Miscellaneous Discourses on the Dharma (Part II)
Chapter 4: Repenting Karmic Obstructions
1. What Are Karmic Obstructions?
Everyone has karmic obstructions. First there is ignorance; because there is ignorance within the mind, unwholesome karmic actions that do not accord with the Dharma were created, and only then did obstructions arise. What kind of karmic actions, and what do they obstruct? In what aspects do the obstructions manifest? Who has the obstructions? What is the principle behind obstruction? And how can obstructions be removed?
The so-called obstruction is, for example, that I want to cultivate meditative concentration but no matter what, I cannot succeed; every time I try to cultivate concentration, obstructions from people, matters, and things appear, or the mind's engagement with objects is extremely heavy and there is no way to stop it; I want to cultivate merit but simply cannot, unable to take any actual action; every time I resolve to act, a thought arises—forget it, later, there is no need to do this—and so I lapse into laziness; every time I want to contemplate and practice contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the Buddha's teachings, my mind is a mess, restless and unsettled, not knowing where to begin, unable to understand even a single passage; and even every time I want to do good deeds, there are all kinds of obstructions, and things never get done. In short, none of one's plans can be realized; one always makes resolutions, but they are useless, changing nothing in the slightest. All these hindrances are obstructions, karmic obstructions—psychological obstacles and adverse conditions brought about by one's own ignorant karmic actions of greed, anger, and delusion in past lives.
How can the evil karma of past lives, which has become karmic seeds, affect one's cultivation in this life? Karmic obstructions are also called cause and effect—cause and effect are related and connected. If one creates evil karma with respect to matter A, engaging in conduct that does not accord with the Dharma, then the retribution will appear with respect to matter A, and matter A will not be accomplished; likewise, if one creates karma that is not in accord with reason with respect to matter B, the retribution will manifest with respect to matter B, and matters concerning B will not succeed. For example, if in a past life one slandered the Three Jewels, then in this life, upon encountering the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, one will not feel joy, and wanting to draw near to the Three Jewels one will encounter obstruction and resistance. Even if one wishes to cultivate well, one cannot understand even plain written words; the Dharma does not enter the mind. The evil karma of slandering the Three Jewels becomes a serious obstacle to cultivation in this life.
2. Signs That Karmic Obstructions Are Being Eliminated
Every person, since beginningless kalpas, has created an enormous amount of evil karma, and there are enormous karmic obstructions obstructing the cultivation of the Path. If the main karmic obstructions obstructing the Path are not cleared away, seeing the Path is impossible. Only when cultivation has become relatively effective and produced some results can part of the karmic obstructions be eliminated and the conditions obstructing the Path be removed. What counts as effective cultivation? Through studying the Dharma, after understanding the principles of good and evil, one knows that one has many afflictions, has created much evil karma, and has many karmic obstructions; when a mind of remorse arises, the karmic obstructions will be eliminated bit by bit.
There are many channels and ways of eliminating karmic obstructions, such as receiving evil retribution, encountering all kinds of adversity, bodily illnesses, being bullied and slandered by others, being despised and discriminated against, and so on. As stated in the Diamond Sutra, because of reciting the Diamond Sutra, a person who would originally have fallen into the evil destinies due to evil karma from past lives—reciting the Diamond Sutra eliminates karma, so in this life he is merely despised by others, and the evil karma is extinguished, without his having to undergo retribution in the three evil destinies in later lives. Being despised by others is suffering endured among humans, a retribution far, far lighter than that of the three evil destinies; even losing one's life is far, far lighter than the retribution of the three evil destinies. Therefore, when a Buddhist practitioner receives evil retribution in this life, being bullied, beaten, and scolded by others, one should feel fortunate, and should not repay the other party in return, thereby suffering in vain.
After cultivation becomes effective, there are many ways of eliminating karma, and there are also many signs indicating that karma is being eliminated. For example, some people in dreams vomit up a lot of filthy things—rotten flesh, black blood, yellow pus—or impure, foul substances flow from the nine orifices, or they find themselves in a toilet surrounded by excrement and urine with nowhere to step or turn; these filthy things also represent the greed, anger, and delusion in the mind, which are being eliminated bit by bit. In dreams there will also appear phenomena that one normally could not accept, very embarrassing and unimaginable—these are all signs of eliminating karma. These are phenomena of eliminating karma through cultivation: having eaten the flesh of sentient beings before, one's mind and body were impure; after understanding the principles, when the mind becomes somewhat purer, some karma is eliminated, and in dreams the elimination of karmic obstructions will manifest.
Dreams will also show the mind becoming purer. The defilements in the mind will manifest in dreams through material form: filthy things coming out of the body indicate that defilements are coming out. There are many kinds of filthy things that manifest, and each person's situation will differ somewhat. Foul odors emanating from the body are also a manifestation of eliminating karma, as are illnesses and various setbacks; all kinds of unpleasant things will occur at home and at work, with chaos breaking out from time to time.
The more vigorous, effective, and rapid the cultivation, the faster and more abundantly the filthy things and defiled phenomena appear, and the greater the change in the mind. If there are no such phenomena, it shows that one's cultivation is not yet very effective, has not touched the manas, and therefore cannot touch the karmic seeds. If the mind has not clearly changed, karmic obstructions cannot be eliminated; one has not yet reached the stage of actual practice, only engaging with theory, being interested in theory, without ever reflecting on how to change oneself.
When some people exert effort in recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), their bodies sometimes act like a sand-blowing machine: a great deal of black filth is expelled from the mouth and from all over the body—phlegm, flesh, powder, and so on. This is a phenomenon of eliminating karma manifested from having eaten the flesh of sentient beings before. Some people vomit in dreams, with something like sand and soil in the stomach that they want to vomit up but cannot; when it does come out, there is a feeling of pulling out internal organs along with it, and in an instant especially large chunks of filth are expelled. All of this is the defiled karma of greed, anger, and delusion created in the past—evil karma of body, speech, and mind, harsh speech, slander, and so on.
From these phenomena one should be able to appreciate that indeed, with a single utterance of the Buddha's name, sins as numerous as the sands of the Ganges are extinguished. As long as one cultivates in accordance with reason, much evil karma will be extinguished. Even if in this life one cannot eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) or achieve seeing the mind, merely being able to eliminate karma is well worth it. One must eliminate as much karma as possible; only when karmic obstructions are light can one see the Path. One must absolutely not create evil karma anymore—creating evil karma is extremely unworthy and unprofitable, while diligent cultivation and eliminating afflictions is extremely worthwhile and profitable.
