Karma at Its Best
But remember, this applies only to karma which is not so powerful. There are types of karma far more potent and capable of releasing immense energy — known as the five most dangerous cardinal sins or five transgressions.
The Five Severest Offenses in Buddhism
- Kill one’s own mother
- Kill one’s own father
- Kill an enlightened Buddhist monk (Great Arihat)
- Attempt to kill or cause bleeding of the Lord Buddha (even with ill-will in mind)
- Create a schism in the Sangha or destroy the peace of the Sangha
The Great Samma Sambuddha taught that a person committing any of these five karmas will not escape from the four hells and will endure infinite suffering there. While all other karmas can be transformed through persistence and hard work, these five great sins cannot be cut off in any way except by enduring the resulting suffering in hell.
Even after release from hell, the person continues to experience various kinds of suffering as a result of these transgressions.
Examples from Buddhist History
One of the best-known examples is the Great Arihat Moggallana Thero, who was killed by bandits as a result of major past karma — the killing of his own parents. Similarly, the monk Devadatta committed two of these transgressions and supported a third. The consequence was that he was dragged directly into one of the most powerful and terrifying hell realms, known as “Avici”.
Karma Categorized in Three Ways
According to Dhamma, karma is categorized by Time, Function, and Methods.
At the moment of death, the final energy packet of the mind focuses on the relevant karma. The next energy packet, which gives rise to the next life, is created according to this karma. This process determines the “world” and “type of being” one is reborn into.
Cause & Effect Theory
Through the cause-and-effect theory and other Dhamma concepts, we can explore karma further. For this section, however, this overview provides the basic understanding needed.
In the Cause to Existence section, we can dive even deeper into karma. In fact, throughout this entire discourse, karma and its effects are central — only presented under different names!
