The Cause and Effect in one’s Previous and Present Lives

Rinpoche first discoursed on 13^th July, 1996
Senior Lai in France repeated it on behalf of Rinpoche on 10^th November, 2002 (after about six years)
Uploaded to the Website on 22^nd November, 2014 (and then after about twelve years again)

Introduction
Attaining miraculous power and Dharma power is not the aim of learning Buddhism (perhaps elementary practitioners may have supposed that it is exactly the target of learning Buddhism); practitioners who have come up to great achievement should seek everything from their ‘innermost beings’.
Orthodoxy
1.	The following is one of the rescue cases of a Japanese Vajrayana Guru, Seiyu Kiriyama (the founder of a new Japanese religion, Agama School): In the current Japanese society, people are getting more open about ‘sex’ while a lot of them tend to become psychopathic perverts (this phenomenon is known to everybody and it is also widely agreed by a lot of people). Nevertheless, of course there are still Japanese who are more traditional and conservative morally. What is the proportion?  This can only be found out after surveys and censuses are conducted. The incident happened to a Japanese maiden who was brought up and educated in a traditional family. With unknown causes, after her first night with her husband, she had sexual relationship with whomever males that she was familiar with. Feeling very guilty and regret afterwards every time, it was a pity that she could not extricate herself from doing so but kept on repeating the same mistake constantly. Her conscience was so uneasy that she planned to commit suicide with a farewell letter written. It so happened that she met Guru Seiyu Kiriyama by chance and told him her bitter experience. Entering into Samadhi to observe, Guru Seiyu Kiriyama learnt that the maiden had been a prostitute for many of her past lifetimes. Fortunately, with all the good deeds done during her previous existence as well as her kindness, she enjoys a great meritorious reward in this life. Owing to the fact that she had taken delight in sex for many lifetimes, her first night with her husband in this life triggered the power of evil karma accumulated in her past lifetimes which led to the onset of her uncontrollable sexual behaviour (with other males). Again, the retribution of her good deeds in previous lifetime makes her fortunate enough to encounter Guru Seiyu Kiriyama, who is a Vajrayana expert, to solve the problem for her and guide her to attain enlightenment in this life. (Remark: those men who have had sexual relationship with the maiden in this lifetime have certainly planted new karmic force as well as cause and effect.)
2.	In a snow mountain in the era of Buddha Kassapa, Tang Sanzang Master Xuanzang had ever come across an arhat whom he advised to reincarnate and born again so that this arhat can learn Yogacara (remark: ‘Yogacara’ is an influential school of Buddhist philosophy and ontology through the interior lens of meditative and yogic practices. Its discourse explains how our human experience is constructed by mind) under him. When this arhat grew up from the reincarnation, there was still a ‘unique’ habit since many lives he could not get rid of it. [What was the remaining old habit that he still had after all?  If you are interested in knowing this, please investigate and look into it yourselves!] Fortunately, he became a monk and practised Buddhist cultivation. At last, he turned into a great and eminent monk of East Asian Yogacara (remark: ‘Yogacara’ is also known as Dharma Characteristics’ school. It refers to the tradition in East Asia which represents the Indian Yogacara system of thought).
3.	Guru Chen Jian Min has given an example: it was about a certain Buddhist monk. At the time before becoming a monk, he was lustful and had a very strong sexual desire. In order to practise cultivation sincerely, he cut his sexual organ himself to show his determination and willpower in learning Buddhism. If there had been no genuine determination and willpower, why would he have dared to do so? Would he have sacrificed too much for the sake of notability?  It is a pity that this monk was unable to recognize his own dark side; he committed lewdness with his hands, eyes, mouth and tongue eventually.
4.	A long time ago, there was a Buddhist practitioner in India who was both advanced in Samadhi cultivation and had achieved miraculous power. One day, when he was sitting in meditation in a forest, a bird flew across but it sounded like the thunderclap to him. Feeling unhappy about this, anger arose slightly for an instant. He then walked to the riverside to continue with his meditation. This time, the sound of fishes swimming in the water was like the thunderclap and anger arose again. To one’s surprise, he was unable to have future life in Buddha-land after death but became a beast that ‘could fly to eat birds and swim to catch fishes as food’. In this way, he continued to produce endless karma(evil karma).
5.	There was a Buddhist practitioner whose state of Samadhi cultivation had already reached the Desire Realm. He once met a fairy maiden with whom he had predestination for many lifetimes in heaven during his meditation. Having a deep affection for her to such an extent that greed arose, he lost both the Samadhi power and miraculous power. A thousand years' high-state reached in Buddhist cultivation was forfeited in one morning (it means all of a sudden) and he was turned back into an ordinary person.
6.	There was a Vajrayana practitioner who secluded himself for the self-cultivation of Wrathful Deity intensively. Leaving his cell after the retreat, whenever he looked at somebody, the person would be on fire immediately to burn oneself into ashes. This brought the practitioner endless karma(evil karma).
7.	A person who had achieved the Fourth Dhyana flattered himself that he did not need to enter into the Bardo phase after death. Out of the blue, when he died, there appeared the Bardo conditions and Ignorance rose spontaneously in him. As he was unable to pass the states he saw, to counter every move or to remain unmoved when encountering external states, he consequently stirred his anger and fell straight into the hell.
Epilogue
●	In modern times, a lot of religious activities are held in religious places under the theme of ‘setting-free’ captive animals. This type of ‘setting-free’ can only control as well as influence one’s bright side (consciousness) while the seed of bad habit in the dark side (subconsciousness) is not easy to eradicate. It is because humans have not been ’set-free’(to set human free is to set free one’s enemies, relatives as well as karmic creditors, etc.), especially the lack of setting-free ‘oneself’ (to set oneself free is to set free one’s greed, anger, obsession, ignorance, ego-clinging… , not doing bad things, unwholesome deeds or all evil karma, etc.).
●	If only a person can understand oneself and control one’s dark side that one will not be dragged down by one’s own subconsciousness. Otherwise, by the time when one exhales one’s last breath before one dies, one will regret and be astonished to find that what one has done in one’s life is actually falling short of success for the lack of final effort. All one's previous efforts are wasted.

Reference Information:
Our website
＞　 Wisdom Plaza
＞＞ Fate of Marriages in the Previous and Present Lives