107. BUDDHA SPEAKS ABOUT KARMA

108 Buddhist Parables

“Suppose, O Monks, a man drops a lump of salt into a small bowl of water. Would that lump of salt make the small quantity of water in the bow salty and undrinkable?”

“Yes, Master. Because the water in the bowl is limited, thus that lump of salt would make it salty and undrinkable.”

“Suppose a man drops a lump of salt into the river Ganges. Would that lump of salt make the river Ganges become salty and undrinkable?”

“No, Master. Because the river Ganges contains a large volume of water, thus that lump of salt would not make it salty and undrinkable.”

“Suppose, some person has created trifling bad karma and it leads him to hell, while some other person has created exactly the same trifling bad karma and it is to be experienced slightly in this very life without even a slight residue. What kind of person creates trifling bad karma that leads him to hell? A person who is undeveloped in body, virtuous behavior, mind, and wisdom. What kind of person creates exactly the same trifling bad karma and yet it is to be experienced slightly in this very life without even a slight residue? A person who is developed in body, virtuous behavior, mind, and wisdom.”

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