Karma and Retribution: The Fundamental Law of the Buddhist Universe
A Grudge That Lasted Ten Lifetimes
During the Yizong reign of the Tang Dynasty, there was a high monk named Zhixuan. Because of his profound knowledge of Buddhism, he was titled "Imperial Preceptor Wuda" by the Emperor and granted a fragrant agarwood throne. This was a great honor, and a trace of pride inevitably arose in Imperial Preceptor Wuda's heart.
Just after this thought of pride arose, a strange sore grew on his knee. The shape of this sore was like a human face, with eyebrows, eyes, and even a mouth. Every time it was fed food and drink, it would open its mouth and swallow like a human. What was more terrifying was that the sore caused pain that pierced to the bone. Famous doctors from all over the land were invited, but none could do anything.
Imperial Preceptor Wuda remembered that years ago in Chang'an, he had met a sick monk whose body was covered in sores and smelled foul. Everyone avoided him, but Wuda did not disdain him and took care of him personally. Before parting, the sick monk said, "If you encounter any difficulty in the future, you can come to Jiulong Mountain in Pengzhou, Western Shu, to find me." The Imperial Preceptor then went to Jiulong Mountain to seek him out. Indeed, he found the monk, who turned out to be an enlightened sage. The sage used Samadhi Dharma Water to wash the human-face sore for him.
At the moment the Dharma water poured down, the human-face sore spoke.
It said: "Do you know who I am? I am Chao Cuo. In the Western Han Dynasty, you were Yuan Ang. Because of political disagreement, you proposed a plan that led the Emperor to execute me by cutting me in half at the Eastern Market. I have chased you for this grudge for ten lifetimes. But for ten lifetimes, you were a high monk who kept the precepts strictly, and I could not find an opportunity to harm you. It was not until this life, when you gave rise to a thought of arrogance because of the Emperor's favor, that I finally waited for the chance for revenge. Today, thanks to the sage resolving our grievance with Samadhi Dharma Water, our enmity is wiped clean from now on."
After speaking, the human-face sore disappeared. Imperial Preceptor Wuda wept bitterly and practiced even more diligently from then on. Later, he wrote down this experience as the Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance, which has been handed down to this day.
This story is one of the most famous cases of karma in the history of Chinese Buddhism. It tells us several things: Karmic retribution is real, and one cannot escape it even after ten lifetimes; karmic force can be suppressed but will not disappear, and as soon as there is a crack, it will manifest; and most importantly, when will vengeance end? Resolving grievances is the ultimate way.
What Exactly is Karma?
We have heard the word "Karma" (Cause and Effect) since we were young, but what does it really mean?
Simply put, "Cause" is the reason, and "Effect" is the result. You reap what you sow. Plant melons and you get melons; plant beans and you get beans. Everyone understands this principle in agriculture. Buddhism extends this principle to everything, believing that the occurrence of all things in the universe follows the law of cause and effect.
But the karma spoken of in Buddhism is much more complex than our daily understanding. It is not as simple as "do good and you will be rewarded." It involves the Three Periods—past, present, and future; it involves Karmic Force—an invisible but truly operating force; it involves Conditions—causes need conditions to bear fruit.
Let's talk about "Conditions" (Yuan) first. Cause and effect is not mechanical; it's not like turning on a light by pressing a switch. For a cause to bear fruit, it needs the cooperation of conditions. For example, a seed is a cause, but for the seed to sprout and bear fruit, it needs conditions like soil, water, sunlight, and temperature. If you put a seed in a vacuum, it will never sprout because there are no conditions. Similarly, the karma we created in the past is the cause, but for this cause to bear fruit, it also needs the cooperation of conditions. Some karmic causes do not meet conditions, so they remain latent, waiting for the arrival of conditions.
This explains why some retributions come quickly and some come slowly. Some karmic causes meet conditions quickly, so the retribution manifests quickly; some wait a long time to meet conditions, so the retribution comes slowly. Therefore, the ancients said: "Good and evil will eventually have their retribution; it is only a matter of coming early or late." It is not that there is no retribution; the time has not yet arrived.
Why Do Good People Not Have Good Rewards?
