I saw inscribed upon the Magistrate’s Register of Life and Death the story of a woman from a city in China. She was fated to suffer a traffic accident at a certain date and hour, sustaining severe head trauma and grave internal injuries, falling into coma upon admission to hospital, lingering in a vegetative state for one‑and‑a‑half years, and passing away at a set date and hour within the hospital. Then the text abruptly shifted into dark‑red characters: Euthanasia Case (minus filiality).
This mother, who was destined to remain in a vegetative state for eighteen months, had her oxygen tube secretly removed by her beloved son on the second day after she was hospitalised following the crash. Medical staff happened to spot this and tried to intervene, yet this unfilial son ignored their dissuasion and forcibly pulled out the oxygen supply tube. The already frail mother soon suffered cardiac arrest, meeting her death eighteen months ahead of her predestined time. The unfilial son resorted to this act of euthanasia because he had no further funds for her care.
Ayù: “Magistrate, I find this case somewhat contradictory and confusing. The Register of Life and Death records that this mother was fated to be involved in a traffic accident on a specific date and hour, fall into a vegetative state for eighteen months, and pass away in hospital at another predetermined date and hour. Judging by those recorded times, she ought still to be alive as a vegetative‑state patient in hospital. Yet she died prematurely through euthanasia. If it was her fixed karmic destiny to suffer the accident, linger as a vegetative patient for eighteen months and die naturally in hospital, how could her son alter this outcome by euthanasia? Which represents the fixed karma — death by euthanasia, or her natural end as a vegetative‑state patient? I fail to understand this point. Please grant me your instruction.”
Magistrate: “Ayù, you have raised an excellent question. The laws of the netherworld embody the universal natural principles of cause and effect. Every circumstance is governed by cause and condition and karmic retribution. Each case demands an in‑depth review spanning the parties’ countless past lifetimes. Even the supreme Buddhas cannot violate the universal natural law of karma. Buddhas are awakened beings who have perceived these cosmic karmic principles and teach others the path to liberation from suffering. The path to emancipation lies in upholding precepts, reciting Buddha and practising goodness. Without practising goodness, upholding precepts and reciting Buddha, one will inevitably drift along under the sway of karma. In this case, the mother’s fixed karma was to live as a vegetative‑state patient and die a natural death in hospital. Had events unfolded as destined, the karmic bond between mother and son would have dissolved at the end of this lifetime, and they would never meet again. By past karmic reckoning, the son was meant to care devotedly for his vegetative‑state mother for eighteen months until her natural death. All judgments of the netherworld are not based merely upon one single lifetime, but upon countless lifetimes in succession. Claiming he lacked funds for her treatment, the son performed euthanasia upon his mother. This violates the ethical duty of filial piety and transgresses the netherworld precept against killing. He ought to have sold his business and used the proceeds to cover his mother’s medical expenses until her natural passing. Their karmic ties would then have been severed, with no debts left outstanding between them. As things stand, the son has incurred demerit for deficient filial piety as well as the grave karmic offence of killing his own birth‑mother. This new karmic burden originates in this present life, driven by his greed and miserliness. The mother herself bore no karma for killing parents, yet in her youth she had committed unfilial acts towards her own parents‑in‑law. Her mother‑in‑law held great affection for her husband, yet the relationship between the two women was fraught with strife. Now she reaps the karmic fruit of being put to death by the son whom she cherished most. Such is the endless turning of karmic transmigration. Alas! The unfilial son now owes two heavy debts: a life‑debt for his mother’s death and the demerit of deficient filial piety. As she met her end, the mother endured immense physical and mental agony, consumed by bitter resentment. This was the son whom she had loved above all else throughout her life. At the very moment when she most needed care, instead of doing his utmost to treat and tend her, he obstructed medical staff from saving her life. This gave rise to overwhelming resentment within the dying mother. Her resentment and physical‑mental suffering coalesced into a grey spirit‑entity formed by this new premature‑death karma. This spirit‑entity proceeded to the netherworld judgment hall to file suit against the son. This unfilial son has already had his blessings and lifespan diminished. Once his remaining blessings are exhausted, he will fall into the hells to receive karmic punishment.”
