Establishing the right concept of time. Time connects past, present and future 

by Venerable Jen Chun

Time connects past, present and future.

The Buddha illustrated cause-and-effect

with three periods.

Resolve to remove, build, create,

and develop in daily life.

Utilise time well, make progress,

and completely open anew.

When talking about the Buddha Dharma, we first need to establish a concept of time. This is because most people neglect the concept of time. The Buddha, on the other hand, having known that the principle of cause-and-effect is based on time, was fully aware of its importance.

TIME CONNECTS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

The Buddha taught that time has the attribute of continuity. The past, the present and the future are one and connected. This is even past beyond the past, and the past can go so far back that you will not find a beginning. So, from a long, long time ago, sentient beings have been transmigrating in the cycle of life and death, all of which is very complex.

In contrast to the past, there is the future, and even future beyond the future. The future can go so far ahead that there is no end to be found. Thus, if we compare the past and the future, we can say that the past is without a beginning, and the future without an end. It is the present that links the past and the future. This life of ours, to put it simply, is the present.

Ordinary people do not understand the nature of cause-and-effect and its relevance to the present. Why? Because they do not understand that the present is the result of past causes. Likewise, all our actions in this life in turn create new causes, which will produce future effects. Most people choose to ignore this fact. They prefer to avoid studying and discussing what happened in the past, and they are oblivious of the future – it is meaningless to them. They care only about the present.

Under these circumstances, most people only want to indulge in the pleasures of life, always looking for comfort and enjoyment. Such material indulgence only leads to entrapment, which brings extreme affliction. When you perceive life through distorted values, improvement will not be possible, because you are trapped by your false views.

THE BUDDHA ILLUSTRATED CAUSE-AND-EFFECT WITH THREE PERIODS 

The reason that the Buddha Dharma emphasises the interrelatedness of the past, present and future is to demonstrate that there is the time of the past, and the time of the future, so that you will not perceive your lives as being isolated, independent of everything else. Thus, your views will gradually open up, and you will not be pessimistic, trapped in the current reality.

You will be able to look backwards and forward into time. Whenever things are going well, you will not be overjoyed since you understand that your fortune is due to the good causes of the past. On the contrary, whenever things are not going well, you will not be regretful since you understand that it is because you did not plant good seeds in the past that you are facing problems now.

We must understand the principle of cause-and-effect. You may say to yourselves: “Now that I have learned the Buddha Dharma, I am responsible for taking what I have learnt, and building on the concept of cause-and-effect, teaching it to others – teaching others not to over-indulge.