the monastic community, and drawing blood from a Buddha. These actions are associated with extremely heavy negative karma.
Understanding these factors is crucial in guiding ethical behavior and spiritual development in Buddhist practice.