The Wheel of Destructive Karma
UNDERSTANDING AND TRANSFORMING DIFFICULTIES
9
When my body falls prey to unbearable illnesses
It is the weapon of destructive karma returning on me
For injuring the bodies of others;
From now on I will take all sickness upon myself.
THIS AND THE subsequent verses follow a similar structure. The first line describes an unfortunate circumstance we experience: we fall ill, our friends abandon us, and so forth. Sometimes we may feel that we’re the only person who has had a particular misfortune. The first line reminds us that it is common to many people.
The second line tells us that this unfortunate circumstance is not a random event but one caused by the destructive actions we have done in the past: It is the weapon of destructive karma returning on me. Contemplating this increases our confidence in the functioning of karma and its effects. By taking responsibility for our actions—even those done in previous lives that we cannot consciously remember doing—we stop blaming others for our problems. This reduces our anger and self-pity, and stimulates us to reflect more deeply on our actions and their effects both on others and on ourselves. So often our self-preoccupation prevents us from seeing that our actions affect others and ourselves. A big part of our maturation as adults and as Dharma practitioners involves stretching our perspective and looking at the big picture. We must pay attention to the fact that our actions have an ethical dimension. Thinking deeply about the law of karma and its effects will enable us to make some important changes in our behavior and personalities. We’ll begin to break old, dysfunctional habits and build new ones.
The third line of each verse describes more specifically what the action was. So often when we experience obstacles in our life, we say, “Why me?” This line answers that question. While it may not be pleasant to recall specific destructive actions we have done, it is useful for it motivates us to purify the seeds of this destructive karma. If filth is hidden under a rug or behind a cabinet, we will smell it but won’t be able to do anything about it. Only when we see the dirt in a room can we clean it. Similarly, this line sparks us to look more closely at our life (perhaps to even do a life review), acknowledge our harmful actions, and purify them.
The fourth line expresses a resolution to act in the opposite way in the future. The stronger our conviction in karma and its results, the more we will be motivated to apply antidotes to our disturbing emotions, refrain from destructive actions, and engage in constructive emotions, thoughts, and actions. We then make the determination to act differently in the future, and to solidify this determination, we do the taking-and-giving meditation, taking on the misery of others and giving them our body, possessions, and merit. Doing this increases our love and compassion and weakens our self-centered thought, thus enabling us to act according to our virtuous intention.
Verse 9 is the verse that affected me so strongly when I was sick with hepatitis A. Our illnesses are the result of our destructive actions, in particular injuring the bodies of others. We may think, “But I’m a nice person. I’ve never killed anyone.” We may not have killed another human being, but most of us have killed insects and perhaps animals as well. We may have gone hunting or fishing, or asked someone to cook live shellfish for our dinner. Thinking we were putting a pet out of its misery, we may have euthanized it, or we may have sprayed pesticide in our house or garden. We may recall doing such actions in this life. Sometimes these are actions done in previous lives that we only infer we have done since we are experiencing this type of result.
For example, perhaps we were the powerful leader of a country who led the people into an aggressive war. Even though we may not have killed anyone ourselves, we commanded our troops to take the lives of the enemy. By doing so, we accumulated the karma of taking the lives of many people. Or perhaps for the sake of solely scientific curiosity, we injected many animals with viruses just to see what would happen. We have had infinite, beginningless lifetimes in which we have done every type of action. While we do not remember these actions, their imprints are on our mindstream, and when the cooperative conditions are present, that karma ripens. In the case of my hepatitis, the cooperative conditions were the unclean vegetables, but the principal causes were my own actions in this or previous lives.
In situations such as illness, we can either get angry and depressed, or we can transform the situation into the path to awakening by thinking, “This is the weapon of destructive karma returning on me, so I’m not going to blame anybody else. I’m going to learn from this mistake. Since I don’t like illness, I must stop creating the cause.” We make the firm intention not to injure anybody else’s body ever again.
At this point, it is helpful to think about what we will do if we encounter situations in which we may be tempted to injure others’ bodies in the future. Do we put ourselves in environments where this could happen? Even if I deliberately stay away from such situations, something could arise unexpectedly whereby I may be tempted to kill someone. How would I want to act in such a situation? How could I subdue the anger or fear that could cause me to take another’s life? We may want to spend some time meditating on fortitude in order to strengthen our determination not to succumb to anger or contemplate impermanence to overcome the attachment that breeds fear. Meditating in this way prepares us to deal skillfully with such situations in the future.
To purify destructive karma we may have created through injuring others’ bodies and to prevent harming them in the future, we do the taking-and-giving meditation. Since this verse has to do with experiencing illness, with compassion we imagine taking on the sickness of others and using it to destroy the ignorance and self-centeredness that lie behind having harmed others’ bodies in the past. Breathing in the pollution that represents their suffering, we think it transforms into a lightning bolt that strikes and demolishes the lump of ignorance and self-preoccupation at our heart. We tranquilly dwell in the empty space at our hearts, relishing that others are free from their illness and we are free from our ignorance and self-centeredness. Then we imagine transforming our body and possessions into medicine, hospitals, health-care professionals, loving companions, and whatever else those suffering from illness may need or find comforting. Giving these to them, we imagine them healing and living happily. Giving them our merit, we think they have all the necessary causes to meet and practice the Dharma. Through this they progress on the path and attain full awakening. Imagining this, we feel satisfied and peaceful..
