Every Action Receives Its Result | Ajahn Plien

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to the Forest Path Podcast, a podcast sharing the teachings of awakened Meditation masters of the modern era. This episode is a talk given by the Venerable Ajahn Pleon and it's titled Every Action Receives Its Result. [00:00:16] Speaker B: This is a free distribution publication and. [00:00:19] Speaker A: Was sponsored by numerous generous people and there is a link to the original below and a quick note this text. [00:00:26] Speaker B: Did unfortunately contain dozens of grammatical errors. English grammar can be very tricky, especially for those who use it as a second language. I've tried to correct these errors as I narrated the text, but apologize if I didn't navigate all of these correctly. In any case, I thought that the subject of the talk was one that was important and it comes from an esteemed teacher making it worthwhile relating it to listeners of the podcast. [00:00:54] Speaker A: May you all benefit from hearing this gift of Dhamma by a meditation master of the Thai Forest tradition. Every Action Receives its Result By Pra Ajan Plein Panyapadipo Homage to the Exalted One the Arahant the Buddha perfected by Himself Action will differentiate all beings the evil from the good. From this moment I will explain and elaborate the meaning of the above proverb of the Lord Buddha for all of you Buddhist devout to understand and take it as a guideline on how to conduct yourselves. By reading this I hope that you will be able to reflect on the. [00:01:43] Speaker B: Teachings of the Lord Buddha which were. [00:01:45] Speaker A: Left to us whom were born and lived together in this world after his time contemplating on why all of us, although being born human alike, yet some live in happiness and well being, but some live with suffering and hardship both physical and mental. What are the reasons behind the differences? Why do all kinds of misery befall some people? Why do some suffer from sickness all the time? Why are we born differently in status and complexion? Why do our physical appearances come in various sizes and colours? Why were some people born with the silver spoons? Why were some born wealthy, born as Brahmins or born as kings, living in grand houses and lavishing palaces full of joy, whether sitting or sleeping, the cause of all the differences is indeed their past actions. Some not only live in a privileged lifestyle, but were also born with conscience, knowledge and wisdom. They realize the differences between good and evil, merit and sin, what to do and what to avoid. Besides, they are born without any physical and mental impairment. Such people have beautiful appearances and glowing complexion as well as refined manners. Above all, they also enjoy longevity. These people in their previous lives must have strictly followed the first precept. In their previous lives these people did not use their bodies to kill other fellow human beings or animals. From their childhood through adulthood and old age, they did not harm or destroy the lives of others and animals. They gave out only loving kindness towards fellow living beings, wishing all to live peacefully and happily together with longevity throughout their lives. Therefore, when one is born, a human gets to live a long life, not dying young and passes away naturally at one's own time. It owes to the merits and good deeds accumulated from his or her past lives and that yield outcomes at the present. Indeed, people live long because they have accumulated a great deal of good deeds, merits and virtues from their previous lives. When one who has accumulated plenty of good deeds is born human in this life, this person possesses all the fine things. His or her life is always filled with earthly happiness. This person can be considered as one who lives on the merits of the past good deeds. In any city or country that we go, we must have seen that we humans were all born differently, as mentioned earlier. In addition, when those who have done a lot of good deeds, they were born as a human, they would be born with good and prosperous parents. Wherever they travel, they do so conveniently in good vehicles with whether cars or jeeps. They even fly on a plane from here and there quite comfortably. All of these too owed to the good deeds that they had done abundantly in previous lives. These good deeds and merits therefore yield contentment to them from childhood to adulthood. As they become adults, they continue to accumulate more wealth continually by doing their. [00:05:27] Speaker B: Work, whether as merchants, civil servants or. [00:05:30] Speaker A: Entrepreneurs, in order to earn their keeps for all necessities in this present lifetime, doing good deeds and merits by giving alms such as charitable, donating and supporting those who are less fortunate, helping to build temples or monastery pavilions, digging wells, helping to construct roads for people to walk, donating medicines and clothing, building Buddha statues or pagodas to contain sacred relics of the Lord Buddha or those of Arahants for the public to pay homage and worship to. All of these are a source of good deeds and merits which will lead one to gain happiness in this life and the next. As long as there is still a grain of defilement in our mind, we will continue to be in the cycle of Sasra to to be reborn once again and endure suffering. When we are reborn in the next life, we will need our good deeds that we have accumulated to bring us plenty of possessions and happiness. If in their previous lives, one never stole or took things which belonged to others, neither did they behave unfaithfully to their husband or wife, nor committed any adultery, and were contented with their acquired fortunes and were faithful to their own spouse. When these people had a chance to be born as a human again in this life, their fortunes and belongings would not be stolen but would be safe no matter where they were kept. If they engaged themselves in the husband and wife relationship, there would not be a third person to be involved in their marriage life and they would live happily together. These are the consequences of doing good by behaving like what good people should do. This is considered as good with righteous bodily actions in addition to righteous bodily actions, righteous verbal actions by speaking with honesty, directness, truthfulness, avoid telling lies or using bad words to harm others, can also bear results in the next life. So for example, in our present lifetime, wherever we go, no one will mislead or cheat us by telling a lie, nor do they use vulgar words to annoy us. We will hear only truthful, useful and polite words. These are good deeds. Returning good righteous mental actions through thoughts also bear consequences if we do not. [00:08:08] Speaker B: Possess ill will or hold grudges towards. [00:08:10] Speaker A: Other men and animals, but provide only loving kindness and compassion for others wishing them all happiness. We have already done righteous mental actions. So whatever we Buddhist devout have already. [00:08:24] Speaker B: Done, good or evil, are sure to yield results. [00:08:28] Speaker A: If we do good, we will receive happiness. On the contrary, if we do evil, we will of course receive suffering outcomes. Let us turn to those who have done evil through bodily, verbal and mental actions so that you can think and reflect on them accordingly. Have you ever wondered why some people are born with poverty, desolation or deformity? Why are some born blind and some deaf? Why do some have a deformed mouth or nose and some have a crippled foot, hand, arm or leg? Why are some born dumb and and some insane? Actually, it is because they have done evil deeds in their previous lives. For those who have had damaged an eye of others or animals, this action certainly caused blindness to them in this lifetime. For instance, the same goes to those who had hit other living beings ear, they would be born deaf, whilst those who had cut others mouth or nose, they would have a deformed mouth or nose respectively. If they had cut others hand, arm or leg, they would undoubtedly be born without one. For other instances, if someone had enjoyed making others frightened or sad, or even when one had forced others to drink too much until they behaved like a lunatic. The doers once born again as human would be abnormal, Some would be dumb, some insane, some often sick