KARMA - CAUSE AND EFFECT
Photo by Bessi from Pixabay
Maggie H is a Global Explorer and Wellness Advocate from Hong Kong. Among many spiritual endeavors, Maggie practices and leads Qigong meditation to help people around the world find their inner balance. Find out more about this and other Eastern Philosophy & Meditation practices every month on the ICBRKR blog.
Life sometimes lets bad things happen to good people while those who cause so much pain to others seem to get away scot free and live well. It seems unfair. However it’s only when we limit ourselves to looking at things happening in this lifetime that we don’t seem to see any sense in this. If we are able to zoom out and look at many life times, we will see that things are all connected with causes and effects. Things then seem to start making sense.
This is the story of Jesan, a legendary Korean zen master from the 30's.
Jesan was born in an affluent family who went over to Japan to study. On returning home, his family pressured him to get married. Soon he had a lovely son who was the apple of his eye. Only the best food and the best clothes were fit for his son. Unfortunately the son died suddenly when he was just 7 years old.
Jesan’s grief on the loss of his son was so much that his parents suggested that he take a long trip. He travelled far and wide and ended up meeting an old monk who lived alone in a deep mountain. Jesan stayed with him, getting close to him and sharing the painful story of his losing his son.
“I don't understand why he had to die so young. I can't go on without knowing the reason.” Jason said.
The monk replied “That's not hard. All you have to do is meditate for 7 days without sleeping and you'll be able to understand.”
Jesan started meditating day and night but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop falling asleep. Each time he dozed off the monk hit his head with a stick and yelled at him.
”Start from the beginning” the monk would yell.
Finally, the seventh day without sleep was completed but nothing happened.
He decided the old monk had fooled him and thought he would knock over the altar and talk to the foolish old monk. As he was standing up, his sleeve got caught on the table and at that moment he saw his dead son walking towards him. He was so happy to see his son that he opened his arms to give him a big hug but his son laughed and ran away.
The harder he tried to get closer, the faster his son ran away from him and kept laughing at him. He started to get angry and kicked his son as hard as he could. This time, his son turned into a dog.
Right then Jasen remembered the dog that he used to love when living in Japan. The dog belonged to his uncle. He spent all his free time with the dog and took him everywhere he went. One day when the dog got really sick his uncle told him that it was bad luck to have the dog dying at home and told Jesan to abandon the sick dog somewhere far away.
Jesan took the dog outside the city but the dog kept following him almost as if begging him to take him back. He had no choice but to take him back. On the way he had to stay overnight at a small inn. The owner took pity on the sick dog and offered it some food. The next day the dog seemed to regain its strength. However, Jesan couldn't return with the dog and so while the dog stopped to urinate he ran as fast as he could and reached home.
Three months later, the dog came home dragging its sick body. This time the dog had changed. Its eyes looked scary and it wouldn't let Jesan touch him. About a week later, the sick dog disappeared and nobody saw it since then.
Jesan realized the karma between him and his dead son. The sick dog was born as his son and died suddenly to cause him the same pain it had suffered.
He finally understood the cause and effect from this incident. He shaved his head and became a monk. Later he spent six years at a silent retreat staying in a closed room and then disappeared from the world just like his dog.
When things happen that bring us pain, we may not be able to find the cause instantly but if we understand that it all started with us at some point in the past, it'd be much easier to accept them humbly. We would thus be able to find the solution and start doing good for the future.