“The
results of karma exist, but not the doer thereof” in Buddhism 2
Do you agree that they are different between
who committed a crime before and confess after? The truth is, to repent or not,
both would not be able to change the fact, and likewise, not be able to change
the result of karma. Let’s put the repentance issue into this way by taking the
killer and the repenter as the same person, the repenter possesses intentions
to change karma. In this sense, repentance is in vain because karma is
created. Karma is also a result of the actions, instead of the
doer, which means the results of karma exist. The killer and the repenter are
no one in
terms of who can seize the time. Literally, there are no doers in the passage of time. The explanation of this scripture in
Chinese is very difficult to comprehend, for me as well as reading it in the
beginning, but I rather apply analogies and our common sense to make a better
understanding. In brief, it is trying to explain the issue of time and space in
Buddhadharma.
若殺人之前的那個你沒起懺悔心，但現在的你起懺悔心，已不是之前的你，是不？廣義來講，不管你要不要懺悔，時空會走會變化，也產生業力；不是時空流逝，你做的事就可以不算，所做事情還是有業報！這個點解釋起來非常複雜，古代更用文言文來解釋，我看得很辛苦，現在解釋起來你們是不是比較容易清楚，佛法裡面一直有時空的概念。
According to modern astronomy, the light of
a star explosion we see now is actually taken place in the past, or maybe four
or five hundred years ago in the Ming Dynasty. In this sense, you should have a
right to mock the repenter’s intentions of going back to the scene of the crime
and to do something about it. Now looking at the sky, the advances in astronomy
are telling you the force power of the past events, such as a star that exploded
in the Ming Dynasty is still transmitting its energy so that we can see it
today. Isn’t it interesting?
近代天文學已知，我們「現在」用望遠鏡所看到的星體爆炸光，事實上是「過去」明代的星體爆炸產生的，發生時間點是明代。
如果有一個修行人跟你說，你明代殺一個人，他現在還在追蹤你，你相信嗎？你一定覺得是笑話！
但是現在用已知的科學證據告訴你，明代爆炸的一顆星星光芒是你現在還看得到的，過去事件的能量到現在還存在！這個就很有意思。
How can people with good karma continue to
move forward? It depends on whether they can dispossess their Karmic results. Is
anyone willing to eliminate the fruits of hard work?Not only are you reluctant,
but also I am. I plant lots of trees in my garden and know planting is a hardship.
Dispossession is nonsense and a big joke. But I reflect upon Buddha’s teachings
carefully and contemplate that fruit (Karmic results) gets rotten with time. The Karmic results would do their own term.
我們有福報的人，你怎麼樣再保持前進？就要看有沒能力拋捨果實。
果實，誰捨得拋捨？！工作都很辛苦，不要說你們，我常常在種樹，我也知道那個辛苦，叫我拋捨，哪有可能？在說笑話嗎？ 但若以我們從佛經得到的佛法理解來講，是有這個可能，就算你再捨不得果實，歷經時空變化，它也會自己壞掉，！
Ching-te: Does karma have timelines? Does it take time
to fruition?
Ban Ji: No,
karma does not have fixed timelines.
俊得: 業報有時間性對不對？
半寄師父: 業報沒有時間性，沒有固定的時間性！
Ching-te:
That means that you kill a person, you will
be punished or need to pay him back, but may not be immediately in this
lifetime, right?
Ban Ji: Yes. Revenge is not under this discussion.
Ching-te: The karma takes time to fruition,
confirmed!
Ban Ji: Yes, it does.
俊得: 你殺一個人，你要受這個殺人的業報，但不會我殺一個人， 我馬上就死了吧？
半寄師父: 不會，所以我說業報沒有時間性！（報復性質不列入考慮）
俊得: 業報要成熟不是要有時間性？
師父: 有。
Ching-te:
In this sense, taking the factor of time
into account, what about applying timeline to “the doer”? The original doer has
already changed into a new one along with the time flows. Therefore, could I
say that Buddha expresses “not the doer thereof” in the context of the factor
of time?
俊得: 既然業報要成熟要有時間性，那就要加入一個時空的因素在裡面，既然業報要成熟有時間性，假以時間以後的那個作者，事實上跟原來的作者也夾雜了時空的變化去了，所以他要闡述「無作者」，是不是要講這個意思？
Ban Ji:
I would prefer to let you put “the result
of karma exists” in the first place. It is a dilemma if to explain karma and
doer altogether. Your statement indicates that doer and karma are both
presented. But as the answer, “doer” is not considered presenting or
representing. Think about a further question---how could karma be carried out
by no-doer?