or weak, and some could not find happiness in their life. In addition, they would be in a shortage of money Earthly possessions and necessities. Life would be difficult. For example, food and clothing would be hard to come by, and a place to sit or to sleep would be uncomfortable and unbearable. They would also be stupid or even idiotic. Moreover, they would not be able to distinguish between good and bad, what to do and what to avoid. This is something that everyone really needs to ponder. Despite the fact that some people seek wealth from their childhood or adulthood, either by digging mud, cutting trees, harvesting crops, working as a labourer, or or becoming an employee of a company's owner, working around the clock or working hard day in and day out until old age, they still die poor. Thus, some dream of instant wealth by asking lottery numbers from a monk. This should not be done. Sadly, it happens all the time. If one had not given alms or charitable donations in the previous lives, one would never win a single lottery prize. Nor no matter how often one bought them. Quite the reverse, one would become even poorer once born. Each of us has a different lifespan. Some die in their infancy, some in their youth, some in their adulthood. Each and every one of us dies in different circumstances. Some die from illness, some die from accident. Some die from a car crash. While some fall down a tree or off a roof. Some go over a bridge and drown. Some plunge into a pond and some fall off a cliff. Some die in a plane crash. Some commit suicide by hanging themselves, Some by gunshot, Some by drug overdose and some by jumping off a building. It can be explained that these people who died in various ways without anyone trying to kill them, had taken certain actions which caused others to die. But ones whose lives had been taken in a previous life did not seek revenge. Still they committed the act of taking others lives so they had to bear the consequences. Another instance can be seen when some people die because they are bitten by poisonous animals or hit by fierce animals. [00:12:26] Speaker B: Like an elephant, a bull, a buffalo or a boar. [00:12:30] Speaker A: Some are bitten to death by a mad dog or a snake. These uncommon deaths were the results of actions they did in their previous lives. They must have killed these animals lives. So they were killed by such animals. In this life, their actions received the same returns. Some people are murdered by other fellow human beings. Some are beaten to death, some are shot dead and some are blown up into pieces. Why are these people killed in these ways? Regardless of who they are, children, adolescents, adults or elders? It was because in their previous lives, they had taken others lives by some means. When these people are born again in this lifetime, those actions followed them, causing them to lose their lives in the similar ways. In short One is killed because one kills others in the past. However, if we who are born presently as human beings have not studied and. [00:13:29] Speaker B: Understood the teachings of the Lord Buddha. [00:13:31] Speaker A: Thoroughly, we would only perceive the present life. We would deny past lives and future ones. When one does not understand the Lord Buddha's teaching, one will refuse to believe that every action bears its results and that there are causes and effects in every action. Believing that our actions give results, good or evil, is to believe that there are sins as well as merits. In Buddhism, if you believe in good and evil, sinful and meritorious deeds, then you will be a person who believes in cause and effect of your own actions. Hence, all of us who are born in this present time should start to believe in our own actions and the actions of others. When we encounter any type of accident in which lives of human beings or animals are taken away, such as killing, stabbing, bombing, shooting, etc. Regardless of their ages, children, adults, the elderly, death in these ways are called homicide or untimely death. It means death comes to them when it is not quite their time to die yet. When people do not understand about actions and its consequences, they will complain, get upset and angry at one another. It is common to react in this way only if we perceive the events as results of actions done in the past lives and those actions are carried forwards to be repaid, we can be certain that once the actions were taken, the results would definitely pursue. Once people believe in cause and effect of their own actions, they can then be called Buddhist assembly who abides by the Lord Buddha's teachings. These people will determine to do good deeds which are meritorious and virtuous through bodily, verbal and mental actions. These actions will bring benefits to oneself in this life and the next. As the Lord Buddha's saying Kamuna watatiloko, which means every living being is born. [00:15:37] Speaker B: Due to its own actions and will. [00:15:40] Speaker A: Accordingly receive results of its own actions. If we see anyone suffering from any kind of unhappiness, whether from bodily, verbal or mental suffering, we must not be too concerned. We have to consider that he receives such results due to his own actions. Everyone must accept the results of what we did in the past. If we recognize what we have done many times through our bodily, verbal and mental actions and their results therefore have brought unhappiness and suffering to us, we would understand the cause and effect of our own actions and we would stay away from doing evil deeds and eventually would stop doing them entirely. On the other hand, if we have done bodily, verbal and mental actions and these actions brought happiness and prosperity to Ourselves, others and all living beings. We should try to conduct these actions more to ourselves, others and all living beings so that results which are happiness and prosperity would be shared to everybody in the world. That's why a wise man says we are lucky to be born a human being and a Buddhist to vaut more so. We are so fortunate to have the Lord Buddha born into this world and left his teaching for us to learn. His teachings give us direction to know the differences between good and evil, merit and sin, virtue and malice, benefit and detriment, and so on. We must choose to do only good deeds and things which are beneficial to make our lives worthwhile. Do you want to live together in this world happily or unhappily? Ask yourself this question and think about it thoroughly. Consider the answer carefully with your heart and your mind, as the Lord Buddha taught us. As a matter of fact, we must know who he tried to teach and what he pointed out. Consider how the Lord Buddha taught us to conduct ourselves as human beings and what to believe. Do his teachings want us to be miserable or to be happy? This is very important. If we have not really studied the Lord Buddha's teachings and understood the truth as it stands, we will continue to have doubts and questions in the Lord Buddha's teachings concerning this topic. If one has doubts and misunderstandings in the Lord Buddha's teachings, it is normal that they will not believe in the cause and effect of their own actions. These people will likely do more of the evil deeds because they let their own desires control their actions. These people will not listen to anyone. The majority of people in this world are in this type. In the present day, I can give. [00:18:34] Speaker B: An example of what I have experienced. [00:18:37] Speaker A: Amongst many people with a modern mindset who have come to meet me and. [00:18:41] Speaker B: To have a discussion. [00:18:43] Speaker A: Some believe that we are born just once. There is nothing after death. No one will be born again. They say the fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or even great grandparents who have died never came back to inform them of where they are or who they have become. Once these people die, they completely disappear forever. Apparently, this is an opinion of so many people nowadays. When a person believes that his or her opinion is right, they will stick to their belief no matter what. This type of person will continually do evil through bodily, verbal and mental actions, through body. If this person wants to harm others or animals, he will act according to his desire by hitting, stabbing, bombing or shooting other human beings and other living beings with an intention to kill