Life or existence, whether in celestial or in the lower forms of consciousness, is conditioned by our Kamma which may be likened to a force like electricity. It is this force that finds manifestation in various states of consciousness, whether on a gross or subtle and refined level, on the principle, that “whosesoever your treasure is there will your heart be also.”There is a natural law, namely, that whatever we acquire we must again lose as soon as the force behind the acquisition, the force of the original craving, has spent itself. It is then that we suffer doubly, for it is harder to miss what we have become accustomed to, than not to get what we do not expect.If a person is wrathful and turbulent, is irritated by a trivial word, gives vent to anger, ill-will, and resentment, he, as a result of his irritability, when born amongst mankind, will be ill-looking.If a person is not wrathful and turbulent, is not irritated even by a torrent of abuse, does not give vent to anger, ill-will, and resentment, he as a result of his amiability, when born amongst mankind, will be good-looking.If a person is jealous, envies the gains of others, marks of respect and honour shown to others, stories jealousy in his heart, he, as a result of his jealousy, when born amongst mankind, will be uninfluential.If a person is not jealous, does not envy the gains of others, marks of respect and honour shown to others, stores not jealousy in his heart, he, as a result of his non-jealousy, when born amongst mankind, will be influential.If a person does not give anything for charity, ha, as a result of his greediness, when born amongst mankind, will be poor.If a person is bent on charitable giving, he, as a result of his generosity, when born amongst mankind, will be rich.If a person is stubborn, haughty, honours not those who are worthy of honour , he, as a result of his arrogance and irreverence when born amongst mankind, will have a birth in a low family.If a person is not stubborn, not haughty, honours those who are worthy of honour, ha, as a result of his humility and reverence, when born amongst mankind, will have a birth in a high family.If a person does not approach the learned and the virtuous and inquire what is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong, what should be practiced and what should not be practiced, what should be done and what should not be done, what conduces to one’s welfare and what to the reverse, he, as a result of his non-inquiring spirit, when born amongst mankind, will be ignorant.If a person does approach the learned and the virtuous and make the above inquires, he, as a result of his inquiring spirit, when born amongst mankind, will be intelligent.Depending on this difference in Kamma appears the differences in the birth of beings, high and low, base and exalted, happy and miserable. Depending on the difference in Kamma appears the difference in the individual features of being as beautiful and ugly, highborn or lowborn, well built or deformed. Depending on the difference of Kamma appears the difference in the worldly conditions of beings as gain and loss, fame and disgrace, blame and praise, happiness and misery.
Egerton C. Baptist , “ The Supreme Science of The Buddha”