The Karmic Retribution of Killing

When a country is attacked by invaders who burn, kill, loot, and plunder, committing every evil, everyone hates the invaders for their cruelty and viciousness—yet they themselves were once cruel and vicious in the past; they have merely forgotten the past and only look at the present, not knowing that this is the result of causes, conditions, and karmic retribution. Those who once cut open fish bellies are now themselves disemboweled and cut open, filled with resentment and rage—but were they not also very cruel back then, showing no regard for the fish's suffering? Even today, for the sake of pleasing the palate, such evil deeds have never ceased. Many Buddhist practitioners, though they themselves no longer eat meat, still have to buy fish and meat because their family members want to eat it; they buy live creatures and then slaughter them, cutting open their bellies—the evil karma continues to be created. Although they study Buddhism and cultivate, their evil deeds and evil retributions have never paused.

My mother had a Buddhist friend who recited the Buddha's name for twenty or thirty years, but in the end fell ill and lay in bed. As a child she had poked at ant nests, and at this time those ants that had been killed had not yet taken rebirth; with their subtle bodies they crawled all over her body and occupied it, leaving her unable to control either body or mind. After decades of eating vegetarian food, she now ate meat and fish, and no longer believed in the Buddha or recited his name. The local monastery performed rites to save and draw her out and to deliver her, but she flew into a rage and refused the deliverance. In the end she died, and she certainly went to the three evil paths to suffer. Among the many people of my mother's generation who studied Buddhism and recited the Buddha's name, many fell ill in their later years; obstructed by karmic hindrances, they could no longer continue their cultivation, and in the end none of them could escape the three evil paths.

Do not think that just because you are still young and healthy now, there seem to be no obstacles—when the truly great karmic hindrances arrive, you will have no power whatsoever to resist; you will collapse in an instant, unable to control yourself, unable even to believe in the Buddha, let alone study Buddhism. At the end of life, you will be led by your karmic creditors to the three evil paths, and neither family members nor Buddhist friends will be able to do anything about it. Therefore, while your body is still healthy, quickly repent of your evil karma—all the evil karma of this life and past lives must be repented. Though you do not remember your past lives, just consider that you have committed all evil karma. After repentance, some karmic hindrances will be lightened, so that at the end of life you will not be obstructed by evil karma to the point of no longer believing in the Buddha and the Three Jewels. If you have committed many killings, repent regularly; after spring begins, find opportunities to release living beings, which can compensate for some transgressions and eliminate some karmic offenses.

As for the severity of evil karma, no matter how many sentient beings one kills, the offense cannot compare to that of slandering the Three Jewels. The offense of slandering and disparaging the Three Jewels is immeasurable and boundless in magnitude. Those who kill living beings, after receiving their retribution, can still encounter the Three Jewels and be saved and delivered; but those who slander and disparage the Three Jewels will not have this opportunity for long eons. Some people, after committing evil deeds, even feel smug about it—how foolish this is!