Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (195)

The ten kinds of bodily, verbal, and mental karmic actions arise and cease in a single instant

Original text: 佛言大王。如是如是。愚痴寡闻。凡夫异生。意着诸法。起爱染心。造是痴业。身业三种。语业四种。意业三种。造作彼业。剎那迁谢。是业灭已。不依东方。南西北方。四维上下。中间而住。至命终时。见先所作。自分业报。心想中现。如人梦觉。念梦中事。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, it is indeed so. Foolish and ill-informed ordinary beings (pṛthagjana) who are born and perish in different ways have their minds attached to all dharmas, constantly giving rise to greedy and defiled minds, creating karmic actions of such foolishness. In bodily karma they can create three kinds, in verbal karma they can create four kinds, and in mental karma they will create three kinds. When creating these various karmic actions, each of these actions vanishes and ceases instant after instant. After these karmic actions have ceased, they do not abide depending on the east, south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, up and down, or the middle. When the time of death approaches, one will see the retribution brought about by the karmic actions one previously created, manifesting within one's mind, just like a person who, after waking from a dream, still dwells upon the events of the dream.