Please discuss the following prompt: There is a story of a Buddhist monk who was on a ship with a maniac who was killing everyone on board. The monk eventually decided to kill the man in order to prevent further harm of others on board. Do you think this conforms with the principles set out in Buddhism? Why or why not? How do you think karma and compassion come into play in this story?
 assigned readings:
LIFE, LOVE, AND
KARMA
Kirk Sandvig, Ph.D.
Karma and Rebirth
• “It is will [cetana], O
monks, that I call karma;
for having willed, one acts
through body, speech or
mind” (Anguttara-nikaya,
III, 415).
• Accidental actions do not
result in karma.
• Intentional actions
condition life in the future
and ultimately rebirth.
Good and Bad Actions
• Wholesome acts
(kusala)
• Unwholesome acts
(akusala)
• Root causes
• Greed
• Hate
• Delusion
The Realms of Samsara
• Rebirth takes place in:
• Realm of sense desire
(kama-loka)
• Realm of form (rupaloka)
• Formless Realm (arupaloka)
Five Realms of Sense Desire
• Hell Realms
• Realms of Hungry Ghosts
• Realms of Animals
• Realms of Humans
• Realms of Lower Gods (deva)
The Hell Realms
• Everything is repulsive
• Constant state of
mental and physical
pain
Realms Hungry Ghosts
• Attached to earthly
conditions
• “Subtle Matter”
• Tormented by their
unsatisfied
attachments
Animal Realms
• Undergo sufferings
associated with animal
conditions.
• Servitude
• Stupidity
• Ignorance
Human Realms
• Where moral virtue
and wisdom can be
cultivated
Realm of Lower Gods
• Six levels of existence
• Gandharvas
• Yaksas
• Raksasas
• Nagas
• Garudas
• Tusita
Realms of Form
• Inhabited by higher
gods (Brahma deities)
• 16 celestial levels of
progressive calmness
and purity
• Four Meditations
• Attune the consciousness
to be reborn in higher realm
Formless Realms
• No desire, shape, or
form, only pure mental
existence
• Four Formless Realms
correspond to Four
Formless Meditations
• Four Virtues
•
•
•
•
Kindness
Compassion
Sympathetic joy
Equanimity
The Wheel of Life
The Three Root Evils
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