This is the basic way of meditating for verses 9 to 44. If the verse deals with an experience you have not had in this life, think of what others have experienced. Also, examine if you have created the cause to experience this in the future. We may have created the cause in this life, but not experienced the result yet. Before the result comes, we should engage in purification practice by doing the taking-and-giving meditation, as well as by other practices such as bowing to the Buddha and reciting the Vajrasattva mantra.
Even if you have not done the destructive action described in the verse in this lifetime, make a strong determination to avoid it in the future. Since we never know what kind of situations we will encounter in this or future lives where we may be tempted to do it, making a firm decision now not to behave in such a manner is helpful to restrain ourselves in the future. Then do the taking-and-giving meditation. With each verse, the key is to think about the specific suffering and its corresponding causal action in relation to our own lives. Then our meditation becomes very rich and meaningful.
Some of these circumstances mentioned in the coming verses and their karmic causes may be difficult to think about. They may challenge our image of ourselves or bring up regret that has long been buried. If this happens, go slowly, have compassion for yourself and anyone else involved. Be glad that you are now able to clean up the past, learn from mistaken actions, and go into the future with a kind heart.
When my mind falls prey to suffering,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For definitely causing turbulence in the hearts of others;
From now on I will take all suffering upon myself.
Many people in developed countries have much greater mental suffering than physical suffering. They are plagued by depression, anxiety, fear, worry—feelings that arise when we fail to achieve our aims or believe we are being rejected, abandoned, or treated unfairly. Many people in undeveloped nations are usually too busy trying to meet their basic survival needs to have this kind of mental suffering.
When we experience mental anguish, we can use this as an opportunity to learn how our mind works. First, rather than focus on the story behind your feeling, just pay attention to the mental feeling of unhappiness. Be aware of how it differs from physical suffering. Then, be aware of your reactions to mental suffering: we dislike it, get angry, blame others. We crave to experience pleasant mental feelings. We do everything we can to get rid of the unpleasant mental feelings: we may drink or take drugs, speak harshly to others, gamble, sleep around, overeat, overspend, and do many other actions that only create more suffering for us now and in the future.
Instead of repeatedly playing out our responses to unpleasant mental feelings, we can adopt the perspective of this verse and view our mental suffering as the result of our own harmful actions, specifically causing turbulence in the hearts of others. For example, in the past we have inflicted mental pain on others by criticizing, ridiculing, humiliating, or shaming them. Being rebellious, inconsiderate, or uncooperative, we have done things that have brought them worry, grief, or embarrassment.
An effective way to transform mental anguish into the path to awakening is to take all [mental] suffering upon ourselves, and give others our mental joy. We do this through the taking-and-giving meditation.
While doing this meditation, one part of your mind may protest, “I don’t want anybody else’s mental pain; I can’t even handle my own. I want someone to take away my mental suffering.” That state of mind itself is suffering. Build up your courage by thinking, “I’m experiencing mental pain as a result of my own destructive karma. Since I’m experiencing this mental anguish anyway, may I take on the mental pain of everyone else.” Take on the pain of people who are grieving the loss of dear ones and people who are fearful because they live in an unstable, war-torn country. Take on the misery of those with mental illness. Take on the pain of those whose trust has been betrayed. Do all of this happily. Use this pain to destroy the selfishness that motivated you to create the karma that brought about your own mental unhappiness. Feel light and relaxed as you use others’ mental pain to destroy the self-preoccupation that keeps you stuck in your own mental pain and self-pity.
11
When I am tormented by extreme hunger and thirst,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For engaging in deception, theft, and miserly acts;
From now on I will take all hunger and thirst upon myself.
When tormented by extreme hunger and thirst or from a mental state that is dissatisfied and hungry for some pleasure—perhaps we long for companionship, intimacy, or love, or we hunger for praise, acknowledgment, and approval—it is the weapon of destructive karma returning on us. What did we do in the past that brought this misfortune upon ourselves? We deceived people and prevented them from getting what was rightfully theirs. We stole others’ possessions—not necessarily by breaking into their homes, but through doing white-collar crimes such as embezzlement, altering accounts, and fraud. We did not return borrowed items or pay fees and taxes that we owed.
In addition, we did not share what we had, but stingily kept it for ourselves even when others needed it more. Miserly acts include not sharing our possessions and keeping jointly owned items for ourselves, without giving others their fair share. Fear and stinginess are cohorts that weave the story: “If I give, then I won’t have this and may suffer later.” They prevent us from being generous even when we have enough.
