Kamma of unintentional actions

[anon17138962]

@Brahmali

The suttas list a large number of unpleasant things that are not the result of kamma, including illnesses and even assault.

Dear Bhante Brahmali,

Which suttas list unpleasant things that are not the result of kamma? I’m interested in knowing more about this. Sorry for my bad English.

[Brahmali]

Dear Yrio,

Here you are.

With metta.

[Deeele]

@anon29387788

I didn’t realise how my notion of kamma, despite the fact that I thought I reflected on it in a ‘cause and effect’ sense, was so coloured by deep seated notions of fatalism tied up with guilt and a sense of self seeking punishment or agrandizement!!

‘Self-view’ is the foundation of kamma, which also keeps the doctrine of kamma ‘mundane’ or unliberating (please refer to MN 117; a very important sutta). This is why both good & bad kamma are not considered to be liberation because both are grounded in ‘self-view’.

Please do not feel guilt because the ‘doer’ of (bad) kamma is not one-self but the element of ‘ignorance’. Please refer to SN 12.17, which explains suffering is not causes by ‘oneself’ or by ‘another’. When the doer of kamma is seen as ‘ignorance’ (rather than ‘self’), the mind is set free from burden & heaviness plus wisdom about non-suffering actions can be developed.

AN 6.63 unambiguously states the purpose of the Noble Eightfold Path is to end kamma (which is done by ending ‘self-view’). This is the purpose of the Buddha arising in the world.

Best wishes

[Mat]

Isn’t this the ‘material view’ of the world?:

King Ajatasattu: "Purana Kassapa said to me, ‘Great king, in acting or getting others to act, in mutilating or getting others to mutilate, in torturing or getting others to torture, in inflicting sorrow or in getting others to inflict sorrow, in tormenting or getting others to torment, in intimidating or getting others to intimidate, in taking life, taking what is not given, breaking into houses, plundering wealth, committing burglary, ambushing highways, committing adultery, speaking lies — one does no evil. If with a razor-edged disk one were to turn all the living beings on this earth to a single heap of flesh, a single pile of flesh, there would be no evil from that cause, no coming of evil. Even if one were to go along the right bank of the Ganges, killing and getting others to kill, mutilating and getting others to mutilate, torturing and getting others to torture, there would be no evil from that cause, no coming of evil. Even if one were to go along the left bank of the Ganges, killing and getting others to kill, mutilating and getting others to mutilate, torturing and getting others to torture, there would be no evil from that cause, no coming of evil. Through generosity, self-control, restraint, and truthful speech there is no merit from that cause, no coming of merit’…

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.02.0.than.html

With metta

Mat