The Ten Virtuous Actions

1. Not to Take Life
2. Not to Take What is Not Given
3. Avoid Sexual Misconduct
4. Not to deceive
5. Avoid Slander of Others
6. Avoid Harsh Words
7. Avoid Empty Speech
8. Avoid Avaricious Thoughts
9. Not to be Malicious
10. Avoid the Wrong View

As a practical meditation exercise one can take a vow to not do these for a day, three days, a week, a month etc. Ordained individuals take all ten vows for as long as they are ordained. If one takes a vow and keeps it one derives the positive karma from this action. If one simply doesn’t perform the negative action, such as killing, but doesn’t take the vow then one doesn’t derive any positive karma from it (but obviously also doesn’t get any negative karma from killing).

2. The Virtuous Actions of Body

   THE FIRST VIRTUOUS ACTION:
    Not To Take Life

The first negative action of the body is killing; so one must give up the taking of life.

There have to be four factors present to make the action of killing complete and therefore a negative act. There has to be the object of the action, the intention, the action itself, and that action has to be completed. If these four aspects of an action aren’t all present then killing need not necessarily be a negative action.

   THE OBJECT OF THE ACTION

In order for the act of killing to occur there must be the actual object or being who will be killed. It can be any kind of living being, from a small insect to a large animal. It must be a being capable of experiencing sensations and sufferings. There are religions which teach that plants have a mind and therefore they consider plants as sentient beings who should not be killed, but according to the Buddha this is not so. When one talks about not killing one refers only to beings who have minds and can experience suffering. This does not apply to inanimate things such as stones or plants and so on. For an act of killing to be a completely negative act it must be directed against a true living being who has a mind.

   THE INTENTION

For something to be the negative action of killing a second factor must be present: the intention. One must have the motivation to harm that being for the action to fall into the category of killing. If we think “This being is going to harm me” or “It is dangerous and therefore I wish to kill it” one is killing out of anger and the desire to cause harm. One can also kill through the motivation of desire by thinking, for example, “If I kill this being then I will have food, clothing, pleasure and enjoyment.” One can also kill through the motivation of ignorance, such as sacrificing an animal for religious reasons, thinking “If I kill this being then the act will be good and beneficial because this was in the scriptures.” However it is not a good intention because it was a killing carried out with the motivation of ignorance. If one does not realize that one is killing a being then there is not the negative result that comes from an act of killing. Knowledge and intention must be there.

On rare occasions killing is done through a good motivation, in which case a negative result will not come from that action. In the account of a previous life of the Buddha he was a sea captain. At that time a great fortune of jewels could be obtained by going out to sea, but it was a risky adventure and one could either return wealthy or not at all. If one set out to sea one needed a guide to lead the ship: a good person with experience. In a previous life the Buddha was such a captain, and his actual name was “Courage.” He led 500 merchants on a ship to obtain jewels, but there was a very negative person on that ship who became very angry with everyone else. He thought that if he made a hole in the bottom of the boat it would sink and all the merchants would die. He didn’t care if it killed him too. But Courage saw this and thought “If I kill him then it will save the other merchants. The negative result of killing will come to me, but it doesn’t matter what happens to me. I have to save the 500 merchants and must also save this man from accumulating such negative karma.” With this motivation Courage hit this man on the head with an axe and he died. Because of the good motivation this act did not lead to negative karma. He killed one man but saved the lives of 500 people, and therefore it was a good action instead of a negative one. Though the act may be an act of killing it may not be a negative action. This is because of the motivation that was involved.

    THE ACTION ITSELF

As well as having the object and the motivation there must be the third factor of undertaking of the action of killing. This means that although one may have the intention of killing someone one has to carry it out for it to be the negative act of killing. One has to take a sword and attack someone or to get poison and give it to someone and so on. One does not need to perform this action oneself; one can make someone else do it by instructing and paying them to kill another being. When that person has committed the action one feels happy, thinking, “Oh, it is good that being was killed.” Even though it is not one’s own action, but carried out according to one’s instructions, it is still one’s own negative action of killing because one is responsible for having made someone else do it. So as well as the motivation to kill there is the actual act of killing, whether done by oneself or done according to one’s wishes.

