Karma- The Notion of Cause and Effect

This video on Karma- the notion of cause and effect is by Venerable Master Sheng Yen. I enjoy listening to his teaching. 

From this video;

This " three periods of time" is not three literal periods of time. There are three periods of the past, three periods of the present , three periods of the future and the duration of these three periods can be long or short.

How long? It could be forever, an infinite past and a boundless future. That is called " three periods of time". As for the period, the duration can be short; the previous second, the next second and the current second are three periods of time. 

The three periods are a space of time. As physical objects moving in time, our movement in space has a temporal connection; that is the previous point; the present point and the point to come, This becomes the three periods of time. 

As living beings going through the life process, we are certainly subject to causes and effects. 

So whatever we do and experience in this lifetime, we must take responsibility in the future. 

Today's consequences are from causes a long long time ago which generated consequences and then these again become causes. When there is a consequence, it becomes a cause.