Some foolish and bad disciples, although they follow a virtuous and supreme guru, do not have respect and faith in the guru, and fail to correctly understand the teachings. On the surface they pretend to be serious, and brag about it after practicing the Dharma just a little. But in fact they waste their lives in laziness and slack. As a result, they have not gained any merits, but even say, "A certain evil guru deceived me, the Dharma is also not profound." In the end, they die with wrong views and fall into the lower realms.

There are also some lay people who try their best to perform Buddhist practices such as rituals for warding off calamities, longevity, prostration, spinning prayer wheels, removing karmic obstacles, etc., hoping to be happy and peaceful in the current life. However, due to the influence of the negative karma accumulated in the past, they repeatedly suffer from illness, failure, and other misfortunes. So they say, "We have fallen so far as this situation. Karma cause and effect are not real, the Three Jewels do not give blessings. Others perform only misdeeds but enjoy happiness." They develop wrong views.

The fact is not like this. People who perform good deeds extensively suffer in the current life because: karma cause and effect are real and it ripens the negative karma they created in the past now, it will be completely eliminated after this. The roots of virtue created now will ripen in future lives, they will never be wasted. It is exactly because the Three Jewels have the power of blessing that the negative karma from the past can be quickly manifested. This is the so-called "when people with great merits are about to go to the good realms, their pain is like burning fire". Some people have accumulated negative karma of heinous crimes that fill heavens, but they are getting happier and happier in the current life. But this is not good. This is because the little good fruits from the past ripen in the current life, they will be completely exhausted after this. The negative karma they create now will ripen in future lives, so that their liberation from it is not in sight. This is the so-called "when people with serious negative karma are about to fall into hell, the fortunes they enjoy now are like heavy rain." Such koans are as follows:

Once upon a time, the son of King Ojayana(?)(俄扎雅那) of the city of Svadhu(札珠城市) (Nirhana country(尼洪国家))(?) was named Topknot(?)(具髻). After he succeeded to the throne, he brought two evil ministers into the court and expelled two Dharma follower ministers from the court. He then ruled the country not following the Dharma, causing the entire country to turn to evil. His father, King Ojayana, became a monk before the Buddha, and eventually attained Arhathood. Then he returned to Svadhu to stop the evil deeds of the prince and the ministers who were ruling contrary to the Dharma. Due to the instigation of the treacherous ministers, Topknot killed his father. Because his father was an Arhat, he committed two Avici heinous crimes. At that time, Venerable Katyayana was also there. He prophecied: "From now until the seventh day, the city of Svadhu will be buried in earth, King Topknot and his followers will fall into the Avici Hell." Then, on the first day, a strong wind blew up, sweeping away all the dust and stones. On the second day, it rained flowers. On the third day, it rained clothes. On the fourth day, it rained silver. On the fifth day, it rained gold. On the sixth day, it rained all kinds of treasures. On the seventh day, it rained earth from all over the sky. Although the king and others tried to escape, they were blocked by non-humans and could not escape. Eventually, all of them were crushed to death by the earth, and fell into the Avici Hell.

It can be seen that it is possible for people who perform good deeds to suffer within one's lifetime, and for people who commit serious misdeeds to enjoy a little happiness. Therefore, we should not have wrong views on karma cause and effect. There are accomplished monks and virtuous people such as Arhats who also suffer at the end of their lives.

There are also cases where one has wrong views in the current life due to bad karma in the previous life: In the past, King Gere(?)(给热国王) of a borderland had two sons named "Zhan'o"(战哦) and "Jiongwa"(?)(炯几), who became eternalist and annihilationists. Later, the king entrusted them to King Pasenadi to raise. They gave up their wrong views, became monks before the Buddha, and finally attained Arhathood. This is because: they were two monks who were proficient in the Tripitaka under the teachings of Buddha Kasyapa. Because of this good karma, they now attained Arhathood under the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni. The reason why they were reborn in a borderland and became wrong-viewed people is: during the time of Buddha Kasyapa, the two of them went to a certain borderland and practiced without being given any teachings. They thought they attained realization even though they had not realized, from which they developed extreme pride (abhimana). Because they did not gain any merits at the time of death, wrong views arose in their minds, and they said: "The teachings of Buddha Kasyapa are not true, karma cause and effect does not exist. We two have not been able to be liberated. Similarly, others will never be liberated." After saying this, they died. Because of this wrong view, they fell into the lower realms for many lives, and were born in remote places for many lives. Before this, they had never even heard any sound related to the Three Jewels.

