Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Be Aware of the Vast Evils You Create (惡如恆沙不覺知)
We do not know that for some long period of time up until now, we may have been accumulating karma as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. It is truly incalculable.
In the Sutras, we often see the Buddha explaining to us that since Beginningless Time, sentient beings have created and accumulated innumerous karma.
From Beginningless Time until now we have accumulated evils and committed wrongs as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Neither previous nor future selves realize or know this.
Let us consider this. With habitual tendencies that appear every day, how many moments of ignorance do we experience? When we are dissatisfied with our environment or with other people in our lives, on a daily basis, we are accumulating these habits. Will our dissatisfaction cause conflicts with others? It gives rise to subtle afflictions. More obviously, it gives rise to actual clashes. If we ask “How can there be karma as numerous as the sands of the Gangers?” we must consider our thoughts and actions when interacting with people and things? Don’t afflictions constantly arise?
When we estimate it in this way, we understand how much we have accumulated. Described in this way, we can see how we have accumulated incalculable amounts of karma, as numbers as the sands of the Ganges. We know it is rare to obtain human form and to have the opportunity to listen to Buddha-Dharma. Since we do listen, every day we can use Dharma-water to cleanse our minds and nourish the fields of our hearts. We must stay the course and follow the rules. We should uphold the precepts, work with others, and reject the desire for fleeting glory.
We must uphold the precepts and work with others. We must not isolate ourselves to try to escape from our own problems. That is also wrong. So we must follow what is right for ourselves, yet not avoid contact with others. This is upholding precepts while being with others. Do not covet fleeting glory. Do not only think about how to relax, retire and live a worry-free life. Do not attempt to escape afflictions and hard work for the sake of enjoyment. You cannot.
We do not have ownership of our lives, only the right to use them. If we do not use our lives in ways that are beneficial to others, wouldn’t that be a waste? So we should vow that for as long as we are alive, we will work to help others. We can give to others and to society. So we do not need to covet fleeting glory. Do not envy others’ enjoyment and idle lives. Those people actually lead very tragic lives. We do not need to envy those who simply enjoy their time, material goods and superficial happiness. Do not be envious.
Listening to and applying the Buddha-Dharma in the world is a rare opportunity. We should also vow to be helpful relatives, friends or teachers to those who are suffering without them having to ask. Many people in the world are suffering. Let us treat them as we would people who are very close to us. Let us think of them as good friends or relatives in need of our help. If our relatives and friends are in trouble, will we stand by and just watch? No, we will not. Even if they do not ask, we will proactively find a way to help.
We are people who help without being asked. Consider our Tzu Chi volunteers. Wherever there is a need, when there is hardship or disaster, don’t we proactively go there to comfort, support, accompany, and help people? So, let us be helpful relatives and friends, or even teachers, without being asked.
It is rare to attain human form and be able to listen to the Buddha-Dharma. If we can do so, we should uphold precepts, work with others, and not covet fleeting glory. We should be a helpful relative, friend or teacher without being asked.
We must always create good affinities. That helps us remove karmic obstacles. Haven’t we been talking about karmic retributions and how to eliminate those obstacles? We must study and practice the Buddha’s way. Many obstacles come from bad affinities. The only way to eliminate karmic forces and karmic obstacles is to create good affinities.
“From Beginningless Time until now, we have accumulated evils as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.”
This is what I just shared with everyone. Many passages in the Sutras remind us that since we took refuge with the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, we are the Buddha’s disciples. Confucius also told his students to reflect upon themselves three times a day, but the Buddha wants us to self-reflect all the time, not just three times a day. We must know to always self-reflect. When we are reflective, thoughts of shame and repentance will arise. We will reflect on the fact that from Beginningless Time until now, we have accumulated evil as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. We have accumulated a lot bad karma, or evils.
The longer we have lived and existed, the more we have accumulated. So do not claim to have done no wrong. If we always think we are in the right, that we make no mistakes, then we will commit more and more wrongdoings. We accumulate more and more over time. This is truly terrifying.
So we need to always understand that we transmigrate among the Six Destinies, the Six Realms. Didn’t tell you this in the past? It was not that long ago. Sentient beings are attracted to the various traps in the Six Realms, or Six Destinies without understanding their suffering.
