{"collection":"Buddhism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bud/tib/drshen2.htm","path":"bud/tib/drshen2.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/drshen2.htm","text":"BUDDHISM IN OUR DAILY LIFE\nChina Academic Lectures\nSponsored by\nChina Institure in America, N.Y. USA\nBy Dr. C. T. Shen\nLECTURE 2:\nTHE TRUTH OF KARMA\nIn last week's discussion of the concept of birth and death, the\none-life theory and the multi-life theory were introduced. I also\nused a familiar natural phenomenon, the multi-form of H2O, to\nillustrate my belief that the multi-life theory taught by Hinduism and\nBuddhisn is closer to the truth than the one-life theory. We found\nthat H2O is a good analogy for the human soul.\nThen, we observed that H2O is not the ultimate substance of the\nuniverse. Modern science is gradually concluding that energy could be\nthat ultimate. This agrees with Buddha's teaching that the soul is not\nthe ultimate nature of a human being and the Ultimate is something\nwhich is incomprehensible: without duaity, without boundary, without\nbirth and death, and with no difference from the universe. Original\nNature and Buddha-Nature are two popular names given to this Ultimate.\nThe famous statement made by Buddha upon his enlightenment was \"Every\nsentient being has Buddha-Nature\".\nThe vast, boundless, and empty space is usually used as an\nanalogy to Original Nature to signify the lack of duality and\ndiscrimination of the latter, its limitlessness in both time and\nspace. Since the ultimate existence of a human being is of such a\nnature, then when one is enlightened or recognizes one's Original\nNature, the concept of birth and death becomes inapplicable. Since\nmost of us have not been enlightened it does not help us too much to\ndiscuss Original Nature at this stage. We first have to establish a\nclear understanding of the multi- life theory at the mundane !evel,\nwhich directly affects our daily lives.\nTo appreciate thoroughly the multi-life theory, one must first\nanswer an important question which is: what causes such changes from\none form of existence, say, a human being, to another form, say, an\nanimal?\nTo help us understand the answer to this question, it is useful\nto refer to H2O again. Let us first examine the causes of changes in\nthe forms of H2O say, from water to vapor or ice to water.\nFrom physics we learn the following chain of\ncausation:\nphysical or chemical action -> intangible form of energyc -> change of\nactivity of H2O molecules -> changes in forms of H2O\nThis illustration is quite obvious and needs no explanation. I\nwill just give you a few examples of physical and chemical actions and\nyou will instantly know that these actions are the causes of water,\nvapor, snow, ice, or other forms of H2O. Such actions as radiation\nfrom the sun, setting a fire, passing electricity through certain\nmetallic wires and dissolving certain chemicals in water are all\nfamiliar exanples of processes that produce heat in differing\nintensities and that ultimately change the form of H2O;\nAccording to Buddhism, a similar natural phenomenon is going on\nin the universe: that is, various actions carried out by a being in\nthe past and present, cause a certain kind of intangible force\ncomparable to heat that causes the being to change from one form of\nexistence to another. That is why we have the different forms of\nheaven-dweller, human being, animal, ghost, and hell-dweller, which\nconstitute samsara, or continuous life and death.\nIn Hinduism and Buddhism, these actions bear a common name --\nkarma. Karma means an action, or combination of actions, by a being or\nbeings, which produces effects. Those effects, which could be good,\nbad, or neutral, determine the future of that being or those beings.\nKarmic actions..therefore, are the heart of the multi-life theory,\njust as physical and chemical actions are the basic causes of the\nmulti-form nature of H2O.\nI would like to draw this.. comparison to the above mentioned\nchain of causation:\nKarma -> intangilble force called the karmic force -> effects,\ngood, bad, or neutral upon activities of beings -> change in the forms\nof the being: samsara\nThis concept of karma plays a very important role throughout\nAsia. Asian religions have established a famous universal moral code,\nbased upon this law, that good deeds produce good effects and bad\ndeeds produce bad effects.\nIt should be pointed out that Buddhism gives this moral code\nadditional qualifications.. According to Buddhism:\n(1) The so-called good effect or bad effect is not a judgment nor is\nit given as a reward or a punishment by a supramundane authority,\nsuch as God. The good or bad effect produced by good or bad\nkarma is purely and simply a natural phenomenon governed by\nnatural laws that act automatically, with complete justice. If God\nhas anything to do with it, then God must also act according to\nthe natural law or path. This cause produces this effect. That\ncause produces that effect. God would not change the natural path\nby his Iike or dislike of a person.