Transcript Lesson 3 - Castlemilk High School

Summary of Kamma
• Kamma means action
• Natural law – so not decided by a god
• If you behave in a certain way with certain
intentions then results will follow.
• Benefits - Spreads goodness into society &
keeps three poisons under control
• Disadvantages – Difficult to always be in control
& difficult for those who don’t understand
Kamma.
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lasdjflsadjflksjadflsjadfljsal
dfjlsadfjlsadjflsadjflksajdfls
kajdflksdajflasdfasdfsadfas
Skilful
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jsaldfja;sldkfja;lsdfjlsadjfl;al sadfas
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and Unskilful Actions
Skilful actions are good actions and unskilful
actions are bad actions. But does it mean
anything else to say they are skilful? Yes
Buddhism doesn’t have many set ‘rules’ of
behaviour. Buddhism relies on each of us to
adapt to our current circumstances in order
to do the right thing. This may even mean
disobeying the one of the few rules that
there are.
The effect of this is that the same action
could be right for one person, but not right for
another.
When you perform any action you must take
3 things in to consideration.
The Intentions
The Consequences
The Appropriateness
We will look at each of these in turn
But first have a look at this
The Intentions
Put simply, an action is wrong if the intentions
(the reason for doing it) of the person are based
on one of the three root poisons. The name for
these is Akusala.
The Intentions
A good action is one that is based on one of
the three good roots. These are choices
based on:
1. Non-attachment
2. Understanding
3. Kindness
The name for these is Kusala.
The Consequences
Sometimes, even if we have good intentions, we still do the
wrong thing as we didn’t think about what consequences could
occur. Driving your friend home to make sure they get back
safely would be a good intention. But if you were drunk and
crashed, your good intentions would not mean it was good. It
was bad as you didn’t think you’re action through.
The Appropriateness
We have to consider what type of person we are and
what the situation is before we perform an action.
If I know that eating lots of
sweets makes me hyper and
easily distracted then it might
not be a good idea to eat them
at lunch before RMPS.
However, those same sweets
might not have an effect on
another person, so it would not
be a bad action for them.
Write down your own example of
a Skilful and an Unskilful action
Here’s another example
According to Buddhists it is wrong to lie. But
suppose I’m sick with a serious illness, I might
not want to worry my 5 year old son about it,
as I know he wouldn’t really understand and it
would only make him feel sad. In this situation
the right thing to do is to lie. Work in
Draw three pictures which show
what Buddhists mean by good
intentions, consequences and
appropriateness.
twos/threes.
Think of a skilful
action. Mime it to
the rest of the
group - they guess
it.
Skilful Actions Lead to Good Kamma
Skilful or Unskilful actions therefore have kammic
consequences. The kamma you’ve built up will affect
future re-births. And your life is affected by the
kamma of previous births.
Good kamma can then progress you towards the
ultimate goal of attaining Nibbana. This is why
Skilful actions are important to Buddhists.
On the next slide there are eight different actions.
For each example identify the intentions,
appropriateness and the consequences.
Eg. Making my girlfriend a cup of tea
Intention
Make my girlfriend happy
Appropriateness
She needs a cuppa
Consequences
An easier life for me!!!
All good, so skilful action!!
1. Lying about your mate new (dodgy) haircut to
save their feelings
2. Stealing food to feed your starving family
3. Punching a mugger in the face to save an old
lady
4. Stealing the answers to an exam to get the
results you need for uni
5. Telling someone you love them to get sex
6. Killing someone who is breaking into your
house
7. Illegally downloading films from the internet
8. The bombing of Hiroshima
Questions
What is meant by the term ‘skilful action’?
4 KU
‘Unskilful actions bind the unenlightened to
samsara.’ What would a Buddhist mean by
this? 4 KU