Question 81: ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF KARMA, ANYONE WHO SOWS THE SEEDS OF KARMA WILL REAP A CORRESPONDING AND JUST CONSEQUENCE. SO, IS THE LAW OF KARMA ALWAYS RIGID, OR IS THERE SOME FLEXIBILITY?

Answer: If the Law of Karma were rigid and fixed, it would no longer truly be the Law of Karma, as each person would merely be the product of past Karma, with all circumstances predetermined – even their actions would be regulated like those of a machine.

For example, if person A kills person B, it could be seen as person B receiving the consequences of past karma. However, if A’s actions were also driven by past karma, A’s act of killing B would be similarly predetermined. In this case, the Law of Karma would become rigid, leaving no room for individuals to choose their actions and create new karma.

In reality, the Law of Karma operates more like Fuzzy Logic; it is highly flexible, yet still governed by principles. Understanding this requires subtle wisdom.

Returning to the example, person B is predestined to face harm, but the perpetrator doesn’t necessarily have to be person A. B’s death might instead result from other causes, such as a traffic accident, a branch of a tree falling accidentally, slipping down the stairs, or even being hit by a falling durian while sitting under a tree. Instead of dying, person B might suffer a severe injury, live in a vegetative state, or be confined to a wheelchair.

The occurrence of such an event is inevitable – this is a principle of the Law of Karma. However, the manner in which the event happens, and its intensity, can vary depending on B’s new karma or A’s state of mind. This is the flexibility of the Law of Karma.

It is precisely this flexibility that allows sentient beings to have the freedom to choose their new karma, making the future always uncertain and unpredictable.