This is a confusion for many people: Why do some people who do much evil live prosperously? Why do some people who do good all their lives face constant hardships? If karmic retribution is real, how can this be explained?
The Buddhist explanation is: Karma must be viewed through the Three Periods.
We only see this life, but life is not just this one life. Before this life, we have experienced countless lives; after this life, we will experience countless more. The account of karma is not settled in this one life; it is calculated across three periods.
That person who does evil but enjoys blessings is enjoying the blessings accumulated from doing good in past lives. The blessings have not been used up, so he is still enjoying them in this life. But the evil he does in this life has already planted seeds, and when the conditions mature in the future, the suffering retribution will definitely manifest. It is like a person who has a large deposit and now starts to owe debt. The deposit hasn't been spent yet, so life is still passable; but the debt is accumulating, and sooner or later the deposit will run out, and then the debt will have to be paid.
That person who does good but suffers is suffering the karmic obstacles accumulated from doing evil in past lives. The karmic obstacles have not been eliminated yet, so he is still suffering in this life. But the good he does in this life has also planted seeds, and when the conditions mature in the future, the blessings will definitely manifest. It is like a person burdened with past debts who now starts working hard to save money. The debt hasn't been paid off, so life is still tight; but the savings are accumulating, and sooner or later the debt will be paid off, and life will get better.
Seen this way, karma is fair. It is not that there is no retribution; the account is calculated across three periods.
There is also a situation called "Heavy Retribution Received Lightly." Originally, the evil karma created in past lives should have resulted in a very heavy suffering retribution, such as falling into the evil realms in the next life. But because of diligent practice, repentance, and doing good in this life, the heavy retribution is transformed into a light one, becoming a small suffering in this life that eliminates it. On the surface, it looks like "good people don't get good rewards," but in fact, it is the merit of practice at work, turning the heavy into light. This is actually a good thing, only we don't know it.
That Invisible Hand
The operating mechanism of the law of cause and effect is called "Karma" (Karmic Force) in Buddhism.
The word "Karma" is Karma in Sanskrit, originally meaning "action" or "doing." Our daily actions, speech, and thoughts are all called creating karma. Good actions are good karma, evil actions are evil karma, and neutral actions are neutral karma. These karmas do not disappear; they are stored in our deep consciousness like seeds, waiting to sprout and bear fruit when conditions mature.
Karma has several characteristics worth noting.
First, karma is self-created and self-received. There is no external god judging us, rewarding us, or punishing us. Everything is the karma created by oneself, and the retribution is borne by oneself. This is where Buddhism differs significantly from other religions. In the Buddhist worldview, there is no "judge," only the "law of cause and effect." You reap what you sow, just like the laws of nature—fair, objective, and without exception.
Second, karma can be accumulated. It's not that if you do a good deed today, you will definitely have a good reward tomorrow. Karma is cumulative; if good karma accumulates, blessings will be great; if evil karma accumulates, karmic obstacles will be heavy. This is why some people are successful in everything they do, while others fail in everything—it's not a matter of luck, but the difference in karma accumulated in past lives.
Third, and most importantly, karma can be changed. The karma of the past has already been created and cannot be taken back. But the destiny of the future is still in our own hands. By cutting off evil and cultivating good, repenting of karmic obstacles, and practicing diligently, the direction of karma can be changed.
There is a book from the Ming Dynasty called Liaofan's Four Lessons, which is a family instruction written by Mr. Yuan Liaofan to his son. When Yuan Liaofan was young, a fortune teller predicted his entire life: what rank he would achieve in exams every year, what official position he would hold, when he would die, and even that he would have no sons. Miraculously, in the following years, everything the fortune teller said came true one by one.
Yuan Liaofan began to believe that destiny was predestined. Since it was so, what was the use of effort? So he lost all ambition and idled his days away. Later, he met a Zen master named Yungu, who asked him, "Why are you so unpromising?" Yuan Liaofan told him about the fortune telling. Zen Master Yungu laughed loudly: "I thought you were a hero, but it turns out you are just an ordinary man."
