Have you ever heard of the Law of Cause and Effect? It’s a concept deeply rooted in many religions and philosophical traditions, including Buddhism. The idea that every action has a consequence, and that our actions in this life will determine our fate in the next, can be both comforting and terrifying.
But what if I told you that the Law of Cause and Effect is not real? That it’s just a concept created by humans to make sense of the world around us? This controversial idea is explored in-depth on Lotusbuddhas.com, where you can dive deeper into the fascinating debate about the nature of causality and its role in our understanding of the universe.
Join me on a journey of discovery as we explore this thought-provoking topic and challenge our preconceptions about the fundamental principles of existence. In this article, we want to give you a different perspective on the Law of Cause and Effect – from our friend’s point of view.
Some evidence that the Law of Cause and Effect is not real
The Law of Cause and Effect, also known as Karma, is a philosophical and spiritual concept that is difficult to prove or disprove empirically. However, there are some arguments and evidence that suggest Karma may not be a universally applicable law.
Firstly, the concept of Karma assumes that individuals have free will and that their actions are determined by their choices. However, research in neuroscience and psychology has suggested that many of our decisions and behaviors are influenced by unconscious factors, such as genetics, upbringing, and environmental factors. Therefore, the idea that our actions in the present lead to direct consequences in the future may not always hold true.
Secondly, there are many examples of individuals who have experienced seemingly undeserved suffering or success, despite their actions in the past. For instance, a person who has committed many bad deeds may seem to be living a comfortable life, while another person who has lived a virtuous life may experience significant hardships. Such examples suggest that Karma may not be a reliable predictor of outcomes.
Lastly, the concept of Karma often assumes a linear relationship between cause and effect, where a specific action leads to a specific outcome. However, in reality, the relationship between cause and effect is often complex and multi-layered, involving numerous factors and variables. Therefore, the idea that Karma operates as a strict cause-and-effect relationship may not accurately reflect the complexity of human experience.
In conclusion, while the Law of Cause and Effect is a deeply ingrained belief in many philosophical and spiritual traditions, there are arguments and evidence that suggest it may not be a universal law that applies in all circumstances.
Why should we believe in the Law of Cause and Effect?
Some people believe that despite doing good deeds and not harming anyone or animals for 30 years, they still face numerous difficulties and obstacles in life.
The question arises as to why we should live a good life, do good deeds, and suppress our personal desires just to benefit someone we do not know in the next life. Since most of us do not know about our previous lives, we should focus on living a comfortable life and satisfying our present needs.
I am not referring to cause-and-effect examples such as if you plant a pomelo tree and take good care of it, it will produce grapefruit or if you smoke cigarettes, you may get lung cancer later. Additionally, committing crimes such as killing, stealing, or cheating will lead to punishment such as imprisonment.
In this context, I am discussing the law of cause and effect in terms of its transmission from one life to another. If you hold a tennis ball and throw it against the wall with force, it will bounce back towards you.
However, it’s not guaranteed that the ball will bounce back every time you throw it against the wall. In our lives, we witness many people who do bad things and yet still live comfortably and enjoy wealth until the end of their lives, without facing any consequences.
So, where does that “ball” go? It goes to find someone it doesn’t know in its next life and hits them in the face with all its cruelty! “Oh my God, what did I do wrong in my previous life? But now I have to suffer these consequences. I was born blind with two eyes, how can I live well in such a harsh society!” “I don’t know who I was in my previous life, how do I know if I was the one throwing the ball?!” If the law of cause and effect works in this way, it seems too cruel and unjust.
Missionaries attribute the inability to explain why a bad person can live richly and happily until the end of his life to the next life, where nobody has been able to prove its existence. Even if there is an afterlife, the bad people in the previous life will not be hurt, and they will not remember anything.
According to Buddhism, if a person creates bad karma, they will be reborn in a bad realm such as ghosts or animals. However, when an animal dies, what realm will they be reborn into? For example, when a whale opens its mouth, millions of creatures have to die. So if the law of cause and effect is true, does it mean the whale is bad and its karma is endless?
Furthermore, what would a mosquito want when they are reborn? Are there not dogs and cats that have a much better life than some humans? Were there six realms of samsara millions of years ago? When a dinosaur died, which realm did it get reborn into? There are living beings that have very short life cycles and do not have to suffer much in this Saha world.
Many people believe that eating salty food and killing animals create bad karma while releasing animals generates good karma. However, according to the Buddha, there are billions of creatures in a glass of water. This means that every glass of water we drink or vegetable we eat contains countless tiny lives, creating an infinite miniature universe system.
Therefore, how many lives have we killed in this lifetime? So why do we label people who eat salty food and kill a chicken as bad karma? Have we ever shown compassion for the mosquitoes we have killed? In the end, everything works the way that we put a label on it.
Comparing faith to painting a wall with shrimp paste, and then trying to convince oneself that it is beautiful and fragrant is a metaphor for the illusory nature of faith. It is a dream that we mistake for reality, but in truth, it only impoverishes our minds.
Each religion selects its own image to paint on the wall, and its adherents place unwavering faith in it. Like clouds in the sky, those who follow God say Amen, and those who follow Buddhism say Amitabha!
I recommend a very meaningful movie called “The Man from Earth 2007”. Don’t misunderstand, this is not a superhero character from the Marvel universe! The movie’s content revolves around a conversation among friends who are professors of science and religion in a room.
When you put too much faith in something, especially something that you have spent your life pursuing and researching, it can be difficult to accept the truth when someone presents it to you.
The Buddha was just an ordinary person who found a way out of suffering, like Faraday, Newton, or Einstein found new things in their respective fields of study.
The law of cause and effect or hell is just a concept created by the ancients to discourage their descendants from engaging in immoral actions. Humans are simply a type of advanced animal that has evolved through the process of natural selection.
As conscious beings, we project our own thoughts and perceptions onto the world around us, but what is the true nature of existence? We should let time and scientific progress provide answers. Unlike illusions created by the mind, science is based on concrete and compelling evidence.
If a Canon camera takes a picture of an animal shaped like a dog, it may not necessarily be a dog. Further experiments and specific evidence are required to confirm whether it is indeed a dog or just an elephant with a similar shape to that of a dog.
I would like to add that the teaching method of religions today is akin to the warning on a cigarette pack: “Smoking is bad for your health…!”. People are aware that certain actions are not beneficial, yet they continue to indulge in them. Of course, there are a few cases of “awakening” and giving up bad habits, which we often refer to as “enlightenment.”
Religions have been teaching for thousands of years, but has the world become a better place? No, it is increasingly deteriorating until a certain point. If religious teachers do not change their methods, this trend will continue.
At the end of the conversation, I was somewhat confused about whether I or my friend was the frog at the bottom of the well. However, I eventually realized that finding answers to the above arguments was not necessary, as it was similar to explaining radio waves or Wi-Fi to prehistoric people.
Therefore, as a Buddhist, it is crucial to understand the Four Noble Truths of the Buddha and practice the Noble Eightfold Path to eradicate or lessen suffering in this world.
Oh, and I almost forgot, the movie my friend recommended is excellent. However, I realized that if someone has extensive knowledge down to the smallest details in your research field and incorporates “correct data” from textbooks with some “false data” that seems logical, it can sway your perspective slightly.
