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Dear
Dharma Friends,
Today
we are going to discuss conditionality, or the Law of Cause and
Effect. When I say cause and effect, some Buddhists may conclude
that this is simply a tool to goad them on to doing good. This is
not entirely correct. The Law of Cause and Effect according to the
Buddha's teachings is not so simplistic.
Cause
gives rise to effect—this is an inherent fact of life. The
teachings of cause and effect are profound and operate with
unfailing precision, more accurate than even the most advanced
computers. Not only can we human beings not change the workings of
cause and effect, even the gods cannot alter its path. The workings
of cause and effect encompass everything in the universe and are the
birthing ground of all conditions—past, present, and future. The
Nirvana Sutra says categorically that the effects of helpful and
harmful actions follow us like a shadow. Cause and effect spans the
threefold dimension of time: past, present, and future. A cause once
generated will always produce its appropriate effect.
If
the workings of cause and effect govern all things in the universe,
then who, or what, governs cause and effect? Cause and effect is
inherent in the inter-dependencies of all phenomena and the
multitude of forces thereby created. This is not unlike the
balancing act of building a tower of cards; when we add or remove a
card, the repercussions of any one such action permeate throughout
the whole system. The way cause and effect are linked is both
profound and unique. When we say we human beings cannot alter the
laws of nature, we are saying that we cannot alter the workings of
cause and effect. The workings of cause and effect are most
intricate, and unless we are fully enlightened, we cannot even come
close to comprehending them in their entirety. While we may not fear
death or the unknown, we should always maintain a healthy fear of
the workings of cause and effect.
In
Buddhism, there is a very profound saying: “Bodhisattvas fear
causes, sentient beings fear effects.” The difference between
bodhisattvas and us is that we have different perspectives on cause
and effect. Bodhisattvas refrain from creating ill causes, for they
know an ill cause will bring an ill effect. Their understanding of
this law is complete, and they always examine the effects of causes
before they act. Sentient beings, on the other hand, are impulsive
and often act without thinking through the consequences. While we do
not show any fear of creating ill causes, we dread the ill effects
they bear on us. Time and time again, we act out of delusion and end
up paying dearly for our foolishness.
From
a sociological standpoint, culture, ethics, and laws are the main
forces that give society its structure. The scope of a society's
laws is finite, and the ability of a culture to curtail behavior is
limited. The effect of these externally imposed boundaries cannot
compare to the impact that an understanding of cause and effect
would have on us. If we are always mindful of cause and effect, we
can use this to guide our actions. We will understand that our
circumstances, be they good or bad, are our own doing. If all of us
can come to this level of understanding regarding cause and effect,
we will always be mindful of our thoughts and actions, and the world
will be a much better place.
Regardless
of whether we believe in the teachings of cause and effect, we are
all subject to its workings. No one can take our place in the
workings of cause and effect. This is true from the very small,
inconsequential causes to the life-changing ones born of our
thoughts and actions. When a little boy plays with a knife and cuts
himself, even the most loving mother cannot experience the pain that
child must feel. We all have to bear responsibility of our thoughts
and actions; no one can stand in our place when the effects unfold.
In
the first two sections of today's talk, I'd like to look at cause
and effect from the standpoint of everyday living and our
relationships with others. In the third section we'll look at how
cause and effect play out over time. In the last section we'll look
at how cause and effect can be a guide to our actions.
I.
Looking at Cause and Effect in Everyday Living
The
workings of cause and effect are not only confined to the arena of
religious activity. Even in our everyday lives, there are infinite
examples that attest to its functioning. Take the simple act of
eating. We eat everyday. Why? We eat because we are hungry. Hunger
is the cause, and eating is the effect. After we eat, we no longer
feel hungry. In this instance, eating is the cause, and the sense of
fullness is the effect. When the weather turns chilly, we put on
extra layers of clothing to keep ourselves warm. One cause leads to
another as inevitably as day turns into night.