Dharma practitioners sometimes take the eight Mahayana precepts for twenty-four hours and eat only one meal that day. To counter any hunger and thirst we may feel, we think, “I’m purifying my destructive karma of being miserly, deceiving others, and stealing their possessions. Instead of my experiencing extreme hunger and thirst that have no end in sight, my harmful behavior is ripening in this relatively small suffering of feeling hungry today. I accept this suffering happily, and in the future I will stop creating those harmful actions.” In this way, we can be happy when experiencing the hardship of hunger because we are doing it for the sake of the Dharma. We are also stimulated to train ourselves in generosity, which is the karmic cause of wealth and prosperity.
As a new nun, I was very poor. I lived in India, and nobody sent me money. At one time, I had fifty dollars to my name and no return ticket! Even after I left India for Europe, I stayed in a monastery where we nuns lived in converted horse stables. It was cold in the winter, and I didn’t have enough money to pay for a heater in my room. Sitting in the meditation hall one day, I realized, “I don’t have enough money because I’m miserly.” This tight, stingy, fearful attitude was so vivid in my mind that I knew I had to change or things would only get worse.
That was a turning point for me, and I started making more effort to be generous. My miserliness and fear of not having enough were so strong that I had to keep nudging myself to give. Interestingly, as my tight fist gradually became an open hand, I received more support from others. Through my own experience, it is clear that giving is the cause of receiving.
12
When I am powerless and suffer in servitude to others,
This is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For being hostile to the weak and subjecting them;
From now on I will employ my body and life in the service of others.
Being powerless and suffering in servitude to others could include a variety of circumstances, such as slavery, sexual exploitation, lack of human rights or civil rights, economic exploitation, human trafficking, and political oppression. This verse could also refer to more general situations in which we feel powerless and disrespected, for example when our boss ignores our ideas for a project or family members dismiss our advice.
In such situations, the karmic cause is taking advantage of the young or powerless, being hostile to the weak and subjecting them to servitude. In previous times, or in this lifetime, we might have been bosses who deprecated our employees or manipulated others into doing something against their will. We may have exploited others to our advantage with no concern for their well-being. For example, in 2013 a building containing garment factories crumbled in Bangladesh, killing over five hundred people. Even though an engineer warned that the building was unsafe, factory owners insisted on keeping the factories open. Another example is those who prey upon young runaway girls, inducing them into emotional dependence on a pimp and turning them into prostitutes, often with a drug addiction that makes them further dependent on the pimp. Some people charge exorbitant prices for refugees, such as those from the Rohingya area of Myanmar, to board their ships and then abandon them or sell them into slavery.
Our present powerlessness and servitude is the result of having selfishly used and disrespected others, denying them opportunities and rights. To repair this, we make a strong determination to employ our body and life in the service of others. Regardless of whether somebody has high or low social status, we should respect and benefit them. Especially as people who aspire for full awakening, we cultivate the mind that cherishes others more than self and we should try to live that attitude by serving others in whatever way possible. I clearly remember Lama Yeshe addressing us monastics. Holding his prayer beads at his heart, he said, “This should be your mantra.” As he turned each bead, he said, “I am the servant of others. I am the servant of others.”
We can start modestly. Provided that our job isn’t one that involves harming others, such as manufacturing weapons or pesticides, we can transform it into an act of service by cultivating a good motivation. For example, we think, “I am going to work not just to make money, but to help the clients or customers. May they benefit by my work.” Or “I wish to benefit my colleagues, boss, and others and try to create a good work environment, so people will feel fulfilled by their work.”
If even a few people at a workplace have a generous attitude, everybody else will easily catch on. Conversely, if a few people like to pick faults—“You left the coffee table a mess. I’m not going to clean it up”—that attitude will permeate the workplace. Rather than waiting for others to do it first, it is up to us to be friendly and helpful at work.
Similarly, at home we can be loving and cooperative. Instead of plopping on the sofa after work and ordering family members around, we can greet them with kindness, remembering that these are the people we cherish the most. If parents want their children to grow up to be kind and considerate, they need to model that behavior themselves. Small actions speak loudly, set a good example, and promote affection in a family.
Take on the suffering of others, especially that of the powerless and those suffering in servitude. Use it to destroy your self-centered thought and self-grasping ignorance. Then transform your body, possessions, and merit into all they need and, with love, give it to them. Imagine them being satisfied in terms of their temporal needs, having all conducive circumstances to practice the Dharma, and becoming bodhisattvas and then buddhas.
13
When unpleasant words reach my ears,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For my verbal offenses, such as divisive speech;
From now on I will condemn flawed speech.
When people criticize or insult us, make comments we find offensive, or talk about us behind our back, our usual reaction is to get defensive and/or aggressive. We may lobby others to be on our side of the conflict or talk badly about others behind their back. This just creates more disharmony and plants the seeds of more destructive karma on our mindstreams. Instead of blaming others for our hurt feelings, we need to see that the cause of hearing unpleasant words is our own verbal offenses, such as divisive speech.
Examining our speech, we may discover that we have harshly blamed others, made false accusations, hurt their feelings, and ruined their reputation. We have picked faults and gossiped about them. We have deliberately made derogatory comments about others and widely discussed what was told to us in confidence. Considering what we have said about others, why are we surprised when others speak badly about us? Instead of continuing to misuse our speech, we need to make a determination to counteract the temptation to lie, create disharmony, speak harshly, and gossip. In this way, we will have better relationships now and will not create the karma to have contentious relationships in the future.
