ost people misunderstand that when ones have reached a level of Enlightenment, the karmicconsequences cannot touch them. In reality, however, even the Enlightened still have to pay for the karmic deeds they’ve committed, if it hasn’t been paid completely. It’s only when they pass away and are free from the cycle of Samsara that the karmic consequences cannot reach them anymore. This is because there are no Sangkhara (a physical body) to accommodate the karmic results.
Even Lord Buddha, with all supreme holiness, still had to pay for a fraction of his karmic consequences. Likewise, noble monks or noble seculars must be aware that, one day, they will have to face their karmic consequences and prepare their mind for it.
When past Karma bear fruits, if it manifests physically, they too experience intense pain, just like an ordinary person. It’s not that they feel no pain when Karma strikes. And if the karma affects the mind, they also go through periods of deep emotional suffering – they are not immune to feelings.
However, what sets them apart from ordinary beings is no matter how intense the suffering, they are able to rise above it and let it go completely. This aligns with the teaching in the Four Satipatthana Suttra, which says: “To abandon both attachment and aversion.”
This teaching doesn’t mean once reached Arahant stage (the fourth level of Enlightenment), they will feel nothing. On the contrary, the higher the level of Enlightenment, the more clarity the mind. But once those feelings are known, there is no strong emotions that will sink deeply into the subconscious, that part of the mind here cooked feelings are stored has been destroyed. Whatever they feel will arise, stay for a while, and then disappear like a mark made on the surface of water or in the sand – a trace that soon disappears.
Do not think that once received the state of being a noble secular, there will be no suffering. Being human, we always suffer. If there is still Karma left to be repaid, then during times of illness, they may suffer to the brink of death just the same.
I have witnessed from my own experience the power of the protection of the Triple Gem on a day I felt I wasbombarded with suffering. That day, I knew if I didn’t get through this time, my moral supports would be all over the place, unable to mentally recuperate to do anything for a long while. When I resolved with deep intention, calling upon the merit and spiritual power I had practiced, and invoked the blessings of the Triple Gem to help me overcome the repeated hardships I was facing. In the early dawn of the next day, I saw an enormous Buddha image appear, the largest I had ever seen in my mind, followed by a canopy unfurled, sheltering and protecting me…From that moment on, the dire situation miraculously turned around.
Why does the Triple Gem (or divine intervention) not immediately come to our rescue? Why do they wait until we are nearly at the point of collapse before offering help?
This happens due to two key reasons:
1. When a person is in the midst of experiencing the results of their past Karma, they must be allowed to go through a sufficient portion of that Karma. When karmic consequences arise, it’s like being hit by waves of a violent black sandstorm, crashing down relentlessly. The one undergoing this karmic ripening must first endure a degree of suffering proportionate to the harm they once caused others. Only then can it truly be called “reaping the fruits of Karma.”
To intervene prematurely – before any discomfort or consequence is felt – would be unfair to those who were hurt in the past, and unjust to the natural law of Dhamma itself, which holds that whoever sows a seed must also reap its fruit.
2. Sometimes, even when the Karma isn’t particularly heavy, a person must still pass a trial; a test of inner strength and resilience, meant to help develop perfections (Parami) If one were to be rescued the moment a minor problem arises, there would be no opportunity to grow or accumulate merit.
However, those who practice Vipassana (Insight Meditation) will find that Karma dissipates more quickly, and its weight becomes lighter. This is especially true when the practice is deep enough to burn away the defilements (kilesa); it purifies the mental formations (sangkhara) and dissolves even the negative karmic seeds embedded in them. Thus, the karmic impact becomes thin enough to endure.
And when you’re enjoying the fruits of good Karma, do not become complacent. Do not assume life will always be so easy. When the merit begins to fade and the old Karma begins to ripen, you may feel a longing for the past days of comfort. Bullying
In an age that verbal bullying can crush a person to the ground, the Karma incurred by those who inflict such harm will eventually bring them to their knees as well but in a far more devastating way.
Those people may one day find themselves bedridden, suffering serious illness, and becoming socially rejected or shunned. This is especially true when the bullying target is someone of high moral or spiritual attainment.
Karma does not overlook even a single harsh word aimed at the righteous. Only when the karmic burden lessens will their condition improve and return to normal. Until then, they must bear the weight of what they had inflicted on others in both body and spirit.
The Root Cause of Karma: The 16 Mental Defilements (Upakilesa)
Karma arises primarily due to the influence of mental defilements (the Impurity Force), specifically the 16 Upakilesa (impurities of the mind). The Buddha listed 16 mental defilements as follows:
1. Unrestrained craving and desire 2. Ill will 3. Anger 4. Resentment 5. Ingratitude 6. Rivalry or the desire to equal others 7. Envy 8. Stinginess 9. Deceit 10. Boastfulness 11. Stubbornness 12. Competitiveness 13. Conceit 14. Contempt 15. Intoxication (by power, status, or pleasure) 16. Negligence and carelessness
Whether one is an ascetic or not, if the heart is not guarded against these impurities, the effects of Karma can bring deep suffering. Humans are notoriously heedless. We often live under the sway of craving and defilements, allowing them to take root in our actions and thoughts, unwittingly stockpiling the fuel for future suffering.
Even noble ones must face the consequences of past Karma. How much more so for ordinary people? Worse still, if the fallen one is a monk, the karmic weight is even greater.
Whoever commits Karma, whether the ordained or the layperson, is not spared from the consequences of their actions. Nobody escapes the web of Karma.
Therefore, let us all live with heedfulness and never be careless in all Karma.
View full content by subscribing or buy on Shopee.