     THE COMPLETED ACTION

Finally, the fourth factor is called “completion.” Even though one has performed the act of killing, for it to be a true act of killing the being must die as a result of one’s action. One might have the intention and one might carry out the action but one could fail to actually kill the person, or the person might recover through medical treatment and so on. While this is obviously a negative act it does not count as a real act of killing. If one has ordered someone else to kill somebody and he disobeys or fails in his job this is also not an actual act of killing. It is clear that one’s attempt is a negative action that leads to negative karma, but if one’s action fails in its goal then it does not become the very negative action of killing.

So one can avoid the act of killing by avoiding an action that has all four factors present, and in doing so one is practicing virtuous conduct.

    THE SPECIAL PRACTICE:
    TO SAVE OTHERS’ LIVES

There is also special virtuous conduct, in which case one not only avoids killing other beings but actually saves the lives of other beings who are in danger. It is special and superior in relation to the simple practice of virtuous conduct. Avoiding killing and saving the lives of other beings is the first of the ten virtuous actions.

    THE REASON

Generally, killing is a very negative action. The reason for this is that sentient beings cling to their own body and life. All appearances in this world are present due to their having a life. If their life ceases then all appearances of the world will be lost. For that reason an individual’s life is very precious to them. To lose this causes great suffering, and therefore killing is a serious action.

    THE SECOND VIRTUOUS ACTION:
    Not Taking What Is Not Given

The most precious thing for a sentient being is his or her life. Wealth and possessions are the second most important thing. Since life is very important, a human being will go through a lot of hardships and difficulties for the sake of their possessions which sustain life. This is true for animals too. Although animals have no attachment to gold and jewels they still have strong attachment to food and other things which they perceive as necessary to sustain their lives. Some beings have greater attachment to things than others do. One should use the things that are one’s own possessions and not take possessions from others by force or by deceiving them. If one deprives others of their possessions it will cause suffering and harm to them. Also it causes harm to one’s self because the result of one’s actions will definitely come back to oneself. For this reason one should avoid stealing and accomplish the virtuous action of not stealing.

There are many categories of stealing or taking what is not given. As explained in relation to not killing, there are four aspects to this action. There is the object, the motivation, the act and the completion.

    THE OBJECT

The object of the negative action of stealing is taking something which is possessed by someone else. The object must have an owner who has the thought that the object “is mine.” “It belongs to me and is my property.” It also has to be of a certain value. If it has no value to a person and losing it makes no difference to that person then taking it is not a negative act. If it is something not owned by anyone then taking it is not negative or harmful. In the past there were some religions in India that said if one obtains something it must be given to you by someone else. So they taught that if you are in an isolated valley and drink some water then that is stealing because you are taking something that is not given to you. But the Buddha said that this is not a negative action. He said it is only a negative action if you obtain something that is a possession of someone else and you take it without that person’s permission.

     THE INTENTION

The motivation means that one has to have the thought that “There is this thing that belongs to someone else, and I am going to get it without them seeing me” or “I want that object so I am going to use force to take it from him even though he doesn’t want me to have it.” One may also think “I want this thing so I will deceive the owner to obtain it. I will tell him all sorts of lies and use various methods so that I can obtain the object from that person.” In this last case one does not steal directly, but through indirect means one obtains something from another person. These are the thoughts one has when the action is non-virtuous.
If the motivation is absent it is not a harmful action resulting in negative karma. One might take something because two objects look very similar, and one mistakenly goes off with someone else’s things. This is not a negative action because the motivation was not there. Or one might think “This belongs to my friend who is not here now. He is my very good friend and he won’t mind if I take it.” Taking that object is also not a negative action because there is no motivation to steal. One might also think “This is so insignificant and nobody really cares whether they have it or not so it does not matter if I take it.” If one has that motivation it is not a negative action.

The motivation must be present for stealing to be a negative action. If we can abandon such thoughts then we are avoiding the motivation of stealing.

    THE ACTION ITSELF

The third characteristic of a complete negative action is the actual application to the action itself: where one carries out the intention to steal something either by force or by deception.

As in the case of the act of killing, there are three kinds of negative acts for stealing. Committing the act by stealing yourself, having somebody else steal for you, or rejoicing in hearing that somebody else steals, without being personally involved or benefiting from the action in any way.

