(Photo by Tzu Chi Singapore documenting team)
During the Buddha’s time, one of his disciples, Kumara-Kasyapa practised spiritual cultivation in a village and at the same time also taught the Dharma to people. One day, a wealthy elder approached Kumara-Kasyapa and enquired, “Respected sage, you often say that when one leaves this world, it is his karma that decides if he will take rebirth in the heaven or hell realms. It all sounds very reasonable, but how does one prove the truth of these words? Can you give a real example? You also teach that it is our mind that creates all our circumstances. Can you explain what the mind is about? What are its form and function?”
Kumara-Kasyapa replied, “Elder, taking the example of a man who has been sentenced to death by the king for committing a serious offence, if his family were to plead that he be allowed to return home to visit them, do you think the king would agree?”
“That cannot be possible since the sentence has been passed and he has to undergo the punishment,” said the elder.
In return, Kumara-Kasyapa pointed out that by the same reasoning, a person who has committed grave sins and descended into the hell realm would experience constant suffering for a long time and would not be able to return to the human realm to share his example as a warning to others.
The elder then enquired about beings in the heavenly realms. Surely they could re-visit the human realm and share their experience?
Kumara-Kasyapa replied with another question: “If a man dreams that he is happily reunited with his family, would his family in his hometown be able to experience the happy event?”
“Only the man himself would be able to experience what he dreamt. How would others be able to know of his experience?” came the elder’s response.
Kumara-Kasyapa then explained that by the same logic, the good and bad karma created by an individual can only be experienced by that individual himself. Though concrete examples may not be available right before our eyes, we should bear in mind that “faith is the root of all goodness”, so we must have faith in the Dharma and think deeply about its true principles.
Learning the Dharma with a Rational Mind
The wife of a very successful entrepreneur once asked me: “My husband’s elder brother does not believe in the law of karma. I hope very much that he can join Tzu Chi. However, he said that since we Buddhists believe we will reap good karmic fruits by doing good, and that Buddhism teaches about the cycle of rebirth, he wanted to be shown concrete evidence of these teachings. I do not know how I can convince him.”
My reply was that it is difficult to show living proof of reincarnation and the six realms of rebirth; they can only be realized and understood by the mind through one’s own experiences. If one lacks sincere faith, is unwilling to make an effort to understand the teachings, and simply demands to be shown concrete proof, he will not realize the Truth.
The lady further told me that her brother-in-law believed strongly in geomancy and had spent a lot of money on trying to rectify the unfavourable fengshui of his father’s grave. How contradictory it is that he has chosen to place his belief in superstitions!
In learning the Dharma, we must be rational and exercise our intellect; we can distinguish right from wrong by paying close attention to the real-life examples we observe around us. What we should worry about is whether our thoughts and actions have strayed from the right path as this is what brings about real karmic consequences.
It is important that we be aware of the karmic seeds we sow now and the karmic fruits they will bring, because whatever karma that ripens and manifests in our life in the future is determined by our actions in the present.
Therefore, do not dwell on the difficult circumstances in our lives now and wonder if they are due to negative geomantic influences related to our ancestors’ graves. The dead and the living walk different paths and so, we should not burden ourselves with such worries. In learning Buddhism, we must develop our discerning intellect. We should not engage in superstitious beliefs that cause mental anxiety and thus make us feel compelled to take certain actions out of fear. The true Dharma can guide us to walk the Bodhisattva Path with joy, and we will not talk about supernatural forces or spirits, which induce fear in others.
In all, only when our thoughts are proper, and we eschew superstitious beliefs are we truly learning the Buddha’s Way.
Source: Tzu Chi Taiwan website
Extracted from “The Master Tells Stories” by Dharma Master Cheng Yen
Translated by the Tzu Chi Singapore translation team
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