without any mercy to anyone. This is because he purely acts upon the power of his own will. Moreover, he feels good as he believes what he has done is right. He also thinks that he can do whatever he wants, because when he dies, no consequence will follow him. Many people nowadays have this concept, and that is why people are increasingly taking advantage of others, destroying and killing one another every day. Verbal actions through words, communication as well as disagreement, cause division and disharmony amongst people. Often, words are used as a method to harm and destroy one another. In fact, if we combine these actions together, it can be summarized that every action carrying out, whether by their body or their words, is created by a thought of our mind. Once a thought arises, words come out, followed by our body to take action as our mind thinks. Therefore, the Lord Buddha said that people are born with the four elements and. [00:20:45] Speaker B: The five groups of existence combining together. Body and mind exist together. [00:20:50] Speaker A: It is very important to realize that the mind controls the body. If one never studies and understands Buddhism thoroughly in order to know the truth, one will think that there is no mind, just the body. One will think that the body is only a molecule or an element. When this concept is formed, those who believe along the line will carry out evil deeds as much as they want. [00:21:18] Speaker B: If people think this way, they will. [00:21:20] Speaker A: Mistreat other people and animals by any means they can. There will be troubles and people will endure suffering and sadness wherever they go, north or south, within a country or abroad. And whether they stand, walk, sit or sleep, they cannot find happiness. What is the reason behind so many troubles and so many unhappy events in the world? It is because people have the wrong thought, wrong idea and wrong belief that once people die, there is no rebirth. In Buddhism, this is called wrong belief. When people have a wrong belief as such, they they will assume that there is no consequence in conducting evil deeds. Some said that when conducting evil deeds, they did not feel guilty. Moreover, some said that they could not see any benefits occurring to those who do good deeds like giving alms, abiding by precepts and practicing meditation. Sometimes doing good for others could turn harm to themselves, so there was no. [00:22:26] Speaker B: Use to do that either. [00:22:29] Speaker A: In short, people who have this wrong belief never regard neither sins nor merits, positive nor negative results, Hell nor Heaven and Brahma Realm, nor Nirvana. Once they believe in such ways, they keep on doing evil through their bodily, verbal and mental actions. They do not feel ashamed of their sinful actions. They are not afraid that those sinful deeds will follow them to their next. [00:22:54] Speaker B: Life to give results. [00:22:56] Speaker A: When one takes pleasure in conducting sinful. [00:22:59] Speaker B: And evil deeds and continues doing so. [00:23:02] Speaker A: As long as results have not been seen. Let us take an example of a fly obsessing over a cup of honey. It keeps flying around and then plunges into the cup. Somehow it gets stuck in there, trying so hard to swim to the edge. [00:23:18] Speaker B: Of the cup to get away. [00:23:20] Speaker A: While its struggling goes on, it suffers increasingly. Eventually it sinks into the bottom of that cup of honey and dies. Similarly, an ignorant person who has the wrong belief will carry on doing sinful and evil deeds as if they were enjoyable and amusing. This person will get lost in the bliss of his actions as long as. [00:23:42] Speaker B: He does not see the final results. [00:23:45] Speaker A: Someday, when he gets the results of. [00:23:47] Speaker B: His evil deeds of bodily suffering he. [00:23:50] Speaker A: Has inflicted upon others, such as smashing, hitting, stabbing, or shooting with various kinds of weapon in order to kill and destroy others, he will know exactly that every action one does entails results, as he will have to bear the consequences of what he has done in the past or in previous lives. In case of such a person who. [00:24:12] Speaker B: Conducts evil deeds through words, such as. [00:24:15] Speaker A: Telling a lie, speaking dishonestly, or deceiving others verbally in his previous lives or in this life, if the results cannot be seen in this lifetime, it will eventually catch up with him in his future lives. Those verbal actions he has done will forever remain with him and will return to him when chance arises and he will fully bear its consequences as we may have seen it happen to ourselves. Like when we have neither lied nor cheated, neither accused anyone to be presented at court, nor used rude words to annoy others. But why others are still lying and deceiving to us, or falsely accusing us, wasting our money and time to go to court? People often come to me to complain about this. [00:25:03] Speaker B: I'm used to hearing it. [00:25:05] Speaker A: Does any one of you realize that. [00:25:07] Speaker B: These are the results of your own. [00:25:09] Speaker A: Actions which have been followed on from your past? Although you may feel that you have never done any of those actions before in this lifetime, you must have done them sometime in one of your numerous previous lives. All of us have been born many times. Many hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands. We have already been born human numerous times. Nevertheless, we cannot remember our past lives to know exactly how many times we have been born human and what evil deeds we have done in those lives, let alone in this lifetime. We do not even remember how many evil deeds we have done from birth to this moment. This is why we all are currently suffering in some way or another. As we are receiving results of evil deeds that we did in our previous lives, we must accept and face the suffering which are the consequences of what we did to others or to animals. It is unavoidable. As long as we are born into this shape and form, we certainly will. [00:26:15] Speaker B: Receive the results of our own actions. [00:26:18] Speaker A: As the Lord Buddha said, we are owner of our own actions, our actions follow us and our actions are our provider and our refuge. Whatever we have done, be it good or evil, throughout bodily, verbal or mental action, we shall be heir to it. [00:26:36] Speaker B: This is the teaching of the Lord Buddha for us as a standard to believe in the results of our own actions. The word kama is used in the language of Buddhism. However, it means action or deed in Thai and it does not indicate positively or negatively until we add another word as a prefix like evil deed, which means siddenful or dark action. On the contrary, good deed means wholesome or well intended action, depending on how you would like to call it. Anyone who does not believe in cause and effect of his own actions, good or evil, is not a true Buddhist, even though his whole family practices Buddhism. Such ignorance means he does not understand the core of Buddhism. Therefore, we do not count these people as Buddhists if they do not believe that that those who do good will receive good and those who do evil will receive evil. I will give you some examples of evil deeds for your careful consideration. A thief stole others belongings. He has therefore broken the law. The owner of the stolen things then reports this incident to the police to catch the thief in order to bring him to justice. Yet the police is not going to arrest others who did not steal anything or did anything wrong. The police will track down the thief who stole others belongings and broke the law and send him to be judged in according to his misconduct. If his wrongdoing is serious, he will be punished in accordance to the cause and effect of his action. Think carefully. You will see that whatever you do, you you will receive the result of your action in return. To express it more elaborately, let us reflect on another example of evil deed now seen. Nowadays there are people who choose to live their lives carelessly and are too lazy to work for a living with integrity. They sleep during the day and gather their friends together to snatch a bag, rob a person or hit and kill to take others belongings at night. Sometimes they go into a house, an alley or a street to observe those from whom they can