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Collective Karma and Individual Karma
There are two kinds of karmic retribution that explain the differences between parents and children: the cause is the seeds sown by bodily action, verbal action, and mental action; the retribution is the result. Retribution includes:
- Primary retribution: the body and consciousness transmitted by our parents (name and form – namarūpa)
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Secondary retribution: the circumstances that nurture the seeds (nature – nurture)
For example, Mencius’ mother moved their home from a bad neighborhood to one near a clean school, so that the good seeds in Mencius could manifest. Besides individual karma, there is also collective karma, which creates the collective energy of the sangha—a solid boat that supports each mindful step.
The teaching of the Noble Eightfold Path consists of eight elements leading to happiness, in which right mindfulness, right concentration, and right view are the three inputs that help transformation, and the three outputs are right thinking, right speech, and right action; in addition, there is right livelihood and right diligence. Right diligence has four aspects:
- Preventing unwholesome seeds that have not yet arisen from arising
- Helping unwholesome seeds that have arisen to subside right away
- Watering wholesome seeds so that they can manifest
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Maintaining wholesome seeds that have already arisen
Practicing fully helps each moment of life become a meaningful and peaceful path.