After thinking about the harm of wrong views, if one can avoid having wrong views even when facing life-threatening situations, then one will not fall into the lower realms life after life. The same is true for lay men and women. Even if one cannot completely stop all misdeeds and perform good deeds only, even about the most trivial matters, one should not say that "such small matter is nothing" and generates wrong views. Karma cause and effect is infallible. Therefore, it is paramount to believe that karma cause and effect does exist, and to have faith in it. This is also the so-called worldly right view. Do not think that a drop of water is useless. If it accumulates gradually, it will eventually fill a large vessel. If a small spark is considered harmless and one is not vigilant, it may burn a large mountain. Through these metaphors that show the truth without a word of a lie, we can understand (that karma cause and effect is not a fabrication). As the "Chapter on Causes and Conditions" also says: "Even if one commits a small misdeed, he will suffer in the next life; even if one accumulates a small amount of merits, he will have happiness in the next life." Bodhisattva Nagarjuna said: "Whoever holds, the worldly right view, will not fall into the lower realms, for thousands of kalpas."

People who have no wrong views and sincerely believe in karma cause and effect, because they carefully choose between good and evil, and conduct themselves according to the Dharma, their mind continuums are filled with virtuous karmic imprints of good karma from life to life. This person attaches great importance to even a small part of the precepts, always likes to become a monastic, has a pure mind that regards all gurus as true Buddhas, loves to respect good teachers and friends, and understands that even hearing only one sentence of the Dharma has great significance. Therefore, they often love to listen to the Dharma. Ghosts and devas also happily praise this person, and he is often born in an environment where the Dharma is flourishing and with the presence of many good friends. He is temporarily reborn in the heavens, receives the auspicious and perfect merits of higher rebirth, and ultimately reborn in a pure land, etc. There are immeasurable benefits. The sutra also says: "Karma and the karmic fruits, if one sincerely believes in these two, and uphold the right views, he will be reborn in good realms."

(In front of Amitabha and his followers,) confess and feel remorse for the three kinds of misdeeds of the mind-- greed, malice, and wrong views, that one has generated, caused others to generate, or rejoiced in others' generation of them.

H.2 (Confess to the serious misdeeds of body, speech, and mind) in five parts: 1. Confess to the five heinous crimes; 2. Confess to the near heinous crimes; 3. Confess to the crime of abandoning the Dharma; 4. Confess to the crime of slandering Bodhisattvas; 5. Confess to the crime of wrong views.

I.1. Confess the five heinous crimes:

Killing one’s father, one’s mother, one’s guru, or an arhat, 

and having evil intentions to harm the body of a Buddha,

the heinous crimes I now confess.

Now confess the most serious crimes separately. First confess the five heinous crimes. Generally speaking, the five heinous crimes refer to the above-mentioned (killing one's father, killing one's mother, killing an Arhat, and cause harm to a Buddha's body with evil intent), plus destroying the harmony of the Sangha. However, according to "A Gold Treasury of the Lineage"(?)(祖法金藏论), it refers to killing parents, khenpos, acharyas, and other wise men with the Dharma Eye, the fruit is falling into hell without going through the bardo. (This treatise says that killing a guru is also an Avici crime.) Killing one's father or mother, or killing an acharya who transmits Dharma teachings of Pratimoksha, Bodhisattvas, or Vajrayana, as well as killing a Sravaka, a Pratyeka-buddha, or an arhat, or hurting the Buddha's body with evil intent, performing it oneself or instigating others to or rejoicing in others' commiting these crimes, will immediately fall into the Avici hell after death without going through another life. Therefore, sincerely confess to these five heinous crimes.

