20200207知因識果結好緣 Believing in the Karmic Law of Cause and Effect
See how natural disasters occurring more and more frequently. When a natural disaster strikes, it always leaves great devastation. Our lives, which are subject to disasters, are truly fragile and impermanent. Even the land is fragile and impermanent, not to mention our lives. As the world population grows, there will be more manmade and natural disasters.
In a time filled with many disasters, we can easily lose our lives. So, we must be more vigilant. As we’ve learned the Dharma, we must understand the karmic law of cause and effect and cultivate ourselves. I often say that the Dharma is like water that can cleanse our minds. We must be clear about what karma we are creating.
We must ask ourselves if our words and our thoughts have derived from any bad intentions and if we’ve formed bad affinities with others. For that, we must reflect on ourselves at all times. If we can always bear in mind the karmic law of cause and effect, we will take good care of our mind rather than do wrongs or form bad affinities with others.
If we can live with vigilant care at all times, instead of doing wrong or forming bad affinities with others, we will work hard to form good affinities and return to our pure, true nature. When we tap into our innate goodness and wisdom, we will sow blessings for all. So, may we all keep the law of karma in mind and reflect on ourselves at all times. Our current conditions are due to the karma we’ve created, and the karma we are creating now determines our future conditions.
So, we are always subject to the law of karma. The causes formed in the past have led to the conditions at present, and the causes formed at present will lead to the conditions in the future. So, what our future will be like depends on what we are doing now. We must have faith that we reap what we sow. All that is good arises from a single good thought. In the same way, all that is evil arises from a thought of ignorance.
According to Buddhist sutras, in our times, the Three Major Calamities and the Three Minor Calamities would occur frequently. Famine is one of the Three Minor Calamities. What causes famine? Droughts and the erratic weather patterns, even if there is a good harvest, the crops might be destroyed by storms or floods. So, how can people not suffer from famine?
Now, the many disasters in the world are simply a warning to us. According to the Buddhist sutras, when the worst times come, the world would be without rain for seven years, and there would be seven suns in the sky. Just imagine what a severe famine a seven-year drought would cause.
Meanwhile, there would be a plaque lasting for seven months. Don’t we often hear how an infectious disease can end up as a pandemic? Speaking of pandemic, we still remember the SARS outbreak in 2003. Back then, people around the world were afraid and worried. The plague described in Buddhist sutras would affect the whole world. Incurable, it would last for seven months. Think about it. This is indeed very worrying.
There would also be seven days of war. Few human beings would survive all this calamities in the end. This is the result of the Three Minor Calamities and the Three Major Calamities. Indeed, we’ve begun to witness such calamities. So, we should always remain vigilant, keep the law of karma in mind, and reflect on ourselves.
We must tap into our pure, true nature and eliminate our ignorance. Once ignorance arises in our minds, it will become a seed of evil. A thought of ignorance creates three kinds of subtle afflictions. Kind-hearted people might also give rise to greed and seek self-interests. Those who do goodness might inevitably give rise to anger as well and those who give selflessly might still have ignorance within.
To guide us to cleanse our minds, the Buddha expounded is the law of karma. When we understand the law of karma, we will reflect on ourselves and not do wrongs anymore. This way, bad karma will not be created and disasters will not occur frequently.
This era is a kalpa of decrease, where the human life span is reducing, so we must quickly reflect on ourselves. When we all return to our true nature and tap into our innate goodness, there will be fewer disasters and more peace and safety in the world.
Yet, according to Buddhist sutras, by the end of the Three Major Calamities and the Three Minor Calamities, few human beings would stay alive and few resources would remain. To rise up again, we humans would need to repent deeply from the bottom of our hearts. As human civilization and resources disappear, we need to repent our wrongs to start again and have a future.
Now, we must earnestly repent the wrongs we’ve committed before. With the law of karma in mind, we must repent our wrongs in the past. We must know the past in order to see the future. We must also understand the course of the Three Major Calamities and the Three Minor Calamities. With the accumulation of bad karma and impurities, disasters have been occurring frequently in the world.
We must remember that in this world full of disasters and impurities, the human life span has reduced. Our lives are more and more at risk as manmade and natural disasters are happening constantly. As Buddhists, we must understand this and be mindful and vigilant always.
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