Look
around, some of us are born into families of wealth while others are
born to more humble circumstances. We all live in different
countries. Why do some of us live in prosperous places, while others
live in countries that are plagued by poverty and turmoil? Some of
us live long lives, while others die tragically young. This is not
because there is any god playing favoritism or that life is simply
unfair. All of our circumstances are due to the varying causes and
conditions we have planted in the past. Depending on our past
causes, we now reap their effects. Causes breed effects, and the two
cannot be separated.
In
Buddhist literature, there is a verse about the role conditionality
plays in determining our future rebirths:
My
flesh, sentient beings' flesh—
Names different, nature the same.
Of the same nature,
Taking on different forms.
Let
[the animals] suffer pain and agony,
While I enjoy their sweet and tender flesh.
Without waiting for Yama to judge;
We ourselves can imagine what the consequences shall be.
For
just a moment's satisfaction of our taste buds, we cause the death
of many animals, taking the young from their mothers or the parents
from their young. The collective karma of these killings may well be
the future cause of an awful war. Additionally, the desire for
ever-more exotic food has driven many species to the edge of
extinction, indirectly upsetting the balance of our ecological
systems. We only have one Earth and understanding that we may be
reborn into this world many times yet, it is in our own interest to
preserve what we have.
Though
the workings of conditionality may not be immediate and transparent,
we should not doubt its functioning. Causes always yield effects. It
is this interlocking web of causes and effects that gives rise to
all phenomena. Our actions, or karma, are stored in our
alaya-vijnana and become the seeds of future results. Our
circumstances, whether they are fortunate or not, are the results of
previous causes: there is no element of luck involved. Here is a
verse that sheds some light on our common predicament:
Longevity
comes from compassion; early
death comes from acts of killing.
Dignity comes from tolerance; poverty
comes from being miserly and greedy.
Status comes from being respectful; the lack
of status comes from pride.
Muteness comes from slander; blindness
and deafness come from lack of faith.
Impaired faculties and deformities come
from violation of the precepts;
wholeness in the body is the result of
upholding the precepts.
The
moral of this verse is that we determine who we are. On the one
hand, we should treasure our present blessings and not take things
for granted. On the other hand, we should always sow the seeds of
good effects. Along the same line, Chu-tzu (an ancient Chinese
philosopher) used to teach his children with this verse:
A
bowl of porridge, a bowl of rice—
contemplate, they do not come easily.
A bit of silk, a piece of thread—always
appreciate how precious they are.
Plan before a storm; do not start digging a
well when thirsty.
In
this world, there is no effect without a cause, and there is no
cause that does not yield an effect. Additionally, there is no
effect that is inappropriate for its cause, and there is no cause
that will not yield its due effect. Ultimately, cause and effect are
determined by us.
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II.
Looking at Cause and Effect in our relationships with others
Look
around, we all live in different countries and varying places. I may
not know you, and you may not know me. On the surface, it seems
there is a lot of random unconnectedness in this world. Actually, we
do all share some common causes and conditions. In the sutras, it is
said that if one has the ability of looking into the past and the
future, one will see the multitude of sentient beings who had been
or will be our parents, siblings, or relatives in our many
lifetimes.
Let
me tell you a story that illustrates how related we are. Once, there
was a family celebrating a wedding. The house was filled with
guests: family members, relatives, and close friends. Tables spilled
out onto the street, and music filled the air. Everyone was in a
festive mood. It happened that a monk walked by. He stood by the
door, shook his head and sighed. Some of the guests were baffled and
asked him why. The monk answered with the following verse:
Cows,
sheep, animals sitting at table;
Grandmother from a past life is now the bride.
Beating drum in hall: hitting grandpa's skin;
Cooking in pots the aunts.
In
this verse, the monk looked at familial relationships in the context
of conditionality. The bride was once the grandmother in a past
life. The many family members and friends sitting at the table were
cows and sheep in their previous lives. The skin of the drum was
made from the skin of a cow who was once the grandfather of the
mother. The animals that were being cooked in the kitchen pots were
the aunts of a previous life. When we pass away, our individual
cumulative karmic force determines the realm of existence into which
we are reborn. While we are of the same nature, each person's
delusions differ in form and severity, giving each of us a different
phenomenal existence. In our infinite rebirths, we meet and part.