(The following is a brief explanation of these five heinous crimes): destroying the harmony of the Sangha breaks off the Dharma wheel (damaging the Dharma); the Buddha is the refuge of the three realms, damaging the Buddha's body means damaging the basis of the Dharmakaya--the Nirmanakaya of the supreme physical body (damaging the Buddha); the arhat is a supreme member of the Sangha who has cut off all the afflictions of the three realms (killing an arhat is damaging the Sangha). Damaging these is also damaging the Three Jewels, and thus they are Avici crimes. Just like Devadatta in the past, we may have committed heinous crimes since beginningless time.

Killing the guru: For oneself, the kindness of the guru, such as the khenpo, acharya, etc. who imparts the Pratimoksha, Bodhisattva, Tantric teachings, is greater than that of the true Buddha. Not to mention killing, even insulting the guru or having a wrong view or malicious thought towards the guru for a moment will also lead one into hell. Even if one only slightly develops the discriminating thought that "I have surpassed the guru", the fault is quite serious. For example, Nyak Jnanakumara only thought that his wisdom was slightly better than that of his guru, and he suffered seven life-threatening obstacles in his life.

The mahasiddha Krishnacharya was crossing the sea with a disciple. The disciple thought, "In terms of merit, the guru is indeed superior. But in terms of material riches, I am a little richer." Just this thought caused the boat to sink into the water.

In addition, a guru who had renounced the world had a disciple. Once, when this disciple was teaching in a large crowd, his guru also came and prostrated to him. The disciple clearly saw the guru, but it was not convenient to return the greeting in public. After the crowd dispersed, he greeted the guru and prostrated to his feet. The guru asked, "Why didn't you stand up when I prostrated to you just now?" He nervously said, "I didn't see you." As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes fell to the ground.

There are many such koans.

Not to mention towards the guru who gives many empowerments, transmissions, and teachings, even the acharya who explains literally, or the guru from whom one has received four lines of transmission, one should be respectful. On the contrary, if one disobeys the guru's teachings, the fault is very great. As the tantra says, "If one hears a verse, but does not treat the teaching as a teacher, he will be reborn as a dog for a hundred lives, and become a person with moles." After taking refuge in a guru, khenpo, acharya, no matter whether he is good or bad, one must not disobey his teachings. The tantra says: "After taking refuge in a guru, no matter if he is good or not, how can one disobey his teachings? If he loses this seal, he will fall into the Vajra Hell." It also says: "Even if he has no merits, if one abandons the guru, insults the gurus, slanders the Buddhas of the three times, the sins are innumerable." This describes many of the harms (of disobeying the guru's teachings). Therefore, disobeying the gurus, the khenpos, or the acharyas (their teachings) is an extremely serious crime.

Killing one's parents: (There are many examples of killing parents in history.) There was a donor's son who killed his mother, King Ajatashatru killed his father. The kindnesses of our parents done to us in this life are as great as mountains. Our wonderful body is also formed by them as the necessary conditions. So parents are severe objects. For monks, parents are equivalent to khenpos, acharyas. One cannot become a monk without the permission of his parents.

In the past, there was a little hunchbacked Arhat who could not get any food for six days as a result of his negative karma. The food that the two great venerables Ananda and Maudgalyayana obtained for him by begging was snatched away by dogs and crows, so he was unable to get his share of the food. On the seventh day, Venerable Shariputra begged for him a bowl of food. At this time, the earth suddenly cracked, and all the food fell to the ground. Venerable Shariputra took it out with his supernatural power and gave it to him. But it was blown away by the wind again, and he could not enjoy a bit of it. Shariputra said, "It seems that he has no conditions for eating now, let's give him water to drink." The Venerable offered him water. Then the non-humans sprinkled dust into the water, and the water turned into ash soup. The little hunchbacked Arhat drank the ash soup and finally passed away due to hunger. 

This is because: a long time ago, there was a mother and her son (who depended on each other for living). Once, when the son was out, the mother offered food to many bhikkhus. When the son came back and learned about this, he could not stand it because he was stingy. He locked his mother in an empty room as a punishment and ignored her for seven days. The mother was so hungry, and she said weakly, "Son, give me some food to eat!" The son said angrily, "You gave your share of food to the bhikkhus, what can I give you now? You should eat ashes!" Finally, the mother starved to death. As a result of the karma of this misdeed, he fell into the lower realms without interruption and died of hunger in many lives. Now when he had attained Arhathood, he also died of hunger in this last samsaric existence, and needed to eat dust at the end of his life.

