Buddhism, pragmatism, and the ethics of experience: Case studies on kamma in the 'Udana'

The present study critically studies the ethical implications of the core Buddhist concept of kamma as it is illustrated in the Udāna, a Pali text found in the Khuddaka Nikāya that consists of eighty suttas. By including a Deweyan pragmatic approach to analyze the experience of kamma, this study considers not only traditional exegetical concerns, but also a more general notion of human action that recognizes the socially constructed concept of efficacy. I have arranged the general themes of the Udāna that are relevant to the topic of kamma into several groups and identified key experiential issues repeatedly emphasized by the suttas themselves. The chapter on violence and deceit provides case studies that demonstrate the extent to which unwholesome actions become unwholesome effects that distort one's pragmatic outlook on the causal efficacy of human actions. The chapter on obsessions and compulsions includes case studies that deal with the subtle delusions that pervade our ideas and habits, limiting the effectiveness of our ability to realistically conceive of the possible kammic effects of our actions. The chapter on utilizing lust for liberation is a case study that reveals how one's continuously changing perception of identity and desires affect the soteriological process of overcoming defilements and attaining enlightenment. The chapter on the transformative or educational experience of Dhamma-shock examines the complex series of events inherent in any moment of pragmatic crisis, when the causal efficacy of one's actions becomes questioned from the perspective of the kamma doctrine. The chapter on handling householder hassles presents case studies on the socially constructed notions of a successful lay life that are distracting to the project of enlightenment. This study suggests that understanding kamma plays a crucial role in negotiating the theoretical and practical dimensions of Buddhist textual exegesis by informing our discussion with an ethical conception of the causal efficacy of thought and action as it is represented in the recorded experiences of the suttas.