Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma (Garuka-kamma)
1. The Meaning of Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma
Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma means very grave or very potent Kamma. It can give its consequences first and other types of Kamma can never obstruct it.
2. Characteristics of Strong-Effect- Producing Kamma
Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma is the gravest or most potent Kamma. It has the strongest force and will give its consequences before any other types of Kamma. No other types of Kamma can ever compete with it, because they are less potent and have less force. Only Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma can vie with each other but still the more potent Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma will always dominate and the less potent Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma will serve to support its more potent counterpart. In the absence of the most potent Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma, the less potent Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma will give its consequences on its own.
There are two types of Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma: unwholesome and wholesome. Unwholesome Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma will definitely give its consequences in the next existence by causing the individual to be reborn in the States of Unhappiness. In the same manner, wholesome Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma will definitely give its consequences by causing the individual to be reborn in the States of Happiness. Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma cannot be overridden by other types of Kamma.
3. Unwholesome Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma
There are two types of unwholesome Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma, as follows:
(1) Nitaya-micchaditthi-kamma: It means having terribly wrong views. For example, one believes that Kamma has no consequences and there are no such things as good and bad deeds, merit and demerit. Nitaya-micchaditthi-kamma is further divided into three subtypes, as follows:
(1.1) Natthika-ditthi: It means having the wrong view that good and bad deeds have no consequences. During the time of the Lord Buddha, a man called 'Acita-kesa-kampala' was the leader of this particular belief. He negated human deeds by teaching that good and bad deeds had nothing to do with human happiness or suffering.
(1.2) Ahetuka-ditthi: It means having the wrong view that life as it stands is not caused by anything. During the time of the Lord Buddha, a man called "Makkhali-gosala' was the leader of this particular belief. He taught the view that the differences seen among human beings happened by chance and had nothing to do with the consequences of their past Kamma.
(1.3) Akiriya-ditthi: It means having the wrong view that one's deeds do not result in merit and demerit. During the time of the Lord Buddha, a man called 'Purana-kassapa' was the leader of this particular belief. He taught that there were no such things as merit and demerit.
(2) Ananta-riya-kamma: It means very grave unwholesome Kamma that will definitely give its consequences after one dies and can never be avoided. Ananta-riya-kamma is divided into five categories, as follows:
(2.1) Matu-ghata or matricide (see details in 2.2)
(2.2) Pitu-ghata or patricide: Matricide and patricide apply only to one's birth mother and birth father and do not apply to foster parents or Matricide and patricide are adopted parents. considered to be Ananta-riya-kamma even when the killer does not know that he is killing his birth mother or birth father.
If one hires someone else to kill his birth mother or birth father, one will still receive the consequences of Ananta-riya-kamma. The hired killer will receive the consequences of killing a human being but not consequences of Ananta-riya-kamma. Ananta-riya-kamma only applies to human beings.
A Case Study as Recorded in the Tripitaka
Phra Maha-Moggalana's Past-Life Kamma
In one of Phra of Phra Maha-Moggalana's past existences, he was a man living in the city of Benares. He worked to support himself and his parents and took good care of them. Later, his parents felt bad that he had to work so hard and discussed with him the matter of finding him a wife. After having refused to be married a few times, he finally gave in to his parents' request and married the woman of their choice.
Just a few days after they were married, the woman came up with a scheme to make her husband misunderstand his parents by littering the house with food and other personal items. When the husband returned from work and asked her who did the littering, she told him that it was his parents. Initially the husband did not believe it, but the woman continued to litter the house regularly and finally convinced her husband to believe that his parents were becoming a real problem. He finally found a way to get rid of them by pretending to take them to see some relatives. Once they reached the forest, he got out of the carriage and left his parents alone. He then dressed like a robber and returned to beat his parents to death in spite of the fact that throughout the heinous act, his parents were yelling for their son to run for his life. He left their bodies deep in the forest.
After he died, he was reborn in the hell of Aveci and received horrific forms of punishment there for hundreds of thousands of hell years. During his subsequent rebirths as a human being, he was beaten to death for hundreds of lifetimes. In his final rebirth, he was able to attain Arahatship. Even then he was beaten to but he didn't die by a group of robbers before he attained Nibbana.
Phra Maha-Moggalana's Ananta-riya-kamma of matricide and patricide was such a grave and forceful Kamma that it caused him to be in the hell of Aveci for an unimaginably long time. It also caused him to be beaten to death hundreds of lifetimes during his subsequent rebirths as a human being up until his final lifetime.
(2.3) Arahata-ghata or killing an Arahat The killing of an Arahat before or after his ordination as a Buddhist monk is considered Ananta-riya-kamma. The killing may be intentional or unintentional; it may be carried out by oneself or by hiring someone else to do it, but if it results in the Arahat's death, the person is considered to have committed Ananta-riya-kamma. The killing of individuals that have attained other stages of holiness such as Ana-gamis, Sakida-gamis, Sotapannas, though serious is not considered to be Ananta-riya-kamma. Ananta-riya-kamma only applies when both the killer and the Arahat are human beings. If the killer is an animal, it is not considered to be Ananta-riya-kamma. If the Arahat is a celestial being or a Yakkha but the killer is a human being, the unwholesome deed is not considered to be Ananta-riya-kamma.
