Why are some people's lives sheer plain sailing while others are doomed to failure and misfortune? Generally, we have our share of ups and downs in our lives. In Buddhism, all phenomena and experiences are explained via the law of cause and effect. The emergence, changes and disappearance of any matter is caused by certain conditions. An intentional mental, oral or bodily action is defined as karma while the result or reaction accrued is known as its vipaka.

The bell rings because there is a person who rang the bell and that person is the cause and the sound is the effect. The car can be made because it has sufficient conditions for its assembly. Our desire to purchase creates the demand and this in turn triggers the supply or the desire to sell. The demand (buyer) and supply (seller) forces combine with other subsidiary conditions such as the availability of raw materials, accessories, car tools and labor aid the whole manufacturing process. In other words, an action (a cause) with its accompanying conditions brings into fruition the product (result).

The law of karma is the universal law, applicable to all beings and phenomena. When there is no cause and effect, there will be nothing at all and things that exist will not undergo changes.

Our fate is conditioned by various factors. However, the main factor is still the self. A person's thought and behavior can influence his or her environment. In return, the environment will influence him or her in the present and the future as well. This is called Karma.

Our karma has three categories of the body, speech, and mind. The body means our physical actions, speech refers to our spoken words, and the mind denotes our feelings and thoughts. The result or vipaka is the effect of our behavior and thoughts.

Our behavior is a form of energy that influenced our present and future life. One will get the consequences when all the conditions are met. The situation is similar to a rock that falls into a still water. The ripple moves outward when the rock falls into the still water. Next, ripple moves inward until the ripple touches the rock.

Our thinking and behavior is like the rock that falls into the water that will influence our present moment and the future. The ripple that was caused by the rock is akin to what we had influenced our surroundings and sooner or later we shall be influenced accordingly, just like the ripple that goes to the edge and bounces back. This is known as karma vipaka.

Hence, everybody must be aware of their thoughts and behavior. Wholesome action will bring good effect while unwholesome action will bring bad result. This is the principle of cause and effect. There will be a payback time for every cause. It is just a matter of time.

Karma is classified into three kinds according to the time in which effects take place:

• instant karma ripening during this life time;

• karma ripening during the next birth; and

• karma ripening in later birth.

The speed of ripening karma depends on all conditions that make it up. As for those actions that have not yet ripen, it is still going to influence our present surroundings and the future. For example, the opposition in preparing for an election will have some influence in the politics. In fact, there is a Buddhist saying, “One who does good will gather good, one who does evil will evil reap”. One may not reap the effect because the time has not come yet.

Life does not end with death. Life is like recycling water that keeps on circulating. The water that we drink will become part of our blood or other liquid and come out as waste. The water that comes out of the body will evaporate and turn into clouds. After some time, rain, snow or ice will fall and become rivers and go into the sea. Then, the whole cycle will repeat itself. The water changes accordingly to its environment. It is the same when the life of an animal ends, the transmigrating consciousness depending on its accumulated karma and surroundings will undergo a new form of life. This brand new life can be human, animal, ghost, deva or other being. The fate and reward will not be the same for each form of life. Rebirth refers to the cycle of life.

Karma vipaka is related to principle of cause and effect principle and the fruition of which is just a matter of time. Karma vipaka will always be there for all beings including humans, animals, ghosts regardless. An old saying, “If one accumulates plenty of bad karma through millions of bad deeds for many generations, one will get the effect when the time and conditions are right.

The law of karma applies to all beings. If you want to have happiness, a wonderful marriage, live a more meaningful life, then you must watch and purify your thoughts and behavior even if they are tiny mistakes and minor bad habits. Do not think that a small bad deed will have no calamity; little by little, drops of water can accumulate and become a large pot of water.

This is also the same for even little negative forces can gather to become a large energy. Thus, never commit evil deed however small and always perform good deeds however small they may be.
You are the creator to your own destiny. All these creation comes from our thoughts and behavior. Fate is in our hands. Our past can influence our present life but it need not fully determine the future of our present life. We should focus more on the present because we have control over it. Our future will be brighter when we accumulate more wholesome Karma.