Only we can help ourselves

ody, speech and mind-is it going to harm somebody? If
it is going to harm some being or myself, I should not do
it. However, if it benefits some other being, or if it benefits
myself, then I should do it, and do it again and again.”
So before you do a kamma, you must reflect. Even
while doing the kamma, the Buddha said that we must
also reflect. In the midst of doing the kamma, we must
reflect thus, “Is what I am doing now right or wrong?
If it is right, I’ll continue to do it. If it is wrong, I’ll stop
immediately.” After the action is done, we should again
reflect back and think carefully what we did — yesterday,
or three days ago, or a week ago, or a month ago.
You reflect on whether the action was correct or not, and
whether you should have done it or not. When we reflect
on our actions in this way, we will be living our lives
skillfully, and we will avoid unnecessary suffering.
Another good criterion for judging whether a kamma is
good and should be done, or whether it is an evil kamma
that should not be done, is, according to the Buddha,
whether the kamma leads to an increase, or decrease in
wholesome states of mind; or a decrease or increase in
unwholesome states of mind, in yourself and other people.
If the kamma brings about an increase in wholesome
states of mind, or a decrease in unwholesome states of
mind in others or oneself, then that is good kamma which
should be performed again and again.
What are wholesome states? Wholesome states are
good states of mind; happy states of mind, like non-
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