Philosophical aspects of Theravada Buddhism
The teaching of Theravada Buddhism center primarily on human existence
consisting of life, suffering, death and the way out of it. The Buddhists’ views on life,
suffering and death are closely intermingled with the Buddhist laws of causality and
mutation. These two laws are understood as natural laws universally operative in all
physical and mental phenomenon. The law of cause and effect is thus expressed: “when
this exists, that exists; when this arises, that arises; when this is not, that is not; when this
ceases, that ceases.”2
This is interpreted to mean, all that is, is the results of antecedent
courses. Each “event” or “happening” acts as the cause or the necessary condition for the
arising of the following event, which then provokes or causes another event. Thus, as
used in Buddhism, the relationship between cause and effect is only that of the earlier to
the later phrase of a single process. Therefore, in the context of this natural law, life
consists of many psycho-physical factors.3 It is a fabric of causes and effects: arising,
existing and continuing by the concatenation of these factors mutually conditioning one
another. This process is specifically referred to as the kamma process. We are both deeds
and consequences of deeds. Kamma (or karma in Sanskrit) means volitional activity
whether it is mental, verbal or physical. The concept is used to emphasize that life