3. The Principle of Eliminating Karma
Some say: karmic obstructions are like a painting on a wall; if the wall disappears, the painting is gone too. The body of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) is like the wall, and karmic obstructions are the obstructing afflictions on the body of the five aggregates; if the body and mind of the five aggregates are emptied, if the mind consciousness and manas are emptied, karmic actions will naturally be eliminated. Karmic obstructions come toward the body and mind of the five aggregates and attach to them—in fact they attach to the minds of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. When the minds of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses are emptied, are the karmic obstructions emptied or not? The karmic obstructions have nothing to attach to; when the body and mind of the five aggregates cannot be found, they disappear and are emptied. The owner who created the karma no longer exists—who is to receive the karmic retribution? With no one to receive the retribution, the retribution is ended.
But it depends on the degree to which the body and mind of the five aggregates are emptied: however much the mind is emptied, that much karmic obstruction is eliminated. The emptiness of the first fruit differs from that of the second fruit, the second from the third, the third from the fourth, so the elimination of karmic obstructions differs accordingly. But if the karmic obstructions are too heavy, the mind will not be emptied so as to evade the debt. For example, if a person owes a million and is reborn in the land of bliss (sukhāvatī), to whom will the creditor go to collect the million? If a person owes a hundred million, with the creditor watching him every moment, can he run off to the land of bliss? He certainly cannot go far; as soon as he moves, the creditor will block his way and not let him leave. Only when the debt is relatively light will the creditor not bother to watch him constantly.
4. How Is the Karma of Sentient Beings Eliminated?
In the course of sentient beings' cultivation over immeasurable kalpas, their karmic obstructions must be eliminated bit by bit; only when the karma is exhausted can buddhahood be attained. The elimination of karma is mainly accomplished through one's own cultivation—extinguishing ignorance and transforming the mind—but initially, when sentient beings' ignorance is heavy and their mental strength weak, most of the karmic obstructions are eliminated and borne through the blessings and support of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. For each sentient being's karma, if the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas did not bear and eliminate it, no one could realize the Path and become a Buddha. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have countless ways of eliminating, ending, and bearing sentient beings' karma, yet sentient beings are all unaware of it, and sometimes even go so far as to slander the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. When sentient beings are ignorant, they do not understand how great the kindness of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is.
The cause and effect of sentient beings is the cycle of the six destinies—birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress (śoka-parideva-duḥkha-daurmanasyopāyāsa). Yet every sentient being who encounters the Buddha's teachings finds the karma of birth-and-death and the feelings of suffering becoming lighter and lighter, until finally the karma of the three evil destinies is severed, and even the karma of the six-destiny cycle is eliminated. Whenever a sentient being has the opportunity to encounter the Buddha's teachings, do not think it is all due to that being's own merit and power of merit (puṇya-bala)—it is all due to the kindness of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas daily make vows, their vow-power extending to sentient beings in the three evil destinies; the beings of the three evil destinies, unknowingly and in a muddled state, receive this grace, their merit increasing daily, until finally they encounter the Buddha's teachings and begin their study and cultivation of the Buddha's path over immeasurable kalpas; their karmic obstructions begin to be eliminated bit by bit, until finally they become Buddhas—all due to the kindness of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Without becoming a Buddha, no one can ever repay the kindness of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
The blessings and vows of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are formless; their elimination of countless karmic obstructions for sentient beings is also formless—invisible and intangible. When sentient beings are ignorant, they cannot perceive it, but in fact its power is boundless. Sentient beings are not ungrateful so much as utterly unaware of the kindness, and they slander in all manner of ways without cause; yet the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas never take it to heart—who would quarrel with ignorant, foolish sentient beings? No matter how much karma the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas bear for sentient beings, no matter how much Dharma they teach, and how profound the Dharma, ignorant sentient beings will not even allow the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to bear the title of ordinary bodhisattva—are their obstructions of sin not deep?
5. How to Eliminate Sins and Karma
Created sins are divided into sins of the mind's nature and sins of conduct. Sins of the mind's nature are called intrinsic sins; sins of conduct are called karmic sins; the two together are called sins and karma. If there is only a sin of conduct without a sin of the mind's nature—an act not committed intentionally—it is an unintentional fault, called an offense. For example, killing a person by accident, killing a living being unintentionally—subjectively without intent, objectively brought about by conditions. Such offenses created unintentionally carry relatively light culpability in worldly terms, and their retribution in the Buddha's teachings is also relatively light. Unintentional killing, killing without intent, will not send one to hell, but in a future life one will also be unintentionally killed once. Killing small animals will not necessarily lead to being killed in the future, but there is still very light retribution. Every action, whether intentional or not, has corresponding wholesome or unwholesome retribution to varying degrees.
If a sin is deliberately created out of an evil mind, the sin is very great and the retribution very heavy. If there is only an evil mind, an evil nature of mind—for example, imagining things about the other person, cursing them in one's heart—without actual action, then there is only evil of the mind's nature, belonging to mental karma. Mental karma also stores seeds; this too is sin and karma, and the mind's nature is defiled, with severe greed, anger, and delusion; in future lives one will undergo retribution in accordance with the evil mind. The mind is the master of all dharmas; when the mind moves, there is karma; where there is karma, there is karmic retribution; retribution follows karma like a shadow follows a form.
Take the example of killing a chicken: this is an act of deliberate killing, not unintentional, so there is both intrinsic sin and karmic sin; intrinsic sin has the retribution of intrinsic sin, and karmic sin has the retribution of karmic sin. The karma of intrinsic sin is relatively easy to eliminate: as long as one sincerely repents one's greed, anger, and delusion, vows never to create it again, and the mind's nature truly changes, the intrinsic sin will be eliminated; if the mind's nature does not change, the intrinsic sin remains, and retribution must be undergone in the future. But there is also karmic sin—how is karmic sin eliminated? One must take actual action: if the sentient being was not killed, one makes compensation until the other party is satisfied.
If the sentient being died, this actual action is truly difficult to carry out—unless one has some realization in the Buddha's teachings and one's power of merit (puṇya-bala) and merit are relatively great, in which case this sin and karma can be ended. For example, by reciting sutras, reciting the Buddha's name, or reciting mantras to deliver the chicken, if the chicken is truly delivered to a good destiny, then this is ended; in the future the chicken will even thank you and repay your kindness—whether delivered to the human realm, or even delivered to become a cat or dog, it counts. One can also dedicate all the merit and virtue one has cultivated to the chicken, and repent to the chicken; if the chicken truly receives benefit, the karmic sin will be eliminated.
