Sunday, August 30, 2026

The Law of Karma in Buddhism Part II: Venerable Godhika — Passing Away into Nibbana

The Law of Karma in Buddhism

Part II: Venerable Godhika — Passing Away into Nibbana

“Mara Could Not Find His Path”

The Law of Karma in Buddhism does not simply mean, “Do good and you will receive good; do evil and you will receive evil.”

Its meaning is deeper.

Karma operates according to causes and conditions, and sentient beings continue to experience the results of their actions as long as the causes and conditions for continued existence in samsara, the cycle of birth and death, remain.

Those who perform wholesome actions may experience wholesome results. Those who perform unwholesome actions may experience unwholesome results, according to causes and conditions.

As long as defilements remain, beings continue to wander through the cycle of birth and death according to their karma.

But there is a person who has gone beyond this cycle:

the Arahant.

An Arahant is one who has completely destroyed defilements, craving, and clinging, and has eliminated the causes that lead to another existence.

When the aggregates that constitute the present life finally come to an end, there is no further rebirth.

This is known as Parinibbana, or final Nibbana.

The story of Venerable Godhika provides a profound and moving illustration of this principle.

Venerable Godhika: A Monk Who Would Not Surrender to Illness

At one time, Venerable Godhika stayed near Kalasila Cave, close to Mount Isigili in the kingdom of Magadha.

He was deeply determined to practice the Dhamma.

He cultivated both samatha, the development of mental tranquility, and vipassana, the development of insight, hoping to calm and purify his mind and progress toward liberation.

After his meditation had developed and his mind had attained concentration, however, illness arose.

A chronic illness became a major obstacle to his practice.

But Venerable Godhika did not abandon his efforts.

He continued practicing.

Whenever his meditation progressed, his illness would return and become worse.

This happened repeatedly—

six times.

Six times his spiritual practice was approaching progress.

Six times his body became an obstacle.

Six times he faced pain, disappointment, and physical suffering.

But one thing never disappeared:

his determination.

When the body became an obstacle, the mind refused to surrender.

The story of Venerable Godhika reminds us of an important truth:

The human body is constantly changing, but a mind that is properly trained can develop toward liberation.

Sometimes our lives are like this.

When we decide to do something good, obstacles appear.

When we decide to study, fatigue appears.

When we decide to practice meditation, distractions and defilements arise.

When we decide to change our lives, difficulties may suddenly appear from every direction.

Many people give up after encountering an obstacle once or twice.

Venerable Godhika encountered serious obstacles six times.

And each time, he renewed his effort.

This is what makes his story memorable.

Spiritual success does not come from having no obstacles. It comes from refusing to allow obstacles to destroy our determination.

His Final Effort

When his illness returned once again, Venerable Godhika realized that he might not have much time left.

He therefore resolved with great determination to attain Arahantship, even if his life were to come to an end.

According to the Dhammapada Commentary, the monk used a razor to cut his throat, and as he was approaching death, his mind attained Arahantship.

This part of the story must be understood carefully from the perspective of Buddhist teachings.

It should not be interpreted as a teaching that ordinary people should take their own lives in order to attain enlightenment.

The central point of the story is that Venerable Godhika was an advanced spiritual practitioner who, at the final moment of his life, was able to destroy the defilements and attain Arahantship.

The essential point is therefore not:

“Destroying life.”

It is:

“Destroying the defilements.”

In Buddhism, the true enemies of human beings are not life itself, but greed, hatred, delusion, craving, and ignorance.

Mara Searches for Godhika

When Mara learned that Venerable Godhika had died, he attempted to discover where the monk had been reborn.

Mara wanted to find the destination of Godhika, but he could not discover it.

Eventually, Mara assumed the form of a young man and approached the Buddha, asking where Venerable Godhika had gone.

The Buddha's answer is extremely important for understanding the relationship between karma and Nibbana.

The Buddha explained that there was no point in Mara searching for the place where Godhika had been reborn, because Godhika had completely freed himself from the defilements and underlying mental impurities.

A person who is completely liberated has no new existence for Mara to discover.

The Buddha therefore recited Dhammapada Verse 57:

Tesam sampannasilanam
appamadaviharinam
sammadañña vimuttanam
Maro maggam na vindati.

A concise meaning is:

Those who possess perfect virtue,
who live diligently and heedfully,
and who are liberated through right understanding—
Mara cannot find their path.

What Does “Mara Cannot Find His Path” Mean?

The expression “Mara cannot find his path” has a profound meaning.

Mara does not necessarily have to be understood only as a supernatural being.

From the perspective of Dhamma, Mara can also be understood as a representation of the forces that bind beings to samsara.

As long as there are defilements—

there is craving.

As long as there is craving—

there is clinging.

As long as there is clinging—

there is attachment to existence.

And as long as the causes of existence remain—

there is a path leading toward another birth.

But when a person completely destroys the defilements,

the path to another rebirth comes to an end.

This is the profound meaning of:

“Mara cannot find his path.”

It does not mean that an Arahant has physically escaped from Mara and gone somewhere else.

It means that—

there is no new existence in which the Arahant can be reborn.

