Deeply Believe in Cause and Effect, and Be Careful in Speech and Action

The karma of sentient beings includes fixed karma and unfixed karma. Fixed karma can become unfixed karma through certain causes and conditions, and unfixed karma can also be dissolved through certain methods. Many karmic deeds do not necessarily have to be eliminated through the form of receiving retribution; they can also be dissolved through repentance. Especially after awakening to the Path, once one clearly understands the principles of both conventional truth and ultimate truth, the karma dissolved is greater and more abundant. When the mind changes, all karma will change—all dharmas are created by the mind alone—and the key lies in whether the mind of sentient beings is pure. However, major fixed karma cannot be changed and cannot be dissolved through repentance; only after the retribution has been received can the karmic seeds be eliminated. Major evil karma will severely obstruct one's practice of the Path, hindering one's seeing of the Path and realization of the Path, and in the future one will certainly fall into the three evil destinies to suffer for long kalpas. Therefore, everyone should subdue their afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, and avoid creating great evil karma, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

After the elimination of self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) and seeing one's true mind and awakening to one's nature, once one has awakened to the principle of non-arising and is endowed with the wisdom of patience with non-arising and the wisdom of patience with the non-arising of dharmas, the karma of the three evil destinies can be eliminated, and the painful retribution of the three evil destinies is transformed into merely receiving some residual suffering in the human realm, and the retribution then comes to an end. Because karma is subject to arising and ceasing, and is not originally fixed and permanently existent—whatever has arising must have ceasing—any dharma produced by the conditioned five aggregates (pañcaskandha), being a dharma with arising, must cease; it is not truly existent and unchanging forever. As long as it is a delusive dharma, it can undergo change. Therefore, in our practice we must actively change our minds through repentance and various other means, allowing the mind to gradually transform toward tranquility (praśama); then the karmic seeds can also undergo change.

However, to make the karmic seeds of deeds already committed completely disappear is rather impossible; at most one can only lighten some sinful obstructions. It is like a broken jade vessel: no matter how it is repaired, there will always be cracks; it is like water that has been splashed out, which can hardly be fully retrieved no matter what. All these laws of cause and effect are implemented by the tathāgatagarbha, yet the tathāgatagarbha does not act as a dominator. Although the manas can act as a dominator, the manas cannot persuade the tathāgatagarbha to make exceptions, because the tathāgatagarbha has not the slightest gap—words cannot get in, and it is neither sentimental nor worldly-wise; it is impartial and incorruptible, implementing cause and effect only according to its fixed procedures. Therefore, even many bodhisattvas who have attained the bhūmis must also endure the painful retribution of cause and effect.

As for the complexity of these causes and effects, bodhisattvas who have attained the bhūmis can observe a small portion of it through their wisdom of the varieties of paths and the wisdom of all aspects (sarvākārajñatā), and only a Buddha can fully know it. Therefore, deeply believing in cause and effect is by no means easy. Ordinary people only harbor a mentality of taking chances; most of the time they are unaware and ignorant of cause and effect. Only bodhisattvas who have entered the bhūmis, because they are able to observe and clearly understand the operating principles of the tathāgatagarbha, can deeply believe in cause and effect and dare not recklessly create karmic actions; all others are mostly in darkness and confusion. For the sake of advancing our own practice of the Path and having fewer painful retributions, we must be cautious in speech and conduct at all times, keeping ourselves lowly. Especially when it comes to the Mahāyāna Three Jewels and the Mahāyāna tathāgatagarbha dharma, we must be careful and careful again. When we lack wisdom, we should remain silent, lest we create great evil karma and regret it endlessly.