30. Kamma and Vengeance (Kamma-Vera)

By Luang Pu Thate Desaraṅsī

June 17, 1985

Most people understand that "the lords of kamma and vengeance" (jâo-gam-nai-wen) exist. We commonly hear people say they make merit and dedicate it to these lords so that they will forgive the offender’s debt, so that there will be no further vengeance or kamma between them. I don’t know how true that is. I myself have wondered about this for a very long time, ever since my first ordination. Right up to now — whether it’s been long or not — I still wonder. And I don’t know how to correct people. If I try to correct them, it becomes a long-winded matter. They probably wouldn’t believe me anyway, because they have held this belief for ages. If we don’t correct it, these mistaken beliefs will persist for countless eons — this belief that the lords of kamma and vengeance actually exist.

The term "jâo-gam-nai-wen" means the masters or rulers of kamma and vengeance. They are like government officials or lords who govern the people. When these lords tell you to do something, you must do it. When they tell you to stop, you must stop. That is what is meant by lords of kamma and vengeance.

Now let us consider the matter of kamma and vengeance. Where does kamma come from? Reflect on this point. The Buddha taught: Kammassakā, kammadāyādā — "Beings are owners of their kamma, heirs to their kamma." When we contemplate this, where are the so-called lords of kamma and vengeance? Those lords are none other than ourselves. Doing good, we get good; doing evil, we get evil. It is not that after death some external lord forces things upon us. After death, we are alone. Wherever we are reborn, we are alone. That is kamma, that is vengeance.

Therefore, the notion of "lords of kamma and vengeance" does not exist in Buddhism. But people’s customary belief holds that they do exist. This is the point of misunderstanding. And because they believe in such lords, when they make merit or give donations, they dedicate the merit to those lords, hoping the lords will receive it and grant absolution. But if people who committed wrongs harbor resentment and a desire for revenge, how can that kammic bond ever be broken?

There are two things: vera (vengeance, hostility) and kamma (action, kamma).

Vera is what arises when one commits an act and then harbors resentment, vowing to get even, to destroy the other. For example, suppose Mr. A does something to Mr. B. Mr. A then feels bitter and vengeful toward Mr. B, so he kills Mr. B, beats him, or wounds his feelings in various ways. Even after killing him, he still wishes to kill him again, endlessly. That is vera. Then Mr. B also harbors resentment: "You did that to me, I will do the same to you." If they meet again in a future life, Mr. B will carry that vengeance and do to Mr. A exactly what Mr. A once did to him. When Mr. B does that, Mr. A will again harbor vengeance against Mr. B. This goes on endlessly, as in the story of the noblewoman and the ogress in the Dhammapada commentary. That is the nature of vera.

Now, how can vera be ended? Hatred never ceases by hatred. Hatred ceases only by non-hatred. That is to say, vera ceases when there is no vera. This means that the parties give up, see the danger in their own actions, and stop creating further vengeance. If Mr. A stops creating vengeance toward Mr. B, but Mr. B has not yet given up, then the vengeance continues. That is not the end of vera; hatred has not ceased because there is still hatred. But if both give up, if both Mr. A and Mr. B forgive and abandon their grudge, then vera and kamma end. That is "ceasing because there is no hatred."

But after death, how can they communicate? They die and are reborn in different realms — as animals, hungry ghosts, demons, or humans. Can they talk to each other? If a person dies, they can no longer understand each other. Even if we no longer wish to create vengeance, the bond of vengeance remains because of the mind’s resentment. This is the difficulty; this is why vera is hard to end.

The teaching that hatred ceases by non-hatred is true, but it cannot cease because the parties no longer understand each other. There is only one way, while alive as human beings: each sees their own fault, meets face to face, and says, "I was wrong in that way and this way, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Because the other misunderstood, we harbored resentment and vengeance." If both see the danger of such vengeance, go to each other, and resolve it by asking for forgiveness and granting absolution, then the matter ends in this very life. No need to drag on for many future lives. That is cessation through non-hatred.

