Clearing Bad Karma (kusalena pithīyati) Retreat by Bhante Dr. Chandima @Buddhist Maha Vihara,Brickfileds, Malaysia (November 2-3, 2024)

 

1. Can we cover bad karma with good karmas? (kusalena pithīyati)

yes (sometimes fully, sometimes partially and sometimes cannot at all)

Yassa pāpaṁ kataṁ kammaṁ,

kusalena pithīyati; 

Somaṁ lokaṁ pabhāseti,

abbhā muttova candimā. 

(Aṅgulimāla Sutta MN 86 & Dhammapada 173)

Someone whose bad karmas cleared by the good karmas,lights up the world,like the moon freed from clouds.

Aṅgulimāla Story

Aṅgulimāla grew up as a bright young man in Sāvatthī and became his teacher’s favorite student. However, out of jealousy, his fellow students conspired to turn the teacher against him. Hoping to rid himself of Aṅgulimāla, the teacher assigned him an impossible and deadly task: to collect a thousand human fingers as a final requirement for completing his studies.

After Aṅgulimāla passed away, some monks asked the Buddha about his future life. When the Buddha revealed that Angulimala had attained Arahantship—meaning he would have no future lives—the monks were surprised. How could someone who had taken so many lives reach enlightenment so swiftly? The Buddha responded with a verse, explaining that Aṅgulimāla's past misdeeds had been overcome by his diligent and mindful practice of meditation and his deeply moral way of life.

Did Angulimala experience the consequences of his bad karma in the same lifetime, even after attaining Arahantship?

Enlightened disciples cannot create new karma, but they may still experience the effects of past karma they previously accumulated. The effects of Venerable Aṅgulimāla karma are inevitable, and even the Buddha cannot prevent them from unfolding. After admitting Aṅgulimāla into the monastic order, the Buddha established a new rule that henceforth, no criminals would be accepted as monks.

Then Venerable Aṅgulimāla robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms. Now at that time someone threw a stone that hit Aṅgulimāla, someone else threw a stick, and someone else threw gravel. Then Aṅgulimāla—with cracked head, bleeding, his bowl broken, and his outer robe torn—went to the Buddha.The Buddha saw him coming off in the distance, and said to him, “tolerate it, Aṅgulimāla! Tolerate it, Aṅgulimāla! You’re experiencing in this life the result of deeds that might have caused you to be tormented in hell for many years, many hundreds or thousands of years.

Addasā kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ aṅgulimālaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ. Disvāna āyasmantaṁ aṅgulimālaṁ etadavoca: “adhivāsehi tvaṁ, brāhmaṇa, adhivāsehi tvaṁ, brāhmaṇa. Yassa kho tvaṁ, brāhmaṇa, kammassa vipākena bahūni vassāni bahūni vassasatāni bahūni vassasahassāni niraye pacceyyāsi tassa tvaṁ, brāhmaṇa, kammassa vipākaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme paṭisaṁvedesī”ti.

                            Photo Credit to Hem Vejakorn

This means that while we can always try for enlightenment through dedicated practice, we must still face the consequences of any serious unwholesome actions we’ve committed, though perhaps in a less severe way. Therefore, the recommendation is to cultivate wholesome actions to counter past unwholesome ones, but more importantly, to avoid creating new unwholesome actions altogether.

2. What are the Buddha's teachings for overcoming bad karma, and how can they be practiced?

- Repentance and Acknowledgement

The first step is to honestly acknowledge your known akusala activities. If you have harmed someone, it is essential to offer a sincere and honest apology, as this is the starting point for clearing bad karma. Until you take this step, the consequences of your unwholesome actions will remain poised to affect you. Following your apology, it is crucial to honestly commit to practicing the ten kusala activities to clear bad karmas. 

- Patience and Forgiveness

The next step is to cultivate patience and develop forgiveness for yourself and others. Practicing patience and the ability to forgive can alleviate the burden of past karma. By letting go of anger and resentment, you create space for healing and nurture a more peaceful mind.

(i) Practicing the Noble Eightfold Path is the only way. (doing more kusalas) Loṇakapallasutta AN 3.100 This sutta explains that the results of karma are experienced differently by two individuals, with one suffering less than the other. The individual who experiences less suffering is the one who has cultivated Sila (moral conduct), Samadhi (concentration), and Panna (wisdom). In contrast, the person who suffers significantly from the same minor unwholesome actions (akusala) is the one who has not developed these qualities.

(ii) Anussati Practice

(iii) Brahmavihara Practice 

3. Clearing Bad Karma Meditation Transcript. 

Click here to access the transcript