Dharma Talk “Stop and transform karma” – The 100th Seven-Day Retreat.

On Sep. 11th, 2023 (July 27th, LC), Most Venerable Thich Giac Dang, Abbot of Ngoc Trung Temple in Can Tho had a talk named Stop and transform karma to all participants in the 100th Seven-Day Retreat.

The reciting Buddha's name to reborn in the Pure Land, practitioners need to practice Three Blessed Pure Karma: filial piety to parents, serving Master, being kind not killing, cultivating ten good karmas, taking Three refuge, obeying precepts without committing rules, generating Bodhimind, deeply believing cause-effect, chaning Mahayana sutras, and encourage people to practice.

The Most deeply analyzed cause and effect and explained clearly about karma. Karma is a closed circle. This circle is created from an initial point which is each action of body, speech, or mind. When having an action, a word, a thought, we create a starting point of karmic cause. This starting point runs on the circle until it reaches the whole circle, then the result will appear, called the fruit. The person who creates the starting point will receive the corresponding final result. Depending on the situation, the circle runs faster or slower: If a circle is created, and that starting point runs a circle whole in this life, then that retribution is called present retribution; there are cases where the circle runs more slowly. Until we die, if the starting point does not yet reach the whole circle, these incomplete ones will still follow us, and be collected in the 8th consciousness, called store consciousness. This 8th consciousness will follow us from this life to the next life. When passing a new life, this 8th consciousness has a new name, Rebirth-linking consciousness. When three elements are met: father's sperm, mother's blood and soul, new life is formed. Rebirth-linking consciousness will carry with it all the seeds (incomplete circle). When a person passes away, unfinished circles (both good and bad) are summed up. If the cycle of bad cause is over 90%, that person will fall into hell; over 70% will enter the realm of hungry ghosts; over 50% will go to animal realm; above 30%, go to Atula; over 10% will be human; or less than 10% will be born in heaven. This understanding helps us stop bad karma, not create a new cycle of bad cause, and neutralize anger and resentment.

We can see cases in life: sowing less and reaping more, sowing more and reaping less, sowing and reaping equally, sowing but not reaping; When there is a harvest, there is sowing; there is no unsowing case but there is a reaping. When one receives a painful situation, it is certain that it is due to bad causes that person has sown in the past, not due to any agent in the present. If we can know that, we will no longer have resentment or anger toward those who hurt us badly, which means we will cut off all afflictions and anger. When we realize, it is the enhancement of wisdom that makes us truly believe in cause and effect.

Thanks to the lecture, the Most helps the participants deeply understand cause-effect and karma. From here, the practitioner knows how to stop karma and transform karma, not create new karma, but change old karma to become lighter.

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