A Past-Life Story: Past-Life Killing Karma Causes Liver Disease

2021.6.10

Rinpoche: You register at the gastroenterology clinic, I'll treat you for stomach disease.Even if the stomach ulcer is caused by liver cirrhosis, I'd treat it as a stomach ulcer.Three months of medication, some effect, because the medicine is antacid plus painkillers.Three months of treatment, up and down, up and down.The doctor also finds it strange — a stomach ulcer not healing in three months.First I'll tell you a story of mine, then you'll think through your problem.What belongs to deities, return to deities; what belongs to ghosts, return to ghosts; what belongs to cause-and-effect, return to cause-and-effect.I'm very clear about dividing these.But once cause-and-effect has already damaged the body, you must proceed on both tracks.If you only go the religious route, your body makes no progress — useless.

I see this very objectively.Don't blame everything on another world.Because you're already damaged, you treat the spiritual body; the physical body isn't shaken, so no doctor is useful.So no matter how much religious action, if you don't see a doctor it's useless either.Must be in parallel.All your problems are caused by the liver.The liver's pain spot won't be on the liver area — it'll be on the diaphragm, chest, and two inches below the navel.Below the navel there's belly pain — it'll hurt around the whole abdomen, the back too; the front liver won't hurt, it'll shoot pain to the back, shoulder and back too.It'll shift along nerve paths.If the liver can't detoxify, your nerves get poisoned, and you'll have nerve inflammation.Doctors can't tell.Western-medicine check should show the liver is bad.

Why does pain relate to the liver?Because the liver doesn't hurt — it hurts elsewhere via nerve conduction.Many people think they're possessed or something, so they just keep tackling it with religion.But the liver makes no progress — hasn't found a sharp doctor.Reach late-stage liver cirrhosis, they cut out fibrotic liver.If that fails, liver transplant, long wait, matching, complicated.Chinese medicine is better at the liver.Seen a Chinese doctor?

Lay devotee: I tried to help him find a liver doctor, but he kept complaining of stomach pain, so I kept taking him to doctors for the stomach.

Rinpoche: Wrong, wrong, wrong.Just reading your name I'd say the liver will cirrhose.I said wood is too much, too much wood becomes fibrotic — isn't wood fibrous?Your wood is too much, and you were born in a Rén-zǐ year, Rén water also comes to help liver-wood grow.Water is already too much, right?And then water comes to boost tree growth bigger and more.Taipei has a Dr.Chen Wang-chun who's famous — specializes in various tumors; liver problems should be okay.From my earlier impression, his technique isn't bad.Health insurance would be cheap, but I don't know if he takes it.He runs a clinic in a hospital.Look him up.

Lay devotee: We went to Dr.Chen to try to treat the liver, but the medicine he gave was too strong, you know?Maybe heavy medicine — he rolled on the ground, lost all his strength, strength knocked out.So I need to find one who can treat the liver and treat him gently.

Rinpoche: Liver fibrosis needs yin-nourishing, not purging.Nourishing moisture.Because it's dried out and fibrosed, add lubrication, let it moisten.The liver is a moist organ — needs lubrication.Nourishing liver blood is also a way — makes cells activate, lets the fibrosed matter gradually gain nutrition.But Four-Herbs decoction won't do, because he currently has inflammation.Don't think "nourish blood = Four-Herbs." So your problems all originate from the liver.Don't think too much.

Lay devotee: I've told him, he won't believe me.Three years, he insists on treating the stomach.Now switching to liver treatment — too late?

He's insisted all along on treating his stomach.Even endoscoped the stomach five times.

Rinpoche: You hadn't met me.If three years ago you had, I'd have said start from the liver, ignore the rest.Now not too late.Discovered in time, not too late.I'm giving a directional theme.Theme wrong, liver not handled, stomach will never heal.So in that earlier story: Chongren Hospital, after three months of treatment, found something off.Why?Belly swelled up.Family said, "Doctor, strange, belly's swelled up." Doctor stunned, quickly transferred him.Transferred to Chang Gung, big hospital.Full-body exam, found liver cirrhosis, liver cancer stage 3 — the family sued.Dragged on too long.Previously it had already been there.Sued the hospital — "Why, while treating the stomach, didn't you think of what caused it, so he could be transferred to hepatology?Why no suggestion to transfer?"

Lay devotee: Rinpoche, in his case now, what karmic cause brought this on?

