cause and effect

Examining Cause and Effect in Real Life

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The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Bringing Virtue Into Life”

You may have been born rich, or perhaps during the course of your life it has been relatively easy for you to make money, gain riches. Or perhaps during the course of your life, at some point you have inherited riches. And you wonder to yourself, “How is it that I hear about the starving poor and yet I, who wasn’t even hungry in the first place, have inherited this money, or I have this money? How is it?  It would seem as though I am completely undeserving.  How has that happened?”  You wonder about that.  “Why is it easy for me to make money?”  Well, the reason why it is easy for you to inherit that money or to make that money is because some time in the past you have earned it; and the way that you have earned it is by engaging in virtuous activity concerned with generosity toward others.   If you have given food to others, in this life you always have enough to eat, and more.  In fact, the problem is not eating too much.

So then, if you have a lot of money and things have been pretty comfortable for you, then sometime in the past you must have been very generous toward others, and your big problem in this lifetime is not how to make money but how to spend it, or not spend it.  In that case, you deserve everything that you get.  You deserve all of it.

Now, in this lifetime, if you just take that money and express through it no acts of generosity,… Let’s say maybe you keep it in your family to make sure that your children are provided for.  Well, that’s a kind of generosity.  You did give some to your children, but that isn’t real generosity, because children are kind of like an extension of our own ego.  We think of them as part of us.  We don’t think of them as being separate from us. We like our children to be rich because it’s a good reflection on us and it makes us die happy.

But let’s say in this lifetime, although you have lots of money, you haven’t really given any to benefit others.  You haven’t helped others not to be hungry.  You haven’t given it to children that don’t get any toys as Christmas.  You haven’t made any offerings to the temple where you receive all your spiritual benefit.  You haven’t done anything with your money.  If you think then that you’re going to somehow be able to legally make it happen that they’ll find you in your next incarnation and give you back that money,… Au contraire, monsieur.  You can’t take it with you.  It’s not going to appear again in your next life.  Forget it!  It’s not going to happen.  But in your next life you will probably be born much poorer because, even though you had the money before, you were not very generous.

So it’s very, very clear that cause and effect are interconnected.  In fact, the Buddha teaches us that they arise interdependently: When the cause arises, the effect arises at the same time, but in seed form.  Think about that.  Think about that the next time you have non-virtuous behavior.  One of the reasons why it’s so easy to be non-virtuous is because you think, “Well, O.K., I’m being non-virtuous now, but I don’t see the effect rising yet.  So maybe they…(Who are they anyway? We don’t know.) they’ll forget about it. “ You know, the guys with the x’s and the checks. They’re up there.  They’re sitting on the throne. You know, the guy with long beard.  Maybe he’ll forget about it by then.  But in fact the Buddha teaches that, number one, there is nobody with a book up there, or a beard. And number two, when you give rise to the cause, the effect is already born, and you will experience it.  You will experience it.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Inescapable Cause and Effect: The Importance of Buddhist Teaching

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A1wheelrealm

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Inescapable Cause and Effect”

Each of us has really difficult karma, tremendous obstacles, and each of us also has the karma for tremendous bliss. We cannot ripen them all in one lifetime. However, when one leaves this lifetime it is up for grabs what ripens in the next incarnation; and there are many factors that are a catalyst for the ripening in the next incarnation. Some of them are the condition under which you die;  the thoughts that are in your mind as you die; the mind state that you have as you die; the ability to be able to negotiate the consciousness after the death state; the ability to remain aware, to not faint, to remain aware and with it during the after-death state, which almost no one has. The desire that you have experienced in this lifetime will act as a catalyst to ripen the events for the next lifetime. Everything that you have done in this lifetime will act as a catalyst to ripen the events for the next lifetime and in all future lifetimes. So according to the Buddha’s teachings, it is not necessarily a linear progression in that it is not possible to account for all the ripening karma in the course of one lifetime, and even in the course of the next lifetime and the next lifetime.

