Your actions really do have consequences, even beyond this life. There’s a continuation beyond death, and your actions play a huge role in shaping what’s going to continue and how it’s going to continue.

"When the Buddha teaches us right view, he’s advising us to think about the long term. As Ajaan Lee would say, anybody can find pleasure in one way or another. Even common animals have their ways of finding pleasure. But it takes discernment to realize that there are long-term consequences to your actions. You have to take into consideration that your actions depend on your motivation. And your actions can have consequences that last for a long, long time, which means you have to check your motivation for why you’re acting and try to motivate yourself to act in a way that will lead to long-term well-being. This is what makes human beings different from animals. We can take a longer view.

Yet there are a lot of people who refuse to take that longer view. That’s precisely why the Buddha made the topic of rebirth part of mundane right view. You’ve got to take this into consideration. Your actions really do have consequences, even beyond this life. There’s a continuation beyond death, and your actions play a huge role in shaping what’s going to continue and how it’s going to continue."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "The Power of Intention"

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