Buddha's perspective of man's destiny
Throughout our lives, many interests we are concerned with. Among them, the interest about destiny we are most concerned with. So, what is destiny? Who controls our destiny? What is Buddhist perspective of destiny? Can we change our destiny? And how can we change our destiny. These are the issues we are going to discuss in this class today.
1. What is the destiny
Beholding the world, we see men of variety. Some are rich whereas some poor; some are noble whereas some humble; some are handsome whereas some ugly; some are sick whereas some healthy; some are of good fortune but some of misfortune. We may doubt that we all are humans but why are we of variety. We usually attribute this to destiny. If this is called destiny, we may further question that who makes destiny or who controls destiny.
2. Who controls destiny
To this question, there are many answers. Among them, three are accepted by many. They are respectively theism, fatalism and accidentalism.
Theism believes in God or a supernatural power. It attributes our destiny to God’s power. God is the one who creates our life and designs every event that happens in our life. Therefore, whatever happens in our life, whether is good or bad, is God’s creation or God’s will. Only God has the power to change our destiny. We, as human beings, have no power to change our life or our destiny. We have to rely on God to change our destiny. It is this reason that we must pray God for his mercy.
Fatalism upholds that our present life is predetermined. They believe that every event that happened, is happening and is going to happen is absolutely predetermined. It is fate whether one is rich or poor, fortune or misfortune. Under this view, we have no hope to change our destiny. What we can do is just to accept our life because that is our fate.
Accidentalist promulgates that everything that happens is all by accident. There is neither God’s will nor fate. Just as leaves that fade during the autumn. When the wind blows, some may fall in the middle of sweet flowers whereas some in the stinking pit. Whether in the middle of sweet flowers or in the stinking pit, they all happen by accident. So is our destiny. By chance, some may be luckily born in the noble families and some may be unfortunately born in the humble families. In a word, fortune or misfortune is just by accident. There is no other power behind them. Under this view, we have nothing to do with our destiny.
The above three views, we find hard to accept because all these three views are negative. They all deny our power to turn our lives. If so, what is the hope of our life? Or what is the significance of our effort we make to improve our life?
Now, let us turn to Buddhism and see how Buddhism explains.
3. Buddhist perspective of man’s destiny
In this regard, Buddhism provides us an answer which is positive and reasonable. According to the Buddha, our destiny is neither controlled by God nor predetermined nor by accident. However, the Buddha did say Kamma is a primary cause of our present life. Or to a certain extent, we may say that it is Karma that determines our life or our destiny.
If this puzzles you, let us listen to a story. During the time of the Buddha, there was an Elder named Suka who once visited the Buddha and asked the Buddha a question about man’s destiny. He says: “Venerable sir, I see in the world the sentient beings, some are long-lived whereas some are of short lifespan; some are sick whereas some are of good health; some are ugly whereas some are of good looking; some are weak but some are strong; some are poor but some are rich; some are born in the humble families but some are born in the noble families; some are stupid but some are clever…... What is the cause?
In respond to this question, the Buddha says: “All sentient beings are adhered to Karma, depend on Karma and take rebirths according to their Karma. As such, there appears to have the distinction of high, middle and low. There is Karma that enables one to beget a short lifespan or a long lifespan as its effect. There is Karma that enables one to beget a few illnesses or many illnesses as its effect. There is Karma that enables one to be ugly or fair as its effect. There is Karma that enables one to beget a low position or a high position as its effect. There is Karma that enables one to take rebirth in the low class or in the high class as its effect. … Beings are heir to Kamma.”
Here, one may question that If Kamma is the cause of our destiny, could our destiny be changed? So let us proceed further to discuss the next point.
4. could we change our destiny
To answer this question, we need to understand Buddhist theory of Kamic law. We often hear the saying: “do good, be good; do bad, be bad.” What you sow, what you reap.” This is the essential principle based on which the law of Kamma operates. According to this principle, to a certain extent, we may say that our present life is a result of our past Kamma, or our destiny is determined by our past Kamma. However, this does not mean that every event that happens in our present life is absolutely a result of our past Kamma. Determination is hold by fatalism and is strongly rejected by the Buddha. If everything that happens in our present life is absolutely a result of our past Kamma. Then, there is no hope for us to change our destiny and it is also meaningless for us to practice dhamma in order to obtain a better life in future because everything is predetermined.
