(Photo by Chua Yu Leong)
Questions: Do "karmic creditors" really exist? Will “doing meritorious deeds” eliminate disaster?
The Master's answered:
Master Cheng Yen quoted the story from the Water Repentance Sutra about the Tang dynasty’s Venerable Zhixuan, conferred as Dharma Master Wu Da, who encountered the holy Kanakavatsa and used Samadhi water to eliminate resentments that lasted for numerous lifetimes. After ten lifetimes, General Chaocuo could still find Yuan Ang’s reincarnation – Dharma Master Wuda, who beheaded him in the past life. This is quite an extreme attachment. However, as Yuan Ang was reborn as a highly revered monk for ten lifetimes, his heart was upright and vigorous, which deterred Chaocuo from getting close to him. However, Chaocuo was too persistent in seeking revenge, and the vengeance accumulated between them remained unresolved over many lifetimes. Due to the rise of arrogance in Dharma Master Wu Da in that particular lifetime, it gave Chaocuo the opportunity to enter his body in the form of a human-faced ulcer. Fortunately, the great Kanakavatsa comprehended the intertwining debts of karma between them. In fact, as long as one lets go of one’s attachment, it will naturally open up one’s mind and set one free.
“The life script that people wrote in their past life will be “performed” in this lifetime. What people do in this lifetime will decide the content of their life script for their next life. If one keeps thinking about how much merit and virtue one has accumulated, those merits and virtues will be limited. Moreover, we should not do it for merits. Tzu Chi volunteers do whatever is right and find joy in it.
To guide people away from superstitions, Master Cheng Yen said earnestly: “Nowadays, science and technology are so advanced and medical equipment are very precise. If one chooses to seek an answer from God due to self-inflicted fear and doubt, all that effort would be in vain. If the body check-up report is normal, that means the person is healthy. If one feels unwell, one must seek medical treatment from a doctor. If one has psychological doubts, one should go to Dharma Masters, have a heart-to-heart talk, and let the heart be free from worries.
Translated by Michelle Lim Cheng Wai
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