The two words "cause and effect" were not valued only by Buddhism; Taoism and Confucianism valued them just as highly.
But these three traditions understood cause and effect in completely different ways. Confucianism looked only to this life and did not concern itself with the next. All it sought was a clear conscience: when one's conduct was upright, good deeds would bring good fruits; if one's virtue was wanting, calamity would surely follow.
Taoist cultivation pursued longevity and believed in the Heavenly Dao's principle of inherited consequences.
"The trees planted by the forebears provide shade for their descendants; the disasters brought on by the forebears befall their descendants." It was simply the heavenly principle that good deeds were repaid with good and evil deeds with evil. The causes sown today would bear fruit in later generations.
As for cause and effect in the eyes of Buddhism, from what Shi Lan understood, they affected three lifetimes. The outcome of today was already determined, its origin lying in a cause planted at some moment in the past. The causes planted in this life would inevitably bring their consequences in the next.
"Cause and effect involve matters of great consequence. Even a true Buddha cannot escape their bonds or transcend them. As this old monk sees it, though 'cause' comes first in the phrase 'cause and effect,' it does not necessarily mean the cause must come first. It may be the effect that comes first. For instance, today, benefactress, you brought us this statue. Perhaps this happened because of some outcome that will come to pass in the future."
Kongchan gently moved the prayer beads in his hand and shook his head slightly.
"Just listen to those words and let them pass, benefactress. There is no need to take them to heart, much