The Karmic Retribution of Karma Arising from Delusion and Afflictions

For those who have committed relatively serious karmic offenses, repentance before the Buddha is required, and a visible response should appear—such as a lotus flower manifesting, or the Buddha coming to touch one's head in consolation. For offenses that are generally not too serious, sincere repentance in front of the assembly can eliminate them. Remember: greed leads to the hungry ghost realm, anger leads to the hell realm, and delusion leads to the animal realm. When evil karma manifests at the time of death, one will inevitably fall into the three evil realms, and there is no escape. In ordinary times, examine your own mind-nature frequently, and strive to subdue it with the principles of the Buddha's Dharma. Holding precepts and cultivating meditative concentration subdue afflictions relatively quickly. For those with extremely heavy greed, the time spent suffering in the hungry ghost realm will be extremely long; if one develops serious greed toward the Three Jewels, the offense is simply enormous. For those with severe anger, the time spent receiving retribution in the hell realm will be extremely long; if it is anger directed at the Three Jewels, that offense is even more inconceivable. Those with severe delusion will commit great evil karma, and then it is no longer just a matter of the animal realm—they will first fall into hell to receive retribution, then into the hungry ghost realm, and only afterward into the animal realm.

All afflictions arise entirely from delusion; delusion is the root of afflictions. Without delusion, greed and anger would not arise, and afflictive karma would not be created. In the future, when afflictions are eliminated, greed and anger are eliminated first, and delusion is eliminated last. In this world, everywhere there is a dark mass of deluded sentient beings—far too many, and far too severe.

Long ago, a layperson slandered an arhat. The arhat told that layperson: "I have already attained the fruit of an arhat. You must repent before the assembly, otherwise you will certainly fall into hell." The arhat then rang the bell to gather the assembly and ascended the hall, and the layperson apologized and repented in front of the assembly. Yet when that layperson died, he still fell into hell. Why? Because the offense of slandering an arhat was too great and too heavy; even after repentance it could not be completely eliminated. Had he not repented, the offense would have been even heavier, and the time receiving retribution in hell would have been even longer. To emerge from hell just one minute earlier would be a great fortune worth rejoicing over. Depending on whether the offense is light or heavy, one falls into different hells and suffers different pains. The offenses of slandering a stream-enterer, a once-returner, or a non-returner are also all very heavy. People in this world—do they care what identity or what level of realization the other person has? When afflictions arise, they slander indiscriminately, regardless of the consequences; venting is what matters most. How deluded!

If, in studying Buddhism, you do not wish to subdue your afflictions, then even if you have studied the doctrine of the eighth-stage bodhisattva, once you create afflictive karma and fall into the three evil realms, the Dharma of the eighth-stage bodhisattva cannot save you. In ordinary times, you simply follow along with your afflictive temperament, without considering the consequences, indulging your own feelings and gratifying your own will, letting others do whatever they like, so long as you feel comfortable according to your own mind. But when the retributive results arrive, the discomfort will be a millionfold. Is there any proportion between comfort and discomfort? Absolutely none. At that time, you will think: why did I ever put myself through that? It was utterly not worth it—you gained only evil retribution and gained nothing at all.