'Cause and effect' is quite a universal understanding and can be found in many religions as well. For example, 'reap what you sow' and 'kamma' are commonly used in our daily conversations. What I intend to highlight here today is the concept of 'kamma' and its importance in this life, not the next nor the previous but THIS life.
I noticed that among Buddhists, each time when the subject of kamma appears, somehow the discussion links to past lives and future lives. While I subscribe to this concept too, but hey, wait a minute, don't causes happen in this life and effects received in this life? To me, it must and it will. I intend to discuss this today because otherhwise, the discussion of kamma becomes 'philosophical' as it talks about past and future lives and such discussions may create an impression that focusing on good kamma is for the next life and implies that it doesn't help them NOW.
The law of cause and effect simply means that what you have done has an effect to yourself. The effect may come immediately or later depending on the conditions for it to happen. When I say 'later', it could mean 5 minutes later, 1 year later or 50 years later, all depending on the conditions for the cause to take effect. More importantly, kamma doesn't necessarily mean 'good' or 'evil' outcomes. It is merely outcomes due to the actions (causes)taken earlier.
If you think I am trying to make the concept 'kamma' as mundane as possible, yes, you are right. The intention is to take out the 'hocus pocus' and 'mysticism' out of it so that we can see its working in everyday life.
Here are some examples:
If you leave your cup in the basin after drinking some sweet beverage, you will likely see ants on the cup by the evening.
If you drive more than the speed limit, you will get a speeding ticket.
If you give your boss a tight slap, you will get a warning letter.
See, kamma can be as mundane as the above examples. It is merely about 'what you do has an effect on you' when the conditions are right for the effect to manifest.
Now, in Chinese, kamma is called 因果（cause and effect). But actually an important word is missing which is 缘。缘 simply means conditions. So, 'cause and effect' should actually be written as cause-condition-effect (因缘果）.
So for the mundane examples I have given earlier, if the cup is immersed in water at the basin, the ants will not visit because the condition for them to reach the cup is missing. If the driver speeds in an area where there is no speed trap, he will not get a ticket. If you apologize immediately to your boss after slapping him, you may not get a warning letter. All these extra steps are actions that create conditions.
So, the way forward for all sinners, good Samaritans, potential saints is the same. Regardless of what you have done, your choice and only choice to improve is to do good. The effects of the good deeds will create either good effect or create the good conditions so that the past bad actions will not take effect.
By the way, the positive conditions are also partly created by our actions. They are the effects of our actions. In other words, conditions are themselves efffects!
