What is the Law of Karma?
The law of Cause and Effect or The law of Karma is the most basic and important principle of Buddism. The entire teachings of Buddhism, from elementary to advanced, from the morals of human beings to the morals of Saints are based on the law of Cause and Effect.
The law of Cause and Effect is a natural principle of the universe, not created by anyone. The Buddha is the greatest saints of all the times, with great insight and supreme wisdom, He Himself discovered and comprehend the way of the law of Karma. All doctrines of Buddhism reply on the law of Karma. Therefore, if we don’t understand this law, we will certainly misunderstand Buddhism, hence, will be easy to be superstitious, and not be able to apply the good morals of Buddhism to our life.
Anyone who comes to Buddhism, even to explore or to practice, first, must correctly understand the law of Karma.
The law of Karma is absolutely fair. Everything that happens in your life, in this world, or in the universe has a cause; it cannot happen accidentally. What we do now will cause effects in the future in this life or in our next life.
Therefore, people need to fully understand the law of Karma to strive to control our actions, our words, and even our thoughts in our daily life and to know how to sow good seeds for our future lives.
Wish all sentient beings a correct understanding of the Law of Karma to live and practice in accordance with this law, and together, we go on the path heading to liberation and enlightenment.
SOME TYPICAL CAUSES AND EFFECTS
You will lose what you despise. If you despise your friends, you will have no friends and be lonely later on.
You will have no children if you don’t love children. Once, a woman asked us, “Dear Master, I have got married four years but do not have children. What should I do, Master?”
We replied, “Our forefathers had a saying “If you love children, children will come to your house; if you respect the elderly, you will be long – lived.” Whenever you can love children who are not yours, you will naturally have children.”
Showing no respect towards the elderly, you will die early. If you meet elderly people, you should obey and show respect to them. Why is that so? Because they have lived for ages, going through many ups and downs, experiencing many sufferings and now is the time for them to enjoy life. All of us have a responsibility to love the elderly and it is the morals. Although who are very strict and difficult, we will have to love and obey them.
Having no filial piety for your parents or treating them badly, you will become orphaned in your next life. If you have no filial piety for your parents or treat them badly, then in your next life you will have no love from parents and soon be an orphan.
Having no love for humans, in your next life, you won’t be allowed to live with humans but will be animals instead.
If you do deforestation, and do not love this life, then in your next life you have no life. That is, after your death, you will become hungry ghost and have no chance to become humans again. On the contrary, those who love trees and do afforestation will easily be reborn into nice places.
If you have money but often overspend, in your next life, you will have no money. For example, if you have an amount of money that can raise several people in certain time but you do not do so but spend on wrong things, in your next life, you will have no money.
Beautiful mind creates beautiful faces. Beauty is very important and beautiful faces are necessary in this life, and are your pride and your blessing. Our mind is the cause and our appearances are the effects. We should look ourselves in the mirror to know our mind. If you see you are beautiful then you should know that your mind has been beautiful recently; otherwise, you should know that you are narrow-minded and selfish.
So, if you want to be beautiful, you shoud correct your mind. Do not be foolish to spend money on cosmetic surgery but to spend on good deeds then you will be beautiful for a long time. Every time we raise compassion for people, our faces will look more beautiful and every time we get angry with others, our faces will look uglier. Everytime we have pride, our faces will look uglier and every time we feel humble, our faces will look more beautiful.
If you often do good deeds, you will not be unemployed. When unemployed, we should try to do good deeds then later on we will have chances to find a job.
Collected.