Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Day 190

Only by understanding karma and seeing why we are suffering can we stop this continual round of problem after problem.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

There are many factors that determine the strength of the karma we create and the heaviness of its result. Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo lists six: the nature of the action; the intention; the deed; the base; the frequency of the act; and the act not being purified.

If all other factors are equal, then the ten nonvirtues have different degrees of heaviness. Pabongka Rinpoche says that the seven nonvirtues of body and speech are listed in the order of their heaviness: from killing as the heaviest to idle gossip as the lightest. Of the three nonvirtues of mind, heresy is the heaviest negative action. The stronger the negative intention, the more powerful the karma created, and hence the stronger the suffering that will be experienced. Although monetary value is not that important an aspect, the more valuable the possession we steal, the more it hurts the owner, and the heavier the karma we create. The heaviness of the karma also depends on the power of the object. Some beings are more powerful for us, such as our parents, bodhisattvas, buddhas and, of course, our guru.

When we create the result similar to the cause we are habituating our mind to repeating the action and therefore the result becomes heavier, even though the nonvirtuous action itself might not seem that heavy. Gossiping is a perfect example of this. And we have already seen that because karma expands, if we fail to purify a negative action the suffering we will experience from it when the imprint ripens will get heavier 

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Book : THE LAMRIM YEAR