So you can actually be reborn under any circumstances. This is one of the main faults of cyclic existence. Even though we have a circumstance here that seems relatively bearable in that we are not very hungry, we are not very ugly, we are not very sick, and we are okay, still we will experience death in order to take rebirth at another time. Not knowing what the conditions of that rebirth will be can be considered an unbearable circumstance. I want to know where I am going. I find it unbearable to think that I wouldn’t know where my next incarnation would be: To not have the option to prepare for the next incarnation; to not be able to know that I would not be reborn in some other life form that is offensive to me or that is ugly to me or is not at all pleasing to me; or to be reborn as a human being where I would experience intense suffering. These things I find not bearable. So if we understand that cyclic existence is structured in that way, or seems to occur in that way, we might find that even the idea that we might take rebirth becomes something that we can use as a motivation to practice.

The thing about cyclic existence is that it is unpredictable. You must know this by now; and this should give you a clue as to how we hide these things from ourselves. But I know that you know this by now because all of you have had experiences, I have certainly, where, , things will be going along just fine in a way that looks like everything is under control and it looks as though you have what you need. You have the relationships that you need, the money that you need; you are doing okay. It looks like things are progressing nicely. And then suddenly something will hit you right out of the blue, whether it is a terrible mood or whether it is a circumstance or whether it is a death, somebody that you know, or a loss of some kind, some experience that will seem as though it came from nowhere. And if only this hadn’t happened everything would be just fine. We have at least a million of, ‘Oh, if this only hadn’t happened,’ in our lives and we don’t see where they come from. And so cyclic existence is extremely unpredictable and there are always things that can ripen in an instant way and bring about change that is unbearable to us.

Another fault of cyclic existence is that there is nothing in cyclic existence that brings about the end of cyclic existence. That is hard to understand. And if you examine it yourself, you will find that you think that if you just keep playing along with it eventually it will work itself out. We think that if we just kind of live through our lives it will just sort of guide its way through or naturally flow in such a way that we will reach a threshold of wisdom, and suddenly all of our problems will be solved. This is Western thought. This is what we are brought up to believe. We are taught, however, by the Buddha, who has experienced both cyclic existence and also the awakening called supreme enlightenment, that this is not true. There is nothing inherent in cyclic existence that will bring about its end. Cyclic existence is simply that, cyclic.

In cyclic existence there are the root causes such as the belief in self nature as being inherently real and the clinging to ego that bring the perception of self and other and the constant compulsion to reinforce the perception of self and other, that bring about desire. And desire is the root cause of all suffering. But from those root causes are begun the next level of root causes which are hatred, greed and ignorance. And hatred, greed and ignorance, we constantly experience to some degree or another. We constantly need to reinforce ourselves by putting down someone else or experiencing a negative feeling toward someone else. We need to judge something in some way in order to understand our own nature. We constantly have the experience of not realizing the profound nature of enlightenment or the nature of primordial wisdom, and that we call ignorance. We constantly experience greed and we constantly need to define ourselves by what we have. We constantly need that and from these points come the other forms that continue cause and effect relationships, continually experiencing one cause begetting an effect, begetting another cause and begetting an effect. We experience that constantly and consistently. According to the Buddha’s teaching, whenever we experience a moment of hatred or whenever we experience a moment of anger…. Anger. Who among you has not experienced anger? How many times a day?  According to the Buddha’s teaching, even when we experience even a moment of anger it has within it the potential for worlds of karmic interaction.

One cause continually creates, always and always. There is never any exception. Cause will create effect. There is no cause that does not create effect; and effect will actually act as another cause. If someone, for instance, strikes you, that must have a cause. You may not know what the cause for that is, but it didn’t just happen. It has a cause. And if you get angry when that person strikes you, then that continues and that is an effect from the striking, but it is also another cause and it will begin new circumstances. This relationship of cause and effect constantly perpetuating itself is called interdependent origination. It is such an interdependence it is almost like the weaving of a fabric; and cyclic existence is actually made of this fabric that is woven together, a constant cause and effect. There is no circumstance within cyclic existence that brings about the end of cyclic existence.

