Obstructive Kamma (Upapi-laka-kamma)
1. The Meaning of Obstructive Kamma
Obstructive Kamma does its work by exerting an effect opposite to the other types of Kamma.
2. Characteristics of Obstructive Kamma
The above definition demonstrates that Obstructive Kamma exerts an effect opposite to Reproductive and Supportive Kamma. For example, if Reproductive Kamma causes an individual to be reborn under good circumstances, Supportive Kamma will aid the situation by making it even better, but Obstructive Kamma will wreak havoc on the individual. On the contrary, if Reproductive Kamma causes a being to be reborn under poor circumstances, Supportive Kamma will add insult to injury, but Obstructive Kamma will aid the individual by improving his/her situation.
There are two categories of Obstructive Kamma: unwholesome and wholesome. Unwholesome Obstructive Kamma works to decrease the being's happiness and success by causing it to receive suffering and loss as can be seen in the following case study.
A Case Study in Unwholesome Kamma as Recorded in the Tripitaka
Being Destined for the States of Loss and Woe Because of the Lack of Analytical Reflection (Yonisomanasikara)
Once there was a man whose house was close to the temple. One evening as he was bathing at the landing by the river in front of his house, he saw a novice monk who was rowing by in a boat. He wanted to tease the novice monk so he began to splash the novice monk with water. The novice monk did not want to get wet and tried to duck the streams of water. His movements caused him to lose his balance and the small boat capsized. The novice monk swam toward the bank and hurled abusive remarks at the man, which made the man angry and he boxed the novice monk's ears a few times. He helped pull the novice monk out of the water and returned home feeling annoyed.
After the man died, he had undergone the round of rebirth for an incalculable amount of time until the time of our Lord Buddha. He was reborn as a human being in the royal family of 'Licchavi' by the name of 'Sunakkhatta. After he grew up, he had the opportunity to listen to the Lord Buddha's sermons. His heart was filled with religious fervor and he requested to be ordained as a Buddhist monk. After his ordination, he wanted to practice meditation by first working on his concentration (Samatha). He wanted to attain the Jhanas before he continued with his insight development (Vipassana) where different levels of defilements can be removed and he could attain the different stages of holiness. As soon as the Lord Buddha gave him instruction on how to develop his concentration, he began practicing meditation immediately. In a few days, he was able to attain the Jhanas as well as the Superknowledge of 'Celestial Eye.'
His attainment of 'Celestial Eye' allowed him to penetrate the different realms of existence. He was filled with delight and felt the deepest respect for the Lord Buddha. He had the desire to continue practicing meditation until he could attain the Lokutara Realm, but first he wanted to attain the next Superknowledge of 'Celestial Ear.' The Lord Buddha gave him the instruction as requested, but He did not give him any strategy because He knew about the monk's Obstructive Kamma, which arose from the existence where he boxed the novice monk's ears.
Phra Sunakkhatta practiced meditation by chanting a few words in his mind in order to attain 'Celestial Ear.' But however hard he tried he could not attain the Superknowledge of 'Celestial Ear' because a particular Obstructive Kamma was giving its consequences. After three years of endeavoring, he still could not attain 'Celestial Ear.' Later, his Obstructive Kamma caused him to have the perverted idea that the reason for his failure came from the fact that the Lord Buddha only knew how to attain 'Celestial Eye' but not how to attain 'Celestial Ear.' He concluded that it was the reason why the Lord Buddha was still not coming forth with any more instruction.
With this doubt in his mind, he continued to practice in the same way without making any progress. He soon became tired and concluded that the Lord Buddha had only attained the Superknowledge of 'Celestial Eye' but not other Superknowledges. He also concluded that the Lokutara Realm as well as Nibbana, which the Lord Buddha had been teaching about, did not exist. He further concluded that the Arahats who claimed to have attained enlightenment after the manner of the Lord Buddha could in fact attain 'Celestial Eye' only.
Finally, he abandoned Buddhism in order to look for higher knowledges in other religious beliefs. He subsequently disrobed and became a householder.
Later, he went searching for other great teachers and finally ended up in the office of 'Nigaranathanatputra,' the leader of another religious belief. As a result of his 'Wrong View,' after he died he was reborn in the Hell Realm.
