How can we fix this? Reduce our time at work, at play. With purity of mind, we will need less. Our lives are wasted in our attempts to attain things. We brought nothing into this life. We will take nothing when we leave it. What we need is a simple manner of living. Buddha Shakyamuni lived a simple life with merely the essentials; one meal a day, three clothes, sleeping under a tree at night, yet he lived a happy, content life.
By following his example and living a simple lifestyle we can reduce our attachments and likewise lead contented lives. Work one year, take off one year. A simple manner of living brings us happiness and serenity. If we do not attach to giving or receiving, we will enter the awakened being's state of quiet joy, tranquillity, serenity, gentleness. How can we change the direction in which we are headed? By learning how to overcome our greed, anger, ignorance and arrogance so that our minds will no longer be deluded by awakened. By understanding the Law of Cause and Effect. It has been said that Bodhisattvas, who are beings who help others to reach realization after achieving their own, fear causes while sentient beings fear effects. Understanding this as they do, Bodhisattvas fear committing ill effects and therefore, they take steps to avoid creating all negative causes. In so doing, they eradicate the debts; the karmic obstacles generated from their previous wrongdoings as well as accumulate perfect merits and virtues until they reach the state of Buddhahood.
Whether worldly dharma, which includes things, events, phenomena, everything of this world, or Buddha Dharma, which is the teaching of the Buddhas; nothing is beyond the Law of Cause and Effect. It is said that everything is empty and unreal, an eternally impermanent element. But the Law of Cause and Effect is unchangeable and real, an eternally permanent element.
Both cause and effect are closely related as they co-exist mutually. A causal action becomes a consequential effect and this effect in turn gives rise to another causal action. From this endless cycle, we can see that a particular causal action is not fixed. Neither is a single effect the only effect. The combination of cause and effect forms a vicious cycle, the cycle of reincarnation.
A Bodhisattva is an awakened, understanding being and is therefore well aware that every single causal action produces an effect. Because of this, they are very cautious in their every thought, word and action. Fearful that a causal action will become a negative karmic effect in the future. For they will certainly have to personally bear the consequences.
Unlike Bodhisattvas, sentient beings do not understand the principles and the realities of life. The little knowledge we may have is limited and vague, far from complete. Consequently, we carelessly commit causal actions and do not understand, when the effects occur later, why they happened. It is then too late for us to regret. And for most of us, not only do we not feel remorse, but also we blame others for our misfortune. This in turn creates more bad effects. Cause and effect is constantly being played out all around us. If we are unable to connect the occurrences, it is because we are not mindful, rather we are rash and careless, not yet truly understanding.
Regardless of the method we practice, the method of practicing Buddha name recitation while seeking birth into the Western Pure Land, adheres to the Law of Cause and Effect. For our own sake, we do not want to not create any more bad deeds or causes, to only cultivate kind deeds, which is what ancient masters, sages and the patriarchs tired so hard to encourage us to do.
The Pure Land method allows us to carry our existing karma to the Western Pure Land. However, it is crucial that we understand that existing karma refers to the “old” and not the “new”. This “new” existing karma, which is created in the present, cannot be brought to the Pure Land. Actually, this new karma will be one of the impediments obstructing us from reaching the Pure Land. Carrying over our “old” existing karma means carrying over the negative karma that was created before we began to learn and practice Buddhism.
With this understanding, we must resolve not to create any more negative karma. Only then can we be totally liberated. It would be wrong to think that we can still be born in the Pure Land even if we continue to do bad deeds, that chanting alone will be enough. It has been said that out of ten thousand people, who practice the Buddha Name Recitation Method, only a handful are able to obtain birth into the Pure Land. Why? They did not stop creating negative karma in the present lifetime. In the end, regardless of all their chanting they were unable to obtain birth into the Pure Land. They still bore their consequences in the six realms of reincarnation. It is crucial that we understand this.
To practice Buddhism, we need to bring forth the Bodhi mind. What is the Bodhi mind? The awakened mind. The mind that clearly understands the principles and true reality of life and the universe. The great, compassionate mind, with every thought to attain complete realization for self and to help all others to do so as well. The mind with perfect determination to cease committing all wrongdoings, to cultivate only kind deeds, to practice only virtuous ways.
The great compassionate and sincere Bodhi Mind is to offer without selfishness. It is a mind without self-regard. The mind with no expectation of reward. With this mind, we will be able to care for all beings as we are for ourselves, for our family. Practicing with this Bodhi mind our karmic debts can be eradicated. The Buddha has explained it in this manner so that we are able to understand.
In truth, our karmic debts cannot be eradicated but can only be transformed into good fortune, which is happiness, intelligence, wellbeing, prosperity, etc. It is the great benefit of the human and celestial realms, therefore, it is only temporary and still subject to birth and death. However, transformation is equivalent to elimination to transform our afflictions into the Bodhi mind. It is to transform the cycle of birth and death into the state of Nirvana. In the process of transformation, our merits and virtues become flawless and reach completion as we attain Buddhahood, the ultimate perfection.
In the Flower Adornment Sutra , the Buddha tells us that all sentient beings inherently possess the virtuous abilities and innate wisdom of the Buddhas. In other words, all sentient beings have the same Buddha nature, the same self-nature, our original, true self that we still have, but which is currently obstructed, currently covered by our deluded thoughts, our wandering and discriminatory thoughts and attachments. But this original self-nature is not permanently lost.
