An Unintentional Mistake, Though Not a Sin, Has Evil Retribution

First, let us explain: when one creates unwholesome karma without the mind intending it, why do faults still appear? This is because the mind has ignorance and delusion (avidyā). Ignorance and delusion are root afflictions, and from these root afflictions arise the other great, middle, and minor derivative afflictions. Greed and hatred, these two root afflictions, are also brought about by ignorance and delusion. If there were no ignorance, if there were no delusion, there would be neither greed nor hatred; if there were no ignorance and delusion, all sorts of faults would not appear. On the surface, these faults seem to be committed unintentionally, but are they truly unintentional? They are not unintentional—they are caused by afflictive habits. Because the habitual tendencies are heavy, faults are committed without going through the brain or without deliberation, even irreparable faults, so severe as to deeply harm others, or cause great loss, or even kill a person, slander the Three Jewels, or damage the reputation of the Three Jewels.

Ordinary people all say these are unintentional faults—not deliberately wanting to do anything, but carelessly, unable to hold back, the deed was done. Viewed this way, these are not unintentional faults or unintentional losses, but rather intentional—there is a mind, an affliction-defiled mind, a deluded mind, indicating heavy habitual tendencies. A person of purity has no such faults and errors; their bodily, verbal, and mental actions are pure and perfect, without fault. Even Māra Pāpīyas, searching for hundreds or thousands of years for such a person's faults, cannot find any—there is no crack or gap, and Pāpīyas cannot take advantage of an opening to create any unwholesome karma, and must return in disappointment. Therefore all faults and errors involve the mind, and thus all carry unwholesome retribution. The retribution for delusion and ignorance is the three evil destinies, primarily the animal destiny. Among all afflictions, delusion is the hardest to remove; only when greed and hatred have been completely eliminated can delusion be removed, and only at the stage of a bodhisattva of equal enlightenment can the last portion of ignorance be severed—this shows the solidity, subtlety, and pervasiveness of ignorance and delusion.

The heaviest karma of delusion is not killing people or setting fires. Although the karma of killing can cause one to fall into hell, the duration is limited; once the karmic offense is exhausted, one emerges from hell. But slandering the Three Jewels, committing unwholesome karma against the Three Jewels, carries an extremely, extremely long period of retribution. Even after emerging from the three evil destinies and being reborn among humans, because one once slandered the Three Jewels, one still suffers the retribution of being blind, deaf, mute, or handicapped, or of not encountering the Three Jewels, not hearing the names of the Three Jewels. Even if part of the unwholesome karma is exhausted and one does encounter the Three Jewels, when studying the Dharma it cannot enter the mind—one cannot find the doorway in, which is truly distressing. Of all unwholesome retributions, none is heavier than this: it obstructs the study of the Dharma and liberation, and is the greatest loss of benefit.