Chapter 23 Chapter 21 The Nature of Karma

If you want to know the past, the recipient of this life is; If you want to know the future, the author of this life is. ——"The Sutra of Cause and Effect" Is one destined to decide to be rewarded unerringly for all that one does? There is no need for this!In the Angutavatara, the Buddha said: "If someone says that people will be rewarded according to their actions, then there is no holy life, and there is no opportunity for the complete cessation of suffering. But if someone says that people will receive their results according to their actions, then there is a holy life, and there is no chance Gain the opportunity for the complete cessation of suffering." (1)

Therefore, in Buddhism, one's karma can be transformed. Although the "Dharma Sentence Sutra" says: "In the air, sea and mountains, there is no hiding place in the world, and there is no place in the world to find for those who want to escape evil karma."However, one is not destined to repay 100% of past karma.If this were the case, liberation would be empty talk, and perpetual suffering would be the unfortunate result. One is neither the master nor the slave of one's own karma.Even a person full of sin can be transformed into the kindest person through his own efforts.We are always changing ourselves, and these changes are based on our behavior.We can make us better or worse at any time, and even the most wicked people should not be hurt and hated because of their malevolent nature.He deserves sympathy, because the person who scolded him may be in the same situation at some time.Others can turn from evil to good, and he can too, maybe faster than them.Who knows how much good karma he has?Who knows his latent virtue?

Ahulimala, a bandit and executioner who slaughtered thousands of his fellow countrymen, became an Arahant, thus erasing all his past retrogrades. Alabik, a ferocious demon, lives by eating human flesh, and finally changed his cannibalistic nature and obtained the first holy fruit. Apapanali, a prostitute, purified her nature and attained Arhatship. Asoka was called a tyrant because of his brutal expansion of his empire, but he later became Fa-Asoko, or Righteous-Asoko, who changed his life so completely that today he is "here gathered in history" Among thousands of kings, their majesty, their kindness, their tranquility, their noble royal family, and others, only the name of Ashok, like a star, still shines brilliantly." (2)

All of these are powerful examples of how unwavering conviction can drastically change a person's character. In some cases, minor evils may have corresponding consequences, while the consequences of major evils are weakened. Buddha said: "Here, monks, there is a person who is not strict with himself in terms of body, precepts, mind, and wisdom. He has few virtues and no virtues, and lives in pain with small unwholesome karma. Even a small evil he creates will lead him to evil. In the way." "Here, monks, there are people who are strict with themselves in terms of body, precepts, mind, and wisdom, do a lot of good deeds, have a lofty spirit, and show infinite kindness to all sentient beings, and live on it."

"The same evil karma that this person has committed will mature in this life, and even small evils will not manifest in the next life, let alone serious evils. (3)" "It's like a person throwing a handful of salt into a small basin, monks, what do you think? Is the water too salty to taste?" "Yes, World Honored One." "why?" "Because, Lord, there is only a little water in the basin, so when salt is put in, it becomes too salty to drink." "If a person threw a piece of salt into the Ganges, what would you think, monks? Would the water of the Ganges be too salty to drink because of the piece of salt?"

"No, certainly not, World Honored One." "why?" "Because, World Honored One, the waters of the Ganges are vast, and it will not become salty and undrinkable." "It is just like this, some sentient beings do less evil karma and fall into the evil realm, or some sentient beings do the same evil karma, but they will repay this karma in this life, and they will no longer experience small retributions in the next life, let alone big retributions. " "Some people may go to jail for stealing a half-cent, or a penny, or a hundred dollars; there are people who steal a half-cent, or a penny, or a hundred dollars, and they don't go to jail .”

"Who's going to be jailed for half a penny, or a penny, or a hundred dollars?" "When a man is down and out, poor and poor, he goes to jail for stealing a half-cent, or a penny, or a hundred dollars." "Who doesn't go to jail for half a penny, a penny, a hundred dollars?" "When a man is rich, rich, and full of money, he doesn't go to jail for a half penny, or a penny, or a hundred dollars." "It is just like this. Some people do small evils and fall into evil ways, or some people do the same small evils and they will get retribution in this life. Even small retributions will not reappear in the next life, let alone big evils."(4)

causality Good deeds have good rewards, but if a person who does good deeds regrets his good deeds, this will make him lose the corresponding ideal rewards. The following examples may be cited to illustrate: Once, Pasenadi King of Kosala came to the Buddha and said: "World Honored One, in the city of Savatthi, a rich man passed away without a son. Therefore, I confiscated all his property and transported it back to the palace. World Honored One, not to mention silver, the gold alone is tens of thousands. However, this A rich man ate leftovers and rotten porridge. How did he dress himself? He wore rough cloth. As for his mount, he rode a shabby boat supported by canvas. One-horse two-wheeler."

The Buddha immediately said: "That's right, Your Majesty. In previous lives, Your Majesty, this rich man had made offerings to a Palceek Buddha named Tuja Rashik. But later, he regretted it and said privately, "If you give these meals to my servants and Long-term workers eat, isn't that better? "Besides, he killed his brother's only son in order to obtain property. Because the rich man had offered food to Paceka Buddha, as a result of this good kamma, he was reborn seven times in the heavenly realms of great bliss. The same The remaining merits of good kamma enabled him to be reborn seven times in Savatthi as a rich man."

