Q: How Buddhist Philosophy try to establish karma-theory without accepting soul
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In Buddhist philosophy, karma is explained without relying on the concept of an eternal soul (ātman), which is a core distinction from Hindu thought. Instead, Buddhism offers the doctrine of anatta or anātman, meaning “no-self” or “non-soul.” According to this doctrine, there is no permanent, unchanging self that persists through lifetimes. Instead, identity is seen as a constantly changing process, a collection of experiences and conditions known as the five aggregates (skandhas): form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.
Despite this denial of a permanent self, karma still plays a central role in Buddhist ethics. Here’s how Buddhist philosophy reconciles karma with the concept of no-self:
- Continuity Without Permanence: In Buddhism, the “self” is seen as a series of connected experiences across lifetimes, rather than a single, permanent entity. The doctrine of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda) explains this continuity. The cause-effect chain flows naturally, with one set of conditions giving rise to another, ensuring that actions (karma) lead to appropriate consequences without requiring a soul to “carry” them.
- The Process of Cause and Effect: Karma operates as a chain of cause and effect within the five aggregates. When a person acts, this action creates mental impressions or formations (samskaras) that influence future experiences and states of being. Although there is no enduring soul to receive the consequences, the results are stored within the ongoing process of consciousness, which continues from one life to the next.
- Rebirth as a Stream of Consciousness: Rather than a soul transmigrating from life to life, Buddhism speaks of a “stream of consciousness” (bhavanga) that is continually evolving. This stream is conditioned by past actions and can carry karmic imprints forward in the rebirth process, even without a permanent self. So, the results of actions manifest in future experiences of this stream, not as a “soul’s” reward or punishment but as natural consequences in the unfolding of conditions.
- Moral Responsibility and Conditionality: Buddhism maintains moral responsibility without a soul by emphasizing that actions have effects based on their moral quality. Skillful actions (those rooted in compassion and wisdom) lead to positive results, while unskillful actions (rooted in ignorance, greed, or hatred) lead to suffering. The doctrine of conditionality means that all effects depend on causes and conditions, rather than a soul’s presence.
In this way, Buddhist philosophy explains karma through a model of conditionality, impermanence, and continuity that avoids the need for a permanent soul. Actions matter because they set conditions for future experience, even though no unchanging self is involved.