半寄師父: 但是要有業報！這個很難闡述，很困難，困難在這裡，你這樣講很清楚， 但是業報怎麼實現呢？
Ching-te:
It takes time for karma taken into effect.
For example, the killer may win a lottery in ten years later and thus repays
fifty million dollars for the victim’s past life. Or maybe he will need to use
his life as redemption. The killer’s abilities and circumstances keep changing with
time and space, and thereby so do karmic debts accordingly. Because the doer keeps
changing, namely, there is no fixed subject of the doer.
俊得: 業報需要時間來實現。我舉個例，搞不好那個人在十年之後中了大樂透，拿著錢說希望過去那事情你不要再追殺我了，我五億給你，請你就接受吧；或者是，之後他過得更糟糕，所以他要承受這個殺人的業報。五年後、十年後的他已經改變了！所以對作者來講，本身承受業報已經跟原來不一樣，所以不能講有固定的作者 ，因為作者也隨著時空改變。
Ban Ji:
You can say so. Winning a lottery is
passive in dealing with problems. Let’s discuss a broader issue on how to improve
conditions to avoid misdeeds. When a boy is misled to steal by the false
education, he might take stealing for granted. He did not acknowledge what
criminal behavior is. But stealing is wrongdoing in common sense. Therefore, as
a repayment for the boy’s stealing case is concerned, education should play a
role to correct his misconception and thus misdeeds, shouldn’t it? Who should take
the accountability for stopping misdeeds since the boy is also a victim of
false education?
半寄師父:
這樣講也是，不過大樂透這個比喻比較狹義，應該用廣義講，如果有個人出生的環境裡面就教導他作做小偷是對的，而導致他去偷別人的財物，都覺得是理所當然的，根本不認為是個大錯誤，那要救贖這個錯誤的認知，是不是只能用教育去改變他？
正確的教育方法改變他，他才能知道不行，這個行為是錯的。他也不是出於他本意要偷，被教育錯誤這筆帳怎麼算？
We may extend ideas of “no doer” to the
case. It is more appropriate to discuss how education as the subject matter can
correct what the boy used to do wrong instead of who he was. The boy may
acknowledge stealing is wrong and thus stop stealing. Hopefully, he may further
contribute his efforts to society as a whole. As he strives to progress, the
ten-year-old boy no longer exists. He gets reborn by good education.
Cognitive change via education can lead the
boy to a transformation. Perhaps his transformation can bring him good karma in
terms of playing a role model for social changes. He is no longer the same boy,
but people might still blame him. He suffers adversity and hatred. The karmic force of stealing comes back
around, but the boy is changing. What else remains unchangeable if the doer
stayed put? After shedding light on the aspect of time-space to Buddha’s
teachings like the above, I believe that there are fewer obstacles in life.
所以被教化的那個人，如果要說「無作者」，應該就他錯誤範圍去做再教育的改善，這是比較廣義的，那他之前沒被正確教育的人生，再度因教育而重生。
正確的教育可以產生不同的認知。十歲以前被教當小偷是對的，十歲以後被教那是錯的，如果被教導者在被教導後行為改變，不再當小偷，還可能運用很大的力量去改善社會環境正確的認知。
隨著你在做的時空過程裡面，你離你那個十歲已越來越遠，那當時那個十歲的你在哪裡？當然不在了！
哪是否可以說過去被他偷過的人都因為他現在做了很多善事，大家保證不恨他？ 不可能的！所以還是會有偷竊的業報在反應，但這個作者，作者不斷在改變他自己的內涵不斷在更新，作者會改變，如果這個作者是不變的，那就是在原地踏步，停留在原來的時空，有這個可能嗎 ？
所以，若加入了「時空」來探討佛學，以我們剛才舉例的，如果可以看到你自己的事情糾結，你用這些比較廣義的想法去看、去想的話，我認為是可以解決自身的一些問題，這是我的看法。
Ching-te:
Life itself is just like a waterfall, as a
matter of fact, we are going forward. Whatever we have gone through, ups or downs,
life has to proceed on.
俊得:
師父，而且就現實生活來講，根本就停不住啊，你想停你也停不住，就像瀑布一樣，你要停你也停不住，你要嘛向前走，向上走，向下走，你根本就沒有辦法停，你還是一直在往前！
Ban Ji:
Right. That is why the CEO of our foundation
brings up the issue of liberation that life attaches emotions. The stronger attachment, the harder
emancipation.The Heart Sutra starts out with "When Bodhisattva
Avalokiteshvara was profoundly practicing Prajna Paramita” implying that as a
follower we should frequently contemplate śūnyatā and dependent origination. Realizing
the dharma in depth will set us free. That
is really a practice. Try to constantly remind yourself to avoid emotional traps.