The sin of beating one's parents is also as serious: In the past, there was a merchant named Daughter of Vallabha, who used the income he had saved from doing business for a few days to support his mother. When he was about to leave for the island to get treasure, his mother advised him not to go. But he refused to listen. His mother cried while pulling his feet. He said angrily: "I am going to the sea to get treasure, and you spoke about such inauspicious things." At the same time, he kicked his mother's head hard with his feet. Then he left. Due to this negative karma, his ship was wrecked at the sea. He alone survived among the crew. He wandered around. Because of the good karma of supporting his mother several times with silver coins in the past, he enjoyed the happiness of heavens for thousands of years. Later, he was driven to the south by the force of karma. He walked into an iron room after passing three layers of doors. Then he saw a person with a huge blazing iron wheel spinning above his head, his brain was pulverized and splashing everywhere with blood. Daughter of Vallabha asked, "What misdeed did you commit to end up like this?" The man said, "I am experiencing this karmic retribution because I once harmed my mother." He recalled that he had also harmed his mother, and immediately an iron wheel fell on his head, causing him pain.

Even if one just has the thought of wanting to beat one's parents, he will have to experience such retribution: the great Arhat Moggallana was beaten several times by naked ascetics, and his body was wounded to the point of being like a reed. Originally, he had the ability to shake the heavenly palace with just one big toe. But at that time he was suppressed by karma from the past, he could not even think of his supernatural powers, let alone performing miracles with them. So, what mideed did Venerable Moggallana commit to suffer such pain? In the past, a Brahmin couple had a son, who married a daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law stirred him up to become cold to his parents. Once, he saw his parents sitting together and was very angry. He said maliciously, "I really want your whole bodies to be crushed into reeds." Because of this bad karma of malicious thought, he was beaten to death in five hundred lives. Now this is the last remaining karmic retribution.

In addition, one also cannot insult one's parents or step over their bodies. There was a merchant named Kindness Giving who fell into the solitary hell within his life because of the misdeed of stepping over his mother's head. He also had an iron wheel weapon rotating on his head and experienced unbearable pain.

Ordering one's parents to do something will also bring about karmic retribution: In the past, the beautiful Sakya woman Yasodhara was pregnant with her son Rahula for six years and felt unbearable pain during childbirth. This is also because: In the past, a mother and her daughter were carrying a bucket of yogurt on the road. The daughter didn't want to carry the milk bucket, so she said to her mother, "Mom, you carry this, I'm going to go to relieve myself." She let her mother carry the milk bucket all the way. This is the outflowing fruit of this misdeed.

From this, we can see what severe objects parents are. For example, if we repay our parents' kindness with worldly possessions and hard work, then even if the son carries his parents on his shoulders and travels around the four continents for a hundred years, he still cannot repay his parents' kindness. Even the offering of the seven treasures that fill the whole earth is not enough to repay their kindness. But if one can generate faith in the Dharma in his parents, lead them to receive and observe the precepts, develop wisdom, etc. so they become followers of the Dharma, the parents' kindness can be repaid. However, if one supports his parents by hunting, stolen goods, devotee's offerings, deceased offerings, etc. and other valuables by wrong means, not only can he not repay their kindness, but they will accumulate negative karma that results in hell.

In addition, parents who broke the precepts should still be respectfully served: In the past, the son of a patron was a monk who was proficient in the Tripitaka. Later, his father also became a monk and worked for the sangha. It was very hard work. Once he said to his son, "I am exhausted, you should respectfully serve me." The son said, "The Great Guru (Buddha Sakyamuni) said: 'A person like a lion cannot serve a person like a fox.'" The father said, "Son, who is like a lion, and who is like a fox?" The son said, "Dad, I have precepts intact like a lion, and you are a person with broken precepts like a fox." The father said, "Son, how can I, who is like a fox, give birth to a lion like you?" At this time, the Buddha praised parents and said, "Parents are the field of merit and benefit, of giving and repaying kindness. They should be respected and made happy at all times. Anyone who makes parents happy, truly provides for and cares for them, will receive offerings from Brahma and acharyas." He praised many (of the merits of respecting and serving parents). He also said, "A wise person who offers, food, clothing, and bedding, to his parents, will not suffer disasters in his current life, will go to a good realm after death, and will have happiness."

