Compound Life

"Whatever one sows and accumulates in life, one reaps as a result. Life is not a thing by itself but a compound of things. It depends upon conditions which form its existence. When certain conditions come into combination, life is formed." (p.14, Chao Khun Sobhana Dhammasudi., from Secrets of the Lotus, Swearer, 1971)


Most religious beliefs have some idea that is similar to the notion of "you reap what you sow." I was reflecting today about how the Christian church I had once attended for a while had emphasized the idea that one should 'give 'til it hurts', and this is somewhat related to the idea that merit comes from personal sacrifice or devotion to God. What's interesting about the above quote is that it is then followed by an account of the aggregated nature of life, which is characteristic of Buddhist teachings especially. "Life is not a thing by itself but a compound of things." If such is the case, does this invalidate the notion of a permanent soul? More than anything, it seems to suggest that because life is a compound of different factors, it is impossible to make a one to one correlation between the action and the result, since multiple conditions can affect the future results. This is where the second and third statements tend to complicate the first statement, by problematizing the clear-cut idea of 'good cause makes good result.' It suggests that there can be a multitude of changing conditions that affect a result, so one should not expect a given result.
   Perhaps the most apt metaphor that is used in Buddhism is that of planting vegetables. When I plant carrot seeds, it's not possible for me to get corn, and vice versa. However, the fact that I do plant carrot seeds is not a clear cut guarantee or indicator that the seeds will grow into fully-fledged carrots at any specific time. This seems to be because many factors are out there that can affect the possibility of having carrots, including soil, air quality, sunlight, temperature, and so on. Life is always, as this quote suggests, completely dependent upon other conditions to shape its existence, even when it has potentials to be a certain way. This is why we talk about karma 'ripening' or 'maturing' rather than 'resulting'.
     The attitude that arises from this philosophy is likely to be not so emboldened as a religion which might valorize suffering or generosity as a kind of heroic quality. Even if I feel confident in my intentions and abilities to create a certain situation, I can never be certain that it will mature when I most want or need it to, since other factors might interfere in the most inopportune or inconvenient moments. This is why one can never say that a result has an inherent value, because that result is only the temporary agglomeration of ripening causes, which can change to something else at a later time. There is never really a time to rest on one's laurels, as it were.
   But doesn't this also mean that life on earth is somewhat miraculous? It is most certainly something to appreciate, because what we have is always the result of many other factors working together in harmony.


Swearer, Donald K. ed. (1971). Secrets of the Lotus. New York: Macmillan