Every time a person acts there is some quality of intention at the base of the mind and it is that quality rather than the outward appearance of the action that determines the effect. If a person professes piety and virtue but nonetheless acts with greed, anger or hatred (veiled behind an outward display of well-meaning intent) then the fruit of those actions will bear testimony to the fundamental intention that lay behind them and will be a cause for future unhappiness. The Buddha spoke of wholesome actions (kusala-kamma)—that result in happiness, and unwholesome actions (akusala-kamma)—that result in unhappiness. The theory is not deterministic, as past karma is not viewed as the only causal mechanism causing the present; see below regarding others.
Why am I talking about this? I left home when I was seventeen and went overseas to continue my study. My eldest son is doing the same thing next month, after he turns seventeen. To me, my past action was the consequence of some quality of intention that existed at the base of my mind, and possibly the base of my parents’ minds. Part, or the whole of this intention is probably still there and now effects changes in the life of my family. I know next to nothing about buddhism but this concept appears to fit into my more recent experiences as I pause and ponder about life more these days. I am quite sure some readers will relate their own experiences to the Law of Attraction and find that fitting in equally well. The bottom line could well be: be careful with what you think about, it certainly causes effects much longer lasting than the thoughts themselves.
Quotation in image comes from J A Marie