If sins and karma are not eliminated, the obstruction is extremely severe—forget becoming a Buddha, even studying Buddhism will not go smoothly, and even daily life will have problems. For a person with relatively great sins who wants to recite the Buddha's name and escape to the land of bliss (sukhāvatī), when karmic obstructions manifest at the time of death, they will not even believe in the Buddha, let alone recite the Buddha's name. Why do so many people who follow the Dharma study for a while and then drop out? That is karmic obstruction blocking them so they cannot cultivate further; many people, while studying, have karmic obstructions manifest, cannot withstand them, fall back, become "lying corpses," and stop studying anything. Only by finding ways to continuously eliminate one's sins and obstructing karma can one's cultivation of the Path progress continuously; otherwise, with karmic obstructions blocking the way, all kinds of upheavals will occur, making normal study and cultivation of Buddhism impossible. Repentance and making vows can eliminate karmic obstructions and counteract them; only after the obstructions are lightened can one continue forward, otherwise not advancing means regressing. Therefore one must not place all hope in the final moments of life; before death one must resolve the question of one's destination in the next life.
6. Can Investigating Chan with the Mahāyāna Dharma Eliminate Deep and Heavy Sins and Karma?
Some say: since sentient beings' sins are piled up like mountains, then investigate who is undergoing the suffering and who is creating the karma; in this way one can realize the true mind, and since the true mind creates no karma and undergoes no suffering, the sins and karma are thereby eliminated. But this method of eliminating sin is extremely inappropriate and unreasonable. First, because the karmic obstructions are deep and heavy, the obstructions to cultivating the Path are also heavy; one simply cannot perfect the Bodhisattva's six perfections, and cannot possibly reach the causal conditions for realizing the true mind; without precepts, meditative concentration (samādhi), and wisdom being complete, one cannot investigate Chan; therefore it is impossible to eliminate deep and heavy sins and karma. Second, doing this, for sentient beings in the Dharma-ending age with deep and heavy karmic obstructions, will lead to denying cause and effect and evading evil karma, unable to introspect on the defilements of one's own mind; after cultivating for a long time, the sins remain piled like mountains, and may even increase.
For beginning students and those with deep and heavy karmic obstructions, who are at the stage of cultivating the four right efforts (samyag-vyāyāma) to cease evil and practice good, they need to observe the causes of sinful retribution and painful feelings, so as to understand causes and reach their effects; only by fearing and revering cause and effect can one cease evil and practice good, subdue the afflictions of one's own mind, and finally be transformed, washed and renewed, becoming a Mahāyāna bodhisattva. When karmic obstructions are deep and heavy, one cannot use the Mahāyāna formless repentance method for extinguishing sins, nor use the Mahāyāna method of investigating Chan to evade afflictions and sins—in fact, they cannot be evaded or escaped. With such heavy sins and karma blocking the way, how could one investigate Chan and realize the eighth consciousness so as to see the mind? How could one reach the formless?
When the causal conditions for investigating Chan are not complete, one can only infer and guess at the eighth consciousness. An eighth consciousness conjectured by imagination will, for the seventh consciousness, never function, will provide not a shred of merit and benefit, will not eliminate even a bit of sin, and cannot sever even a hair's breadth of the three fetters. Inferring an eighth consciousness that creates no evil karma and has no evil karma and undergoes no retribution—the seventh consciousness's evil karma remains as heavy as before and will not be eliminated. The eighth consciousness cannot substitute for the seventh consciousness. The eighth consciousness is intrinsically pure by nature, is already a Buddha; but the seventh consciousness has been a sinful ordinary being since beginningless kalpas. The eighth consciousness has never once suffered in place of the seventh consciousness, and the seventh consciousness has never benefited even a hair's breadth from the Buddha-light of the eighth consciousness so as to suffer one bit less.
The eighth consciousness has never had the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion, yet the seventh consciousness's greed, anger, and delusion have never ceased; the eighth consciousness has always been liberated, yet the seventh consciousness has never been liberated in the slightest. The eighth consciousness is a Buddha, yet the seventh consciousness has never thereby sat on the Buddha's throne or enjoyed the Buddha's treatment; most of the time it suffers in the three evil destinies, transmigrating through birth and death without rest. Therefore it is said that the eighth consciousness and the seventh consciousness cannot substitute for each other. The eighth consciousness pervades all places, all realms, all dharmas, all times, and all stages; any mind consciousness that is slightly clever can reason that the eighth consciousness is everywhere—one can think a bit and roughly know what the eighth consciousness is like. But what use is such thinking? Ordinary beings with greed, anger, and delusion think of many things—since beginningless kalpas, how many things have gone as they wished?
Therefore, repentance of ultimate reality (dharmatā-citta) and extinguishing sins through investigating Chan are extremely unrealistic for beginning students. Only those whose karmic obstructions are somewhat lighter, whose cultivation of the Bodhisattva's six perfections is more or less adequate, can use this method to realize enlightenment and eliminate karma—but even then there is no complete guarantee. Beside the Buddha the possibility is great; apart from the Buddha the difficulty is indeed considerable. Inference is easy; realization is hard—all the more so in the Dharma-ending age. No one should harbor a mentality of luck; one must cultivate with real effort, and cannot cut corners, slack off, or take shortcuts.
Why can sins and karma only be eliminated after realizing the eighth consciousness? Because in the process of realization, one can contemplate the operation of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) in accordance with reality; the five aggregates become emptier and emptier in the mind, more and more unreal; the phenomenon of arising and ceasing is observed ever more clearly and deeply, and finally the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) is eradicated. When the eighth consciousness is realized, one further observes that the five aggregates are all born from the eighth consciousness; the mind becomes even more selfless and empty; of course the sins and karma created on the basis of the self of the five aggregates are also empty—there is no self and no belongings of self.