The Zen master told him: Destiny is indeed the result of past karma, but karma can be changed. "Destiny is created by oneself, blessings are sought by oneself." As long as you start to cut off evil and cultivate good from now on, destiny can be changed.
Yuan Liaofan listened and from then on recorded his good and bad deeds every day, vowing to do good. As a result, his destiny really changed—the fortune teller said he would have no sons, but he had a son; said he would only live to fifty-three, but he lived to seventy-four; said he would only pass the exam as a Gongsheng, but he passed as a Jinshi.
This story is not a myth; it is a true event. It tells us a very important principle: The law of cause and effect is not fatalism. Precisely because there is the law of cause and effect, we can change the effect by changing the cause. Destiny is not carved in stone; destiny is created by oneself.
Every Thought is Karma
We usually think that only things we do count as creating karma, and thinking in the mind doesn't count. This is a misunderstanding.
Buddhism says that karma is divided into three types: bodily karma, verbal karma, and mental karma. Bodily karma is done by the body, verbal karma is spoken by the mouth, and mental karma is thought by the mind. All three count as creating karma, and mental karma is the root of bodily and verbal karma.
Think about it, why do we steal? Because a thought of greed arose in the mind first. Why do we hit or scold people? Because a thought of anger arose in the mind first. All bodily and verbal karma, traced back to the source, comes from mental karma. The Avatamsaka Sutra says: "Everything is created by the mind." Our destiny, in the final analysis, is created by our thoughts.
This makes practice very subtle. Not only must we be careful with our actions and speech, but we must also be careful with every rising thought. When an evil thought arises, even if it is not spoken or acted upon, it is already a seed planted in our deep consciousness. Although this seed is lighter than bodily or verbal karma, if it arises repeatedly, its power will become stronger and stronger, and one day it will turn into action.
Therefore, the ancients said: "Bodhisattvas fear the cause, sentient beings fear the effect." Bodhisattvas know the severity of cause and effect, so they are very careful at the point of rising thoughts, not letting evil causes be planted. Sentient beings do not understand cause and effect, giving rise to thoughts and acting casually, and only when the retribution manifests and they suffer do they know fear. But by then it is too late, because the cause has already been planted.
Collective Karma and Individual Karma
Speaking of this, some may ask: Why are there natural disasters? Why do innocent people also suffer? If karma is self-created and self-received, how can this be explained?
Buddhism has a concept called "Collective Karma" (Shared Karma).
The karma created by each of us individually is called "Individual Karma," which determines our personal destiny. But we do not exist in isolation; we live in crowds, societies, nations, and on Earth. The karma created jointly by many beings is called "Collective Karma," which determines our common living environment.
Why are we born in the same country and the same era? This is the result of collective karma. Why does an earthquake, flood, or plague occur in a region? This is also the result of the collective karma of beings in that region. Collective karma is the interweaving of the karma of beings; it transcends the individual scope.
This may sound a bit unfair—I didn't do anything bad myself, why should I bear the retribution of collective karma? But if we look at it from another angle, we are actually participating in the formation of collective karma every day. Our thoughts, speech, and actions are all adding some kind of force to this world. If we harbor good thoughts, speak kindly, and act righteously, we are adding the force of good to the collective karma; conversely, we are adding the force of evil.
Moreover, even in the retribution of collective karma, individual karma still plays a role. In the same natural disaster, some die, some survive; some are seriously injured, some are unharmed. There is the difference of individual karma in this. Good individual karma can alleviate our suffering in the retribution of collective karma, or even let us escape a disaster.
Understanding the principle of collective karma, we know that it is important not only to practice for ourselves but also for the whole world. The thoughts of each of us are influencing the direction of this world.
The Power of Repentance
Karma has been created; is there any way to eliminate it?
Buddhism says, yes. The most direct method is repentance.
Repentance is not just saying "I'm sorry" and being done with it. True repentance includes three elements: realizing one's mistake, giving rise to a sincere sense of shame, and vowing never to commit it again. None of these three elements can be missing.
The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Worthy says: "The ocean of all karmic obstacles arises from false thoughts. If one wishes to repent, sit upright and meditate on the True Reality. All sins are like frost and dew; the sun of wisdom can eliminate them." This passage is very interesting. It says karmic obstacles are as deep as the ocean, but as long as we sit upright and observe the True Reality, shining with the sun of wisdom, karmic obstacles will melt like frost and dew.
