Methods and Principles of Karma Purification

Question: The retribution of cause and effect is absolutely precise, never failing to occur or being inaccurately applied. If this is so, why is it possible to help others—such as aiding the sick to recover by reciting sutras and mantras for them, or performing rituals to liberate the deceased?

Answer: The karmic actions created by every sentient being are stored as karmic seeds within the Tathāgatagarbha. These seeds do not vanish without cause; their elimination requires specific conditions. One way to eliminate karmic obstacles is for the seeds to manifest, causing the sentient being to undergo retribution. Once the retribution is exhausted, the karmic seeds disappear, and the being will no longer suffer the consequences of that karma. Another method is repentance: after sincere repentance, the mind becomes purified, heavy karmic obstacles become light, and light ones disappear. Yet another way is through practices such as reciting Buddha's name, sutras, mantras, or performing liberation rituals, which can invoke the blessings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to eliminate karmic obstacles.

On the other hand, when a person falls ill due to the manifestation of karmic obstacles, it may be because karmic creditors have come to collect debts. By reciting sutras and Buddha’s name and dedicating the merits to these creditors, they receive benefit and cease their demands, allowing the sick person to recover. If reciting sutras, Buddha’s name, or mantras can help sentient beings eliminate karmic obstacles, this occurs because the liberator possesses virtue. A virtuous person can invoke the blessings of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, dragon deities, and Dharma protectors, thereby eradicating a portion of the sentient being’s karmic obstacles. This enables the karmic creditors to receive dharma benefits, forgive the sentient being, or depart from them, alleviating the illness. Furthermore, a person of virtue and spiritual attainment can also resolve the karmic conditions of sentient beings and reduce their suffering. This process involves the application of mental factors associated with the seventh consciousness (manas) and the sixth consciousness (mano-vijñāna), but most crucially, it relies on the concrete operation and implementation of the Tathāgatagarbha, as well as the interconnected functioning among the Tathāgatagarbhas of sentient beings. The intricate details of how the three transforming consciousnesses collaborate are exceedingly complex and can only be observed with profound wisdom rooted in the teachings of Consciousness-Only (Yogācāra).