Ayù: “The son is still among the living. Should he read The Inexorable Nether Laws, he would surely be seized with fear. No one wishes to fall into hell and endure torment! Magistrate, is there any way for this son to escape the suffering of hell‑bound retribution?”
Magistrate: “New karma has already come into being. Where there is a cause, its karmic fruit shall manifest. To evade evil retribution, one must plant virtuous causes in the causal stage. The mother’s complaint against her son is now under review in the netherworld, and there is no falsehood or wrongful accusation in this case. Under netherworld statutes, the son is destined to fall into hell for punishment upon his death. Naturally, the netherworld wholeheartedly accepts all sincere repentance from all living beings who resolve to reform themselves, and such repentance also constitutes one of the vital good karmas that help them reduce their karmic punishments in the future. While he still dwells in the mortal realm, this son must immediately cease all wrongdoing, turn toward goodness, and repent before the Buddhas. Only through repentance, making vows, keeping a vegetarian diet, reciting the Buddha’s name, observing the precepts, doing good deeds and safeguarding the true Dharma can he fundamentally cultivate wholesome karmic causes for himself. His act of euthanasia upon his mother is black karma that corrupts social mores. He must earnestly repent the grave evil of killing his mother and vigorously engage in manifold virtuous acts. If his wholesome karma outweighs his evil karma by the time of his death, he may hope for mitigation of hellish retribution; otherwise, deliverance will be most difficult.
“All sentient beings who have committed evil karmas ought to repent without delay. Procrastination deepens one’s misdeeds, and bitter karmic fruits will inevitably ripen in due course. Recite the Buddha’s name constantly, in hardship and tranquility alike. Form this habit, and your last thought upon passing away will be calling upon the Buddha. With this final thought of Buddha-recitation, one may ascend to the pure land through the Buddha’s blessings and empowerment, transcending samsara of birth and death.
“The final thought at the moment of death for every sentient being stands as one of the key factors determining their next rebirth, and it also forms the very first thought of their subsequent life. All people must guard their ordinary thoughts with great care. This is why The Inexorable Nether Laws repeatedly reminds everyone to cultivate the habits of reciting the Buddha’s name, observing precepts and practising goodness in daily life. Sentient beings should not merely recite the Buddha’s name intermittently, but sustain unbroken Buddha‑recitation thought after thought. Habits harden into second nature. If one forms the daily habit of practising wholesome karma through reciting the Buddha’s name, observing precepts and practising goodness, one’s mind will naturally dwell upon such practices at the time of death. Should people in the human world be reciting the Buddha’s name while dying, regardless of whatever evil karma they may have accumulated in life, so long as they sustain unbroken, successive Buddha‑recitation in their final moments, they will draw upon the Buddha’s empowerment to attain rebirth in the pure land with residual karma. At the very least, they shall avoid falling into the three evil realms and attain rebirth in favorable realms by virtue of the Buddha’s power.”
Ayù: “Magistrate, I fail to fully grasp what you just stated. You said that regardless of whatever evil karma people may have accumulated in life, if they maintain unbroken, successive Buddha‑recitation in their final moments, they will draw upon the Buddha’s empowerment to attain rebirth in the pure land with residual karma, and at the very least escape falling into the three evil realms to be reborn in favorable realms by the Buddha’s power. Does this mean one need not observe precepts, recite the Buddha’s name or practise goodness during one’s lifetime, and only sustain continuous Buddha‑recitation at death to gain such rebirth through the Buddha’s power? If so, this would seem far too easy. Many Buddhist lay practitioners would likely embrace this idea, thinking they only need to keep chanting the Buddha’s name as they draw their last breath to ascend to favorable realms. I often hear certain lay Buddhists remark: ‘Right now I have children and family to care for, plus work and daily obligations. Observing precepts is too inconvenient. I shall attend to that when I grow old.’”
Magistrate: “Hmm! Ayù, you have misunderstood the meaning behind those words. Within the Register of Life and Death in my charge, there exist a tiny handful of mortals who attained successful rebirth in the Western Pure Land through Buddha‑recitation at death, despite living unprincipled, self‑centered lives without observing precepts or reciting the Buddha’s name during their lifetime. Let me now reveal to you the full karmic background behind this mortal’s rebirth with residual karma.