Buddhism & the Purpose of Life

                You might think that Buddhism is about endless meditation, mysterious reincarnation, and a lot of lotus flowers.

Original Photo by Wiertz Sebastien available on Flickr.com

                Though they all represent aspects of Buddhism, Buddhist teachings are actually about the purpose of life.

                 Did you know that???

                So what is the "purpose of life?"

                Well, first you have to know every human activity has a purpose behind it.

            We study ----------------------------------> in order to get a job.

Original Photo by scui3asteveo available on Flickr.com

Original Photo by Phillie Casablanca available on Flickr.com

 

          We work -----------------------------------------------------> in order to earn money. 

Original Photo by orphanjones

Original Photo by USDAgov available on FLickr.com

 

    

   We need money ----------------------------------------------------------> to live.

Original Photo by Tax Credits available on Flickr.com

Original Photo by Wonderlane available on Flickr.com

        

       We live --------------------------------------------------------------> ???  

Why do we live? 
 

                Hmmm... we must have some purpose in living as well!

                Everyone instinctively knows that human life is a very, very special gift. Yet we spend most of our entire lives figuring out just what to do with it. So how then do we justify that life has such a great value? Are all lives worth the same? What about those people who are on life support? Why if we are struggling to survive and completely miserable should we not just give up and commit suicide?

                 To know all these answers, we must first learn what the real purpose is in living.

                 Let's see what famous thinkers, philosophers, and politicians tell us about life.

• In his On Genealogy of Morals, Friedrich Nietzsche effectively underscored the importance of meaning in life when he wrote that man desires suffering and "even seeks it out, provided that he has been shown a meaning for it, a reason for suffering."

• French writer Albert Camus said that deep in the human heart is a "wild longing" to know the meaning of life.

• The renowned American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (CHEEK-sent-mə-HY-ee) has stated that without a profound purpose in life, people cannot obtain true satisfaction, no matter what conveniences and entertainment may surround them.

   Here's a citation from a Pure Land Buddhist perspective:

                Today in countries around the world, people enjoy wealth and comfort unheard of in centuries past. Medical and scientific advances mean that we live longer and have greater ability to change and control our environment to suit our needs. But have these advances brought greater happiness? Modern society is plagued with ills such as violence in its many forms, including tyranny, terrorism, murder, and suicide. Real answers to these problems continue to elude us.

                Our advances may have made us richer, but they have not done anything to ensure our happiness or provide us with a sense of abiding meaningfulness. In fact, modern life often seems only to bring more acute feelings of isolation, loneliness, and emptiness.

                When our purpose is clear only then can we move into action with all our might for the first time.

 (Excerpt from the Introduction of You Were Born for a Reason)

                So it seems everybody agrees that we can't be truly happy until we have attained our real purpose in life. Because without purpose that adds meaning to our lives, we're left feeling desperate and hopelessly lost. 

             
                 But in the back of your mind you still might be thinking, "You know, not all activities in life have to have purpose..."

                Maybe on a lazy day, you might do something random like let's say lay in a hammock without any particular purpose in your mind...

Original Photo by Boston Public Library available on Flickr.com

                But even laying in a hammock has a purpose behind it... like to rest or to sleep.

                When you live your whole life without knowing its purpose, it's like you're living for the sake of living. Without finding a true purpose, your whole life becomes wasted.

                This is why we feel really empty and anxious deep down all the time... because we don't even know why we're alive year after year.

So what happens to people who don't know the purpose of life?

They are like pilots up in the air 
flying randomly 
not knowing or not caring about their course 
until it's too late 
when they run out of fuel.


Lack of purpose in life is like flying without a place to land!

Original Photo by bortescristian available on Flickr.com

                We're born one day, and one day we must die. Likewise a plane that takes off eventually has to come down. Having a course and a destination means choosing the proper route in order to land safely at the airport.

                 But an airplane flying for the sake of flying for as long as it can will just end up running out of fuel. Without notice, the plane will suddenly fall from the sky and plummet into the ground.

                 This means we must find a purpose that delivers us lasting satisfaction and consistent joy in our lives. If we don't, we can't truly enjoy our flight. Life is so full of suffering, because we can't see clearly where the runway is. At any minute, we could crash. And there's no fuel gauge that tells us how much longer we have left to live!

                Too often when talking about life's purpose, we confuse and incorrectly link it with temporary goals. Do any of these sound familiar?

