Chan Master Nan Huai Jin
Throughout human history, the upheavals any nation goes through should not be solely blamed on a few leaders. Most unrest and chaos arise because the general atmosphere of society is already problematic, that is to say, it is caused by the degeneration of human values and morals as a whole.
Although a few powerful individuals can sometimes alter the course of history, there are times when even they are powerless. When a situation becomes irreversible, later generations describe it with the term “unavoidable calamity”. This implies that the suffering of such turmoil is the result of the collective karma of all humans or people of a specific region. Such tectonic shifts in fortune are not something a small group of people can hope to reverse.
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An impending catastrophe or the ripening of collective karma for a nation can only be turned around if everyone works together to correct their actions and mindset. It cannot be resolved by some miracle. Each person must take responsibility for their own karma. Buddhists understand this principle and begin by cultivating their body, mind and conduct, making it purer and more virtuous.
We cannot do wrong and simply ask the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas for forgiveness. If everyone behaved this way, where's the understanding of cause-and-effect? Cause-and-effect is incredibly powerful— one will reap what one sows. He who tied the knot must be the one to undo it. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have great compassion and great powers, but you need to correct your attitude, be sincere and cultivate. Only then can negative karma be reversed naturally without even trying.
