This research book explores philosophical arguments regarding the teaching of kamma in Theravadā Buddhism. The prominent arguments are classified and put into two philosophical categories; ontological and ethical. In the ontological category the meaning and significance of kamma associated with its underlying realities are studied. It is, then, imperative to consider the inseparable cooperation of the mind, the intentional mental factor and some particular moral or immoral mental factors as the basic structure of kammic process. This portion leads to understanding philosophical arguments on the imponderability of kammic fruit, infinite regress of kammic cause, the existence of the first kammic cause and the non-substantiality of kamma. In the ethical category the meaning and fairness of kammic fruit along with personal freedom and responsibility are studied. This portion leads to understanding philosophical arguments on fairness, freewill and moral luck correlated to kamma. Before arguments are shown in subsequent chapters, kamma is thoroughly investigated in terms of natural order (kamma-niyāma). Also, the mind (citta) and intentional mental factor (cetanā-cetasika) as the fundamental entities underlying kamma, the classification of 29 mind-patterns which signify the origin of actions counted as kamma, the paths of consciousness in common people, and the intensity and function of kamma, are studied altogether in detail to ascertain that all arguments will be analyzed based on precise Buddhist ground. The result has found that the right understanding of kamma relates closely to the understanding of functioning mind in collaboration with relevant mental factors. Kamma in Dhamma language represents the ongoing mental process. Since kamma is not a fundamental entity, it merely exists conventionally. But due to its conventional appearance, kamma demonstrates a group of underlying fundamental entities interlocking and functioning together. The fruit of kamma seems unfair because it represents kammic outcomes in life and society. But the fruit of kamma is always fair and valid when considered from the inner level of personal feeling and habitual inclination. The Abhidhammic explanation regarding minds and their conscious paths can be brought to promote the explanation of kamma in Dhamma language with merely minor conflicts.