The exception to that—it isn’t really an exception—is that within cyclic existence one can begin to strive to purify the mind. One can begin to strive to practice in such a way that one’s own pure nature is realized. One can begin, very importantly, to accomplish compassionate activity to purify the mind through kindness, to begin to experience loving kindness and compassion. And through that, cause and effect will happen so that one can meet a pure path; and a pure path is the means by which one can exit cyclic existence. There is nothing within cyclic existence itself that will naturally begin the end of cyclic existence, that will actually bring about the end of cyclic existence. But in fact one can actually begin to purify the mind in such a way that you can meet with a pure path. And the pure path is actually considered an emanation, the miraculous intention of the Buddha, or the mind of enlightenment. It intersects with cyclic existence in such a way that one can practice this pure path, and having practiced this pure path can thereby exit cyclic existence and accomplish enlightenment.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved

 

Pick Up the Shovel

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The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Take Control of Your Life”

When we create a close relationship with our teacher on the path of Vajrayana—once we have examined the teacher’s qualities and have decided for ourselves that this is indeed the root guru—then we must follow.  If the root guru can teach us Buddhism, they have to have something of that same capacity [as the Buddha].  Now maybe the root guru can see what it is that’s brought us here—the suffering that’s brought us here, and the accomplishment.  The root guru looks at you and sees you are Buddha,  and yet you suffer.  So the root guru says, “I wish to teach you how to live, how to practice, so that your suffering ends and so that you can benefit others.”  Nowhere else is one taught that way: understanding the true nature, one’s appearance and one’s nature that is empty. Therefore only the Buddha is the appropriate guide.

The Buddha teaches us that everything is about karma. It’s about choices; it’s about cause and effect; it’s about realizing one’s nature and remaining stable in the bliss of emptiness.  If we remain stable in that, we are free to examine any part of our lives. And most of all, first and foremost, we should examine our minds.

The Buddha has taught us that first, and most importantly, we should establish our motivation,.  And our motivation is based on the first teaching of Lord Buddha—that all beings are equal in their nature. All beings.  That they are all suffering and yet what they all have in common is that they all equally wish to be happy.  The smallest worm, anything with consciousness in its own way, in its own language, is striving to be happy.  Then the Buddha teaches us the pristine message—the message of hope and the one that allows us to practice at last.  The Buddha says, “All beings are suffering, but there is an end to suffering, and that end is called enlightenment.”

Beyond that, Lord Buddha says we must examine our minds, our intention.  This is profound work; this is deep work.  You can’t practice a little Dharma over here and commit a little adultery over here.  You can’t practice a little Dharma over here and have someone in your life whom you know doesn’t have a bite to eat and not help them.  You can’t practice a little Dharma over here and have no respect for the Sangha or the temple or the teacher.  In other words, Dharma’s not like a pretty little high church package.  Even though we have bunches of fancy things around here, it isn’t like you walk into a giant temple and go, “Oh, I’m moved emotionally, and it’s Sunday.  I did it.  I’m a good Buddhist.”  No.  That’s not Dharma.  “I came on Sunday, I sang some songs and I’m impressed with the church. Now I’m going home.”  No, that’s not Dharma.

Dharma is different.  When we see these objects that are beautiful and magical and we see the brocade and we see the statues, yes, it thrills our hearts and we recognize on some level that something very precious and beautiful is here.  But the Buddha didn’t tell us to sit around and think about how things are precious and beautiful in the temple.  The Buddha taught us that Dharma isn’t like a beautiful package of golden brocade.  Dharma is a knife, and it’s meant to cut.  It has a sharp edge, and it’s not always painless.  Dharma teaches us that the honest truth is that non-virtuous activity and habitual patterns will only lead us to more unhappiness. That means we have to go in there with a shovel and a pick axe and start changing our minds.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved

The Causes of This Present State

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BULLY,SCHOOLYARD BULLY,BULLIES

There are some cause and effect relationships that we become acquainted with.  Especially if, as I’m sure all of you are, you are engaged in watchfulness in your life. And really wanting to progress spiritually in some way, your capacity for learning is that much greater. We may learn that if we’re really kind and loving to others, we get better result. We may learn that if we’re generous, people are generous to us. We may learn that if we’re really hateful and arrogant, we never really get anything good out of that. We may learn some lessons like that. And if that’s the case, those are all precious and valuable lessons to learn.