steal. If the victim does not let go of his possessions, the victim gets beaten or stabbed. There are cases where the robbers use a gun to shoot the victim to death. A lot of these things happen. Nowadays there are an increasing number of people who conduct evil Deeds as such everywhere, whether in small towns or big cities. Consequently, family and relatives of the victim get the police involved and the hunt for these robbers begins. The robbers try to escape and go into hiding. But wherever they cannot find happiness, they feel the suffering and misery. And they can neither rest nor sleep. They live in fear that the police may catch them one day and they will be punished. Now, what is your opinion of this? What will be the result that they will receive from their evil deed being done in the present? Once the police catch them, they will be sent into a prison. Obviously they bring suffering to themselves. At this moment, there is nobody who can take away this suffering from them. Not even their father or mother. No matter how much their father and mother love them. The truth is that they are not the persons who committed that evil deed. Therefore, no one will put the parents into jail in place of the children who are the wrongdoers. There is nobody else who will take the blame for them. Why can't others, even their own parents, be punished instead? For those wrongdoers, for sure it is because they are not responsible for the robbery and the attack which kill others. If you were the wrongdoer, you must bear the consequences of your own action. Have you ever seen wrongdoers being arrested by the police, put into jail and get restrained by chains and fetters? These people suffer greatly in prison as whether sitting or sleeping. Can you now imagine that we all are the owner of our actions? Whatever one commits, one will bear its results. That is why it is said we are the owner of our actions. Everyone here may now start to understand the example being given to show that the evil deed being done at the present time will also bear a result, no matter what. Speaking of those who have the wrong belief and continue conducting evil deeds nowadays, they insist that as they do evil deeds, they will never receive evil in return. They argue that those butchers who kill animals and sell their meat for a living are still alive and wealthy. Or even those crooked people who cheat and take others belongings to be their own still even become richer and wealthier. Why do these people never suffer or live in poverty? It is obvious that the more they cheat, the richer they become. A lot of you have mentioned this and there are many people currently believing. So let us think carefully again and examine a person in the earlier example. This person who cheats and takes others possessions is likely to continue doing these kinds of actions more as has become their own habits. No exception provided for his own family or friends. He steals from anyone he can. Now let us consider about the Results he will receive. At the beginning, he may feel good as he starts to accumulate wealth from others. Since he earns his living dishonestly, his actions are considered evil ones and therefore is definitely a result attached to it. However, he would not feel any harm just yet until the results start to reveal themselves. Eventually, those who have been cheated naturally get upset and angry at him. They would begin the legal process to sue him in the court of justice. At this time, he begins to feel uncomfortable. When the fighting in court continues, he becomes increasingly irritated. Now both parties are really fighting head to head. After the argument in the court reaches the stage where settlement cannot be made, it actually indicates a danger sign for him. The power of evil deeds is instigated. Later on, it will reveal its real power. At this point, both sides are bearing grudges against each other and marking for revenge. Both want to take the life of each other. Can you see? That evil deed has finally caught up to its owner now, no matter where the cheetah goes, he has to be very careful. Even a bodyguard is required in some circumstances. Or he needs to carry a gun with him at all times for his own safety. Wherever he goes, he is scared. Although he is at home, he is too scared to eat or sleep. Most likely, he cannot even close his eyes to fall asleep because he is constantly afraid that his enemy who has cheated will come to kill him. He is really unhappy. Sadly, he has caused this suffering to himself. Do you think these cheaters who take others belongings are experiencing misery? Are they in trouble? Do their evil deeds bear results at the present? Please think about these things again. Who can answer whether they suffer from unhappiness or not? Those who know how it feels will answer. Of course. It is really an awful suffering. Sometimes they have to find a safe house to hide. And when they want to go somewhere, they have to be very careful at all times. Nevertheless, they cannot avoid the consequences of their own actions. Sooner or later, they will get murdered. Or in some cases, they will get blown up to pieces. Have you ever wondered why some people die these ways? It is simply because their own actions in the past bear its results at present. Have you repeatedly heard or seen a story about a notorious financier or a cheater who got murdered mercilessly? The answer must be yes, we have. The plot usually ended up with this filthy rich man or that wealthy businessman was shot dead by an assassin or was blown up by by a professional bomber. [00:35:30] Speaker A: See? [00:35:30] Speaker B: Even though they tried very hard to protect themselves, they could not avoid the fruits of their own actions. Ultimately, they were tracked down and killed. They left everything they stole behind. Obviously, they could not take any money, not even a single penny with them. And all the efforts of cheating from others has really gone to waste and they eventually died in vain. Death is the ultimate result. Still, people do not believe in action. They think that evil deeds do not give results. Now let me emphasize again that actions we are currently conducting will certainly bear results, if not in this present lifetime, then the next. Every action that we do at this present time, it sometimes bears results now and and sometimes in the life yet to come. Depending on chances. As soon as there is an opening, the fruit of our actions which we are carrying out day after day will finally be given. Let's put it this way. The result of an action that is following us can be compared to a hound chasing a piece of meat. When it is running after the meat, but has not quite caught up with it yet, the meat remains unbitten. Similarly, actions being done may not provide results yet. Once a hound reaches the meat, it will bite that piece of meat at once. In the same way, actions that we did in our previous lives or at our present one, providing that there are chances will bear results immediately. Whether you believed it or not, it is all up to you. Another example is for you to take home and think of is another type of evil deed. In our present day life, there are many people who like to consume liquor and take drugs being marijuana, grass, hashish, heroin or cocaine. At first, people start drinking spirits with meals to improve the taste and help the digestive system. Then some understand that smoking pot, marijuana, grass, hashish or taking heroin, cocaine will help them with their body pain. Therefore, youths and elderly people continue drinking and doping merrily. At the beginning, some people just want to know how it tastes. Then they try a little bit more every day, double or triple the amount that they initially consumed. Next, they become addicted. So they have to spend a lot and work very hard to have money to buy their favorite alcoholic drinks and their drugs. When they are running out of money, they will sell or pawn everything they have in their house in order to get money to exchange for their addiction. Once there is nothing left in their house to sell, they will start selling land, their farm, or even their house to buy their drinks and their drugs. As soon as they spend all their money and there is no money left, they will turn into petty thieves. They will begin with small crimes such as shoplifting or burgling in order to have money to get their drinks and their drugs. As their consuming habits worsen, they will start