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Summary of practices concerning Kamma which have already been performed and will be performed in the future.

As long as defilements still remain, one must continue to undergo the round of rebirth.

It behooves everyone to learn about the Law of Kamma. Ignorance of this law is very dangerous. The knowledge of this law can at least help conduct one's life in a safe manner and to ensure a safe journey within the round of rebirth such that one will be reborn only in the Human Realm and the Celestial Realm so that one can continue to accumulate more and more merit. A true understanding of the Law of Kamma motivates one to make more merit than mistakes and any mistake made will be minor and infrequent. One will also be equipped to not only deal with one's death, but to also prepare for it in a knowledgeable manner and in accordance with the Lord Buddha's Teachings:

The round of rebirth is perpetuated by the Law of Kamma which works all the time and never rests. It sends the consequences of our past overall Kamma as soon as it can and they manifest themselves as life's vicissitudes. Our good Kamma gives happy consequences while our bad Kamma gives unhappy consequences. In the context of the round of rebirth, there are four different types of human beings:

As long as one still possesses defilements, one will continue to perform both good and bad deeds and receive their consequences. An individual's Kamma and its consequences follow him like a shadow and it is only a matter of time before the consequences show up

The Law of Kamma and Right View

According to the Lord Buddha's Teachings, cleanliness brought about by the Precepts is not at the superficial level but at the deep level. The Lord Buddha taught that "A person can bathe himself 100 times a day but if he still kills, steals, commits sexual misconduct, that person is still not considered to have a clean body. A person can brush his teeth 1,000 times a day but if he still lies, practices nonsensical speech, gossips, that person is not considered to have a clean mouth."

The Lord Buddha's Teachings are contained in 84,000 Scriptures as recorded in the Tripitaka. These Teachings can be summarized as the Noble Eightfold Path which consists of the following eight components:

It is generally understood that once sin or demerit occurs as a result of a misdeed and ill consequences are incurred, that sin or demerit cannot be washed away. This understanding is correct when sin or demerit means the ill consequences of a misdeed. However, according to the knowledge about the Law of Kamma, the emphasis is on the removal of defilements, which are the root cause of sin or demerit.

The Lord Buddha did not mention the concept directly but His Teachings are about purifying the mind until such time that all defilements can be removed from it.

In regards to the religious belief that sin is inherited and newly born human beings must be baptized or the religious belief about a savior who was born to redeem other human beings, the Lord Buddha had the following to say:

Sin or demerit arises from defilements which are inherent in the mind in the form of greed, anger, and ignorance.

The Lord Buddha, who penetrated the reality of existence and possessed true knowledge about the working mechanism of the law of nature, allowed Him to know the nature of defilements and the fact that defilements are the cause of all sin or demerit. He also knew how these defilements could be completely destroyed.

There are many religions on earth, but if we count only major religions that have provided a refuge to humankind and have a large number of followers all over the world, there are only three main religions. These include Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. The fundamental teachings and practices of each of these religions differ tremendously from one another.

The Meaning of Defunct Kamma Defunct Kamma means unwholesome or wholesome Kamma which has already given its consequences or Kamma which is waiting to give its consequences when it becomes defunct. Therefore, Defunct Kamma is Kamma which will never give its consequences.

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.

The Meaning of Subsequently Effective Kamma Subsequently Effective Kamma means Kamma which will definitely give its consequences in the next lifetime.

The Meaning of Effective Kamma Effective Kamma means Kamma which gives its consequences now or in the current lifetime. Once performed, this type of Kamma gives its consequences quickly. The effect is immediate.

Kamma Which Gives Its Consequences as a Function of Time

The Meaning of Casual Kamma Casual Kamma means unwholesome and wholesome deeds which an individual has performed both in the past and present existences. It does not have the strength of Karuka-kamma, Asanna-kamma, or Acinna-kamma. They are deeds that have been performed unintentionally.

The Meaning of Habitual Kamma Habitual Kamma means unwholesome or wholesome deeds which are performed on a regular basis or often. They include physical, verbal, and mental deeds.