# Determinism

Source: https://buddhisma2z.com/determinism/  
Author: Bhante S. Dhammika, *Guide To Buddhism A To Z*  
Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Determinism (*niyativāda*) is the belief that an individual’s destiny is fixed and that he or she must act accordingly. The [**Buddha**](https://buddhisma2z.com/buddha/) said there are two types of determinism; (1) theistic determinism (*issaranimmānahetu*) which claims that a supreme being  knows and controls everything and thus has determined everything before it has happened, and (2) kammic determinism (*pubbekatahetu*) which says that everything we experience, pleasant, painful or neutral, is due to our [**kamma**](https://buddhisma2z.com/kamma/), i.e. how we have acted in the past. According to the Buddha, both these ideas are not just false but also pernicious (A.I,173). Determinism means that the individual cannot choose one course of action over another, cannot make an effort to change anything and is not responsible for anything he or she does. Such a belief can only lead to irresponsibility — ‘Don’t blame me, it is the will of God’ or inactivity — ‘What can I do? It’s my past kamma.’ Concerning theistic determinism the *Buddhacarita* says: ‘If God is the cause of everything that happens, then what is the use of human striving?’ See [**Free Will**](https://buddhisma2z.com/free-will/).

Subjects: Philosophy and Theology