While we may be related in one life, we may be total strangers in
the next.
The
Taiwanese newspapers once carried the following story. From this
story, you can draw your own conclusion about how cause and effect
influences the relationships we have with others. The story began
with a young man who had a terrible fall while mountain climbing in
Taitung. Because of the severity of the fall, he suffered a serious
concussion. In order to save the young man, the medical personnel on
the scene decided to call in a renowned neurologist from Taipei.
Taipei is quite a distance from Taitung, and the doctor was at first
most reluctant. Out of compassion, however, the doctor finally
decided to make the trip. He packed his car with the necessary
medical supplies and headed south. Unexpectedly half way into his
drive, a middle-aged man in a leather jacket stopped the car and
ordered the doctor saying, “Get out. I need the car.”
The
doctor immediately explained, “You don't know what you are doing.
I am a doctor on an emergency call to save a patient.” The
hijacker did not wait for the doctor to finish and pulled him out of
his car. The doctor had no choice, but to hitch a ride from
strangers. When he finally arrived at the scene of the accident,
many hours had passed and the young man had already died. The medic
on the scene was very angry at the doctor for his tardiness and told
him that he was about an hour too late. When the doctor approached
the victim, he saw a middle-aged man beside the dead man crying,
“My son, my son.” The doctor took a look at the middle-aged man
and immediately recognized him as the person who had hijacked his
car earlier. He grabbed the man by his jacket and said, “It is you
who caused your son to die.”
The
man in the leather jacket was the victim's father. In trying to get
to the scene to see his son, he indirectly caused his son's death.
Our relationships with others are governed by the law of cause and
effect, which often works in mysterious and complicated ways.
Sometimes, in trying to love our children, we unknowingly put them
in harm's way. A famous scholar in ancient China, Su Ma-won, once
wrote, “Save a fortune for your heirs, they may not get to enjoy
it. Collect books for your heirs, they may not be able to read them.
In the dark and unknown, the ultimate answer is to accumulate merit
and [set a good example] for our children.” This is food for
thought regarding our relationships with our children.
The
realm of enlightenment and buddhahood is beyond our comprehension;
the workings of cause and effect are equally profound and wondrous.
When we truly understand the deep meaning of cause and effect, we
are in essence understanding the Dharma. Conditionality pervades all
our relationships, and as such, it behooves us to treasure all our
relationships. When we comprehend the meaning of cause and effect,
we will not hesitate to practice love that is grounded in oneness.
When we help others, we are in fact helping ourselves. This is the
joy of the Dharma.
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III.
Looking at How Cause and Effect Play Out in the Past, Present, and
Future
From
the point of view of time, cause and effect spans the threefold
dimension of time, linking us from the past to the present and from
the present to the future. Some causes produce effects in the
present life, while others produce effects in the next life, and
some others still produce effects many lifetimes later. Actually,
this is not hard to visualize. Take the example of growing plants.
Some plants that are seeded in the spring yield fruit in the fall.
This is like producing effects in the present life. Some plants take
a year to bear fruit. This is like producing effects in the next
life. Then there are some plants that will take years before
beginning to bear fruit. This is like producing effects many
lifetimes later. One Chinese proverb says, “[Not that causes] are
without effects; the time just hasn't come yet.” The workings of
conditionality never misfire; it is just a matter of time before the
effect becomes apparent.
When
we observe the world around us, we may sometimes wonder if life is
nothing but a series of random events. We may have heard people say,
“Mrs. Chan is such a nice lady. She is a vegetarian, practices the
Dharma religiously, and gives to all kinds of social causes.
Unfortunately, however, she is also a most unlucky person and has
experienced a lot of misfortune. This is most unfair—how come so
many bad things happen to such a nice person? How can anyone believe
in conditionality?” At other times, we may come across this type
of comment: “That person is such a crook. You would think that he
should somehow have to pay for all the horrible things he has done.
But look, he is rich and powerful. People look up to him. Will he
ever have to pay?” True, when we see bad things happen to good
people, or vice versa, our faith may be called into question.
