Master Ku listened and smiled bitterly. “Old man, are you really going to defy Heaven itself? You’ve always been clever, but this time you’re acting like a fool. Just look at Mei Qing—does he seem like someone who can escape the chains of karma? Even if you refuse to let him in, I doubt he’d be able to disentangle himself anyway.”
But Zhang Shisan shook his head vigorously. “Karma is karma, and the Dao of Heaven is the Dao of Heaven—don’t try to conflate the two. Precisely because he carries such heavy karma, I don’t want him to follow this path. Following karma means playing it safe, seeking no merit but only to avoid blame. If Mei Qing truly follows this path, the consequences will be enormous. He might even end up spitting blood from the cost. It would be better to take a risk, to break through and rebuild.”
Master Ku paused, clearly moved by Zhang Shisan’s words.
Mei Qing, however, was completely confused. He looked from Zhang Shisan to Master Ku, puzzled. “Master, what exactly are you two talking about? Isn’t it said that cultivators cannot escape the retribution of karma?”
Zhang Shisan glanced at Master Ku, who remained silent with his eyes lowered. Zhang sighed and asked, “Mei Qing, let me ask you—do you truly believe in karma?”
Mei Qing’s lips moved as if to speak, but he hesitated. Upon reflection, he realized he had never truly believed in karma. His earlier question had only come from what Bi Zhen had told him about its importance to cultivation.
Zhang Shisan shook his head. “You don’t need to say anything. That bald old man can read people well. We all know you don’t carry karma in your heart. If you were truly bound by karma, its retribution would have already struck you. How could you have lived so freely?”
Mei Qing was shocked. “Master, what do you mean? Have I done something wrong that I should suffer such retribution?”
Zhang Shisan snorted. “Tell me then—what exactly is karma?”
Mei Qing frowned. “I’m not entirely sure. But I’ve heard people say: if you want to know your past causes, look at what you suffer now; if you want to know your future results, look at what you do now. Is that what it means?”
Zhang nodded. “In the end, it all comes down to those few words. But for cultivators, karma doesn’t need to wait for past or future lives. What happens before is the cause, and what follows is the result. Every cause has its effect, and every effect has its cause. Let me ask you—since you began cultivation, whether it was building your foundation, gathering herbs, refining elixirs, or advancing in stages, even to the point of becoming our disciple and receiving our guidance, I’ve never heard of any cultivator gaining such immense advantages as you have. What kind of cause must you have created in your past life to receive such a result now?”
Mei Qing was speechless for a moment. Zhang Shisan chuckled. “Let’s not even talk about your past causes. Just look at the immense benefits you’ve enjoyed so far—something unheard of in cultivation. Tell me then, what kind of heavy retribution will you have to face in the future to balance out the blessings you’ve received today?”
Mei Qing shuddered. All his life, his cultivation had been unusually smooth, with only minor setbacks that quickly resolved themselves. Yet he had never thought about karma before. According to the doctrine, the greater the blessings, the heavier the price. If he had received so many blessings, the future retribution would be terrifying indeed.
Zhang Shisan sighed. “Now do you understand, Mei Qing? Once you enter the cycle of karma, there’s no escaping its entanglements. Look at those cultivators who reach higher levels—they gain more from karma, but they also pay a higher price. The faster they gain power, the faster the retribution comes. You must have had great karmic connections in the past to enjoy such blessings now. Yet, strangely, you seem to be outside the cycle of karma in this life. If you can break free from this cycle with great determination, it might actually be an opportunity.”
Mei Qing’s mind raced with confusion. “But can one really escape karma? Isn’t everything under Heaven bound by it?”
Zhang Shisan laughed. “If you ask that bald monk of yours, he’ll certainly say yes a thousand times. But that’s not the truth.”
Though Mei Qing had always been skeptical of karma, Zhang Shisan’s words hinted at some hidden truth about it, sparking his curiosity.
Zhang Shisan tugged at his sparse beard and said, “The doctrine of karma says that everything has a cause and must bear its effect. In other words, every event is the result of a previous cause and the cause of a future result, forming an endless chain. But have you ever thought—what was the very first cause in the universe?”
Mei Qing had never considered this and was momentarily stumped. Zhang continued, “Everything is both the result of a prior cause and the cause of a future result, endlessly repeating. But if that’s true, how could there ever be a first cause?”
“If there was a first result,” Zhang explained, “what was its cause? If it had a cause, then that cause itself must have been the result of an even earlier cause, making it not the first result after all. By this logic, there can be no such thing as a first cause in the universe.”