However, there are lots of things that we don’t learn. The reason why is that, for one thing, we really don’t fully understand how it is that we came into this life under the conditions that we have. We don’t understand how it was that we were born to the families that we were born to, or how it was that we arrived in the condition that we arrived in. How it is that we arrived at our genetic structure? How it is that we arrived with certain mental, physical and emotional propensities? Certain habitual tendencies? Why is it that they have arisen so strongly within us? And it seems as though other people, even in the same family, do not have the same habitual tendencies. We don’t have a full and complete understanding. And the reason why is because we cannot really understand the conditions that have occurred previous to this lifetime. We don’t have an understanding of that. We cannot actually view the cause and effect relationships that brought us to this present state.

Another thing is that we don’t often understand the outcome of causes that we ourselves have begun during the course of this lifetime. For instance, we may be able to see very simple kinds of cause and effect realities. Like if you walk up and punch somebody in the nose who’s approximately the same size as you, there’s a real good chance he or she is going to punch back. And you might learn some cause and effect reality by trying that. But, on the other hand, you might not learn that if you sit there and instead of punching the person who is not your favorite person, you sit there and think hateful thoughts, thoughts of wishing to do harm, thoughts of condemnation and judgment. You may think that having those thoughts, just because you haven’t said them, just because you haven’t acted on them, just because you haven’t punched, is somehow ok. That having those thoughts is secret, that no one knows about them. And that it’s really all right to think like that because you won’t see it play itself out. And even if it does play itself out during the course of that lifetime, perhaps the person that you have these thoughts toward is at some time in the future, maybe even just a couple of weeks from that time, strongly hateful toward you. You may not understand the connection. You may not see what has happened. Certainly you will not see if that cause and effect relationship ripens in some future life because you won’t remember that you just got what you deserved. You won’t remember that you had the same thoughts about that person.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

The Law of Karma: From “Treasury of Precious Qualities” by Jigme Lingpa

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The following is respectfully quoted from “Treasury of Precious Qualities” by Jigme Lingpa translated by the Padmakara Translation Group:

The Karmic Process in General

There is absolutely no doubt that when we die, we must go where we are propelled. Like fish caught on a hook, we are entangled in the strings of our karma and pulled into one or other of the six realms, high or low. This is nothing but the effect of actions, positive or negative. It is true that, ultimately speaking there is no such thing as origination, but on the level of relative truth, the karmic principle of cause and effect as inescapable. It is like a gardener planting two kinds of seed, the bitter aloe or sweet grape. The resulting crops will have a corresponding taste. In the same way, the existential quality of our present lives, whether fortunate or otherwise, is but the product of positive or negative actions to which we have become accustomed in our previous existences.

Actions never fail to produce an effect

The shadow of a bird soaring in the sky may be temporarily invisible, but it is still there and will always appear when the bird comes to earth. In the same way, when attendant causes coincide with the factors of Craving and Grasping, karma comes to fruition and results in a life situation that is either favorable or unfavorable. As the sutra says, “The karma that living beings gather is never worn away even after a hundred kalpas. When the moment comes and the appropriate conditions gather, the fruit of the action will come to maturity.”

For as long as phenomena are apprehended as truly existent, even small negative actions are liable to have immense consequences.  They are likened in the root verse to a monstrous fire-vomiting mare–a reference to the volcanoes that encircle and ocean of brine on the rim of the world. The fire of those volcanoes is able to dry up the countless waves of the sea that here symbolize happy incarnations, the fruit of positive action. It is important to study the sutras such as the Saddharmasmrityupasthana, Karmashataka, Lalitavistara, and Karmavibbanga, for they describe how our human condition, which is like a ship in which we can sail to the precious isle of Omniscience, may be wrecked and brought to utter ruin.

