Lectures on the Sutra of the Compendium of Father and Son: Lecture 93

The Manifestation of Karmic Retribution at the Moment of Death

When ignorant ordinary beings see an unpleasant form, they give rise to a mind of anger, aversion, and hatred, a mind seeking to destroy and ruin. They then engage in actions motivated by hatred, whether striking, scolding, or destroying. Physical actions are killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; verbal actions are lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and idle chatter; mental actions are greed, hatred, and delusion. These are the ten non-virtuous deeds. How are these actions created? At the very moment an action is created, it instantly ceases. Once the action is performed—be it hitting or scolding—it arises and vanishes immediately. At birth, it has no location; at cessation, there is no place where it ceases; it is entirely empty.

The ten non-virtuous deeds do not abide in the east, west, south, north, the four intermediate directions, above, below, or in the center; they have no abode. Yet, after the actions are completed, when the life faculty is about to cease, the karmic retribution manifests, the seeds become evident. The actions of an entire lifetime appear like a flash of lightning, arising and passing away in an instant. One feels that this entire lifetime was like a dream—it was all a dream. The feeling at the moment of death is identical to the feeling upon waking from a dream. One knows clearly that this life is about to end and also knows what the karmic result after death will be. However, while alive, we do not feel it is a dream; it all feels very real.