Causual complexity vs Truth of Buddha dharma

• Amitayus48

  13 Apr 11, 14:13

  
   Causual complexity vs Truth of Buddha dharma

  《�光大师文钞》（�周颂尧居士书）中�到一��素念佛已二�余年, �太太��车祸惨死的故事

  Patriarch Venerable Master Ying Kuang's letter answering a laity's doubt, named 周颂尧居士 about an old lady who died from traffic accident. This lady has been a vegetarian and Buddha remembrance practice for about 20 years.

  This piece of advice from Patriarch Venerable Master Yin Kuang is enlightening and beneficial in the context of blissful and serene living, as well as the necessity to understand the causual complexity for a smooth journey along the path towards inherent nature of enlightenment. In view of my shallow practice and wisdom in Buddha teachings, the translation is not perfectly in tune with Patriarch Venerable Master Yin Kuang's perfect and rightful perception stated in the letter. It is merely a translation of this letter and it requires further elaboration. Pls consult practitioners with deep insight on sages teachings of love.

   

  http://www.dizang.org/wj/yg2/036.htm 

  （民国二�年 - 1920）（附原函 - The original version of letter seeking enlightenment by 周颂尧居士）

  　　今有一疑问，请求�法师慈悲开示。弟��素念佛，已�多年。因为信佛之人，为�方三世诸佛之所护念，天龙八部，大力神王，常�拥护。往世�业，亦�消�，纵有怨对，�能为害。此乃佛�所说，决�虚语。讵于三月间，接到上海�亲处�一讣闻，系一�信佛之张太太，�素已二�余年，常到居士林��。逢人必�念佛�素，心�慈悲行善。�料一日，�素�与�师兄，在马路上行走，为汽车轧死。�为巡�房收去，至三日�，其家�孙晓得，始去领归安殓。余闻悉之下，心中�常惊惶，至今疑惑�解。且佛会中人闻之，亦��安。故特上书，�求�法师开导，指示所以然之故。何以临终如是之苦，究竟�能往生西方�。说个明白，�使大家安心念佛，�胜感德之至。

  Honorable Venerable Master, I have a doubt that required your enlightenment advice.

  As a Buddha's disciple, I have been observing vegetarian and Buddha remembrance practice for many years. According to Buddha/sages teachings, the practitioners would be blessed by Buddhas of the past, present and future, blessed by the spirits of the nether world and those powerful heavenly beings. In addition, past evil karma, would gradually eradicated, even if there are animosity, it will be protected from good will. The aforementioned was firmly in accordance with the teachings stated in Sutra,and is certainly not falsity or false-tell. However, in the month of March 1920, an obituary letter from ShangHai has shaken our understanding on causual effect. It was pertaining to an old lady - Mdm Teo who was cultivating  Buddha remembrance and observed vegetarian for more than 20 years. She was also often present at the Buddhist Lodge attending Dharma Lecture. This old lady was always urging others to practice Buddha remembrance and to observe vegetarian. She was very compassionate in doing good deeds. Unfortunately, one day, while on her walking journey delivering vegetarian meal to a fellow practitioner, she was knocked down by a car and died. Thereafter, her dead body was in the custody of police for three days, before her children and grandchildren knew it and transported it back to perform burying in peace. After reading this unfortunate episode in the context of Buddhism teachings, I personally felt extremely astonished and worried. Up till now, my doubt on causaul effects in this regards has still not been clarified. Even those practitioners in the Buddhism community also had developed similar doubt. Henceforth, I wrote this letter, pleading for Venerable Master's compassionate clarification and guidance, on the rationale behind her unfortunate encounter in her final breath, and whether she was rebirth in Amitabha Pureland,and also to let all practitioners understand and be peace of mind on the path in Buddhism. My utmost respect and thankful for the unsurpassed compassionate enlightenment advice.

  　　接手书，知�下于佛法��，尚未真明。�人从无始以�，所作�业，无�无边。�严�云，�使�业有体相者，�方虚空�能容�。须知人之修�，果真诚无伪，便能转业。转�报�报，为现报轻报。凡夫肉眼，�能�当时之�凶事实，�能知过去与未�之因果何如。此�太太，多年精修，一�惨死，或者由此苦报，便�消�所造三途��之报，而得生善�。或在生有真信愿，亦�往生西方。但�人既无他心�眼，�敢臆断，谓决定往生，与决定�往生也。