Bigger crimes such as mugging people or snatching others handbags or even stealing cars or boats in order to earn their living illegally. They break the law because they cannot earn money from any other way. Not only these actions are evil, but they are also unlawful. Therefore, the police will go after them and put them into jail. Once they are in jail, they have to be without any alcoholic drinks or dope. The longer they stay, the thinner they will become. Now, if we remember before, they used to enjoy consuming alcoholic drinks and taking all kinds of dope such as marijuana, grass pot, hashish, heroin and cocaine. Because these drugs have brought them joy and blissfulness, so they lost themselves into the fantasy. It is clear that once people let marijuana, grass, pot, hashish, heroin or cocaine overpower them, it consumes them. Therefore, these people lost all their possessions and become outlaws until getting arrested by the police and being put in jail. Because there are no drugs and dope provided in jail, they feel tortured, then they become thinner, start having bodily flux and and finally die painfully. It is all happening nowadays at this point. What is your opinion of this? Do the present day actions bear the present day results for us to see in our present day life? Another example of an evil deed showing a result at the present time can be observed with those who like to be a hunter who hunts for all kinds of animals such as deer, hog, antelope, etc. A hunter sets a trap to shoot those animals during the day. Sometimes at dawn or at night, when it was getting dark, he would take his gun and set off to find a place to hide in a bush where animals would come around at night. This hunter was lying quietly waiting for animals to come by. As soon as he saw one, regardless of the type of animal, he would shoot it immediately. Once an animal was shot dead by his gun, the hunter would cut it open and slice its meat. He would sell some of the meat for living and keep some for his own consumption. It became his usual practice. No matter where animals would hide, he would try to find them. This hunter would search for animals even though they lived deep in a forest or high up in a mountain. The hunter had done this as a habit for a long period of time until animals were so afraid of him. As a result, they sought refuge away from their usual forests and moved into deeper forests to survive. Eventually, he had no animals left to hunt, so he had to find something else to do in order to earn his living to support his wife and child. When he was approximately 50 to 60 years old, he started to become ill. The symptoms of his Illness were varied. Some days he suffered severely. He'd cry and moan and sounded like the deer, hogs or antelopes. People could hear him cry in agony, just like the animals he used to hunt. When his illness got worse, the hunter would cry out unconsciously even more. He did not know when he cried loudly and what kinds of sounds he made. He cried and moaned till he finally died, right amongst his family and relatives who had been caring for him. His relatives, who saw such a condition of the old man, made an assumption that this dead man, before dying, must have been a hunter who killed animals such as deer, hogs and antelopes. Thus, the result of his actions gave him such pain. In his present lifetime, he was suffering and crying like those animals. It was the power of his actions bearing its result towards the end of his life. Some people enjoy slaughtering bulls, cows, water buffaloes, horses and donkeys. Such animals have done a lot of good for us, like drawing a cart, a car and a carriage, carrying things and taking people for riding quite comfortably on their backs. Moreover, they pull ploughs for us in order to break ground for growing rice plants and other food. People use animals forces to help them ease their work. When a person killed these animals which served him honestly for all their lives with no mercy and loving kindness, then one day he became ill. He cried in agony and pain, just like the sounds of a cow, water buffalo, horse or donkey. As the pain and suffering increased, he moaned even more. He screamed like the sound of animals he killed until finally he lost his breath and died. His family and relatives witnessed the scene clearly as they were by his deathbed. Therefore, those who like to kill those animals in their present lifetime will receive the results of their evil deed in this lifetime. What do you think of that evil deed now? Do you think it will produce an outcome or not? As for me, I have seen it for real myself. Following are the cases of careless people who like to discharge their excrement on the paths or street where all people use it. And those who like to set stems of thorny climbing vines to block public roads so that nobody can pass through and cause inconvenience. For the first case, if somebody likes to do that regularly in his present lifetime, when he gets sick, he will have unbearable abdominal pain. He will cry and crawl around so that when he turns his bottom to any direction, he will make a mess by letting his feces spread there. It will cause those who have to look after this person feel disgusted. For the latter one, when a person who likes to set thorny vines to block people's path gets sick. He will suffer from severe constipation. He will feel discomfort in his stomach and chest. Moreover, he can neither sit nor sleep. He will experience suffering and pain. He will receive the result of his own actions that he has tried to block the road, using the thorny vines to create inconvenience for others. Those who suffer from this inconvenience would feel annoyed that they cannot pass through the roads, so they curse him. These two kinds of evil deeds show two opposite results. One person suffers from over discharge and the other suffers from constipation. Both suffer greatly until their deaths finally arrive. As we can see that both have done these actions during their lifetime and they also receive those results during the same lifetime. All of us must think carefully whether actions being carried out in a lifetime will follow to bear the results to those who have done the actions in their present lifetime or not. Although some of the actions are evil and some are good, nevertheless I have given some examples described earlier to all of you. It is your choice whether or not to believe it. There is no hard feeling who wants to disregard it. The purpose of this book is for readers to just think about it carefully. The fact that all of you have committed evil, sinful and miserable actions, namely dark or unclean actions which are condemned by wise people, that these actions must not be committed, whether bodily, verbally or mentally. It is because these actions are evil and bad. When people conduct those actions, they will receive suffering results in this lifetime and those upcoming ones. Why is it so difficult for you to see and recognize that actions bear results at the present to those who have done them? If anyone, male or female, still does not recognize or understand what has been described so far, then he or she is lost and completely in the dark. This person who is blinded of his or her wisdom cannot find a way to make an amendment. So he or she just gives up and allows defilement and temptation to enslave him or her. This person will continue committing sinful and evil deeds for a long time, one life after another. If by any chance in the next life he or she gets born as a human being again, he or she will be even more of an inferior status and will therefore commit even worse evil deeds. The lower his or her mind descends, the cruder his or her mind becomes. For that reason, he or she will act evil without any fear of its consequences. When this person dies, there are places full of suffering and unhappiness waiting for his or her arrival. Such places can be one of four types of lower realm, which means that the person may be reborn as a beast in hell, or a hungry ghost, a demon or an animal. Whichever lower realm he or she may go to, it surely depends on the result of the evil deed. Once one's birth occurs in one of. [00:47:45] Speaker A: These four lower realms, it would be. [00:47:47] Speaker B: Very difficult to be reborn as a human being again in the future lives. Hence, all men and women had better be fearful of evil and sinful deeds. We should no longer commit any types of evil and sinful deeds