How to Maximize the Karmic Fruits of Meritorious Deeds

Question: Person A did a good deed for Person B, and Person B received help from Person A. Person A desires reciprocation and repayment from Person B. Is it more beneficial for Person A to receive repayment from Person B now, in a future life, or to receive the natural retribution of cause and effect?

Answer: Acting with a mind free from seeking, awaiting the natural repayment of cause and effect, is the most beneficial. Person A performed a good deed but did not think of repayment; this is acting with a mind free from expectation of return. Although Person A does not seek repayment, the law of cause and effect will naturally produce retribution, and at this time, the karmic retribution is the greatest. Performing virtuous deeds with a mind of non-doing (wuwei xin) yields the greatest virtuous retribution; performing evil deeds with a mind of doing (youwei xin) yields the greatest evil retribution. Performing virtuous deeds with a mind of non-doing yields the greatest virtuous retribution; the mind is vast, the retribution is vast. It is not known why the Tathāgatagarbha has such a rule. Those who wish to maximize the karmic retribution of good deeds might try to exploit this loophole. However, the mind that seeks to exploit a loophole is still a mind with intention; with intention, the mind is small. A mind without intention is the greatest. Seeking repayment, performing good deeds with a purpose, means having intention; with intention, the mind is small. Not seeking repayment, performing good deeds without personal motive, without selfishness, means the mind is vast; a vast mind yields vast karmic retribution.

Performing good deeds for the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) yields the greatest karmic retribution. If there is selfishness involved—for money, fame, status, power, etc.—the merit will be greatly diminished. If good deeds are performed with strong selfish intent, treating the Three Jewels as a transaction, scheming for the benefits they bring, it might turn into an evil deed and incur evil retribution.

If afflictions (kleshas) are too heavy, scheming for benefits from the Three Jewels, and if the scheming fails, leading to resentment and anger, it could potentially result in karmic retribution in the hell realms. All sinful karma arises from afflictions; all afflictions arise from that "self" (ego). Therefore, only after severing the view of self (sakkaya-ditthi) can afflictions become slight, or even be extinguished, allowing afflictions to be ended forever and liberation attained. Everywhere in the world, from the macro level between nations, to the medium level between groups, down to the micro level between individuals, one can see the greed, hatred, and delusion—the afflictions—of sentient beings. It can be said that afflictions are rampant and overflowing, very difficult to rescue. After all, this is the Dharma-ending age; sentient beings' karma is heavy, obstructions deep, and merit thin. Sinful karma far outweighs good karma; evil retribution far outweighs good retribution. Therefore, in future lives, an extremely large number of people will go to the three evil paths to receive retribution. This is inevitable; death and suffering are minor matters by comparison.