Karma Controls Our Mind: Don't Assume Every Thought Is Your Own

Bad thoughts do not arise on their own; they are driven by the force of karma. When we understand that the mind is both active and passive, we know how to practice repentance and create blessings from merit, transforming our hearts toward goodness.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, a Buddhist sent a message to Master Thích Chân Quang in despair: "I keep having bad thoughts, I cannot control them, and I am afraid of falling into hell." Just before that, the newspapers reported a chilling crime: a worker who once owed gratitude to his employer killed five members of the family to steal their property. What arose in their minds? Master Chân Quang poses the question: "What controls our mind? Then we come to understand one thing: often, this mind is not our own."

This Mind Is Not Our Own

We often believe that every thought comes from our own self. But Master Chân Quang makes it clear: "This mind is not our own. Do not assume your mind belongs to you; it belongs to your karma."

A child who sees his father slaughtering a chicken is startled and runs away—that is innate goodness of mind. But a killer, in the three seconds it takes to draw a knife and stab a drinking companion, is driven by karma, with no reason left to hold him back.

The Two Faces of Mind: Active and Passive

Master Chân Quang gives an example: when we stand before three choices—visiting our boss to wish them a happy new year, going to the park, or going to the temple—that is when we use reason to weigh our options. That is the active mind, the planting of seeds. But when a thought keeps spinning in our head, so that we cannot hear what anyone says, we are being pulled along by passive karma. Karma makes us love someone for no reason, or hate someone for no reason. Like two drinking companions sitting together, who after just a few words of argument draw knives and kill each other—in those three seconds, their karma was settling its debts.

From Thought to Word, from Word to Action, and Then to the Fruits of Karma

The Master teaches: "A thought arises; from the thought, words come forth; from the thought, actions come forth; from words and actions, sin and merit are created; and from sin and merit, the fruits of karma return."

One seed does not produce only one fruit. When we help someone celebrate the new year, we are not only blessed with wealth, but we will also have benefactors come to our aid, never lose our dignity, never fall into hunger, and never suffer tension in our family. That is karma bearing fruit on many branches.

Repentance and Turning Toward Goodness of Mind

To the Buddhist tormented by continuous bad thoughts, the Master simply replied: "Just patiently practice repentance." Because when we notice a bad thought and we struggle and wrestle with it, that is precisely the sign that merit has begun to arise. The Master advises that to break free, we must create blessings from merit by helping others, encouraging them to practice, and sincerely wishing others well. "Whatever we wish for others, that is what we shall receive."

Plant Good Seeds Starting Today

In the new year, every sincere wish becomes blessings from merit. But what matters more is planting a new stream of seeds: choosing to go to the temple to hear the teachings, choosing to give rather than to grasp, choosing to keep the mind pure instead of letting bad karma lead the way. Our life will then turn toward a gentle, peaceful current. Let us begin today, with a single good thought.