Happiness, anger, sadness, and joy should
flow with the passage of time, instead of stagnation. That is my own method of staying
vigilant against emotional stagnation. Day after day, we will get used to it
but won’t feel every day is all the same.
半寄師父:
沒有錯，但是剛才執行長講的問題，等於是說，個人去做事情後產生的喜怒哀樂打在心裏是很難解脫的！坦白講，佛經，在《般若心經》時講到 「行深般若波羅蜜多」，「行深」經文的意思是希望你在聽到佛法以後，你的大腦能常常去思考「空與有」的問題，思考這樣的問題，接受這樣的佛法，進而得到某一種程度的解脫！所以叫作「行深」不是隨便聽一聽。然後，就叫修行了嗎？
不是這樣！事實上你的大腦不斷要提醒你自己，用佛法提醒自己的感官感受才不會在你日常生活裡面有的喜怒哀樂裏停滯。
我講的是一種實修的例子，一旦喜怒哀樂停留，而我們不自覺，日子一天一天過去人們會覺得記憶停留在一定的時空嗎？
不會！因為已經慣性了！
Memory becomes strong attachments that are the
fundamental problem. How to manage memory and the emotion of the past so that
they can move on with time? Applying Buddhadharma to cultivate your brain is
the way to attain wisdom and helps overcome obstructions to some extent. Once you
find the method to overcome obstacles, it is hard for you not to progress.
In my practice experience, Buddhadharma
will wake up our brain when feelings couldn’t move forward.
時間在運轉，其中只有人們感情記憶沒過去，你如何設法讓你的記憶過去？大腦要常常去作對佛法的思維，常常去想！此時你的大腦在思維佛法中已經在邁向智慧的一步，它在某種程度上幫助你解脫原來的滯留點，你的滯留點一旦得到解脫，你這個人不進步也難！實修經驗告訴我們大腦在思維或觀察佛法時，會知道個人的感情是停留的！
Prof. Atun:
To a large extent, applying the concept of
change only to karma is less complicated than to the existence of the doer. As far as the changing of time-space is
concerned, there is no such a good-bad dichotomy assigned to karma Rightness
may turn into wrongness and vice versa. That is what we got the lessons from
the history. Why do we put the problem
of karma on the top? It is easier to solve the issue of time-space without troubling
ourselves the existence of doer.
阿惇老師: 把時空變遷的議題帶到業報裡討論比較容易，因為業報存在，但會因為時空變遷，所以業報沒有固定善惡之別，過去是錯的後來變成對的，或者本來認為是對的後來變成錯的，那怎麼不談業報本身在時空下是不定性的？
Ban Ji:
We need to analyze three milieus that may
lead to misdeeds; first, false educations for misbehavior; second, personality
traits motivate greed, anger, and ignorance. For instance, stealing is a result
of greed and personal vanity. Thirdly, the karmic force that keeps people in
the life cycle up and down. All consist of good times and bad times. For instance, when going through bad times,
one would be more likely to do wrong involuntarily. Upon these three
conditions, the first step is to identify which background gives rise to the
misdeed. Then we can discuss karma. Is it the problem of education, personality
trait, or the so-called life cycle? There are ups and downs in life. It depends
on the life cycle, all men are mortal, and things will end and then come to the
next period/ life (in samsara (cycle of life and death)). Every life and death
is temporary. We can overcome our obstacles and mistakes by distinguishing
which stage we are standing and then striving to improve for a better future.
半寄師父: 談這個要分析很多，第一、我是被教育教錯去做的；第二、我自己的貪嗔癡促使我去做的，我喜歡的東西，沒有錢我去偷，自己的貪欲促使自己去做的；第三、佛學最終還提到一個人既使再富有，他的生命週期到了也會結束！
以這三個點來講，自己必須搞清楚自己處於這三個點的哪個點，被教育錯的？自己的貪欲？還是處在一種所謂大週期？大周期就是自己福報的週期必須先結束，像生命的暫時結束。
Doers and action (the results of karma) have reciprocal impacts on each
other. In other words, those who stand
high have ever gotten a broader view, whereas suffering from failure may bring
themselves different visions. Changes for the better. The constant interaction between
doer and karmic results indicates that the source of life is un-determinedness
and movability.
Master Ban Ji
Translated by Ken Krayna
作者與運動(業報)之間相互產生變化，現實的比喻是；站上高處的人們會看到高處的風光，而有挫折的人們也會在失敗裡面看到再出發的方法。作者與運動相互連結的不斷產生變化，賦予人們各種不定性，卻也是最大的生命泉源!
半寄
