3) The third principle is that karma is eternal. Karmic causes will neither disappear nor be destroyed. No matter how long it takes, it’ll eventually bear fruit.   

Listen to my teacher’s original lecture in Chinese: The Eternal Karmic Law of Cause and Effect.

Listen to the podcast in English: The Eternal Karmic Law of Cause and Effect.

After we have done a good or bad deed, its good or bad karma (i.e., the seed) will be stored in our minds and it will only vanish after it bears fruit. Apart from that, good karma and bad karma cannot offset one another. They will disappear only after they bear fruit. In the Buddhist scripture The Mahāratnakūta Sutra it says, ‘Even after an extremely long period of time (for example, billions of years), the karmic causes that we produced will not vanish. When the karmic seeds happen to be in the right condition, we will reap whatever we planted.’ So, none of us can escape from the karmic law of cause and effect. The good and bad karmic causes are like a boomerang which sooner or later will come back to us. Just as an English saying goes, ‘What goes around comes around.’     

In Christianity it says, ‘His evil intent recoils upon his head; his wicked design comes back in his face’ (Bible (Catholic Pastoral Edition) Psalm, 7:17, CCB) and ‘The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast’ (Proverbs, 5:22, NIV). It also says, ‘God will give to each person according to what he has done’ (Romans, 2:6, NIV). In Judaism it says, ‘Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein; and he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him’ (Proverbs, 26:27, JPS).

In Hinduism it says, ‘Everybody reaps the fruit of his own deeds’ (Bhagavata Purana, 10.413). In the Buddhist sutra The Dhammapada it says, ‘If a person speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering follows them just as the cartwheel follows the hoof-print of the ox that draws the cart’ and it also says ‘If a person speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows them like the shadow that never leaves the body’.

4) The fourth principle is that the karmic law of cause and effect transcends previous lives, this life and next lives.

Scientists have gradually found evidence for the Cycle of Birth and Death. If we want to know what we did in our previous lives, just look at what we’ve experienced in this life. For example, if we are poor and constantly ill in this lifetime, we can tell that, in our previous lives, we were Scrooge-like and also killed animals, insects and perhaps human beings.

If we want to know what our next lives will be like, just look at what we have been doing in this lifetime. For example, if we have been proactively helping others by giving them money, sharing with others our knowledge, techniques, and are proper, and saving fellow human beings, animals, insects from illnesses, fear or worries, then in our next lives we will reap wealth, intelligence and wisdom, and also a healthy and long life.  

5) The fifth principle is that from a karmic cause to its effect, there are dynamic changes made to the degree of the effect. These changes are the results of our own doing, that is, what we think, say and act.

The good and bad karmic causes that we produce cannot offset each other but they can influence one another. The good deeds that we do later in life enhance the good karmic causes that we produced previously, and restrain the bad karmic causes we produced. Similarly, the bad deeds we do later in life enhance the bad karmic causes that we produced previously and restrain the good karmic causes we produced. So if we continue to do bad deeds after having planted bad seeds, the effect of bad karmic causes will significantly increase.

On the contrary, if we can do our best to do good deeds and accumulate good karma after having planted bad seeds, the effect of the bad karma will be remarkably reduced. In other words, if we continue to do good deeds after having planted good seeds, the effect of good karma will be strengthened; but if we do bad deeds, the effect of good karma will be weakened.         

Now, here is a very important message for us. Because of the mutual influence between good and bad karma, our destinies can be changed. As it says in the Daoist classic The Most Revered One’s Treatise on the Law of Cause and Effect, ‘If a person did bad deeds previously, but later repents, corrects, stops committing whatever is bad, and diligently practices whatever is good, they’ll gradually obtain auspiciousness. This is turning misfortune into good fortune.’

Another book that talks about changing destiny is Liaofan’s Four Lessons written at the beginning of the 17^th century. It is a record of the family teaching given by Mr Yuan Liaofan to his children at the age of 69. It describes in detail the principles and the process of how he remarkably changed his destiny. It is very gripping! By destiny, Liaofan had neither high social status nor children.