Just as in the first line of the Heart Sutra: 观自在菩萨行深般若波罗蜜多时照见五蕴皆空。The result of investigating Chan and contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) is precisely illuminating and seeing that the five aggregates are all empty—this is the merit of realization; the five aggregates are empty and there is no self. The final result of contemplative practice is the illumination-seeing, and this illumination-seeing is sudden enlightenment. The illumination is the mind-lamp unmoving, its light of wisdom reflecting the images of the five aggregates—the images of the true mind, the eighth consciousness; there are no five aggregates, the five aggregates are not the five aggregates. The wisdom of illumination-seeing is extremely difficult to bring forth; one must extensively cultivate the Bodhisattva's immeasurable merits, and only when approaching complete transformation is it possible to illuminate and see that the five aggregates are all empty. Illumination is not the shallow thinking of the mind consciousness, but the deep and subtle wisdom-function of the manas; when the mind's light shines forth and penetrates the five aggregates, the true nature of the five aggregates is revealed.
But without doing real work, without cultivating meditative concentration (samādhi), without cultivating the thirty-seven factors of the Path, without ceasing evil and practicing good, without subduing afflictions, with karmic obstructions blocking the way, the light of the wisdom of illumination can never arise; one can only engage in shallow reasoning, intellectual understanding, and research, exerting effort only in the mind consciousness, with the manas unable to enter. Then the ordinary-being bones of the manas can never be exchanged; at death, if it is an ordinary being's womb, it is still an ordinary being's womb—because the matter of entering the womb is decided by the manas, determined by the manas and karmic force; the manas represents karmic force. Only by making the manas give rise to wisdom and transforming the manas can one change karmic force and eliminate sins and obstructions.
7. The Kindness of All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
From the moment a person first encounters the Buddha's teachings until finally becoming a Buddha, at least half—even the majority—of their karmic obstructions are borne and eliminated by all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Even the fact that each sentient being has the conditions to study Buddhism is the result of the blessings and protection of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Relying on the individual alone, with such deep and heavy karmic obstructions, merely encountering the Buddha's teachings would already be extremely difficult, let alone cultivating them, let alone not going astray, let alone achieving small accomplishments, let alone attaining liberation. Even bodhisattvas of equal enlightenment and wondrous enlightenment still need the protection and mindfulness of the Buddhas in order to smoothly become Buddhas—how much more so every ordinary sentient being: without relying on the blessings and protection of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, every step is fraught with difficulty, brambles everywhere, unable to move an inch, with nowhere to set foot.
The kindness of the teacher is vast; therefore we should truly be grateful to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, always harboring a heart of repaying kindness, believing the Buddha's words, honoring the Buddha's teachings, keeping the Buddha's precepts, doing no evil and practicing all good, taking the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as teachers, and never betraying the teacher or abandoning the teachings. Making great vows, benefiting self and others, eliminating afflictions, purifying one's own mind, dedicating all cultivated good actions, good vows, and good dharmas to all sentient beings of the Dharma realm—thereby repaying the kindness of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for their rescue and deliverance. For a drop of kindness, one should repay with a gushing spring. But can we repay the Buddhas' and Bodhisattvas' spring-gushing kindness with even a drop? So many people do not think of the kindness of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but instead slander the Three Jewels, turn against good teachers, and treat beneficial friends as enemies and adversaries. Those who know neither kindness nor gratitude will cut off the great path of liberation and forever suffer the pain of the three lower destinies.
8. Who Is Capable of Bearing Others' Karmic Obstructions?
Regarding bearing karma, one must also consider strength. For example, if a person falls down and needs help getting up, and a three-year-old child wants to go pull that person up, it is beyond their ability—let alone helping them up or carrying them. For example, if a fifty-jin heavy object needs people to help carry it away, a frail person is helpless—the heart is willing but the strength insufficient; for heavier things, only a strongman will do. Bearing karmic obstructions is the same: if one's own karmic obstructions are layer upon layer and one cannot bear one's own burden, how can one speak of bearing others' karmic obstructions? On what basis would the karmic obstructions be carried away by you? What virtue or ability does an ordinary person have to bear others' karmic obstructions? It is the great Bodhisattvas who bear sentient beings' karmic obstructions.
Ordinary Buddhist practitioners, despite having good hearts and good vows, wanting to help those with heavy karmic obstructions lighten their burdens, recite sutras and recite the Buddha's name and dedicate the merit (pariṇāma) on their behalf, praying for the blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, relying on the divine power and protection of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to lighten others' obstructing conditions and suffering. However, this also requires the practitioner to have cultivation of their own, to be able to resonate with the hidden blessings and protection of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; if one has no cultivation oneself, one cannot resonate with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and others' karmic obstructions remain the same as before.
If one observes carefully, one will find that many practitioners have studied Buddhism for thirty years, sought deliverance and transference for thirty years, and until death never got past the barrier of karmic obstructions. This is because those performing the deliverance and transference have no cultivation and thus no ability to lighten karmic obstructions; a person without cultivation cannot possibly deliver others, has no ability to liberate karmic creditors, and can only keep those creditors around as additional interference. Therefore, to bear others' karmic obstructions, one also needs great heroism, great strength, and great compassion. For example, to dedicate merit to sentient beings and deliver them, one must first have merit and virtue oneself in order to give to others; the greater the merit and the more the virtue, the more others will receive. If one is utterly without accomplishment oneself, what gifts can one give? What can one give to others? Therefore cultivation is the hard truth; without cultivation, nothing else need be discussed.
9. How to Repent and Eliminate Karmic Obstructions
When first studying Buddhism, one should follow that vow text to repent and make vows—one is repentance, one is making vows. These two should be done frequently, daily before the Buddha, in order to eliminate evil karma and bring forth good and pure vows. Guided by good vows, cultivation will become smoother and smoother. Making vows is important, and repentance is also important; without repentance, karmic obstructions will block the way and cause great distress. After daily repentance and elimination of karma, body and mind will become increasingly at ease, and cultivation will go more smoothly.
The morning and evening liturgy contains the repentance text of the three refuges and five precepts, as well as the manas repentance text that I wrote. Using these two repentance texts as a guide, repent before the Buddha of all evil karma created in past lives—evil karma great and small, whether or not one can confirm having committed it before, all must be repented; before the Buddha, disclose the karma created in this life, and vow never to create it again. Repentance and vows must both be sincere, from the heart, not perfunctory, not going through the motions; only with utter sincerity can karma be eliminated and the mind purified. After the mind becomes somewhat pure, and afflictive habits are further turned around, then, drawn by great pure vows, cultivation will naturally enter the right path.
10. Repentance Can Only Eliminate Afflictions and Evil Karma of the Mind's Nature
Question: I repent and make vows every morning and evening; my body, speech, and mind are much purer than before, but occasionally I still unconsciously commit greed-karma and anger-karma. Does this mean my repentance has not penetrated the manas, is not in accord with the Dharma, and has not eliminated karma?