The law of Kamma taught by fatalism is somewhat mechanical because it is established on the basis of single cause and single effect. However, it becomes flexible when this law is interpreted by the Buddha in connection with the doctrine of dependent origination. According to this doctrine, everything is conditioned or coexisted. There is nothing that comes to being under one single cause or condition. This is to say that a past Kamma could be a cause of a present effect. However, without causal conditions, the effect does not always take place .
To put it in another way, we may say that every deed we create has a potential force to ripen or a possibility to bring about an effect. But it does not mean that every deed would definitely bring about an effect. When causal conditions are not there, the effect would not take place. For instance, when a seed is sowed, according to the ground environment and some other conditions such as weather, sunshine, labor work etc, the seed itself can perish or become better. So is Kamma.
When we put the law of Kamma into the doctrine of dependent origination, we will understand that the past Kamma could be the cause of our present life, but it does not mean that our present life is absolutely the result of our past Kamma. There are causal conditions we also need to take into account.
And now we may come to a conclusion that our destiny can be changed although the past Kamma has a very deep influence on our present life or destiny. This is on the ground that cause alone does not bring about an effect. It requires causal conditions. Even though we created a lot of evil Kamma in the past, if we make effort right now on to change their causal conditions, we may deter their effects taking place or even change their effects sometimes.
There are two similes which would help us understand better this issue. The first one is salt simile found in the Salt Sutta. It says that if we put a handful of salt into a bowl of water, the water may become salty; but if we put the same amount of salt into the ocean, the water in the ocean will not become salty because of the great amount of water. Although we create evil deeds in the past, if we do good deeds right now on, we may be avoided of evil result as the stored merit becomes greater.
The second one is snake simile. It says that when we give a sip of water to a venomous snake to drink, it becomes poison. But if we give it to a deer to drink, it becomes antlers. The nature of the sip of water changes depending on who drink it. This is to say that a same nature of deed may bring about different effect when causal conditions change.
5. How can we change destiny
1. to discipline our behavior
2. to discipline our mind
A. Mind is the forerunner of all (evil) states. Mind is chief; mind made are they. If one speaks or acts with wicked mind, because of that, suffering follows one, even as the wheel follows the hoof or the draught-ox.
B. Mind is the forerunner of (all good) states, mind is chief; mind made are they, if one speaks or acts with pure mind, because of that, happiness follows one, even as one’s shadow that never leaves.
Throughout our lives, many interests we are concerned with. Among them, the interest about destiny we are most concerned with. So, what is destiny? Who controls our destiny? What is Buddhist perspective of destiny? Can we change our destiny? And how can we change our destiny. These are the issues we are going to discuss in this class today.
1. What is the destiny
Beholding the world, we see men of variety. Some are rich whereas some poor; some are noble whereas some humble; some are handsome whereas some ugly; some are sick whereas some healthy; some are of good fortune but some of misfortune. We may doubt that we all are humans but why are we of variety. We usually attribute this to destiny. If this is called destiny, we may further question that who makes destiny or who controls destiny.
2. Who controls destiny
To this question, there are many answers. Among them, three are accepted by many. They are respectively theism, fatalism and accidentalism.
Theism believes in God or a supernatural power. It attributes our destiny to God’s power. God is the one who creates our life and designs every event that happens in our life. Therefore, whatever happens in our life, whether is good or bad, is God’s creation or God’s will. Only God has the power to change our destiny. We, as human beings, have no power to change our life or our destiny. We have to rely on God to change our destiny. It is this reason that we must pray God for his mercy.
Fatalism upholds that our present life is predetermined. They believe that every event that happened, is happening and is going to happen is absolutely predetermined. It is fate whether one is rich or poor, fortune or misfortune. Under this view, we have no hope to change our destiny. What we can do is just to accept our life because that is our fate.
Accidentalist promulgates that everything that happens is all by accident. There is neither God’s will nor fate. Just as leaves that fade during the autumn. When the wind blows, some may fall in the middle of sweet flowers whereas some in the stinking pit. Whether in the middle of sweet flowers or in the stinking pit, they all happen by accident. So is our destiny. By chance, some may be luckily born in the noble families and some may be unfortunately born in the humble families. In a word, fortune or misfortune is just by accident. There is no other power behind them. Under this view, we have nothing to do with our destiny.
The above three views, we find hard to accept because all these three views are negative. They all deny our power to turn our lives. If so, what is the hope of our life? Or what is the significance of our effort we make to improve our life?
Now, let us turn to Buddhism and see how Buddhism explains.
