Understanding Kamma and the Importance of Intentional Action : หน้า 125/164

Suzanne Jeffrey "Kamma, then, applies to body, speech, and thought: action with intention. And the actions that we perform throughout our lifetimes reflect negatively or positively on the people around us. These people are: our Mother/Father, our teachers throughout our lifetime, our own family when we are older, friends, our colleagues, and our spiritual leaders and/or mentors. We call these the six directions. In the front are the people who care for us as we are growing, to the right side are the people who are our teachers, and to the top are the spiritual guides we have throughout our lives. These three directions are the most vital at birth. "Teachers, then, are one of the most important sources of value training. If we look at our own actions, we must decide for ourselves if our actions are healthy and moral. Or, do we commit deeds when we are angry, greedy, or deluded. The people committing the deed must always think of the consequences because if they do not, and commit a wrong deed, they will regret it later on. We must always look at the result of our actions. If we do something out of bias or prejudice, then the consequences will be significant. So look at the cause of the action and the result of the action in order to understand the correct definition of cause and effect. If the Dhamma is not clearly understood it will cause many problems within the community. If it is, then there will be no problems. "Next, let us look at the words ‘should’ and ‘should not’. ‘Should?’ or ‘should not?’ are not easy questions, nor do they have easy answers. With anything we do, if we do anything, there is a tendency to ask the question: ‘Should I do this?’ ‘Should I not do this?’ Any time we cause an unwholesome act to happen, that is a ‘should not’: If we are thinking of doing some action and it will cause something unwholesome to happen, then we ‘should not’ do that action. At the time we ask the question, however, it is neither right nor wrong, good nor bad. If, however, a wholesome act might occur, then it is ‘should’. Anything that we do that might result in an unwholesome action occurring, then that is a ‘should not’. And, vice versa, anytime a wholesome action might occur, that is a ‘should’. This is the standard for any leader and it is the Dhamma left by the Buddha. This should also be used for our laws because our leaders have to look to the future." Luang Por then discusses the Eightfold Noble Path and how “Should” and “Should Not” reflects on the teachings of the eightfold path. Because these are teachers that he is speaking with, he wants them to understand that there are two levels of knowledge. "There are two levels of understanding: Common understanding, or general understanding, and Profound understanding. The first has a minimal effect to the mind, but the