lake of lotus (42) the essence of teachings-everything comes from the mind(14)-by vajra master pema...

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By Vajra Master Pema Lhadren Translated by Various Disciples

Everything Comesfrom the Mind (14 )

Excerpt of Last Chapte

The “Avatamsaka Sutra” mentions that “everything comes from the mind”. So, in order to explain that

“everything comes from the mind”, we have to talk about the importance of “mental strength”. Since the “cycle

of karmic existence” composes of strong “tractional forces”, which would subject all of us to its bondages, to

be drawn into, and under the control of, the tractional forces of the “Law of Cause and Effect”. So, the kind

of force we called “mental strength” is the only kind of force that can counteract the “tractional forces of the

cycle of karmic existence”, and can thus help us to be released and be “liberated from reincarnations”.

Since this kind of force is coming from the function of one’s own “mind”, and that is why it is called the “mental

strength”, and is also a sign of “everything comes from the mind”. Furthermore, the “tractional forces of

the cycle of karmic existence” are, in fact, originated from the combinations and permutations of countless

“mental strengths”, thus constructing a grand design and blueprint of “everything comes from the mind”, and

also form the “Law of Cause and Effect”.

For what scientists to be recognized as the “Law of Cause and Effect”, the so-called “Cause” is one’s

“Observation”. The “energies” coming from one’s “sight” and “mental strength” will bring about changes in

the observed electron. This is a mutual “interactions of tractional forces”, and this is the “Cause”.

Then, what is the “Effect”? The “thing” that is being observed by you will manifest itself in a certain shape; or

else the “thing” that is being observed by you, due to the energy that was added by one’s “mental strength”,

will change its original “speed”, “form”, and “direction”, and all these are the “Effects”. Thus, this is recognized

by the scientists as the “Law of Cause and Effect”. (Please refer to the article on “Everything Comes From the

Mind” in Issue 36 of the “Lake of Lotus”.)

Buddha Turning the Wheel of Dharma

38Lake of Lotus 42









What is Meant by the "Collective Karma" ?

First of all, please have a look at this interweaving diagram:

Here are three different sentient beings. From each of them, due to their “minds” and “karmas”, which thus led to

forming their human bodies, and in Buddhist terminology, this is known as a “karmic retribution”. As their “karmas”

are comparatively more or less of a similar nature, all of them have become human beings, and so they existed and

lived together in the same space, or in the same country.

Like the evolutionary theory of biological species, human beings at first lived together as different groups of wild

people, and gradually they organized and formed a country. Then, another group of people also organized and

formed another country. When all these countries combined together, they form the world. Thus, they would mutually

group together, come to influence each other, and be drawn to each other in various ways. As a result, they would

tend to have similar “karmas” and “karmic retributions”. In this way, as according to the Buddhist teachings, this is

known as the “collective karma”, which basically means that it is the kind of “karmas that are common to all”.

Collective Karma

(the six realms of cyclic existence came from this)

“Only when something is put under observation, it will then exist. If there is no observation, the matter will not exist ”.

( “Nothing exists until it is observed.” by John A. Wheeler )

39Lake of Lotus 42









In this interweaving diagram, all beings have their own individual “karmas”, yet the common area of their overlapping

condition is what is considered as the “collective karma”. Thus, if a certain group of people would always like to fight

with or kill others, the “collective karma” of that particular country would be quite heavy. As a result, there will be

many casualties in this country, simply because they always like to fight and kill, and would thus naturally have the

“karmic retributions” of being killed or hurt. Take for another example, if the people of a certain country do not protect

the environment, and would like to bring damages to Nature, they would have to bear the “karmic retributions” of the

damaging, such as the consequences due to the damaged Ozone Layer in our atmosphere.

But, then, there is such kind of a person who, even though due to his/her rewards of some good “karmic retributions”,

can become a human being in this world. Yet, due to his/her “bad karmas” with one’s mind full of greediness,

hatred and ignorance, his/her mind has already been “twisted”. He is different from all the others, as his/her mind

cannot co-exist with the “minds” of the others. For example, those persons with mental illness, due to their “karmic

retributions”, they have a body and live in this human world, instead of living in the hell and be subject to all types of

sufferings. However, their minds have been twisted because of their own “negative karmic forces” which were too

strong. Hence, what they had seen in this world are very different from what others have seen. When other people

are talking with each other, they thought that these people must have been discussing how to do harm upon them.

For any sounds that they hear, they would think that others are gossiping behind their backs. Even when they look at

the water, they would feel that these must be poisonous. Since their minds have been twisted so much that what they

have seen are rather different from the common projections that the other people have. This kind of a hellish feeling

in the “mind” is, indeed, very painful, despite the fact that their “karmic retributions” allowed them to have human

bodies that lived in this world.

We can apply the same kind of logic upon the animals. The animals would also live in groups and communities, just

like the ants in their own caves. It was because of this reason that there are the “six realms”, and their respective,

yet different, “collective karmas”. For example, those sentient beings who have positive “karmic retributions” will be

able to go to the “heavenly realm” (one of the three good realms). There are different types of heavens within the

heavenly realm, just like the different countries in this planet Earth. People with different “karmic retributions” would

form different kinds of sentient beings within different realms, all due to this “collective karma”.

..….. (To Be Continued)

40Lake of Lotus 42









Everything Comes from the MindSynopsis of Each Chapter

Chapter 1 ( in Issue 29 )

The Emergence of Lives - Quantity The Emergence of Lives – Forms

All Sentient Beings Are Coming From the Same Source - The Buddhist Perspective

All Sentient Beings Are Coming From the Same Source - The Scientific Perspective


Earth Realm, Water Realm, Fire Realm, Wind Realm, Space Realm, Consciousness Realm

All Sentient Beings Are Coming From the Same Source – Dif-ferent Interpretations Held by Buddhism & Science


What is Meant by the “Cycle of Karmic Existence”? The Three Key Points That Form the “Cycle of Karmic Existence”

The Cycle of Karmic Existence – From the Scientific Perspective


The Cycle of Karmic Existence – From the Buddhist Perspective


The Karma of Killing The Mental Strength

Different Interpretations of the “Mind” by Buddhism and Other Religions


What is the “Body of the Bardo”?What is the Difference Between the “Body of the Bardo” and the “Ghosts”?


The Key Points of “Everything Comes From the Mind” The Mind (Mental Strength)


The “Law of the Cause and Effect” The Recognition of “The Law of Cause and Effect” by Scientists


The Buddhist Explanation on “The Law of Cause and Effect”


The Function of the “Mind”


The Power of the “Mind”


The Power of the “Mind” Upon the Mutual Causation of Matter and “Karma”


The Inconceivable “Law of Karma”

41Lake of Lotus 42

lake of lotus (42) the essence of teachings-everything comes from the mind(14)-by vajra master pema...

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