Thanissaro Bhikkhu on Karma & Rebirth

"You notice as you read through the teachings of the ajaans, a huge percentage of the Dhamma talks are pep talks. Encouragement. It’s all too easy when you’re under difficult circumstances to think about how much better you’d like it to be this way or that way. But the ajaans are there to remind you to think about the good things you do have, not so much in terms of the material things, but in terms of good opportunities to practice. These opportunities don’t come if you’re spending all your time trying to become as wealthy as possible, or as famous as possible, or as powerful as possible. The good things of the mind come when you pare down your concern for material things, you pare down your concern for the world outside and your position in the world outside, and you focus more on what good qualities you can develop. Sometimes you develop these qualities in the context of society at large, and sometimes you develop them when you’re out in seclusion. But they are the real food fo...

"People who’ve come back from near-death experiences often say that the things they regret most — when they look back on their lives, thinking that they’re about to die — are the opportunities where they could have helped someone else, been kind to someone else, but they didn’t. So, be generous with others and have some restraint in your behavior: no killing, no stealing, no illicit sex, no lying, no taking of intoxicants; no divisive speech, no ill will. Then as you look back on your life, you realize there’s nothing for which you have to reproach yourself, or anything you have to be afraid of, that you’re going to be punished for. That’s one fear that can be alleviated by generosity and virtue." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Fear of Death"

"So look around. Look for the opportunities. After all, if people can be opportunistic about wanting to do evil, why can’t we be opportunistic about wanting to do good, to create goodness in ourselves and leave some goodness around the world around us? That’s one of the paradoxes of the practice. There was a reflection in Ven. Ratthapala’s teachings to the king. “The things you have, the wealth you have now, is it really yours?” This was what was meant by the Dhamma summary that the world has nothing of its own. The king said, “Well, I have lots of wealth of my own,” and Ratthapala responded, “But can you take it with you when you go?” Well, no. But with goodness, you take it with you by leaving some goodness behind — in your relationship with other people and the way you deal with your mind. The inner and the outer goodness are connected. Any goodness you leave behind by being unburdensome, by being content, also goes with you as a strength in the mind. So it’s not a matter of ...