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ing　the　Dharma　…　he　wasn't　an　individual　like　us　who　runs　around　doing　this　and　that；　but　rather　had　just　put　his　mind　solely　into　Dharma　practice；　so　we　should　strive　to　emulate　such　an　individual。

Contemplation　on　the　Karmic　Law

So　then　the　text　goes　on　to　tell　us　to：

　　　　reverse　attraction　to　future　lives；
　　　　think　repeatedly　of　the　infallible　effects　of　karma
　　　　and　the　misery　of　this　world。

So　then　one　has　a　human　existence　now；　if　one　turns　one's　attention　away　from　this　life　and　directs　it　towards　one's　future　lives；　the　very　best　one　can　hope　to　achieve　is　another　human　existence　like　the　one　we　have　now　or　perhaps　birth　as　a　god　or　as　a　demigod　（thus　the　three　realms　of　bliss；　or　three　higher　realms）。　But　if　we　investigate　those　three　higher　realms；　they　are　not　something　which　is　stable；　that　is　to　say；　they　are　not　going　to　last　for　a　long　time　…　even　having　been　born　in　those　states　we　will　inevitably　fall　from　those　states　when　the　time　of　our　death　es。　So　the　way　we　can　reverse　attraction　towards；　or　thinking　solely　about；　one's　future　existence　is　thus　through　contemplating　the　karmic　law；　that　is　to　say；　the　law　of　cause　and　effect。　So　here　this　is　a　very　profound　subject；　something　which　is　quite　difficult　to　go　into　great　detail　upon　in　such　a　short　space　of　time；　but　if　we　go　through　the　outline　of　four。　Initially　we　should　understand　that　karma；　or　action；　is　something　which　is　definite；　its　increase　is　also　something　which　is　definite；　and　then　one　will　not　get　certain　results；　for　example　a　positive　result；　unless　one　engages　in　a　positive　action；　that　is　to　say　the　cause　of　such　a　result；　and　one　won't　get　a　result　from　which　one　hasn't　planted　the　cause　for　its　arising。　So　if　we　look　at　this　outline　of　four　serially：　Initially　then　that　karma；　or　action；　is　definite。　This　means　that　if　we　engage　in　a　positive　action　it　is　definite　that　the　result　of　such　an　action；　or　such　a　karma；　will　be　something　positive。　For　example　our　human　life　now　is　the　result　of　engaging　in　a　positive　cause　in　a　past　existence；　and　thus　this　is　the　ripening　effect　of　that　cause。　Now　the　doubt　can　e　…　if　someone　is　born　as　a　human　and　is　continually　ill　or　undergoes　a　great　amount　of　difficulty　in　their　life；　then　we　might　feel　'well；　that　person　is　born　as　a　human　which；　you　say；　is　the　result　of　a　positive　action；　however；　their　human　existence　is　not　anything　particularly　joyous；　anything　particularly　blissful　…　so　how　can　that　be　the　result　of　a　positive　cause？'　So　here　we　should　understand　a　distinction　between　the　different　kinds　of　causes　and　the　different　kinds　of　results　of　those　causes。　The　very　fact　that　a　sick　individual　has　a　human　body　is　the　result　of　a　positive　seed　which　was　planted　sometime　in　a　previous　existence。　However；　the　various　difficulties　that　this　individual　undergoes　are　not　the　result　of　the　same　cause；　they　are　rather　the　results　of　different　causes；　or　different　karmas。　That　is　to　say；　that　individual　has　not　only　mitted　positive　actions　in　the　past；　but　has　also　mitted　negative　actions；　the　ripening　results　of　which　are　manifest　as　various　difficulties；　that　is　to　say；　illness　etc。　So　we　can　also　understand　this　in　reverse　…　if　we　look　at　certain　kinds　of　animals；　for　example；　dogs　and　cats　…　even　though　they　are　members　of　what　we　call　the　animal　kingdom；　or　are　included　in　the　lower　realms　of　existence；　then　they　can　still　have　the　results　of　having　mitted　positive　causes　in　a　previous　existence。　For　example；　we　see　dogs　that　are　very；　very　beautiful；　have　very　beautiful　barking；　cats　that　have　very　beautiful　purring　and　so　forth；　very　beautiful　fur；　very　beautiful　tails　etc。　So　these　results　are　not　the　results　of　negative　causes；　or　negatives　karmas；　but　rather　are　the　result　of　positive　causes；　even　though　the　basis　for　their　ripening　is　an　inferior　one　which　is　brought　about　through　a　negative　karmic　action；　or　a　negative　cause。　Then　the　second　part　of　the　outline　is　that　karmas；　or　actions；　once　mitted；　increase。　We　can　learn　this　through　a　very　simple　worldly　example　…　if　we　plant　a　seed；　the　result　of　that　seed　can　be　something　as　huge　as　a　great　tree　and　yield　lots　of　fruit。　So　a　huge　tree　es　about　through　a　tiny　seed　and　in　the　same　way　a　small　action　can　bring　about　a　great　result；　whether　it　be　positive　or　negative。　We　read　in　the　biography　of　the　Buddha　that　a　child　threw　some　grains　into　the　Buddha's　begging　bowl　when　the　Buddha　was　walking　past。　Obviously　the　child　couldn't　just　reach　up　and　put　them　in　the　bowl　because　he　was　just　a　child　and　the　Buddha　was　an　adult；　so　there　was　a　great　difference　in　height。　But　even　through　throwing　these　grains；　it　is　said　that　four　of　the　grains　fell　in　the　begging　bowl　and　one　fell　on　the　circular　rim　of　the　bowl；　and　even　though　this　cause　was　something　very；　very　small；　it　is　said　that　the　result　of　this　was　that　the　individual　was　born　as　a　wheel…turning　king　with　plete　power　over　the　four　continents。　So　even　from　a　small　karmic　action　such　as　that；　the　result　is　something　which　is　much；　much　bigger　and　this　is　explained　clearly　in　the　sutras。

