Indefinitely Effective Kamma
(Apara-pariyaya-veda-niya-kamma)
1. The Meaning of Indefinitely Effective Kamma
Apara-pariyaya-veda-niya-kamma (Indefinitely Effective Kamma) composes of three words: Apara which means another realm, another lifetime; Pariyaya which means timeframes; Vedaniya which means the consequences of Kamma. When the three words are combined, the term means Kamma which will give its consequences in future lifetimes. That is, in the third or more lifetime from now.
2. Characteristics of Indefinitely Effective Kamma
Indefinitely Effective Kamma is Kamma which will give its consequences in the next three or more lifetimes. Indefinitely Effective Kamma occurs during the second to the sixth thought-moments and once performed it will follow the person everywhere and will give its consequences as soon as the time is right. It can be compared to a hunter who goes hunting with the help of a pack of dogs. As soon as the hunter spots a deer, he lets the dogs loose to chase after the deer. As soon as they catch the deer, they will bring it down. In the same manner, Indefinitely Effective Kamma will follow a person until it is time to give its consequences. The only exception is when the person attains Arahatship. In that case, Indefinitely Effective Kamma will not be able to give its consequences. There are two types of Indefinitely Effective Kamma: unwholesome and wholesome Indefinitely Effective Kamma.
3. Unwholesome Apara-pariyaya-veda-niya-kamma:
It means unwholesome deeds that will cause suffering and trouble for the person in the next three or more lifetimes as can be seen in the following case study as recorded in the Tripitaka:
Death as a Consequence of Unwholesome Apara-pariyaya-veda-niya-kamma
During the time of our Lord Buddha, a group of Buddhist monks boarded a large sea-faring vessel in order to come to the city of Savatthi where the Lord Buddha was staying. One day, in the middle of the sea, the vessel stopped still for no apparent reason. The captain sent some crew members to investigate what was causing the vessel to stop moving, but they could not find anything wrong with it. The captain decided to call the passengers together in order to inform them of the situation with the hope that they could come up with an idea to help solve the problem. Finally, one passenger said that the situation was caused by a person of ill-fortune in their midst. Everyone agreed and decided to draw lots to see who the person of ill-fortune might be. It so happened that the captain's young wife drew the lot three times in a row. For the sake of the crew and the passengers, the captain decided to tie a container filled with sand around his wife's neck and threw her along with the container of sand into the sea. As soon as the deed was done, the vessel miraculously started moving once again.
The Buddhist monks witnessed the incident with great sadness and wondered why the vessel stopped still when nothing was wrong with it and why the young woman had to die at such a young age. As soon as they were in the Lord Buddha's presence, they recounted the incident to Him and requested Him to explain to them the reason behind the young woman's death.
The Lord Buddha told them that in one of her previous lifetimes, she was born the wife of a rice farmer. She was a good housewife. One day she found a street dog and decided to keep it. She took good care of it and the dog was devoted to her. It followed her everywhere. It would be nearby and watch her do every chore. A group of young men began to tease her about the dog until she felt very embarrassed. As a result, she would beat the dog with a stick to discourage it from following her. Since the dog was her husband in a past lifetime, it continued to follow her everywhere.
She was so angry at the dog for disobeying her that one day after having delivered food to her husband who was working in the paddies, she called the dog to her. As soon as it came to her, she tied the dog's neck with a container filled with sand and pushed it into the water. As a result of this misdeed, she was reborn in the States of Loss and Woe and suffered horrifically there for a long, long time. Once most of her misdeed had been paid for, she was reborn the captain's wife.
What she did to the dog two lifetimes ago became unwholesome Apara-pariyaya-veda-niya-kamma which caused her to suffer in the third existence the same fate as the dog.
4. Wholesome Apara-pariyaya-veda-niya-kamma:
It means wholesome deeds that will cause the individual to meet with happiness and success starting in the third existence from now as in the case in the Tripitaka:
'Queen Mallika'
Queen Mallika was responsible for making an offering of Asa-disa-dana to the Lord Buddha. Asa-disa-dana means an Unparalleled Gift which is offered to the Lord Buddha and occurs only once during the life of each Buddha. She had also accumulated tremendous amount of merit. She did, however, commit a misdeed by lying to her husband about the fact that she had a sexual relationship with a dog. Although her husband, King Pasen-di-kosala paid no mind to her deviant behavior, the obscene deed stuck to her memory up until the last day of her life. As a result, she was reborn in the hell realm of Aveci Mahanarok for seven earth days before she was reborn in the Tusita Realm to enjoy the ecstasy of her celestial estate as a result of her Asa-disa-dana to the Lord Buddha.
Her most recent rebirth is a result of her wholesome Apara-pariyaya-veda-niya-kamma, which gave its consequences in the third existence.