    THE COMPLETED ACTION

The fourth factor is actually completing the action. One might have the motivation to steal and carry out the action but fail to steal the object. If one is not able to complete what one intended to do one does not get the full negative result from the action. If, on the other hand, one has been able to get what one wants and one thinks “I have robbed this object through force (or deception)” then there is the completion of the act, and one receives the negative result from the action.

If one has failed to complete the action and this thought does not arise in the mind the result is less negative. If one can avoid, and give up, the complete negative action one accomplishes the simple practice of not stealing.

     THE SPECIAL PRACTICE:
     TO GIVE TO OTHERS

The special practice is not only to give up the act of stealing but also to practice giving to others. This can be of two kinds: pure and impure. The pure act of giving is a virtuous act, and the giving is really beneficial for the recipient. The impure act of giving may seem to be a virtuous action but in fact it is not because it has a harmful result. For example, when one has an impure motivation one gives something to someone with the motivation that “This will cause harm to the person I am giving it to.” This is a negative motivation and makes it an impure act of giving. Alternatively, the object given may be impure; one may give a weapon or poison to someone. Such things are impure objects because, through their use, they will cause harm to the recipient or others. If one gives such things to a person and thinks “Due to my giving, it will be beneficial for that being’s future” then that thought is good, but if it results in unhappiness and suffering then the object is impure.

Also, the object one gives should be one’s own possession. It may be the case that other people may also have the right to decide what should be done with an object. If you decide by yourself “Yes, I think it is all right if I give this away” the other person, who also has rights, will be unhappy. That is then an improper object of generosity. To be a pure act of giving the motivation and the object have to be pure so that others are not harmed. This concerns inanimate objects. If it is a living being the act should be beneficial. If all aspects are correct then it is a special and virtuous action of giving.

     THE THIRD VIRTUOUS ACTION:
     To Avoid Sexual Misconduct

It is said that the most important thing for a living being is their life. What is then most important is their possessions. Following that what is most important is the companion that they love. Based on this understanding one must avoid harming the lives of others and avoid causing them suffering by taking their possessions. If the loved companion is made unhappy it is not good either. Also, if the companion of someone else is made to suffer it is not good. So one must also avoid causing others suffering and sadness through one’s sexual misconduct.

The analysis is the same as for the previously discussed acts. First there is the object of the action, which is someone who is not one’s own companion. Then there is the motivation, which in this case could be to satisfy one’s own desires, wishing to cause harm or a mental state of ignorance out of which the action is committed. The third factor is carrying out the action. The fourth factor is that if the act is done with the motivation of desire, the wish to harm or through ignorance then one will experience the results of having committed a negative action.

Therefore one should avoid sexual misconduct. Then one’s own partner will not be unhappy and worry but will have peace of mind, and other people will not have suffering, difficulties and worries. In this life and also in the next life one will not encounter difficulties and problems as a result of one’s action. Instead there will be peace and happiness.

     THE SPECIAL PRACTICE:
     TO TAKE THE VOW

Taking the vow not to engage in sexual misconduct is the special practice concerning sex.

     THE RESULTS OF ENGAGING
     IN GOOD CONDUCT OF BODY

Avoidance of the three physical negative acts of killing, stealing and sexual misconduct are classified as “discipline,” or shila in Sanskrit which means “coolness.” It is very hot in India so coolness is considered to be very pleasant. Following correct conduct means that one has to be careful and restrain one’s actions. The result is that one experiences peace: the mind becomes very relaxed and at ease which is a very pleasant state. If one maintains correct conduct one does not encounter difficulties and problems from engaging in negative conduct. Because one’s mind is at peace, relaxed and open, one also feels relaxed and comfortable physically.

3. The Virtuous Actions of Speech

     THE FOURTH VIRTUOUS ACTION:
     Not To Deceive

We might think that by lying to somebody we can easily get what we want, but in fact it only creates problems for oneself in this life and in future lives. The Sakya Pandita said that when a person lies he thinks that he is deceiving somebody else, but in fact he isn’t deceiving anybody but himself. If you lie to others and think “Now I have deceived them” they will think “There is no point in listening to what that person says because he has lied to me before.” In contrast, if someone always tells the truth others think “I must listen to what he says because it is true, meaningful and beneficial.” If one lies others will think “There is no point in listening because it is meaningless and not beneficial at all. There is as much point in listening to him as to an echo.”