3. Buddhist perspective of man’s destiny
In this regard, Buddhism provides us an answer which is positive and reasonable. According to the Buddha, our destiny is neither controlled by God nor predetermined nor by accident. However, the Buddha did say Kamma is a primary cause of our present life. Or to a certain extent, we may say that it is Karma that determines our life or our destiny.
If this puzzles you, let us listen to a story. During the time of the Buddha, there was an Elder named Suka who once visited the Buddha and asked the Buddha a question about man’s destiny. He says: “Venerable sir, I see in the world the sentient beings, some are long-lived whereas some are of short lifespan; some are sick whereas some are of good health; some are ugly whereas some are of good looking; some are weak but some are strong; some are poor but some are rich; some are born in the humble families but some are born in the noble families; some are stupid but some are clever…... What is the cause?
In respond to this question, the Buddha says: “All sentient beings are adhered to Karma, depend on Karma and take rebirths according to their Karma. As such, there appears to have the distinction of high, middle and low. There is Karma that enables one to beget a short lifespan or a long lifespan as its effect. There is Karma that enables one to beget a few illnesses or many illnesses as its effect. There is Karma that enables one to be ugly or fair as its effect. There is Karma that enables one to beget a low position or a high position as its effect. There is Karma that enables one to take rebirth in the low class or in the high class as its effect. … Beings are heir to Kamma.”
Here, one may question that If Kamma is the cause of our destiny, could our destiny be changed? So let us proceed further to discuss the next point.
4. could we change our destiny
To answer this question, we need to understand Buddhist theory of Kamic law. We often hear the saying: “do good, be good; do bad, be bad.” What you sow, what you reap.” This is the essential principle based on which the law of Kamma operates. According to this principle, to a certain extent, we may say that our present life is a result of our past Kamma, or our destiny is determined by our past Kamma. However, this does not mean that every event that happens in our present life is absolutely a result of our past Kamma. Determination is hold by fatalism and is strongly rejected by the Buddha. If everything that happens in our present life is absolutely a result of our past Kamma. Then, there is no hope for us to change our destiny and it is also meaningless for us to practice dhamma in order to obtain a better life in future because everything is predetermined.
The law of Kamma taught by fatalism is somewhat mechanical because it is established on the basis of single cause and single effect. However, it becomes flexible when this law is interpreted by the Buddha in connection with the doctrine of dependent origination. According to this doctrine, everything is conditioned or coexisted. There is nothing that comes to being under one single cause or condition. This is to say that a past Kamma could be a cause of a present effect. However, without causal conditions, the effect does not always take place .
To put it in another way, we may say that every deed we create has a potential force to ripen or a possibility to bring about an effect. But it does not mean that every deed would definitely bring about an effect. When causal conditions are not there, the effect would not take place. For instance, when a seed is sowed, according to the ground environment and some other conditions such as weather, sunshine, labor work etc, the seed itself can perish or become better. So is Kamma.
When we put the law of Kamma into the doctrine of dependent origination, we will understand that the past Kamma could be the cause of our present life, but it does not mean that our present life is absolutely the result of our past Kamma. There are causal conditions we also need to take into account.
And now we may come to a conclusion that our destiny can be changed although the past Kamma has a very deep influence on our present life or destiny. This is on the ground that cause alone does not bring about an effect. It requires causal conditions. Even though we created a lot of evil Kamma in the past, if we make effort right now on to change their causal conditions, we may deter their effects taking place or even change their effects sometimes.
There are two similes which would help us understand better this issue. The first one is salt simile found in the Salt Sutta. It says that if we put a handful of salt into a bowl of water, the water may become salty; but if we put the same amount of salt into the ocean, the water in the ocean will not become salty because of the great amount of water. Although we create evil deeds in the past, if we do good deeds right now on, we may be avoided of evil result as the stored merit becomes greater.
The second one is snake simile. It says that when we give a sip of water to a venomous snake to drink, it becomes poison. But if we give it to a deer to drink, it becomes antlers. The nature of the sip of water changes depending on who drink it. This is to say that a same nature of deed may bring about different effect when causal conditions change.
5. How can we change destiny
1. to discipline our behavior
2. to discipline our mind
A. Mind is the forerunner of all (evil) states. Mind is chief; mind made are they. If one speaks or acts with wicked mind, because of that, suffering follows one, even as the wheel follows the hoof or the draught-ox.
B. Mind is the forerunner of (all good) states, mind is chief; mind made are they, if one speaks or acts with pure mind, because of that, happiness follows one, even as one’s shadow that never leaves.