Actually, there is nothing here that is inconsistent with the Law of
Cause and Effect. Let's go back to the example of Mrs. Chan. The
reason that she does not yet have a chance to enjoy any good fortune
is because of her “karmic debts” from the past. Once her
“karmic debts” are burned up through the process of doing good,
good fortune will await her. As to those who seem to be able to
forever evade the retribution of their bad actions, it is because
they have stores of merit from their past. When their store of merit
is consumed, then the effects of their unwholesome actions will come
knocking at their doors.
Let
me tell you a story that best illustrates how conditionality spans
across time. Once, there was a monk who pledged to build a temple at
a certain location. In ancient China, the method used to raise funds
was different from that used today. Instead of asking for donations,
the monk would sit, or stand, at the site of the future temple and
recite sutras or preach the Dharma, hoping to move the community to
action. For three months, this elderly monk sat at the locale and
recited the sutras, but no one paid him any attention, except for a
young boy selling hotcakes on the street for a nearby store owner.
The young boy could not bear to see the elderly monk not being able
to realize his vow, and compassion arose in him. He thought to
himself, “This poor monk. Maybe if I give him the money from the
hotcakes, I can help him realize his vow.” The boy offered the
money he got from selling hotcakes to the monk. When news of this
boy's gallant action spread, the villagers reflected on their own
nonchalance and felt embarrassed about their parsimony. By words of
mouth, people came from all over to offer help to the monk. In no
time, the monk collected enough money to start construction. The
monk was very moved by the boy's compassion and said to him, “My
little friend, your compassion today has had an enormous impact. You
are a great Dharma friend to our temple. If there is anything I can
do, please do not hesitate to ask.” The young boy just smiled and
went his way.
When
the boy returned to the store, he did not have the money to give to
the store owner. The owner was livid and fired the boy on the spot.
With such short notice, the little boy was not able to find another
job and had to beg for a living. Things went from bad to worse; not
only was he poor, he came down with an infectious disease and
consequently lost his eyesight. With nowhere to turn, he suddenly
recalled what the monk had said to him and decided to go to the
temple for help. Now, this monk had attained the ability to see into
the future and knew beforehand that the little boy would come to him
for help. During the night, he gathered all of his followers
together and left word saying, “Tomorrow, our great patron will be
here. I want you all to be ready to receive him and show him the
utmost respect.”
The
next day, everyone got up early in the morning to clean and dust.
They waited and waited, but no one of importance came to the temple.
Later, the elderly monk asked the monk in charge of hospitality,
“Did our great patron grace us with his presence?”
“I
did not see any great patron come to the temple today.”
The
elderly monk asked further, “Are you telling me that no one came
today?”
“No
one. Oh, only a small blind beggar boy called. He insisted on coming
in, but I was afraid that he would be in the way when the great
patron shows up. So, I gave him a few pieces of bread and asked him
to leave.”
The
elderly monk was flabbergasted and said, “You've made a great
mistake. That little boy is our great patron. Please hurry and see
if you can catch up with him and invite him back.” The young monk
did as he was told and quickly caught up with the little beggar boy.
He invited the boy back to the temple and prepared a guest room so
that the boy might stay in the temple for a while. Unfortunately,
one night when the little boy went to the out-house to relieve
himself, he fell into the latrine pit and drowned.
When
people in the village heard what had happened to the boy, they
discussed among themselves, “Look, how can we say that the Law of
Cause and Effect is functioning here? Everything was going along
just fine when he sold hotcakes for the storeowner. His luck took a
turn for the worse ever since he gave his money to the monk to build
the temple. First, he became a beggar, then he became blind. Just
when he thought things were looking up, he drowned in the temple
out-house. How can we believe in the Law of Cause and Effect?”
Comments like this quickly reached the elderly monk. He gathered
everyone together to address their concerns. He said, “Because of
his past karma, this little boy had to lead three difficult lives.
