The Certainty of Cause and Effect

Much if not all suffering occurs because of ignorance about cause and effect. By ignorance we do not mean a lack of book study or intellectual understanding, but to a lack of real knowledge. Real knowledge is cognizant knowledge. One only has to be burned one time to acquire genuine knowledge of the power of fire or heat. From then on, that knowledge cannot be ignored. Even if one has a strong desire whose fulfillment requires being burned (such as retrieving a cherished object from a raging fire), it is unlikely that one will be willing to be burned. And certainly, one would not take such pain for something unimportant.
Unfortunately, we lack this kind of knowledge regarding almost everything in life. We may believe it is wrong to lie, and though we have experienced the pain of being lied to, we continue to lie to others and to ourselves, because of ignorance: a lack of real knowledge—cognizant knowledge of the consequences of lying.

A drunkard knows that alcohol is bad for him, but he continues to drink because he lacks cognizance real knowledge of the consequences of his drinking. Even having lost everything important to him in life his family, career, social standing he will continue to drink, because his desire is greater than his knowledge. In other words, he has not yet realized the inevitable relationship between action and consequence. He has no cognizance of karma.

For every action, there is a result. No matter how small or insignificant an action may seem, it will have consequences, even if we are unaware of them.

By actions, we mean not only what we say or do with our bodies, but also what we think and feel. Our internal actions can impact our external environment. The way we think and feel can be sensed by others, and can change their attitude towards us.

How many people have not been hired for a job, because the employer could sense the negative thoughts or feelings of the applicant? Even a well-qualified person will be rejected if they give off a bad atmosphere. An astute employer can sense a thief, a liar, or a person who cannot be trusted. There is no physical evidence for these impressions, but they are perceptible, because of our psychological environment. The state of our psychology can be sensed by others, thus what we think and feel has consequences.
How many good women have sensed the terrible, secret lust of an otherwise decent man, thus he remains alone? He may never show his lust externally, and only indulge in it in his mind, yet others can sense it.

What we think and feel, though it is “inside of us,” has an external impact that we generally ignore. Thus, our actions, whether internal or external, have effects.

Reflect on your own actions every day. Reflect on any action you intend to pursue. Be sure you have weighed the impact of every act, for once performed, it cannot be erased.

In every area of life, it is essential to recognize the certainty of cause and effect. Even if we do not immediately see the consequences of an action, the consequences will inevitably arrive as soon as the conditions are conducive unless a more powerful action overpowers their emergence. We will talk more about this later.
Additionally, though we are not always able to perceive the relationship between cause and effect, it does not mean the relationship does not exist. However, it often happens that we do have the ability to see it, but we do not want to; much of the time, we are unwilling to see the truth. We prefer to maintain our illusions.