Also, if you are going to lie then who do you lie to? You do not lie to someone who doesn’t have any faith in you and would not believe you anyway. The person you lie to is someone who trusts you, someone who likes you, someone who thinks that what you say is the truth. That is the only person you can lie to because he or she believes in you and is actually deceived. Afterwards that person will realize that you have deceived them, and this means that you will lose that person’s trust. So in the future that person will not believe what you say. In this way you only deceives yourself because you lose the trust of others. If you want to accomplish something you will not be able to do so because people will not trust what you say.

     THE FOUR FACTORS

Again, the four factors that make an act negative need to be avoided:

The object of the action of lying must be a person or being who understands what you say, not an animal or stone. It has to be somebody who understands.

The motivation does not refer to saying things out of fun or to have a laugh; it is the motivation of intending to deceive somebody.

The actual act is telling a lie with the motivation of deceiving somebody. If one lies out of ignorance, thinking something was true and telling this to somebody else, it is not a lie because the motivation has to be intentional.

The completion of the act is when you say something deceptive, whether the person who hears believes what you say to be true or not. The action is carried out and there will be the negative effect of having lied.

So by avoiding the action of telling a lie one performs the ordinary virtuous action.

     THE SPECIAL PRACTICE:
     TO TELL THE TRUTH

One must have very clear understanding and wisdom in order to engage in the special practice of telling the truth. Generally speaking, telling the truth is very important and good. However, sometimes telling the truth can cause problems and difficulties for people. In such cases it is important not to tell the truth. If one has good motivation and tells someone the truth it can cause that person to become angry; it can cause a division between people or harm them. Therefore one should not tell the truth in those situations. Instead one should tell a lie, but with the motivation to benefit and help the person you are lying to, or on the basis of that untruth being told that it will benefit someone else or a great number of people. The situation of telling a lie with the motivation to help someone is not a negative action. Whereas if one tells a lie in order to deceive someone it is a negative action. This applies to telling the truth too. If you tell the truth with a negative motivation it will cause harm to people and is not a virtuous action.

     THE FIFTH VIRTUOUS ACTION:
     To Avoid Slander

There may be two people who like each other and, through the motivation of pride, anger or envy, one wishes to say something which will turn them against each other. This is the action of slander or divisive speech.

The object of that action is the two people who are friendly with each other.

The motivation is pride, anger or envy and the wish to turn people against each other because one thinks it will benefit oneself.

The actual action is saying something to turn people against each other.

The completion of the action is when a conflict between those people arises.

This is an action that one should avoid. Giving up speech that turns people against each other is the simple practice.

     THE SPECIAL PRACTICE:
     TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER

Bringing people together or removing conflicts is the special practice. Two people may be in conflict and one reconciles them by saying “This person does not mean to harm you and it will be very good if you are friends again.” Bringing people together with speech is the special good action in relation to the act of slander or divisive speech.

     THE SIXTH VIRTUOUS ACTION:
     To Avoid Harsh Words

The sixth negative action is using harsh or unkind words.

The object of this is a person who can understand what you say.

The motivation for using harsh words is usually envy or anger.

Actually saying harsh words to others, whether true or not, whether you say it directly or imply it, is the act.

The completion of the act is when the other person hears what you say and is upset or unhappy.

The result of having said harsh words to someone is that they will become your enemy in the future. So one should avoid speaking harsh words, which is the simple virtuous action.

     THE SPECIAL PRACTICE:
     TO USE PLEASANT WORDS

The special practice of this point is using pleasant and gentle words which make other people happy.

There is an exception here. Some people may say something harsh to someone with a good motivation because gentle speech does not stop the person from engaging in negative conduct. With the motivation of helping someone avoid doing something negative one must speak harshly to them. If this is done with a good motivation and if that person stops doing negative things and learns control it is a beneficial action. If the motivation is not for one’s own benefit but for the benefit of others, harsh words are beneficial.

If, in spite of our good motivation to help, harsh words don’t help or affect the other person then it is better not to use them at all. But if one can actually benefit somebody by using harsh words then it is a virtuous action.

