“Every time a smoker lights a cigarette, the concomitant deity of black karma — one of the white‑and‑black attendant deities who record one’s good and evil karmas from birth — will immediately register every single cigarette smoked by the smoker. Once the cigarettes consumed by this smoker accumulate to one pack, it is recorded by the black concomitant deity as a depletion of the smoker’s blessing rewards. Such depletion of blessings manifests as all kinds of obstacles encountered in daily life. By the same logic, if the smoker consumes two packs or more, these obstacles will intensify. If others are present nearby while the smoker lights up, the depletion of blessings intensifies, bringing troubles such as strained interpersonal relationships and suddenly being scolded. Long-term smokers not only deplete their blessings but also shorten their lifespan.
“If a smoker is destined to receive a pay rise this year, this blessing will be eliminated. Or if he runs a business and everything is set favorably for him to earn a sum of money, troubles will emerge at the critical moment and prevent the transaction from being completed. Owing to smoking, the radiance of those long-term smokers’ spiritual nature fades gradually. When their life comes to an end, they cannot pass into the good paths and will instead sink into lower realms, for all the radiance of their bodies has been shrouded by tobacco smoke.”
I said: “Magistrate! I wish to ask a question. My grandfather smoked for many years, yet he lived to the age of ninety-two. This has become an obstacle preventing me from persuading my father to quit smoking!”
The Magistrate replied: “Ayù, your grandfather was a virtuous man in his past life and accumulated blessing rewards for a long lifespan, prosperous descendants and a full household of grandchildren. He was destined to live to 102 years in this lifetime. Regrettably, ten years of his lifespan were cut short owing to smoking.
“Originally, your grandfather was destined for a long life. The age of ninety‑two at which he passed away was already his shortened lifespan. At the end of his life, severe deterioration of his lung function, persistent coughing and starvation led to his death. It was not merely smoking that shortened his life; starvation was another contributing factor. When your grandfather turned ninety, your grandmother had already departed, leaving no one to attend to his daily needs. Your paternal uncle’s wife insisted on taking care of him, yet her sole motive was to seize all his property. She mistreated him, often withholding food and hurling abusive words at him. Ignorant of karma, your paternal uncle’s wife thought she had succeeded. By contrast, your grandfather endured all this silently to preserve family harmony and told nobody until he died alone. Starvation was another actual cause of his death. Through this ordeal, he not only dissolved some of his own karmic obstacles but also accumulated additional blessings. That explains why, shortly after you began cultivating the Buddhadharma, he attained transcendence to the heaven realm simply by reciting the Buddha’s name a few times. He endured all suffering without complaint at the time of his death, through which some of his evil karmas were eliminated, granting him this favorable blessing reward. On the contrary, your paternal uncle’s wife planted grave evil karma. Due to such grave unfilial conduct, six years later, her only beloved and well‑behaved son will leave her. Her karmic retribution will not end there. Later, her daughter will seize all her assets and treat her with equal lack of filial piety, and your paternal uncle’s wife will succumb to illness amid suffering.
“As the saying goes: ‘The retribution of good and evil inevitably manifests in the end. The karmic law of cause and effect is impartial and spares no one!’
“Here, I urge all mortal people never to act against their conscience. Every deed performed by humans is recorded and filed in the netherworld. Those who persist in unrighteous acts will inevitably incur heavenly chastisement; those who sincerely practise goodness will surely receive blessings bestowed by heaven. Bear my words firmly in mind.”
I said: “What the Magistrate has told me truly takes me completely by surprise! A wave of sorrow rises within me. Grandfather indeed passed away due to severe deterioration of lung function and persistent coughing. As for Grandfather’s property, I have heard my father and mother say that it was all taken away by my paternal uncle’s wife, and they have harbored some grievances over the matter. Speaking of Grandfather starving to death… It suddenly dawns on me! No wonder every time I visited him, he would devour the food I brought for him without delay. Standing beside us, my paternal uncle’s wife would remark that among all family members, I was the best at buying provisions, that Grandfather loved the food I brought most, and that it was only natural since Grandfather raised me from childhood. I felt pleased upon hearing that back then, yet looking back now, I see how lacking in wisdom I was! I also recall that my paternal uncle’s wife never left my side whenever I visited Grandfather. At that time, I planned to bring more of Grandfather’s favourite food on my next trip home. I worked far away and could only return to my hometown once every six months. But by the time I came back again, Grandfather was already gone… This is utterly heartbreaking!”
The Magistrate said: “Karmic forces are at work in all of this! Everything occurs in accordance with cause and effect. The karmic laws of the netherworld never render wrongful verdicts amid all the intricate, interwoven threads of causality. A corresponding cause inevitably brings forth a corresponding effect; every cause yields its respective karmic retribution. Your grandfather created the cause of smoking, so naturally he had to receive the karmic fruit of smoking. His long-term smoking impaired your grandmother’s lungs. The effect manifested thus: she suffered lung degeneration and persistent coughing. Mucus lodged in her throat blocked her airway; she could not draw her next breath, and she passed away. Your grandfather bore some karmic responsibility for this. Your grandfather practiced patience under the abuse of your uncle’s wife, and such practice of patience generated meritorious virtues.
“No one ought to smoke, for smoking disrupts normal thinking. If you are a Buddhist disciple, you must quit smoking entirely. Smoking falls under the fifth precept – the precept against intoxicants. According to the primary extant sutras, when the Buddha established the Five Precepts for lay practitioners, he only explicitly instructed people not to consume alcohol. The Buddha did not directly mention a prohibition on smoking. Alcohol further numbs the nervous system, disrupts normal thought, destroys cultivation, incites sentient beings to commit evil deeds, and ultimately leads them to fall into the hell realm. Except for external medicinal use, or cases of critical, life-threatening illness where alcohol must be blended into medicine with no alternative available, one must not touch alcohol even in the tiniest amount. Do not deceive yourself into thinking there is no wrongdoing if you drink without becoming intoxicated.