June 2, 2024 at 8:10 pm
#50022
Keymaster
“Then can we interpret that the “energy” required for a kammically neutral action, is just from a kamma vipaka? So perceiving sights, or generating a thought to tell the brain to move a finger?”
- Of course. Energy is required to do any work. So, even while getting the physical body to do “kammically neutral work,” the mind must provide instructions to the brain. That is included in the following part of my statement you quoted above: “(ii) maintain interactions with the brain while inside a physical human body.”
- What I tried to explain is the following. While doing such “kammically neutral work,” the mind DOES NOT generate NEW kammic energy that can bring vipaka in the future (for example, to create another human/animal gandhabba or a Deva or a Brahma.)
To summarize: (i) New kammic energy is created (with javana citta) only when generating abhisankhara with raga, dosa, and/or moha. Any kammically-neutral action would not generate new kammic energy. (ii) All mind-brain interactions require minute amounts of energy; that comes from kammic energy that sustains human existence.
- It must be noted that in (i) above, not only immoral deeds but also any moral deeds (done without understanding the anicca nature) can generate kammic energy. This is a bit deeper issue some people may not be aware of. See “Six Root Causes – Loka Samudaya (Arising of Suffering) and Loka Nirodhaya (Nibbāna).”
- The basic idea explained in that post is the following: Immoral deeds lead to rebirth in the apayas, the four lowest realms filled with suffering. Moral deeds like giving to the poor (done with mundane versions of alobha, adosa, and amoha) lead to rebirth in the good realms like the human and Deva realms. Such moral deeds automatically become “kusala kamma” that lead to stopping rebirth (i.e., toward Nibbana) when one starts comprehending the anicca, dukkha, and anatta nature of any existence in the world.