Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (124)

Do ordinary beings also create karma when the ear hears pleasant sounds?

Original text: 佛言大王。如是如是。愚夫异生。耳闻舍声。不达义趣。轻慢毁呰。造作痴业。身三语四。意三种业。最初造作。即便灭谢。是业灭已。不依东方。南西北方。四维上下。中间而住。最后边际。命根灭时。自分业报。皆悉现前。犹如梦觉。忆梦中闻不了义句。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, it is indeed so. When foolish ordinary beings (pṛthagjana) hear with the ear faculty a sound that is neither liked nor disliked, they do not comprehend its true meaning, and give rise to words and deeds of contempt and disparagement, creating karma of delusion: on the body they create the unwholesome karmas of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; in speech they create the unwholesome karmas of harsh speech, divisive speech, frivolous speech, and false speech; in the mind they create the mental karmas of greed, hatred, and delusion. After the unwholesome karma has been created, it ceases in an instant; after it ceases, the karmic activity does not abide in the east, south, west, or north, the four intermediate directions, up, down, or the middle—it vanishes without a trace. But at the final moment when the life faculty comes to an end, all the karmic retributions created in this life manifest in full, just like waking from a dream while the mind still recalls the passages of unclear meaning heard within the dream.