The results of evil deeds, namely, the lower realms so full of dreadful and inescapable misery, are said in the root text to have been unable, for the moment, to overwhelm our strength, our army of ten “virtues tending to happiness”–in other words, our fortunate existence in higher states. These virtues are like heroes whose land is not yet overrun by the legions of suffering. And yet if our determination weakens, we shall fall into the ten evil actions and thence into lower existences. There are many ways in which this might happen. Some people, aspiring to liberation, receive the vows of pure discipline from their abbots or preceptors. But tempted by  desire or other evil thoughts, they break their commitments and fall, defeated in their monastic resolve. Again, some people kill animals for the sake of gain, thereby shortening their own lives. Some, out of aggression, go off to war only to be killed themselves. Some, inspired by virtue, embrace an ascetic discipline, becoming indifferent even to food and clothing. But later, victims of their desire, they settle down to married life. Some devote themselves with great effort to study and reflection, but they are unable to free themselves of the eight worldly concerns and are carried away by mundane preoccupations. Some, instead of offering their wealth to the Three Jewels, lavish it on their relatives and squander it.

On the whole, a moral conscience with regard to oneself and one’s religious values, and a sense of shame in respect of the opinions of others, are two factors that work in tandem to put a brake on evil behavior. Some people, however, abandon both their conscience and their sense of shame. They disregard virtuous conduct and in one way or other indulge in evil, succumbing to the habits they have grown accustomed  to from time without beginning. This is how people fall into the lower realms and stay there.

 

Interdependence

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The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Hello all. I have some doctor appointments today, so I thought I’d drop in on Twitter. Miss you all. I am doing well, though. IBS is slowing, headaches are less awful, (much) lower back somewhat improved, BP lower, PTSD treatment helpful.

Better to take responsibility yourself than to blame and point. Sadly, our karma is our own, and nobody else’s. When we point and blame we demonstrate how incompetent we are in understanding cause and effect.

At any rate we must eventually come to see the full equation. Cause and effect – result. Exacting result.

The relative universe is like a woven fabric. If one thread is pulled, it also pulls elsewhere in time and space. If pressure is applied somewhere it will produce a “pull” somewhere else. And no measure of denial or disrespect will change anything, although it will increase blind, babbling ignorance with no blessing to help anyone.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Understanding Cause and Result: an Introduction by Venerable Gyaltrul Rinpoche

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The following is an excerpt from a teaching given by Venerable Gyaltrul Rinpoche at Kunzang Palyul Choling:

Today I’m going to give an overview of the preliminary practices and how to do them because there are many little children and maybe parents would like their children to learn some Dharma.  I would imagine you have that hope.  Otherwise, what else is there to do for the little naughty things that they should learn? I will speak about the preliminary practices also for those of you who are new. Those of you who have heard these teachings before, it’s no problem to listen again for however much we can hear the Dharma, it should help us and improve us.  So Dharma is not necessarily ever repetitive.

I’m not saying that I am learned.  I am just repeating what is found in the scriptures, in the Dharma books.

Initially it is very important to believe in the law of cause and result, which is referred to as karma, the truth of karma.  For as long as we are human beings, on the path of the vehicle of humans, that is the basic view—believing in the law of cause and result.  If one doesn’t believe in this, then what would that be like?  That would be like thinking there is no result based on what we caused, that there is no ripening of our actions or thoughts. To believe like this is considered to be an incorrect view, a mistaken view. So again, to reiterate a mistaken view would be thinking that if I do something good, the result will not necessarily follow in harmony with that cause.  If I do something bad, if I accumulate a non-virtue, the result will not be suffering—just not believing that this is how things work.  So that’s considered to be incorrect understanding or a mistaken view.  It’s very important to know that believing in the truth of cause and result to be infallible is the basic view of a human being.

A human being means an individual who has the capacity to think, to speak, to understand, to comprehend, to comprehend the meanings of words in a deeper sense. So, as long as we are born in this kind of body as a human, then if we believe in a religion or a spiritual pursuit, the basis is believing in the law of cause and result, which means believing that the seeds that you sow are what you will receive.  This seems to be the basic view for all religions, not just Buddhism.  Throughout the entire world, anyone who is following the path of righteousness, or that which is worthy of believing in, has to believe like this.  If not, I can’t imagine that that would be a religious pursuit.