which have been explained earlier here in detail. Now let me speak on the subject of good deeds. At birth and as small children, we were illiterate. We did not know how to read or write even a single letter like a however, as we grew a little older, we attended school and had teachers who taught us many things. Everyone tried unwearyingly hard at school and it was tough having gone through such hardships since childhood. This is because everyone wants to have a good start from kindergarten, primary and secondary school, then college and onto university. Some people get to go abroad to study in a variety of courses, but some prefer to study according to their ability, as all of us have studied with hardship such as listening intensely to teachers or reading and memorising all textbooks. These efforts can be named good deeds being done at the present when everyone can read and write. We all have different mental and intelligence quotient. Some are dull and slow while some are average and some are smart. Regarding education, there are various fields of studies to choose according to one's profession. Therefore, we all men and women, determined to get an education from the beginning, going to schools and then on to different institutions and following various courses and subjects. All have tried hard to study patiently until the graduation. After that, we may proceed by taking some tests to get a job in the related field that we have studied. Once we get a position in a job that we choose and continue to work hard to fulfil our responsibility, we will get paid for what we do. Some of us will be paid daily wages and some will get monthly salary. We earn a lot or a little depending on the position and the nature of each job. In this instance, all of us presently have our own jobs and our own responsibilities. So it means that each of us is conducting good deeds. This is because we are choosing righteous careers for our own living in our present life and it is also considered as good deeds. The result of good deeds, therefore, is that we all have daily or monthly income to spend comfortably these days. Do any of you at least realize or understand that present day deeds good or evil yield results presently when everyone does good deeds ethically through schooling from the beginning until the finishing, then getting a job and earning money to look after oneself and one's family to be able to live happily and well. What kind of action do you think one has been conducting? If it has not been a result of doing good up until now, how could we have money to spend comfortably in our present life and receive happiness in this lifetime? By giving explanations about doing good in this lifetime, hopefully everyone has a better understanding of how actions being done in the present life are also bound to give some results in the same life as described earlier. I'm going to give you some examples of people who have committed good deeds and have received good in return at the present. The following are examples for all of you to think about. The first one is about a person who works on his land growing crops, planting rice and planting orchards as well as agricultural products which bear food and fruit such as nuts, sesame, banana, sugar cane, vegetables and many more which are nutritious and good for consumption. If this person works hard on his land and takes good care of his crops, the result is obvious. He will have some parts of his own crops to consume and the rest to sell, be it fruits, potatoes, taro, banana, sugar cane and all other foodstuffs which can be partly consumed and partly sold. Not only will he have food to eat, but he will also have money handily to spend on other necessities. As you can see, results are received at once. This is because the actions are done at present, therefore we receive the results in the present too. Another example can be seen where people dig a pool or a well and the moment the water is found, they can use water for drinking or bathing immediately. The same applied with people who built a road. Once completed, people can easily commute. Similarly, when constructing buildings, houses or hotels and planting trees which will spread branches to provide shade, once all are completed, people will get benefits from them directly. Since these buildings and trees will provide people with places to sit, sleep, rest and live conveniently. People will be sheltered from the sunlight and the rain. They will live happily as a result. The same thing applies to the making of different kinds of conveniences and household appliances such as a radio, a television, a fan, an air conditioner, a cassette tape, an electrical engine, a water pump, a car, a boat, an airplane, a mattress, a seat, a chair, a bed, a pillow, a mosquito net, a sewing kit, clothes, etc. For for our present day convenience and well being. Once we put everything together, a radio, for example, will give sound for us to listen. A television will have pictures to watch. A fan or an air conditioner will generate cool air. Electrical appliances will be used for many purposes. A water pump will draw out water for bathing, consumption and watering agricultural products. A motor car, a boat and an airplane will give us comfortable rides from place to place from north to south. A mattress, a seat, a bed and even mosquito net will provide fine resting places. A sewing kit will be used for making clothes to keep us warm and look nice. And medicines like pills, balms and shots will be used to treat us to drive away pain and suffering in order to be well and happy. All of the above were made in recent years. Thus we can call it actions of the present and the results that we have been received are happiness that we are currently experiencing which can be seen as a result of us conducting good deeds Now I will explain about the person who was born as a human being and raised in a family that firmly embraces right view. Their views are correct in accordance with the teachings of the Lord Buddha which were given during his time. It is considered fortunate to be born to such exceptional parents who have superb wisdom and outstanding intelligence to know that sinful and evil deeds exist as well as meritorious and good deeds. These people have wisdom to recognize the right views such as what is a sin and what is merit, what is good and what is evil, what to do and what not to do, as well as knowing how to conduct their bodily, verbal and mental actions towards others. Once people have the right view, whatever country or city they may go to, or whoever they may meet, they will practice good deeds, loving kindness and generosity towards other beings, men and animals. Even in their business and duties, they will take these things into consideration. They will carefully consider every aspect and every reason before acting upon their business or duties. Even as they do something, they express it in good bodily actions. For, for example, when they do something physically, they make sure that it does not affect and exploit other beings, men or animals in any way, causing other beings to suffer or trouble from their bodily actions. Also, their verbal actions through words being spoken by people with right views will be spoken politely, reasonably and productively to everyone, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or or what background they have. It does not matter what country, city, or nationality or language of the people they speak to, they will be spoken to with great respect and loving kindness in this life and the next yet to come. These people do not use sarcastic or rude words to offend anyone like what are used by some people these days to cause arguments and fights in many Places, they will use words to persuade others to speak to one another with loving kindness, compassion and friendliness, which creates harmony and generosity everywhere in the world. As a result, all these things will produce benefits that will lead to happiness and prosperity for themselves and others within their own country and abroad. They hope that everybody in the world will be happy. Thus, we can call them as people who know how to use words that are worthy, constructive and productive to bring happiness to the people in the world. In short, these people conduct good deeds through words, exactly as what the Lord Buddha taught us. Well, if we Buddhist devout men and women, young and old, wish to live together in this world and be