I hope everyone takes responsibility for what you’re meant to do. As you cultivate the mind and recite sutras, you should be clear about your purpose — it is to accumulate merit and virtue. Reflect on how you’ve spent your time today: have your efforts contributed to accumulating merit and virtue? Many people find that spiritual practice brings their karmic obstacles to the surface. Why is that? Because cultivating the mind begins the process of repaying our karmic debts. But does that mean if you don’t cultivate, you won’t have any karmic obstacles? Of course not — they’re still there. It’s inevitable, just like red and white blood cells coexisting in the body, or how bacteria can still be found even in seemingly clean environments. So, as you cultivate the mind, you must clear away the “mental bacteria” within — strive to purify your inner world. In reality, this ‘cleanliness’ is only relative; it doesn’t mean absolute purity. Even the purest mind will still carry some impurities.
I’ve said before that, on average, an earthquake happens somewhere in the world every week — haven’t I? And now we’ve just seen another in New Zealand, and even one near Melbourne. This shows that disasters are constant and unceasing. Think about it — what kind of planet are we really living on? We live on an Earth full of danger, breathing air teeming with germs, and surrounded by a human world where the heart is often corrupted. Just look at how people treat one another these days — how many are truly kind? How many genuinely treat others with compassion? That’s why I tell you: when cultivating the mind, you must conduct yourself with care and integrity. Act with right intention. What do I mean by “right intention”? It means not straying from the path within your heart. You must recognise your moral bottom line and nurture a sense of inner purity. Walk upright — don’t cut corners, and don’t go astray. Any deviation will harm your spiritual practice. Even a small detour can lead to disaster. A single mistaken thought can give rise to many inner conflicts. One distorted view can cause serious difficulties in your work and daily life. That’s why you must constantly reflect, correct yourself, and cultivate diligently.
Today, I’d like to share a few key points with you all. First and foremost: all karmic consequences do not simply manifest through the external elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space. So, what are “karmic consequences”? They refer to all the karma you create — whether wholesome or unwholesome — and they absolutely do not arise solely through the physical makeup of the five elements. In truth, the human body is a temporary combination of the Five Aggregates. Our physical form is composed of earth, water, fire, wind, and space. This means the karma you create doesn’t only appear on your physical body — it resides within your soul.
Now, some of you may wonder, “If I’ve created negative karma and now feel pain in my legs or head, isn’t that connected to the five elements?” Yes, it is. But the root cause does not lie in the physical body—it originates from the spiritual realm. The elements—earth, water, fire, wind, and space—arise from your consciousness field, specifically from the ālaya-vijñāna, or eighth consciousness. For instance, if you perform a virtuous act today and feel joy as a result, that feeling arises from the Five Aggregates — in other words, from your inner command centre: your consciousness. Understand?
Let’s say you weren’t smiling before, but suddenly recall something joyful and start to smile. What’s happening is that your consciousness has sent a message to your body, triggering the smile. This shows that your karma is already influencing your physical form. Your karma is already affecting your soul. Your karmic cause and effect are acting on every aspect of your being — the earth, water, fire, wind, and space that make up your existence.
Although our body is a temporary combination of the Five Aggregates, it still possesses a kind of illusory material presence. Just as we often say: are there things in this world that are invisible yet still exist? Of course — they exist even if we can’t see them. Air, for example — you can’t see it, but it’s there. Bacteria — invisible, yet still present. In fact, all of these are ultimately illusory. You could also say they don’t truly exist in the absolute sense. The human body is the same — it exists when you are born, and disappears when you die. So in that sense, it is illusory too. That’s why we say the human body is a temporary, illusory combination of the Five Aggregates — a convergence of earth, water, fire, wind, and space. And so, the true root of karmic consequence does not lie in the body itself.
So the first thing I want to share with you today is this: all karmic consequences do not manifest solely through the external five elements. This means that whether you create wholesome karma or unwholesome karma, its ripening does not take place only in the external environment. What is the “external environment”? It refers to the conditions surrounding your physical body—things like headaches, back pain, shoulder pain, and so on.
While the eventual retribution may appear as a physical ailment—such as a headache or shoulder pain—the true suffering begins in the mind. When you commit an unwholesome deed, it is your mind that suffers first, and only afterwards does the punishment reach your physical body. The final experience may be felt in the body, but the initial pain always arises in the mind. For example, let’s say you’ve done something wrong and then suffer a fall. Where did that fall come from? It happened because your consciousness had already been disturbed—you were already experiencing karmic retribution internally. You encountered a situation, became mentally unsettled, and as a result, you fell. What caused your mind to become unsettled? It was because you had done something unwholesome, and the fear of negative consequences disturbed your inner peace. That fall was merely a reaction from the external environment. What truly needs to be addressed, however, is the internal environment. This is why even the ripening of external conditions ultimately stems from internal causes. For instance, if you become ill or feel physically unwell, the true cause isn’t just the body itself. It’s that you’ve created negative karma. The karma from both your past and present lives has combined to produce this retribution, and your body is simply the channel through which that karma is expressed. Do you understand?