     THE SEVENTH VIRTUOUS ACTION:
     To Avoid Empty Speech

The object of empty or idle speech is somebody who can understand what you say.

The motivation is having an irresistible desire to keep on talking or to be angry, envious or proud so that one speaks negatively about someone and praises oneself. Or, through the motivation of desire, one praises oneself.

The actual activity is to say useless or idle words.

The completion is that the other person understands what you say, whether they accept it or not.

If the person accepts what you say then when it is something said through anger it can increase that person’s anger. If it is something being said through desire it can increase that person’s desire and that person’s envy, and so on. Even if that person doesn’t accept what you say it will increase their emotions so that it has a harmful result, which creates negative circumstances. If one can avoid this kind of talk then it avoids creating harm and negative circumstances.

There may be something which seems like empty speech but which may not be a negative action. For example, when you meet a person and want to make them happy you may say things that seem to be unnecessary, or in order to benefit someone you may say all sorts of things. Somebody may feel unhappy and sad then, in order to make them happy, one talks to them about all sorts of different things. This is done with a motivation to benefit the person. If one talks about “this and that” with a good motivation and it has a beneficial effect it is not a negative action; it is a positive action. Even if it is not just to benefit others but just to please them and make them happy then it is good. One of the actions of a bodhisattva is to speak pleasantly and nicely to people: to hold a conversation with them that makes them happy. Another of the activities of a bodhisattva is the four actions which draw people towards the dharma. The second of these is to speak pleasantly, in such a way that it makes them feel happy. Therefore, if one says whatever is necessary to please people and make them happy then this is not a negative action; this is a virtuous action.

To avoid the use of unnecessary speech is the simple or ordinary action.

      THE SPECIAL PRACTICE:
      TO USE MEANINGFUL SPEECH

The special good action related to unnecessary speech is that when one speaks one doesn’t say meaningless things; instead, one’s speech is always meaningful.

4. The Virtuous Actions of Mind

     THE EIGHTH VIRTUOUS ACTION:
     To Avoid Avaricious Thoughts

Avarice is the desire for things that one sees which belong to other people. One may see another person who has possessions, wealth or even desirable qualities. They look good and attractive, and one thinks, “I want to have these. They could be mine.” That is the cause for this negative action of avarice.

The motivation and action of avarice are the same thing because they are both of the mind.

Increasing the negative motivation of wanting things that belong to others becomes the basis for all kinds of negative actions, because this thought is expressed in one’s actions and speech through anger, desire and so on.

Not only does it cause harm and unhappiness for the person who owns the things that one wants to possess but it also causes trouble for oneself. We should see that there is no real benefit in getting any of the things we desire because there is no end to satisfying desire: when we want one thing and get it then we will want two and more. There is never an end to desire, and as a result we perform actions that cause trouble for ourselves and for others. We should think “Well, I am attracted to things that others have, but it won’t do me any good because desire can never be satisfied, and I will always want more. I will create unhappiness with this desire and then that other person will also create difficulties for me.” By realizing this we see that the best thing to do is to avoid avarice.

The simple virtuous action is when we realise that avarice is something negative and then give it up.

     THE SPECIAL PRACTICE:
     TO BE CONTENT

The special virtuous action is when we avoid avarice and also become content with whatever we have. If we are content with whatever we have then we can easily accomplish whatever we want to do. Furthermore, if we are content we will not trouble other people.

     THE NINTH VIRTUOUS ACTION:
     Not To Be Malicious

The second virtuous action of the mind is not to be malicious. For instance, in a state of anger or envy one wishes harm to come to somebody: that they suffer and have difficulties. One wishes “May they have problems.” Either wishing to harm them oneself or wishing that others harm them is a negative motivation which leads to increasing harm. Because one does not have a pure motivation other people will perceive this motivation and one’s malice. They will begin to dislike you, turn against you and become your enemies. You will find that you will lose your friends and will no longer have anyone to help you. This motivation is negative for oneself and for others. If one has the wish that harm comes to others it leads to involvement with all sorts of methods by which harm can be brought to other people. This motivation always leads to a negative result, which is the reason why one should avoid malice.