A Case Study in Wholesome Kamma as Recorded in the Tripitaka
The Hereafter of an Executioner Who Had Faith
During the time of our Lord Buddha, there was a very fierce-looking man. He had bulging yellow eyes. His hair was long and unkempt. He had a long red beard. He inspired fear in everyone who saw him. He did not have a job and did not do any work. One day he went into the woods to meet a gang of robbers. The head of the gang wanted to know his reason for being there and was told that the man wanted to join the gang. The head of the gang was well-versed in making predictions based on the individual's physical characteristics and could tell that the man was a beast of a person in that he was capable of cutting off his mother's breast and drinking blood from his father's throat.
As a result, the head robber decided not to let him join the gang. But the man did not give up; he hung around the robbers and waited on them until they were willing to beg the head robber to take him in. Eventually the head robber did not want to go against the wishes of the gang members and reluctantly allowed the man to join his gang.
One day government officials tracked down the robbers and arrested all of them. Their crimes were such that they were sentenced to receive capital punishment. None of the government officials wanted to carry out the execution, however. Therefore, they made a bargain with the head robber. They offered him freedom if he would execute the rest of the robbers. The head robber refused the offer. The offer was made to every robber respectively, but everyone turned it down except for the newest member of the gang. He was willing to execute the rest of the robbers in exchange for his freedom.
After the mass execution, he was set free as promised. Later, whenever mass execution had to be performed, this man would be called upon to do the nasty job.
The red-bearded executioner had continued to perform his work for payment for 55 long years. As he became older, he did not have enough strength to decapitate criminals with just one stroke, but it took him a few strokes to do it. This caused the criminals to suffer horrifically before they died. Onlookers felt very bad for the criminals and requested the king to retire him and hire a younger, stronger man in his place.
On the morning of his retirement, he received a large amount of cash reward. As a result, he wanted to wear new clothes, put flowers behind his ears, and consumed an elaborate dish of rice pudding which he had yet to taste. He went to the market to buy what he wanted and gave his wife some money to buy what she needed in order to cook him a fine meal. Afterward, he went to the landing by the river to bathe and shave himself. Later, he put on his new clothes, sprinkled himself with scented water, and put flowers behind his ears. He went up to the house and sat down to wait for the finest meal of his life.
On the same morning, Phra Sariputra just emerged from the bliss of deep meditation and considered whom he could save that morning. The image of the red-bearded man appeared to him and he could foresee that if he saved the man, the man would later receive tremendous wealth. Therefore, Phra Sariputra took his alms-bowl and appeared instantly at the man's door by supernormal powers. The man was just about to eat his food when he saw Phra Sariputra. He was filled with religious fervor and happiness. He reflected upon the fact that all his life, he had decapitated so many criminals and never once did a wholesome deed, but now was an excellent opportunity for him to do a good deed because Phra Sariputra had appeared at his doorstep. He wanted to offer his finest meal to the holy one.
He subsequently got up and went to where Phra Sariputra was standing. He went down on his hands and knees in front of Phra Sariputra and requested Phra Sariputra to come inside the house. He took the alms-bowl and filled it with the fine food. He gave the alms-bowl back to Phra Sariputra so that he could commence eating. With a heart filled with faith, the man stood at one side to fan the monk while he was eating.
After the meal, Phra Sariputra rejoiced in the man's wholesome deed by giving him a sermon, but the man's mind was elsewhere. Phra Sariputra asked him the reason for his absentmindedness and the man answered that he had committed a great number of unwholesome deeds by decapitating criminals. The memory prevented him from being able to concentrate on the Dhamma lecture. Phra Sariputra then asked him if he did the killing of his own volition or because it was his duty. He answered that he did it because it was his duty, for he had no desire to kill anyone. Phra Sariputra then asked him if that was the case, would his killing still be considered an unwholesome deed. The man understood it not to be and he was then able to concentrate on the Dhamma lecture that Phra Sariputra was presenting to him. As a result, at the end of the sermon, the man was able to attain the First Stage of Holiness (Sotapanna). This miraculous event took place because the man was being aided by his wholesome Obstructive Kamma.
When Phra Sariputra realized that the man had attained the First Stage of Holiness, he bid the man farewell. The man accompanied Phra Sariputra halfway to the temple before he turned around to return home. On his way back, a Yakkhini (a female ogre) that was bound to him by ill-will from a past existence possessed a cow in the field and caused it to attack and gore the man to death. After he died, he was reborn as a gentleman celestial being in the Tusita Realm.
