The Principle of Heavy Karmic Offenses Receiving Light Retribution

When sins from later lives are endured in this present life, it all belongs to the light retribution of heavy karma. The better your cultivation, the earlier your karmic offenses are experienced, and the less accrued interest there is—it is an extremely good bargain. If you get into a car accident in this life, you should think: How wonderful! In future lives I will not have to fall into hell to undergo retribution, or suffer sudden premature death or a shortened lifespan. If someone deliberately makes things difficult for you, or wrongs and aggrieves you, or beats and scolds you, you should think like this: This person is truly good to me—hereafter I will not have to contract cancer or other serious illnesses, or meet with car accidents and other mishaps. Those karmic offenses are thus digested and absorbed in this way—what a bargain. The small setbacks drawn forth by your cultivation will avert great setbacks in later lives; the great setbacks drawn forth by your cultivation in this life will avert even greater setbacks in future lives, as well as calamities, illness and suffering, death, retribution in the three evil destinies, and so on—an extremely good bargain. Therefore, no matter what, please continue to diligently apply effort to cultivate the Path.