Questions about Karma, Fate/Destiny

Spnw07 SG

I refer to the interesting topic on Fate by Arena and the community's comments in his post.

http://www.sgforums.com/forums/1728/topics/306817

This post follows the latest comment by moderator AEN that karma is not pre-destined and that it is "merely the arising of the congregation of causes and conditions".

But what causes certain conditions to gather to allow a certain effect to appear?

All of us have greed, anger and ignorance. Why do some of us take a shorter time to attain perfect enlightment and some take so long?

If everyone's degree of being affected by the three poisons are equal, we would have taken similar routes to understanding the Truth and hence attain final and complete self-liberation.

I kill one person in my present lifetime. But I may only experience the negative karma from killing the person when I attain Buddhahood or I may get it after two or three rebirths, etc.

What is 'free will' as explained in Buddhism? Why are some able to have 'free will' that leads them to do more and more good and some have 'free will' that leads them to do more and more bad?

What are 'conditions' as viewed in Buddhism? Why do certain 'conditions' gather or do not yet gather for each and everyone of us? Can we control 'conditions'?

Can anyone become an Icchantika (one who has completely severed all his past and present good roots: it is something that I remember from the scriptures) by free will? Did he knowingly or not knowingly become an Icchantika?

Among the countless being in samsaric deaths and births, does it mean everyone has an equal chance or condition to become an Icchantika?

Can we all take turns to become Icchantika?

sinweiy SG

just a note, i recently realised that there's a thing call 定业 fixed karma in Buddhism. like example the story where 目犍j连 tried to save the village people from a group of bandits with His spiritual powers, but couldn't.

all and all, i think karma is very complicated. can be this, can be that, can be conditions, can be collective, etcs.

can read all about karma here:-

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/9280/kamma6.htm

i rather like the stairs simile.

For example, if a man climbs to the third floor of a building, it is undeniably true that his arriving is a result of past action -- namely, walking up the stairs. And having arrived there, it is impossible for him to reach out and touch the ground with his hand, or to drive a car around. Obviously, this is because he has gone up to the third floor. Or, having arrived at the third floor, whether he is too exhausted to continue is also related to having walked up the stairs. His arrival there, the things he is able to do there and the situations he is likely to encounter, are all certainly related to the "old kamma" of having walked up the stairs. But exactly which actions he will perform, his reactions to the situations which he meets there, whether he will take a rest, walk on, or walk back down the stairs and out of that building, are all matters which he can decide for himself in that present moment, for which he will also reap the results. Even though the action of walking up the stairs may still be influencing him (for example, with his strength sapped he may be unable to function efficiently in any given situation), whether he decides to give in to that tiredness or try to overcome it are all matters which he can decide for himself in the present moment.