Rinpoche: First we understand the illness, then we trace.If you chase karmic illness only — once the body starts breaking, what's the meaning of tracing?Because on the dharmadhātu side, even Medicine Buddha can't catch your body's current state.This is result-logic now.The body already injured, already sick — this is called result.For the result, first take emergency measures with medicine.This is emergency.Don't let it worsen.Must treat the liver first, then afterward alleviate the karmic illness aspect.The order is this — not handle cause-and-effect first while this side keeps breaking and that side hasn't taken effect.

Cause-and-effect isn't "accounts cleared, no more owed." Not that fast.It must be in deep memory, so its speed isn't that fast.Some misunderstand — "Why Medicine Buddha pujas so many times and still no effect?" Now it's the result.Already broken, right?

Lay devotee: Of course the body must be tackled, I'll do it.But I can't shift his thinking!

Rinpoche: So I won't talk religion right away, won't talk karmic illness.I directly diagnose: your trouble is the liver.

Why not just tell you fantastical things?Because what you must focus on — the result is already there, the liver is already in trouble.We go back and trace.Because the pace there is slower, slower things go slow, one two three times, no problem.But what's urgent must be tackled with medicine first — see the doctor.Human changes have many factors.Really, don't just blame karma — it's only part.Fengshui-field problems can also interfere.The environment and field you live in aren't right, the room you live in, that environment field, that house's interference.For the liver it's the east.Depends on your house's structure.Those with liver problems — mostly east: either the bedroom's door opens east, or the sliding window opens east — both cause liver issues.I'm saying: first, his bedroom may be in the east, second, his door may open east.The east governs the liver, so don't be stuck on this —

Lay devotee: The stomach ache now — chest and back hurt too, like someone's got a stranglehold there.

Rinpoche: I know, that's the liver.And chest tightness.The liver — this whole area clamps up.

Right, you'll think it's stomach pain.Liver and gallbladder pain can't be pinpointed.The gallbladder itself doesn't hurt, the liver itself doesn't hurt.Gallbladder hurts where?The rib edges on both sides.Liver pain roams, following nerve conduction.Where it goes, it hurts — today here, tomorrow there.Liver is like this.I'm advising from a medical standpoint, so understand first.Later I'll check if there's karmic illness — this is secondary.If handled in parallel, the effect shows up more clearly.All religious handling?Sorry, slow, and no tangible effect.If you meet a truly expert doctor who tells you "treat from the liver," done, right?

You can't tell the doctor "you look at the stomach, not the liver" — so unless you're stubborn, don't fight yourself; trust the pros.Your medical knowledge won't beat seven years of medical school.Reactions after medication — tell the doctor to adjust.Medicine is live, not dead.Still, start from the liver.Reading the name I knew — I haven't even looked at anything else.

So as much as possible, don't argue with the doctor or the guru: "I believe myself; what you say is for reference." Stubborn, no point seeing anyone — meaningless, wastes your time and mine.We want to help you.For you, we think about which approach helps.If you insist on your own thinking, you don't need a doctor or a guru — none of it.

Lay devotee: No, sometimes when I discuss his illness with his doctor, I want to steer them toward the liver, and he gets angry — "I obviously have stomach pain, why do you say liver?" He gets angry easily too!

Rinpoche: That's stomach pain caused by liver — because you don't understand liver.Liver sickness energy is like this.Can't help it, he can't help getting angry.Liver governs anger, so liver-fire big, big liver-fire — he'll blow up.Once the liver fibroses, he'll blow.Forgivable — because he's sick.

Can fibrosis be reversed?Takes time for cells to proliferate again, to produce new cells.But it keeps drying up — like a flower or plant, when you don't water it and it's already dry, by the time you water it, the dry parts can't come back to life.Once dry, dry.Unless new buds grow from another spot.Seize time.If I can help you, listen, okay?Treat the liver well.

(Rinpoche examines karmic illness and cause-and-effect…)

Rinpoche: Mm, your karmic illness really is tied to the liver.

Tracing back your cause: the more serious segment of past lives is when you did market business — all tied to killing.Second, in that process of killing, that past life looks like a mainland Chinese Hunanese, very good at making cured meat.His real specialty was making the kind of "gall-and-liver" sausage we eat in Taiwan — specialized in this, had special interest in pig liver, did it especially well.So this image is in the brain, lifetimes of reincarnation attached specifically to the liver.Once attached, the memory wasn't demagnetized through rebirth, so a strong pressure sits on the liver.That was his work.

Second, besides making that stuff in the market, he also caught and killed fish.I see him rowing a boat, catching fish, killing them personally — killing on the spot, cutting the belly open and so on.So in this life he'll inevitably take a blade — a blade to the belly.Mostly from killing karma.

