[stacy]

Dear Dhamma friends,

I’ve been reflecting on how the laws of kamma function across different time periods, especially considering how much human morality, culture, and even our understanding of right and wrong have evolved—and continue to evolve.

For example, in ancient times, practices like slavery, public executions, or animal sacrifices were widely accepted, even normalized. Today, most of those actions are seen as morally wrong by the majority of societies. Likewise, certain behaviors considered immoral or taboo a few decades ago—such as interfaith marriage, same-sex relationships, or women working outside the home—are now widely accepted in many parts of the world.

As technology and society advance even further, new ethical questions arise—such as AI rights, genetic manipulation, or virtual actions causing real-world consequences. It makes me wonder: as society’s view of morality changes, how do the laws of kamma remain consistent?

Since kamma is based on intention (cetanā), does that mean it’s completely independent of social norms and historical context? Or do these evolving standards affect the “weight” or nature of kamma somehow, especially if a person is conditioned by their environment to see something as acceptable or unacceptable?

I’d love to hear how the Buddha’s teachings account for this apparent contradiction—or perhaps I am misunderstanding the principle entirely. How should we understand kamma in a world where moral values are constantly shifting?

Looking forward to your insights 🙏

[Dawson]

Moral values are constantly shifting but the way morality works always remains the same. Fundamentally, immorality is rooted in ignorance of how the world operates. That ignorance exists on two levels; mundane ignorance (for instance, thinking that there is no rebirth process and that the laws of kamma are b.s.), and ignorance of transcendent truths (i.e., the four ariya truths, paticca samuppada, and the three characteristics of nature). The more ignorant a person is, the more immoral they will have the capacity to be. The wiser a person is, the more moral they will likely be. We are collectively moulding the world, morphing and manipulating it due the actions that we take. We take those actions because of our values.

You provided some examples of  currently relevant ethical concerns, like issues surrounding AI. Do we actually need AI though? Like really? I don’t think so. But people created it because they constantly crave for more and more and more. For a mindset that is corrupted by raga, dosa, and moha, nothing is ever enough. So, these ethical dilemmas wouldn’t exist in the first place were it not for the fact that we make them exist due to our own foolishness. Think about being a human – you have to make constant effort to maintain the body. As you age, you will have to make even more effort and it will become much more challenging to have your body remain in good health.

This complicated existence that we are living is a consequence of kamma that we generated, and we did so due to the fact that we value sensuality. It’s possible to have existences that are way, way simpler. And yet, here we are. Corrupted values leads to corrupted reality. So while from one perspective, it may seem as if the moral landscape is constantly changing, zoom out and you’ll see that it is all rooted in craving, aversion, and delusion, and their opposites.

• This reply was modified 6 days ago by Dawson.

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stacy

[Lal]

1. Yes. What Dawson called “transcendent truths” (Four Noble Truths//Paṭicca Samuppāda/Tilakkhana) are Nature’s laws. 

• Those laws never change and apply anywhere in the universe at any time. They are “universal truths.”
• All Buddhas discover those laws through their efforts. Any given Buddha does not invent them; they merely re-discover the hidden truths.
• After a Buddha passes away, those teachings will be lost over the years. Then, until the next Buddha is born, they disappear.
• Some of these are discussed in “Pāramitā – How a Puthujjana Becomes a Buddha.”

2. Mundane laws apply to geographic locations, cultures, etc., as Stacy pointed out.

• They can evolve as the societies evolve. Interactions with other parts of the world can influence such changes, as we can see today.
• Since they change over time, such laws/rules/customs are not based on “universal truths.”

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stacy

[stacy]

Thanks a lot 🙏

[Christian]

The law of kamma is like the law always at work, bypassing the cultural/social laws. A society built on ignorance will suffer one way or another, sooner or later, as we have plenty of examples in history. Because of cause and effect, certain immoral actions may be an “optimal strategy” for a mundane result. It’s much more efficient (sometimes) to kill a king and take over a throne rather than compete on the same footing.

https://franpritchett.com/00ambedkar/ambedkar_buddha/04_04.html#05_05 – Here some good information that may showcase insight on those matters

[Author]

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