  From your letter, it revealed that you were not really clear about the truth of Buddha Dharma. I personally (Venerable Master Ying Kuang), since neither from the beginning, has conceived evil karmic seeds that are beyond calculator. Elaborated in the Flower Adornment Sutra - if evil karmic seeds have its form,the atmosphere in the 10 directions (north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest, top and bottom) and across atmoshperes of all the universes, are not able to accommodate them. You ought to understand that the sincere cultivation of the Absolute one, would be able to transform karma. It would transform heavy karmic into lighter one; future retributions into present retributions. The naked eyes of sentient beings only can experience the truth of good & bad phenomenons at that given moment. They are unable to realize the episodes of past & future karmic development. This old lady has been cultivating good deeds for many years, although she may have experienced this unfortunate accident, it eliminated her bad causual effects of the past lives,  that supposed to be atoned in the 3 bad realms, and rebirth in the 3 good realms. If she has true faith and vow towards Amitabha Land of Ultimate Bliss, she was able to rebirth in the Western Paradise. However, my enlightenment mind were not opened yet (他心é�“眼 [Psychic Power with regards to the mind] is one of the inherent Six Psychic Power == 六神通 (http://fodian.goodweb.cn/dict_read5.asp?ID=332)) Therefore, I cannot firmly state that she has already rebirth or not rebirth in Pureland.

  其�决定者，为善必有善报，作�必有�报。为善而得�报，乃宿世之�业果报，�现在之善业果报也。�等诸人，�此�人，得此果报，心中便有为善无�，善�足为之邪�，故致惊惶疑惑。其知�，与未闻佛法之人，有何�异。倘深信佛言，决�以此事，作此惊惶疑惑之�。以因果之事，��无尽，此因未报，彼果先熟。如�稻然，早�者早收。如欠债然，力强者先牵。

  Nevertheless, I only can firmly claim that good deeds beget good causual effects, while bad deeds beget bad causual effects. Conducting good deeds resulted in bad effects, is due to past lives of bad karmic retributions, and is not as a result of present good deeds being cultivated. As for you all, experienced this old folk undergoing this bad effect and arose the doubtful on sages teachings that good causes begets bad eventuality, this was due to your lack of kind nature that had given rise to evil perception/view. As a result, astonishment, worried and doubts had taken precedence. This sentience's point of view is no different from those haven't contacted with the teachings of inherent wisdom / Buddha dharma. For practitioners who have deep root and nature faith in sage words, would never develop egoism of doubt and worry. Matter related to causual effects are heaped piled endlessly. The result of this cause is not being retributed, while the result of that effect erupts first. It is liken  to the nature of sowing paddy rice, the earlier one would harvest first; It is also liken to owing of debt, the most powerful would be in force first.

  �有一生作善，临终�死，以消�宿业，次生便得富贵尊�者。如宋阿育王寺一僧，欲修�利殿，念沂亲王有势力，往募，所�无几，愤�，以斧于�利殿�断其手，血�而死。�时，其王生一�，哭�止。奶�抱之游行，至挂�利塔图处则�哭，离开�哭。�将其图�下，奶�常�彼�之，则永�哭。王闻而异之,�使人往育王问其僧，则�于其�生日，断手�血而死。彼王�独修�利殿。�年二�，�宗崩，无�，�令彼过继，为皇�四�一年，�宋�宗也。此僧之死，亦属惨死，使无常哭�止，��利图则�哭，人�知此�，乃此僧断手惨死者之�身乎。此事载阿育王山志，光于光绪二�一年，拜�利数�日，看之。

  Thus, there are those doing good deeds, and met with evil death. In fact, it is the eradication of past evil deeds, while the next rebirth is being retributed with rich & honor, wealth & rank and nobility. For instance, during the Song Dynasty, there was a Venerable who dearly wished to renovate this hall by the name called precious stone hall [èˆ�利殿]. He proceeded to seek for donation from a wealthy and powerful official, the title of this official was known as “brother-in-law king” (( 亲王 based on transliteration from mandarin) or the  brother of the Emperor whom the title was being conferred by Emperor in the kind of dynasty throne). He was very worked up with the meager sum being donated, and reacted negatively by chopping off his own hand in front of the hall. He was bled to death. On the other hand, the wife of this official had given birth to a son, but this baby has never stopped crying. The nanny cradled him here and there in the hope to pacify him. When she has walked towards the place displaying the picture of this precious stone hall, the baby immediately stopped his crying, as and when she moved away from the picture, the baby started to cry again. The nanny then brought along this picture to accompany the baby to stop his cry and never seen him crying again. When this official came to know about this abnormal occurrence, he sent a man to inquire about this Venerable. He realized that his son birth date and the death of this Venerable matched perfectly. The official then realized something amissed and begun to do and completed the renovation of this precious stone hall. When his son reached 20 years old, the Emperor of that time has no son to take over his throne. He  ordered to past over his throne to this child, and had became the Emperor then, for a period of 41 years, historically known as 宋ç�†å®—.The venerable who died badly rebirth as a crying child. This eventful story was recorded in the magazine called 阿育王山志. I read this article while I (referring to Patriarch Yin Kuang) was performing the practice of prostration of the precious stone for tenths of days.

