In the time of the Buddha there lived a ruthless murderer who harmed countless people because of his misguided belief that killing people and taking their finger-bones would enable him to ascend to heaven and attain liberation. After killing someone, he would take one of their finger bones and string it onto a garland of many finger bones that he wore around his neck. People were terrified of him and abhorred his grisly cruelty. The people called him Angulimala, Sanskrit for “finger-garlanded heretic.”

Later the Buddha encountered Angulimala and, because of the Buddha’s transformative teachings, he ordained as a Buddhist monk and began to live a wholesome life. However, when he entered the city to gather alms with the other monastics, the city’s residents had still not forgotten the evil deeds he had committed, so they threw dirt and stones at him, and would curse and defame him. Each day Angulimala would always end up with his clothes soiled and torn and his faced bruised and streaked with blood.

One day, the Buddha called for Angulimala and consoled him compassionately, “Angulimala, you must remain composed and unshakable, and find joy in receiving the teachings. As you continue to practice in accordance with the Dharma so assiduously, your previous negative karma will be like salty, foul water poured into a great quantity of pure water, such that in time it, too, will be refreshing and drinkable. The Dharma is like moonlight breaking through the layers of clouds to illuminate your mind, ensuring that you follow the correct path. The seeds of negative karma you sowed in the past must be repaid with pure, wholesome karma, so that when the clouds of darkness disperse, you will see moonlight shining everywhere, illuminating yourself and others.”

Due to his faith and understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, the mind of the murderous Angulimala became like the great earth itself, immovable and unshakeable, as he transformed himself from the murderous “finger-garlanded heretic” into an arhat.

“Furthermore, Subhuti, if those good men and good women who receive, uphold, read, and chant this sutra are disdained by others, it is due to negative karma incurred in a former life. That negative karma should be the cause of the person falling· into a lower realm, but in this life, he is merely disdained. Eventually his negative karma from previous lives will be eradicated, and he will attain anuttara samyaksambodhi.”

In the above passage the Buddha says to Subhuti that if someone single-mindedly practices, upholds, reads, and chants the Diamond Sutra and does not garner the respect of human and heavenly beings, but is instead cursed or despised by others, this is because such people have extremely grave negative karma from previous lives. Such karma should lead them to fall into the three lower realms and suffer there, but if they are able to patiently endure and maintain their practice even as they are despised by others, then the purity of their faith can make their past karma slowly disappear. In the future they will realize unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.

The English variant karma is derived from the Sanskrit term karman, meaning “action,” and refers to physical and mental actions, deeds, and intentions. Karma is generally divided into three categories: physical karma, verbal karma, and mental karma. Karma is also divided into positive karma, negative karma, and neutral karma (which is neither positive nor negative). If the karma created is of the five great violations,¹ or ten unwholesome actions,²  then one will surely suffer the negative karmic effect of rebirth in the three lower realms of the animal realm, the realm of hungry ghosts, and the hell realm. If one generates the positive karma of the five precepts and the ten wholesome actions, then in future one may experience rebirth in the human or heavenly realm.

The karmic obstacles we encounter can be formed either from the karma of past lives or the karma of our current lives, but all such obstructions serve to obscure the intrinsic nature of suchness so that we continue to travel through the cycle of birth and death in the six realms of existence. As we receive, uphold, read, and recite the Diamond Sutra, we will come to realize the wondrous wisdom of prajna and understand that everything is illusory and fabricated. Rather than being altered by circumstances or driven by karma, such understanding allows us to alter our own circumstances. By delving deep into prajna we completely purify false fabrications and remove karmic obstacles.

Before Chan Master Fayuan Yuanjian was enlightened, he and Chan Master Tianyi Yihuai had heard of the great wisdom of Chan Master Guixing in Ye County, so they decided to travel there and request the teachings. It was winter and bitterly cold, with a heavy snow blowing in the wind. Eight monastics in total made the journey to Guixing’ s place. As soon as he saw them, Chan Master Guixing loudly scolded them and tried to drive them away, but the group was unwilling to leave. Guixing then threw water on them, soaking their clothing and bedding. The six other members of the group could not bear this, and so they left in disgust. Fayuan and Yihuai simply straightened their robes and knelt on the ground, begging not to be sent away.

Shortly thereafter, Chan Master Guixing scolded them once more, “So you won’t leave? Is it that you’re waiting for me to beat you with a stick?”

Fayuan replied earnestly, “The two of us have traveled hundreds of miles to come and study here. How can a ladle of water possibly send us away? Even if you beat us with clubs, we still will not leave.”

Chan Master Guixing replied, “Since you really came here to learn, go and register for lodgings.”

Upon registering with the receptionist, Fayuan served for a time as monastery cook. On one occasion he took some oil and noodles without asking and made some five-flavored porridge to offer to the monastic community. After Chan Master Guixing found out about this, he reprimanded Fayuan with extremely harsh words: “You have misappropriated temple property and made an offering to the monastic community on your own. Besides corporeal punishment in accordance with the monastery rules, you must pay back the monastery for the cost of the goods:’

Chan Master Guixing then gave Fayuan thirty strokes with the meditation stick. The value ofFayuan’s robe, bowl, and sitting mat were assessed to repay the value of the food, so they were taken as payment and Fayuan was driven out of the temple.

Even after being driven out of the temple gate, Fayuan was still unwilling to leave, and instead would sleep standing up each night in the hallway of the dormitory. After Chan Master Guixing learned of this, he again rebuked Fa yuan saying, “This hallway belongs to the monastery, and is to be used only by members of our monastic community. Why are you staying here? The rent you owe to the monastery will be calculated and billed to you.”

After Fayuan was told how much he owed the monastery, he displayed no sense of reluctance whatsoever, but went to the marketplace and began to chant sutras in hope of receiving donations to pay back what he owed.

Not long after, Chan Master Guixing spoke to all the monastics at the monastery and said, “Fayuan is a true Chan practitioner, and a vessel for the Dharma.”

He then had a servant invite Fayuan into the assembly hall, and in front of all those gathered there, presented Fayuan with the Dharma robe and gave him the name Chan Master Yuanjian, meaning “perfect mirror.”

Source: Hsing Yun, Four Insights for Finding Fulfillment: A Practical Guide to the Buddha’s Diamond Sutra, Los Angeles: Buddha’s Light Publishing, 2012.

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Footnote:

1. Killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an arhat, shedding the blood of a Buddha, and creating a schism in the sangha. Ed.
2. Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, duplicitous speech, harsh speech, flattery, greed, anger, and ignorance. Ed.