The True and Undeceiving Nature of Cause and Effect

In the Dharma-ending Age, sentient beings are restless in mind, yet some precisely cater to this restlessness to please them. If one does not oppose the evil habits of sentient beings at all, then how can these habits be reversed? How can sentient beings attain liberation?

Sentient beings are not only greedy but also foolish, insistently craving the honey on the knife's edge—what will they ultimately obtain? No one considers this. Most people focus only on the immediate, so-called benefits, yet risk falling into the three evil paths. They appear bold, but in reality, it is due to foolishness and shortsightedness, unable to consider the vast, long-term benefits of the future.

Most people actually think and plan for their own personal gain, yet their actions not only fail to bring them benefits but often cause them to lose what they already have. However, no one realizes this or sees it clearly. Why? Because ignorance and delusion cloud their vision, preventing them from seeing themselves clearly or discerning the true gains and losses, advantages and disadvantages.

Regarding cause and effect, many do not truly believe; they always harbor a sense of luck, thinking that karmic consequences will fall upon others, not themselves. Thus, for their own benefit, they tell others that if they do not comply with their arrangements, they will surely face certain evil retributions. Yet they do not realize that their own evil retribution is imminent, and they are currently creating the causes for that retribution.

When I first studied Buddhism and read the sutras, I encountered some true stories about cause and effect, which convinced me that karma is real and unfailing. I became cautious in my actions, speech, and thoughts. However, modern Buddhists do not read the sutras at all and have no idea what the Buddhist scriptures teach. Consequently, their minds are blind, and they do not understand cause and effect.

With the internet now so developed, creating negative karma is far more convenient than before. With just a flick of a finger, negative karma spreads across the entire nation—truly lamentable. No one is alert to the evil consequences that follow their finger's movement. The ignorant are fearless; their minds are blocked, blindly following others, unaware of good and evil, thus creating immense negative karma without remorse.

Some create negative karma because they are instigated or incited by others, unaware of the truth themselves. For example, someone might tell them, "If you do this, nothing will happen. I will bear the karmic consequences for you; you will only receive good results, not bad." Thus, some who are mentally blind believe such words, thinking this person can truly bear their karma for them. Little do they know that when karmic consequences arrive, each bears their own retribution; it cannot be transferred to another. Even one's own parents cannot do anything about it.