Why does repentance have such power? Because the nature of karma is empty. Karma arises from the combination of causes and conditions; it does not have an eternal, unchanging "self-nature." When we repent with a sincere heart and observe with a wise mind, the power of karma will weaken or even be eliminated. Of course, this requires deep skill; it is not something that can be completely eliminated by reciting a few repentance verses. But as long as one starts to repent, one is already changing the direction of karma.
Buddhism has many repentance methods, such as the Emperor Liang Jeweled Repentance, Water Repentance, Great Compassion Repentance, Medicine Buddha Repentance, etc., which are all methods to help practitioners repent of karmic obstacles. If conditions do not permit participating in these ceremonies, sincerely repenting of one's faults before the Buddha every day and vowing to change is also effective.
In addition to repentance, practices such as reciting the Buddha's name, chanting sutras, reciting mantras, giving alms, and releasing life can all accumulate good karma and eliminate evil karma. Especially reciting the Buddha's name; the Contemplation Sutra says: "By reciting the Buddha's name, in every thought, the sins of birth and death of eight billion kalpas are eliminated." The merit of a single phrase of the Buddha's name is inconceivable.
Transcending Karma
Having said so much about karma, some may ask: If everything is karma, what is the purpose of practice? Is it to accumulate good karma and enjoy blessings?
If it were just that, the vision would be too small.
The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice is to transcend karma and jump out of reincarnation.
Creating good karma leads to good retribution, ascending to the heavenly realms; creating evil karma leads to evil retribution, falling into the evil realms. Whether ascending to heaven or falling into hell, one is still within the six realms of reincarnation, still governed by karma. When heavenly blessings are exhausted, one will still fall; when evil retribution is finished, one will still reincarnate. Rising and falling like this, endlessly.
True liberation is to jump out of this cycle and no longer be pulled by karma. How to do it? The Diamond Sutra says: "A Bodhisattva should practice charity without dwelling on forms." Doing good without clinging to the act of doing good is called "Formless Charity." The merit of formless charity, the sutra says, is "immeasurable," far exceeding charity with form. Why? Because charity with form still revolves within reincarnation, while formless charity transcends reincarnation.
This principle is easy to say but hard to do. When we ordinary people do good deeds, we always think: How many good deeds have I done? How much merit have I accumulated? What good rewards will I have in the future? As soon as these thoughts arise, it is "dwelling on forms," and the merit is discounted. To be completely formless requires deep wisdom and skill.
For most people, the Pure Land method provides another way. By reciting the Buddha's name, relying on Amitabha Buddha's vow power to be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Once in the Pure Land, although karmic obstacles have not been completely eliminated, one will no longer be pulled by karma to reincarnate, and can practice there with peace of mind until Buddhahood is attained. This is called "Taking Karma to Rebirth."
Karma is the Greatest Fairness
Finally, I want to talk about a feeling the law of cause and effect brings me.
Sometimes seeing the various injustices in this world—some are born rich, some are born poor; some have smooth sailing, some face constant hardships—I also feel confused, puzzled, and even angry. But when I slowly understood the law of cause and effect, I found a kind of peace instead.
Karma is the greatest fairness in the universe. No one can escape karma, and no god is playing favorites. The differences in wealth and poverty are not the unfairness of heaven, but the difference in everyone's past karma. The changes in favorable and adverse circumstances are not the tricks of destiny, but the manifestation of causes and conditions. Thinking this way, one will not blame heaven or others.
More importantly, the law of cause and effect returns the initiative of destiny to our own hands. Fate is not predestined; fate can be changed. No matter what karma was created in the past, starting to cut off evil and cultivate good now will make the future different. This gives me great hope.
The Verse of the Seven Buddhas says: "Do no evil, perform all good, purify one's own mind, this is the teaching of all Buddhas." These sixteen words are the most concise summary of the law of cause and effect and the most fundamental guide to practice.
May we all deeply believe in cause and effect, guard our body, speech, and mind, and create a bright future.