Who can truly believe in and accept the law of cause and effect?

Those who truly believe in cause and effect are those who have personally realized a portion of it. Ordinary people have never personally realized cause and effect, so even if someone believes in it, their belief is half-hearted and incomplete; they cannot fully believe. This is the reason for insufficient faith. Even enlightened Bodhisattvas have not truly realized cause and effect and still have doubts about it. Only when one possesses the wisdom of Consciousness-Only, and has a certain direct observation of the causes and effects of all phenomena, clearly understanding the relationship between cause and effect, can one truly believe in cause and effect. Then, one does what should be done and refrains from what should not be done, without doubt or wishful thinking. However, this is still only a partial realization of cause and effect. Only the Buddhas can fully realize cause and effect and clearly see all causes and effects; Bodhisattvas are not yet capable of this.

If one tries to persuade meat-eaters to abstain from meat, some might say: "It's fine, don't worry, I can bear this debt." But even if you can bear it, the beings who are eaten cannot bear it; they are enduring immense suffering. A person with a conscience should not only consider themselves but also whether the beings can endure it, and what the beings are feeling. Everyone cherishes their life. Is your life a life, but the lives of other beings not? Not considering the feelings of beings, knowingly causing them suffering while still harming them—this is evil. If one has not accomplished the task of ceasing evil and cultivating good, they are not a qualified Buddhist disciple.

Regarding the matter of eating meat, if one refrains from meat solely from the perspective of cause and effect, this is also selfish and self-interested. It is because one considers future karmic retribution and debts that one feels compelled to give up meat. Even if this action is correct, it does not mean that this person is a Bodhisattva endowed with compassion and a merciful heart, possessing the nature of a Bodhisattva. This is because this person has not considered the pros and cons of eating meat from the perspective of the beings, the animals, or the other party. They have not compared their own mind with the minds of the beings, have not extended empathy from themselves to others, have not put themselves in the other's place to consider their physical and mental feelings and interests, have not observed the emotions and suffering of the five aggregates of beings, and have not cherished the value of the beings' lives. In short, they lack compassion and pity for beings, and lack a feeling of sorrow and concern for all. If so, the meat-eater does not possess the nature of a Bodhisattva and has not generated the Bodhi mind and great compassion to save beings.

Take, for example, the Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas. Although they aspire to liberation, it is based on their personal suffering, without extending this experience of suffering to the vast multitude of beings. Therefore, although Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas can attain liberation from the suffering of birth and death, they are still selfish and self-interested. Although Bodhisattvas also seek liberation, they do not enter nirvana. They extend empathy from themselves to others, realizing that beings also suffer, and accordingly lead beings together on the path to liberation. This is the selfless, great compassionate mind of a Bodhisattva.

Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas, seeking liberation to avoid being bound by cause and effect within the Three Realms, will strictly uphold the precepts without any transgression. Even if breaking a minor precept could save beings, they would not break the precept for the sake of beings. Such upholding of precepts is purely for the individual, not for beings, and is thus a selfish act, not the conduct of a Bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva, however, is willing to pay any price to save beings. Even if it means breaking precepts and falling into hell, they do it willingly. As long as beings benefit, they are unconcerned about personally experiencing karmic retribution, even if it affects their own spiritual path. This is the truly great compassionate Bodhisattva, the true refuge for beings.

Only the direct manifestation of cause and effect can cause beings to believe in it temporarily or permanently. Twenty years ago, in Northeast China, there was a snake catcher. Due to his long-term snake catching, his evil karma ripened, and retribution manifested. His skin became like snake skin, often shedding and regrowing, causing unbearable itching. His face increasingly resembled a snake's head. The snakes he had killed attached themselves to his body, causing total paralysis and immobility. My mother and a group of her Buddhist friends visited him, taught him the Dharma and cause and effect, and performed Buddhist services for him and the killed snakes for their liberation and salvation. Finally, he stated that he would never kill again. Cause and effect was so great and swift; having learned this lesson in this life, he would not kill again. But in a future life, having forgotten this incident and not seeing the direct karmic retribution, could he refrain from killing? This is difficult to say. Beings often forget the pain once the wound heals; they remember the eating but not the beating. Only by cultivating to a certain level and cutting off afflictions can one cease creating evil karma; otherwise, it is unavoidable.

There is another real-life example of cause and effect. Twenty years ago, in Changchun, Northeast China, a monastic master was building a monastery. To build the monastery, they had to excavate mountains and clear land. During the excavation, they used dynamite to blast rocks and soil, then used bulldozers to level the ground. Shortly after the excavation began, this master fell ill. What was the reason for his illness? It turned out that many creatures, including snakes, lived in the mountains. When the dynamite was used, these creatures were killed. After their death, they came to seek revenge on this master. The snakes, in particular, did not forgive him. Many snakes coiled around him. He was hospitalized for several years without recovery and eventually died, having spent a great deal of money on medical treatment. How unworthy this monastery was, beginning with bloodshed and ending with death. I have heard that some monastic masters who build monasteries later suffer from poor health, partly due to the karma of killing. To avoid creating the karma of killing, before excavating mountains or breaking ground, one should recite the Buddha's name and mantras to inform the creatures in the mountains, giving them time to move away and take shelter, thus avoiding so much bloodshed.