Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Lama Lhundup teaches the twelve links of dependent origination, Buddhism’s explanation of how suffering cycles through life after life. In this 45-minute talk, he focuses on how karma ripens across multiple lifetimes, showing that the six causal links (ignorance through existence) can occur in one life while their six resultant effects play out in later rebirths. He illustrates with concrete examples: how a killing in one life might be suppressed by meeting a guru and developing virtue, delaying the karmic result to a third lifetime; how a person born human from virtuous karma still suffers poverty due to negative completing karma. He explains the four combinations of propelling and completing karma, then turns to practical instruction: mindfulness of our actions and speech, regular meditation on cause and effect, and simple practices like rejoicing in others’ virtue to build merit. He emphasizes that understanding the law of karma intellectually is useless without repeated meditation and real-world application, and that genuine compassion arises only after renunciation, when we first recognize our own suffering and then extend that understanding to others.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 12 HY.mp3
UUID: 46890a86-f1e8-477c-b0e7-0fe1d299972b
Teacher: Lama Lhundup
Collection: Helping yourself helping others (Lama Lhundup)
Date: 1987 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.9 minutes
Words: ~2,700
So we planted the seed, desire and grasping acted to add fertilizer and activated the seed. When seed is just ready to sprout, it’s suitable to sprout any moment. It’s been activated and suitable to sprout and this is tenth link which is the becoming or existence link. These three, desire, grasping and existence are the establishing causes. These three are called the establishing causes.
Propelling causes and establishing causes. So these six that we just named are the six causal dependent links. There are six causal dependent links and six resultant dependent links. These are the six causal. So these six causal links can take place in one life and then their effects can take place in a second life and this way we can have twelve links over a period of two lives.
We create the karma in this life to take and this karma ripens immediately following life and this would be the entire length would take place over two lifetimes. Whereas if we created a karma in this life and immediately following life it didn’t ripen, it could ripen the third lifetime, and then this would be the twelve links would be completed over three lifetimes. So the twelve links are distributed over three lifetimes. In the first lifetime the three propelling causes. In the second lifetime the three establishing causes.
In the third lifetime the the six resultant links. So there are three propelling links in the first lifetime, three establishing links in the second lifetime and six resultant links in the third lifetime. So I don’t know the proper names for these three types of karma. Don’t know if there are some special words I’m sure but just explain what they mean. One type of the same life in which we create the karma we will experience the result in that life.
And that’s the first type. And the second type is we create the karma in life number one and we experience an immediately following life in life number two. That’s the second type of karma. And then third type of karma is we create the karma in life number one. It’s not experienced in number two anytime after number two, the third life or anytime after that.
So there’s three types of possibilities. So we could, for example, create a karma killing, which a killing in this life. And then This karma that we created was the karma which was to be ripened in the next lifetime. This of killing was a propelling karma to be reborn, to be experienced in the next lifetime but in the meanwhile we met a guru, we developed great faith, We developed a very powerful virtuous mind. Upon hearing about the Dharma we developed a tremendous powerful virtuous mind and this also implanted a virtuous karma in our mind and this had a greater power.
We implanted karma of this killing and now later on we implanted this very virtuous mind, this karma, very powerful virtuous mind. And in dependence upon that upon this virtuous mind, the power of the spiritual mind would take as a human in the next lifetime. So, but in the second life when we were human beings we didn’t make use of our life and at the time of death we had this karma from the first life of killing karma activated and has its directing effect in the third life so we experienced the resulting karma of this action of killing from the first life so in this way we would have completed this twelve links over three lifetimes. Again we could initially have created virtuous actions, implanted virtuous karma but later on for example the action of anger, we became angry we implanted a negative karma in our mind and this was the one that was activated at death and due to this activating this propelling karma we take in our second lifetime we take rebirth in hell. Then this having taken rebirth in hell is exhausted, its potential is exhausted, it’s purified and the karma from having virtue in the first lifetime is then activated and we take rebirth as a human in the third lifetime.
