One morning, the Master practised Qigong in the garden with his students. Suddenly, dark clouds gathered, and it soon started to rain. They had to stop the practice. One student asked the Master: “What causes the rain?” Master explained: “These are water vapour in the atmosphere. When they condense, they form water droplets and fall as rain. The sun, in turn, warms up the water in the seas and oceans, creating water vapour that then rises up into the atmosphere. And the cycle continues.
Everything is caused by another thing. This law of causation, of cause and effect, applies to every event. There is no exception. It governs the natural phenomena and environmental processes and is also present in man’s daily activities and behaviour.”
This “cause and effect” principle describes the relationship between two things when one causes the other to happen. In our daily lives, whatever action we take always generates a consequence, which may be good or bad, serious or mild. It may affect just ourselves or trigger some effect on others. We must, therefore, be mindful of this and consider every action carefully, as we are fully responsible for it.
Karma is action. Good karma produces beneficial effects and good rewards, while bad karma brings punishment. This principle has a moral dimension and value, as it encourages people to do good deeds and discourages wrong and evil doings.
The squirrels, except one, were all busy collecting food for the coming winter. Despite advice from the others, he was still playing around, assuring himself that there should be food around even during the cold winter. When winter arrived, he could not find any food while the others were enjoying their daily meal in their warm, cosy home. The poor squirrel was starving, and he regretted not taking the correct action as the others. Finally, the others took pity on him and let him share their food.
It was wrong karma and a bad decision, and he had to bear the consequences.
We often hear people say that those who are suffering in poverty or difficulties must have done some bad karma in the previous life and are now being punished, while those living in prosperity and happiness have done good. Of course, it is not possible to verify this, but it does reinforce the moral principle.
We must take this “cause and effect” seriously and always conduct ourselves, our behaviour, and our actions in a proper ethical manner. A criminal is punished for his wrongdoing, while people with compassion help others get credit. As it is said: You plant melons, you reap melons. You plant beans, you harvest beans.
A child’s upbringing depends very much on parental effort. His character, traits and physical and mental makeup are consequences of the parents’ grooming and karma. The cause-and-effect is obvious. Mencius, the famous Confucian philosopher, said, “If the child is not properly taught, it is the responsibility of the father.” The Master told the students: “You are responsible for the consequence of your actions. Your good or bad destiny is in your hands.”
Cheong Quee Wah
Cheong Quee Wah, graduated in engineering and business administration, was in the government service for 24 years, and had held the appointment of permanent secretary in various ministries. He also studied traditional Chinese herbal medicine and is a trained qigong master.