Avarice and malice are negative actions which are included within desire and anger. Even so, it can be the case that one has the desire to obtain wealth and possessions for the sake of benefiting other people. In that case desire for possessions is not negative but positive. In terms of harming someone, it may be that someone causes a lot of harm to other people and one has the wish to get rid of him in one way or another: to expel him to another place, have him arrested and put away or even killed. If this is being done for the sake of helping a great number of people then the wish to harm such an individual is not a negative action.

      THE TENTH VIRTUOUS ACTION:
      To Avoid The Wrong View

The tenth negative action to be avoided is the holding of mistaken beliefs or wrong views. This is when one has a mistaken opinion concerning special things, such as the Three Jewels (the Buddha, the dharma and the sangha). However, it may not just be about the dharma teachings. Someone may have a good motivation and give good advice, saying “What you are doing is wrong. You shouldn’t do this” and so on. If one understands that the person has a good motivation and the advice is beneficial then it will be beneficial to oneself, but if one thinks “He doesn’t like me and is saying something very unpleasant to me; he is trying to make things bad for me” it is an error, and you have a mistaken perception. In this case, the good motivation of that person is wasted, and his advice cannot help. In fact it becomes a source of harm, in that one has interpreted it as being something harmful for oneself. Therefore if one is given advice one shouldn’t just think “This is bad or wrong.” One shouldn’t allow oneself to easily fall into this misconception but should examine it very carefully to see whether it is beneficial and said with a good motivation.
One should avoid misconceptions and mistaken beliefs.

     THE SPECIAL PRACTICE:
     TO EXAMINE AND LEARN TO UNDERSTAND

Examining, analysing and understanding the truth and the real nature of things is the special practice in association with mistaken views.

     CONCLUSION

To summarise, there are three negative actions of the body, four of the speech and three of the mind. These make up the ten negative actions. In contrast to these are three virtuous actions of the body, four of the speech and three of the mind which make the ten virtuous actions. If one practices the ten negative actions it will cause harm for others and also for oneself. Therefore they should be avoided. If one practices the ten positive actions, it will be beneficial for oneself and for others. By performing the ten virtuous actions everything will go well because one will be in harmony with others. Practicing in accordance with the dharma teachings will not run counter to one’s ordinary human life; in fact, one’s ordinary human life will go very well, and one will cause no problems. If one practices virtuous conduct it will be beneficial in this life and the next.

Virtuous conduct is called “shila” in Sanskrit, which means “pleasant coolness.” One will not accomplish shila through the practice of negative actions. For example, in terms of killing, one may have an enemy and think “Well, if I can kill this enemy then things will be very pleasant. It will be very good.” But if one kills the enemy one discovers that happiness does not come. One may have killed that enemy but he has friends and relatives who will also become one’s enemy. So one’s enemies increase in number rather than diminish. If one follows virtuous conduct and does not kill that enemy then there is no way that the number of enemies one has will increase.

Following conduct that is in harmony with the dharma means that in this life we will have the “pleasant coolness.” It will also bring good results for one’s future life. Therefore the correct conduct is called “shila.” Of course, it is important to practice meditation and the dharma because through these we can overcome the emotional disturbances and obtain liberation. But the basis for the practice of dharma is good conduct of our body and speech, so one should therefore try to follow this correct conduct. It is very difficult to have the complete and perfect aspects of such conduct, but we should try as much as we can for the sake of our dharma practice. That completes the teachings on the ten virtuous actions.

     Questions & Answers

Question: How is it regarded if you save the life of one person by killing another person; for example if one person is threatening another person’s life and is about to kill him and you intervene by killing that person to save the life of the other?

Rinpoche: This depends on the circumstances or the motivation. For example, if the person who is in danger is a relative or friend and one wishes to save them by killing another person, it can have a negative result. If the person in danger of being killed is somebody who can benefit many people and the one who is going to kill him is not of any benefit to anybody, then one may think, “It is much better if he dies than the other one.” That motivation is good because the person whose life is in danger would help many beings. If one kills the bad person it would not be a negative action, so it depends upon the motivation.

Question: In practice, then, would one have to have the insight of a bodhisattva to decide which way to act? I have all sorts of ideas of people I feel it would be beneficial to eliminate on the spot. I get scared, first of all for myself and secondly because I am not completely confident that my insight into the truth of the matter, of the far-reaching consequences is at all accurate.