As in all the verses of this section, do the taking-and-giving meditation: taking on the pain others experience due to harsh speech and giving them the happiness we have from hearing kind, truthful, appropriate speech.
14
When I am born in a place of impurity
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For always cultivating impure perceptions.
From now on I will cultivate only pure perceptions.
A place of impurity is polluted, filthy, and unhealthy. It could be a slum in a large city, a site where toxic waste was dumped, or an area with thick air pollution. Living in such a place is due to cultivating impure perceptions. That is, due to grasping true existence, we generate all sorts of afflicted mental states: hostility, attachment, laziness, jealousy, arrogance, and so on. Our mind judges others, seeing everyone as falling short of our view of what they should be. Instead of cultivating these impure perceptions that cause us to be born in an impure place, we make a determination to solely cultivate pure perceptions. We make it a practice to see the good in each person and situation.
Saying that karma from previous lives is the cause for us having to live in such unhealthy places does not mean we ignore the present causes that pollute the air, water, and land. We must hold factories accountable for proper disposal of their waste and use vehicles that reduce and eventually eliminate carbon emissions. As a global community, we need to carefully consider whether we want to continue to use nuclear energy and, if so, how to protect the planet from disasters such as Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima Daiichi in 2011.
There are different ways to generate pure perceptions. One is to recognize that we do not know whether someone is a buddha or a bodhisattva. Holy beings manifest as ordinary beings in order to skillfully teach and guide us, but they do not wear name tags identifying themselves, “Hi, my name is Avalokiteshvara. I am a buddha.” Since disparaging holy beings is very destructive karma and we do not know whether someone is awakened or not, Buddhist teachings recommend we avoid criticizing anybody.
This doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t confront difficulties or that we hide the truth. For example, if a potential employer contacts us as a reference for Joe, it’s not suitable to either speak of Joe’s faults with the motivation to harm him or to praise him for qualities he doesn’t have because we think he may be a buddha. If we believe that a person is not a good fit for the job, then with a compassionate motivation that doesn’t want either party to be stuck with a poor job fit, we share our honest assessment.
Along the same lines, we can say an action is inappropriate and harmful without disparaging the person who did it. Separating the action from the person is a powerful tool for being able to see that each sentient being has buddha-nature and at the same time acknowledge mistakes and help people grow by holding them accountable for harmful actions.
When we do tantric practice, we try to see the environment as a pure land and the other beings we encounter as deities and enlightened beings. The purpose of doing this is to protect our mind from anger, attachment, dissatisfaction, jealousy, and other afflictions. It does not mean we whitewash negativities or project fanciful ideas of truly existent perfection onto others, as that can lead to problems. For example, if we see others fighting, we do not just say, “These are the wrathful deities Yamantaka and Mahakala doing this as a show.” Seeing everyone as a deity does not mean we sit back and let people hurt each other. We must intercede to stop the harm if we are capable of doing so, but we do this without anger.
15
When I am separated from helpful and loving friends,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For luring away others’ companions;
From now on I will never estrange others from their companions.
All of us cherish helpful and loving friends, and wise, compassionate spiritual mentors are especially important to us to progress on the path. Being separated from the people we value or having an important relationship not work out the way we had hoped is painful, yet it is a common occurrence in cyclic existence. Because we ourselves, others, and all the conditioned things around us are impermanent by nature, whatever comes together must also separate.
Hindrances interfering with our relationships with loving friends, spiritual mentors, or helpful companions arise due to our luring away others’ companions. In the past, we may have broken up marriages or separated teachers and disciples by criticizing one to the other or by making it difficult for them to meet. Abusing power, we may have been a leader who implemented policies that separated people from those dear to them. Motivated by jealousy, we may have talked about people behind their backs to provoke disharmony in their relationships. Or people may already have separated, and out of jealousy we prevent them from reconciling.
In all these verses, it is helpful to examine whether we have done the inappropriate action in this life and, if we have, to apply the four opponent powers to purify those karmic seeds: regret, taking refuge and generating bodhicitta, making a determination not to do the action again, and engaging in a remedial action. Doing the taking and giving meditation is a form of remedial action.
Furthermore, we may have acted in harmful or obnoxious ways in previous lives. Although we cannot remember specific instances from previous lives, purifying these karmic seeds is still important. To learn from our mistakes, we then make a determination to do the opposite of the specific harmful action. In the above verse, we resolve not to estrange others from their companions with whom they have healthy and mutually beneficial relationships. To go a step further, we also help others have harmonious relations.
There are some cases, however, when separating people may be necessary. For example, a woman is separated from her husband who beats her, but strong attachment for him arises in her mind and she wants to go back to him. Out of compassion, for the sake of her safety and to prevent him from creating destructive karma by beating her, we may warn her, “Remember what he did. Be strong and don’t give in to momentary attachment.”
