Evil Karma

Everyone was born with two streams of good and evil karma. We cannot specify where good karma arises or where bad karma bears fruit. A poor practice, a bad habit, a case of unhappiness, etc. in this life which is caused by all evil karma (bad causes) done in the past.

Introduction

Everyone was born with two streams of good and evil karma. We cannot specify where good karma arises or where bad karma bears fruit. A poor practice, a bad habit, a case of unhappiness, etc. in this life which is caused by all evil karma (bad causes) done in the past. 

From a historical perspective, there were many people before attaining Arahatship (Arahantship) and even when they attained Sainthood, must have also received the same bad karma that they had created.

Example 1: The story of Angulimāla 

In the Central Series of the 86th Sutra and the Elder Sangha (Thera.80 - verses 866 to 891) which mentioned the story of Angulimāla. The Angulimāla Sutra, Central Sutra, No. 86 recorded that Angulimāla, who lived in the happiness of liberation, went step by step mindfully and freely for alms every morning in Savatthi. Angulimāla became a completely different person who was calm and filled with love. However, because of the mistakes he created before (he was a bandid who cut off people's fingers to make bracelets), he still suffered from the wrath of many people. Some people threw dirt, stones at him, some people beat him with sticks and broke his head. When he got back to the monastery, he was bleeding due to fractures in his head. His bowl was broken, and his clothes was torn. In this pitiful state, the Buddha advised Angulimāla, "Be patient as right now you are reaping the retribution of karma that you should have been boiled in hell for years, hundreds, even thousands of years.” Angulimāla gladly accepted the Buddha's teachings and diligently practiced the Dharma. Also, he gladly repaid old karma without a word of complaint.

Example 2: The story of Saint Ni Paṭācārā

Another story that needs to be mentioned is about the number one miraculous superpower divine Saint Paṭācārā. The story of Saint Paṭācārā was recorded in the Story of the Dhammapada, verse 113. Before ordained and attained Arahat, she was the daughter of a wealthy family in Sāvatthī (Sāvatthi), with assets amounting to four hundred million. She was sixteen years old and superbly beautiful, yet she was kept by her parents on the top floor of a seven-story building, carefully guarded. However, Paṭācārā still conspired with her assistant and fled far away. Later, according to the custom when giving birth to a child, it was necessary to return to the parents' house. On the way home, Paṭācārā, her husband and an eldest son went through the forest then the husband was bitten to death by a snake. Paṭācārā holding a newborn baby waded across the river when the hawk caught it. The older son who heard Paṭācārā’s screaming voices thought his mother cried, so he waded across the river and was drowned. Paṭācārā arrived home and was told that the house had collapsed. Also her parents and brother were all dead and they were just cremated yesterday. She lost hear mind after hearing that news, then taking off her clothes without even realising it. She was as naked as a new-born, wandering around crying and lamenting. Whoever saw her would shout, "You fool, you crazy!" Some threw garbage, while others threw dust in. One day she wandered to the monastery, thanks to the divine power of the Buddha, she immediately recovered her mind. Buddha said:

• Paṭācārā, do not be troubled. You have come to someone who can be your refuge, your shelter, and your protection. Everything you said is correct. To this day, through so many rounds of reincarnation, you have cried with your tears that fall more than the waters of the four seas due to the loss of your children, and your loved ones.

And He said the following verse:

Less than four seas

Compared to the tear spilled

Out of fear and confusion,

Why are you still distracted?

The Blessed One spoke about reincarnation from the dawn of time. Her grief lessened as he spoke. He continued:

• Paṭācārā, for a person on his way to the other side of the world, there are no children, friends or relatives for refuge or counting on. How long can you expect to have them in your life? The wise man should know how to purify his conduct, and thus purify the path that leads to Nirvana.

 And he read the Dharmapada Sutra:

(288) Once death comes,

Having no children to protect,

No father, no families,

No relatives to be protected

(289) Knowing this meaning,

The wise should maintain the precepts,

Quickly purify,

The road to Nirvana.

At the end of the verse, Paṭācārā attained the fruit of stream-entry (the first stage in Hinayana), and the desire in the mind which was as much as the dust on the great earth was completely vanished. Many others also achieved the fruit of Sakrdagamin (Tu-da-ham) and Anagamin (A-na-ham). She asked the Buddha to let her join the Sangha, then she was accepted and sent to the nuns. She fulfilled her duty, and because of her cheerful personality, she was given the name as Paṭācārā. One day, she filled a pitcher with water and washed her feet. Water seeps into the ground. The second time the water flowed further and then it was completely absorbed. The third time it went further and again it was completely absorbed. She took it as the subject of her meditation. This metaphor represents that the first attempt pouring the water is like being passed away at a young age. The second time is in youth, and the third time is in old age.

The Blessed One sat in the incense room, projected a light image in front of her, and said:

Paṭācārā, it is better to live a day or a moment and see the arising and passing away of the five aggregates than to live for a hundred years and see nothing.

