Karma Sutra
	is Sutra has changed the lives of many who have read it for it explains the direct results of causes. It is also cal ed the Golden Precepts by Lord Buddha and is reproduced here in its entirety: "Once upon a gathering at ended by 1,250 fol owers, the vener- able Ananda, after circling thrice with folded hands around the Buddha and bowing with respect, asked: `In the present dark age where the majority of our people are indulgent in unright- eousness, disrespectful to the Lord's teaching, undutiful to their parents, immoral, miserable and sordid, among them some are deaf, some blind, some mute, some idoitic, some handicapped in other aspects, and most people inured to kil ing, how could we understand the cryptic and fundamental principle or causes that have brought about this reality and what consequences each individual is to suffer eventual y for his deeds. My Lord, would you kindly explain these to us'? e World-honoured One then answered, "Listen careful y, I will now expound the Law of Karma. Because of Karmic effects inherited from previous lives, some people are poor, some rich, some happy and some miserable. ese are four rules inseparable in obtaining happiness and prosperity for your next life. ey are: to be dutiful to parents; to be respectful to Buddhas, to Buddha's teaching, and to Buddhist monks; to abstain from kil ing and set free sentient beings; and to abstain from eating meat and be charitable. en the Buddha proceeded on the Karmic Sutra: "Destiny is aggregate karmic effects from the past. To believe in and practise this sutra wil bring you eternal prosperity and happines . Learn the Law of Karma expounded as fol ows: `To be able to hold office in the Government is a reward for your building Buddha's statues in previous lives. For building Buddha's statues is likened to moulding yourself, and to protect the Tathagata is protecting yourself. To be a public officer cannot be taken for granted, for with- out practising Buddhism it will not befall you. Having helped in the construction of bridges and roads in your past life is conducive to your present enjoyment of various transportation facilities which prevent you from get ing foot- worn.To donate clothing to monks will ensure you to be well pro- vided with clothing in future or in your next life. To be free from want in food is the result of your providing food to the poor in your previous life. To be miserly and unwil ing to help the needy gives rise to future starvation and clothlessness. To have ample housing is a reward for donating food to monasteries in your past life. To build temples and public shelters will give you future prosperity and happiness. To be pret y and handsome is the reward for your respecting and offering flowers to Buddha's altar in the past. To abstain from eating meat and to pray constantly to Buddha will assure you to be reborn a very intel igent child in your next reincarnation. To have a good wife and son is reward for your disseminat- ing Buddha's teaching in your past life. Furnishing Buddhist temples with hangings and tapes- tries wil enable you to have a good marriage in your next rebirth. To have good parents is a reward for your respecting and helping those who were lonely and desolate in your past life. Being a bird hunter in your previous life has resulted in your being an orphan now. To have plenty of children is at ributable to your set ing free birds in your previous life. To have destroyed flowers habitual y in your previous life has caused you to be heirless now. Your longevity is due to your set ing free sentient beings in your past life. Being short-lived is the result of your commit ing too many kil ings in your previous life. To steal the wife of another man will cause you to have no spouse in your next reincarnation. To be a widow now is due to your disrespecting your hus- band in your previous life. Being ungrateful in your previous life has caused you to be a serf at present. To covet another man's wife will cause you to have no spouse in your next reincarnation. To distort truths habitual y will cause you to suffer blindness in your next life. To have dry mouth is due to your intentional y blowing out candles before Buddha's altar in your past life. To vituperate your parents will cause you to be reborn a deaf mute in your next incarnation. Being a hunchback is punishment for jeering at the Buddha's fol owers in your previous life. To have commit ed evil with your hands in your past life is the cause for your having disabled hands now. Your being lame is imputable to your being a robber in your previous life. To be born a horse or an ox is the result of your denying your debts in your previous life. To be reborn a pig or dog is the punishment for your deceiv- ing and hurting others in your previous life. Offering flesh to monks in your past life has given rise to your constant il ness now. To be healthy is a reward for your offering drugs and medi- cations to save the sick and wounded in your past life. Relentlessly perpetrating evil in your previous life is the cause for your present imprisonment. Plugging snake-pits and mouse holes habitual y will cause you to starve to death in your next incarnation. To intentional y poison a river or water-source will cause you to die of poison in your next life. Being forlorn and friendless is the punishment for being un- faithful and deceitful to others in your past life. Disrespecting Buddha's teaching will bring you constant starvation in your next rebirth. To spew blood is the punishment for eating meat while pray- ing to Buddha. To have at ended Buddhist instruction with levity in your previous life is the cause for your present deafness. To be afflicted with ulcers is the punishment for offering flesh before Buddha's altar in your past life. To have bad bodily odour is the punishment for sel ing in- cense with dishonesty in your previous life. To hunt animals with rope and net will predestine your death by hanging in your next incarnation. Being unduly envious and jealous in your past life is the cause for your being lonely or being bereft of spouse at present. To be struck by lightning or burnt by fire will be the punish- ment for dishonest trade dealings. Being wounded by beasts or snakes tel s you that those crea- tures were your enemies in your previous life. Whatever you do will come back on you, so accept whatever justice and retribution that befal s you. Be not mistaken that karma is fal acious. You will live to bear the consequences of your deeds, either within this lifetime or in your future life. Should you doubt the virtue of practising Buddhism, could you not see the happiness of the Buddha's fol owers. Past karma determines your present destiny. Present karmas are to mould your next life. Whoever slanders this sutra wil not be reborn again a human being. Whoever accepts this sutra will witness the truth. Whoever writes this sutra will prosper in successful lives. Whoever carries this sutra will be free from mishaps. Whoever preaches this sutra will become a very intel igent person in successive lives. Whoever recites this sutra will be wel -respected by people in his next reincarnation. Whoever distributes this sutra free to all will become a leader to humanity in his next life. If karma did not produce effect, what prompted Wu-Lin, a dutiful son, to rescue his mother under grave danger. Whoever is faithful to this sutra will not fail to witness the eternal paradise. e Law of Karma works forever, and the fruit of good deed will come in due course." Having spoken the above Sutra to Ananda and the other fol- lowers, the World-honoured One added, "ere are innumer- able examples of Karmic Law, but I have only mentioned in generalisation." en Ananda said, "Until the end of the present Dark Age, most human beings would have, through successive lives accumulated countless misdeeds because of their ignorance of the karmic con- sequences, but thanks to our Lord and the Sutra he has so kindly given us, whoever writes and reads, prints and distributes this Sutra, upon praying to the Buddha, will be blessed with eternal happiness and be admit ed to see Amitabha Buddha, Kuan Shih Yin P'usa and all other Buddhas in the heavenly paradise. After Ananda spoke, all Buddha's disciples and fol owers felt estatic and enlightened and, after bowing respectful y and vow- ing to abide by this Sutra, took their journey home. ¡ûBACK¡û |INDEX| ¡úNEXT¡ú