However, after diligently correcting the way he thought, spoke and acted and continuously performing good deeds, Liaofan eventually passed the three levels of civil service exams and was appointed to a government official post which means that his virtue and capabilities were officially recognised and consequently he enjoyed a high social status. Apart from that, he also had children and his life span was even extended from 53 years to 74 years.  

Around the same period in Chinese history, there was another man called Yu Jingyi. He was very talented and practised all sorts of good deeds but superficially. He was also very harsh when speaking, and in particular, he constantly had bad thoughts. As a result, his destiny was worsening year by year. He could not pass the second level of civil service exams.

In addition, out of all his nine children, four sons and three daughters died young, his only surviving son went astray and the only surviving daughter suffered from a psychiatric disorder. On top of all those, his dear wife went blind due to the grief for the loss of her only surviving son. He could hardly make two ends meet and was in great despair.

Fortunately, because of his deep respect to the Stove God, when he was 47, the Stove God, disguised as an ordinary but dignified person, visited him and pointed out all his mistakes and bad habits. Basically, he had too many bad thoughts such as greed, complaints, lust, anger and revenge, and practised good deeds without any sincerity.

So after that, he really took on board the Stove God’s advice and was determined to change himself. He did all he could to correct every single mistake and bad habit. He stopped generating bad thoughts and practised good deeds with utmost sincerity. Within three years his destiny was remarkably changed.

He passed all the civil service exams and even found his lost son. His wife restored her eyesight and his daughter recovered from her mental disorder. And the whole family enjoyed a comfortable and peaceful life ever after. Having witnessed the remarkable change to his life, a fellow villager recorded his real-life story in a book entitled, When Yu Jingyi Met the Stove God. The book has since been handed down as a warning and important teaching to generations.

This real-life story is exactly in accordance with what is recorded in The Most Revered One’s Treatise on the Law of Cause and Effect. It says, ‘An auspicious person thinks, speaks and practises all that is good. If, every day, they do all that is good, good fortune will definitely visit them three years later. An inauspicious person thinks, speaks and practises all that is bad. If, every day, they do all that is bad, misfortune will definitely knock at their door three years later.’      

(To be continued…)

DEDICATION

The effort and gains of explaining, transmitting and listening to Buddhas’ teachings are dedicated to

the entire Universe and all beings of all dimensions and all existences. May they all listen to Buddhas’ teachings, awaken to the truth of the Universe, be mindful of the name ‘Amituofo’ (Amitabha Buddha),

aspire to go to the Pure Land, and become Buddhas. (Read the above three times)

I pray to Buddhas and bodhisattvas for unconditionally solving all man-made and natural disasters around the globe.

For all of those who died in man-made wars and natural disasters across the world,

and for all of those who are related to me in all kinds of ways in this life and previous lives, may they listen to Buddhas’ teachings. May they awaken to the truth of the Universe, aspire to unearth their innate and most sincere, pure, equal and awakened mind, be single-mindedly mindful of Amituofo, aspire to go to the Pure Land so as to see Amituofo and listen to his teachings, removing all their delusions and unveiling their innate wisdom, gaining the real peace and happiness, instantly escaping from the cycle of birth and death, speedily becoming Buddhas, and helping all beings (in the entire Universe) like all other Buddhas.

The effort and gains are dedicated to the leaders of all countries on the Earth. May all countries be prosperous. May all disasters be solved. May the world enjoy eternal peace. I use the effort and gains to return the help from the enlightenment of Buddhas, by the correctness of Buddhas’ teachings, from the purity of sangha, from all beings, from my parents (in this life and previous lives), and from my country(ies). I also use the effort and gains to help alleviate the suffering of those who are already in and will be reborn into the animal realm, the ghost realm and hells as the result of their bad thoughts, speech and deeds. For anyone who sees and hears me chanting or being mindful of Amituofo and doing other good deeds, may they aspire to unearth their most sincere, pure, equal and awakened mind so as to go to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, together with me, at the end of our present lives.