恶业必须忏悔，善业必须回向

About those past misdeeds that we have performed but cannot recall，we can contemplate like this: “All the misdeeds that I have committed since beginningless time, intentionally or unintentionally, are all wrong. As if they are the poison I have taken, I feel the greatest fear and regret for my actions, and vow never to commit them ever again.” This way，all negative karma can be changed into mutable karma. The significance of such resolution cannot be overstated. Otherwise, any karmic effect will be possible if this is not done.

对于往昔曾经造过、现在已经不能回忆的恶业，我们可以这样观想：无始以来我所做的一切罪业，无论是有意或无意做的，都是不应该的。并如同服了毒药一般，对它生起强烈的恐惧和后悔心，并发誓从此再也不做，这样就可以令无始以来所造的一切恶业都变成不定业，这是很有意义且十分重要的。如果不能这样做，情况就很难讲了。

Although we have not committed killing or stealing in this life and, being Buddhist practitioners, we often chant mantras, meditate and liberate animals, these virtuous actions are still the doings of defiled mortals. Once strong anger arises in our minds, all our virtuous karma so far accumulated will be destroyed instantly if the merit has not been dedicated. Besides, the roots of virtue of ordinary people are not stable—being good now does not mean staying good forever. If we were to have the powers of divination, we would be able to see all of our negative karma being stored in the alaya consciousness. Without repentance, the ensuing retributions will surely take place. Then it will exactly match the nihilists’view, i.e., causality does not exist，such that one may lead a virtuous life but still drop to the lower realm after death. That would be a dangerous view for us Buddhists. Thus，we must repent all our negative karma as all of them can be purified through true penitence.

虽然我们今生没有杀生、偷盗造恶业，都是居士或出家人，经常念佛、修法、放生，但我们所做的毕竟是凡夫的有漏善业，如果又没有回向，一旦生起一个强烈的嗔恨心，当下便可摧毁长时所积的善业，因为凡夫的这些善根都是靠不住的，现在做得好，以后做得好不好，谁也没把握。如果我们有能力，就可以看到过去世所做的不善业因全部储存在阿赖耶识里，若不忏悔，其果报一定会显现，那时就与持断见的外道所见一样：虽然今生行善，死后却会堕落。这是非常危险的，因此我们必须要忏悔。没有一个罪业是不能忏悔的，都能够忏悔清净。

On the other hand, virtue also has the possibility to turn into mutable karma. It is therefore important for us to save all virtuous karma as best we can. There are two ways to do that. One is dedication. The other, a better way, is to understand fully the meaning of emptiness, that is, knowing virtuous karma is, like dreams, intrinsically illusory. If we can contemplate in this way, even if anger arises, it cannot destroy the root of virtue. Because anger is defilement，a mental affliction rooted in attachment, it is incompatible with the view that all phenomena are illusory. But the virtuous actions we performed are directly associated with attaining realization of that view. Since something mired in attachment is inferior to the virtuous root planted with wisdom, anger cannot destroy this root of virtue. If we have neither attained any realization nor dedicated merit, but are constantly filled with anger, virtuous karma will be destroyed very easily. For ordinary people, the best way to save accumulated good karma is dedication of merit.

同样，善也有不定业，我们应该尽量把善业储存下来，方法有两种，一种是回向，还有一个更好的方法就是通达空性，知道行善是如梦如幻的，若能这样思维，即使有嗔恨心生起，也毁不掉这个善根。因为嗔恨心是有漏的、有执着的，它与如幻如梦的见解是没有关系的，而我们所做的善法是跟证悟如幻如梦的智慧有关的，两者比起来，有执着的法比不上有智慧的善根，所以嗔恨心毁不了这个善根。如果既没有证悟又没有回向，而且嗔心不断，那么善根就很容易被毁灭。对凡夫来讲，回向就是最好的办法。

In conclusion, we should do everything we can to turn all evil karma into mutable karma and all virtuous karma immutable.

综上所述，我们要尽量让那些恶业都转为不定业，而把所有的善业想办法变成定业。