Karma

Karma

Suppose two years ago a person killed someone in Bangkok. Then he fled to Nong Khai (a province along the Mekong River opposite Laos). This is an analogy of someone who killed another person in his past life and has been reincarnated.

When he fled from Bangkok (past life) to Nong Khai (this world), he felt a sense of remorse and guilt. 

Therefore he repented and undertook the precepts, and likes to make merit. He is also friendly and good to the villagers of Nong Khai. All his neighbours praise him for being a good man with great morals. But the Bangkok police (kamma) is still looking out to find him.

Even if he tries to escape by ordaining as a monk and hiding in the Ubosot (ordination hall, the area around it is considered sacred and immune to civil law in the past), the Bangkok police are still able to locate him and arrest him once he steps out of the Ubosot. The villagers of Nong Khai are very angry at the Bangkok police and curse them for arresting this good man.

This is the bad kamma that follows you even when you do a lot of good deeds. You may think you have done good all your life, keeping precepts and making merit. But you cannot remember what you did in a past life. Again, this is similar to people who are doing evil deeds and yet enjoying a rich glorious life. 

Their wealth is due to their good kamma that they have done in the past. The new evil kamma they are doing hasn't fruited yet.

It is like planting different type of crops. As an example, pepper plants produces fruits faster than mango trees. Planting rice yields faster than coconut trees. There are different kinds of kamma, skillful kamma, unskillful kamma, heavy kamma or light kamma. They all come to fruition at different speeds. But whatever kamma you have created, you have to be prepared to face it either in this lifetime or the subsequent ones.

Somdej Phutthachan Toh

Wat Rakhang

Bangkok