Khenpo Yeshe Phuntsok
In the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya, Bodhisattva Vasubandhu writes that many virtuous and non-virtuous karmas ripen at the moment of death. What determines the order of ripening?
The heavier karma will ripen first. If two karmas are equal in weight, then the karma that is triggered by the last thought at the moment of death will ripen first.
If two karmas are equally triggered at the moment of death, then the one that has a stronger power of habit will ripen first.
If even their strength of habituation is equal, then the karma that is created earlier will ripen first.
Geshe Potowa illustrated this with an analogy of people competing to board a boat to cross a river. The stronger person boards first. If their strength is equal, the one closer to the boat boards first. If both are equally close, the one more familiar with the boatman boards first. If both are equally familiar with the boatman, then the one who first makes the request to board will board first.
Therefore, the birth of sentient beings is not unrelated to their previous death. The continuity of karmic consciousness is like a rushing stream —one moment followed by the next unceasingly— flowing from one end to the other end.
Each of us has our own character, behavior, speech mannerisms, looks, opinions and thinking. For ordinary beings, these are more or less set in a fixed pattern. It is not likely for a person to alter his habits drastically overnight. This demonstrates the effect of habitual conditioning.
A tree that has long leaned toward the west will ultimately fall toward the west, so too scenes that appear at the time of death are often the result of one’s habitual tendencies in life.
Whatever wholesome or unwholesome habits we have deeply cultivated during our lifetime are likely to arise at the moment of death.