A Case Study as Recorded in the Tripitaka
500 Believers of Another Religious Faith and 500 Robbers
Once during the time of the Lord Buddha, believers of another religious faith called a meeting because the number of their followers as well as the number of offerings made to them were declining, but those of the Lord Buddha's were increasing. They came to the conclusion that the cause was Phra Maha-Moggalana. They decided to hire a group of robbers to kill him.
The said robbers went to surround Phra Maha-Moggalana's abode, but given his great supernormal powers, he could escape harm every time. But when Phra Maha-Moggalana checked his past lives' Kamma, he found that he had committed Anantariya-kamma in one of his past lifetimes. As a result, Phra Maha-Moggalana allowed the robbers to beat him until his bones were crushed into small pieces.
These believers of another religious faith and the robbers were finally caught and sentenced to death. They subsequently had a rebirth in the hell realm of Aveci for the crime of killing an Arahat and would serve their sentence there for an unimaginably long time.
(2.4) Lohitu-papada or causing the Lord Buddha to sustain a bruise Our Lord Buddha's body is considered to be 'Abhe-dakaya,' which means that while the Lord Buddha is alive, no weapons or assaults can ever cause any of His organs to suffer injury such as cuts or open wounds. The Lord Buddha's body can be cut only with His express permission as in a surgical process. Otherwise, the most that can happen to the Lord Buddha's body is a bruise. Therefore, anyone who causes the Lord Buddha to sustain a bruise is considered to have committed 'Lohitu-papada.'
A Case Study as Recorded in the Tripitaka
Phra Devadat Committed Lohitu-papada
Phra Devadat had formed a bond of ill-will with the Lord Buddha beginning in an existence far into the past. This bond had lasted hundreds of thousands of lifetimes. During the time of the Lord Buddha, Prince Devadat had faith in Buddhism and requested to be ordained as a Buddhist monk. After a period of meditation practice, he was able to achieve a low level of meditative attainments, which allowed him to have some supernormal powers. The bond of ill-will deep within him eventually caused him to perversely want to overthrow the Lord Buddha and rule the Buddhist monks himself.
On one occasion, he talked Prince Ajatasattu into climbing up to the top of a mountain and picking out a huge rock while he waited for the Lord Buddha to walk past. As soon as he saw the Lord Buddha, he dislocated the rock and let it roll downward toward the Lord Buddha. At that moment, two big slabs miraculously emerged from the ground and bent their tops together to break the impact of the rock and cause it to splinter. One small piece of the splintered rock hit the Lord Buddha's heel and caused it to bruise.
This was how Phra Devadat committed Lohitu-papada, which is a very grave unwholesome Kamma. After the incident, the physician 'Jivaka' had to cut the skin around the bruise with a surgical knife in order to let the blood out and release the pressure. In this case, the physician did not commit Lohitu-papada.
(2.5) Sangha-bheda or causing dissension among the Buddhist monks. Sangha-bheda or causing dissension among the Buddhist monks is considered to be a very grave unwholesome Kamma and applies only when the one causing the dissension is also a Buddhist monk. If the culprit is a novice monk or a lay person, it is not considered to be Anantariya-kamma, but it is still considered a grave unwholesome Kamma.
A Buddhist monk intentionally commits Sangha-bheda and when other Buddhist monks that possess poor intellect fall for his words, which are distorted from those of the Lord Buddha's and leave the monastic order to join his order to perform Sangha-kamma separately, the monk is said to have caused dissension. This monk has committed Sangha-bheda, which is a very grave unwholesome Kamma.
Should the same scenario occur but the other Buddhist monks are still believers and worshippers of the Lord Buddha and practice according to the Dhamma-Discipline but leave to live on their own as a result of a quarrel, the culprit monk has not committed Sangha-bheda.
A Case Study as Recorded in the Tripitaka
Phra Devadat Committed Sangha-bheda
Prince Devadat had faith in Buddhism and became ordained along with seven other princes from the 'Sakkaya House. Phra Devadat eventually achieved a low level of meditative attainments which caused him to have some supernormal powers. He wanted gain and fame and had the perverse thought of replacing the Lord Buddha. He approached young Prince Ajatasattu and displayed his supernatural powers to the young prince to impress and convert him.
Once Phra Devadat succeeded in recruiting Prince Ajatasattu, he approached the Lord Buddha and asked for permission to rule the Buddhist monks in His place. Phra Devadat was admonished by the Lord Buddha and it caused him to feel vengeful. He later tried different ways to assassinate the Lord Buddha. He talked Prince Ajatasattu into sending an official to assassinate the Lord Buddha. A mad elephant named 'Nalagiri' was released for the purpose of harming and killing the Lord Buddha. A huge rock was dislodged to hurt and kill the Lord Buddha and caused Him to sustain a bruise. Yet, nothing could kill the Lord Buddha.
