I find it a privilege to write a foreword to Venerable Basakon Babilai's book on the workings of karma and the human mind.
I've enjoyed reading it quite a lot because in it I find something new and thought-provoking.
The law of karma,
Being one of the most basic and important teachings of the Buddha,
Has been a favourite topic of hundreds of books by Buddhist scholars.
But it seems to me most,
If not all,
Interpretation and presentation have strictly followed the traditional and conservative approach of Theravada Buddhism,
Especially the classic division of karma into the twelve types of the great commentator Buddha Goza in his authoritative work Vishuddhi Magga.
The Buddha's teachings,
Including the doctrine of karma,
Are based on natural truths which are timeless and universal.
No one can change them,
But ways and means to expound them need not remain the same through ages.
Human intellect and knowledge grow along with time and social environment.
A means of explaining and presenting the same truth may prove a success in one age,
But a complete failure in another.
This is why the method of presenting a truth,
Or truths,
Is to be improvised all along in order to suit the intellectual and educational backgrounds of the audience.
And this is where Venerable Basakon's book is relevant.
The Venerable author has tried to explain the workings of karma and of the human mind in a new way,
And to make the way accord with the scientific law of the uniformity of nature called world equilibrium by the author.
His clear exposition and graphic illustration may help the student of Buddhism to easily grasp the working of karma in the life stream of a being.
It must not be forgotten that the working of karma is listed as one of the four unthinkables,
Acinteya,
Because of its intricacy and profundity.
But I am sure,
Since science and Buddhism are to carry out the same task of addressing natural truths,
So they are complementary.
Scientific discovery will help verify Buddhist truths,
As it has already done in such cases as the evolution-like growth of mankind,
The structure of the universe,
The gradual growth of the embryo in the womb,
Etc.
There are still many other subjects in Buddhism that are still open to controversy,
Such as rebirth,
Other types of beings in the universe,
Other realms of beings,
The nature of Nirvana,
The true meaning of Anatta,
The miracles,
Etc.
These subject matters should be explained in the light of science and presented to the open-minded audience.
I really appreciate the venerable author's brave venture in presenting his new approach to the interpretation of the profound and problematic teaching of the Buddha.
He may meet criticism from some conservative circles,
As new interpretations of religious doctrines are usually prone to.
But I would like to suggest the venerable author to go ahead with his good work of noble cause,
With my all-out moral support.
My name is David Freya.
I'm a 43-year-old American and had the good fortune to be raised in a stable,
Loving family.
I was a university honor student in mechanical engineering,
And worked for a short time in the aerospace industry,
Then left America to see something of the world.
My travels eventually led me to reside in Thailand,
Where I've lived happily for some years now with my Thai partner.
I met Prabhassakan about five years ago at a university for Buddhist monks,
Where I teach English and where he was a master's degree student.
His energy,
Directness,
Humour,
And a sense of purpose intrigued me immediately.
After class,
He often sought me out to practice explaining,
In plain words and drawings on bits of paper,
The workings of karma.
His main point was that the workings of karma were often misunderstood,
And that if we looked at the world and the mind separately,
It might clarify things.
A few years later,
He had produced a book in Thai called Balance of World,
Balance of Mind.
It was a conversational sort of book,
Based on the talks he had given on the subject.
He told me he wanted my help to create an English version.
Since I cannot read Thai,
And though I teach in a Buddhist university,
I am not a Buddhist scholar.
It seemed like a tall task.
Yet Prabhassakan was insistent,
And I was very interested.
And so we began.
Meeting twice weekly,
In two-hour sessions,
He began to bring me up to speed.
Slowly,
Patiently,
He answered all my questions.
He maintained that karma was nothing strange,
Merely natural law,
Which,
Like physics,
Could be understood.
I looked for holes in the logic.
He welcomed all my questions,
Many of which surprised him.
I got logical answers,
And I enjoyed our sessions immensely.
During this effort to make things clear to me,
We began to appreciate differences in language,
Understanding,
And cultural heritage.
We realized that the Thai book could not simply be translated,
Because it was written for a Thai Buddhist reader.
It would have to be rewritten more or less from the ground up,
To present the same ideas to a Western reader.
Our twice weekly sessions continued,
And this book is the result.
The writing style is mine.
The approach to Buddhist teaching,
The meaning,
And the content are all Prabhassakan's.
I dedicate the merit I may receive for this book to my wonderful mother and father.
This book,
Karma for Today's Traveler,
Which is a translation and improvement from my book in Thai called Balance of World,
Balance of Mind,
Is the result of the kind help from many people.
First,
I would like to pay homage to my Lord Buddha,
Who revealed the truth of nature,
The Dharma,
To this confused world,
And all these disciples,
The Sangha,
Who have followed and protected these valuable teachings from the time of Buddha until now.
Next,
I would like to thank and pay my respect to my venerable teacher,
The Buddhist nun,
Pieng Duen Thanasan Pitpit,
Who raised me like a mother into the world of Buddhism.
I would like to give special thanks to Professor Dr.
Kunying Payom Singasaneh for financial support,
And Miss Aticha Santavanich who urged me to translate Balance of World,
Balance of Mind into English and found me volunteers to translate the book,
Mainly Miss Narupon Arumprapan and Miss Rongtiwa Patratiranond.
A further thanks goes out to Mr.
Suhinand Jantakul and Associate Professor Sommay Premchit who provided me with two more translations to work from.
For the pictures decorating the book,
I would like to thank Palsipa Ratananchudej,
Ekarit Buntarik,
Santi Tamarat,
Pradit Wana,
Om Ratchawet,
And Chanslip Jayakum.
As the book was taking shape,
Many people read through the manuscript,
Offering valuable critiques and suggestions.
A big thank you to Professor Dr.
Ravi Bhavilai,
John and Kanokwan Kadet,
Professor Tseng Changdam,
Kristen Foxley,
Jace Hobbs,
Scott McCracker,
Dr.
Anatole Roger Peltrier,
And Elizabeth Scribner.
Chiang Mai University,
28th December 2005.
