Whether actions are wholesome or unwholesome depend on the motives (roots) behind them which are:
- greed (or attachment)
- aversion (or hatred/anger)
- delusion (or ignorance)
In terms of wholesome ‘roots’, we can add:
- non-greed implies renunciation, detachment and generosity
- non-aversion implies loving kindness, sympathy and gentleness
- non-delusion implies wisdom
Ripening of karma:
- need not be instant
- need not be in this life
- can be across succession of life times
- can be dormant for eons, like a volcanic action, waiting for the right conditions to trigger
Wholesome actions will bear favourable results and unwholesome actions will bear unfavourable results