• Getting a steady, fulfilling job

• Winning a tennis tournament

• Having a successful romantic relationship

• Obtaining a Bachelor's degree

• Building your own house

• Getting rich and famous

• Starting a family

• Mastering a second language like Spanish

• Winning the Nobel Peace Prize

                 Yet for as long as we're alive, we chase temporary goals like these, one after another. We think that we will have lasting happiness once the next one is accomplished. But in this life as quickly as these pursuits are gained, they can be lost. And in the end, we must leave it all behind.

                 So managing your career, getting married, and running marathons are all wonderful parts of life, but...

  They are ... how to live.

                       In the short-term, they make us happy and keep us going, but they are not, however, the true purpose of life. This does not mean they are no longer important or not worth pursuing.

                "Decisions about speed and altitude, route alterations based on changes in wind or air pressure, responses to engine trouble -- all these are choices that affect the 'how-to' of flight. What must be known before any of these decisions are made is the destination, since this will determine the direction, or the 'where-to,' of flight." (Reason, p. 16)

                The real purpose of living is to arrive at absolute happiness, the happiness that is everlasting. This is the form of happiness that remains even in the face of death. We must continue to live on even though we may feel great pain so that we can get it for ourselves.

 To attain absolute happiness is... why we live.

                 In the next post, we will learn about the differences between the two types of happiness experienced in life.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Study Guide pages: You Were Born for a Reason: p. 4-5, 12, 16, 39)

   The book, You Were Born for a Reason, is essential for the study of Pure Land Buddhism. It was written by the current living master of Pure Land Buddhism, Takamori Kentetsu. I highly recommend you buy a copy on Amazon.com to read along with this blog. http://www.amazon.com/Were-Born-Reason-Kentetsu-Takamori/dp/0979047102/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348612638&sr=1-1&keywords=you+were+born+for+a+reason

   Ideas written on this blog come mostly from that book or Mr. Takamori's lectures. Other titles include Unlocking Tannisho, Something You Forgot Along the Way, Unshakable Spirit, and The Story of Buddha. I also use lectures notes I have taken down from various Buddhist teachers that I've had from around the world. In no way are these "my" ideas. The goal is to teach only what is taught in Buddhism accurately. I will do my best to cite, directly and indirectly, the ideas I've learned.

The Reality of Mankind -- Meaning behind the Story

                So what happens when one dies? Some people say, "When someone dies, that is the end." This is a terrible misconception.

                Sakyamuni Buddha declared that all human beings are destined to fall into the bottomless blue ocean when they die. This bottomless ocean is compared to the realm of incessant suffering or jigoku in Japanese.

                Sakyamuni asserts throughout the sutras that all beings are destined to this jigoku once their breathing stops. The most critical matter in Buddhism is this question of what happens to us after we die. This is known as the term gosho no ichidaiji in Japanese. The purpose of listening to Buddhism is to solve this pressing question.

                What kind of a world is this realm of incessant suffering?

                As to the intensity of torture in this world, Sakyamuni said that it was beyond explanation.

                For this reason, gosho no ichidaiji has been considered a serious matter to us for an immeasurably long period of time. There is nothing of greater importance to human beings than this, and Sakyamuni Buddha emphasized its importance greatly.

                If asked, "Who created the world of suffering?", the answer is the three dragons that appeared in the parable. Those three dragons represent the three poisonous passions of our hearts: greed, anger, and ignorance.

                The blue dragon represents greed. If money and wealth are insufficient, we desire to have them. If we all ready have them, we desire more. Wants create more wants, and in order to fulfill our limitless desires, we perform all sorts of evil. The deeper the ocean, the richer and darker the color of blue. This is why it is represented as the the blue dragon.

                The red dragon represents anger. When our desire is interfered with and we can't get our way, we start blaming others. We cut down in our hearts anyone who obstructs our desires. The flame of anger blazes red. This is why it represented as the red dragon.

                The black dragon represents foolishness, manifested by grudge, hatred, jealousy, and resentment. We hold those feelings due to our ignorance of the Law of Cause and Effect. Because of our despicable hearts, we get jealous of other people's happiness and secretly enjoy their misfortunes. The darkness of these feelings is expressed through the black dragon.

                Because of the three major evil passions, we are constantly performing evil acts from morning to night.

                Buddhism teaches that the lives of all beings are equally precious. Therefore, the killing of a single cow or pig is the equivalent of killing a single person. Eating the fish we bought at the market is considered as the sin of killing because we are asking the fisherman to kill fish for our food.

