6) The sixth principle is that a small karmic cause results in a big effect. A tiny seed can bear huge fruit. 因小果大。

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

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

It’s like a small watermelon seed planted in the soil. It will bear many big watermelons when it’s given the right condition. And each watermelon has many more seeds in it. It says in the Chinese classic The Canon of Ancient Documents that, ‘Practising what’s good brings a person infinite good fortune whereas practising what’s bad brings the person endless misfortune 作善降之百祥，作不善降之百殃.’  

In the Qur’an, it says, ‘Whoever brings a good deed … shall have ten times the like thereof to his credit, and whoever brings an evil deed … shall have only the recompense of the like thereof …’ In Buddhism, it says, ‘By giving one thing, a person will get ten thousand times more in return 捨一得萬報.’ All of these explain that a small karmic cause resulting in a huge effect. It’s a bit like the snowball effect.

So, some of us might ask: why does a small karmic cause result in a big effect? It is because karma is mainly generated by our thoughts, and the generation of our thoughts is incredibly fast. In the Buddhist sutra The Sutra of Bodhisattva Residing in the Womb 菩薩處胎經, it clearly states that ‘Within the short period of snapping our fingers, there are 3.2 trillion thoughts generated. Each thought creates forms and each form contains consciousness 舉手彈指之頃三十二億百千念，念念成形，形皆有識.’ This revelation is incredible, isn’t it?

Now we understand that the speed of our thoughts is extremely fast. So within a very short span of time, a great number of karmic causes are generated. And all these karmic causes will result in effects. This is why the effects are remarkably strengthened, and the period of time of us experiencing the effects will also be significantly extended. Now, here is a question for us: How many good and bad thoughts do we generate every day? It is scary, isn’t it?     

Apart from what is mentioned just now, small karmic causes bringing big effects is manifested in another way, that is, karmic causes result in ‘flower effect 花報’, ‘fruit effect 果報’ and ‘residue effect 餘報’. If the good or bad thoughts, speech and actions that we generated in this lifetime are significant in volume, we will then experience some of the consequences in this lifetime, and this is called ‘this-lifetime effect 現世報’ or ‘flower effect’. But flower effects are not the strongest.

In comparison, fruit effects are truly the most powerful and we normally experience them in our next lives. Apart from these two types, there is also the ‘residue effect’. It will affect us in the far future. Moreover, residue effects, be it misfortune or good fortune, will affect our children, grandchildren and descendants in general. As it says in The Canon of Yee-Change 易經, ‘A family accumulating goodness surely has leftover good fortune. A family accumulating evil surely has leftover misfortune 積善之家必有餘慶，積不善之家必有餘殃.’ This is because a small karmic cause brings a big effect.

It says in Buddhism that ‘Bodhisattvas fear the karmic cause whereas ordinary people fear the karmic effect 菩薩畏因，凡夫畏果’. Now, bodhisattvas are people who have reached a very high level of enlightenment, and they are very rational and wise. They clearly understand the karmic law of cause and effect. So what they focus on is the root cause of everything instead of the effect. That is why they are extremely prudent and do whatever they can to avoid generating more bad karmic causes.

They are also fully aware that the bad consequences they are experiencing now are actually the results of their own doing in the past. Also, the effects of old karmic causes will disappear once they have been taken. So, to bodhisattvas, karmic effects are not frightening but karmic causes are most terrifying. That is why they are willing to experience the consequences of old karmic causes with great composure and without a single negative thought, speech or action such as anger, complaints, foul language and retaliation.

However, ordinary people like us are deluded and we do not know or do not believe the karmic law of cause and effect. What we fear is only bad consequences. So we do whatever we can to avoid the consequences. But little do we realise that bad consequences are the results of bad causes. Only when we put a stop to bad karmic causes can we ultimately prevent bad consequences.

Because we do not know or do not believe this fundamental truth, when we experience the bad consequence of a bad karmic cause generated in the past, we think, speak and act negatively which in turn creates new bad karmic causes. So we end up with a vicious cycle and suffer forever in the Cycle of Birth and Death. And Buddhas and bodhisattvas call these people like us ‘the pitiable 可憐憫者’.  

What we have talked about so far only gives us a brief overview of the karmic law of cause and effect. If we truly understand and believe it, we will no longer dare to do whatever is bad. Instead, we will proactively do whatever is good and change our destinies for the better.

This is why at the beginning of the 20^th century, the virtuous, wise and eminent Chinese Buddhist practitioner Zhou Anshi 周安士 said that ‘When everyone believes the karmic law of cause and effect, the world will be in great stability and harmony. When everyone does not believe the karmic law of cause and effect, the world will be in great turmoil 人人信因果，大治之道也；人人不信因果，大亂之道也.’

As a matter of fact, whether we believe it or not, the karmic law of cause and effect is always there. Just like magnetic fields. Before scientists discovered them, they were there. After they were discovered, they are still there.     

Now, for those of us who believe the karmic law of cause and effect and want to change our destinies for the better, the question is: what is good and what is bad? Well, there are three important texts we can use as guidance. The first one is Guidelines for Being a Good Person 弟子規. It teaches us the very basics of being a good human being, forming good habits and building good relationships with other human beings and nature.  

The second one is The Most Revered One’s Treatise of the Law of Cause and Effect. It details a number of bad karmic causes that we should avoid at a fundamental level and it also provides a summary of the dynamic changes between auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, between good fortune and misfortune. The third one is Buddhas Say the Truth of the Outcomes of the Ten Virtues Sutra 佛說十善業道經. It provides a relatively detailed explanation of ten types of good karmic causes and their effects.

The other two texts are the ones mentioned earlier in this recording which are Liaofan’s Four Lessons 了凡四訓 andWhen Yu Jingyi Met the Stove God 俞淨意公遇灶神記. But, ultimately, out of all that is good, the best thought is to think of Amitabha Buddha’s name or Amituofo in Chinese, which means infinite life and infinite wisdom. And the best speech is to say Amitabha Buddha’s name, i.e., Amitabah Buddha or Amituofo.  

Now, there is one more thing that is really important for us to know. Being ordinary human beings, we habitually and constantly think of the past, the present and the future. As mentioned above, one single bad thought generates countless bad karmic causes. So if we think about the bad things that we or others did in the past, then, once again, we actually generate more bad karmic causes.

That is why it is ever so important for us to gradually learn to control our minds, develop the habit of only thinking of whatever is good and remove the habit of thinking of whatever is bad. It is all about habits, and they can be changed. The best thought is Amitabha Buddha’s name or Amituofo. So, if we feel like it, we could learn to focus our minds on the sound of Amitabha Buddha’s name Amituofo when bad thoughts pop up in our minds.      

Another question we might ask ourselves is: How can we get out of the Cycle of Birth and Death? Over 3,000 years ago, Sakyamuni Buddha taught people many methods, but there is one method that was most highly recommended by him, and this is being constantly mindful of Amitabha Buddha’s name Amituofo, chanting Amitabha Buddha’s name Amituofo. As for why, we will find it out another time.   

By learning and understanding the karmic law of cause and effect, and more importantly, following it, we will gradually remove bad habits, develop good habits, purify our minds, and consequently bring harmony and peace to the world. If we can do all these, it’s the best way of remembering our ancestors, and acknowledging and repaying their kindness. Together, we endeavour to accomplish a great deed which is to bring peace and harmony to ourselves and other beings in the world.     

Wishing whoever reads this article enjoy good mental and physical health, peace, auspiciousness, happiness, long life and infinite wisdom. Thank you.         

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.