He's an expert at killing fish, expert at catching fish.From the start he dealt in animal cured meats and fish jerky.His specialty — that "gall-and-liver" we buy at New Year, like cured meat, like gall-and-liver — his occupation was doing this his whole life.

From Hunan on the mainland.Should be around the Qing dynasty.Looking at the clothes, hunting or market-business attire — not very luxurious.Also very overworked, excessively laborious.Up early every morning, worked till late, every day.Later also died from overwork.So the connection is very strong.For religious means, most would say to release animals.

If a master can read karma, they'd tell you to release lives.If feasible, go do it — these things are okay.These aspects repair past killing karma and the karmic force toward animals.This helps.Of course run them in parallel.If it helps him, I think it's okay.Also find a better hepatobiliary doctor.Don't fixate on the stomach.

Many people — because of stomach pain, and the stomach doesn't kill, in the end liver isn't attended to; all attention goes to the stomach while the liver worsens.Keep treating the stomach — up and down, up and down.Stomach pain doesn't roam.Because the stomach is an organ that hurts, liver is an organ that doesn't.So liver pain is passed to other places.We who have been doctors know this very clearly.The liver is called the silent organ.

Starting today when you go back, work on finding someone specialized in the liver — Chinese or Western, both okay.I already said: karma is karma, illness is illness.Illness is the result, karma is the main cause.If the result side improves but the main cause isn't dissolved, it still keeps emitting that karmic force.There's chance of recurrence.

So first fix the result, at least the body feels comfortable, no inexplicable fire.Meanwhile continue dissolving the emission point, dissolving where the illness originates.Sequence first, second.Otherwise dissolving the karmic main cause is slow — like filing a case in court, countless days, not a one-shot verdict.It's mediated.Handling cause-and-effect is mediation — definitely not clearing karma.

Cause-and-effect can't be changed.You can only mediate it, turn it to a civil case.Developing into this life's manifestation is criminal law — judged what disease you should receive by reincarnation.This is called sentencing, confirmed.If modifications were possible there'd be no cause-and-effect.So we always call it result-logic.From result-logic, trace back to change the result — do you think it's possible?Not really!

Now it's already fruit.What we face is all fruit.He can only process the current fruit, clean up the aftermath, and on the cause side do negotiation."Don't take my life" — must keep negotiating.Must negotiate; otherwise the result doesn't stabilize, it keeps emitting, continuously emitting, because the alarm system isn't deactivated.Fire burning while the fire alarm screams — you can't just turn off the alarm and pretend it's done.So both must be done at once.One is Yuan-Chen Palace repair, one is karmic resolution.These two use the 35-Buddha Repentance of Karma Puja, and Vajrasattva's purifying evil karma practice.He should also set his own vow to do daily practice.

For karmic illness, mostly need Vajrasattva's purifying-evil.Second, dedicate to beings with the same illness — same liver trouble as me — then burn a portion of my medicine for them.If I'm to take a dose, if it's powder, scoop one spoonful.When I'm about to take, I offer one spoonful to beings.Ah.If I have 10 doses, take one dose and burn it, giving to beings with the same affliction.This is a huge principle — it isn't just compassion.The universe is a reflex.What's thrown out comes back.When I rescue beings, beings' pain is dissolved — my pain is dissolved.Relativity.Many don't know this method.This is tantra's smoke offering and fire puja dedication method.I have no money — I give money to beings; beings dedicate money back to me.Relativity.I give my liver medicine to beings, and back to me is: my liver eases more.What's given out returns, just via a turn around and back.Sometimes the medicine the body takes has no effect; burning it out instead works.When done reciting Vajrasattva — you can recite, right?— then say "I offer this medicine to all beings with the same ailment, in pain, bad liver." Say it like that.Because you haven't learned tantra, I can't teach you too deeply.Normally we'd do the liturgy — must recite it properly.The Shanjin Smoke Offering practice and the plain smoke offering, and reciting the text.You haven't learned, I can't teach much.For now this Hundred-Syllable mantra — recite it if you can, then the Medicine Buddha mantra, then burn that medicine.All with a little smoke-offering powder.We have smoke-offering powder — buy a few packs for a base, then put the herbal medicine on top, light the smoke offering.That's it.Here recite the Vajrasattva Hundred-Syllable repentance.Don't go after a count.Don't go after numbers — recite till you can't recite anymore.Do you negotiate just once?Make effort, how many times?Recite till your throat's hoarse, till you feel "I'm really exhausted," right?Don't ask about count.To tie such a bad karmic bond — one time done?Will they let it go?So in Dharma don't keep your head so simple.Don't use numbers as a bargaining condition.Only use sincerity and intention — sincerity to repair yourself and sincerity to give to beings.If you talk numbers, useless; talk "so-and-so dollars" and it's worthless.