Another example is a friend who is attending the classes of a “spiritual mentor” who, while claiming to be a Buddhist, does not teach according to the Buddhadharma. If our friend doesn’t yet consider this person to be his teacher, we may want to encourage him to be cautious. We may say, “The scriptures encourage us to learn the qualities of a qualified spiritual mentor and then to check if someone has at least some of these qualities before taking him or her as our teacher. Since this ‘teacher’ is controversial, please consider doing this.”
16
When sublime ones become displeased with me,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For renouncing the sublime ones and seeking bad companions;
From now on I will give up negative friendships.
Sublime ones refers particularly to our spiritual teachers, those whose spiritual guidance is essential to our practice of learning, reflecting, and meditating on the Dharma. If we are training in vinaya—monastic discipline—sublime ones include senior monastics whom we trust and are who are committed to guiding us. When these people become displeased with us, our tendency is to blame them: “They’re insensitive, closed-minded, and too demanding. They play favorites.” Since we have this tendency, some monastic precepts prohibit making such accusations because it is our mind, not theirs, that is under the control of afflictions.
Perhaps the teacher who instructs us in the bodhisattva practice seems displeased with us. He or she is too busy to see us, ignores our questions in Dharma class, and no longer beams an encouraging smile in our direction. Being self-preoccupied, we take everything personally and become riddled with doubts and anxiety that we “did something wrong.” In this case, we may need to pause and reflect on whether our teacher is actually displeased with us or whether there are other people or important projects our teacher needs to attend to. If her displeasure is due to our fabricating a story that isn’t real, we need to drop our story.
On the other hand, if our teacher in fact is unhappy with us, we need to recall that this is due to our renouncing the sublime ones and seeking bad companions. Instead of seeking the advice of those who are skilled and knowledgeable in the Dharma, we have befriended bad companions—people who, by pleasing our ego, distract us from spiritual practice. In addition, in this or previous lives, we have not respected our spiritual mentors, acted contrary to their advice, and even competed with them. We usually do not recognize the disadvantages of these thoughts and actions because we think they are justified. Part of Dharma practice is learning how to correctly identify our intentions and to accurately evaluate our actions.
We have also sought out “bad friends.” These people don’t have horns on their head. They aren’t evil-looking, sinister, or out to get us. In fact, they care about us, but in a superficial, worldly way. When we plan to attend a meditation retreat, they say, “Why don’t you get a life? Go to the beach, or go on a camping trip.” While they want us to have worldly happiness, they do not consider future lives, lack an understanding of karma, and believe the purpose of our lives is to have pleasure, make a name for ourselves, and be successful according to societal standards. They do not understand either the rarity and value of a precious human life or its ultimate meaning and purpose.
Although they wish us well, their advice is unwise. If we seek them out when we are upset, they will take our side and say, “You are right. That person is treating you horribly, and you have every right to be angry. Go tell that person off.” Because they encourage us to create the destructive karma of harsh speech, we say these people are “bad friends.”
As we learn the Dharma and understand more about karma, our perspective shifts regarding the purpose of friendship and the qualities we look for in friends. Some people go through a difficult period at the beginning: “My friends often drink and take drugs (gossip, backbite, make fun of others, or whatever activity you are losing interest in that was the basis for your friendship). I’m trying to stop, but if I don’t do that with them, there’s no basis for our being together. They’ll think I’m prudish if I don’t do what I used to do with them. They’ll think I’m conceited and standoffish. Yet I care about them, so what do I do?”
At that point people are comparatively new in the Dharma, and their attachment to old friends and familiar activities is strong. Some people have a mistaken sense of loyalty and stop attending Dharma class in favor of continuing the relationships with their old friends. This is a big loss. Other people decide the Dharma is more important, and not wanting to be adversely influenced by their old friends, they begin new friendships with people who have Dharma values. While we give up negative friendships, we do not inconsiderately reject our old friends. We can still be friendly and compassionate toward them, but do not get involved in the same activities as before. If our old friends can adapt to this, the friendship will continue, but if we see that our interests have changed, we can let the relationship gradually fade and cultivate new friends with good values. We become wiser in terms of whose advice we follow and whom we trust to discuss our problems with.
Following friends who have worldly values causes us not to meet spiritual teachers or, if we meet them, to have difficult relationships. Being cautious in this regard is important, because meeting qualified spiritual teachers is essential on the path. If we are enamored with spiritual teachers who are not qualified, we receive incorrect instructions and go down a wrong path. If we learn from and serve qualified spiritual mentors, they will guide us in purifying our negativities and cultivating our good qualities.
17
When others assail me with exaggeration, denigration, and so on,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For disparaging the sublime beings;
From now on I will never belittle others with disparaging words.
This verse concerns people falsely accusing us or insinuating to others that we have, for instance, transgressed our precepts or acted unethically. Due to jealously, they may assail us with exaggeration, denigration, and so on by putting us down or scapegoating us for others’ misdeeds. When this happens, instead of becoming upset and depressed, we have to recognize that this is due to our previously having disparaged sublime beings.
