change every moment, they still cannot be accurately described as the same or as different
from what they were a moment ago.”^224 Buddha extended this truism about the reality of
life rather poetically, stating,“This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds. To
watch the birth of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance. A lifetime is like a
flash of lightning in the sky, rushing by, like a torrent down a steep mountain.”Buddha
believed that recognizing the truism that nothing is permanent would encourage his fol-
lowers to appreciate the moment and accept the tentative nature of life. By reminding his
followers of the transitory nature of life, Buddha was able to speak to the subject of a code
of conduct that could influence human interaction. He told his followers that all things
are impermanent and that they should remember the following verse:
Angry in the ultimate dimension
Iclose my eyes and look deeply.
Three hundred years from now
Where will you be and where shall I be?^225Karma
Buddha’s teaching regarding Karma is important because it sets the tone for ethical
behavior. Buddha repeatedly stressed that a person’s actions had consequences. One
of his most famous admonitions stated,“Speak or act with a pure mind and happiness
will follow you, as your shadow, unshakable.”The words“follow you”offer insight
into Buddha’s notion of Karma, as the result of your action can manifest itself in
your current life or in the next life (or, for that matter, several lives). Buddhists
have a strong belief in free will; therefore, your actions, over which you have control,
determine much of your Karma. In fact, the actual word“Karma”“is used to denote
volitional acts which find expression in thought, speech or physical deeds, which are
good, evil or a mixture of both and are liable to give rise to consequences, which
partly determine the goodness or badness of these acts.”^226
Buddha’s way of thinking about Karma is referred to as thelaw of action and reac-
tion. Because he did not believe in a higher being or divine intervention, he taught
that people have within themselves the potential to control their own Karma. For
Buddha,“All beings are the owners of their deeds (Karma), the heirs of their deeds;
their deeds are the womb from which they sprang.... Whatever deeds they do—good
or evil—of such they will be the heirs.”^227 When Buddha speaks of“heirs,”he is refer-
ring to the concept that the manifestations of one’s Karma remain beyond the physi-
cal death of the person. Bogoda underscores this point:
The only thing we own that remains with us beyond death is our Karma, our intentional
deeds. Our deeds continue, bringing into being a new form of life until all craving is extin-
guished. We are born and evolve according to the quality of our Karma. Good deeds will
produce a good rebirth, bad deeds a bad rebirth.^228Buddhist Ethics
Our discussion of Buddhist ethics is in many ways an extension of our conversation
regarding Karma. In addition, even Buddha’s Eightfold Path is a statement about150 CHAPTER 4•Worldview: Cultural Explanations of Life and Death
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