Rinpoche: There is a danger involved in that one needs to have the wisdom that can see, “Well, if I get rid of this person, then it will be very beneficial. It will bring happiness to many people and prevent a great deal of harm being caused.” If one could really see that this is so and got rid of that person, it would not be a negative action. But if one thinks, “Probably this will be good if this person was killed,” it is not good enough. One cannot really be sure that if one kills a general of an army that he will not be replaced by another person who will do the same things. That would be a pointless action, something without any positive results. One really has to have the full wisdom to know that it is beneficial and not just the thought that it is probably beneficial.

Question: What is the karmic result of an accidental killing, for example, if someone drives a car and another person stepped out and was run over?

Rinpoche: I don’t think negative karma would come from accidentally killing someone in a car because one does not have the intention to kill. The motivation is not there. Also, one has not carried out an act designed to kill another person, rather one has made a mistake. Therefore there should not be a negative result. One might be driving along and someone crosses the road. If one gets angry, shouting, “What is he doing on the road?” and hits the pedestrian, a negative result will come because there is the motivation of anger.

Question: Rinpoche, what do you think about someone asking to be killed when they are very sick?

Rinpoche: A negative result would come from that because although that person is experiencing great suffering through his illness he still hopes that he might get better and find happiness in the future. Killing him would be an act committed out of ignorance: it would be killing without being aware that there is still the hope that he may become free from that suffering. Somebody may be very depressed and say, “Please kill me,” and it may seem that killing this person is beneficial at that moment. But there is always the opportunity to become cured and to find happiness in the future. Even though the person had the wish, he might change his mind as you kill him, “Oh, I think I made a mistake” but then it is too late.

Question: There are a lot of cases where people are really old and it is certain that they have only two or three months left without any chance that they can recover from cancer or something else. If they ask for something to kill themselves with, what should one do?

Rinpoche: They may want to die but inside everyone has attachment to life and still has hope to continue living. For example, there is a story of an old man who was very ill and felt that it would be better if he died. He led a long and good life and thought, “It would be best if I died now.” He asked for a divination to see whether he might die now. They did the divination and the answer was, “It looks like you are going to die.” When he heard that he was very upset. Without this knowledge it would be a negative effect, like committing suicide. However this person had the knowledge of what would happen within the next few weeks and a way of avoiding that experience. With that knowledge, it would not have the negative effect like suicide.

Question: Do people who commit negative actions have negative karma?

Rinpoche: With the impure motivation, the negative action and the negative completion they will have a result that comes from the action; a negative karma that will ripen. But it is said that there are four kinds of karma:

First is the evident result of one’s actions. One does a powerful and negative action and within that very lifetime the result will be experienced.

The second kind of karmic result is where the karma is not so strong and the result is experienced after rebirth. Somebody may do negative things but not experience the result in this life, but in the next lifetime he will experience much suffering.

The third kind of karmic result comes from actions which are less strong and will be experienced in a future lifetime, i.e. the result is not experienced in that life, or the next but in some other life in the future.

The fourth kind is called “the indefinite karmic result” that comes in minor negative actions. One may experience the result some time in the future or one may not experience the result. It is uncertain.

If one has committed a negative action, then the result will come in accordance with the strength of the action.

Question: How can one purify negative karma?”

Rinpoche: Through the “Four Powers of Purification”:
The first power is that of repudiation; rejection of one’s actions, i.e. thinking, “What I did was wrong and negative.” One regrets that one has committed that action.

The second power is that of remedy, where one regrets and applies oneself to doing virtuous actions in order to counteract the negative ones.

The third power is that of reliance, in which case one prays to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas for the purification of the negative actions one regrets.

The fourth power is that of not repeating the action. One thinks, “I carried out this negative action and regret it. I am not ever going to do it again.”

Through applying those powers, one can purify the karma of a negative action which one has committed.

Question: If my memory is correct, I remember Rinpoche saying that the karmic result achieved is from a karmic trace being left. I had always understood this to be a mental trace. There seems to be a contradiction here between the four powers of a negative action in that a mental trace can be left where the most important part seems to be the intention. Supposing I bashed somebody on the head, I think that he is dying and am glad about it. I go home, he recovers and I do not know anything about it. From the point of view of the mental trace, that should be enough to complete the whole thing. I mean, whether he recovers or not, that’s not the point from the view of the mental trace.

