Deep Commentary

The two verses above were taught by the Buddha at Jetavana monastery in connection with Patacara. According to the traditional account, Patacara lived in Savatthi as the daughter of a very wealthy family. She was exceptionally beautiful, yet beauty often brings a precarious fate, and even those endowed with charm may endure great hardship. She had an illicit affair with a household servant, despite her family having arranged her marriage to a socially appropriate suitor. As the wedding approached, she fled with the servant to a distant place, where they established a household together. Accustomed to wealth, she was not familiar with manual labor, but in this situation, she had no choice and could not complain to anyone. She endured and assisted her husband in building and maintaining their home. Life was extremely difficult, yet this too was her karmic result. Eventually, she became pregnant. Before giving birth, she secretly tried to return to her parents’ home, but her husband discovered this and brought her back. The second attempt ended the same way, but this time she went into labor on the road. Her husband cut wood in the forest and built a shelter to protect her from sun and rain during delivery. Tragically, he was bitten by a poisonous snake and died. She waited, but he never returned. She delivered the second child alone and continued toward her parents’ home, carrying both children. Crossing a river, she left the older child on one bank and carried the newborn first. Midway, she saw a hawk swooping for the child on the bank, waved her arms, and shouted to chase it away, accidentally dropping the newborn into the river, where it drowned. The older child, seeing the mother waving, thought she called him, fell into the river, and also drowned. Both children were lost. Exhausted, she reached the opposite bank alone. On the way home, she learned her entire family had perished in a fire. The news struck her like lightning; she went mad from grief. Wandering aimlessly, she eventually came to the monastery where the Buddha and the Sangha resided. The Buddha, knowing her karmic debt was fulfilled, spoke words of comfort and wisdom, opening her mind to the truth. He said: “Patacara, when a person departs this world, no children, parents, or relatives can provide protection or refuge. Even if they are alive, they cannot help. The wise should cultivate purity in conduct to clear the path to Nirvana.” The Buddha then taught the two verses above, and Patacara attained the fruit of stream-entry. Verse 288 serves as a warning: when death comes, no one can die in our place, even our closest loved ones. No one can eat or sleep on our behalf. Difficult tasks may be done by relatives, but death is borne solely by the individual. Life contains things that can be substituted by others, but death cannot. Even the closest relations cannot serve a prison sentence for a murderer. Ordinary daily matters often leave us helpless, and death even more so. Reflecting on this, we should tend to our spiritual life. At times, family obligations may lead us to commit sins, harming living beings or performing unjust acts to provide comfort to relatives, yet all consequences are borne by the doer alone. Cause and effect is exact. Buddhists should consider consequences carefully before acting. Actions benefiting others but harming oneself in an unwholesome way should be avoided. Actions benefiting oneself, others, and sentient beings, yielding welfare in this and future lives, are truly wholesome and should be performed. The reverse should be avoided. When one descends into suffering, no one else can enter and bear it. Words of sorrow from others do not alleviate one’s suffering; one must endure the pain of one’s own karma. Even after repentance, it is too late. The best course is to care for oneself by avoiding creating evil causes. Patacara, though born into wealth and beauty, had to endure the results of her own unwholesome karma. Thus we see that the law of cause and effect is perfectly fair. Birth into wealth and beauty came from past merits, but the suffering of losing husband, children, and family was her karmic retribution. Only the Buddha knew the origin of her karma across lifetimes and could guide her to liberation. When unwholesome karma is exhausted, the fruits of wholesome acts can be enjoyed. In daily life, we sometimes think, speak, and act badly, and sometimes think, speak, and act well. All actions have causes and results, following us like a shadow, without error. When a result ripens, we must experience it. Thus, there are times of happiness and prosperity, and times of misfortune, all determined by the karma we have created. Understanding this, we should enjoy the good results joyfully and endure the bad results with patience, as all karma arises from oneself alone. As the Kiều poem says: “Bearing karma in the body, do not blame heaven near or far. Good or bad arises from oneself; enjoy good when it comes, pay for bad when it comes.” One should remember: avoid creating evil causes and cultivate wholesome acts to accumulate merit, ensuring happiness in this life and future lives.