The Tangled Threads of Karmic Affinity

This interview was recorded on August 13, 2019, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Venerable Yongning, who sought deliverance and now resides at the centre, shares profound insights into the nature of karmic affinity and the necessity of resolving past grievances through the practice of the Dharma.

Venerable Yongning speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Venerable Yongning. Let me share a reflection on the nature of karmic affinity. Imagine a large crab slowly crawling from the intertidal zone toward the shore. Suddenly, its path is blocked by a coconut that has fallen from a tree. In a past life, this coconut was the crab's enemy. Back then, the crab had blocked the coconut's path; now, the roles are reversed. They had once engaged in a bitter dispute, and in this life, they remain silent, yet the crab refuses to detour, and the coconut remains immovable. It is a subtle, profound relationship—even after transforming into different physical forms, they still encounter one another, still exist in each other's orbit, and are still pulled together by the invisible threads of karma. The third party who once mediated between them is long gone, and no one knows where they have wandered.

The Reversal of Roles

In an instant, a child kicks the coconut aside, and the crab, feeling triumphant, waves its large claws and continues forward. Meanwhile, the coconut is kicked, tossed, and carried about by the child. Because of its past arrogance and tendency to bully others, it now finds itself unable to master its own destiny. Yet, the proud crab, just as it prepares to climb onto the shore, is flipped over by a bamboo pole. Its eight legs flail helplessly toward the sky. It is eventually bound, taken home, and thrown into a boiling pot. After suffering the unbearable heat, it loses its life and becomes a dish on the dinner table. The person who once loved to eat such creatures could not escape the very same bitter retribution of suffering.

The Bonds of Modern Companionship

Look at our current generation. We keep animals—cats, dogs, birds, turtles, fish—and treat them as members of our own families. We cannot bear to see them neglected, harmed, or hungry. We care for them as if they were our own children. Often, our thoughts turn to them throughout the day, and the first thing we do upon returning home is to check on them. They are showered with love, the only difference being that they are enjoying these blessings in the body of an animal. Think about how tightly their karmic connection to us must be woven—it is inseparable. They might have been a father and daughter, a mother and son, a cherished lover, or a child we could not let go of in a past life. These are all connections that bind us together.

The Necessity of Resolving Karma

The connections between people, and between all living things, are inseparable. Good affinities and evil affinities overlap and intertwine. The most important thing is to 'resolve' these affinities—to bring a conclusion to the tug-of-war of these invisible threads that have pulled at us throughout our many lives. The Chao Du performed by Practitioner Su elevates these connections. Once the affinity is elevated, the energy that previously caused the entanglement loses its power to pull us back into the cycle of rebirth. To have one's spirit elevated is equivalent to helping change one's current state of existence. However, as for the individual karma of each being, one must still rely on one's own diligent practice to resolve it.

A Call to Diligent Practice

Those who have been guided to rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss through the Chao Du of Practitioner Su must also continue their diligent practice, for there are still countless affinities waiting to be saved. The Dharma Realm is vast, with infinite interconnections. The Dharma Body is boundless, and the work of saving beings is endless. We need more people to join us, to turn the wheel together, to change the world, and to flourish the Buddha’s teachings. The truths of the universe and the six realms of existence, as revealed by the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, represent a breakthrough in both space and time. They are here to help all beings recover their original nature and escape the sea of suffering.

Anyone can have an affinity with us, and anyone can have no affinity with us. It all depends on how the thoughts of the heart arise in the present moment; that is how the affinity will manifest. Whether it is a good affinity or a bad affinity, the affinity with the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is the most supreme of all.

Namo Amituofo."

Recorded by the chief writer, disciple Shi Faxin.