Let me now share the second point with you. The karmic retribution for using harsh speech and verbal abuse actually follows a cyclical pattern. Many people curse or scold others, and because the karmic consequence hasn’t yet ripened, they don’t experience retribution straight away. When someone is being verbally abusive, others might say, “You’ll definitely face karmic consequences for that.” In reality, those consequences take time to manifest. Do you understand? When people argue, they often say things like, “You’ll get your karma for saying that… you’ll suffer the consequences.” But then they wonder why the person seems completely unaffected—why hasn’t the karma shown up yet? It’s because there’s a transitional phase. The karma created by harsh speech travels through the body’s energetic system—what we refer to as the small and large circulation cycles of qi. Only after this cycle is completed does that energy transform into a darker form of qi. Do you follow?
When you speak with malice or use harsh words, you’re actually releasing a stream of negative, dark energy. Once this dark energy takes form, that’s when the real harm begins. If those words are never spoken aloud, they might not cause immediate damage—but once expressed, they become problematic. That’s because dark energy doesn’t easily dissipate. And this kind of negative energy harms not only others, but also yourself. It originates in your own heart and mind, so it inevitably rebounds and hurts the speaker. In everyday terms, we might call this “toxic energy”. Over time, if it remains in the heart, it can have serious consequences for your physical health. In fact, many people who develop cancer carry a great deal of toxic energy within. Do you understand? So, someone who frequently uses abusive or harsh language may fall into the animal realm in their next life and be reborn as a dog. You might not understand what dogs are barking about, but they actually have their own form of language. Scientific research has shown that a dog’s bark varies—its length, pitch, volume, and tone are never quite the same. Think about it: a person who constantly scolds others in this life may be reborn as a dog—and what do dogs do? They bark all day long. The moment they see a stranger, they bark non-stop: “Woof, woof, woof!” Even in the middle of the night, when everyone else is asleep, they’re still yapping away in the yard. That’s why we must never use harsh speech or insult others lightly.
So, you must diligently cultivate your minds and keep your body, speech, and mind—the Three Gates—pure. Why are body, speech, and mind called the Three Gates? Because these are the three main channels through which karma is created. Your body creates karma — many people commit wrongdoings with their physical actions. Your speech creates karma — criticising others, gossiping, or speaking harshly all generate negative karma, right? And your mind creates karma through harmful thoughts. These are the Three Gates, and you need to guard them carefully. No matter what, take care to keep these three in check. Got it?
Now let me share the third point with you: hearing, contemplating, and cultivating. Hearing means to listen — to hear the Dharma. It refers to being exposed to the Buddha’s teachings. Contemplation is the reflection that arises after hearing those teachings — once you’ve listened, you begin to think deeply about them. Through this process, you develop the ability to discern right from wrong and realise the importance of cultivating the mind. You must engage in hearing, contemplation, and cultivation with unwavering faith. We need to approach the Dharma with right mindfulness and firm belief. When we hear the Dharma, reflect on it, and grasp its truths, we begin the process of cultivating our minds. At this stage, we must also develop strong faith — because only with unwavering faith can true spiritual attainment be realised. Do you understand?
We must cultivate our minds and nurture inner confidence. Begin by refining your heart. Once your heart is in a good state, the next step is to regulate your body, speech, and mind. I’ve mentioned before that Buddhist teachings often come in sets of three. These “threefold principles” are incredibly important. For example: body, speech, and mind; faith, vows, and practice; greed, anger, and ignorance. These concise teachings have been passed down by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as essential guidance for our practice. Do you understand? So you must diligently cultivate your mind and maintain purity in your body, speech, and mind — the Three Gates. Why are they called gates? Because they are the three main channels through which karma is created. The body creates karma — many people commit unwholesome acts through physical behaviour. Speech creates karma — criticising others, gossiping, or speaking harshly all generate negative karma, don’t they? And the mind creates karma through unwholesome thoughts. These are the Three Gates, and you must guard them well. Whatever happens, always take care to keep them in check. Got it?
When you truly commit to your cultivation, you will begin to perceive impermanence — that is, you’ll become aware ahead of time that impermanence is drawing near. What is impermanence? Everyone knows what it is. But many people have misunderstood it. The impermanence I’m referring to here isn’t the enforcement officers from the Underworld who come to take souls — it’s the impermanence of worldly matters. All things in this world are transient — nothing lasts forever. This is what we mean by worldly impermanence. When you realise that nothing in this world is permanent, a sense of renunciation should naturally arise within you. That means you must urgently distance your heart from worldly, material desires. Let go of your troubled mind and leave behind this realm of affliction. You must free yourself from worldly worries — without delay.
So, what does renunciation mean? It means letting go — stepping back and breaking free from the attachments within your heart. This heart of yours is what causes affliction. It traps you, hinders your cultivation, pulls you away from the true Dharma, and clouds your wisdom. If you can’t free yourself from that troubled mind, you’ll stray from the right path. Here’s a simple example: imagine two groups are fighting. If you stand outside the conflict, detached from both sides, you can see clearly that neither side is entirely right. But if you’re caught up in one group, still deep in the conflict, you’ll likely believe your side is right and the other is wrong. Because you haven’t stepped back, you can’t see the reality of the situation — you can’t see the truth of the world.