                Just by estimating the killings we perform for food, we realize how many sins we are committing every day. Even if we don't kill with our hands, when we wish with our minds, "I wish that jerk would just die," it is just as sinful as killing with our hands. This is because Buddhism places more emphasis on the deeds within our minds as they are the source for the deeds of the mouth and body.

                In the Larger Sutra of Infinite Life (Larger Sutra), Sakyamuni Buddha reveals the true image of human beings as follows:

Our mind is constantly thinking evil.

Our mouth is constantly speaking evil.

Our body is constantly practicing evil.

Not a single good deed has ever been performed.

                The more we listen to Buddhism, the more we become aware of ourselves as such. According to the Law of Cause and Effect, we are creating our future world of suffering right now.

                Once our breathing stops, the gosho no ichidaiji (grave problem of what happens after death) begins. Still, we ignore this fact and keep on licking the honey, known also as the five pleasures. We only wish to fulfill these five desires of food, wealth, sex, fame, and sleep.

                Day after day, from morning to night, our minds are preoccupied with satisfying these desires. Our lives are dragged around by them constantly, and one day it will end in ruin for us.

                Like the traveler licking honey, we humans give no thought to the purpose of being born into human life. Nor do we take into account that death is stalking us minute by minute and shortening our lives day and night.

                Below the traveler's feet exists the gosho no ichidaiji, and the traveler will have to fall into this eventually. Yet he persists to clinging on to the fine wisteria vine, just enjoying the honey of his endless desires and forgetting all else.

                Sakyamuni taught this parable to warn us that we are hanging in a dangerous place. Listening to Buddhism provides us with the solution to this dreadful situation. The next blog post will introduce how discovering our true purpose of life is the answer.

The Reality of Mankind -- Symbols Explained

     First of all, Sakyamuni Buddha referred to the traveler as each and every one of us as human beings. It wasn’t only the Buddha who said it in this way. Many sages and wise men of old described life as a journey, and people as being travelers.

                Our life is like a journey. Last year’s journey has ended and this year’s journey has begun. When this year’s journey ends, next year’s journey will begin. So it continues.

                If a person is a traveler, there is something he must always bear in mind. It is the direction in which he must travel. In other words, he must know the destination of his journey. Likewise, we too must know the purpose of life.

                What is the objective of living? We call this the purpose of life, but people are not aware of this are travelers who travel without a definite destination. And that just doesn’t really make much sense.

                The traveler was trudging all alone in the autumn dusk. It represents the solitary state of our life. Why is human life so lonely? Sakyamuni Buddha indicates the condition of human life as, “Alone we are born, and alone we die. Alone we come, and alone we depart.”

                We were born alone in this world, so we will die alone. Our journey is all alone from beginning to end. Even though we may have company for our physical body, there is no company for our soul. No matter how many people you are surrounded by, there is still no one who can understand your soul completely.

                A vast wilderness represents the history of our True Self. This physical body will die within the span of a hundred years or so. However, Buddhism teaches that our life is eternal. Our physical body can be compared to a bubble on the surface of a great river. A bubble forms and disappears instantly, without even bothering the flow of the river.

                The white bones represent the death of our family, friends, acquaintances, and people we know. We are shocked whenever we see or hear about their deaths. That feeling of shock is referred to as having seen the white bones. It includes the panic or pain we feel when we observe natural disasters and tragedies on the news. Come to think of it… we have been trampling over such scattered bones – the deaths of others – for all these years.

                The huge, hungry tiger is compared to the Wind of Impermanence, or put simply – death. There is nothing in this world with shape that does not crumble. Therefore, the physical body of man will have to die one day. There is no means by which those that have been born can avoid death. Moreover, since death is the most fearful thing of all to human beings, it is compared to the hungry tiger. At the time of Buddha it was considered to be the most ferocious creature in India.

                The ferocious tiger is also known as the Tiger of Impermanence. It is stalking behind each one of us from the time we are born. Tonight might be the very night we’re bitten by it.

                The man running away from the tiger in this parable shows how hard we try to escape death by running to the doctor or taking various herbal remedies when we get sick. As a result of such precautions, the average human life span has increased. Many years ago it was 50. Today it is roughly about 80 years. It is possible to prolong life to a certain extent, but there is no way of escaping death.

                The things we rely on daily – money, wealth, fame, position – are compared to the pine tree.

