Selected Discourses from the Sutra of the Father and Son

Original Text: Great King, King Anantakirti further contemplated: "Through the power of my virtuous roots, may golden rain fall upon the four continents." Having conceived this thought, golden rain indeed fell upon all four continents. Why was this so? It was entirely due to the virtuous karma that King Anantakirti had cultivated together with sentient beings in past lives, which resulted in this attainment.

Parents and children also share collective karma. If parents and children did not share collective karma—for instance, if parents were destined to experience the karmic result of poverty while a child was destined to enjoy the karmic result of wealth and nobility—then after the child grew up and left home, they might become prosperous and noble elsewhere, while the parents could not share in that prosperity. This illustrates that they lacked shared karma. Sentient beings collectively inhabit the Earth, and the humans on Earth all share collective karma. Similarly, those living in a small city also share collective karma within that city. Therefore, if we wish to attain the karmic result of wealth and nobility, there is no need to seek it externally; we need only sincerely practice generosity and cultivate blessings. Whoever cultivates virtue attains it; those who do not cultivate do not attain. Virtuous karma is boundless and immeasurable; it is not that if you cultivate the karma for wealth and nobility, then I will have none left. Whoever cultivates it attains it; if all cultivate it, all attain it.

Thus, shared karma causes sentient beings to gather together, while unshared karma causes them to separate. In the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the collective karma of its sentient beings manifests celestial garments and food naturally, with the seven treasures spread everywhere and the ground paved with gold. That is the collective karma of the sentient beings in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. In contrast, people on Earth regard gold as a treasure to be worn on their bodies. When the remaining blessings of humans on Earth are nearly exhausted, the finest thing on Earth will be iron. At that time, humans will obtain a piece of scrap iron and wear it as a treasure, for sentient beings will lack blessings. The collective karma of those without blessings will attract inferior things, with no precious objects to be found.

When the Earth first formed, it was covered with sweet springs of nectar, and edible soil grew naturally. At that time, humans descended from the Second Dhyana Heaven, possessing immense merit and virtue. Later, as sentient beings gave rise to greed, their merit and virtue diminished. The sweet springs and edible soil then vanished and ceased to appear, and natural, self-grown rice began to grow. Later, as merit and virtue further decreased, even the natural rice ceased to grow, and humans had to cultivate the five grains. This has continued until the present day, with humans laboring to plant crops. The highly nutritious grains and plants that once existed on Earth are now unheard of to us; this is the result of our consumption of blessings. We are now beings of meager blessings. Future sentient beings will have even fewer blessings than we do; the delicious grains and rice will have completely vanished, beyond their reach or sight. Thus, everything in our lives stems entirely from our own store of blessings.

Where are these blessings stored? They are all stored within the Tathagatagarbha. The Tathagatagarbha is our bank. If we exhaust all the deposits stored in this bank, we become poor and lowly individuals. If we refrain from withdrawing or minimally withdraw the blessings stored in the bank for our enjoyment, we become wealthy and noble elders. Practitioners should strive to make more deposits and fewer withdrawals. After withdrawing blessings, they should use them to benefit and bring joy to sentient beings, thereby redepositing the blessings. Thus, the deposits in the bank will grow ever larger, with compounded interest. When merit and virtue are perfected, one can attain Buddhahood.