Then　the　latter　two　of　the　outline　of　four　are　that　if　one　hasn't　generated　certain　causes　then　one　won't　experience　the　result　of　those　causes；　and　the　opposite　…　if　one　has　accrued　certain　causes　then　one　will　definitely　receive　the　result　of　those　causes。　So　here　then　if　one　engages　in　a　virtuous　action　then　the　result　of　that　is　something　definite　which　will　e　to　one　and　vice　versa　…　if　one　has　engaged　in　a　negative　action　then　the　result　of　that　is　certain　to　e　to　one　no　matter　what　one's　circumstances。　We　can　still　see　this　through　an　example　given　in　the　sutras：　When　the　Sakya　lineage　of　India　（that　which　the　Buddha　belonged　to）　were　destroyed；　all　wiped　out　simultaneously；　two　of　them　were　hiding　in　a　field；　and　it　is　said　that　even　though　they　were　far　away　from　the　battleground；　owing　to　the　light　of　the　sun；　the　field　caught　fire　and　they　perished　in　the　fire。　So　the　Buddha　was　asked　about　this：　'These　two　people　who　escaped　from　the　battleground　then　went　to　this　field　to　hide　…　how　is　it　that　they　died　at　the　same　time　that　the　Sakya　clan　was　wiped　out？'　He　explained　that　even　though　they　weren't　in　the　actual　battleground；　then　they　still　had　a　similar　karma　to　die　at　that　particular　time。　So　we　can　see　various　stories　which　give　us　solid　examples　of　how　that　if　we　have　accrued　certain　kinds　of　causes；　their　effect　is　definitely　going　to　occur　at　that　time　unless　that　karma　is　exhausted　in　some　way。　This　brings　us　to　the　fourth　of　the　outline　of　four　which　is　that　karma　in　and　of　itself　never　goes　to　waste；　that　is　to　say；　it　doesn't　grow　rotten　and　then　suddenly　disappear　in　and　of　itself；　rather　it　is　something　that　stays　with　us　unless　it　is　destroyed。　So　here　then　we　have　the　understanding　that　karma　is　not　something　which　we　have　to　undergo　…　we　can；　if　we　apply　the　right　antidotes；　rid　ourselves　of　these　particular　positive　or　negative　karmic　actions。　So　as　it　said　then；　the　only　good　thing　about　bad　karma　is　that　is　can　be　removed　from　our　mindstream；　or　from　our　being。　For　example　if　we　engage　in　the　practice　of　love；　this　is　the　antidote　to　anger；　and　the　reverse　is　quite　the　same　…　if　we　generate　anger；　this　is　the　thing　which　destroys　love　ie　virtuous　states　of　mind。　So　if　we　have　accrued　a　great　amount　of　positive　potential；　or　karma；　this　can　be　destroyed　in　a　moment　of　anger。　And　with　regard　to　negative　states　of　mind　which　we　may　have　generated　in　the　past；　if　we　engage　in　the　opponent　powers　practices　of　regretting　and　then　applying　the　various　methods　of　confession　and　so　forth；　we　can　rid　ourselves　of　these　negative　karmic　seeds　which　we　have　in　our　being　since　we　have　accrued　them　in　the　past。

So　the　stanza　then　tells　us　to　also　reflect　upon　the　misery　of　this　world；　or　the　cycle　of　existence；　but　tomorrow　in　the　section　on　passion；　we　will　engage　in　the　contemplation　on　the　misery　of　the　cycle　of　existence；　so　there's　no　need　to　go　into　this　now。　So　if　you　have　a　question　or　two？

Question：　I　wanted　to　ask　about　collective　karma。　Rinpoche　talked　a　bit　about　karma　but　how　is　it　that　one　karma　over…rides　and　brings　a　whole　group　of　people　to　one　disaster　out　of　all　the　karma　that　there　could　be？

Rinpoche：　With　regard　to　the　understanding　of　karma　for　an　individual　…　if　we　understand　this　well；　we　will　understand　that　through　engaging　in　positive　causes　a　positive　result　es　about；　and　the　same　for　engaging　in　destructive　karmic　actions　or　causes　…　the　result　of　that　will　be　something　unpleasant。　So　it　is　not　that　a　group　of　people　collectively　engages　in　one　particular　action　and　then　goes　on　to　another　action；　but　rather　if　we　understand　that　through　engaging　in　a　positive　cause；　a　positive　effect　es　around；　not　only　for　ourselves　but　if　say　everyone　in　the　room　has　generated　a　similar　cause　in　the　past　then　the　result　for　all　of　us　can　ripen　at　the　same　time。　It's　not　that　a　group　has　to　create　a　cause　as　a　group；　and　then　kind　of　all　gather　back　and；　as　another　group；　have　that　result。　For　example；　if　we　look　at　time　…　now　we　are　in　the　time　of　the　five　degenerations；　so　it's　not　that　we　were　all　in　some　previous　existence　engaging　in　a　particular