Repaying Debts or Being Taken Advantage of?
April 21, 2008 Question: In adverse circumstances, I contrarily find it difficult to believe that I had “owed” these nasty people debts and that now all that had happened was simply a repayment.
I find it hard to believe that it was a past that is back to haunt me; a past that I can't see.
How can I see more clearly that the law of cause and effect really exists from life to life? I know that we can see the law of cause and effect in many aspects of life but surely we cannot extrapolate a universal principle thus, because of this? Could you advise?
Response: During the night of the Buddha’s enlightenment, he saw causality occurring. The boundaries of past, present, and future had dropped away and he saw the past and future as clearly as we see the present. He did not extrapolate the Dharma with it’s principles like cause and effect, he experienced them. He then encouraged us to experience them as a way to build our confidence.
As we begin to experience cause and effect in this lifetime (for example, when I am angry, I feel agitated and unsettled), we will begin to see that it also explains the consequences we are unable to link back to causes in previous lifetimes.
Initially, it is not necessary to believe in rebirth to benefit form the teaching. In fact, in the Kalama Sutra, we read how the Buddha postulated a scenario contrary to his experience—one where there is no rebirth and no karmic retribution. He did this so that those who were doubtful could still benefit from his teachings. He showed that even within such a scenario, one who remains free of greed, anger, and their resultant suffering will be truly happy!
As the Buddha showed, they do not have to accept rebirth in order to reap the benefits. Those who are free of greed, anger, and their ensuing suffering have a mind of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciation, and equanimity in this lifetime. They no longer experience greed, no longer crave the emotional high from acquiring that which is new—they simply appreciate what they already have. Craving and its shadow, disappointment, are eliminated as people become contented with their situation.
A person who feels no anger will not feel angry or unsettled but will, instead, always feel calm and peaceful. Such a person will always be happy and at ease, and thus always be welcomed wherever he or she goes. Without craving and without anger there will be no suffering—just happiness, a lifetime of happiness. And all this can happen here and now, because even if one does not believe in rebirth, one will still benefit if one lives a life free of craving, animosity, and unhappiness.
And gradually, as one experiences the results of living in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings, one will have experienced enough to believe in what cannot yet be proven through direct experience.
Reader Comments (4)
Best,
Thank you for the good questions! They're always appreciated because others have the same questions.
I have a question. I have so much fear in my heart: fear of death, fear of pain, suffering, fears relating to insecurity, etc...Many of my fears are real. but I know Buddhism teaches that one should not fear (or at least when it comes to Pureland, e.g don't fear death or pain or suffering, even on one's deathbed).
But my questions is: why should one not fear? For one, the fear of NOT going to the Pureland is frightening because one doesnt want to end up in another awful realm.
Thanks.
Fear arises because we are attached to this body, to our current identity, believing it is "me." So we are afraid to lose "me." We grasp at happiness and feel aversion for anything that seems to threaten our perceived idea of happiness. We do not understand that everything in our world is impermanent and will change, including suffering.
This fear is debilitating and can cause us to be unable to act wisely because we're not focusing on our practice but on protecting this mistaken idea of who we are.
At our level of understanding, fear of a bad future life can be motivation for us to work harder to be reborn in the Pure Land. With time our motivation will transform into the wish to end the suffering of others, not just our own, through rebirth in the Pure Land.