Rinpoche: There is a phase in which karmic results come about, which is called the “fruitful ripening of karmic result.” There is also what is called “the corresponding result,” which is the result corresponding with the cause. There are two kinds, a corresponding result which is experienced and a corresponding result which continues. These mean that if, for example, one has killed somebody, in the next life one will experience various unpleasant things with the fully ripening result. A corresponding result is that one experiences a short life in the next life from having killed somebody, so various results correspond with the action. That is the corresponding result which is experienced.

The corresponding result which continues is that if one has killed in this life, in the next life one still has the tendency and will spontaneously want to kill again; or if one steals in this life, one will continue stealing in the next life. Even as a child, one will like stealing or killing. So if one hit someone on the head and thinks he has died but he hasn’t, then a strong karmic trace is not left within oneself because one thought he was dead and afterwards finds out that he wasn’t. Even if one doesn’t find out that he is not dead, such a strong karmic trace is not left because one might find out that he hasn’t been killed and this can be known through an external power in the object itself; so it doesn’t just involve the mind.

Question: In other words, ignorance is the unconscious part of the killer’s mind, which perceives, although the conscious mind doesn’t hear? Is that what you mean?

Rinpoche: Yes, it is like that. In terms of the eight consciousnesses, it is the sixth consciousness which thinks, “Yes, he is dead. He has been killed.” But in the eighth consciousness, which is the ground consciousness, the karmic trace or imprint of having killed someone cannot take place.

Student: Now I get it.

Question: If you say harsh things to somebody, how do you know that they don’t take it as an insult?

Translator: Rinpoche said that you can only say harsh words if others take notice of it, but you don’t know that. If it does any good to speak harshly to someone and you think, “If I speak harshly, it won’t do any good,” then do not do it. Or you think, “If I speak harshly, it will probably work,” then you can do it.

Question: If I have some of these negative actions, what is the karma?

Rinpoche: I have the idea that you really do not have negative karma. My feeling is more open. Normally in carrying out negative actions and accumulating negative karma, there is an enjoyment of performing the act. For example one kills and likes killing, so one carries on and does as much as one is able to. If one has regret, it means you dislike it and don’t want to do it anymore. That puts an end to it and from then on you avoid it. Because there is dislike for the action and regret, it causes a transformation in the karmic traces or latencies in oneself. Due to that, the harmfulness of the negative karma gradually diminishes.

Question: In Buddhist countries or in the monastery of Rinpoche, what does he do with somebody who is cheating, stealing or lying?

Rinpoche: There are many different monasteries and each has its own way of managing things. My view is that if somebody is stealing, it is good to meditate on patience. But if one finds that meditating on patience does not work, then it is important to find out the truth. Who really supervises truth? It is the government. So, the best thing is to hand this thing over to the police. If they work out what is right and what is wrong, then this is my view.

Question: I have two questions: If somebody lies out of fear, what would your view be? Secondly, if somebody creates mischief and tells lies, how would you deal with that?

Rinpoche: If someone acts negatively out of fear, then I think there is little harm from that. If a person is in danger, to become free from that danger he tells lies. I think there is little harm from that. The habitual lying is harmful if done with a negative motivation.

Question: I did not quite understand what you meant by wrong view.

Rinpoche: Wrong view is a negative action through the fact that it prevents a benefit from coming to oneself. There is something beneficial and because of one’s mistaken view one prevents it from benefiting oneself. There may be someone who is giving us beneficial advice because we have a fault. We can have lots of problems because of that fault. Someone tells us to remove that fault, which is beneficial advice given to us. But we have to examine this advice that we received to see that it is beneficial and not make an immediate judgment, “He is just criticizing me and saying there are things wrong with me,” feeling anger instead. Because one has a mistaken belief that he is not trying to benefit, the mistaken belief hinders accepting the beneficial advice. On the contrary, one thinks he is being nasty and harsh, thus misinterpreting the advice. Thus, one does not get the benefit.

Similarly, in terms of the wrong view towards the Three Jewels, they are not something that intentionally is going to harm someone. It depends upon one’s own attitude whether they are beneficial for oneself or not. If one has the wrong view about them, then one prevents their good from benefiting oneself. This is why wrong view is to be avoided.