These lines make me think of the false accusations the communist Chinese throw at His Holiness the Dalai Lama, calling him the “splitter of the motherland.” Although these communist leaders have much worldly power, they use it to create massive destructive karma. Another great Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, refused to side with either the North or the South during the Vietnam War, so both sides criticized him and he could no longer remain in Vietnam. He loved his country and wanted peace, but not seeing that, people disparaged him.
Engaging in destructive actions against holy beings often results in hellish rebirths. Even when people are born as human beings in the future, it is difficult for them to meet the Dharma and to find a qualified teacher. With little provocation, others blame, criticize, and denigrate them. This is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon them.
To avoid these unwanted results, we resolve from now on to never belittle others with disparaging words. Instead, we train ourselves to recognize and praise others’ wholesome deeds and to point out their good qualities.
Whenever we are denigrated or our faults exaggerated, it is helpful to remember, “This is a result of my own harmful actions. There is no sense getting hurt, angry, or depressed.” We become adept at recognizing the state of things: “This is the fault of my own self-centeredness, and I’m glad this karma is ripening as the present problematic circumstance rather than in a horrible rebirth.” We resolve to avoid such behavior in the future.
For those of us who are particularly sensitive when our faults are exaggerated and our good qualities denigrated, doing the taking-and-giving meditation when we are put down or disparaged is very effective. It forces us to think of the feelings of others who face this situation, and that pulls us out of the self-centeredness that thinks, “I’m the only one who is treated unfairly like this.” In addition, we have to develop a strong mind to think of taking on all the suffering of others who are criticized and to give them our happiness.
18
When my material resources waste away
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For being disrespectful toward others’ resources;
From now on I will help others find what they need.
It happens that sometimes we may not be able to get the things we require to stay alive—food, shelter, clothing, and medicine—or if we have them, they are stolen or destroyed before we can use them. An earthquake or fire destroys our home; war destroys crops or makes it dangerous to leave home to go to the store. Insurgents prevent humanitarian relief from reaching those in need. Meanwhile, grain in silos in some countries rots either because people won’t sell it or obstacles prevent its distribution.
The karmic cause for such unfortunate situations is being disrespectful toward others’ resources. We did not care when others needed things and did not share what we had with them. In other situations, we stole others’ possessions or deceived people so that they gave us ownership of things that rightfully were theirs. In the past we did not pay fair wages, exploited workers, or incited a crowd to destroy the property of those we didn’t like.
In short, when we lack what we need, our resources go to waste, or we cannot access them; this is a karmic result of thinking only of ourselves: I want. I need. This is mine. To change this behavior, with a heart that genuinely cares about others and to the best of our ability, we practice helping others find what they need. As Shantideva, the eighth-century Indian sage, said, “May people think of benefiting each other.”
As I was writing this book, a friend wrote me about an experience he had and how he applied thought training to it:
I was helping some Tibetan nuns get their visas at the Indian embassy, and left my bicycle outside. When I returned, it had been stolen. There is a lot of desperation and suffering in that part of town, and from my side this was a good check on how I’m doing in my practice. Unlike if this had happened prior to meeting the Dharma, now I didn’t experience any strong afflictive emotions. Instead, I immediately started watching my mind and processing the theft by seeing it in a broader perspective as negative karma ripening in a way I am fortunate enough to be able to shrug off.
Later, while doing the practice of Chenrezig [the buddha of compassion], I remembered to offer the bike to the thief and to assume responsibility for the harmful action myself by offering the fruits of my own amazing fortune to him. I also went to the Asian Art Museum to visit my favorite deity there, a stone Vajra Tara, and we had a good laugh about it. I think the fact this happened while I was doing something virtuous with good intentions is auspicious. Maybe if it hadn’t happened, I would have been hit by a car on the ride home.
When my mind becomes unclear and my heart unhappy,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For making others accumulate negative karma;
From now on I will shun enabling others’ destructive actions.
We sit down to meditate or study, and our minds are moody, heavy, or unhappy. We lack energy, and even though we have the opportunity to practice the Dharma or even do an ordinary task that requires concentration, we doze off. We may have many good things going for us in our lives, but all we see is what we lack and complain that life is unfair. Whatever we have, it’s not good enough. We’re envious of those who have more and better. In Dharma circles we call this “thinking the chanting is better on the other side of the temple.”
An unclear mind and unhappy heart are due to having made unwise choices in the past. Instead of encouraging others’ good qualities and virtuous activities, we drew them into our illegal schemes, vengeful actions, and dirty business deals. Perhaps in a previous life we were an army general who commanded troops to kill the enemy. We asked family members to lie for us or encouraged them to report they worked more hours than they did so that the family would have more money.
Seeing the unhappiness we experience due to these actions, we make the determination to shun enabling others’ destructive actions. We decline to get entangled in their nonvirtuous activities and don’t dream up ones of our own that we get them involved with. In fact, we do the opposite and encourage others to do constructive actions and to use their talents to benefit others.
People often ask me how to benefit their deceased relatives and friends so that they will have a good rebirth. The best way to do that is to encourage them to engage in virtuous deeds while they are alive: inspire them to be generous, to live ethically, to be tolerant and get along well with others. Don’t feed their rancor; discourage their harmful actions. The more we can help them live a wholesome life, the more they will create constructive karma that will ripen in their future happiness. When they die, we will not have to worry about them, and our prayers will be more effective because there will be the seeds of constructive karma on their mindstreams that can be activated.