Answer: After repentance, the karmic obstructions will not necessarily all be purified at once; there will certainly be residual karma not yet eliminated, and there is still the obstruction of afflictions, because each person's repentance may not be thorough and complete. Moreover, repentance eliminates only a portion of the afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) karma of the mind's nature; it is unlikely to eliminate all of it, and there are also obstructions of sin that cannot be eliminated, so sinful retribution is unavoidable—therefore sometimes one will still unconsciously commit greed and anger karma. Being able to do this much is already very good; it counts as being in accord with reason and Dharma, and much karma has been eliminated.
In the Buddha's time, a layperson slandered an arhat of the fourth fruit. That arhat immediately went to the assembly hall, rang the bell to gather the assembly, and told the layperson: I have attained the fruit of arhatship; you must quickly repent your slander before the assembly, otherwise you will undergo the retribution of hell. The layperson immediately repented to the arhat before the assembly. The arhat said: I forgive you; may you eliminate your sins and karma. But this layperson, upon death, still entered hell to undergo retribution.
This story does not mean that repentance is useless and cannot eliminate karma; rather, it means repentance can only eliminate sins and karma of the mind's nature. Sins and karma of phenomena, once committed and become fact, cannot be eliminated—only undergoing the retribution can eliminate them. After that layperson repented, the afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) was gone, but the obstruction of sin remained, so he went to hell to undergo retribution. Had he not repented, the suffering in hell from intrinsic karma plus karmic sin would have been far greater and very hard to bear. Therefore we must all be as careful as possible with our bodily, verbal, and mental actions, especially toward the Three Jewels—be even more cautious, and do not create any karma of slander.
If all afflictions and karmic obstructions were completely purified, one would have realized the fruits and become a Buddha; in fact, it is not so easy to repent everything pure. Afflictions and karmic obstructions are lightened bit by bit; even though lightened, they will occasionally flare up—this is all normal. After repentance penetrates the manas, one must still see to what degree it has penetrated and to what degree change has occurred—certainly the degree is insufficient. If the degree were sufficient, afflictions would all be severed; the degree being insufficient, of course there will still be afflictions and karmic obstructions—this is all normal. As long as you have progressed compared to before, progressing every day, that is a good sign.
11. How to Resolve Karmic Obstructions?
When one's study of Buddhism reaches a certain point, with progress made, just as one is about to advance, karmic obstructions immediately block the way ahead. Karmic obstruction is a thing with eyes, waiting specifically for you at critical junctures, guarding the intersection of ascent. Those whose willpower is slightly weak will get stuck; those who are very weak will regress, even regressing all the way back to "before liberation." I have seen many practitioners who either get stuck or regress, and a few even stop believing in Buddhism. If it were merely not believing in Buddhism, that would be understandable; what is feared is further slandering the Three Jewels and slandering what one formerly cultivated and studied—the consequences of that are terrifying even to contemplate.
Because each sentient being's experiences since beginningless kalpas differ somewhat, the nature and disposition of each one's manas differs. The ox's nose-ring does exist, and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have skillful means to pull it—sometimes soft, sometimes hard, sometimes persuading, sometimes punishing—and in the end they can push sentient beings onto the path of liberation. The process in between is certainly tortuous and the road certainly arduous; one must endure the bone-piercing cold before welcoming the intoxicating fragrance of plum blossoms. The path of studying Buddhism is very hard to walk, because everyone's karmic obstructions are heavy—the karma of beginningless kalpas is too much and too great, like rowing a boat against the current: not advancing means regressing. Without the protection of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma-protecting deities, none of us could have even the slightest accomplishment. The barrier of karmic obstructions alone is one we could never get past by ourselves. The power of karmic obstruction is so great that we should all be extremely careful with our body, speech, and mind, not create evil karma, and not be overconfident.
When karmic obstructions manifest, how should one deal with them? Willingly accepting them is one aspect, but actively working to change the karmic obstructions is also very important. Karma can be transformed: through keeping precepts, repentance, and contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) with wisdom, karmic obstructions can all be transformed and lightened. Sentient beings have created countless evil deeds since beginningless kalpas; relying on endurance alone, one cannot endure and undergo it all. Moreover, before afflictions are severed, one will continue creating evil karma, forming new karmic obstructions. If the karma of hell manifests, how could one endure it? After decades of arduous study of Buddhism, if the karma of hell ripens at death, would one willingly go to hell to undergo retribution? The ash-smeared ascetics, seeking liberation, used the method of infinitely tormenting themselves with suffering, thinking that this way the karma would be eliminated and exhausted, and then they would be liberated. The Buddha said: with so much evil karma since beginningless kalpas, can it all be eliminated merely by undergoing suffering? Absolutely not. Therefore passive endurance alone is not the ultimate method; one must also actively use wisdom to eliminate and transform it.
How to transform it with wisdom? Because karmic obstructions are created out of foolishness and ignorance—taking the five aggregates as a real self, and creating karmic obstructions for the sake of this self—now to eliminate the karmic obstructions, one must break through foolishness and ignorance, contemplating that the five aggregates are without self. Since there is no self, the evil karma created because of the self is also nonexistent; having eradicated the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa), the portion of karmic obstructions belonging to the three evil destinies will be eliminated. The greater the wisdom, the more foolishness and ignorance is broken through, and the more and greater the karmic obstructions eliminated; thus ignorance becomes ever thinner, and karmic obstructions ever lighter. Wisdom is like hot soup, karmic obstructions like hard ice; as long as one keeps pouring hot soup, the hard ice will sooner or later melt. Finally, one must cultivate much merit: with great merit one can suppress others; with little merit one is suppressed. With great merit, karmic obstructions will detour around one, and the path of studying Buddhism will be smooth.
12. Why Are There More Obstructions the More Diligent One Is?
Studying and cultivating Buddhism is like driving against the wind or rowing against the current: the faster the vehicle or boat, the greater the resistance. Karmic conditions are like wind and water: going with them leads to birth-and-death in the three evil destinies; going against them leads to liberation and nirvāṇa. Of course going with them is comfortable—sliding down automatically without effort—while going against them means heavy resistance and difficult progress. But practitioners should be brave, not fearing obstructing conditions; the greater the resistance and the greater the obstructions, the more bravely one must break through, never willing to be manipulated and controlled by karmic force.
