Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Blessing Arise when Bad Karma are Eliminated (罪業滅福就生)
Before I can out here, I saw two peonies in front of the Buddha statue. They were beautiful. After I finished bowing, I sat down. As I stood up and turned around to leave the room, suddenly an entire blossom fell off of one of the peonies. I was taken by surprise. Impermanence! The peony was in full bloom and I was just delighting in its beauty. But not long after, it suddenly wilted completely. Flowers bloom and wilt.
Impermanence goes beyond the plant world, it happens to everything in this world. Some things last longer, some shorter, but nothing escapes the cycle of formation, abiding, decay, annihilation.
Such is the appearance of the world. People cycle through birth, aging, sickness, death.
What causes our afflictions is the mind. Thoughts arise, abide, change are extinguished. All this takes place in the space of a thought. It arises quickly and abides in our minds for a very brief time. It quickly changes and then is extinguished.
The mind cannot remain permanently. Everything in the world all fortunes and misfortunes, all arise from the mind. If the mind has attachments, afflictions will continuously cover it, regardless of external conditions. What does it mean to be blessed? If we are never content we will never blessed.
Everything forms, abides, decays, is annihilated. Thoughts arise, change and are extinguished. If we realize that we cannot be attached to people and matters, pure and ultimate wisdom will arise.
The mind has no fixed form. More frightening is the fact that it has no fixed nature. These are the minds of sentient beings. As I said earlier, if our minds can take refuge, in spiritual belief, then naturally we can eliminate a lot of bad karma. When bad karma is eliminated, blessings arise.
Life’s conditions are impermanent. Things constantly cycle and change. The human lifespan lasts a few decades, from infancy to childhood, adolescence, adulthood, then, old age. The appearance of the body changes over time without our awareness. Why are we unaware of the day that we aged? The process is unstoppable. We do not know how it happens, so we cannot stop it.
If we knew, we would separate ourselves from the cause and remain in our youth forever. We would be forever young. The only way to forego growing old is to die young.
There are so many unknowns. Because we do not know, we create a lot of ignorance and afflictions. Illness is something everyone fears. How can we escape illness and prolong our lives? Ignorant sentient beings continue to create karma.
Many refuse to see a doctor when they are ill, and seek folk remedies. Sometimes they take the lives of other animals to preserve their own lives. This is how ignorance begets more ignorance, which creates more afflictions. Human minds continuously shift and change.
Ignorance causes them to panic and be vexed, etc. These feelings keep arising. Hence, the seeds that create bad karma lie within the mind.
Humans create more ignorance out of ignorance. Ignorance also creates more afflictions. When afflictions continuously cover the mind, bad karma will definitely arise.
Some people understand that life and death are part of the Laws of Nature. They are at peace and view death as a return. They think, “I know that my life will eventually draw to a close. Today, I open my eyes. I am still alive. I still have sensations. So I will live a happy life. I should maintain good affinities with everyone.”
We can still recall many volunteers who were at ease when they were on their deathbed. They told everyone, “Goodbye! I’ll come back. I’ll go and return quickly.” They were so positive. Their minds were so lucid. Even at the end of their lives, they were not afraid. This is knowledge and awareness. When we can see through and recognize the suffering about life and death, we can be liberated.
As we learn Buddhism, it is important to find a method for liberation and a spiritual refuge. The Truth and the path are wonderful, so we must practice them mindfully. Once we have a refuge, we can be aware of when we are creating karma. Then we can repent. Repentance is the best way to practice.
We repent today because we ordinary people have remained unenlightened since beginningless Time. Regardless of social status everyone has committed innumerable wrongs. These transgressions arise from the Threefold Karma or the Six Roots. Regardless of social status we’ve committed infinite wrongs.
Whether we are successful or average people doing regular work, we all have bad karma from past lives. In the past we were unaware of our bad karma, so we did not know to repent. Now we know because we are the Buddha’s disciples. We know we need to repent.
Where did bad karma come from? The verses state, “[u]These transgressions arise from the Tgreefold Karma or the Six Roots[/b].
What are the Threefold Karma? We should know they are body, speech and mind. What bad karma does the body create? Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct. The body actually commits all sorts of evils but they can be categorized into three. Killing is the most serious offense. Since the moment we were born, how many lives have we consumed? How many precious birds and animals were killed just to satisfy our palates?
Some people say, “If people didn’t eat meat, I wouldn’t have to kill. If there is a karmic debt to be paid, collect it from those who eat meat.” Most believe they are innocent of killing. “And I did was eat the meat.” You cannot just think, “I only ate, I didn’t kill.” In truth, others kill because you want to eat. Think of how many animals are killed each day.
Now avian flu is spreading to humans. In response, Europeans are slaughtering chickens, ducks and other birds. Tens of millions have been killed. To raise animals for human consumption, people raise them under very cruel conditions or feed them with inhumane methods. Now that there is a problem, people again respond in an inhumane way. Karma arises from killing, whether we are directly or indirectly involved.
How many have been killed? It is all because we have a physical body we end countless lives to satisfy our cravings. When people cannot control their afflictions, they kill each other. Some kill out of passion. Some kill for wealth. Some kill for vengeance because a lot of resentment has built up over time. Some kill for no reason, simply because they are displeased. People kill for fame, wealth, lust or for any kind of relationship. Some even kill their parents or teachers. In summary, we kill because we have this body.
As for theft, we use our bodies to rob or steal. Robbery is aggressive theft. Nowadays, people rob in broad daylight. Besides robbing, they kill or kidnap others. Social problems nowadays are endless. The news each say is shocking and frightening. Are people committing theft and robberies for their survival?
If we are content & fulfill our duties, how much do we need to live? If we cherish and use everything carefully, we really don’t need many material goods. However, people are not content with what they have, so their minds go astray. They think they should indulge in pleasure. If they cannot do so, they will take desperate risks. They know committing robberies or kidnappings will be punished by law but they commit them because they are ignorant.
Aside from hurting themselves, they inevitably harm others. Attitudes of thievery, robbery, and stealing stir up fear and unease in society and ruin people’s names and reputations. This truly creates bad karma.
Next is sexual misconduct. I recall an international news report. On a busy street in Iran, people erected gallows for an execution. A crowd gathered around as the criminals were strung up to be hung. There were five criminals. What crime did they commit? They violated women. This is a capital offense in Iran. Violating a woman is sexual misconduct. Iranians believe that it is a source of chaos. So they treat it as the most severe offense.
It is said, “Sexual misconduct is foremost of all evils. Filial piety is the foremost of all good.” Sexual misconduct is foremost of all wrongdoing. Hence, a lot of bad karma originates with the body. Killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct are the 3 kinds of karma committed with the body. There are 3 of the body, 4 of the mouth, 3 of the mind. Together they are the Ten Evils. It all starts here.
Karma of the Ten Evils
Body: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct,
Speech: lies, gossip, harsh words, flattery,
Mind: greed, anger, ignorance
Everyone, we kill, steal or commit sexual misconduct because we are covered by afflictions. We have been accumulating afflictions since Beginningless Time. Thus we have developed these ignorant habits. This is why we create such karma. Now we must repent more often. Repentance is like washing away filth with water.
Dharma is like water, I continue to remand you of this. As Buddhist practitioners, we must constantly repeat, not just self-reflect three times a day. At every moment we need to repent bad karma created by the body. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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