The Difference Between an Ordinary Person and an Arahant

An ordinary person, upon death, continues according to causes and conditions.

Wholesome actions can become conditions for wholesome results.

Unwholesome actions can become conditions for unwholesome results.

As long as defilements remain, craving and clinging continue to provide the conditions for renewed existence.

But an Arahant is different.

An Arahant has destroyed the causes of rebirth.

When the aggregates of the present life come to an end,

there is no further rebirth.

Therefore, if someone asks:

“Where was Venerable Godhika reborn?”

The answer according to the Buddhist teaching is not:

“He was reborn as a celestial being.”

Nor:

“He was reborn as a human being.”

Nor:

“He was reborn in a particular heaven.”

The answer is:

“There is no further rebirth.”

This is Nibbana.

Nibbana Is Not a Place

One important point must be understood correctly.

Nibbana is not a city, a world, or a physical place to which an Arahant travels.

When we say:

“Venerable Godhika attained Nibbana,”

this is a convenient way of speaking.

In the deeper sense of Dhamma, Nibbana refers to the cessation of defilements and the conditions that bind beings to samsara.

When the causes of rebirth have been completely extinguished, there is no further rebirth.

It can be compared to a fire that goes out because its fuel has been exhausted.

We might ask:

“Where did the flame go?”

But the question does not quite fit the nature of the event.

When the fuel is exhausted, the fire goes out.

Likewise, when the defilements and the causes of renewed existence have been completely extinguished, the cycle of birth and death comes to an end.

This is the profound meaning of Nibbana.

The Lesson of Venerable Godhika

The story of Venerable Godhika does not merely teach us about death.

It teaches us about heedfulness and perseverance.

Human life is short.

The body is uncertain.

Illness can arise at any time.

Death may come without warning.

Therefore, we should not wait until the final day of life before turning our minds toward the Dhamma.

We should begin training the mind today.

Because no one knows:

“Which will come first—tomorrow or our next life?”

Venerable Godhika represents the quality of appamada, heedfulness.

Although his body was afflicted by illness,

although he encountered repeated obstacles,

although his practice was interrupted again and again,

he continued to renew his effort.

Ultimately, that effort led to liberation.

Karma and Venerable Godhika

When we examine this story in relation to the Law of Karma, we can see an important principle:

Karma should not be used as a simple tool for judging other people.

We should not see someone suffering from illness and immediately say:

“They must have done something bad in the past.”

Nor should we see someone enjoying happiness and conclude:

“They must have done good deeds in the past.”

Karma is subtle and complex. It involves many causes and conditions.

Buddhist teachings do not give us permission to use the idea of karma to condemn other people casually.

Instead, we should turn our attention toward our own actions.

What are we thinking today?

What are we saying?

What are we doing?

Are these actions creating conditions for happiness?

Or are they creating conditions for suffering?

This is the real value of studying the Law of Karma.

From “Death” to “No More Rebirth”

Ordinary people often think about death with fear.

We ask:

“Where will I go when I die?”

But Buddhism takes us further.

The Buddha did not teach us merely to ask:

“Where will I go after death?”

He taught us to ask:

“How can I reach the end of rebirth?”

This is one of the profound differences between ordinary beliefs about death and the path of Buddhist practice.

For an ordinary person, death is the end of one life and, according to causes and conditions, may be followed by another existence.

But for an Arahant, the ending of the aggregates of the present life marks the end of the cycle of rebirth.

Thus, Venerable Godhika did not merely “die.”

In the deepest Buddhist sense, he attained Parinibbana.

The repeated cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death came to an end.

Conclusion: No Path for Mara to Follow

The story of Venerable Godhika ends with a beautiful statement from the Buddha:

“Mara cannot find his path.”

This short sentence can serve as a profound summary of the life of an Arahant.

Ordinary beings have paths along which karma can lead them because defilements remain.

Those with defilements still have craving.

Craving gives rise to clinging.

Clinging supports becoming.

Becoming gives rise to birth.

Birth inevitably brings aging, death, and the many forms of suffering associated with conditioned existence.

But when the defilements are extinguished,

craving is extinguished.

Clinging is extinguished.

The causes of becoming are extinguished.

And the path to another birth comes to an end.

Mara can no longer discover where the Arahant has gone—

because there is no new existence in which the Arahant can be born.

This is the profound meaning of Nibbana.

And this is one of the great lessons of the Law of Karma:

Every person is responsible for his or her own actions.

But the ultimate goal of Buddhism is not merely to create good karma in order to obtain a fortunate rebirth.

It is to cultivate wisdom, virtue, and diligent practice until one can go beyond the cycle of conditioned existence—

beyond karma,

beyond becoming,

beyond birth and death,

and beyond samsara.

The story of Venerable Godhika is therefore not simply a story about death.

It is a story about perseverance leading to liberation.

From a person struggling with illness,

to one who remained heedful,

from one seeking peace,

to one who realized the truth,

from one still within samsara,

to one who destroyed the defilements and would not be reborn again.

And at the end—

although Mara searched for him,

Mara could not find his path.

Because that path had come to an end.

The end was Nibbana.

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