\n(2) The \"good\" and \"bad\" referred to here are not defined by any code\nor law created by human beings, unless such a code or law follows\nthe natural path. For example, when democracy was first devised,\nwomen did not have the right to vote. At that time, women who\ncomplied with that status were considered \"good\" 'and those who\nfought against it were considered \"bad.\" that judgment was\nincorrect, however. The \"natural path\" is that human beings are\nall' equal, and thus, the system which gives women equal voting\nrights with men is the truly just one. Therefore, those who\nopposed the unequal voting system were actually the good ones.\nThis law of karma, or cause and effect, is so powerful that it\ngoverns everything in the universe except, according to Buddhism, the\none who is enlightened or recognizes Original Nature. Upon\nenlightenment, this cause and effect loses its significance, just as\nsamara, or recurring birth and death, ceases with enlightenment.\nSince Original Nature is the Ultimate, there is no one to receive the\neffect, whether it is good or bad, and no one to whom any effect can\napply. This unique explanation, taught by Buddha, of the nullification\nof the law of karma is very important. I will explain it later.\nWith this brief explanation of karma as background, let us now go\na step further to see how karma works.\n(1) Karmic effects determine rebirth:\nIn Buddhist texts one may find numerous examples telling what\ncause produces what effect. The karma of present and past lives\ndetermines the form of existence in the next life. Generally\nspeaking, we may outline these karmic effects as follows:\n(A) Such karma as honesty, generosity, kindness, compassion, the\nrelieving of others' suffering, or the creation of major benefits\nfor others may produce the effect or result of being reborn in\nheaven.\n(B) Karma such as giving generously to the needy, aiding those in\ndifficulty, making offerings to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha or\nsaints in other religions, or giving others knowledge or skills\nthat will improve their way of life, may cause one to be reborn as\na human being with a wealthy and bright future.\n(C) Karma such a saving others' lives, refraining from killing,\nrelieving others' worries, curing others' illnesses, generously\nhelping hospitals and medical research, or aiding environmental\nimprovement may cause one to be reborn as a human being with a\nlong life and good health, a person to be liked and supported by\nmany people!\n(D) The karma of studying and introducing Dharma and the right\nknowledge to others by means of teaching or writing, giving\nsincere respect to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and the saints in\nother religions, or meditating to concentrate on the mind can\nproduce the effect of being reborn as a human being with wisdom,\nintelligence, eloquence in speech, and the qualities of a good\nscholar.\n(E) Despite such karma as killing, hunting, fishing, doing harm to\nothers, endangering others' lives, manufacturing or trading\nweapons, or robbing, one may be born as a human being again; but\nhe will have the possibility of a short lifespan, accidental\ndeath, frightening insanity, disastrous illness, etc. However, if\nthose karmic activities were dominant in the being's life, then\nthe rebirth will be in the form of an animal or ghost or even a\nhell-dweller.\nIn one of the Buddhist texts it is recorded that someone asked Buddha:\nWhy are some women ugly-looking but rich?\nWhy are some women beautiful but poor?\nWhy are some people poor but with good health and long life?\nWhy are some rich yet ill and short-lived?\nThe Buddha's answers were:\nThe woman who is ugly-looking but rich was.\nshort-tempered in her past lives--easily irritated and angered but was\nalso very generous and gave offerings to the Buddha, Dharma, and\nSangha and offered things to many sentient beings.\nThe woman who is beautiful but poor was, in her past lives, very\nkind, always smiling and softspoken, but was stingy and reluctant to\nmake offerings or help other people.\nThe person who is poor but in good health and enjoying a long\nlife was in his or her past lives, very stingy or reluctant to make\ndonations, but was kind to all sentient beings, did not harm or kill\nothers, and also saved many other sentient beings' lives .\nThe person who is rich but often ill, or who is short-lived, was,\nin his or her past lives,' very generous in helping others but loved\nhunting and killing and caused sentient beings to feel worried,\ninsecure, and frightened.