The Past, the Present, and the Future

by Venerable Master Hsing Yun

In life, there is past, present, and future. In a broader sense, countless kalpas consist in the past, numerous kalpas are in the future, and the present is the time from birth to death. Although we do not specifically know our past lives and what we did then, to know the present, we can still look to the past; history can teach us many lessons. Likewise, we do not know what is in store for us in the future. Whether we will meet good or bad fortune, we have no way of knowing at present; we can only look to the past for hints of the future.

Our lives of the present also include the past and the future. Everything that happened before today is now a part of our past. Everything that comes after today is our future. When we reflect on the days before today—our parents nurtured us, how our teachers taught us, and how others in the community gave us good causes and conditions—can see how we have grown and matured amidst the benefits that others have bestowed on us. Though at times we may have thought of how we should repay them for their generosity, yet due to our selfishness and attachments, many of us have not really cared for those who nurtured, taught, and benefited us in the past with earnestness and devotion. For this reason, we are deeply remorseful about our past.

When we look at the future from the present, we do not have a clue as to what it will hold. It is only natural for us all to hope that, for the sake of our future fields of merit, seeds can be widely planted for wonderful fruit and flowers. Then, we will lack nothing in life. When we are able to plant the seedlings of merit in the fields of our future, we will be able to harvest a bumper crop, and our lives will be full. However, our present resources for merit are insufficient. We are unable to plant seeds in the "field of eight merits" as we should. Our past has directly influenced our present. But the past is already beyond our reach; we cannot undo anything in the past, but we can prepare for the future right now. We have to take control of the present to prepare. So how do we prepare for the future?

First of all, we should refrain from killing, stealing, and engaging sexual misconduct in order to cultivate wholesome physical behaviors. Secondly, we should refrain from harsh speech, flattery, being double-tongued, and lying in order to practice good speech. Thirdly, we should give instead of covet, be compassionate instead of malevolent, and be rational instead of holding deviant views.

As the saying goes, "If one wants to know the causes from previous lives, they are manifested in this life. If one wants to know the effect in future lives, they are being caused in this life." We need to "eradicate past unwholesome karma as the circumstances arise, and not create new ones." As long as we cultivate diligently in the present, planting positive and benevolent seeds, we need not fear the lack of a good harvest in the future.