The Sutra of the Father and Son Compendium: Commentary (186)

The Severity of Killing Karma Varies

Original Text: "Great King, the extinction of the final consciousness is called the death aggregate. The arising of the initial consciousness is called the birth aggregate."

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, at the end of a life, when consciousness ceases, the five aggregates are called the death aggregate. At the initial arising of consciousness, the five aggregates are called the birth aggregate.

When this life of ours ends, at the final moment of death when the breath ceases, the six consciousnesses—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—are extinguished. After consciousness ceases, it becomes the death aggregate. The body, like wood, lacks awareness and life; it is no longer the birth aggregate but becomes like a wooden or clay statue—a death aggregate. When the six consciousnesses arise again in the physical body of the next life, a complete living being emerges, possessing all the functional activities of the five aggregates. If our six consciousnesses do not manifest while in the mother’s womb, we are not yet complete human beings. Only after four to six or seven months, when the six consciousnesses of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are fully present, do we become complete human beings. Before consciousness arises, it is not called a living person, as the absence of consciousness means it is incomplete; nor is it a dead person, since the seventh consciousness and the alaya-vijnana are present. Therefore, abortion constitutes partial killing, and its severity depends on the gestational period. Aborting a fetus within the first six months involves a being that is not yet a complete life form, yet it still incurs sin, though the degree varies. Abortion after six months constitutes complete killing, as the fetus is already a complete life form. When consciousness has not yet arisen, abortion does not count as killing a person, but it certainly still incurs karmic retribution.

When we eat eggs, an egg is not a complete life form. However, if it contains a fertilized egg that would develop into a chicken, there is still karmic retribution. Eating an egg versus eating a chicken results in different karmic consequences—a matter of greater or lesser sin. Although an egg may contain a fertilized egg, it is not yet a complete life form, as it lacks the activities of the five aggregates. Only when it hatches into a chick, or just before hatching, does it become a complete life form, and killing it then counts as killing.

Therefore, if abortion is unavoidable, it should be performed as early as possible. The earlier it is done, the less suffering the fetus experiences, as there is no conscious activity—it does not feel pain. Only after death, when consciousness returns to the bardo state, does it realize it was reborn in vain and may harbor resentment. When the fetus’s conscious mind has not yet arisen, abortion causes no suffering. Suffering and resentment arise only when consciousness re-emerges in the bardo realm. Killing karma varies greatly in severity. By assessing the completeness of the five aggregates, one can determine the degree of one’s karmic offense.

The magnitude of the sin also depends on one’s mental state—the intensity of hatred, the presence of malice, and the intent to kill. For example, if a complete living person is inside a sack, and someone kills them unintentionally, unaware that the sack contains a person and mistaking it for an inanimate object, resulting in death, this is not intentional killing. After death, the perpetrator will not fall into hell to receive retribution. Nevertheless, in a future encounter, they may be killed unintentionally by that person, though without suffering hellish retribution. When killing, it matters whether it is done intentionally or unintentionally. Intentional killing constitutes the karma of killing, while unintentional killing is not a complete act of killing but still carries karmic consequences. Conversely, if the sack contains a wooden object instead of a person, and someone kills it out of hatred, mistaking it for another person, although the wood is not alive and killing it is like chopping firewood, the act is committed with hatred and intent to kill a person. The sin is great because the severity depends on the mind’s intent.

If one crushes an ant to death with extreme malice, the sin is also grave due to the intense hatred, differing from ordinary killing. Ordinary killing may sometimes be unintentional or involve slight hatred, leading to entirely different karmic results. Thus, legal sentencing similarly distinguishes between intentional and unintentional killing, resulting in different judgments.