On the Principle of the Withering of Karmic Seeds (Part 1)

The principle regarding the withering of karmic seeds is profoundly deep; only with exceedingly profound wisdom of the path can one comprehend its profound meaning. Before any sentient being attains Buddhahood, all their evil karmic obstacles must be exhausted, requited, and completely eradicated; not even the slightest trace of evil karma can remain. Only when nothing at all remains can Buddhahood be attained. As long as even a minute amount of evil karma exists and has not been eliminated, Buddhahood cannot be achieved. Considering the evil karma accumulated by sentient beings throughout beginningless kalpas, the question arises: must all of it be requited and exhausted just before attaining Buddhahood? This is impossible. The evil karma accumulated over beginningless kalpas is truly immeasurable, vast as dust particles. If all of it had to be requited to be eliminated, then three asamkhyeya kalpas would certainly be insufficient; such a long period of time would still not be enough to exhaust it all. Yet each Buddha cultivated for only three asamkhyeya kalpas, and the seeds of their evil karma were already completely eradicated. How, then, were these karmic seeds eliminated?

Some karmic seeds, due to the prolonged absence of conditions for manifestation, gradually wither and disappear on their own. Particularly, smaller evil karmic seeds are more prone to withering and disappearance. Very large evil karmic seeds cannot wither away; they must be exhausted through requital while still in the Bodhisattva stages. Alternatively, heavy karma may transform into light karma, with heavy offenses being requited lightly and thereby eliminated. All evil karma must be completely exhausted before Buddhahood can be attained. Many great Bodhisattvas, when coming to the human realm, still have to undergo the retribution of their evil karma; this is unavoidable. On the other hand, during the process of cultivation, Bodhisattvas continuously accumulate wholesome karma, such that over countless lifetimes, their wholesome karma far surpasses their evil karma. The conditions for the manifestation of relatively minor evil karmic seeds are never fully met. Over an immeasurably long period, the mental faculty (manas) consistently aligns with wholesome karmic seeds and does not align with evil karmic seeds. The mind gradually becomes purified, and the seeds from remote kalpas past wither and disappear.

Some smaller evil karmic seeds will certainly wither if they lack the opportunity for manifestation over a long period. Evil habits and unwholesome tendencies of the mental faculty, if deprived of opportunity for expression for a long time while wholesome habits are formed, will also fade away. The karmic seeds that can be eliminated refer to the actions performed by body, speech, and mind in past lives, which have been stored as seeds in the tathagatagarbha. When conditions mature, they will manifest as evil retribution; the fruition occurs only when causes and conditions ripen. What we must do is eliminate karma through repentance, perform great wholesome deeds that outweigh the evil karma from past lives, ensure that wholesome karmic seeds are always manifesting, and prevent evil karma from finding the opportunity to manifest. This allows us to always receive wholesome retribution, avoiding or minimizing the suffering of evil retribution. When we later develop the capacity to endure, we may then undergo evil retribution, at which point it will no longer be a matter of great suffering and will be entirely bearable.