happy, we must question ourselves whether we all living beings want happiness in both body and mind, or if we want suffering. If the answer is that we despise suffering and like to gain only the happy side, then we must determine to conduct ourselves in a right manner and be in accordance with the teachings of the Lord Buddha. Be a person who has good thoughts and thinks of how to extend loving kindness to others, humans and animals, and also to wish everyone in this world to be happy equally, no matter who or what they are, humans or animals, for having been born to share happiness and suffering together. Though we come into the world as human beings, we still have different levels of intellectual wisdom which are rested upon the results of our actions that have been accumulated by each one of us. Given that this is the case, then we have to ask ourselves, what shall we do in order to be able to live together happily as a large group of people? This is another critical challenge that requires close attention. If people have wrong beliefs and negative wrong thoughts, damage will certainly follow. For example, the case of a person who likes to take advantage of others to satisfy his own happiness or his small group's happiness, and never cares for the benefits of the majority of people, he does not bother to consider whether others may be suffering from his actions. He thinks that it is none of his business. There are some people and some groups who have this kind of thought and practice nowadays. If everyone thinks selfishly like this, the results will certainly follow in a state of utter chaos. Therefore, if we want to live happily together, we must be considerate and generate good ideas towards our society. Living in such a large group of people, everyone desires to be happy and peaceful as well as living together in perfect order and harmony. Everyone has loving kindness towards everyone else. As a group, everyone collectively wishes for happiness and peace. Thus they communicate and discuss amongst themselves to come up with the idea that they should assign somebody who has intellectual wisdom to be an appointed leader and peacemaker. Therefore, they decide to set up a police force to secure laws and orders within cities and towns so that harmony and peace can be sustained. At the same time, military forces of army, navy and air force are established to defend the countries and so that no enemies can invade the country and people can live happily and peacefully. Moreover, there are courts of law and it's founded to judge and punish wrongdoers who violate rules of the country. Also, those wrongdoers can realize that breaking law is is an act of bad people so that they will change and improve themselves to become good citizens. As far as government officials are concerned, there are a number of authorities and agencies such as teachers who go by ranks or by levels. These teachers teach students in various institutions in all kinds of subjects. It is important that teachers are determined to teach students with loving kindness so that they will acquire knowledge and intellectual wisdom to help them to stand on their own feet in future. For those high ranking officers, it is equally important to have a strong will to perform the best for their own duties in order to provide services and satisfaction to all citizens. In addition, there are those who are elected to form a government. It is crucial to put people's interests at heart when administering the country. It is their duty to bring development, prosperity and modernisation to the country and to make sure that the country is progressing like building transportation systems for the public to commute easily. This is considered a good idea and it is useful for themselves and others. One obvious example relates directly to our own country nowadays where we have His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej as the head of State. He is the King with prosperity within his heart that is completely filled with loving kindness and concern for all his subjects who live under his kingdom. He is an exceptional role model to all Thai people to respect, to think good and do good as worthy citizens of this country. As we have seen clearly from his countless initiatives royal projects that he has a great deal of kind thoughts and cares for all people. He has been visiting everywhere throughout the country to take care of business concerning people's well being. Where people are suffering and in trouble, he goes there without worrying of his own physical hardship. Additionally, he has given the royal command to build dams and reservoirs for people in remote regions so they will have plenty of water to consume and use in their daily life. All government units prefer full support to ensure that His Majesty's initiatives are carried out successfully. We are so blessed to be born under His Majesty's reign to witness the great King who thinks good and plans well and who is wholeheartedly compassionate with all human beings. You all should think of him as the most outstanding role model and the most righteous behavior in accordance with the teachings of the Lord Buddha. Undoubtedly, His Majesty King Bhumibol is admired by all people and we all pay the highest respect to him. Up until now, there are many examples of present day action and its results. But the reason we were born as human beings because we have done good deeds in our previous lives. Thus, this is another type of good deed which is greatly praised by the wise. The reason for us being born as good human beings is because we have done good deeds in our past lives. In other words, we were born as good people as a result of our good deeds. Now we must start accumulating good merits and gaining from from giving alms in capacity that our own faith will allow us to bestow. Just in case we get another chance in the next life to be born as human beings again, then we will receive the results of what we have bestowed, returning happiness and well being to us. But to do good is not a concept that modern day people are brought up to believe. In short, only a minority of people nowadays believe us, but a majority does not. They said that when they do good, they do not receive anything in return. At the moment, there are many people arguing this way. While it is very difficult to say anything to those who have not studied in order to understand the basis of Buddhism and in accordance with the teachings of the Lord Buddha, of course it can be difficult to believe, since giving alms and making charitable donations does not yield results as fast as unwholesome thoughts and desires. This is the reason why people refuse to believe. Although you do not believe, let me give an example so that you can think about doing good and meritorious deeds within your mind. When we bring provisions and foodstuffs to our parents, sisters, brothers, children, grandchildren, relatives, friends or others, and they use or consume the things that we have given them, when we see other our things being appreciated, do we feel happy? Or when we see that when we feed people with our food and they enjoy eating them, at that moment, do we feel contented and pleased? If we feel the happiness in our heart, that feeling presently is the wholesome deed. And the result of this wholesome deed that we will receive is a spontaneous flow of joy in our heart at that moment. As for more tangible things, we may receive some in our present lifetime, but in the following lives, according to the teachings of the Lord Buddha, we will surely receive good results of our good and wholesome deeds. Practicing a good deed is to keep the five Precepts by controlling one's bodily, verbal and mental actions. It is considered good deeds that everyone must practice. If everyone observes their respective precepts well, such as the 5 precepts or the 8 precepts for the UPOSITA days, or the 227 precepts for the monks, it is also considered as committing good deeds. The results of this type of action will return to us in our present life and the next. As long as monks, abbots, male and female lay devotees and all other Buddhist are vowed fear, firmly keep their precepts by controlling their own bodily, verbal and mental actions within the boundary of their respective precepts at the present. The result will be that no matter where they may be or go, they will never experience inconvenience or fear when entering into any communities. They will