Breaking through the barrier of karmic obstructions in one vigorous effort is the most economical way. Retreating when meeting resistance means there will always be barriers ahead, obstructing liberation. For those who cultivate lukewarmly, no obstructing conditions will appear: family harmony, career success, good health, ever-increasing wealth—everything goes smoothly in worldly terms, without interference or demonic obstruction. Because you are not diligent and show no signs of wanting to leave, there is no need to interfere with you; you are after all a guest of the three evil destinies, and collecting debts is no worry—the creditors do not fear you slipping from their grasp. Because of not being diligent, the karmic seeds cannot be stirred, and cannot be prompted to ripen early and undergo retribution; after retribution, one is debt-free and light, and cultivation proceeds smoothly. But if the karmic seeds do not ripen and karmic conditions do not appear, they still lie dormant in the tathāgatagarbha, dragging you through birth and death in the six destinies without refuge—an eternal obstacle to liberation.
13. How to Face Adversity?
Question: When bad states arise (for example, being viciously cursed), what way of handling them is the wisest? Is it repentance? Or maintaining a pure mind, suchness immovable (tathatā-acalita), based on the principle that all marks are false and illusory, treating the states as nonexistent and neither contending nor debating? Or making a vow to endure this adversity on behalf of all sentient beings, wishing that all sentient beings may encounter auspicious and perfect good states? Or some other way, such as recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti)?
Answer: At different stages of studying Buddhism, the way of handling adversity should differ, and different adversities call for different ways of handling them. The difference is: if the adversity arises from one's own ignorance, afflictions, and past karmic obstructions, then one must examine one's own faults, understand causes and effects, and repent of karmic obstructions and ignorance. When one clearly has karmic obstructions and faults, one cannot remain suchness immovable (tathatā-acalita), nor can one regard these states as illusory and ignore them—doing so would only continue one's ignorance and increase foolishness. And the adversity you encounter is your own problem, to be endured by yourself, not endured on behalf of sentient beings—it has nothing to do with other beings. When you have no faults, and adverse conditions are imposed on you without cause, then, in order to subdue the afflictions of your own mind, you should see external states as empty, remain suchness immovable (tathatā-acalita) toward the states, willingly endure everything, yet feel as if receiving nothing.
When one's afflictions are heavy and one lacks wisdom, upon encountering adversity one should introspect on one's own mind, examine one's ignorance and afflictions, and understand the causes and effects involved. If examination reveals it is one's own problem, one should promptly repent and correct one's errors; only thus can wisdom grow and ignorance and afflictions be lightened. At such a time one should not treat the adversity as empty; if one empties out one's own ignorance and afflictions, one cannot recognize one's own ignorance and afflictions, cannot grow in wisdom or lighten afflictions, and studying Buddhism will have no real effect.
When wisdom is severely lacking, one cannot see adversity as empty and gloss over it, nor remain suchness immovable (tathatā-acalita) toward states, because at this time one is precisely being foolish about the states, not understanding them; what is needed now is not the wisdom of emptiness, but understanding causes and reaching effects, clarifying cause-and-effect relationships, so as to cease evil and practice good. For example, when a child cannot yet read, one cannot regard the matter of literacy as empty and not strive to learn to read; when one cannot yet distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, one cannot regard right and wrong, good and evil as empty and not make distinctions—doing so would only perpetuate foolishness.
The vast majority of people do not understand worldly or transworldly principles and lack discernment; regarding all norms and standards of conduct they are muddled and quite foolish. Being at the beginner's stage of ceasing evil and practicing good, at the stage of understanding causes and effects, if one regards all encountered states and all dharmas as empty, takes nothing seriously, ignores everything, then one cannot understand cause and effect, cannot recognize one's own ignorance and afflictions, and cannot correct all of one's conduct. Without right thinking, one cannot gain wisdom, and will remain foolish forever; after death one will again go to the three evil destinies to undergo the retribution of foolishness, especially prolonging one's time in the animal destiny.
Many people cultivate Buddhism in an inverted way: when they should not empty things, they insist on emptying them; when they should empty things, they do not—so wisdom never arises. When correcting erroneous thoughts in one's own mind, one absolutely must not empty things, must not casually let states pass or ignore them. When one's understanding of oneself and the world of the five aggregates is unclear, one should think rightly about these dharmas, so as to attain clear, distinct cognition of the dharmas and not be foolish. Under what circumstances can states be emptied? When encountering forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches, and the mind gives rise to greedy attachment and clinging—then emptying the states can subdue the greed and subdue the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion. Only when one grasps at states because one takes them too much as real dharmas should one find ways to empty the states; then one will not grasp at dharmas that are empty, thereby subduing the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion.
14. Is It in Accord with the Dharma for Monastics to Constantly Perform Deliverance Rites?
Any monastery that frequently performs deliverance and transference rites is very chaotic, and the monastics cannot cultivate with peace of mind. Because monastics generally have insufficient practice and weak cultivation, their attainment of the Path is not yet adequate and they lack the power to deliver sentient beings; those beings of the shadowy realm who are being "delivered" simply cannot be delivered out, and then remain in the monastery stirring up disputes, resulting in the monastics either being chronically ill or beset with afflictions, with many conflicts among them, no mind for cultivation—normal cultivation becomes impossible. There was one monastery specializing in deliverance rites where, because too many beings of the shadowy realm could not be delivered out, the monastery became utterly chaotic; the beings of the shadowy realm all remained in the monastery unable to be reborn, gathering more and more, and without sufficient incense offerings to sustain them, they caused disturbances in the monastery, and finally the monastery was forced to close.
Mainly because of engaging in these activities, monastics cannot cultivate the Path with peace of mind; entangled by karmic obstructions, their own obstructions are not light, and cultivation is already difficult—yet they must also spend time and energy bearing karmic obstructions that they should not bear for others. How could they then have the state of mind for cultivation? Requiring monastics to deliver one's karmic creditors and bear one's karmic obstructions is an extremely unreasonable demand; even with monetary compensation, compared with the karmic obstructions, no amount of money is proportionate. Which is more important—the great matter of birth and death, or obtaining that bit of money? Anyone with wisdom can distinguish this. Therefore laypeople should try not to go to monasteries and pay money to request monastics to perform deliverance for their family members; whatever amount is given is too little—the key is not a matter of money. Doing so increases the monastics' karmic obstructions, hinders their normal cultivation, and makes it impossible for them to escape the suffering of birth and death. What the sutras do not mention, and what was not done in the Buddha's time, we should not insist on doing.
