The Workings of Kamma

The book is organized into six major sections. Section I, “‘The Clog-Bound Sutta,’” uses the image of a dog tied to a post to explain how the ordinary person remains bound to the five aggregates through ignorance, craving, and identity view. Section II, “‘The Second Clog-Bound Sutta,’” further develops the theme of defiled mind, attachment to the aggregates, and the variety of temperament formed through repeated mental habits. Section III, “The Workings of Kamma,” is the doctrinal core of the book, explaining the Buddha’s knowledge of kamma and result, the definition of kamma as volition, unwholesome and wholesome consciousness, merit-work bases such as offering, morality, and meditation, the ten unwholesome and wholesome courses of kamma, knowledge and conduct, the twelve categories of kamma, time of effect, order of effect, function of effect, the principle of identity, and the dynamics of achievement and failure. Section IV, “‘The Small Kamma-Analysis Sutta,’” explains why beings are inferior or superior through fourteen karmic causes, including killing, compassion, anger, generosity, pride, inquiry, and their opposites. Section V, “Creating a Human Being,” shows how repeated volitional patterns construct future identity and experience. Section VI, “The Unworking of Kamma,” presents the liberation process through insight into impermanence, suffering, non-self, disenchantment toward the five aggregates, path and fruition, and the cessation of the karmic process through Nibbāna.