Discourse on the Father and Son Compendium Sutra (CX)

The Manifestation of Karmic Retribution at the Moment of Death

Karmic actions of body, speech, and mind themselves cease to exist. Then, at the time of death, in the very instant before the last breath is drawn, the karmic retribution destined for this physical body, along with all created karma, flashes before one's eyes like a film reel passing swiftly. All the deeds of a lifetime pass by in a flash. One becomes fully aware of one's own actions, clearly discerning which were virtuous, which were evil, and what retribution one should receive. However, at that moment, one is unable to articulate anything; one cannot express oneself, cannot tell loved ones to help eliminate karmic obstacles, perform deliverance rituals, or make amends for transgressions. One cannot inform loved ones where one is destined to undergo retribution; speech fails. When one can still speak, the manifestation of karmic actions does not appear. When the karmic retribution manifests at the moment of death, we feel that this entire lifetime was like a dream, now past, now ended. While alive in ordinary times, we cannot truly experience that state of mind; at that moment, we feel this life has ended like a dream.

When we study the Buddha's teachings and cultivate to the stage of the Ten Grounds of Bodhisattva (Ten Bhūmis), we will realize that not only is this life like a dream, but past lives are also like dreams, and the next life will similarly be like a dream. Until attaining Buddhahood in future lives, we remain within a dream, life after life dreaming birth and dreaming death within the dream. Bodhisattvas perform Buddhist deeds, liberating themselves and liberating sentient beings, all within a dream. It is all like an unreal dream; they are performing dreamlike Buddhist practices.

At present, we can only intellectually understand this; without realization, we cannot experience it and thus lack genuine feeling. Therefore, we do not know that since beginningless kalpas, we have been performing one great dream of birth and death after another, connected as a continuous series of dreams. Until attaining Buddhahood, we remain within the great dream of birth and death. Sentient beings subject to discrete rebirth are dreaming segment after segment of dreams. After the discrete rebirth ends, there remains subtle rebirth, where one experiences an extremely subtle, prolonged dream, similarly not fully awakened from the great dream of birth and death. Only upon attaining Buddhahood does the great dream of birth and death completely cease.