15. Repentance Brings Ease
The repentance practice of a seventy-nine-year-old woman: These past few days I got up at five in the morning to do contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā). While sitting, I felt a powerful current of qi rise from the dantian, wrapping me tightly, binding my legs; the current continued upward, to the waist and then to the head, making breathing very difficult. Sitting there, I began investigating the huatou "Who am I?"—and then I burst into loud weeping, stamping my feet and beating my chest. I rose from my seat and kowtowed to the Buddha, weeping more the more I bowed, saying in my heart: Am I not just an ugly old woman, greedy for food and sleep, a selfish creature? All these wretched things are me—how I hate this stinking skin-bag.
Then I knelt before the Buddha and repented, saying: I am just a stinking skin-bag; someone like me deserves only to go to hell. Then I returned to my seat and continued contemplative practice; my body was again firmly held immobile, and thus two hours passed unnoticed. Then I remembered I had to cook for my child, so I rose from the seat, but my movements were very slow, my brain not working well, mechanically performing some actions, with no scattered thoughts or discursive thinking in the mind.
Yesterday's sitting was the same. Remembering the manas repentance text written by the Dharma master, I said to myself: Why is there not a single clause of the repentance text you have not violated? Thus I repented while sitting, and soon another two hours passed. During the sitting, a fragrant scent arose several times; my movements on rising were very slow. Today's sitting was much more comfortable; my body no longer hurt. My mind was much more settled, and more than an hour passed quickly. May I ask the Dharma master: is this kind of practice acceptable? Is this the contemplation of impurity?
Assessment: The initial effect of this repentance is very good, achieving a pure mind, ease of body, and growth in meditative concentration (samādhi). But in repentance, upon knowing one has erred, one need not curse oneself to fall into hell and the three evil destinies and so on; do not add any evil curses or evil words—words spoken will manifest in the future. One should make good and wholesome vows; having a heart to reform is enough, and correcting evil thoughts and evil deeds is sufficient. There is no need to hate oneself too much; the same applies to others—have good wishes, and do not use evil curses.
Repentance can eliminate evil karma from past lives; when karmic obstructions are eliminated, obstructing barriers are eliminated, body and mind both become at ease, deep meditative concentration (samādhi) is attained, contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and thinking proceed smoothly, cultivation easily enters the right path, and progress is rapid. The fragrance smelled during sitting meditation, if it emanates from one's own body, indicates that one's mind has become pure and the body has also become pure, so a fragrance emerges—sometimes from the nostrils, sometimes from the teeth, sometimes from the throat, sometimes the whole body emits fragrance. If the fragrance enters the nostrils from outside, it indicates that Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma-protecting deities are looking after you, or that heavenly beings have gathered to observe you and learn from you.
Given your current thinking and understanding, you should still begin cultivation with contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the five aggregates to eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa); do not investigate Chan too early. First eradicating the view of self and then investigating Chan will go more smoothly; without eradicating the view of self, realizing the true mind and self-nature (svabhāva) is impossible. At your age, you should also make many great pure vows to ensure rebirth in the land of bliss (sukhāvatī) at death, and later return to Sahā to deliver sentient beings; being able to be reborn there at death is an excellent destination.
16. When One Has Done Wrong, Should One Apologize Face to Face, or Is Mental Repentance Enough?
When you know you have done wrong and have done something that wronged another, you should repent and apologize. Apologizing is sincerely expressing your apology and guilt to the other party, to remedy their emotional hurt, dispel their displeasure, and at the same time dissolve enmity and untie knots, removing the rift in the heart and making the relationship harmonious. And repentance and apology should have a target, an object\: having done something that wronged someone, one must face that person and openly disclose one's fault, repent and apologize, to show one's sincerity—this is truly recognizing that one has wronged the other, wanting to reform, and wanting to make amends to that person.
If one does not apologize and repent face to face to that person, but only repents in one's heart, not daring to face them, such repentance lacks sincerity; it cannot remove the rift in the other's heart, cannot remedy their emotional hurt, and cannot change the relationship between the two. The other person has suffered harm and unfair treatment; since you have recognized this, you must make some compensation—at the very least an emotional and psychological compensation—explaining the matter clearly face to face so the other person can let go in their heart; this is the minimum respect and repentance. Your various thoughts and emotions are entirely unknown to the other; the two people's manas have not connected, so the knot in the heart cannot be fully untied and the estrangement cannot be fully removed; such repentance is not thorough or ultimate, and carries a psychological tendency to evade problems and not dare to face one's errors.
17. The Merit and Benefit of True Repentance
Chuitianzhiyi recounted her own experience of repenting verbal karma: After I committed verbal karma, my mind was restless and uneasy; whether reciting sutras, performing prostration repentance to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or reciting the Great Compassion Mantra, my mind lacked its usual purity. So I sat in meditation hoping to calm my mind; after an hour of sitting it was still the same, so I repented to the Three Jewels over and over in my heart. I felt like the poor orphaned child the Venerable Ānanda spoke of—utterly bereft, in pain; my head felt like it was topped with a balloon, and my heart ached too. Thinking that at this moment my teacher might also be in meditation and should not be disturbed, I wiped my tears and continued sitting.
After a few minutes, suddenly from the sinews of my feet to the back of my head was filled with vitality; in an instant my whole body sweated, and the dizziness and heart pain disappeared. I quickly grabbed my phone and sent you a message—it was 11:10—then continued sitting until twelve o'clock and fell asleep. In a dream, I was carrying a pile of things wrapped in cloth bundles, going door to door to repay debts. I said: Teacher, carrying so many things is so tiring for this disciple—shall I call them all out and repay together? You said no; the debts must be repaid one by one. I thought about it all morning: who still wraps things in cloth bundles nowadays? Could it be old debts being repaid? Can repaying debts in dreams eliminate karma?
The above is the course of my prostration repentance. I had never experienced prostration repentance before; after the repentance, body and mind attained purity and my mind was clear—a step further than the purity I had felt before. Please, teacher, give me instruction and guidance.