So this this existence or becoming is is brought about through an we can we can act act act aspiring towards, for example, a human body. At this moment, there’s great aspiration. Oh, So, yeah, we can we can we can make we can make prayers or wishes that to attain that human body, and this this will by making prayers or wishes to attain a human body and in order to do that creating virtue, then this becomes the method for activating the karma which is the tempo. So we have this propelling karma or this potential and by activating it through the force of prayer and in order to bring that aspiring to a wishing for human body, we activate this karma that is existence, which is a karma. So so this aspiring, this wishing is the desire link.
So we make this we are trying So I said, the desire, this this. We by forcing making prayers we develop this desire to attain this human body. So that’s the desire link. When this is expanded or increased, strength is very strong then this becomes grasping. Through the power of the strong prayers, through wishing to attain this human body, we generate this desire which is this desire link and when this increases in power it becomes very strong, you begin to grasp for the human body.
At the moment of death, to the virtuous mind that we have created towards the human, the power of this, then it becomes activated, this potential, the karma or the potential which will propel us into taking a human rebirth. So when this is actually activated, this karma is actually activated by this desire and grasping that we’ve created through our aspirations and virtuous mind then this is existence or becoming. This propelling karma is being activated by the previous desire and grasping. Wherever wherever wherever we exist, then then this is the this is the the fruit. This is the result of the of the the twelve link.
This body is the result of the is the result of the twelve link. We are So we we are we exist. We abide in the resultant problem. So we exist we exist within the resultant. At the moment we exist or abiding in the resultant dependent links.
Now this resultant that we are existing in now was brought about, was created by previously created karma in previous life. And while we are abiding in these resultant twelve links we are also creating the causal links for future resultant links. So we’re abiding in resultant links while we’re abiding or existing within resultant links. We’re also again through the force of desire, hatred and ignorance we are creating future links. So this process is continually going on.
While we are in resultant links we are creating causal links which will give rise to resultant links. And while we’re in those resultant links, we’ll give rise to causal links again, and this process goes as repeated again and again without interruption. Being of cyclic existence is called that because he’s continually cycling, circling within the twelve links of dependent origination. Continually circling and therefore he’s called a being of cyclic existence. And within this circling there is only suffering.
If we can go outside of these twelve links then there’s no suffering. Within the twelve links there’s only suffering. The root of cyclic existence of these twelve links is ignorance. If we can do away with ignorance, if we can reverse ignorance then we can do away with the entire process of the twelve links. If there’s no ignorance then there’s no creation of karma.
If there’s no creation of karma then there’s no creation of consciousness within the twelve links, etc. The whole process comes to an end. Therefore we have to extinguish ignorance. By extinguishing ignorance the whole process comes to an end. So within karma, there’s there’s a propelling karma and completing karma.
There are two types of karma, propelling karma and completing karma. There is a possibility of four combinations of these two types of karma. We can have virtuous propelling karma and virtuous completing karma, non virtuous propelling karma, virtuous completing karma, virtuous propelling karma and non virtuous completing karma and non virtuous propelling karma and non virtuous completing karma. So there’s four combinations between these two types of karma. So example of virtuous propelling karma and nonvirtuous completing karma would be someone who was born as a human.
No. I’m a. So the human body is a is a is a result of virtuous propelling karma. But even as a human we experience a great deal of suffering. This is because of our nonvirtuous completing karma.
So, you take an example of some of the people in Africa. They are born as a human being. They have a human body. This is the result of virtuous propelling karma but many of them are starving. They’re just like hungry ghosts and this is the result of the non virtuous completing karma.
Also, the experience of Tibet, many people being born as a human in Tibet was a result of virtuous propelling karma. Even though their conduct was very good, many of them were thrown into prisons when the communist invaded. They were thrown into prisons and beaten and this suffering that occurred to them was a result of non virtuous completing karma. So the various temporary difficulties and sicknesses that we experience, these will be non virtuous completing karma. An example of non virtuous propelling karma and virtuous completing karma would be in the west some of the dogs and cats.
Being a cat or a dog is a result of non virtuous propelling karma but get fed very well. They have a very comfortable life in the west usually. This is due to the virtuous completing karma. Also, there’s a one class of being called nagas. They many of them are quite rich.
