Thanissaro Bhikkhu on Karma & Rebirth

"Everything talked about in the Dhamma relates to actions. When people talk about interconnectedness: We’re connected through our actions. We’re not connected through anything else. What kind of connections do we have? It’s not something we are born with, aside from the results of past actions. These connections are created right now as we’re acting. Then act well so that the connections are good, as long as you need connections. But ultimately you find the mind is a lot better off without connections to anything at all." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "It's All about Action"

"As Ajaan Suwat once pointed out, there is an important riddle to contemplate in the practice. On the one hand, the Buddha said that all phenomena are not self, and seeing things in that way is part of the path. On the other hand, there is that point we’re supposed to contemplate everyday: “I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, whatever I do for good or for evil to that will I fall heir.” There is very definitely an “I am” there. So it’s good to think about that riddle."   ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu  "The Riddle of 'I Am'"

"So how do you use appropriate attention [yoniso manasikāra] to apply the four noble truths? You look at things in terms of what you’re doing and the results of what you’re doing. If the results are leading to stress, okay, you’re doing something unskillful. You might want to look into what you’re doing and see if you can change it. There’s going to be desire on both sides: the desires that lead to suffering and the desires that help get the path together. So you can’t just say, “Well, I give up desires.” You have to figure out: What kind of desire is it? Is it a desire that should be encouraged? Or is it a desire that should be discouraged? To see that, you’ve got to get the mind really quiet." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Appropriate Attention (2015)"

"When the compilers of the Canon characterized the Buddha’s teaching, they characterized it as a teaching on karma. The Buddha was a “karma-speaker,” they said. And they were right. It’s because this is a teaching on karma that it’s also a teaching on your dignity, your responsibility." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Only One Person"

"Don’t steal other people’s bad qualities to think about. You never asked their permission to take their bad qualities and to brood over them. If you’re going to steal their qualities, take their good ones and think about those instead. Ajaan Lee also says that if you take the bad words of other people and brood over them, it’s like taking something they’ve spit out and then eating it yourself. And then when you get sick, who are you going to blame?" ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "The Karma of Mindfulness: The Buddha's Teachings on Sati and Kamma"

"Virtue, in Buddhism, is expressed in the five precepts. Of the five, truthfulness is said to be the highest virtue because it’s only through truthfulness that you’re in a position to admit your mistakes and to learn from them. There are passages in the Canon called the Jātaka tales, which tell the stories of the Buddha in previous lifetimes. And it’s obvious from some of the stories that he’s still learning the ropes, because sometimes he breaks the precepts: Sometimes he kills, sometimes he steals, sometimes he has illicit sex, sometimes he takes alcohol. But he never lies. Ever. For him, that’s the most important precept. Because after all, if you lie to someone, the misunderstanding you create can have a bad effect not only in this lifetime but also into future lifetimes. And as the Buddha says, if you feel no shame at telling a deliberate lie, there’s no evil you’re incapable of doing." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "The Five Faculties: Putting Wisdom in Charge o...