Reply to the question: After committing unwholesome verbal karma, being able to promptly introspect, to know the wholesomeness or unwholesomeness, the right and wrong, of the verbal karma, and moreover to promptly repent—this is entering the path of the four right efforts (samyag-vyāyāma) among the thirty-seven factors of the Path. When the four right efforts are cultivated well, evil ceases and good arises; only then can cultivation go as one wishes, and the roots of goodness grow. This is the foundation of studying and cultivating Buddhism; without this foundation, cultivation cannot even be discussed, and realization of the Path is still far away. This was heartfelt, sincere repentance—true repentance of the manas, not the false, perfunctory repentance of the mind consciousness—therefore after the repentance, the evil karma was eliminated.
During sitting, the qi channels surged, the whole body sweated, and illness and pain disappeared. Then in sleep, the manas began to repay old debts, repaying the debts of past lives one by one. This is precisely the principle of eliminating karma through repentance: dreaming of repaying debts is the manas using the dream to show that one's karmic obstructions have been eliminated and part of the old debts repaid. When the elimination of karma and repayment of debts reach a certain degree, cultivation will have no obstructions; meditative concentration (samādhi) will arise, wisdom will grow, progress in cultivation will be rapid, and seeing the Path will also come quickly.
Therefore, at the very beginning of studying and cultivating Buddhism, one should sincerely repent the karmic obstructions of the three periods of time; when karma is eliminated, there will always be various portents. The elimination of afflictions also has various portents and displays, usually shown in dreams and in meditative concentration (samādhi). Some people, whose bodily, verbal, and mental actions are impure, remain oblivious after committing evil karma—never reflecting, never aware of it, never repenting—and will repeat the evil karma in the future. Clearly such a person has not cultivated the four right efforts (samyag-vyāyāma) and has not ceased evil and practiced good. Yet in Buddhism it is precisely such people who constantly claim realization of the fruits and seeing the mind, while those who cultivate better never recklessly make high claims about themselves; they are all realistic, using wisdom to think and judge in accordance with reason.
If none of these cultivation processes have occurred, clearly one has not yet entered the stage of proper cultivation—how could one see the Path? One should constantly examine whether one's cultivation has gotten on track and entered the stage of proper cultivation, and what one's current level and stage is. If there are no signs at all, and afflictions and karmic obstructions are still quite heavy, then do not go on considering yourself as having realized the fruits and seen the mind, considering yourself a noble one. Where is the nobility? Can it be seen? The more one does this, the more it shows one's self is heavy, and the heavier one's arrogance and conceit.
Before seeing the Path, there are many dharmas to cultivate, and all kinds of experiences must occur along the way. Whatever stage is passed through and whatever degree cultivation reaches, there will be portents, hints, and displays—those are the evidence. If there are no experiences at all, and one merely talks this and that with one's mouth, no one can believe it; most importantly, the tathāgatagarbha has no record of it, and nothing anyone says is of any use. If you want to be a noble one, and there is truly no other way, then beg the tathāgatagarbha a bit more—ask it to be accommodating, to show leniency, and to sooner present the noble one's sublime states and retribution. If the tathāgatagarbha is impartial and acts justly, then there is nothing to be done: whatever status you should have, that is the status you have; even the Buddha's confirmation would be useless.
18. Binding the Mind to Worldly Toils Is Inferior to Awakening and Cultivating the Path
Those who die suddenly and unexpectedly due to karmic force, with no mental preparation, generally find it difficult to be reborn; unable to be reborn, they become solitary wandering spirits—especially those whose corpses at death were incomplete or entirely absent, who are even less able to be reborn. Such beings feel utterly without belonging in their hearts, terrified and uneasy, in great pain. Those who die unexpectedly find it hard to be reborn, and often wait at the place of their death for an opportunity, or try to create accidental incidents, using the spirit of a newly deceased person to be reborn again—in common parlance, "seizing a substitute." Those who commit suicide are the same: only by seizing a substitute can they be reborn. Therefore, at places where accidents occur, accidents will recur after intervals, even happening again and again—not only on the ground, but also in the air and in the water; many accidents are caused by the fixations of sentient beings.
To rescue and draw out (of suffering) those who died violently and unexpectedly, so that they may be reborn as soon as possible, we should recite the Buddha's name and recite sutras for them and dedicate the merit (pariṇāma), helping them understand principles, removing their attachments and fixations, increasing their merit, giving them the opportunity to be reborn whenever they wish to, rather than lingering at the place of death, pacing endlessly. We should give rise to a compassionate mind, take some time to recite the Buddha's name and recite sutras and dedicate the merit (pariṇāma) to the victims of this air disaster; if they can be reborn within a month, no more accidents will occur at the same location in the future.
Everyone will die sooner or later, but try not to die violently or unexpectedly; it is best to have a good death, a natural death, and at the very least to keep an intact corpse—only then will the next life be easier to manage. A good death and a peaceful end are also brought about by merit and invited by wholesome karma. Therefore we should, in daily life, do good and accumulate virtue according to conditions as much as possible, not do evil deeds, and absolutely not do things that harm others—especially toward the Three Jewels: protect them if you can, and if you cannot protect them, at least do not slander them or play a destructive role; be without deficiency in word and deed, so as to avoid major evil retribution in this and future lives.
Among the victims of this air disaster, were there not many whose lives were fairly complete and happy? Their work, careers, and families were all quite good—enviable, no? But what was the outcome? A few decades of so-called completeness, happiness, and joy, followed by millions of years or even longer of suffering—displaced, body and mind without peace, even finding it hard to obtain a material body. Therefore, people with wisdom must look far ahead, must have a broad vision, a wide horizon, standing high and seeing far, using the strength of this lifetime to strive for the security of eternal life. Be intelligent and wise people; do not be short-sighted, narrow-minded, and petty, caring only for the trivial benefits before your eyes while ignoring the birth-and-death suffering of immeasurable kalpas to come.
How many people make excuses, saying: I cannot yet leave home, cannot yet cultivate wholeheartedly, because I still have responsibilities and obligations in the world. But if your family and relatives suddenly vanished, how would your responsibilities and obligations be reckoned? If you yourself suddenly vanished, what responsibilities and obligations would there be to speak of? Therefore, while still alive, while still having energy, one should do more things that are truly meaningful, more things beneficial for the longer term—do not care only about the next few decades. A few decades is indeed very, very short, while the long kalpas of the future are very, very long—too long to calculate. Should you care more about the pleasures of these few decades of life, or should you weigh more the security of the long kalpas of future lives? Regarding worldly affairs, the mind should long ago have been clear as a mirror—what else could still bewilder one's eyes and mind? The wise should reflect well on this.