But they’re but they’re but they’re actually they’re they’re a type of animal, and therefore, it’s it’s a result of non virtuous propelling karma. The example of virtuous propelling karma and virtuous completing karma would be the beings who were born in the first eon, the humans. Humans were born in the first age. Also the gods, the great gods, this is an example of virtuous propelling and completing karma. So example of non virtuous propelling and completing karma is hell beings.
Animals, they have a little happiness, but the hungry ghosts and hell beings, they have only suffering. We don’t have to make it’s not a great deal of trouble to create karma. Just by saying that you look like a dog, you’re going to cause rebirth as many times as a dog. Likewise, if you say you say you’re a monkey, and, like, this is cause for taking rebirth as a monkey many times. Okay.
You know, the these words don’t make much difference when we say you look like a monkey, but may create a cause between these born as a monkey five hundred lifetime. Even, you know, we may be we may think we’re just playing a game, but even while we’re playing a game, we’re creating karmas to be born in these different places. When we make prostrations to Buddha and make them with great faith then whatever the number of atoms that we cover with our body when we’re prostrating is equal to the amount of karma that we’re creating to be reborn as a special type of human being. So we can just say if we make one even one very good prostration, we we are creating the karma and equal to equal equal to the number of atoms that we’re covering to take that many times rebirth with this special human body. So in general, it’s extremely difficult to attain a human body.
But while we have this, can make prostrations and create the karma to have a human body again. Because being born as a naga is due to lack of generosity in previous lifetime. So if we understand this presentation of the law of cause and effect and we have mindfulness and awareness then we can always be mindfulness and awareness of whether or not we are creating virtue or non virtue. So when we’re with other people we should watch our body and speech. And when we’re by ourselves in our own home, for example, we should examine our mind.
So we when we’re by ourselves, when we’re we’re many So with respect to ignorance, we were just So have to understand the presentation of the law of cause and effect. It’s not but that’s not enough. We have to recollect it and think about it again and again. Have to meditate on it. Otherwise if we don’t we’re going to forget it.
We have to and we should make requests to the Buddha’s and and again and again try to think about this law of cause and effect. So we should be mindful whenever we create a non virtuous action when we realize that we have we should immediately apply the four powers and that we should develop a strong regret for having committed a negative action and this will reduce the force of the negative action. And And even if we create a great non virtuous action through applying the four opponent powers we can purify the negative karma. Likewise if we create a positive action virtue then we shouldn’t take pride in it but we should rejoice in it and think that we have done well and this will increase its power. Likewise, not only our own virtues, also the virtues of others, the virtues of the Buddha Bodhisattvas by by rejoicing in their virtues, this will increase our own karma.
If, you know, even if we don’t make prostrations, we don’t make any You don’t like. You don’t like. You don’t You like to make prostate So if you don’t like to make prostrations, you don’t like to meditate on the graduated path. If you don’t So he said, If you don’t like to do any of that then just lay down and just rejoice in other people’s virtue. Just only do that and you create great merit.
It’s a little difficulty but great profit. You don’t have to make a great deal. You don’t have to it’s a great it’s not So if you don’t med if you don’t do anything else and and only this, then it’s it’s a great profit. So, you know, we’ve we’ve said a lot, and then you see that in order not to forget it, you should meditate on it again and again. We now have the basis for meditating.
We have opportunities to meditate. We now have a lot of material, intellectual material that we need to meditate on. If we don’t meditate on it and we were to die we would have would have it would be a great loss. Therefore you know every day we should take what we have heard and try to understand and bring it again and again to your mind, have it rise again and again, think about it over again and try to keep going until you get some kind of experience, until you actually gain the final experience of what we’ve been talking about. So, you know, it’s difficult to, at first, to develop a kind heart.
In order to develop a kind heart, to develop a kind heart, good mind, we have to develop renunciation. We develop renunciation by thinking about our own sufferings. But once we develop renunciation then we begin to think about the sufferings of others and we develop compassion. In developing compassion then we develop a kind heart. We can never develop a kind heart without first developing renunciation so it’s important to begin with to try to develop the mind of renunciation.