On the Principle of the Withering of Karmic Seeds (One)

The principle of the withering of karmic seeds is profound and exceedingly profound; only one with very deep wisdom of the varieties of paths can comprehend the deep meaning herein. Before every sentient being attains buddhahood, all obstructions of evil karma must be fully experienced, fully retributed, and completely exhausted—without even a trace remaining—before one can become a Buddha; as long as even a tiny bit of evil karma still exists and has not been eliminated, one cannot become a Buddha. Whether all the evil karma that sentient beings have created since beginningless kalpas must all be retributed before attaining buddhahood in order to be eliminated—that is impossible. Because the evil karma created since beginningless kalpas is truly far too much, as numerous as dust motes; if all of it had to be retributed in order to be eliminated, then three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas would certainly not be enough to experience it all—such a long stretch of time could not exhaust or fully retribute it. Yet every Buddha has cultivated for only three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas, and the seeds of evil karma have all been exhausted. So how were these karmic seeds exhausted?

Some karmic seeds, due to the condition of not manifesting for a long time, gradually wither away on their own and disappear; especially the smaller evil karmic seeds more easily wither and vanish, whereas seeds of very great evil karma cannot wither—they must be fully retributed while still at the bodhisattva stages; or heavy karma is transformed into light karma, with heavy retribution lightened and thereby eliminated. All evil karma must be completely exhausted before one can become a Buddha. Many great bodhisattvas, when they come to the human world, still have to undergo the retribution of evil karma—that is unavoidable. On the other hand, in the course of cultivation, bodhisattvas continually accumulate wholesome karma, so that life after life their wholesome karma far exceeds their evil karma; the conditions for the arising of the smaller evil karmic seeds are never complete. Over an infinitely long time, the manas constantly corresponds with wholesome karmic seeds and does not correspond with evil karmic seeds, the mind-ground gradually becomes purified, and the seeds from long, long ago wither and disappear.

Some of the smaller evil karmic seeds, if they long lack the opportunity to manifest, will certainly wither. As for the manas's evil and inferior habitual tendencies, if they long lack the opportunity to manifest, and then good, wholesome habits are formed, the original evil habits will also disappear. The karmic seeds that can be eliminated refer to the actions created by past lives' bodily, verbal, and mental actions, which have been stored in the tathāgatagarbha as seeds; in the future, upon encountering conditions, they will manifest evil retribution, and the retribution can only be realized when the causes and conditions ripen. What we need to do is, through repentance to eliminate karma and by performing great wholesome karma greater than the evil karma of past lives, have the seeds of wholesome karma always manifest so that evil karma has no opportunity to manifest, letting us always receive wholesome retribution and not receive, or receive only little, evil retribution; then when in the future we have the capacity to bear it, we undergo the evil retribution—at that time, undergoing evil retribution will no longer be such a painful matter, and we will be fully able to bear it.