Question 39: WHEN SOMEONE FACES DIFFICULTIES AND PRAYS FOR HELP, IS THIS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW OF KARMA?

Answer: The Law of Karma is strict, yet it also allows for flexibility. For instance, if a person faces a bad karmic consequence, such as an accident, and prays to deities for protection, the deities can intervene: If the person in trouble has a sincere heart and has done good deeds, the deities may use their powers to help him overcome the danger, similar to how we may assist others in times of hardship. In this case, the person is essentially borrowing merit from the deities, which means that they must repay this merit from their own good deeds in the future instead of enjoying it as they usually would.

Conversely, if someone facing difficulties does not perform good deeds and merely waits for help, they may find that in times of trouble, no assistance is forthcoming and their prayers go unanswered.

One response

Collection Of 100 Buddhism Questions Answered For Beginners – BUDDHISM FOR BEGINNERS

November 15, 2024 at 2:46 pm

[…] Question 39: WHEN SOMEONE FACES DIFFICULTIES AND PRAYS FOR HELP, IS THIS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW … […]

LikeLike

Reply

The Author

JANNA is the pen name of a certain monk who does not wish to use his real name. He is likely mature enough to understand that fame, wealth, and glory are as fleeting as morning mist.

In Pali, “JANNA” means purity, so it’s unclear which country he’s from. However, he seems to have studied the Nikaya scriptures.

Although he writes about Buddhism, he appears to desire unity with other religions to contribute to the cause of world peace. He attempts to demonstrate how differences can complement one another…