Anantarika-karma explained

Ānantarya karma (Sanskrit) or Ānantarika kamma (Pāli)^[1] are the most serious offences in Buddhism that, at death, through the overwhelming karmic strength of any single one of them, bring immediate disaster.^[2] Both Buddhists and non-Buddhists must avoid them at all costs. Such offenses prevent perpetrators from attaining any of the stages of enlightenment^[3] and from ordaining into the Sangha. The offences are:^{[4] [5]}

1. Killing one's mother
2. Killing one's father
3. Killing an Arahant
4. Wounding a Tathāgata
5. Creating schism in the Sangha^[6]

Ānantarika kamma is considered so serious that even Amitabha Buddha abandoned all hope. His 18th Vow reads:^[7]

See also

• Ajatashatru
• Avijjā
• Buddhist views on sin
• Devadatta
• Icchantika
• Karma in Buddhism
• Merit (Buddhism)
• Moha (Buddhism)
• Pratitya-samutpada
• Samsara (Buddhism)
• Three Poisons
• Twelve Nidanas

Further reading

• Silk, Jonathan A. (2007). Good and Evil in Indian Buddhism: The Five Sins of Immediate Retribution, Journal of Indian Philosophy 35 (3), 253–286

Notes and References

1. Web site: SuttaCentral . 2022-10-02 . SuttaCentral . en.
2. 3269825. The Buddha's Bad Karma: A Problem in the History of Theravâda Buddhism. Numen. 37. 1. 70–95. Walters. Jonathan S.. 1990. 10.2307/3269825 .
3. Book: Hajime Nakamura

   . Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples: India, China, Tibet, Japan. Motilal Banarsidass. 285. Hajime Nakamura. Nakamura. Hajime. 1991. 978-8120807648.

4. Web site: The Sutra Preached by the Buddha on the Total Extinction of the Dharma. buddhism.org. 10 January 2013.
5. http://www.triplegem.plus.com/glossary.htm Triplegem glossary
6. Creating a division in the Sangha / dividing the Sangha in terms of Buddhist beliefs
7. Web site: The Amitabha Sutra as discoursed by the Buddha . Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center . https://web.archive.org/web/20221022214833/https://www.fgsitc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Amitabha-Sutra_ChiEng.pdf . 22 October 2022 . 2017 . dead.