Present kamma may often be influenced by past kamma, but it does not need to be, the mind can make a break with old habits.

"The six sense media (āyatana) are old kamma in that they themselves and many of the objects that impinge on them are products of past actions. However, this is not true of all the objects of the senses, for when a person does a present action, the action and its immediate results impinge on the senses as well. At the same time, one’s experience of the input from the senses goes through many stages of mental filtering, as some sensory contacts are highlighted or elaborated on, while others are ignored or suppressed. This filtering is a form of present kamma, too, which means that all kamma — past or present — is experienced through the agency of present kamma.

Now, present kamma may often be influenced by past kamma, but it does not need to be. The mind can, if it wants to, make a break with old habits. A change in knowledge — new information, new standards of judging what is important and not — can lead to a change in one’s present decisions. This means that past kamma does not absolutely determine one’s experience of the present moment. This point needs to be emphasized strongly, for there is a common misperception that the Buddha’s teachings on kamma are deterministic. Actually, the Buddha was a strong opponent of determinism [AN 3:62]."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "The Paradox of Becoming"

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