As the Lotus Sutra says, the Three Realms are like a house on fire. But people still do not understand that the fire has already engulfed every corner of the house. This mansion is already old and so much of it is damaged. The fire is still blazing, while foolish kids are still playing inside. They think it is fun to watch the fire. The Lotus Sutra makes this analogy. Perhaps people do not think anything of it when they hear it. But as for me, when I hear it I think of global warming. With the changing climate and all of our collective karma, the entire Earth is sick.
But we still are not aware. We still let worldly vanity obscure our minds. We still think the Six Destinies are fun. After we exhaust Heaven’s pleasures we still fall. The human world is a mix of pain and happiness. Right now there is more pain than happiness. The younger generation is more confused.
So I often say that people’s minds are more chaotic now, so it is difficult to develop wisdom I saw a worrisome piece of news. There was a pair of 17-years-old twins. They conspired with others to abduct their grandma and rob the money in her wallet. Their grandmother was already 77 years old. Her son was in jail for committing some crime. After he was imprisoned, his wife ran away. She raised her twin grandsons since they were six or seven. In addition to the twins, there was also a granddaughter. Why did this grandmother carry NT$80-90,000 around her waist instead of leaving it at home? She said granddaughter and her boyfriend stole all her money from her house before, so she does not dare to leave any money anywhere at home. How did she earn this money? Form foraging through garbage over the years to collect recyclables. That is how she raised her grandchildren until her granddaughter was older and the twins were 17.
For over a decade, she scavenged to provide for them. They had all grown up but still did not have jobs. They did not study or work hard. They just always asked her for money. She found it hard to refuse them, but she felt she needed to save for their future. If she gave them money whenever they asked, they would never behave. So the next time they asked her for money, she refused. At that time, the younger twin came up with the idea to kidnap her instead. Since she would refuse them if they asked, they would abduct her instead. The older grandson agreed. They knew she kept the money on her. They found two other young people to participate.
One evening, as she came home after collecting recyclables, those young men covered her head with sheets. They bound her hands and feet and searched her body. She struggled and yelled for help, so they throttled her neck. She could barely breathe. She suddenly had the idea to play dead. She relaxed her body and stopped struggling. The four young men thought she died. They took the money from her fanny pack and left. After these young people left, she started calling for the police. She still did not know who robbed her. The neighbors and police became suspicious of the two men who lazed around all day, and they started investigating.
One of the young men felt a pang of guilt. Since they played at the internet cafe all day, he felt that justice would surely catch up to them. So he turned himself in. Then the police began to investigate the twins. When they were captured, they were unrepentant. The grandmother kept crying when she saw them.
She Said, “You have no conscience! Think about how hard I worked picking through garbage to provide for you. I didn’t raise you right.”
She kept repeating, “I blame myself for not raising you right.” Imagine how heartbroken she was! She had hopes for them. People have hopes for their sons, but hers was in jail, so she looked to her grandsons. She was 77 but she still picked through garbage to support this family. Yet her grandsons were so unfilial. Think about it. What is valuable in life? What are blessings? Children and grandchildren may not be blessings. Why did this happen? We can only say it is karmic causes and conditions.
These bad causes and conditions came together, with her son ending up in jail, her daughter-in-law running away, leaving the children for her to raise. Her grandchildren really did not know any better. Think about your own life. We witness suffering to recognize blessings. Let us create good affinities. Otherwise, even if we do not face retribution in this lifetime, we will in the next. Did this grandmother create these affinities with her family in this lifetime? She actually created them in past lives, so they become her son and grandsons. They could not happily get along because they brought bad affinities into this life.
So how much karma, do we accumulate over each lifetime? A lot. As many as the sands of the Ganges.
“Our transgressions fill the world. Neither previous nor future selves realize or know this.”
We really do not know how many wrongs we committed. Besides having karma as numerous as Ganges’ sands, our wrongdoings fill the world. In every lifetime, whether in our past lifetimes or our present one, in every country and every place, everywhere in the world we have committed transgressions and created karma. So “Neither previous nor future selves realize or know this.” Where we spent our previous lives and where we will be born in the future is not up to us. We do not realize or know how much karma we create in the meantime. Everyone, shouldn’t we self-reflect every day? Shouldn’t we temper ourselves when we deal with people and matters? Do not give rise to afflictions, create good affinities with each other.
Everyone, let us truly remain on this Path. Please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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