  明�之人，任彼境�如何，决�疑因果有差，佛语或妄。�明�，守死规矩，而�知因果��，�致妄生疑议，总因心无正�故也。如所说念佛之人，有三�加被，龙天护佑，此系一定之�，断�致或有虚妄。然于转�报�报，为现报轻报之�，未能了知，故��有此����之疑议也。

  For practitioner who has insight on the nature of enlightenment, in whatsoever the encounters of life that are undergoing, the doubt on causual effects would never arise. Practitioners that lack of insight, and remained strong guarded on rule and custom of practice, and without understanding the complexity of its causual effects, and given rise to delusion of view and doubtful, was generally due to lack of rightful perception. For instance, the saying of blessings accorded to those Buddha remembrance practitioners is in fact, true. However, the complete lack of understanding on sages teachings relating to the transformation of heavy and future karma into present retribution and light effects, would result in the aforementioned doubtful view against sages teachings, and it can never be precluded.

  昔西域戒贤论师，德高一世，�震四竺。（四天竺国。）由宿业故，身婴�病，其苦�酷，�能��，欲行自尽。适�文殊，普贤，观世音三���，谓曰，�往昔劫中，多作国王，�害众生，当久堕��。由��扬佛法，故以此人间�苦，消�长劫地狱之苦，�宜��。

  In the past in India, a highly honorable and great Abhidharma  Master namely Venerable “Precept Virtue” (戒贤论师) – (Tripitaka 三è—�（經ã€�律ã€�論）：Sanskrit; literally, "the three baskets". It refers to the Buddhist canon, which has three parts: the sutras, the Vinaya, or monastic code, and the Abhidharma – Buddhist philosophical treatise.].. He was a renown venerable across India with high attainment. In view of his past evil deeds, born with diabolical illness, the affliction he undergone was extremely bad that he no longer could endure it. While desire arises for suicide to end this suffering, Manjushri 文殊è�©è�¨, Samantabhadra 普贤, and Avalokitesvara 觀世音 appeared to explain the rationale of his suffering, that he has been a ruler for many lifetimes in his past lives, who had conducted harmful acts towards sentience under his ruling, and hence, should rightfully demoted into the hell realm in this lifespan to atone his past evil deeds. Nonetheless, attributing to his dharma propagation, this small human sufferings in this present life was actually the atonement of his lengthy kalpa periods of hellish retribution. The advice was to endure and go through with it.

  大�国有僧，�玄奘，当过三年，�此�法。戒贤论师闻之，��苦�悔，久之�愈。至三年�，玄奘至彼，戒公令弟�说其病苦之状。其说苦之人，哽咽�泪，�知其苦太甚。使�明宿世之因，人将谓戒贤�得�高僧。或将谓如此大修行人，尚得如此惨病，佛法有何�感利益乎。�等?中所知者�，故��异相，便生惊疑。无善根人，�退�心。倘造�之人现得�报，亦�如是起邪�心。�知皆是�因�果，�转�报�报，为现报轻报，�转现报轻报，为�报�报等，������之故也。（续．�上）

   The aforementioned Bodhisavattas further informed him that there was this venerable Hsuan Chuang (玄奘) who would be arriving 3 years later to receive the transferring of Buddha dharma. Upon listening the advice, 戒贤论师 endured the sufferings and remorse for his past evil deeds done as rulers. Gradually, he recovered and 3 years later,  venerable Hsuan Chuang arrived.  戒贤论师then asked his disciple to tell Venerable Hsuan Chuang about the terrible experience of suffering undergone by his teacher. In the process, this disciple cried badly while conveying the painful experience. In this regard, the tremendous degree of suffering undergone by  戒贤论师 was very palpable. This is some good examples for those practitioners who lack of wisdom in the causual effects and those who failed to understand the karma of past lives and  defame Buddha dharma based on the bad effect experienced by high attainment like that of Venerable 戒贤 or doubtful on those great practitioners who have suffered in extremely bad circumstances along the path of Buddhism. For moderate level practitioners who are mildly realized, would certainly arise misleading view and developing doubt. For those who are lack of kindness nature, they would withdraw the faith in pursuing the goal of enlightenment path. There is this incorrect perception arises upon witnessing the living example of those who conducted evil acts but gained prosperity and fame, which in fact, it is the devoid of understanding on the complexity of past deeds and future fruition. The transformation of future and heavy effects into the present and light effects, and further transformation of present and light retributions into future and heavy effects. This is the result of various types of causual effects and its nature of complexity.

  Amitofo