Disbelieving in cause and result would be like becoming a communist.  A communist view is that, for the most part, this is not worth considering, although, even communists would tell us don’t steal, don’t lie. There are certain disciplines that were enforced that are also based on the notion of cause and result because they are saying if you do this, such and such negative thing will occur. So don’t do that based on that reason.  In other words, the idea is that through this particular cause that result will occur.  And so, that is actually cause and result, even though they claim that this is not a valid view.

I wonder what the children think this means.  This means, according to your level, following the truth of what it is your parents tell you not to do.  Like if your parents say don’t touch fire, the reason is because if you touch the fire, you’ll burn your finger.  So that’s why parents say don’t touch fire. Because according to cause and result, touching fire means burning your finger and suffering. Or if parents tell you don’t kill bugs or if they tell you don’t steal or don’t lie or don’t drink or don’t smoke, or go to school, then if you listen to your parent’s advice, then that means that you will be responsible, good and noble.  If you don’t, you will be irresponsible, ignoble and there will be problems.  Likewise for adults.  Keeping the rules of the government means that your life will be smooth.  Keeping the rules of the Dharma as a Dharma practitioner—the words of honor and the vows—means that your practice will go well.  But if there is no discipline to check in this way about the law of cause and result, following what is right and wrong carefully, then just thinking, “Well, I am just going to do things my way,” then that really is just becoming crazy, becoming silly or stupid and showing that you don’t have any qualities at all.  Someone who follows rules nicely is someone who develops wonderful qualities. The inability to be able to do that really comes from inflated ego or pride, which is just great self-cherishing based on delusion.  Of course, children don’t know this yet, so children need to be told and guided, but adults do know this and they should know how to guide themselves.

That is why there are always rules and guidelines in life in terms of a country, our area, our families, our school, the military, the church, the temple.  Human beings always have rules and guidelines and regulations to observe.  Even animals have their own rules and guidelines.  That’s why we must learn what these are and follow them.  In terms of Dharma practice, that means with seeing and contemplating and learning so that we can be able to identify and acknowledge mistaken directions.  So rather than that, just thinking, “I am so great, I know everything, I don’t need to learn anything,” is like a mountain sheep with big horns, really not so great.  Even if you are rich, even if you are a great scholar, if you have great pride in this way, you are just shaming yourself.

But please be careful.  It’s not enough to just know how to play.

That’s why it is so important to study and contemplate, especially if one does not know these things.  America is a very good country because in the schools children are taught how to be decent human beings.  They are given many amazing opportunities, inconceivable opportunities, to learn many different things.  That is not the case in other countries;  these opportunities don’t exist.  So we have to think about the possibilities of our environment and how fortunate we are and appreciate that and make the most of it.

According to the path of Buddhaist practice now, the subject of non-virtue involves ten specific non-virtues: three of the body, four of the speech and three of the mind.  These ten are meant to be abandoned. And then the opposite of that non-virtue is meant to be engaged which becomes the virtue—the ten virtues.  By abandoning and engaging, then, there are two steps and one is able to accumulate two good deeds.  In terms of the first non-virtue of the body—killing—by avoiding, abandoning killing, one has accumulated the good deed of that abandonment; and then by going on to save life, one is performing or engaging in the virtue, which is the opposite of killing. So there are two, not only just one, not just only abandoning killing, although that is one stage in the virtue; then protecting and saving life is the second, which completes that.  In the case of stealing, not only just abandoning stealing or taking that which is not given, but going on to express generosity, to be generous in various ways.  In the case of adultery, not just only abandoning adultery, but going on to practice discipline. So these are the three non-virtues of the body. And the corresponding virtues of the speech, of course, not just only abandoning lying, but always trying to tell the truth and so on like this.  Each non-virtue has its opposite, which is the virtue.

https://www.tibetanbuddhistaltar.org/2011/09/ten-virtues-and-ten-non-virtues/

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