Phra Devadat decided to recruit some Buddhist monks such as Phra Kokalika. He wanted to commit Sangha-bheda by deliberately asking the Lord Buddha to legislate five new practices¹¹¹ under the pretense that he wanted to practice renunciation in a more rigorous manner, knowing fully well that the Lord Buddha would not do it. When the Lord Buddha refused his request, he took the opportunity to use the refusal to cause a dissension among the Buddhist monks. The ignorant ones agreed with Phra Devadat but the wise ones criticized his actions.
When the situation was known to the Lord Buddha, He tried to dissuade Phra Devadat from committing Sangha-bheda. But it was useless, since Phra Devadat was determined to do it. On one Buddhist Holy Day, Phra Devadat announced, in the midst of the Buddhist monks, his wicked intention and he had the monks draw lots to see who would side with him. It turned out that the 'Vajjiputra' monks who had just been ordained believed Phra Devadat and all 500 of them followed him to live at a place called 'Gayasisa.' The Lord Buddha asked His two Chief Disciples Phra Sariputra and Phra Maha-Moggalana to bring the 500 monks back, which they did. Moreover, they were able to make the monks gain right understanding about the monastic order.
When Phra Devadat heard about it, he was so filled with anger that hot blood spurted out of his mouth. Later, he did feel remorseful and went to see the Lord Buddha, but before he reached his destination, the ground opened up and pulled him down to the hell realm of Aveci.
Phra Devadat was perversely ambitious and wanted to rule over the Buddhist monks. He recruited the help of Prince Ajatasattu in an effort to assassinate the Lord Buddha but when he was unsuccessful, he decided to commit Sangha-bheda and led a group
of monks to form a separate order. His action was considered to be Ananta-riya-kamma. It caused him to be pulled toward the hell realm of Aveci to serve a horrific sentence there for an unimaginably long time.
Out of the five categories of Ananta-riya-kamma which include Matu-ghata or matricide, Pitu-ghata or patricide, Arahata-ghata or killing an Arahat, Lohitu-papada or causing the Lord Buddha to sustain a bruise, and Sangha-bheda or causing dissension among the Buddhist monks, the first four categories can be committed by both lay people and Buddhist monks, but the last category can be committed by Buddhist monks only.
If anyone commits all five categories of Ananta-riya-kamma, after he dies, Sangha-bheda will send its consequences first. It will cause him to receive horrific forms of punishment in the hell realm of Aveci for the rest of the Kappa.
4. Wholesome Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma
Wholesome Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma means great wholesome Kamma that earns tremendous merit. It is referred to as Mahag-gata-kusala and is divided into nine categories. They include five categories of Form-Kusala and four categories of Non-Form Kusala. Mahag-gata-kusala arises from meditative attainments.
Mahag-gata-kusala will send its consequences before any other types of Kamma. Meditation practice allows one to attain the Jhanas and the attainment of the Jhanas causes the practitioner to have a rebirth in the Brahma Realm right after his death. The individual may have committed a great deal of unwholesome deeds in the past, but these unwholesome deeds cannot compete with the power of Mahag-gata-kusala.
A Case Study as Recorded in the Tripitaka
The King Who Attained the Jhanas
A long, long time ago, there was a king of the city of Benares. On one occasion during his reign, five Silent Buddhas (Pacceka-budhas) traversed the air to the city gate of Benares in order to bless the people by accepting their alms. They went on their alms-round until they reached the palace gate. The king felt deeply impressed with the Silent Buddhas and requested them to have a meal at the palace. After the meal, the king asked the Silent Buddhas about the harm of sensual pleasures.
After the Silent Buddhas gave him a Dhamma lecture, the king praised the Silent Buddhas for having ordained and lived the life of renunciation. He made an offering of robes and medicine to the Silent Buddhas. After the Silent Buddhas rejoiced in his merit, they traversed the air back to Mount Nandamullaka.
From that time onward, the king gradually became bored with material things and decided to start practicing meditation. He practiced meditation by focusing on an object until he was able to attain the Jhanas. His wife wanted to know the reason for his boredom so the king gave the queen a Dhamma lecture about the harm of sensual pleasures. Afterthe sermon, the king decided to abdicate and appointed his ministers to look after the affairs of the land in his place. He traveled to the Himavanta Forest and ordained as a Yogi. After he died, he had a rebirth in the Brahma Realm.
The King of Benares felt deeply impressed with the Silent Buddhas. After they gave him a Dhamma lecture, he felt bored with material things because he could understand the harm of sensual pleasures. He had endeavored to practice meditation until he attained the Jhanas, which earned him wholesome Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma. The great power of Strong-Effect-Producing Kamma caused him to be reborn in the Brahma Realm after he died.