\nThe above examples give us some idea why people on earth,\nalthough all human beings, vary so much in appearance, character,\nlifespan, health, mental ability, and fate. It is even more\ninteresting to note how much the circumstances in which a person is\nborn can influence his or her destiny. Which race, which nation,\nwhich skin color, which era--all these factors make a great\ndifference. Would it not be more logical to think that something\nwas going on before one's birth that caused all those effects than to\nsay that it is purely accidental or even to say that it is God's will?\nIf a baby has no past life, then on what grounds does God judge\nwhether to reward or punish that baby by causing him or her to reborn\nunder different circumstances?\n(2) Karma also affects others and produces effects in the present\nlifetime as well as in future lives.\n\"Karmic effect is incomprehensible!\" This statement of Buddha suggests\nnot only the complexity of karmic effects but also the difficulty of\npredicting when a karmic effect will mature.\nGenerally speaking, however, karma is like the action of\nlighting a candle. The candle will light the whole room immediately\nand will last until it is consumed. Similarly, karma has the following\ncharacteristics:\nA) Karma not only affects the doer but also affects others. The\nmagnitude of the karma determines the sphere of its effect.\nB) Most of the karma produces an immediate effect and the effect will\nlast until it is \"consumed.\" The nature and magnitude of a karmic\naction determine the duration of the effect, which may last many\nyears or may not be felt until some other karmic conditions mature.\n(C) Karmic effects can combine and accumulate.\nThese three points are rather condensed. I do not have time to\ngive you a detailed description of them. The following examples,\nhowever, might assist you to understand better.\n(A) The discovery of electricity by Benjamin Franklin and the\nconversion of electricity into light by Thomas Edison changed the\nlives of human beings tremendously and the effect is still\ngrowing.\nB) An action taken by the U.S. Congress to change the tax law will\nimmediately affect millions of American pockets. The effect can be\nseen by many Americans in their lifetime, and it could also be felt\nby them in the next life if any of them happened to be reborn as\nAmericans.\nC) The combined and cumulative karma of the system of slavery used by\nmany Americans over a long period of time has produced effects\nwhich constitute a major domestic problem in the U.S.\nD) The theoretical discovery of atomic energy by Albert Einstein and\nthe joint effort of all the participants in the Manhattan Project\nproduced such complicated effects, good and bad, that we are\nprobably just beginning to realize the significance of these\ndevelopments.\n3) Comparison of the magnitude of effects of various kinds of karma:\nSuch comparisons are recorded in many Buddhist scriptures. I\nwould like to give you some examples to enable you to form your own\nideas as to how you may create karmic effects of greater magnitude.\n(A) One day, while walking on the street, Buddha met a beggar who was\na so-called untouchable in the strict caste society of India\nduring his time. Not only was Buddha friendly with him, but he\naccepted the beggar as a disciple in the ho!y Sangha. This action\nhad a tremendous effect, which was infinitely greater than the\nacceptance of a prince as his disciple.\n(B) When the monk Bodhidharma went from India to China he was welcomed\nby the emperor Lang. The emperor asked him, \"What merit do I\nhave, since I have built so many temples, erected so many pagodas,\nmade so many offerings to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and have\ndone numerous other virtuous deeds?\" Bodhidharma's reply greatly\ndisappointed emperor Lang. Bodhidharma said, \"Your Majesty, there\nis none. You have gained no merit. What you have done produces\nonly wordly rewards, that is, good fortune, great power, or great\nwealth in your future lives, but you will still wander around\nin samara.\"\nC) In many of Buddha's teachings, he emphasized that to study and\nexplain to others even a few sentences of his teachings that show\nhow one can be rid of samsara creates infinitely greater merit than\nthe effect even of making tremendous offerings to Buddhas all over\nthe universe in a number equal to the number of grains of sand in\nthe great Ganges River.\n(D) Buddha also taught:\nOne who makes numerous offerings to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,\nhelps many other sentient beings and does many other good deeds,\nand dedicates all the merit accumulated thereby to a purpose of\none's own interest or to the benefit of one's own children or\nrelatives--such as making more money or enjoying a longer or better\npresent life or future lives--produces limited effects.