What Do I Do?

It can be very difficult to decide what to do when so much of what we encounter in life is “grey,” and so little is “black and white.” When faced with many choices, and none seem to clearly be the right one, it can help to remind ourselves that we will end up doing what is destined to happen.

While some may view this is a license to dismiss unpleasantness (it was destined to happen!) and consider themselves off the hook; in reality they’re not. The part we play in the current unfolding destiny will go towards creating our own future destiny and thus is vitally important.

Did I hurt the person because I was angry and didn't care what I said, and so the event unfolded as destined?

Or did I hurt the person because no matter how much I cared and tried to act wisely, my efforts failed and so the event unfolded as destined?

If I do the first, I’m walking the path of more suffering.

If I do the second, I am on the path of reducing my future suffering.

It's Not Fair!

A generous, caring friend recently attended a meeting at which another volunteer was removed from his position. Apparently a power struggle had taken place and things were not done openly, or honorably.

My friend was trying to deal with the deception she had witnessed to figure out how to help the injured party who was angry and suffering. She asked me for my thoughts on the situation and if there was a lesson to be drawn from what had happened.

To me, the situation attested to the working of karma.

A person who had been doing what was good and who helped others was mistreated by people he trusted. It was felt that while he was not a saint, he had certainly not planted the cause for such treachery in his current lifetime. So how had this happened?

Certain karmic seeds that he had planted in past lifetimes encountered activating conditions in this lifetime. The seeds, the causes, matured and he met with deception. Since he could not remember those causes he had planted in his past lifetimes, he suffered in this lifetime without knowing the reason why. It all seemed so unfair. 

What happened actually was fair in the sense that he had indeed planted the seeds for the deception he encountered. What happened was tragic however in that the people who betrayed the person's loyalty and dedication did not act honestly. And they knew this. And they have now planted the seeds for deception in their own futures.

And when it comes, they will not know why. And they will be angry and will suffer.

And on and on it goes.

Knowing this will not change the current situation but it may help those in it to lessen their suffering through understanding. We cannot undue what we did in the past. But we can understand where karmic consequences arise from and figure out how to not plant those bad seeds again. For those that we already planted—and they are uncountable and without measure—we try to control the activating conditions by continuing to do what is right even when it is difficult to do so.

And even when others do not seem to appreciate our efforts.

Other’s reactions, their appreciation, do not matter.

What matters is why and how we do something.

After We Become a Buddha

Question: After we become a Buddha in the Western Pure Land, do we create our own pure land and help people? Or do we we stay in the Pure Land and help people from there?" 

Response: When we are still practicing in the Pure Land as Bodhisattvas, we can have (1) reward body that stays in the Pure Land to learn from Amitabha Buddha and (2) manifestation body that can be anywhere we need to be to help beings.

After one becomes a Buddha in the Pure Land, one may continue to assist Amitabha Buddha in teaching beings and also manifest in any of the Ten Dharma Realms to help beings.

Do we need to create another Pure Land to help beings?

It depends on what one's causal vows (vows made when one is a Bodhisattva cultivating to become a Buddha) are. When one becomes a Buddha, one's causal vows will be fulfilled. One can also vow to help all beings become Buddhas by teaching them to attain rebirth into Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land. Since the Pure Land is the best school there is to help beings to become Buddhas, it is not necessary to create another Pure Land. Actually, the Pure Land is a manifestation of the pure mind. When our minds are pure, though we are here on Earth, we are already in the Pure Land. All Buddhas help Amitabha Buddha to help beings become a Buddha.

path to peace

path to peace from Bee Ho.

Do We Come Back From the Pure Land to Help Others?

Question: When we born in Pure Land, do we come back to to the world to help others?

Response: The first of the Four Great Vows is "Sentient beings are innumerable, I vow to help them all." We go to the Pure Land not just to end our own suffering, but to help all beings end theirs.

This vow becomes the underlying inspiration for our cultivation, practice, and learning.

In the Pure Land, we learn all the different methods to be able to skillfully and wisely help others. We are thus able to come back to this world, and to others, to help those we have affinities with. We do so through the strength of our vows, not the pull of our karma. Our true being remains in the Pure Land when we come back so we are never separated from the Pure Land and run no risk of again being lost in samsara.

This way we always continue to progress towards Buddhahood and help others progress as well.