nāstyatītaṃ karmetyukte pāramparyeṇa yat phalotpādanasāmarthyamāhitam atītena karmaṇā tasyāpyabhāvaṃ pratipadyerannityucchedadṛṣṭimāpannāḥ syur vineyā ityasti karmetyuktaṃ bhagavatā /
If it were said that "past karma does not exist", [people] might understand that there is also non-existence of that capacity for producing results which was established through succession by past karma, and disciples would fall into the view of annihilation; therefore the Blessed One declared that "karma exists".