HOW SIMILARITIES IN TERMINOLOGY CONCEAL FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE
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There is, however, an extended doctrine of Karma. According to it Karma includes Karma done in past life or lives.
If a man is born in a poor family it is because of his past bad karma. If a man is born in a rich family it is because of his past good karma.
If a man is born with a congenital defect it is because of his past bad karma.
This is a very pernicious doctrine. For in this interpretation of karma there is no room left for human effort. Everything is predetermined for him by his past karma.
This extended doctrine is often found to be attributed to the Buddha.
Did the Buddha believe in such a doctrine?
To examine this extended doctrine properly it is better to change the language in which it is usually expressed.
Instead of saying that past karma is transmitted it should be better if it was said that past karma is inherited.
This change of language enables us to test it by the law of heredity. At the same time it does no harm to the doctrine either to its de jure or de facto connotation.
This restatement makes it possible to pose the two questions which could not otherwise be posed and without answering which the matter could not be made clear.
The first question is how is past karma inherited ? What is the process ?
The second question is what is the nature of past karma in terms of heredity ? Is it an inherent characteristic or acquired characteristic ?
What do we inherit from our parents ?
Starting with science the new individual begins when a sperm enters the egg. Fertilization consists in fusion of the head of the sperm with the nucleus of the egg.
Each human being takes its origin from the union of two bits of living matter, an egg from the
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