There are three aspects of a karmic effect. First, good fortune arising from kind deeds or suffering arising from misdeeds may manifest within the present lifetime. Second, the respective karmic effects may not manifest within the present lifetime but in the next lifetime. Third, such karmic effects may not manifest until the third lifetime or they may not show up until after innumerable lifetimes. So, causal actions do not give rise to various karmic effects, we just cannot be certain when they will appear.
Under what circumstances would these karmic effects take effect? Good or bad karmic results can only be brought about by the existence of a catalystic condition or circumstance. If the appropriate condition matures in the present lifetime, the respective karmic effect will then manifest itself within the present life time. Hence, the first aspect of a karmic effect.
Similarly, should the catalystic condition mature in the next lifetime, the karmic effect will manifest itself then. Hence, the second aspect of a karmic effect. Finally, should the condition fail to arise after numerous lifetimes, the karmic cause can never be eradicated. Perhaps after the passing of immeasurable eons, the catalystic condition may finally arise and then the karmic effect will manifest itself.
Take for example, a story told by the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra . An old man had requested to become a monk. For this to happen, one needed to have good roots, good fortune, virtues and the right conditions. At that time, all those who became monks under Buddha Shakyamuni's guidance achieved attainment. Buddha Shakyamuni tested his student's ability by asking them to decide whether to accept the old man as a monk. All of the students were Arhats and thus, were capable of knowing a person's past five hundred lifetimes. They doomed the old man as a prospect, because they thought that he had not planted the good roots within those lifetimes.
But, Buddha Shakyamuni told them that infinite eons ago, this old man had been a woodchopper. One day when he ran into a tiger on the mountain, he climbed up a tree to escape, calling out, “Homage to the Buddha”, for help. With only those few words, the old man had planted his cause. When he met with Buddha Shakyamuni after innumerable eons, the conditions had matured. Buddha Shakyamuni therefore accepted the man as a monk who later attained the level of Arhat, a state in which one possesses no erroneous perceptions, views, speech of behaviour. This is an example of a karmic effect, which manifested itself after innumerable lifetimes.
Every thought, word and action arising from our hearts and minds creates a karmic effect. We reap what we sow. By sowing good causes, we reap good consequences: sowing bad causes, we reap bad consequences. Even Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot alter this reality. The respective karmic effect will only manifest itself when the relevant condition ripens. If we do not yet see these results, it is only because the appropriate time has not matured.
With thorough understanding of this truth, we will naturally become very watchful of our every thought, word and action. We will also be able to adopt the right attitude when interacting with others, matters and affairs to accumulate more good fortune. When we are yet not able to uncover our virtuous self-nature due to our lack of awakening, we can only receive the benefits through virtuous cultivation.
The guideline for determining good and bad deeds has been clearly defined by the Buddha. When every thought arising from our mind is dedicated to the benefit of all sentient beings, we will create good fortune. But when every thought is solely to benefit ourselves, we will generate negative karma. We need to stop benefiting ourselves at the expense of hurting others for such behaviour only creates negative karma that we will have to repay later. If we do not believe this it will still happen. To correct it, we need to constantly practice great compassion.
Why do we use this guideline of whether we are benefiting ourselves or benefiting others to determine whether we are creating bad or good karma? Remember that the karmic causes of the Ten Dharma Realms are manifested from wandering and discriminatory thoughts and attachments. When every thought contains the element of “self” , is for “us”, our attachments are very severe. Consequently, we are still lost in the cycle of birth and death. Still mired in the ten realms of existence. Thus, it is negative karma when every rising thought is only of us, our family, our group, our country.
Ordinary people do not understand this, are under the misconception that it is perfectly natural, even correct to think in this way. They do not realize that such views are totally contrary to the wisdom of the Buddha. Unlike the Buddha, we are unable to perceive clearly and thus we have always seen things in a false light. The Buddha, knowing and understanding all, speaks only the truth.
Each and every thought is a karmic act. If a cause arises from wisdom, so then will the effect. If a cause arises from ignorance, so will the effect. Unfortunately, we plant causes mainly due to our ignorance and this is why we have created innumerable transgressions in our past and present lifetimes. Most of the time our bad deeds outweigh our good ones. If our good deeds had exceeded the bad ones, we would have already transcended the cycle of birth and death.
As long as we remain in this cycle, we will undoubtedly commit more bad than good deeds. Thus, we ought to be very cautious and mindful. However, the Buddha tells us that our karma is not fixed and can be transformed. Since everything arises from our minds, karma also arises from our minds. Since our wrongdoings are created by our minds, then they can also be transformed by our minds. Once we have attained purity of mind, our karma will be eradicated.
Often we fail to understand the full impact of the Buddha's words. This is due to our confused minds and deviated viewpoints. We have read in the sutras that awakened beings, such as Arhats and Bodhisattvas, will be terrified after listening to these words of the Buddha. They tell us that an Arhat will sweat blood when they remember the unimaginable suffering they underwent in their past lives in the Avici Hell, the lowest of the hell realms. Thus, they are far more vigilant than we are. Since we are not yet capable of knowing our past lives, we do not know, do not remember any of this. We too have all been in the hell realms before. And as long as we are still mired in the cycle of birth and death, we will most certainly go there again and often.
The time spent in the hell realms is comprised of infinite eons while the time spent in the highest level of Heaven is a relatively short eighty thousand great eons. Although we all have committed heavy wrongdoings, we can still be helped before falling into the hell realms. But, once we have descended into them, it is extremely difficult for us to be helped notwithstanding the presence of Earth Treasure Bodhisattva who is there to help all sentient beings. Any Buddha or Bodhisattva, who has an affinity with a sentient being in hell and goes there to teach him or her, is called Earth Treasure Bodhisattva.
We may have an affinity with a sentient being in the hell realms. When we become a Bodhisattva or a Buddha and the catalystic condition has matured, we will be able to go there to help them and then we too will be called Earth Treasure Bodhisattva. Therefore, the name of a Buddha or Bodhisattva is a generic term and does not indicate any one specific individual.
