Commentary on The Sutra of the Compendium of Father and Son (Part 161)

The Karmic Retribution of Anger and the Breaking of the Tongue Root in a Dream

Buddha said: Great King, indeed, indeed. Foolish ordinary beings, upon seeing their tongue broken, give rise to anger in their minds, and create such karmic actions: three bodily, four verbal, and three mental. Having created those karmas, they instantaneously perish. These karmas do not abide in the east, west, south, north, the four corners, above, or below. When the life root perishes at the final moment, one's own karmic retribution all manifests before one, like waking from a dream and remembering the things in the dream.

Explanation: Buddha said: Great King, indeed it is so. Foolish ordinary beings, upon seeing their tongue root broken in a dream, give rise to anger in their minds, and create evil karmic actions: three bodily, four verbal, and three mental. From the very beginning of creation, the karmic actions perish instantaneously as they are created. After these karmic actions perish, they do not abide in the east, west, south, north, the four corners, above, or below. But when life is about to end at the final moment, the karmic retribution created in this lifetime all manifests before one, just like after waking from a dream, one still remembers the things in the dream.