20
When I fail in my endeavors and feel deeply perturbed,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For obstructing the work of sublime ones;
From now on I will relinquish all obstructive deeds.
This verse concerns failing in the projects we try to accomplish. We try to encourage people in our workplace to recycle, but they aren’t interested. We try to create a Dharma website, but the causes and conditions don’t come together. We want our children to join the family business, but none of them are interested. Despite our creative ideas and efforts, our goals, either spiritual or worldly, aren’t actualized, leaving us feeling feel stymied and frustrated.
When this happens, rather than complain or feel sorry for ourselves, let’s recognize that this is due to obstructing the work of sublime ones—the Three Jewels and our spiritual mentors, who are intent on virtue. In the past, we may have disturbed meditators by talking loudly, playing music, or taking their food. We may have interrupted the efforts of Dharma students by asking them to do trivial activities or created obstructions for a charity doing good work in the community. Perhaps we were government officials who interfered with the activities of a temple, or in the case of the Cultural Revolution in China, they destroyed temples and Buddha statues, forced monastics to disrobe, and burned Dharma texts.
Recognizing the damaging effects of such actions, we make a resolution: from now on I will relinquish all obstructive deeds. When holy beings or ordinary people build hospitals and schools to benefit society, when they start drug and alcohol recovery programs, bring meals to the elderly, or tutor disadvantaged children, we support their efforts and avoid creating problems and obstacles for them. To the contrary, we do our best to encourage people in their wholesome attitudes and actions and to facilitate the conditions to bring these aspirations to fruition.
With all these verses, remember to do the taking-and-giving meditation. In this verse, we take on the suffering of people who fail in their endeavors and feel deeply perturbed, frustrated, and misunderstood. We transform our body, possessions, and merit into what they require to actualize their virtuous aims and take delight in envisioning their success, including their successful Dharma practice, which brings them lasting happiness.
21
When my gurus remain displeased no matter what I do,
This is the weapon of destructive karma returning on me
For acting duplicitously toward the sublime Dharma.
From now on I will be less deceitful with respect to the Dharma.
When our spiritual mentors are displeased with our behavior, we feel uncomfortable inside. We may blame our spiritual mentors, thinking they are insensitive and do not respect, appreciate, and understand us. We may also believe they are trying to control us, or we may withdraw inside ourselves, telling ourselves that we are deficient in one way or another. All these emotional reactions keep us caught up in the turmoil of self-preoccupation and make it hard for us to accurately understand the situation.
In fact, our spiritual mentor is displeased with us because of our inappropriate behavior in this or previous lives. We may have been rude, unreliable, or deceitful, seeming to be an excellent student while in our spiritual mentor’s presence but acting recklessly when we’re not. Such behavior does not help our practice at all. We may believe we are doing the right thing, being well behaved with our teachers, but we need to be courteous and kind all the time, with everyone. We cannot deceive the functioning of karma and its effects. The real issue is our motivation, not whether our teachers are watching. Our hypocrisy, as well as our boasting of good qualities we lack and hiding our faults, separate us from our spiritual mentors. They cannot help us when we are not truthful with them or when we arrogantly resist their advice.
Sometimes we pick and choose what advice we listen to, following only what pleases our ego. Or we may agree to do something when we are with our teacher and then not follow suit afterward. Or we go from one spiritual mentor to another, asking for advice, and we don’t listen to any of it. Such behavior only creates more obstacles for us on the path.
Being straightforward and honest with our spiritual mentors opens the door to receiving benefit from them. Because we got to know someone before accepting him or her as one of our spiritual mentors, we have already decided that this is a knowledgeable and trustworthy person who cares about our spiritual progress. Thus, when things come up between us, instead of blaming our mentor or withdrawing, we examine our own thoughts and behavior until our error becomes clear. We can then remedy our mistake and restore the relationship with our spiritual mentor to its previous level of comfort and closeness.
To get the outcomes we seek in our relationship with our spiritual mentors, we resolve from now on to be less deceitful with respect to the Dharma. We do our best to keep the precepts we take from our spiritual mentors. We are truthful in both word and deed and are reliable in serving our teachers. Humbly admitting our mistakes, we are neither deceitful nor pretentious.
22
When everyone challenges what I say,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For disregarding integrity and consideration for others;
From now on I will refrain from troubling behavior.
We experience situations where people do not believe us, lack confidence in us, or doubt the wisdom of our decisions. Sometimes there is good reason for this; other times we may know what we’re doing, but others question our recommendations. We may be in positions of responsibility, but our followers constantly contradict and challenge our goals, plans, and ways of enacting them. It is helpful to realize that this is due to our disregarding integrity and consideration for others.
