KARMA AND CAUSATION IN THERAVĀDA BUDDHISM: RETHINKING DETERMINISM AND EXTERNAL PHENOMENA

Abstract

This paper reexamines the relationship between karma and causation in Theravāda Buddhism focusing on how karma is understood to cause external events attributed to agents. It argues against the deterministic view that karma directly determines external phenomena, suggesting instead that external phenomena serve as necessary and sufficient conditions for the arising of karmic results. The causal relationship between the arising of contact with external phenomena and the arising of karmic results operates bidirectionally. Narrative accounts in the Pāli suttas that link present experiences to past lives should not be interpreted as implying that the past deterministically causes present events. Rather, they suggest that a moral agent’s feelings arise through present contact with conditions. The paper explores both the ontological and epistemological dimensions of karma, drawing from the Pāli Tipiṭaka, Abhidhammattha-saṅgaha, and Western perspectives on causation. It emphasizes the phenomena of consciousness, cetanā (intention) and vedanā (feeling) as central to the experience and understanding of karma. Finally, it critiques deterministic interpretations commonly found in Thai Buddhist discourse and suggests a naturalistic and experiential approach that emphasizes present awareness and moral responsibility.