And he read the Dhammapada:

(113) Whoever lives a hundred years,

Not seeing the dharma of birth and death,

Better to live a day,

To see the law of birth and death.

At the end of the verse, she witnessed Arahantship with other supernatural powers.

Example 3: The story of venerable Sīvali

Another story is about the venerable Sīvali - the utmost fortune (blessedness). Venerable Sīvali's father was Mahāli from Licchavī. The venerable mother named Suppavāsā, the princess of Koliya that had a tradition of worshiping the Three Jewels, often made offerings to the Buddha and the monks.

Due to unfinished past karma, she had to be pregnant with venerable Sīvali for seven years and suffered labor pains for up to seven days. Thinking she would have died, she told her husband: "Before my life ends, I will make ceremonial offerings " - "pure maraṇā jīvamānāva dānaṃ dassāmī". (Annotation of the Sangha Series).

The story of the Asātarūpa’s former life (Jataka 100) explained that in the past life, the venerable Sīvali - the son of King Baranasi was attacked by the king of Kosala who took over the control of the citadel. While recapturing the city of Baranasi, the prince (Sivali) took advice from his mother and surrounded the citadel as well as cut all sources of aid from the outside which led to the regain of ownership over the city on the seventh day. Due to this karma, he had to endure seven years in pregnancy and seven days of excruciating pain in labor to the same degree just like his mother, who advised the strategy to her son, did. 

Despite such bad karma, the teenager Sīvali, in his seventh year, entered monkshood and devoted himself to Dharma. When he was old enough, he took the Great Precepts, did meritorious deeds, attained the highest achievement in the physical world, that was, arahantship, and made the earth resound with joyful noises.

And since the attainment of Arahantship, Venerable Sīvali has had great blessings, often being offered by humans or gods everywhere, “regardless whether it's in the wilderness or in the village, in the river, or reside on the mainland” – “vane gāme jale thale” (Apadāna verse 88).

There was one time Buddha led 500 Bhikkhus on a pilgrimage to the residence of the venerable Revata (Lyba-da). They were expected to cross a 30 miles long area in the wilderness without much food. Before departing, the Buddha asked Venerable Ananda:

-  Dear Ananda! Will Sīvali come with us?

- Yes, the World-Honored One!

According to the Buddha, as long as Venerable Sīvali was a part of the group, regardless of whether how desolate the road or how few people pass through, the good gods (devatā) would turn into ordinary people to offer necessary items to the Buddha and the entire Sangha due to Venerable Sīvali’s own blessings.

In conclusion, 

The saints do not achieve Nirvana in this life because they have only practiced in this life. They have been practicing since immeasurable past lives. To achieve Arahat Sainthood, they must have practiced at least one hundred thousand great earth kalpas (earth life = achievement, maintenance, destruction, void). Yet in the last life (after this life, there is no more rebirth) is still subject to such evil karma. Then, the question is where are the merits and blessings practiced in those 100,000 aeons, and why  can’t these blessings be "repaid" for these bad karma?

In fact, cause and effect and karma are very fair. We are ordinary people without ultimate wisdom, so we get lost in our thoughts, blame others and doubt objectionably. Anyone who has not yet grasped the selflessness of all beings and does not understand that in reality there is only this self-sustaining process of continuous arising and passing away of materials (rupa) and the so-called (nama), and that there is no separate self-entity within or outside of this process, he will not be able to understand Buddhism, i.e. the teaching of the Four Noble Truths, properly. He will think that his own self, having experienced suffering, it is his self that performs good and bad deeds and will be reborn according to these karmas, his own self will enter Nibbāna (Nirvana), it is his self that walks on the Noble Eightfold Path.

Thus, the 16th chapter of The Way of Purification mentioned that: “Only suffering exists, but no sufferer can be seen; There is karma, but karma cultivator could not be found; there is Nirvana, but no one enters Nirvana; There is a way, but there is no one who walks on it.”

Also, in Chapter 17th The Way of Purification, Paragraph 117 stated that: "Anyone who is not clear about the meanings of causation, and does not understand that all actions are caused by ignorance, etc., thinking that it is the self that understands or does not understand, acts or causes to act, that exists at rebirth, that self is born at the time of rebirth…it has feelings, forms, desires, attachment, accomplishing, birth, old age, death, and sorrow, affliction will continue.”

When we are not aware of our duty to practice to escape suffering, we are still wandering, that can be temporarily accepted. However, we are already Buddhists, and we have learned the teachings and practices. We then must be aware of suffering and the way out of suffering. Life, as the Buddha taught, is actually tangled up in ignorance and craving (love and desires). If we look closely, our life is "more bitter, less sweet", “more frightened, less happy". What we need to do now is to diligently follow Good Law (Thien Phap), to cultivate merit and wisdom for future liberation. As for good deeds and retributions, like the examples above, we can hardly predict...

Tâm Cung

Translated into English by Thai Nhuoc Don