Integrity is a mental factor that prevents us from acting negatively because we have a sense of our own dignity and values. For example, when faced with the opportunity to lie, manipulate, or deceive someone, we think, “I value the Dharma and want to act according to it, so I won’t do that.” Consideration for others is a mental factor that restrains us from acting destructively because we don’t want our bad behavior to have an adverse effect on others, especially by making them lose faith in the Dharma or in humanity in general. For example, knowing that other people will lose faith in the sangha, monastics wear their robes, act with decorum, and stop themselves from gossiping. In addition, knowing the buddhas and bodhisattvas will not be pleased if we are boisterous and rude or if we harbor grudges and wrong views, we refrain from such activities. These two mental factors—integrity and consideration for others—are the root of abandoning negativities. Without them, we would be completely reckless and act without conscience. They are the keys to ethical living and inspiring behavior.
Seeing how the lack of integrity and consideration for others has led to the karmic boomerang—our experiencing something similar to what we have caused others to experience—we make a resolution. Employing integrity and consideration for others, we refrain from troubling behavior, such as the ten unwholesome paths of action. We will do our best not to transgress our precepts or act in ways that will cause others to lose faith in the Three Jewels. As Dharma friends, we should draw each other’s attention to our inappropriate behavior, and when others make us aware of it, let’s not react with defensiveness, but listen to their words.
Attachment to reputation and consideration for others are “close enemies.” In other words, in some respects they look similar, but they are actually very different. Attachment to reputation and praise is completely self-centered—we want to look good—while consideration for others is genuinely caring about them. If our motivation is to be a “people pleaser” so that we will receive praise, approval, and have a good reputation, when we do not succeed in getting these, our attitude sours and we get angry. When we have genuine consideration for others, we do what we know is best without attachment to reputation.
When disputes arise as soon as my companions gather,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For peddling my destructive, evil character in all directions;
From now on I will maintain good character wherever I am.
When our family, friends, or colleagues come together, they argue and bicker. We live in a monastery, and our students or fellow monastics cannot get along. It’s unpleasant being around people who are difficult to get along with and constantly quarreling.
When we encounter this disagreeable situation, let’s recall that this is due to peddling our destructive, evil character in all directions. Sometimes it is hard to acknowledge that one part of us likes to stir things up or be demanding, controlling, and uncooperative. By having acted in this way and disturbing the minds of others, we now find ourselves surrounded by people who disturb our minds. There is no reason for us to complain: we created the causes for this experience by the way we acted.
After 9/11 the US government sent troops to Afghanistan and later to Iraq. Personally speaking, I didn’t want to be involved in wars in these countries. My way of dealing with harm or with dictators is different. I felt trapped: without a choice, I was stuck in the middle of others’ quarrels.
I thought, “While I disagree with the policies of Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, and George Bush, I cannot blame them for my uneasiness. The karmic causes lie in actions I did in previous lives. I was rude, quarrelsome, disagreeable, and uncooperative. I incited violence and started fights. Perhaps as a governmental leader in a previous life, I started a war or refused a cease fire or violated treaties. Though it is unpleasant to think I did such things, this can’t be ruled out. After all, it is said that we have been everyone and done everything in our beginningless cyclic existence.”
We make a determination: from now on I will maintain good character wherever I am. No matter where we are or who we are with, we will try to listen sincerely to others’ feelings and needs, to be earnest in resolving conflict, and to act with mindfulness and kindness. We pay attention to and respect cultural differences. We discuss options and brainstorm instead of forcing our ideas and behavior on others.
24
When all who are close to me arise as enemies,
It is the weapon of destructive karma turning upon me
For harboring harmful, evil intentions within.
From now on I will diminish deceit and pretension.
Human beings are social creatures, so close friends and relatives are important to us. Strife and misunderstandings arising in our relationships can be painful and difficult as the people we value and depend on transform into enemies. Spouses cannot get along; Dharma friends clash; parents and children cannot tolerate being near each other.
Instead of blaming others for the situation, we recognize that this is due to our harboring harmful, evil intentions within. In the past, we were spiteful, undermined others’ projects, and sought revenge for small offenses. We pretended to have good qualities and skills that we didn’t and hid our faults, misgivings, and past misdeeds from others. Due to this, those who are close to us do not trust us; they back away and may even shun us.
Learning from our previous mistakes and seeking to prevent creating the causes for this to happen in the future, we make a resolution: from now on, I will diminish my deceit and pretention. These two mental factors are often coupled together: deceit involves a type of dishonesty that covers up our bad habits that we don’t want others to know, and pretension involves feigning good qualities that we lack. Attachment to the eight worldly concerns is definitely at play here, as we pompously present ourselves as someone we are not in order to get others to like us or do something for us.
Such intentions and behaviors motivated from them are forms of lying, pretending to be what we aren’t. After a while, we become impervious to our errors and deficiencies. Animals may lack a precious human life, but at least they are honest, and we know what’s going on with them. Human beings are not—we put on shows to impress others. Acting with deceit and pretention creates many impediments to meeting with fully qualified spiritual masters in the future. If we cannot be honest and transparent with our teachers, how can they teach and guide us? Our behavior cuts off our lifeline to the Dharma. Thus, for our own benefit, as well as that of others, we want to cease such deceptive intentions and actions.