                No matter how many of these things we may possess, we cannot escape from reaching the grasp of the Tiger of Impermanence. No matter how much material wealth you have, it cannot shield you from dying.

                What is the significance of the wisteria vine, to which the traveler was hanging to? The wisteria vine is compared to our lifespan.

                If you hear that “all living things die,” you will agree with it at once. Deep in your mind though, you are still counting the time you have left. “I’m not going to die for another ten or 20 years,” you may say. But it’s shorter than you think.

                For evidence, recall your past ten years. Were they long… or were they short? They must have gone by before you knew it. If that is so, the next ten years will be just as short.

                Also a wisteria vine is very thin and brittle, and so are our lives. We think our vines are strong like an iron cable, but it can snap on us in just an instant. Even still, we just refuse to accept this idea.

                The two mice represent day and night. Day is bright, so it is the white mouse. Night is dark, so it is the black mouse. Day and night are taking turns shortening our lives. To have lived one day today means we went one step forward to the day of our death.

                Death plays no favorites. Whether it is at a wedding or on a New Year’s Day, the mice keep on chewing and the vine is bound to be cut eventually. That very moment is death… the end of one’s journey. So what happens when one dies?

                Find out more about the role of the afterlife in the next post on the Reality of Mankind series. You can learn about the meaning behind the symbols of the bottomless blue ocean, the three dragons, and the drops of honey.

The Reality of Mankind -- The Parable

         When learning Buddhism, the most important thing to know is the purpose of listening to its teachings.

           First of all, Buddhism is of course the teachings of the Buddha who lived 2500 years ago. Buddha is also known by the name Sakyamuni Buddha.

           Sakyamuni explained for us why we listen to Buddhism with a famous parable that shocked even the renowned Russian writer of War and Peace.

"I have never heard any parables which reveal human reality 

as genuine as this Eastern fable."

--Leo Tolstoy

           It was during the time of Sakyamuni, a king by the name of Shoko, came to a Buddhist lecture. Sakyamuni was pleased at his attendance since it tended to be difficult for people in power to listen due to their vanity and high position.

          Because of this rare visit, Sakyamuni decided to preach about the purpose of listening to Buddhism in a famous parable called:

“The Reality of Mankind”

Billions of years ago, a traveler was trudging all alone across a vast wilderness. It was a lonely evening in the fall, and the cold wintry wind swept across the bitter plain. 

Original Photo by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore available on Flickr.com

              The traveler was hastening his pace toward home when suddenly, he spotted some white objects scattered along the roadside. He picked one up, wondering what it could be and to his horror discovered it was a human bone.

Original Photo by Dallas Krentzel available on Flickr.com

“Now why would there be human bones scattered around here?” the traveler wondered as he felt an eerie feeling come over him.

 He cast his eyes around but saw neither a graveyard nor a funeral home nearby. Seized with a very chilling feeling, the traveler couldn’t even take a single step forward.

 As he kept staring at the white bones, he heard a weird growl and the sound of ominous footsteps coming at him.

               “What's that noise ahead?” the traveler wondered.

               To his terror, it was a huge tiger, fierce from starvation.

Original Photo by gsloan available on Flickr.com

     In an instant, he realized the meaning of the bones all around him. Travelers who had journeyed here like himself had become the tiger’s prey, and these bones were the remains of their dead bodies. The tiger lunged at him.

      Realizing his life was in danger, he ran back down the road he had come from with all his might.

                   However, no matter how desperately or quickly he could run, a human being is no match for a tiger at full speed. There was just no way he could outrun this fierce predator.

                   And so the distance between them drew closer and closer. He could even hear the tiger’s violent snorts trailing behind him.

      Somewhere in his haste, the traveler made a wrong turn leading him toward a steep cliff. “Oh no!” he cried. “I’ve taken the wrong road!” But it was much too late to turn back now.

Original Photo by eggrole available on Flickr.com

        Now there was a large pine tree that grew near the edge of the cliff in front of him, but he knew well it was useless to climb it for safety, because tigers are expert tree climbers.

Original Photo by DrBartje available on Flickr.com

            The frantic traveler while running around in circles  – not knowing what else to do – managed to find a lifesaver. It was a wisteria vine hanging from the base of the pine tree leading down the precipice.

Original Photo by Erza S F available on Flickr.com

             “At last! This will do the trick!” The traveler quickly lowered himself down the vine just in time, narrowly escaping the hungry tiger's jaws. It growled with intensity and clawed at him from atop the cliff.

