Question asked by VV
Thank you for your answer regarding karma and clairvoyance. I have a follow-up question.
If according to you, clairvoyance, following karma, is dynamic and not static, what are prophecies then?
It seems to me that prophecies are certainly not dynamic. So how can something static be derived from something dynamic?
Dear VV,
Thank you for your follow up question. From a common point of view regarding karma, it does seem that something static cannot be derived from something dynamic. When thinking of karma, we often forget about two aspects involved, and they are (1) the types of karma and (2) our understanding of the length of time that karma can affect us.
In the first instance, when discussing karma, we often only limit this to personal karma. There are however other types of karma, such as group karma (affecting a group of people) and even environmental karma (the surroundings we live in). In the case of group karma, due to actions in previous lifetimes, a certain group of people have the karma to be in same situation. For example, a certain group could have the karma to be in a team that wins a companion or even be in the same vehicle that has an accident. In regards to environmental karma, this could manifest as an area that is prone to drought, floods or other natural disasters. This actually also refers to the way our planet formed and the state it is in now as well. This has come about due to the collective group karma of those sentient beings that have taken rebirth on the planet, are living now and will take rebirth in the future.
When discussing karma, we often limit the ‘time frame’ we think about to this life, and the immediately preceding and proceeding lifetimes. However karma can span many eons. For example, an act of killing in this lifetime can lead to eons in the hell realms. This situation is hard to describe in terms of human lifetimes, as they are so short compared to lives in hell or other realms.
Therefore it can be hard to understand the nuances of karma. In fact, since the workings of karma are so vast, it can only be understood completely by a fully enlightened Buddha who has achieved the state of omniscience. Given the time length of karma in relation to human lifetimes and the various types of interrelated karma, certain beings who have achieved high states of clairvoyance or who are the emanations of enlightened beings can make prophecies, which will come true. This is because these prophecies are based on karmic situations that are bound to arise. This itself does not counter my earlier answer, but is an extension of it, if we think about karma from a logical perspective. Given this, the processes of karma are still very much dynamic. It is just that from our point of view given our references to time and the way the world exists, we see it as static. There are also other elements of karma that i have not covered in this answer, which also come into play when thinking about clairvoyance and prophecy.
You’ve asked a very interesting question, it shows that you think logically. If you want to read more about karma you can read the relevant sections of Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche. You can most probably find it in speciality bookstores. Alternatively it is also available here if you would like a copy: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand. Though the text does not cover the topics of clairvoyance and prophecy in particular, there are certain sections that will further your understanding of karma, which is the basis of understand about clairvoyance and prophecy. I hope this helps.
Thank you.