My wife, Eva, and I lived in the Czech Republic for eight years (1993-2001) – about 12 kilometres from Trebon in picturesque south Bohemia. Our home lay in a village (Smrzov) nestled in a landscape where forests, fields, and meadows were interspersed with large and small fishponds that sparkled in the sunshine. During autumn and winter walks we experienced the stillness and silence of forest paths, contrasted with the sounds of chirping birds in the spring and summer. We enjoyed picking mushrooms and wild berries. Occasionally, deer crossed our path, as did hares, squirrels, and pheasants. Every spring, storks returned to the tall chimney in the village to bring forth a new generation of chicks.
However, it was the golden fields of grain (wheat, barley, and rye) surrounding our village at the end of summer that now bring back vivid memories. Harvester machines arrived in August and farmers worked into the night under tractor lights to bring in the harvest. It was the climax of the annual cycle of fields ploughed under cool autumn skies; lying fallow during snowy winter days; and being planted with grain in the spring.
In reflecting on the yearly harvests, I have pondered four laws of harvest. These, I believe, apply to our day-to-day lives. They are as follows:
(1) We reap what we sow.
(2) We reap far more than we sow.
(3) We will not reap if we do not sow.
(4) We reap even though there may be a delay from when we sow.
In this article, I offer the following comparison: The seed a farmer sows can be compared with our intention (motive) and action. The crop can be compared with the effect (or result), including the feelings and memories that live with us.
We reap what we sow
When a farmer plants wheat seed, wheat grain always results – not rye or barley. The crop harvested is exactly based on the seed planted.
Likewise, for every intention and action, we will experience the result – either happiness or unhappiness.
Everyone yearns for happiness and never desires suffering. If our action leads to the well-being of others, then it is good – and happiness will result. If an action hurts others, it cannot be good – and suffering ensues.
How important, therefore, to be mindful of every motive and action – because our intent and action will determine whether we experience peace and happiness, or misery and suffering.
We reap far more than we sow
Every spring our neighbors in Smrzov planted vegetable seeds in neatly cultivated soil furrows. It always amazed me to see them harvest their vegetables by the basketfuls during summer days. The few seeds they had planted were nothing in comparison to the abundant reaping!
Likewise, our motives and actions can have far bigger outcomes than we ever imagine. A kindly word spoken, or written, at the right time can leave someone encouraged for days and weeks. Our words might be life-changing for a person. We, too, will continue to feel good long afterward. Like tiny acorns, our motives and actions can produce far-reaching results, like huge oak trees. Regrettably, a harshly spoken word can also be remembered for decades. How important to consider the motives behind our thoughts, words, and actions!
We do not reap if we do not sow
When the villagers planted their spring vegetable gardens, they fully expected a harvest in the summer. If, however, they did not plant, there would be no hope for any harvest.
Likewise, we will not experience a result for which we have not created the cause. If my motive and action have been wholesome, why would I suffer unhappiness – in the form of regret, heartache, or even depression? Rather, I will experience peace, contentment, and happiness.
When we consciously practice mindfulness, it begins to make a noticeable difference. We no longer react and respond to life mindlessly and suffer quite as much. How reassuring to know that, in a given situation, we will not meet with sadness and unhappiness, if we have not created the cause for it to happen – but have acted out of good and honest motives.
We reap even though there may be a delay
One summer, the rains did not come and we had a drought in South Bohemia. During those dry months, the seeds lay dormant in the ground. Then, when heavy rains finally came, the entire landscape soon became bright green with seedlings sprouting forth from the earth!
Likewise, the effects of an intention and action are never lost – but will ripen and bring results, sometimes months or years later.
There was an incident in my life where I was motivated and driven by anger – and I acted ignorantly and foolishly. At the time, I did not give it much thought.
Now years later, the full impact of my folly has hit me – and the feelings and memories I am experiencing are unpleasant. How vital, therefore, to be mindful of our motives and actions, and to know that their effects are never lost – even across time!
Even though we have left the Czech Republic many years ago, the memories of the golden grain gently swaying with the summer breezes still live with me. More importantly, four laws of harvest have been imprinted on my mind – laws that govern our motives and actions, and the consequences that will inevitably come.
Written by Alexander Peck (2013, 2021).
The truth of cause and effect ensures that actions yield their full result; … avoid all actions that are negative and evil.
If dying simply meant that we disappeared like water absorbed into dry ground or like a flame being extinguished, we could take death quite lightly. But this is not the case. We abandon our body; but we keep our mind, which travels in the state of transition between death and rebirth, called the bardo. [Bardo means “state of transition” and commonly designates the period of time that separates death from rebirth. More precisely, six bardos are spoken of.]
In this state, where we have no material body, we cannot use our five senses in the ordinary way. Death has extracted us from the company of our family and friends like a hair pulled out of a lump of butter.
But there is one thing we have brought with us, and which stays with us as closely as a shadow—the actions we have done in the past. If negative actions weigh heavier, we are not going to be able to escape the torments of the lower realms of samsara. On the contrary, if positive actions predominate, we are going to be reborn in a higher state of existence and will be able to continue to progress toward liberation.
As our mind travels through the ever-changing experience of the bardo, we cannot choose to do what seems good to us, or take our time to decide what direction to take. There is no way out. Like a feather in the wind, we are driven by the force of our past actions, dragged along by the soldiers of death. We have no moment of respite in which to pull ourselves together. We cannot stay anywhere or leave at will. Tossed hither and thither, our mental body does not obey us.
It is crucial to understand and to gain the conviction that the laws of cause and effect govern the universe and all beings. Milarepa explained that if he had been able to dedicate himself totally to Dharma and attain enlightenment in a single lifetime, it was simply because of the conviction he had in the laws of karma.
Every action inevitably has a result. The traces of our positive or harmful actions dwell in the substratum of our consciousness. There are only two ways to erase the trace left by a harmful act: either by going through the experience of suffering that is its natural consequence, or by purifying it with the appropriate antidotes before the appearance of its dire effects.
When the spiritual master tells us that all our positive and negative acts are sure to cause their inevitable consequences, we hear his words; but we do not really believe him. If we did, we would never dare to carry out even the least harmful of negative actions, and we would place great importance on developing positive actions, even the most insignificant. Do we not value a nugget of gold, no matter how small?
(Dilgo Khyentse & Padampa Sangye. The Hundred Verses of Advice: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on What Matters Most. 2002.)
