Here and hereafter those who perform evil actscreate their own suffering.
Mental preoccupation with the thought,
"I have done wrong" possesses their minds,
and they fall into chaos.
Dhammapada v. 17
Living responsibly requires that we trust in the law of cause and effect; we need a sense of how our actions of body, speech and mind have consequences. The Buddha pointed to a more refined understanding of this principle, which is that it is not so much our actions that determine results, but the intention behind our actions. Our commitment to inner awareness generates the light which reveals intention. If commitment is lacking, light is lacking and we don’t see clearly; we might ask ourselves a straight question, but fail to get a straight answer. Much of the confusion of life is the direct and appropriate consequence of the causes we create. Cultivating impeccability is the way to avoid falling into chaos.
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