Now, as for kamma: it is different. Whether a person knows the face, name, or family of the one they harm, or not, it doesn't matter. For example, people kill animals or humans without knowing them. In a world war, they don't know each other's nationality or country, across oceans and lands. They shoot and kill each other without personal resentment, merely intending to destroy. That is kamma on both sides.

The result of kamma does not have to come from the person we harmed. It can come from someone else or something else. For instance, we may drown, be struck by lightning, die in a car crash, a plane crash, a flood, a storm, etc. That is called kamma. The kamma we ourselves committed brings about that result. It is not that the person we harmed comes back to harm us. That is the nature of kamma.

As for "lords of kamma and vengeance" — both terms — as I explained earlier, people think there is someone who commands them to act. But in truth, there is no such commander. Each person acts by their own volition, and then kamma manifests the results. As for the idea that there are "wardens of hell" or other officials who command and punish, I understand that it is kamma itself that produces the appearance of such beings. They are not actually causing death or punishment; rather, kamma simply manifests them. If they were real beings, they would also have to create further kamma endlessly. Therefore, I say that kamma itself produces these visions, as in the teachings on kamma-nimitta (signs of kamma) and gati-nimitta (signs of destiny).

Kamma-nimitta: Having done some action, when death approaches, a vision appears accordingly. One may see hell, flames of hell, a pit of hell, etc., and someone leads them there. That is a kamma-nimitta on the evil side. On the good side, one may be led to heaven, celestial mansions of silver and gold. That is a kamma-nimitta on the good side. I understand it that way. There is no actual warden of hell who stays the same for countless eons, never being reborn. That warden would have to receive the results of his own kamma, because tormenting hell beings creates kamma for himself as well.

Now, it is said that kamma-nimitta can be remedied by making merit. That is true. Merit helps. For example, Devadatta, who caused a schism in the Sangha, was destined for Avīci hell. The Buddha declared he would fall into Avīci. But when the earth swallowed him up to his neck, he recollected the Buddha’s virtues, and thus he did not reach Avīci but only the Great Roruva hell. Avīci is endless; Great Roruva is somewhat milder. Making merit — truly making merit — can purify evil.

King Ajātasattu is another example. Seeing his mistake, he later supported Buddhism and convened a council. Instead of falling into Avīci, he fell only into the Great Roruva hell. This is called "washing away evil with merit." As for vera — these two cases were beyond vera because they could no longer create vengeance. The five heinous acts (ānantariya kamma) are done without any personal vengeance between the parties; they transcend ordinary vera. For example, acts against the Buddha, the noble disciples, or one’s own parents, who have only loving-kindness and compassion and cannot retaliate.

Similarly, we can "wash away" kamma. The kamma we have done can be cleansed by making merit. If our intention is truly sincere, aiming for genuine wholesome results — not thinking that someone else will receive the merit and we’ll be off the hook — but rather, the merit and wholesomeness we cultivate gradually improves our mind, gradually freeing us from hell and from kamma. This is called "making merit to remedy kamma." Therefore, when we make any kind of merit, dedicating it to this or that person, whether they receive it or not, it doesn’t matter. If they receive it, that means they are no longer hostile. But not every dead person can receive our merit. Those who are hungry ghosts, demons, animals, or even celestial beings may not be able to rejoice in our merit. Even among living humans, some cannot bring themselves to have faith and rejoice in our merit. So let alone beings in other realms — it is very, very difficult.

Nevertheless, when we make merit to improve our own minds, that very act can free us from kamma, gradually lessening it.

As for the matter of "lords of kamma and vengeance," please understand it this way. Then you can explain it to lay people so that they may understand, out of compassion and sympathy for them. It is truly excessive that this misunderstanding has been entrenched for so long, without understanding Buddhism. We should believe only in kamma and the results of kamma. That is the foundation.