In this lifetime, he was faced with poverty. In his next life, he
was destined to be blind, and in the third lifetime, he was destined
to die an accidental death in an out-house. His compassion in
helping to build the temple earned him great merit, and he was able
to burn off his karmic debt in one lifetime. In this way, he did not
have to suffer through two more misfortunate rebirths. He is now
being reborn into one of the heavens. We are the creator of our own
circumstances; cause and effect follow us like our own shadow. Due
to our ignorance of the past and future, we tend to look at our turn
of events out of their proper context. How can we say that our
actions would not yield their corresponding effects!” After the
monk had spoken, everyone was moved, and they began to see the
wondrous workings of cause and effect.
In
the sutras, we come across this saying: “Hundreds and thousands of
kalpas may pass, but our karma does not disappear. With the right
cause and conditions, we will reap its effects.” What this means
is that the seeds we sow with our actions, be they good or bad, will
not disappear regardless of how much time has passed. Like a seed
that sprouts under the right conditions, our causes will bear
effects when the right conditions come to pass.
The
workings of cause and effect span through the past, present, and
future. Even though we are not able to see into the past or future,
we can see what happens in the present. The sutras say, “If we
want to know the causes we have planted in our past lives, our
experiences in this life are the effects. If we want to know what
our circumstances will be in the next life, just look at the causes
we are planting in this life.” While we may not be able to do
anything about our past causes, we are in control of the present and
the future. If we understand that our circumstances today are the
effect of past causes, we stand a better chance of accepting our
circumstances with grace. Moreover, we can chart our future by our
actions today. In this way, we mollify our past causes and plant
wholesome seeds for the future. We should all take charge of the
present and practice the Buddha's teachings. When we plant good
seeds today, we will have a bountiful harvest tomorrow. Using this
analogy, the following Chinese verse can help to spur us into action
today:
Every one of us knows the next year will come;
All families
plant for next year's food.
Every one of us knows there is a next life;
Why don't we all plant causes for good
fortune in the next life?
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IV.
Looking at Cause and Effect as a Guide to Actions
Some
people have misguided notions and expectations regarding
conditionality. Someone who had been a vegetarian for a long time
once complained to me, “There's no point in being a vegetarian.
Look at me, I have been a vegetarian for over twenty years, and I am
not any healthier. Since the Buddha has not been looking after me,
why should I continue to be a vegetarian.” I guess he became a
vegetarian because he thought that the Buddha would become his
personal physician and look after his health. Another person
grumbled to me, “Dharma Teacher, I am going to stop reciting
Amitabha's name. For years I have dutifully recited his name, yet I
lost all my money in business. If Amitabha is not going to take care
of me, why should I recite his name?” Ah, he recited Amitabha
Buddha's name not to be reborn into the Pure Land but because he
wanted Amitabha to provide him with financial insurance. All of
these are unreasonable expectations of the buddhas.
We
have to understand that each cause has its respective effect. If we
want good health, we should exercise and maintain a calm mind. If we
want to be wealthy, we should first plant the seeds of wealth by
giving alms. We also need to provide the right conditions for wealth
to grow by working hard, being trustworthy, and helping others
whenever we can. We have to help ourselves first. We cannot simply
hope for wealth by praying to the gods. If we pray to Amitabha
Buddha to help us get ahead while at the same time we selfishly take
advantage of others, we are essentially asking Amitabha to stoop to
our level, which is most ludicrous.
Some
people bring a few pieces of fruit to a temple and expect to strike
a bargain with the buddhas to bless their family with fame and
fortune. If this is how the world operates, will we all not want to
make such a trade? Such a belief is not in accord with right view,
but is characterized by greed and delusion. In this world, you
cannot get something for nothing, and any religion that is worth its
name would not teach its followers to be so opportunistic.
Pai
Chu-yi, a scholar of the Tang dynasty once asked the Ch'an master
Niao-chao to teach him the Dharma. The Ch'an master replied,
“Refrain from all wrongs, practice all good.”
Pai
Chu-yi answered disappointedly, “Is this what the Dharma is about?
It is so simple. Even a three-year-old toddler knows this!”
With
joined palms, the Ch'an master answered smilingly, “Yes, a
three-year-old toddler may know this, but even an eighty-year old
has difficulty practicing it. It is one thing to speak of the
Dharma, it is another to put it into practice.”
