The Causes, Conditions, Fruits, and Retributions of Good and Evil Karmic Acts

There is a principle in our study and practice of Buddhism: it depends on which of our virtuous and unvirtuous karmic actions is greater or heavier. Whether in this present life, at the moment of death, or in future lives, the predominant karma will manifest its corresponding result, and we will experience the retribution according to that heavy karma. If virtuous karma is great, we may awaken to the true nature of mind in this very life, or upon death, be reborn in a more sublime Buddha-land. If unvirtuous karma is heavier, even while studying and practicing Buddhism, because the burden of unvirtuous karma constantly weighs us down, it is difficult in this life to practice sufficiently to escape the three evil realms. The retribution will then be dominated by the unvirtuous karma; at the end of life, one may descend to the three evil realms to receive retribution, unable to attain a human body, much less be reborn in another Buddha-land.

The karmic seeds of all sentient beings can also be assessed collectively to determine whether the force of virtuous karma or the force of unvirtuous karma is stronger. If the force of virtuous karma is greater, the manifested external living environment will be pleasant and fulfilling, more sublime and favorable. If the unvirtuous karma of all sentient beings is heavy, the outcome will be dominated by unvirtuous karma, and the manifested dependent retribution will be an extremely harsh living environment, such as poverty or frequent disasters, and so forth. If there is a great practitioner whose virtuous karma is substantial, he can reverse the trend of the collective unvirtuous karma. If there is a sentient being whose unvirtuous karma is exceptionally powerful, even though others may have some virtuous karma, the unvirtuous karma of that being is too strong; then the dependent retribution will be twisted by his unvirtuous karma, dominated by the retribution of his evil deeds, and the manifested living environment becomes extremely adverse, with crops failing or disasters occurring frequently. It is precisely because this evil person's causes and conditions for evil are too great, and the force of his unvirtuous karmic seeds is too strong.

However, within collective karma, there is also individual karma. For example, when an airplane crashes, some people die, some return home safely, and some who were supposed to board the plane to share that disaster, due to unexpected circumstances, do not board that flight and thus avoid the calamity. These causes, conditions, and karmic retributions are extremely complex. Only the omniscient wisdom of a Buddha can fully comprehend them entirely; even a Bodhisattva on the stage of equal enlightenment cannot know them exhaustively and comprehensively.