That’s why you must remember: what truly matters is not manifested in the body, but in the mind. When your spirit is joyful and at peace, your body will also feel light and relaxed. Your mood improves because you’ve planted wholesome causes. The more wholesome seeds you sow, the more wholesome fruits you will reap. But those fruits are reflected outwardly—in your facial expressions, the joy you radiate, how quickly and cheerfully you eat, how much more ease you feel in daily life. These are the external manifestations. However, it is your inner response that motivates you to sow wholesome seeds. It is because you experience Dharma joy within that you perform a virtuous deed—and in doing so, that inner joy deepens and echoes within you. Do you see now?
There is a saying: “Through hundreds of thousands of kalpas, the karma created does not perish.” What does “hundreds of thousands of kalpas” mean? It refers to the endless cycle of birth and death—you are reborn, you die, and then you are reborn again, over and over. And within each lifetime, you experience many karmic trials and tribulations. All these hardships and disasters across lifetimes are what we refer to as “hundreds of thousands of kalpas.” Why are there so many kalpas? Because your past lives stretch back endlessly, through lifetime after lifetime, and each one brings its own trials. That’s what “through hundreds of thousands of kalpas” truly means.
“The karma created does not perish” means that even after you die and are reborn—and die and are reborn again—the karma you have created never simply disappears. That is why I urge you not to do bad things and not to create karmic obstacles. Once a karmic obstacle forms, it cannot easily be removed—even after hundreds of thousands of kalpas. Do you understand? As soon as karmic obstacles enter your body or consciousness, they won’t leave. If you perform wholesome deeds today, that positive karma will remain within you. And if you commit unwholesome acts, that negative karma will also become embedded in your mind—and it won’t come out. Why is that? It’s simple: karma does not perish. Karma doesn’t just vanish.
In fact, the world keeps turning because of karma. It’s like when you begin school as a child—you receive a student record, and that record follows you throughout your school life. Unless you leave the country, that record stays with you for life. In the same way, everything you’ve done—every good deed, every mistake, even the smallest misdeed—is recorded in your karmic ledger. You might think that no one is keeping tabs anymore, but as a Buddhist practitioner, you should understand that within your own consciousness—specifically your eighth consciousness (also known as ālaya-vijñāna)—there already exists a record from the spiritual realm. And this karmic record is even more important, because it can be accessed by the Bodhisattvas and by the officials of the Underworld. When the time comes for you to be punished, they need only open that record to carry out your retribution. And when the time comes for you to receive blessings, they’ll open that same record—and you might suddenly win the lottery.
Many great figures in China often spoke of “ideology” (literally, “ideological form”). Why is consciousness described as a form? Because it’s invisible. But does it have a shape? Yes, it does. So what does form mean in this context? It refers to the shape, posture, or outward expression that reveals your inner consciousness. Ultimately, where does this consciousness come from? It is expressed through your actions, which reflect your inner thoughts. For example, when you see something you really like, that feeling arises from your consciousness. Others can’t directly see what you’re thinking—but by observing your eyes, facial expressions, and body language, they can tell that you like it. Do you see?
It’s just like when we say music has imagery. But how can music have form? Music is intangible—you can’t hold it or touch it. So why do we say music conveys imagery or form? Let me explain: in many war films, the moment you hear a particular kind of ominous music, you instantly know the villain is about to appear, right? And when the hero arrives, the music becomes strong and uplifting. That’s what we mean when we say music has imagery or form. When you hear music, your consciousness links it with a certain character or scene, and a mental image forms. This is what we call ‘ideological form’—the way your consciousness takes shape or is expressed. You’ve spent many years studying—have you ever heard anyone explain it this way before? What I’m sharing with you are deep Buddhist insights, helping you understand how to truly purify your heart through the workings of consciousness. Do you understand?
When causes and conditions come together, you alone will bear the resulting karmic retribution. Because karma never disappears, when the conditions ripen, the consequences will return to you. For example, if you’ve done a good deed for someone, and one day that person becomes successful or rises to a high position, they may remember the help you once gave them. When causes and conditions align, they may repay your kindness—and you, too, could rise to great heights. But if you had harmed that person in the past, and they later become a powerful official, the moment they remember what you did, you could bring misfortune upon yourself. This is what is meant by: “When causes and conditions converge, you alone bear the retribution.” Karmic consequences always come back to the one who created them. If you scold, hit or deceive someone today, the consequences will eventually return to you. If you deceive someone now, you will bear that karmic consequence in the future. If you harm someone today, you will still have to face the result later on. It’s not that there is no retribution—it’s simply that the time has not yet come. The moment causes and conditions gather is when karmic retribution begins.
Take this example: when two people are dating, the karmic conditions haven’t yet fully formed. If the relationship is based on mutual deception—say one person is trying to lure the other home, while the other is only after some benefit—then once the relationship ripens and the two get married, arguments will soon follow. That karmic retribution is yours to bear. Perhaps before marriage, you pretended to be someone you’re not—cooking, cleaning, doing everything around the house. But after marriage, you stop making an effort. Then the arguments begin. Isn’t that the consequence of your own actions? If you had shown your true self before marriage and continued behaving the same way afterwards, there wouldn’t be fights. But because you went to great lengths to impress your partner before marriage—treating them with affection and kindness—you planted a karmic seed. After marriage, that karmic fruit ripens. Understand? Just this simple example should help you see why, when causes and conditions converge, you must bear the result.