\nOne who does the same good deeds mentioned above but dedicates\nall the merit produced to helping and saving all sentient beings\nfrom suffering in samsara receives much greater merit than the one\nwith selfish purposes.\nOne who does the same above-mentioned good deeds with no\nspecific purpose or desire receives infinitely greater merit than\nthe two cases mentioned above.\n4) Karma and free will:\nThis topic has been often discussed. The question is, \"Is there\nany room for free will under the law of karma?\" A more penetrating\nquestion is, \"Might not so-called free will be simply subjective\nopinion? Free will is still an effect of certain karma.\" For example,\nsuppose a daughter goes against her parents' wishes and decides to\nmarry a younger man. The daughter might think that that decision was\nmade by her free will, but under the law of karma that decision could\nvery well be an effect of her past karmic relations with this young\nman and her parents. That she acts with a free will is only her\nsubjective opinion.\nIn the United States, people have the freedom to vote or not to\nvote. Is this freedom obtained by a kind of free will or is it still\npredetermined by karmic effect?\nWe could find many examples. all of which seem to indicate that\nthere is no room for free will under the law of karma. Does this mean\nthat the fate of a person is predetermined by his or her past karma,\nthat that person has no way to change it? Is this correct? Buddha said\nit is not correct. Why and how, then, can one change one's fate?\nTo help you to understand that one's fate is not entirely\npredetermined by one' past karma, I must ask you to recall what I said\nbefore about Original Nature. I said that cause and effect, just like\nbirth and death, loses its significance at the enlightened level,\nbecause with Original Nature there is no one to receive the effect of\nkarma, whether it is good or bad. Therefore, at the extreme, when one\nis enlightened, the law of karma is not applicable, so all that the\nenlightened one does, say, or thinks is from free will or is a\nmanifestation of Original Nature and is not the effect of past karma.\nAll of Buddha's teachings aim at this one goal: that is, to\nidentify oneself with Original Nature. All methods are therefore\ndesigned to enable one to be gradually in harmony with Original\nNature.\nNow, Original Nature possesses all kinds of good human qualities,\nsuch as loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. All these\ngood qualities could be good karma, which produces good effects.\nTherefore, during the process ' of cultivating harmony with Original\nNature, these good qualities will be revealed bit by bit, like an\noccasional ray of sunshine penetrating through a heavy cloud. These\nrevelations are the true products of a person's free will. Because\nsuch free will creates good karma and good karma produces good\neffects, which, in turn, are good karma for the next effect, and so\non, a person has the potential to become enlightened, to recognize\nOriginal Nature, and to become a Buddha.\nOne will thus not only be rid of samsara, but will also gain the\nperfect wisdom and compassion necessary to teach other sentient beings\nto follow the same path.\nKarma is such a vast subject that I could talk for hours without\nexhausting the material. Topics like the following could be very\ninteresting:\n(1) Can good karma and bad karma offset each other?\n(2) Can karma be erased?\n(3) Can the effects of bad karma be minimized by confession or other\nkinds of repentance?\nWith the general idea of karma I have presented to you today, you\nmay be able to find the answers to those questions.\nIn conclusion, I wish to emphasize two points:\n(1) Good or bad karma will inevitably produce its respective effect.\nOur daily doings, speech, and thoughts will affect our future. A\nwise person knows, therefore, how to live properly.\n(2) Remember that the law of karma stops operating and you become rid\nof samsara only by identifying yourself with Original Nature. How\nyou may gradually identify yourself with Original Nature, and\nrealize that Original Nature is you, is therefore the essence of\nBuddha's teaching, and I sincerely recommend that you study and\npractice it.\nAmong all the hindrances in our cultivation, the greatest one is our\nconcept of self, which is the core of all our ignorance and suffering.\nNext week, we shall attack that core, and, let me tell you, that\ncore is indeed very, very hard.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------\nThis lecture converted from printed to digital format and included in\nthe MOUNT KAILAS BBS TEACHING Library with permission from\nDr. C. T. Shen\nCopyright and all rights reserved by Dr. C. T. Shen","title":"Buddhism In Our Daily Life Lecture 2","type":"page"}