The Illusory and Unreal Nature of Causes, Conditions, and Karmic Retribution

Karmic retribution is divided into direct retribution and circumstantial retribution. Direct retribution is the body of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha), while circumstantial retribution is the living environment of the material universe, the vessel-world. The realization of cause and effect is mainly accomplished through the body of the five aggregates; karmic retribution is received upon the body of the five aggregates, so the five-aggregate body is the direct retribution; whereas the living environment is the circumstantial retribution, which also reflects the causes, conditions, and karmic results of sentient beings. The five aggregates are illusory, the eighteen realms are illusory, the universe we live in and the vessel-world are illusory, the living environment is illusory, and thus karmic retribution and cause and effect are all illusory and unreal.

Since all of our karmic retribution manifests through these illusory dharmas, the retribution itself is illusory. For example, whether you receive wholesome retribution or unwholesome retribution—whether it is getting rich, falling ill, or encountering disasters—is it not all received upon these illusory dharmas? These illusory dharmas are illusory, so is the karmic retribution not illusory? Of course it is all illusory. All karmic retribution is nothing other than what manifests upon the body of the five aggregates. Since the five-aggregate body is illusory, the karmic retribution is illusory; moreover, this retribution is subject to arising, ceasing, and change—it is impermanent, and what is impermanent is illusory. Therefore, all causes and effects are also illusory, all dharmas are illusory; apart from the tathāgatagarbha, everything is illusorily manifested.

For example, the karmic retribution of poverty, the retribution of having imperfect six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana), and all sorts of disasters—are these retributions illusory? They are all illusory, all manifested by the tathāgatagarbha in accordance with karmic seeds and various causes and conditions; none of them is a real dharma.

Take another example: if you receive wholesome retribution—being promoted, becoming wealthy, or being reunited with family members, or various wholesome retributions such as wealth, sensuality, fame, food, and sleep—where are these retributions received? They are all received upon the body of the five aggregates, manifested through the body of the five aggregates. The five-aggregate body is illusory, unreal, and false, so these karmic retributions are even more illusory, illusorily manifested, and unreal; none of them is a true dharma!

Take another example of wholesome retribution: in this life you become a king in the world, or ascend to heaven and become a heavenly lord. Is the throne of a king or a heavenly lord illusory? Is the universe you live in, the vessel-world, the palaces illusory? Is fine clothing and exquisite food illusory? Are all your servants, ministers, officials, and attendants around you all illusory? Everything you come into contact with—these all belong to wholesome karmic retribution. Where does this retribution come from? It is manifested by the tathāgatagarbha according to karmic seeds and according to causes and conditions. Therefore, the wholesome retribution of being a king or a heavenly lord is illusory and unreal. Take another example of retributions such as being killed or dying in a car accident—these retributions are all borne by the five aggregates. Why are the five aggregates killed? Or why are they imprisoned? Why do they lose so much property and so many family members? These all belong to unwholesome retribution. Where does this unwholesome retribution come from? It is all false appearances manifested by the tathāgatagarbha according to karmic seeds and various causes and conditions, all manifested upon the body of the five aggregates.

When unwholesome retribution is received, the feeling experienced is suffering. Is this suffering not the feeling of the conscious mind? Where does the conscious mind's feeling come from? It is manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. All dharmas, whether wholesome retribution or unwholesome retribution, are manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. Without the tathāgatagarbha, there would be no dharmas at all. Since what is illusorily manifested is subject to arising and ceasing, unreal, subject to change, and empty, it is therefore not the self, not real, and not possessed by me as mine—this is called no-self. From the perspective of the tathāgatagarbha, all of these are unreal dharmas, and therefore all are empty and illusory dharmas.