                             “Thanks to this vine, I’m safe for now,” he thought with a sigh of relief.

               Thinking he was soon to be out of danger, the traveler looked down coolly, only to gasp out of surprise and terror.

                What he saw was a vast, bottomless ocean with swift currents dangerously forming a whirlpool.

Original Photo by NASA Earth Observatory available on Flickr.com

                           But not only that... amidst the whirlpool were three dragons – a blue dragon, a red dragon, and a black dragon – waiting for him to fall. Their mouths were wide open ready to devour him.

                           Seeing how dreadful each dragon was, the traveler tightened his grip on his thin vine.

                  He felt that he was now in the worst situation imaginable.

                  Even so, after hanging around for a while, he began to feel hungry. The traveler looked around for something edible.

                  Upon gazing upward, he discovered what horrified him the most. It was more frightening than either the menacing tiger or the three deadly dragons below him. He involuntarily cried out from the sheer terror.

                  Two mice, a white mouse and a black mouse, had appeared above him and were now taking turns gnawing at the vine, his only lifeline. The traveler’s face turned pale and his body was shaking in fear. He shook the vine rigorously to shoo the mice away, but to no avail.

                               Each mouse just kept taking turns chewing on his wisteria vine.

Original Photo by USFWS Mountain Prairie available on Flickr.com

                   But a strange phenomenon started occurring as he shook the vine. With each shake, something had come dripping down.

                   The traveler caught some of it with his hand and to his utter astonishment discovered it was a delicious-looking drop of honey. Instinctively, he licked it and found it to be the most delicious honey that he had ever tasted in his life.

                    He wondered, “Why would honey be dripping down from above?” And as he looked up again he saw a beehive on the branch from which the vine hung.

Original Photo by minicooper93402 available on Flickr.com

                    Hoping to taste it once more, he shook the vine again and as he hoped, more honey came dripping down.

                     “Once more. Just once more.”

                     The traveler kept on licking the honey intoxicated with delight, and forgetting all the dangers he was in from the tiger, the three dragons, and even the dreadful black and white mice. All he had in mind now was how to obtain more honey.

Original Photo by Siona Karen available on Flickr.com

                      When Sakyamuni Buddha’s sermon reached this point, someone in the audience shouted.

                                  “Noble Sakya! Please stop!” It was King Shoko. “I am too frightened to hear this story anymore. How can this traveler be so foolish? How could he ever forget he was in such danger, simply being distracted by little drops of honey?”

                        “Please listen more carefully, King,” Sakyamuni Buddha replied. “This traveler refers to you. He represents not only you but the whole human race.”

                                    At these words, a clamor arose among the entire audience and everyone took to their feet from the shock of Sakyamuni's bold statement.

                                    The Buddha went on to describe in detail how the traveler in this story represents the reality all human beings even to this day.

                                     Find out what each symbol means in the next Reality of Mankind series right here on this blog.

Law of Cause and Effect -- Part Three

               When using the term Three Worlds, it means the Past World, the Present World, and the Future World.

Original Photo by puuikibeach available on Flickr.com

      Past World                                            Present World                                        Future World

World before birth                         Human life (80-100 years max)                        World after death

   The Past World and the Future World are both related within the Present World. The Law of Cause and Effect penetrates the Three Worlds, which represents all time.

               Our True Self, our deepest sense of life, is not limited to this physical body. The physical body and its six billion cells disappear at death. Our True Self, our true life, also penetrates the Three Worlds. So once the physical body is gone, this True Self remains.

   The True Self is also referred to as the Alaya Mind or Alaya Consciousness. Alaya means storehouse in Sanskrit. Therefore, it can be referred to as the storehouse mind. It is like a safety deposit box, or a storage unit.

Original Photo by toolstop available on Flickr.com

                 Buddhism teaches that there are eight minds within human beings. Seven of them disappear at death with the physical body, but the Alaya Mind is the part that remains.

                The Alaya Mind is our self since the countless ages past. It lasts forever, long after our death. It flows from the beginning-less beginning and into the never-ending future. It is the invisible flow of life present in every moment.

                 Throughout life, we perform various deeds and actions that fall into three categories. They are also known in Japanese as Go, or karma.

Go \ Karma

Mind - Deeds

Mouth - Deeds \ Actions

Body - Deeds \ Actions

 

       We perform countless deeds with our mind, mouth, and body. These are the seeds which create our fate. The mind is performing them the most and has the strongest power. What moves the body and mouth is the mind.

