Every sentient being creates their own future lives through their own actions. All living beings create three types of karma: wholesome karma, unwholesome karma, and indeterminate karma. Take three people buying identical black garments as an example. Person A purchases the clothes to give to poor neighbors; black fabric does not show dirt easily and is convenient because it needs less frequent washing. This is wholesome karma, which will draw favorable karmic retributions in due time. Person B intends to wear the dark clothing to commit theft under cover of night. This constitutes unwholesome karma, destined to bring suffering retribution. Person C acts with no particular purpose, buying the item merely on the shopkeeper’s suggestion with no strong inclination either way. This is indeterminate karma, yielding neutral consequences.
Those with abundant wholesome karma attain rebirth as humans or celestial beings. Heavy unwholesome karma condemns beings to the hell, hungry ghost, or animal realms. Sentient beings dominated by indeterminate karma are mostly reborn in the human or ghost realms, still trapped within the three realms of existence. To transcend the three realms, break the cycle of birth and death, and attain ultimate eternal liberation, one must observe the precepts, recite the Buddha’s name, practice wholesome deeds, cultivate hidden virtue, bring forth the supreme Bodhi mind, and make various virtuous vows so as to seek the unsurpassed Buddha Path above and deliver all afflicted living beings below. When making vows, one must make pure virtuous vows free from selfish and distracting thoughts. Even if one’s virtuous vows hold the slightest selfish minds and distracting ideas, the person will have to bear the karmic retribution brought by these selfish minds and distracting ideas in the future.
Why did the Nether Sovereign Yama King become the supreme ruler of the nether realm? In one of his past lives, he was an upright and valiant general commanding a large army. During a great battle, he was outwitted by the enemy’s treacherous schemes and suffered a crushing defeat. Overwhelmed with grief, the general swore an oath to heaven: ‘I have been defeated against my will. If I get the chance in the future, I shall seek vengeance and severely punish all lawbreakers and deceitful wrongdoers. I will compel them to sincerely repent, turn over a new leaf, and become good people once again.’
His soldiers echoed his vow, resolving together to punish all unlawful and treacherous criminals. When the general made this sorrowful oath, he also harbored resentment toward himself for failing to take proper precautions, which had caused his troops to suffer defeat alongside him. This self‑reproach stemmed from anger and affliction; his virtuous resolve was tainted with the malicious vow of vengeance. It was this mixed oath that destined him to become Yama King, ruler of the Underworld.
Today, the Nether Sovereign Yama King endures the torment of scalding sand poured down his throat three times daily: morning, noon and evening, for fifteen minutes each time. As soon as his punishment begins, the two yakshas tasked with disciplining him seize him firmly. One holds his head fast, while the other pours blazing iron sand straight down his throat until he faints from agony. He is then roused by karmic winds, and the yakshas repeat the torture continuously for the full fifteen minutes. Once the time elapses, he regains consciousness naturally, and all returns to normal.
The agony of having hot iron sand poured down his throat is the karmic retribution for his vengeful oath in that former life. Countless people in the mortal world utter petty and grave malicious vows every single day. The moment someone makes an evil vow, their bodily aura dims instantly. The negative magnetic field of such vows binds the person tightly across countless lifetimes.
If a person’s pre-heaven bodily aura is damaged, their life will be full of obstacles and hardships. They can only get relief through timely sincere and pure repentance and never repeat wrongdoings. If those who uttered evil vows have less virtuous karma than evil karma before karmic retribution comes, and never meet advisors of good knowledge to guide them into repentance, they will remain fettered by the negative magnetic field of their evil vows until the evil karmic consequences ripen, and then they will experience boundless suffering.
I hope you can finish this article soon to warn people against making evil vows. Those who made evil vows before ought to repent quickly. One may then bring forth immeasurable virtuous aspirations, put them into practice, and diligently strive to fulfill these good vows.
Nowadays, most people in the mortal world break moral precepts while few abide by them. The poor overall magnetic field is also a major factor that makes people’s thoughts prone to going astray.
If there are sentient beings burdened by heavy black karma who temporarily lack all the necessary conditions for observing the precepts, they need neither worry nor lose heart, for those with light karma would not be born into the Saha World. First, one must arouse the resolve to repent one’s past black karma. Then one should make the vow: “May I, life after life, possess the steadfast mind to observe the precepts.” Furthermore, one should practice Buddha‑recitation, keep a vegetarian diet, and diligently perform all manner of virtuous deeds. Then the quality of this being’s future lives will surely gradually improve. Only by this means can one truly and thoroughly eradicate the evil karmas one has committed and escape suffering forever. Practicing in this way, one will inevitably have a bright prospect and progress steadily toward light and brightness.