Mechanics of Karma

How does karma work?

Is it mundane or supernatural?

What is it's scope?

Karma means "action", so if I hit you, I will make bad karma. You will hate me, and maybe hit me back. But what if I only think about hitting you? If I think about hitting you with hatred it my heart, I will be creating or reinforcing an unpleasant mental tendency. But will it somehow influence you to think bad things about me with hatred in your heart?

If my mind is clear, like a still pond, I will make no karma. If the fruits of bad karma ripen, but my mind is clear, I will not make a bad reaction. I will break the cycle of bad karma.

Zen master Seung Sahn taught that karma has three parts: cause, action, effect. The cause comes from the last effect. Maybe the cause is you hit me. Then I have a choice: I can hit you, or I can do nothing. If I hit you back, I create one effect. If I don't, I create another.

I went to the library today. I had to use the washroom, so I went to the washroom on the 2nd floor. The stalls were both occupied. When going out, I almost ran into somebody. I was a little bit angry after that. Then I went to the washroom on the 3rd floor, and the stalls were both in use. I got a little more angry. On the 4th floor there was only one stall and it was in use. On the way out, I almost ran into someone again. I was getting quite angry at this point. It went on like this until I was on the 7th floor. I couldn't use the washrooms there because they were for staff only.
I was really angry at this point.

The whole time, I was telling myself: don't be angry, just relax. Don't be angry, you're making bad karma! I was thinking about a zen koan:


A Monk asked Yunmen, “When not producing a single thought, is there any fault or not?”

Yunmen said, “Mount Sumeru.”

Every time I went up a floor, I was getting more angry. I was getting angry at my bad luck. But bad luck is only a thought. Mt. Sumeru is only a thought. It's a thought that invokes a big mountain, but all thoughts ultimately have no substance at all.

So, I was going back and forth between being really angry and peaceful. I think this is just like meditation.

I have a big problem with anger. I get angry quite easily, but I also make a lot of self-pity, lust, and guilty feelings. I must be making a lot of bad karma for myself.

As I heard one teacher say, reacting negatively to old karma is like burning yourself twice.
Maybe it's more like burning yourself three times.
Maybe it's like burning yourself once.