Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Repentance Eliminates Karma (懺悔消業積福增慧)
In life, every action we take, no matter how small, has an effect. What effect does it have? The effect of karma.
Last time I spoke of the Three Existences. Everything we say and do is related to existence. We have talked about Present Existence, the retributions we brought from past lives, and are facing presently. We may be born with them or have created them in the past, and are feeling their effects now. So what we experience now is a result of past actions; it is pre-existing. Since we are experiencing it now, it must have already existed. Then there is Future Existence.
This refers to what we are thinking now, what we are planning to do. If we have a good plan we will be successful. Good seeds will bring blessings. However, we have not taken action yet. We are just thinking about it, and may have aspirations. But if we have not acted on these aspirations, the only exist as plans. So this is called Future Existence. If we have hatred and resentment in our minds, and have a plan for revenge, but have not acted on it, that is also called Future Existence.
We have not done it, we just have plans. Once we take action, it will become Present Existence. Thus, once we have done something, if we were wrong we must quickly and continuously repent, then willingly and happily accept the consequences.
We must accept our fate. Some may ask, “Why is my life so unfortunate?” They are hateful and resentful. There is nothing to hate or resent. These are the results of our past actions, they already exist. All we can do now is be ashamed and openly repent. In this way, we can exhaust our karma.
More importantly, we must pay attention to Future Existence. When we make good vows, we must quickly follow through, because we are never sure what the future holds. So it is best to seize the present moment. We cannot just aspire to do good, we must actually do it. Then we can accumulate blessings and wisdom. If we feel resentment or hate, we must quickly eliminate them now. We cannot wait until these plans of hate and resentment materialize. Then they will be difficult to eliminate.
Thus, before anything happens, before we act, we must quickly eliminate them. Some people repay enmity with virtue, while others repay virtue with enmity. Life is confusing. Some people treat us terribly they hurt us and harm us. A virtuous person will not only forgive them, but also absolve accommodate, and even help them. Thus they repay enmity with virtue. By doing so they eliminate a cycle of vengeance.
Between the Present and Future Existence of Karma is intermediate Existence. This is an in-between stage, so it is intermediate. As I just said, we already face the retribution of suffering. Do we want to replicate the causes of suffering? In this intermediate Existence, we have not yet committed good or evil deeds. If we can immediately repent and willingly accept our existing retributions, we will not replicate this karma. When we accept it willingly, we eliminate it.
In facing the karma we have created, if we are filled with resentment, we will continuously replicate those seed of affliction and suffering, and sink into the Sea of Suffering, unable to free ourselves. If we can willingly accept our karma, and seize the present moment to repent and change, we can eliminate karma, and thus accumulate blessings & wisdom.
Everyone, existence is another word for affliction and ignorance. If we can thoroughly repent, we can always be vigilant of our thoughts.
“Craving 3 Existences may cause all wrongdoings. Such transgressions are immeasurable & boundless.”
Many wrongdoings and evils are indeed immeasurable and boundless. Before we talked about the 3 Existences, there were the 3 Confusions, 3 Leaks and many other terms. So all the terms we have mentioned and used to describe afflictions in great detail are indeed immeasurable and boundless. Thus, they “agitate all in the 6 realms and 4 Forms of Birth.”
Beings in 6 realms, 4 Forms of Birth are disturbed so today we shamefully repent everything.
Because of one erroneous thought, we allow our wisdom to leak out, so we cannot retain it. Meanwhile, afflictions are everywhere. As I mentioned the other day, our minds are like a bucket that leaks. It cannot hold clean water, but keeps all the garbage. We have a leak, so we cannot retain good Dharma and good principles. All that remains are things that cause afflictions and ignorance. This leads us to create much karma. In addition, our principles are backwards.
According to true principles, we should be grateful, but instead we are resentful. This is backwards. Those who are confused about the truth will also created karma. Many of the aforementioned wrongdoings are created in our daily living. Hence, we have committed many transgressions. They are immeasurable and boundless and “agitate all in the 6 realms and 4 Forms of Birth.”
As we know, the Six Realms are Heaven, Human, Hell, Hungry Ghost, Animal and Asura. Sentient beings of the 6 Realms easily create karma. They are also called the Six Ordinary Realms. All beings in the Six Realms are ordinary, even those in Heaven.
Ordinary beings do not comprehend the Truth. They are trapped in the Six Realms, without any control, continuously being reborn. These are the Six Realms.
