user19313: Do we collect bad karma just only with an instant thought without any physical action or verbal action?

user19680: The text below is taken from the collected teaching of Ajahn Chah - ' about being careful '
As It reads bad karma doesn't happen by sudden arising of thought.

So, some people feel that these sudden arisings of thought are wrong
or evil. You may have an impulse to kill someone. But you are aware of
it in the next instant, you realize that killing is wrong, so you stop
and refrain. Is there harm in this? What do you think? Or if you have
a thought about stealing something and that is followed by a stronger
recollection that to do so is wrong, and so you refrain from acting on
it – is that bad kamma It’s not that every time you have an impulse
you instantly accumulate bad kamma. Otherwise, how could there be any
way to liberation? Impulses are merely impulses. Thoughts are merely
thoughts. In the first instance, you haven’t created anything yet. In
the second instance, if you act on it with body, speech or mind, then
you are creating something. Avijjā has taken control. If you have
the impulse to steal and then you are aware of yourself and aware that
this would be wrong, this is wisdom, and there is vijjā instead. The
mental impulse is not consummated.
This is timely awareness, wisdom arising and informing our experience.
If there is the first mind-moment of wanting to steal something and
then we act on it, that is the dhamma of delusion; the actions of
body, speech and mind that follow the impulse will bring negative
results.
This is how it is. Merely having the thoughts is not negative kamma.
If we don’t have any thoughts, how will wisdom develop? Some people
simply want to sit with a blank mind. That’s wrong understanding.


user8157: Just only with an instant unwholesome thought (without any physical action or verbal action) is generally not bad kamma; particularly if the true nature of that unwholesome thought is fully understood; but habitual unwholesome thoughts (without any physical action or verbal action) is certainly bad kamma because habitual bad thoughts are signs of inherent ignorance that block the progress of the Path.

user471: Yes, from multiple suttas we see that karma can be done by way of the mind and intentional thoughts only. In fact, according to the first verses of the Dhammapada, the mind precedes all mental states. It's more important than words and actions.
From Nibbedhika Sutta:

"Intention, I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of
body, speech, & intellect.

From Mahakammavibhanga Sutta:

After doing an intentional deed to be experienced as pleasant by way
of body, speech, or mind, one feels pleasure. After doing an
intentional deed to be experienced as painful by way of body, speech,
or mind, one feels pain. After doing an intentional deed to be
experienced as neutral by way of body, speech, or mind, one feels
neutral.”

From Bhumija Sutta:

"When there is a body, pleasure & pain arise internally with bodily
intention as the cause; or when there is speech, pleasure & pain arise
internally with verbal intention as the cause; or when there is
intellect, pleasure & pain arise internally with intellectual
intention as the cause.

From Kamma Sutta:

And what is new kamma? Whatever kamma one does now with the body, with
speech, or with the intellect. This is called new kamma."


19313: <p>Do we collect bad karma just only with an instant thought without any physical action or verbal action?</p>
 19680: <p>The text below is taken from the collected teaching of Ajahn Chah - ' about being careful '</p>
<p>As It reads bad karma doesn't happen by sudden arising of thought.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>So, some people feel that these sudden arisings of thought are wrong
or evil. You may have an impulse to kill someone. But you are aware of
it in the next instant, you realize that killing is wrong, so you stop
and refrain. Is there harm in this? What do you think? Or if you have
a thought about stealing something and that is followed by a stronger
recollection that to do so is wrong, and so you refrain from acting on
it – is that bad kamma It’s not that every time you have an impulse
you instantly accumulate bad kamma. Otherwise, how could there be any
way to liberation? Impulses are merely impulses. Thoughts are merely
thoughts. In the first instance, you haven’t created anything yet. In
the second instance, if you act on it with body, speech or mind, then
you are creating something. Avijjā has taken control. If you have
the impulse to steal and then you are aware of yourself and aware that
this would be wrong, this is wisdom, and there is vijjā instead. The
mental impulse is not consummated.</p>
<p>This is timely awareness, wisdom arising and informing our experience.
If there is the first mind-moment of wanting to steal something and
then we act on it, that is the dhamma of delusion; the actions of
body, speech and mind that follow the impulse will bring negative
results.</p>
<p>This is how it is. <strong>Merely having the thoughts is not negative kamma.</strong>
If we don’t have any thoughts, how will wisdom develop? Some people
simply want to sit with a blank mind. That’s wrong understanding.</p>
</blockquote>
 8157: <p>Just only with an instant unwholesome thought (without any physical action or verbal action) is generally not bad kamma; particularly if the true nature of that unwholesome thought is fully understood; but habitual unwholesome thoughts (without any physical action or verbal action) is certainly bad kamma because habitual bad thoughts are signs of inherent ignorance that block the progress of the Path.</p>
 471: <p>Yes, from multiple suttas we see that karma can be done by way of the mind and <strong>intentional</strong> thoughts only. In fact, according to the first verses of the <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.budd.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Dhammapada</a>, the mind precedes all mental states. It's more important than words and actions.</p>
<p>From <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.063.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Nibbedhika Sutta</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Intention, I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of
body, speech, &amp; <strong>intellect</strong>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>From <a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn136/en/sujato" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mahakammavibhanga Sutta</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>After doing an intentional deed to be experienced as pleasant by way
of body, speech, or mind, one feels pleasure. After doing an
intentional deed to be experienced as painful by way of body, speech,
or mind, one feels pain. After doing an intentional deed to be
experienced as neutral by way of body, speech, or mind, one feels
neutral.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>From <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.025.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bhumija Sutta</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;When there is a body, pleasure &amp; pain arise internally with bodily
intention as the cause; or when there is speech, pleasure &amp; pain arise
internally with verbal intention as the cause; or <strong>when there is
intellect, pleasure &amp; pain arise internally with intellectual
intention as the cause.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>From <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.145.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kamma Sutta</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>And what is new kamma? Whatever kamma one does now with the body, with
speech, or with the intellect. This is called new kamma.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
