Karma and Problems in Life and Environment of a Couple Cause of Actions and Prayer

Cause of Actions

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Hong Kong, February 20, 1992
(Originally in English)

Q: Suppose I'm doing something; how do you know it's karma causing me to do it or if I'm making new karma?

M: It's hard to tell now because we are very deep into the trouble, so just try your best to avoid what you can avoid and to finish what you have to finish - what you cannot avoid. Also, you can tell sometimes whether it's new or old karma like this: if something happens to you and you cannot avoid it no matter how much you dislike it, that is old karma. Surely the force of karma is forcing you to do these things. If there is something you can avoid, but you like to do it by your own will, then you know you are creating trouble, new karma. You know that it is wrong and you can avoid it but you still want to do it, then you know you're getting into trouble. If it's a good thing, of course you do it and forget it, thinking that it's God, Who is doing a good thing to benefit others through you, and then it's fine. But if you know it is a wrong thing and you still deliberately want to do it even though you can avoid it, that is new karma and surely you'll have trouble.