[Buddha-l] Re: Buddhist pacifism

[Kate]

Hi Curt,

Thank you for your response.  Taking the quotes in your post individually to
see if I've understood them correctly:

"It is intention that I call kamma…..".  As “karma” means “action”, this is
saying “It is intention that I call action”  This seems to be the same as my
comment in my last para - "'karma' refers to acts of the mind".
Intention/action/karma occurs in the mind, whether or not it is given
physical expression.

"……having formed the intention one performs acts (kamma) by body speech and
mind".  Here if, in keeping with the first quote above, we replace
"intention" with "karma", this part of the statement would read "having
formed the karma one performs karma by body speech and mind".  To me, this
isn’t saying that acts of body and speech are karma in themselves, only that
body and speech are  physical vehicles which enable karma/intention/mental
acts to be carried out in the physical. (It would seem that "mind" in the
phrase "body speech and mind" is referring here to the mental processes
necessary to carry out the acts of body and speech.)

"'Kamma should be known”  = intention/action should be known.

“The cause by which kamma comes into play should be known. And what is the
cause by which kamma comes into play? Contact is the cause by which kamma
comes into play" =  the six senses (5 physical, 1 mental)

“The result of kamma should be known. The cessation of kamma should be
known. The path of practice for the cessation of kamma should be known.”  -
These are referring to grasping and suffering, the Four NobleTruths and the
Noble 8 Fold Path.

Any corrections to the above are welcomed.

Thanks for the link, Curt, and book recommendation.  I’ll follow these up.

Kate