Commentary on the Sutra of the Father and Son Compendium (Part 118)

The Ten Evil Karmic Retributions All Manifest at the Time of Death

Original Text: The Buddha said: "Indeed, Great King, it is so. When ordinary ignorant beings hear harsh words, they give rise to worry and distress, which stirs anger within them. Thus, they create karmic actions born of hatred—specifically, three bodily, four verbal, and three mental karmic deeds. Once these actions are created, they cease in an instant. After the cessation of these karmas, they do not abide in the east, south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, above, below, or anywhere in between. At the final moment, when the life faculty ceases, the karmic retribution of one’s own deeds will fully manifest, just like awakening from a dream and recalling the events that occurred within it."

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, it is indeed so. When ordinary ignorant beings hear harsh sounds, their minds become troubled and distressed. Once hatred arises, they create karmic actions driven by anger. These actions manifest as three bodily, four verbal, and three mental karmas. After these karmic actions are created, they vanish in an instant. Once the karmas vanish, they do not reside in any direction—east, south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, above, below, or anywhere in between. When life finally nears its end, the karmic results of one’s own deeds all manifest clearly, just as one awakens from a dream and still remembers the events that happened within it.

When beings create karma, they often feel as if no one knows, believing their actions remain hidden. In truth, they cannot conceal them, for if they could, there would be no karmic retribution. First, their own mind knows and records everything. Then, the spirits and ghosts around them know; Yama the King of Hell maintains records; Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma-protecting deities know; beings with spiritual powers at that time also know. Even later, if encountered by beings with spiritual powers, they will still know. Once karma is created, it becomes a permanent record. This record remains preserved until one attains Buddhahood and never disappears. Even after the retribution is exhausted and the karmic seeds vanish, the record persists. All beings with spiritual powers can access and examine it.