                       My mind caused me to write out my notes on this lecture on Law of Cause and Effect from Takamori-sensei, the current living master of Pure Land Buddhism. Then I decided to put the content online to share the teachings. You are now reading this because your mind encouraged you to look into Buddhism, and you then found Mirror of Dharma Blog by searching Google or you clicked a link to this page. This example demonstrates a chain of causes and their subsequent effects.

       In our life, the mind always remains the strongest of the three, because it invisibly drives all our choices. Because of this, wrong thoughts can't be enforced at this level from outside forces. Mouth and body can of course be regulated.

                  For example in criminal cases, people discuss and debate whether or not the act was premeditated. The law examines what the murderer had in his mind. The mind has this strong energy, so a greater emphasis must be placed on it.

Original Photo by JohnE777 available on Flickr.com

                We have learned about good causes, bad causes, and own causes. So what kind of seeds do we have in our hearts and minds?

                 Even without knowing these causes or the Law of Cause and Effect, the actions of the mind, mouth and body are converted into invisible karmic power. The terms karmic power and seeds of karma are interchangeable. These energies are what is stored in the Alaya Mind. All our actions are recorded invisibly and stored within this storehouse mind. The karmic power within it flows throughout all the Three Worlds (past, present, future).

                    Karmic power thus becomes the cause, but cause alone cannot bring an effect. It requires a condition. You reap the effect only when the condition arrives. Karmic power lasts forever and never disappears. This means all our thoughts, words, and actions become invisible power stored into our Alaya Mind for all time.

                   The Chinese characters for the word "input" translate to "entering the power." When we use a word processor, we are "entering the power" of our thoughts to be stored into data onto a hard disk.

Original Photo by boredwithacamera available on Flickr.com

                    Putting weight on the keys of the keyboard is the condition that allows the process to take place. The commands or words we see on the monitor are the effect.

                   It’s also like the the call log on a cell phone, and there are so many other examples. Society and our world become more familiar when integrated with Buddhist fundamentals.

                    So Alaya Mind flows through the past, present, and future. This is why at birth, we receive the effects of certain characteristics like being American, Japanese, Male, Female, etc. These effects had to be determined before the result took place.

                   But how were they determined? They were made as a result of our past choices in the past life. This is why though we are all human beings, no single person has received the same experience. The different effects we all have were determined by each and every one of us in the past life and the past world.

                     It is not by accident. Our fate does not occur without cause. Different causes mean different effects. Karmic power from the past flowed into this present life. Our parents were the condition.

                     Some may claim the father is the cause and the mother was the condition. But then why do siblings have different effects? It must be the karmic power from each child's past.

                      A cause itself doesn’t result in birth as a human. It must combine with a condition in order to make the effect. This is how we came to be born, but it is not only in this life. We have repeated birth and death ceaselessly. 

      Past             Present                 Future

                    Cause    --- >   Effect

                         Cause       --->     Effect

           To know the causes of the past, look at the effects within the present. To know the effects of the future, look at the causes being made at present. This concept remains constant within the Three Worlds.

If you're happy now = that's a good effect = which means you’ve done good things

If you're miserable now = that's a bad effect = which means you’ve done bad things

                 What we are suffering from is the deeds of our own past. So what about our future? How about after we die? Look at the cause in your present through the actions of your mind, mouth, and body. If you’re doing bad things, you must then suffer in the Future World.

                   If there is no past life, then there is no cause to be born. Without a past, there is then no future.

                                 If someone kills one person, they can be executed once. But if they kill ten people, they can still only be executed one time. Karma dictates that if you kill ten people, you will be executed ten times. What about the other nine offenses? They must be reaped in the future life. All the pain the killer caused must occur to them in their afterlife.

                  If the Law of Cause and Effect were false, it would not be able to span the Three Worlds and Ten Directions. This Law of Cause and Effect of Three Worlds remains valid for all time and all existence. The teachings of Buddhism are all based on this principle making understanding of this concept extremely crucial.

                  Your future is contained within the causes of your present. Look deeply at yourself and the actions of your mind, mouth and body. Look closely into the image that reflects back to you.

Original Photo by nattu available on Flickr.com

                

What is your body doing?

What is your mouth saying?

What is your mind thinking?

                   Listening to the words of Buddha in this way shows us our True Self. Without knowing the Law of Cause and Effect, this cannot be clear.

                    Look within the Mirror of Dharma at present. This is why listening to Buddhism is so essential.