A person must detach from the mundane world. Although your physical body may remain in the human realm, your mind must detach first. Do you know where affliction comes from? It comes from the mind. When your mind is disturbed, your thoughts scatter. That’s why we say a troubled mind leads to confused intentions. You must take charge of your own mind and guard your thoughts. As I’ve said, it’s essential to guard the Three Gates — and it’s just as essential to free yourself from worldly defilements. For example, when caught in an argument, walk away. When feeling distressed, step away from the source of your distress and stop dwelling on it. In doing so, your afflictions will begin to fade. This is the true essence of renunciation.
We must treasure the opportunity to cultivate ourselves through a human life endowed with both freedoms and favourable conditions. What does freedom mean? It refers to being free from circumstances that hinder the practice of the Dharma. Only when both your mind and body are well cultivated can the purpose of this precious human life be fulfilled. If you pay attention to the subtle workings of cause and effect — that is, if you remain mindful in everything you do and ask yourself: “Am I doing the right thing?” “Will this action diminish my merit and virtue?” or “Will it deplete the merit and virtue I’ve accumulated?” — then you are on the path to a complete and meaningful life. Take, for example, the young volunteers at this Buddhist practice centre. They come here to help and to accumulate merit and virtue, yet they won’t even print personal documents like résumés using the centre’s equipment. Why? Because they worry that doing so might cause a loss or leakage of their merit and virtue. Isn’t that a high level of spiritual awareness? They won’t even print a single page of their own résumé at the centre — this is what it means to have an elevated state of mind. When I heard this, I was genuinely moved. You might think, “What’s the harm in using the centre’s internet or printer?” Yet they refuse to take even the slightest advantage. From what I’ve seen, their spiritual level surpasses that of many people sitting here listening to this talk. Simply being present doesn’t necessarily mean your state of mind is elevated.
So what does it truly mean to have a human life with freedoms and favourable conditions? It means being mindful of even the smallest karmic causes and effects. Many people focus only on major karma and its obvious consequences — but we must also be cautious with the subtle ones. For example, you might think, “I would never curse someone,” but even if you speak in a way that subtly harms or undermines others, that too creates karmic consequences. Only by being vigilant with even these small actions can you break free from the Three Realms and escape the illusory web of the Six Realms of Existence. If you remain bound to the Six Realms, you are stuck in that illusory web like a character trapped in a fantastical storybook world. The only way out is to tread carefully, as if walking on thin ice — being mindful of every karmic seed you plant — because you are constantly planting karma, whether you realise it or not. Can you say, “I’m not creating karma today because I’m just sleeping”? That would be a mistake. Even sleeping can create karma: if you oversleep, you wake up sore and sluggish; too much sleep breeds ignorance. Understand?
From a Buddhist perspective, everything we do in this human world must be done with great care. You cannot avoid or escape cause and effect. Even sitting here, right now, you are creating karma. So ask yourself — are you planting wholesome or unwholesome seeds? You’re learning the Buddha-dharma, so you’re creating positive karma. But what about when you eat? Are you mindful then? If you eat an appropriate amount, you plant good seeds. But if you overindulge, eat food that doesn’t belong to you, or even steal food — then you’re planting unwholesome seeds. Think about it: is there anything in this human world that isn’t creating karma? You might try to avoid karma, but is that even possible? Even your facial expressions create karma. A single glance at someone — there’s a cause. If you give them a dirty look or frown, it might lead to someone badmouthing you — and there’s your consequence. So karma is everywhere in this world!
Can we really avoid creating karma? Saying you don’t create karma is like saying you don’t need air to breathe. That’s why I often tell you: karma is just like the air you breathe — you can’t live without it. For example, if you doze off during today’s Dharma Talk, you’ve planted the karmic seed of heedlessness, and you’ll miss out on the teachings. Later, when you encounter hardship or feel unhappy, you won’t be able to apply the Dharma — you’ll fall into greed, anger, and ignorance, and your merit and virtue won’t be enough to sustain you. Isn’t that true?
That’s why I don’t easily approve of people taking leave. When I give a Dharma Talk, I am also bestowing blessings. In the past, people would often ask for leave. But I ask you — do you truly treasure this opportunity? Do you know how long your life will last? Do you know how much karma you’ve already accumulated? All the ailments in your body, the family conflicts, health issues, and various misfortunes you’re facing — these are all karmic retributions already ripening. Can you completely cleanse yourself of all karmic causes and effects? Now that you’re studying Buddhism here, how can you continue planting unwholesome karma? Even while spreading the Dharma, some people remain attached — liking this person, disliking that one. But is Dharma propagation about personal preferences?
Each person creates their own karma and bears their own results—just as everyone eats to fill their own stomach. It’s a simple truth. Save those who can be saved; let go of those who cannot. I know that some people, after being told they weren’t approved to become disciples, stop coming to the Guan Yin Hall altogether. But is that my doing, or their own choice? A person must be able to withstand tests. If someone can’t even handle a small setback, what good will they be in the face of greater challenges? Think about it—who hasn’t faced trials on the path of growth? You must learn to understand, to see clearly, and to grasp the truth. Only when you are mindful of even the subtlest karmic causes and effects can you break free from the Three Realms—the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm—and escape the illusory web of the Six Realms of Existence.