Buddha’s Teaching on the Two Kinds of Mistakes Now and Future Life | Karma and Result

Numbered Discourse 2.1 Mistakes

Sometime ago in old India.

I heard this story: Once, the Buddha was staying near Savatthi, in Jeta’s Grove at Anathapindika’s monastery. 

He gathered the monks and said, “Monks!”

“Yes, Sir,” they answered.

Then, the Buddha shared this teaching:

“There are two kinds of mistakes you should be aware of. What are they? 

Mistakes with consequences in this life, and Mistakes tied to future lives.

Let’s talk about the first kind— the Mistakes with consequences in this life. Imagine you see a criminal, who has done bad thing such as stealing or killing, caught by the authorities. They’re punished harshly: whipped, beaten, or worse—hands or feet cut off, ears or nose removed, or even gruesome tortures like being burned, impaled, being put into jail, or executed with capital punishment. You think to yourself, ‘If I did something like that, the same result could happen to me.’ That fear stops you from stealing or harming others. 

That’s what I mean by the mistake with consequences in this life.

Now, the second kind—the mistakes that tied to future lives. Picture someone reflecting: ‘If I act badly with my bodily actions, words from speech, or thoughts, it’s going to lead to suffering after I die. I could end up in a terrible place, like hell.’ That fear makes them abandon harmful actions and instead develop and/or practice good conducts in their bodily actions, words from speech, and thoughts. 

That’s the mistakes tied to future lives.

So, here’s how you should train: Reflect to yourself, ‘I’ll steer clear of mistakes with consequences in this life and the mistake tied to future lives. I’ll recognize the danger in mistakes and stay vigilant.’ That’s the way to practice.

If you truly fear mistakes and see their danger, you can free yourself from all mistakes.”

That’s what the Buddha taught.

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Original

So I have heard. 

At one time the Buddha was staying near Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the monks, “Monks!”

“Venerable sir,” they replied. 

The Buddha said this:

“There are, mendicants, these two faults. What are the two faults? 

The mistake with this life consequences, and the mistake to do with future lives consequences.

What is mistake with this life consequences? 

It’s when someone sees that kings have arrested a bandit, a criminal, and subjected them to various punishments—whipping, caning, and clubbing; cutting off hands or feet, or both; cutting off ears or nose, or both; the ‘porridge pot’, the ‘shell-shave’, the ‘Rahu’s mouth’, the ‘garland of fire’, the ‘burning hand’, the ‘bulrush twist’, the ‘bark dress’, the ‘antelope’, the ‘meat hook’, the ‘coins’, the ‘caustic pickle’, the ‘twisting bar’, the ‘straw mat’; being splashed with hot oil, being fed to the dogs, being impaled alive, putting into jail, being beheaded, or death penalty.

It occurs to them: ‘If I were to commit the kinds of bad deeds for which the kings arrested that bandit, that criminal, the rulers would arrest me and subject me to the same punishments. Afraid of mistake with this life consequences, they do not steal the belongings of others. 

This is called the mistake with this life consequences.

What is the mistake to do with future lives consequences? 

It’s when someone reflects: 

‘Bad conduct of body, speech, or mind has a bad, painful result in the next life. If I conduct myself badly, then, when my body breaks up, after death, won’t I be reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell?’ Afraid of mistake to do with future lives consequences, they give up bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, and develop good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, keeping themselves pure. 

This is called the mistake to do with future lives consequences.

These are the two mistakes.

So you should train like this: 

‘We will scare of the mistake with this life consequences, and we will scare of the mistake to do with future lives consequences. We will scare of our mistakes, seeing the danger in mistakes.’ That’s how you should train. 

If you fear mistakes, seeing the danger in mistakes, you can expect to be freed from all mistakes.”

That is what Buddha said.