If young people respect their parents and elders, they are accumulating merits; if they insult or bully them, they are depleting merits: In the past, the four harmonious friends, the hornbill, the hare, the monkey, and the elephant, ordered their friendship based on seniority. The elephant was the youngest, so it respectfully served the other three. When passing through difficult and dangerous roads, the monkey squated on the elephant, carrying the hare on its shoulder, and the hare held the hornbill on its head. The hornbill was the oldest among them, and the other three were very respectful to it. We must respect the elderly like them. Guru Padmasambhava also said: "Don't make the elderly upset, but respect and protect them."

Therefore, it is the quality of a righteous person to always remember the tremendous kindness and many virtues of parents, gurus, etc. As stated in the treatise on moral code "Dignity of the Righteous Men in the World", "To serve those who deserve respect, help the helpless particularly, never forget to repay kindness, is the conduct of holy men."

A virtuous person who knows and repays kindness, will never forget to repay even if he is reborn as an animal: In the past, a mouse brought a lot of food and stored it under the bed of a bhikkhu. The monk did not need to beg for alms after having the food. The Buddha said, "The bhikkhu was the father of the mouse in his previous life. The mouse brought food to him out of deference to his father."

Repaying kindness with enmity to parents, teachers, etc. is the so-called "hitting a great benefactor with a stone." As recorded in the Jataka Tales, in the past, when Sakyamuni Buddha was reincarnated as a bear, he saved the life of a hunter who was doomed to die. However, the hunter betrayed the bear, causing it to be killed by a group of hunters. When he accepted his share of bear meat, his hand broke off and fell to the ground right there, due to the infallible power of karma cause and effect...

People who don't know and don't repay kindness are worse than old dogs. If one gives food to a dog, it will never forget it. The Vinaya says: "People who don't acknowledge and don't repay kindness, are worse than dogs. Even dogs know to be grateful to people, those people are like snakes releasing poisonous gas." For Dharma practitioners who don't remember the kindness of their gurus and parents, the Dharma protectors will become demons. As Guru Padmasambhava said: "When one doesn't remember the kindness of his parents and gurus, the Dharma protectors and deities will appear as demons."

In today's degenerate world, some despicable people only care about how they look in front of others, and fear to be shamed. Although they don't kill their parents directly, they treat them like slaves and order them to do things if they are still able to perform some work. All the delicious food and warm clothes are enjoyed by their sons and daughters-in-law, while their parents are hungry and badly clothed. When parents are too old to work, they drive them away, like slaughtering old livestock. This is the behavior of despicable people. As a result, they drive their parents who gave them their bodies to the outskirts of the city or near the temple, making them wander and beg, and finally starve or freeze to death. However, they themselves enjoy the fruits of their parents' establishment of the family, without shame, with not a bit of compassion, just like the Rakshasa. Even if they do not drive their parents out of the house, they abuse them with harsh words, gvie them leftover food, causing them much suffering. There is no more serious sin than children abusing their parents.

Because the elderly are weak in mind and body, if (children) facilitate or cause their death, it is exactly the same as killing their parents with their own hands. After the elderly die, in order to avoid being ridiculed by others, offering lame cows, skinny sheep, cloth, and khata to perform Buddhist rituals will not bring any benefits. Sons, daughters-in-law, etc. will often suffer all kinds of misfortunes from the current life and on, and will fall into hell immediately after death like a falling stone.

Of course, as parents, they should not talk too much, but should often recite Avalokitesvara's Mantra. As children, if one does not contradict your parents, does not abuse them with malicious intentions by bad clothing, food, or behavior, but respectfully serves and supports them, one will be auspicious and smooth in the current life and the next. In the past, a mother and a daughter crossed a turbulent river together fell in danger. The mother thought: If my daughter is saved, I can be washed away by the water; the daughter also had virtuous thoughts towards her mother in this way. In the end, both of them were washed away by the water. And because they had virtuous thoughts towards each other, they were reborn in the heaven of Brahma after death.

Therefore, those who have committed such misdeeds in the past must do their best to confess and feel remorse, correct them and start afresh.