Sentient beings in the Six Realms are all born in one of Four Forms of Birth: womb, egg, moisture, or transformation. The forms of our existence are constrained by these four forms. I mentioned this earlier. So if we understand this, we should “feel ashamed and repent it all today.” We must always be vigilant. In the past minute, in our interactions with people and things, have we acted correctly? We must constantly examine ourselves. What about others? No matter what, we must respect them. We should respect others and humble ourselves. Let us not hastily think others are wrong. We must always be repentant, feel ashamed of our actions and remorseful toward others. This is the mentality we should have at all times so we can “repent everything.”
We must always take good care of our minds. We must never inflate our egos. Let us not think that we are so brilliant we can illuminate others. We cannot think this. We must always focus on humbling ourselves. Only then can we truly repent.
Constantly take good care your thoughts. Know to self- reflect humble yourself and respect others. This is true repentance.
Repentance is cleansing. I often say that we must cleanse ourselves because our minds are filled with afflictions. We are still ordinary beings of the Six Realms. We cannot escape the Four Forms of Birth. We should know that we are covered by ignorance. We must constantly cleanse our hearts with Dharma. Therefore, repentance means cleansing. We should constantly repent and admit past mistakes. Avoid committing wrongdoings again.
I often say this phrase that you all know “wrongdoings will bring regrets.” The greatest punishment in life is regret. Simply regretting something is useless. We must also know that we were wrong and we must start anew. I saw a story about one of our volunteers. He grew up abroad, and because his parents pampered him, he was a rebellious teenager. He used drugs, gambled, slept around, etc. He did everything. Later, he was recruited into a gang and committed many crimes, including drug trafficking and murder, etc. He was later caught and sentenced to a jail term of 10-20 years.
After he was released from prison, he knew he had to change his ways, since he was not young anymore. Though much time had passed, the gang was still trying to contact him. He felt that if he stayed with these people, he could not lead a normal life or make a fresh start. He wanted to change completely, so he left that country and came to Taiwan.
He truly began a new life here, by doing hard labor and odd jobs. One day while he rode his motorcycle, he was struck from behind by a car. It was a very serious injury.
He was alone in Taiwan, and the car that hit him sped off. He was taken to the hospital with multiple fractures. His injuries were serious. The hospital staffers saw that he was poor, had no relatives and could not pay the deposit, so they treated him carelessly. As a result, he became handicapped.
After he left the hospital he was homeless. Later, he met someone he knew many years ago. This person was kind to him, because their parents had been friends. So, they were "second-generation friends". This friend felt sorry for him, and took him in, wanting to help him. However, his friend ran into problems, too, so he could not provide that much help. Even though this man wanted to stand on his own, it was not possible.
Later, he had to go back for more treatments since the previous treatment was ineffective. Because it was so serious, his friend suggested that he come to Tzu Chi Hospital, which had just commenced operations. When he came here, our doctors did not ask for a deposit or ask whether he had relatives. Our hospital accepts all patients. He was referred to our social welfare department. Our volunteers looked into his case and learned that he faced many difficulties, so they tried to help him. He stayed in our hospital for over three months. After he was treated and regained his health, he was discharged.
He was very grateful to Tzu Chi and he resumed his work as a laborer. When he grew older, he moved to a senior home. He was very mindful and cared for those with restricted mobility. At the same time, he still did some odd jobs. Now he says he has no afflictions, because Tzu Chi is his home. Although he does some odd jobs, he sees it as working on his own home. Tzu Chi members also treat him as family so he feels at peace.
Even though he made mistakes in the past and once led a deluded life, he accepted the full punishment of the law. Though his current work is arduous, and though he was once homeless, in the street, he held firm to repentant mind, so he never became lost again. He willingly endured hardships and was not bitter even when he was struck in a car accident. He knew he had committed many wrongs in the past. Hence, regardless of what hardships he endured in subsequent decades, he accepted them willingly.
He shared his story. He said that his past was once a deeply-held secret but now he knew to "reveal mistakes to improve." If he had not done so, he would never have let go of those afflictions in his heart. Now he has completely changed his life by exposing those afflictions in his heart. Repentance eliminates wrongdoings. Now that he has thoroughly repented, he can live a peaceful and happy life.
Therefore, we must feel shame and openly repent every day. After we repent, we must no longer create karma. If our views were even a little off, as we cycled through the Six Realms and Four Forms of Birth, who knows how many people we have distressed and harmed. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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