Buddhism teaches that all things, both material and immaterial,
are entirely subject to the direction of causes and are
interdependent. This natural course of things is called in common
terms "the law of nature," and in the Pali language
niyama, literally meaning "certainty" or "fixed way,"
referring to the fact that specific determinants inevitably lead to
corresponding results.
The laws of nature, although uniformly based on the principle of
causal dependence, can nevertheless be sorted into different modes
of relationship. The Buddhist commentaries describe five categories
of natural law, or niyama. They are:
1. Utuniyama: the
natural law pertaining to physical objects and changes in the
natural environment, such as the weather; the way flowers bloom in
the day and fold up at night; the way soil, water and nutrients
help a tree to grow; and the way things disintegrate and decompose.
This perspective emphasizes the changes brought about by heat or
temperature.
2. Bijaniyama: the
natural law pertaining to heredity, which is best described in the
adage, "as the seed, so the fruit."
3. Cittaniyama: the
natural law pertaining to the workings of the mind, the process of
cognition of sense objects and the mental reactions to them.
4. Kammaniyama: the
natural law pertaining to human behavior, the process of the
generation of action and its results. In essence, this is
summarized in the words, "good deeds bring good results, bad deeds
bring bad results."
5. Dhammaniyama: the
natural law governing the relationship and interdependence of all
things: the way all things arise, exist and then cease. All
conditions are subject to change, are in a state of affliction and
are not self: this is the Norm.
The first four niyama are contained within, or based on, the
fifth one, Dhammaniyama, the Law of Dhamma, or the Law of
Nature. It may be questioned why Dhammaniyama, being as it were the
totality, is also included within the subdivisions. This is because
this fourfold categorization does not cover the entire extent of
Dhammaniyama.
Understanding
the Law of Kamma
http://www.buddhanet.net/cmdsg/kamma1.htm#law
Do read first...
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I've read some of the articles that you and others have posted.
Frankly, though, I don't see the relevance to the argument at
hand.
Let me extend the earlier analogy to illustrate. I argue that
the concept of karma is similar to the invisible, incorporeal
dragon in my garage (see earlier link). It is non-falsifiable, so
there is no way of testing whether it is true. Therefore, if you
take away faith, the simpler answer is that karma -- just like my
garage dragon -- does not exist.
The fact that my dragon is beautiful and strong does not add any
substance to my claim that it is real. In the same vein, the fact
that karma is an elegant and wonderful concept, with lots of
intricate details, does not make it any more valid.