"Because the rich man deeply regrets his offering, 'Wouldn't it be better if I gave these meals to my servants and long-term workers?' Because of the retribution of this kamma, he doesn't know how to dress properly, sit down Gorgeous carriage, I don’t know how to enjoy the pleasures of the five desires.” "Because this rich man killed his brother's only son for the sake of property, he had to suffer in the evil realm for many years, thousands of years, or even tens of thousands of years. And because of the remaining power of the same karma, he did not have any Son. Therefore, he had to hand over his property to the palace.”(5)

As a result of his good kamma in past lives, he gained great merit.But because he has no regrets for the good karma he has done, he cannot enjoy the wealth brought by his karma to the fullest. benevolent and evil force In the working of karma, it should be understood that there is a benevolent or malevolent force that helps or hinders the law's own operation.Birth (gati), time and environment (kala), personality and appearance (upadhi), effort (pavoga), etc. are all favorable or negative conditions for this good and bad karma. For example, if a person is born in a noble family or in a happy environment, his lucky birth will sometimes prevent his bad karma from producing results. On the other hand, if he is born in a place of misery or in a family of misfortune, the unfavorable birth will provide good opportunities for the present of his bad karma. In Buddhist terms, this is called lucky life (gatisampatti) or unlucky life (gativipatti). All wise men are born into royal families by virtue of their good deeds, and they will be respected by their noble birth.If the same person, but of low birth, he will not receive the same courtesy. For example, the king of Ceylon, Duddha Gamana, did bad karma for launching a war against Tamil, but gained good karma for his numerous religious and social actions.Because of this good rebirth kamma, he was reborn in a happy world.Tradition holds that his last life will be when Maitreya Buddha is born in the future.Therefore, due to his favorable birth, his negative karma cannot be successfully worked. Take King Ajatasatta again as an example. He committed the crime of killing his father and mother, but he was famous for his piety and filial piety because he later became close to the Buddha.Because of his serious sins, he is now suffering in the lower realms.The fact of his unfortunate birth will prevent him from enjoying the rewards of good kamma. Personal beauty and ugliness are two other factors that prevent or facilitate the operation of karma. If a person, who has enjoyed a happy life due to his good kamma, is unfortunately out of shape, he will not be able to fully enjoy the rewards of his good kamma.Even the rightful heir to the throne may not be qualified for such a high position if he is not good looking. On the other hand, a stately appearance is a fixed asset of a person.Beautiful children of poor parents may attract attention, and with their help and influence, they may rise to the top. Favorable timing and circumstances or unfavorable timing and circumstances are yet another two factors that affect the operation of karma, one helping and the other hindering. All women suffer the same fate.Unfavorable karma makes possible the occurrence of negative karma, but favorable karma prevents the occurrence of negative karma. Of these wholesome and unwholesome forces, the most important is effort.Effort or laziness play a decisive role in the operation of karma.Through current efforts, a person can create new karma, a new external environment, and even a new world.even if one person Living in the most favorable circumstances, with all the advantages, without making any unremitting efforts, he not only misses the golden opportunity, but also destroys himself.Self-effort is the key to material and spiritual progress. If a person himself does not make active efforts to heal his disease, or to free himself from a difficult situation, or to strive diligently to develop himself, his negative karma will wait for an opportunity to produce the corresponding results.Conversely, if he perseveres bravely, overcomes difficulties, improves his living environment, makes full use of all superior causes and conditions, and strives bravely for his own real progress, his good karma will complement each other in time. When a ship was wrecked in the sea and died, Bodhisattva Mokyanak fought hard to save his own life, while other people kept praying to the sky and entrusted their fate to the gods.As a result, the Bodhisattva escaped the catastrophe while everyone else was drowned. Although we are neither absolutely our own slaves nor our own masters, these relative and corresponding facts show that a person's karma is affected to varying degrees by the external environment, human character, personal efforts, etc. factors. It is this doctrine of karma that gives Buddhists comfort, hope, sustenance, and moral courage. After the unexpected happened, difficulties, failures and misfortunes came to him all at once, and the Buddhist realized that he was reaping the seeds he had planted before and paying off the debts of the past.He kept improving, trying to eradicate all weeds, and sow useful seeds on this land.He doesn't evade, doesn't shrink back, and doesn't let karma do its own thing.Because the future is in your own hands. Those who believe in karma never curse even the gravest of disasters, for they have the opportunity to reform themselves at any moment.Although they are shackled in the evil realms and suffer horribly, they have the hope of eternal happiness.They can also create their own paradise through their own actions. A Buddhist who truly believes in the law of karma does not pray to anyone else for salvation, but confidently believes that he will be liberated.He will rely on the strength of his own will to serve the welfare of the masses unremittingly, without surrendering himself or pandering to any superhuman powers. This belief in karma "brings its energy to its effect and kindles his ardor" because it teaches each man to be responsible for himself. For Buddhists in general, karma acts as a deterrent; for wise men, it acts as an encouragement to good karma. The theory of karma explains the problem of suffering, the mystery of fate, and the fatalistic views of some religions, and more importantly, it explains the inequality of human beings. We are the architects of our own destiny.We are our own creators.We are our own destroyers.We create our own paradise.We build our own hell. What we think, say and do makes us who we are.It is these thoughts, words and actions that pretend to be karma, which is passed on from life to life, making us exalted or degraded in this saha world of samsara. Buddha said: "All the good and evil created here are their own doings, and they follow each other closely like shadows, and they cultivate blessings for themselves. The real world of the future is waiting for kind-hearted Ford people. "("Miscellaneous Department") [Note] (1) "Zengzhibu", Volume 1, p. 249; see Wolun, "Buddhism in Interpretation", p. 218. (2) HG Weir, "Views of History", 1971, p. 339. (3) This refers to the Arhat who is no longer suffering. (4) "Zengzhibu", Volume 1, p. 249; see Wolun, "Buddhism in Interpretation", p. 218. (5) "Corresponding Department", first article, p. 91.