Karma

In Buddhist philosophy, the carpenter is a metaphor of dedication and foresight. The book of Milinda’s Questions contains a simile of mindfulness: “As a carpenter fixes a well-turned piece of wood in a mortise, so fixing the mind is a distinguishing mark”. In another allusion, we are told that “it is by removing the unsuitable parts… that the carpenter makes the piece of wood straight and clear”, meaning that nothing can be used properly that has not been properly prepared, both materially and spiritually. The carpenter is an example of a well-balanced mind and body.

A Jataka tale involves a village of carpenters that contains a thousand families. Certain members of this clan or jati make poor business deals, spend advance money unwisely, and deliver a poor product. Publicly shamed, and stained with a bad reputation, the whole village is exiled by the king to an uninhabited island. The group is divided into two halves, each led by a master, one good, the other bad. Freed from the constraints of civilization, the poorly led half falls into depravity, debauchery, and indolence. While this group gets drunk on sugar cane liquor, the upright half are industrious, building and maintaining their houses, gardens, and boats. The gods, incensed at the arrogance and evil ways of the one half, flood the island in a great monsoon. Only the righteous group survives. It is a cautionary fable regarding the importance of honest workmanship and its effect on one’s destiny, or karma. The gods smile kindly on the type of person who, like the successful carpenter, honours the past and plans for the future.