Sister: Rinpoche, shall we help him draw a body scan diagram next, and move to the next?

Rinpoche: Hurry and treat your liver — talking more doesn't help.The theme is clear — because you aren't grabbing the theme.You grab it, no use — need him to willingly cooperate.The body isn't yours.

Sister: At the Medicine Buddha puja we scan everyone's body, then we practice Medicine Buddha.Our Medicine Buddha pujas are like this.Now please let Rinpoche help scan his body.If he has a Medicine Buddha need, he can tell you, then register.

Rinpoche: So listen to Dharma and get the gist.Can't just insist on your own thinking.His kidneys are already starting to go.Kidneys already injured, somewhat serious.Kidneys hurt too.

So now it isn't just stomach pain and random pain — kidneys hurt, back hurts, body hurts all over, so he'll blow up.One blow-up, the liver gets harder.Back home, nothing to do, press between the thumb and the second toe — the space between thumb and second toe on the foot, and press between thumb and index finger on the hand.Press till it hurts.Must press till it hurts — stimulate it — that's the liver's main point, Taichong.Press and press, he'll calm down about anger, liver eases too.While watching TV, nothing to do, press.He may already be exhausted — of course, sick people are uncomfortable, no good mood — forgivable.

(Rinpoche scans body…)

Sister: Join another Medicine Buddha puja.Through the puja, you often find a good doctor — it helps too!

Rinpoche: Because the liver's bad, its toxins run to many places in the body — all black spots.The whole body is toxic, running around.The liver filters toxins; if it resists filtering, toxins fall back, pushed to the kidneys.Kidneys say, "Already overloaded, don't dump on me!" No one wants it.So toxins run into the nervous system, into the blood.Where invaded, hurt.Scanned over his body — a lot of toxins, toxins.So one direction is detox, the other is don't drain his strength.Cold medicines — don't take; too cold ones not to use — remind the doctor a bit.

I mentioned nourishing yin — Liuwei Dihuang Pills aren't cold.He's still young.Care more for your body.Many things to do; you haven't found life's hope yet.

Suppose this time doesn't resolve — his next life will face the same, unchanged, repeats; plot replays.You'll get well — your whole body hasn't turned to "cured gall-and-liver." I met a 70-year-old uncle whose liver was 2/3 hardened.Every year his son-in-law paid for him to go to the mainland — "do whatever, have fun" — happily lived to 80.Once happy, you be sick, I play.Once happy, the liver won't deteriorate.If every day you think "how long will I live," very quick.You're like this — whole body hurts, drilling, hurts all over.See why it runs — called conduction.The liver is telling you he's uncomfortable.Your body is speaking, protesting.

Lay devotee: I know what I'm facing myself, and I can't do anything.I have no way with him!

Rinpoche: Of course you have no way — you aren't the doctor!Stomach pain is secondary disease — because he takes lots of medicine, stomach ulcer is inevitable.Of course tend the stomach a bit — liver, gall, stomach are together.So liver disease is misdiagnosed as stomach pain.Treating stomach pain misdiagnoses becomes liver disease.Let go of fixed opinions.Being stubborn with yourself tortures yourself and those near you.The uncle I mentioned — age 70, went to the mainland, go wherever!

Lay devotee: I have no strength now.

Rinpoche: Of course no strength — liver governs strength, liver governs essence.Hurry and find the right doctor.Ask friends and relatives — which doctor has special research on the liver and gallbladder.There'll be one.You'll find it.

Sister: We offer lamps — Medicine Buddha lamps.For New Year, come light the Bright Lamp.Any method that helps, we use.

Rinpoche: Lift the mood.Go bask in the sun, look at pretty scenery, meditate quietly a while.Relax, don't tense up.The angrier, the worse the liver cirrhosis.Look at more green things — gardens, flower exhibitions.Watch green beautiful plants.Shift your attention to green pretty flowers — pain feels less.The more you think about pain, the worse.He can't ease — it hurts a lot.

Sister: Last time I had my liver blood-tested — I was very tired, eyes very sore.Index was 3,000-plus.He said no wonder so tired — index that high, really high, eyes so sore.Rinpoche told me to take Liver-Channel No.1, now Liver-Channel No.2 — one medicine.One capsule and my eye soreness receded.After a week straight my fatigue improved a lot.Because my blood lipids are high and I have chronic inflammation, I also take fish oil — effect good too.Don't worry — there's still hope, as long as you're willing, there's hope.