DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Karma From His Own Lips: by Ajahn Buddhadāsa

**CaseyFronczek** · 07-02-2011, 08:40 AM

Psychological continuity is an illusion. The process of perception, as can be guessed in DO and the Khandha doctrine is discrete and discontinuous. Also brain research has gave account of this at: Llinas, R and Paré, D. (1991) "On Dreaming and Wakefulness". Neuroscience. 44: 521-535.

Of course it can ultimately be seen as illusory, but in terms of conventional reality it is a meaningful and even necessary illusion; indeed, mental health may depend on it. That's why, for example, we have such things as the recovery cycle after loss and trauma.

Without psychological continuity it is difficult to see how the Buddha could be truthful in saying:

in whichever individuality that kamma bears fruit, he experiences that karmic fruit within that very individuality, either immediately, a moment later, or some time later .

or

Bhikkhus, what are the fruits (vipāka) of those actions? I speak of the fruits of those kamma as being threefold: fruit that is immediately experiencable (diṭṭhadhamma), that happens soon after (upapajja), and that occurs some time after that (aparapariyāya). I speak of these as the fruits of kamma. and not to mention:

Beings are owners of kamma, heir to kamma, born of kamma, related through kamma... It's hard to see how kamma-vipaka would make any sense at all, actually.

07-02-2011, 08:40 AM	#33
CaseyFronczek Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 464 Senior Member	Psychological continuity is an illusion. The process of perception, as can be guessed in DO and the Khandha doctrine is discrete and discontinuous. Also brain research has gave account of this at: Llinas, R and Paré, D. (1991) "On Dreaming and Wakefulness". Neuroscience. 44: 521-535. Of course it can ultimately be seen as illusory, but in terms of conventional reality it is a meaningful and even necessary illusion; indeed, mental health may depend on it. That's why, for example, we have such things as the recovery cycle after loss and trauma. Without psychological continuity it is difficult to see how the Buddha could be truthful in saying: in whichever individuality that kamma bears fruit, he experiences that karmic fruit within that very individuality, either immediately, a moment later, or some time later . or Bhikkhus, what are the fruits (vipāka) of those actions? I speak of the fruits of those kamma as being threefold: fruit that is immediately experiencable (diṭṭhadhamma), that happens soon after (upapajja), and that occurs some time after that (aparapariyāya). I speak of these as the fruits of kamma. and not to mention: Beings are owners of kamma, heir to kamma, born of kamma, related through kamma... It's hard to see how kamma-vipaka would make any sense at all, actually.
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