In one sense, we have to be careful about the thoughts we give rise to, because those can end up having a huge effect on which direction things take. On the other, this means that we also have incredible power to change and to affect the direction our lives take. While not ignoring the “be careful” aspect of this text, I hope you will reflect upon the “this can change everything” implications that are also in this text.
Our lives become like an unknown package, where the contents have yet to be decided. We may not see results immediately, but things do begin to move in the direction that we raise, and entrust, thoughts. As we do this, we step out of the trajectory that blind cause and effect would have sent us along, and step onto a whole new path. One that we have the power to set before us.
This text is from No River to Cross, pages 17-19
Mind can be compared to a supercomputer. Any thought, once raised, is perfectly recorded. You might believe that a thought is finished because you are no longer aware of it, but that thought did not disappear. Rather, it is perfectly recorded inside of your mind. The thought is stored in the subconscious and causes a similar thought to arise next time. Further, the second thought is stronger than the first thought. For example, if the first thought was bad, then the second thought is often a little worse. In this way, the thought keeps repeating time after time and grows stronger and stronger. Mind is tilted toward the thoughts that arise often. So, if you do not manage your thoughts well, they will grow and eventually become actions.
If mind moves and raises a thought once, that thought is perfectly recorded; the functioning of mind is not limited to just our conscious awareness.
Good karma is also karma. Once something is recorded, that record tends to push me around and control me. Bad karma gives birth to bad results, and good karma gives birth to good results. Karma is what leads beings through the cycle of birth and death, so there is no difference between good karma and bad karma. In one case, a slave suffers because he or she meets a bad master. In another case, a slave lives relatively comfortably because he or she meets a good master. However, both are the same, both are slaves.
If you record over a tape recording, the previous recording is erased and the new material is recorded. So it’s better to record good karma rather than bad karma. However, instead of just recording good karma, it’s even better to completely erase all of the recordings. The way to do this is by entrusting everything that confronts you, both good and bad, to your fundamental nature. It’s like cleaning a mirror. Even though the mirror has been covered by dust for a long time, once you wipe it, it immediately becomes clean.
The law of causality is like a seed that never rots: once planted, it always sprouts. If you plant a good seed, good results will follow. If you plant a bad seed, bad results will occur. Cause and effect are like seeds that always sprout. Further, once planted they will sprout, go to seed, and then sprout again and again.
There are lots of people who live without any concern for others. They’re satisfied as long as they are happy and can do or get what they want. But you cannot obtain true peace by making yourself alone comfortable. Temporary enjoyment cannot solve the fundamental problem. You must know that our life does not end with this present life. Furthermore, you must know that everything, even the things that you have done secretly, comes back to you as karma.
Karma is a tangle of uncountable causes and effects. Some people try to use their intellect to unravel their karma, but this is like trying to melt a frozen lake in winter by pouring one bucket of hot water onto the ice. It seems to melt a little, but before long the water you poured freezes, and you have only added more ice. So don’t get caught up in worldly things, release them all to your fundamental mind, and let them melt down automatically. When spring comes, the frozen lake will melt naturally and completely. Returning to your fundamental mind is like a warm spring coming after a cold winter.
There is no such thing as fate or destiny. Everything depends upon your mind. Because you are not free from attachments, those attachments become karma and even affect your genes. Because everything is done by mind, the key to happiness or unhappiness is how you use your mind.
Wake Up and Laugh! 