While
we instinctively know that we should do good and refrain from evil,
it is very hard to put this into practice. Often, we act impulsively
without thinking through the consequences of our actions. If we can
truly internalize the Law of Cause and Effect, we will have a
constant reminder to think before we act. Sometimes, when we see bad
things happen to good people, we may begin to loose our trust in
conditionality. Seeing good things happen to bad people, we end up
thinking that we may be able to evade the effects of our actions.
Little do we know that while we may be able to temporarily escape
the laws of a society, we will never escape the effects of
conditionality. The following verse gives a good reflection of the
way many of us may look at the world:
Before unwholesome karma bears fruit,
The ill-doer thinks his pursuits bring happiness.
When the effects of karma ripen,
The ill-doer then realizes the destructive nature of his actions.
Before wholesome karma blossoms,
The good-doer looks at his efforts as burdensome.
When the effects unfold,
The good-doer begins to see the goodness of his actions.
If
we can channel the energy we expend to perpetrate harm into
wholesome actions, if we can maintain our resolve when problems
arise, if we can do what is right and not what is easy, we will one
day reap the fruits of our labors.
During
the period of the Warring States in Chinese history, there was a
general by the name of Liu Bei. On his death bed, he left these
words of advice with his son: “Do not commit a wrongdoing thinking
that it is only minor; do not skip doing a good deed just because it
is small.” The sutras explain this a step further, “Do not be
lulled into thinking that a small wrongdoing does not bear any ill
consequence. A trickle of water, though small, can gradually fill a
large container. Do not look down on a small benevolent act,
thinking that it will not yield any blessing. A blessing small like
a trickle of water can accumulate into great blessings.” Thus, in
our daily life, we have to be mindful of our every thought and
action. If we look around and observe the world, we will see how
conditionality applies even to the most minute detail.
When
we see others more fortunate than ourselves, we may long for their
good luck and wonder why we are not equally blessed. Actually, if we
understand the Law of Cause and Effect, we will realize that the
circumstances we find ourselves are the product of our own mind, and
luck has nothing to do with it. Not only is our mind the generator
of karma, it is also the sole agent of karmic change. If we are
continually vigilant of our mind and keep it focused on right
thought, then even misfortune can be changed for the better. If we
let our mind runs wild with ill thoughts, then whatever blessings we
have cannot last.
Venerable
Tzu-hang of Hsi-chu Chen, a city in China, was a well-respected monk
of his time. Before he passed away, he left behind this verse which
puts the interplay of our mind and our karmic conditions into
perspective:
Here's a word of advice to all:
It's
imperative to continually reflect on
Activities and thoughts each day.
Take stock of how much good and harm you have caused.
As long as you have peace of mind,
North, east, south, west are all good.
As long as one person remains to be ferried across,
We must not cross over ourselves.
Dharma nature is inherently empty and serene.
No cause planted is ever lost.
We reap what we sow;
No one can stand in our place.
Places of practice—like a flower in the sky,
moon in
the water—
Build them,
everywhere and ceaselessly.
I
hope you all will do good, fostering many good conditions.
Without delay, work towards liberation for yourself and the world.
While
conditionality never fails, its effect is not always instantaneous.
We, however, should not let our short sightedness get in the way of
our better judgement. I offer you here a verse from which we can
draw a parallel lesson.
Goodness like a green pine, delusion like a flower.
Looking at it presently, [the green pine] pales in comparison.
The morning after a day of frost,
The green pine remains, but not the flower.
While
a blooming flower is a feast to the eyes, it is also fragile and
cannot withstand the test of weather. On the other hand, a tall pine
may be plain, but it is also strong and sturdy. When a storm hits,
it is the green pine that remains standing. The many choices we make
everyday are like choosing between a pretty, but short-lived, flower
and a plain, but sturdy, pine. How we choose is entirely up to us.
Today,
we spent some time talking about cause and effect. I hope we all can
internalize these teachings and realize first hand that we are
responsible for who we are. When we truly understand the nature of
conditionality, we will be in touch with our buddha nature, a realm
of great wisdom and happiness. May your wisdom grow and may you
experience the joy of the Dharma.
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