have happiness in their heart as a result of what they have done in the present. To do good by practicing meditation to enrich your mind to be tranquil is an extremely splendid action. If you practice and train your mind to be calm and concentrate fixedly on the present by retaining in only one feeling until it firmly adheres to that particular feeling, you will receive an intensely tranquil blissfulness within your heart as a result. It is a result that you will surely receive in the present. Thus, by doing good in the present, you will also receive its resolve in the present time as a form of happiness that you can feel within yourself, within your heart, which is the assurance for committing a good deed. Hence, all of you men and women, do not underestimate things that have not yet come. Do not think that actions you have done, good or evil, will not bear results. What goes around comes around. You should change your perception and believe in the cause and effect of your own actions, either good or evil, that it will really follow you to yield its result, as shown in plenty of examples which I've given earlier for you to contemplate. The teachings of the Lord Buddha state that we must conduct ourselves in a good and righteous bodily, verbal and mental actions. The Lord Buddha said, all Buddhist devout, you must compose your body, words and thoughts according to my teachings. This teaching of Lord Buddha can be explained in more simple words as follows. If someone announces oneself to be a true Buddhist devout, one must abide by the teachings of the Lord Buddha, which stipulates that one who commits bodily actions by taking advantage of others, humans or animals, with one's own actions to cause suffering and trouble to others is considered. Using one's body to do evil. In return, this person will receive the results of his or her evil deeds by enduring many different forms of bodily suffering the same ways that what has been done to others. If you know that you have done evil, you must let go of it and free yourself from proceeding further with evil bodily actions. Similarly, if you have been speaking to your friends or other people with dishonest words, a lie, deceiving speech, rude language, sarcasm and contradiction, which cause unhappiness and trouble to others with your verbal actions, it is considered that you use your own words to commit evil through through verbal actions. Thus, you will receive the result of your evil deeds by experiencing suffering in return. Hence, we can say untrue words are evil. If anyone still speaks evil, you must withdraw and cease yourself from doing so in case of thoughts that arise from one's mind. If a person thinks evil and malicious grudges, curses, feuds, and wanting others to be doomed to die, to receive suffering and misfortune, and to be unhappy, this person is called one with wrong thoughts. His mind is doing evil which is bad and sinful, and he will surely receive its result. As soon as he thinks evil, this action produces its instant result because he immediately feels unhappy and troublesome inside. Anyone has these wrong thoughts in mind as being described above, this person is thinking evil and conducting evil. All of you must at once cleanse these evil thoughts completely from your mind. All of the above actions being done through body words or thoughts are considered as sinful and evil deeds. These actions will only bring suffering and unhappiness to people who practice them. So far, you have heard and listened to what has been said. You must hurriedly engage one another to stop and refrain from doing them ever again. Whatever bodily actions that you have done and that have brought happiness to yourself and others, humans and animals, it means that you know how to use your body to do good and meritorious deeds. As a result, you receive happiness and consolation in return. Therefore, we all should persuade one another to do them regularly in order to bring happiness to all. Similarly, with our verbal actions, words that we have spoken, we must refrain from speaking evil, which causes irritation to others. We must speak to others with politeness and faithfulness. It is important to speak truthfully and sincerely to one another, using words that are persuasive to create harmony and unity. If we speak gentle and kind words, we will attract attention of others to listen without being bored. Also, our constructive words can be useful for others. It can be seen that all of these types of words will bring benefits and happiness to others. If we use valuable and constructive words to speak at all times in this life, it is considered that we conduct good verbal actions. We all must encourage these types of verbal actions to be spoken at all times. Every mental action that we have created in our thoughts through our mind must be brought about with kindness, compassion and mercy for all mankind who are born to face suffering and happiness together in this world. We must consider how loving kindness can bring harmony, love, closeness and unity, which are the basic foundation of happiness and prosperity to all fellow human beings and animals. Sometimes, when we think of acquiring something, it is necessary that we use our conscious wisdom to consider thoroughly all our tasks and duties that we conduct through our body. At the present, we must choose to do useful things for ourselves and others and animals in order to create happiness, the same as when we speak, we must select topics that are useful which will bring happiness and prosperity to ourselves and other human beings. I have talked about evil deeds and good deeds that we all have committed in our present life, and at the same time, I have illustrated some examples as well as rationales behind them. It is really up to you all as to whether you believe or not, or even to recognize that our own actions will produce results which will return to all of us in due course, either in this lifetime or the next. The readers must reflect on what is being said carefully. If any of you still carries on conducting good and evil deeds in this lifetime and has not yet received any results. The Lord Buddha said that as long as one continues revolving around Samsara, which means the cycle of life, death and rebirth, all actions being committed will follow to bear results to him or her until they will gain unyielding wisdom, to become enlightened in the teachings of the Lord Buddha and to be totally able to abandon defilement, desire, temptation, pride, egoism, greed, anger, infatuation, and the heavy conditions of these five groups of existence. Moreover, we can be elevated from the cycle of life, from rebirth, old age, illness and death, and enter into the state of Nibbana, the ultimate happiness and the land of eternity. According to the teachings of Buddhism which was stated by the Lord Buddha. Until then, we all shall not be released from our own actions that we have committed now. All of you have heard and read about actions and its results. If you want to be happy in a bodily and mentally living together in this world, you, both men and women, must put this teaching into practice. All actions being done through body, words and thoughts must be kept in line with what has been described earlier, so that everyone in this world will live together happily and peacefully in this lifetime and the next, as the proverb that I initially quoted Kamang sat vibhasati yadidang hina pana tetaiya. Actions will differentiate all beings the evil from the good. Lastly, always remember the we are born as a result of our past actions. We are here to bear their consequences and to accrue new ones. We shall bear the results of our actions as we continue on. I now end this Dhamma talk here. May the power of the Triple Gem, the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha protect you from all dangers. May your good wishes come true. May you have happiness, long life, good complexion, and strength every day and every night. That concludes the Dhamma teaching. Every action receives its result. By the Venerable Ajahn Plean if you'd like to hear more talks by Ajahn, Pleian and other meditation masters of the forest tradition, subscribe to the Forest Bath Podcast using your favorite podcast app. The Forest Bath Podcast is part of the Everyday Dhamma Network. If you go to everydaydhamma.net you can discover more about the other podcasts. Thank you for listening. Make May you all experience insight and peace.