“If there is no first cause,” Zhang asked, “then where does karma come from?”
Zhang Shisan chuckled. “Now do you see? Karma is not a law of Heaven—it was created by people.”
“Huh?” Mei Qing gasped. “Then who created it?”
Zhang Shisan shook his head. “Some say it was the Buddhist tradition that introduced this convenient method. Whether or not that’s true, no one knows. But the doctrine of karma did indeed come to China from Buddhism. Alas, it’s a convenient path, and that’s why most cultivators followed it once it arrived. Nowadays, few even consider choosing whether to follow karma or not when entering cultivation.”
When Mei Qing heard the term “choosing karma,” it was something entirely new to him.
Zhang explained that after Buddhism introduced the doctrine of karma to China, although there was resistance from Daoist traditions, the benefits of karma-based cultivation were undeniable. Thus, many sects gradually accepted it, allowing their disciples to cultivate under the principle of karma. This led to the concept of “choosing karma” after entering a sect.
For cultivators, the greatest challenge has never been techniques, time, or even elixirs—it has always been calamities.
Some say calamities arise from the heart, others say they descend from Heaven. In truth, both are the same. As the saying goes, if internal thieves do not arise, external calamities will not enter. If a person’s heart remains as firm as stone throughout life, never wavering, then Heaven’s calamity will find no opening and never strike.
But this is easier said than done. In life, people inevitably experience doubts, fears, anger, and sorrow—endless emotional knots. Once internal thieves arise, Heaven’s calamity follows. This is the unavoidable tribulation every cultivator must face.
This is the principle of unity between Heaven and humanity, of internal and external resonance. The heart’s turmoil is the inner cause, and Heaven’s calamity is its outer form. Thus, Daoist cultivation often emphasizes tranquility and non-action, aiming to calm the mind and reduce calamities.
But this method is extremely difficult. The more one tries to avoid calamities, the more one falls into the trap, making it easier to be struck by them. Many powerful cultivators have struggled through wave after wave of calamities, only to lose all their achievements in a single misstep.
When Buddhism entered China, despite the rivalry between Buddhism and Daoism, its doctrine of karma opened a new path for cultivators to avoid calamities.
Karma does not eliminate Heaven’s calamities directly, but it has one major advantage: calamities arise from prior causes. Thus, the trials of Heaven’s calamity can be seen as the results of past causes. In other words, if you follow the path of karma and avoid entanglements, you can reduce the number of calamities you face in the future.
Moreover, if you firmly believe in karma, knowing that every action has its retribution, the inner thieves that lead to calamities will naturally diminish, weakening the power of Heaven’s calamity.
After hearing Zhang Shisan’s explanation, Mei Qing suddenly understood. “So that’s it! Then karma is like the Great Ming Code. Although it restricts you and prevents you from doing as you please, it also protects you from unexpected disasters. Isn’t that right?”
Zhang nodded. “Exactly. To the people of the Great Ming, the Code seems like Heaven’s law, governing everyone around them. But in reality, there are still those beyond its reach. First, those not of the Great Ming—foreigners or westerners who do not belong to the dynasty—naturally fall outside the Code’s jurisdiction. Second…”
Zhang chuckled. “You could be a high-ranking official. If you become a Grand Secretary, who would dare to apply the Great Ming Code to you? Even your family and relatives can find ways around it. Or you could be a cunning rogue who exploits loopholes in the Code, gaining benefits while avoiding punishment.”
“Is that possible?” Mei Qing was stunned. “Isn’t Heaven’s justice impartial? How can karma be just like worldly affairs, full of loopholes?”
Zhang’s analogy to the Great Ming Code made perfect sense to Mei Qing, who had been a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. But the idea that karma could have such loopholes was completely unexpected.
“Justice of Heaven?” Zhang corrected. “I already told you—karma is not Heaven’s law. Since it was made by people, it can also be evaded by people. Otherwise, how could so many famous sects produce so many outstanding cultivators? Every sect has its own powerful elders, guardian deities, or magical treasures. It’s the same as having a high-ranking official backing you in the imperial court. If Laozi himself took you as his disciple, it would be like becoming the Crown Prince—you could do as you pleased. Don’t believe that nonsense about the Crown Prince being punished the same as commoners. Since ancient times, the law does not apply to the nobility, and karma does not reach the Three Pure Ones or the Four Emperors.”
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