I learned that when there arises pain as kamma-vipaka or pleasure than is must be due to one’s own bad/immoral/akusala kamma/action and good/moral/kusala kamma or action, respectively. This is the law. From a black/immoral kamma beeja there cannot arise a white result. etc.
But is this the case when one decides to stand on one leg? Is that an immoral decision, is it kammically evil or black deed? Is it akusala? Maybe in the sense of ‘not-skillful’ but i would not say in the sense of immoral or evil.
Maybe one decides to stand on one leg to raise money for people with cancer.
The motives are very good but one suffers immense pains. I belief this cannot be seen as pain that is due to bad kamma. It is just physiological caused pain. Everybody will feel it, because that is how our bodies function.
The Nigrantha’s did belief that by such austere practise like standing on one leg they would burn there evil deeds/kamma. Their intention to do those intense painful practises was good, but there decision to do this practises came with very much pain. The Buddha taught this was not the way to purify evil deeds. But i have not seen the Buddha’s teaches that the pain those Nigrantha’s suffere due their decisions to do these practises, was kamma-vipaka.
Remember the Budddha. He also decided to get involved in all kinds of austere practises like not breathing. He suffered immense pains as consequence. His intentions were very good. He wanted to find the truth. Was this pain kamma-vipaka, i.e. a consequence of an immoral decision, intention or immoral act? I do not think so. It is just a consequence oof his decision but not an immoral one i would say.
Suppose i see a house burning and i start rescuing a child inside. As a consequence i get burnt. Ofcourse this pain can be seen as due to my own decision but is it due to an immoral deed, action or decision? Is it kamma-vipaka? I do not think so.
As far as i know the Buddha taught in the sutta’s there are unpleasant feelings, there is discomfort, there are illnesses, which are not due to kamma.
Siebe
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