Lectures by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua,
Given at Gold Mountain Monastery,
San Francisco, California, in 1974
The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha
(Section 8 to 10)
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Section 8
Abusing Others Defiles Oneself
The Buddha said, an evil person who harms a sage is like one who raises his head and spits at heaven. Instead of reaching heaven, the spittle falls back on him. It is the same with someone who throws dust against the wind. Instead of going somewhere else, the dust returns to defile his own body. The sage can not be harmed. Misdeeds will inevitably destroy the doer."
In this eighth section, the Buddha teaches us that we must not do bad deeds, that we must not harm people, because to harm others is just to harm oneself. If you slight others, you only slight yourself. If you are bad to others, it the same as being bad to yourself.
The Buddha said, n evil person who harms a sage is like one who raises his head and spits at heaven. Instead of reaching heaven, the spittle falls back on him. "an evil person" refers to someone who does bad deeds of every kind, while a sage is a worthy and virtuous person. When an evil person who has no virtue tries to harm a sage who has genuine virtue, it as if he were tipping back his head to spit at the sky. The spit doesn’t reach the sky, but instead falls back on his own face. This is to say that an evil person is really unable to harm a sage. He may think of a way to harm him, but in the end he still actually harming himself. In this world there are underlying principles of justice which govern all things, and which make it wrong to harm people.
It is the same with someone who throws dust against the wind. Instead of going somewhere else, the dust returns to defile his own body. If you face the wind and toss out a handful of dust, instead of flying forward, it will fly back to you and fall on your own body.
The sage cannot be harmed. Misdeeds will in evitably destroy the doer. You can slander a sage or really harm him, because when you cause misfortune for others, you will also bring misfortune upon yourself. It you who will have to undergo the retribution.
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Section 9
By Returning to the Source, You Find the Way
The Buddha said, deep learning and a love of the Way make the Way difficult to attain. When you guard your mind and revere the Way, the Way is truly great! "
In this ninth section, the Buddha is teaching cultivators to hear the Dharma and to contemplate it, to contemplate the Dharma and to cultivate it, to cultivate the Dharma and then to realize it. Cultivators should not only be able to discuss or to listen to the Buddhadharma, they should also able to put it into practice. It only counts when you actually go and do it.
The Buddha said, deep learning and a love of the Way make the Way difficult to attain. "Deep learning here refers to being well-read. Ananda, for instance, was fore most in learning. He could be called deeply learned. But someone who has only studied the Dharma and has not contemplated it as it is taught will never be able to understand the principles it contains. He relies on only rote memory and intellectual ability. Even if he has a sharp memory and can memorize a sutra, he won get any response. If he fails to contemplate the meaning and fails to cultivate according to it, it will ultimately be of no use to him. love of the Way " refers to cultivators who know that the Way is really excellent, but who don realize that originally the Way is just their own mind. It is not apart from their own mind. Those people go searching outside their mind for another Way. Although they long for and cherish the Way, yet if they seek outside, they will go wrong. That makes the Way difficult to obtain. " By seeking outside, they will not understand the Way, nor will they be able to encounter it. Since they won encounter it, even less will they understand the Way. The longer they run, the farther away they will get.
When you guard your mind and revere the Way, the Way is truly great! What does it mean to guard your mind? To guard your mind means to guard it from indulging in false thinking; it means not to seek outside. It is said, look within yourself; don seek from other people. Seek within; don seek outside. "Seek within; in thought after thought, you must awaken; in thought after thought, you must understand; in thought after thought, you must aspire toward the Bodhi-mind. Having no thoughts of seeking fame or benefits is to guard one mind. What does it mean to revere the Way”? It means to respectfully uphold the Way, never allowing it to be absent from your thoughts, and to comprehend the source of your mind in thought after thought. You merge with the essence of the mind, and you do not seek outside for it. That called revering the Way. Then the Way is truly great! If you cultivate like that, then quite naturally your accomplishment will be great.
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Section 10
Joyful Charity Brings Blessings
The Buddha said, hen you see someone who is practicing giving, aid him joyfully, and you will obtain vast and great blessings."
A Shramana asked, is there an end to those blessings? "
The Buddha said; consider the flame of a single torch. Though hundreds and thousands of people come to light their own torches from it so that they can cook their food and ward off darkness, the first torch remains the same. Blessings, too, are like this. "
This tenth section expounds the merit and virtue of joyfully supporting others. “You gain benefits and so do others and the blessings you create have no end.
The Buddha said, hen you see someone who is practicing giving, aid him joyfully. "There are three types of giving.
The first is the giving of wealth, which is also called giving that, sustains life. “This refers to the giving of two kinds of material wealth: inner wealth and outer wealth. Inner wealth refers to the head, eyes, brain, marrow, skin, blood, flesh, tendons, and bones. This is the inner wealth of the body. Outer wealth refers to gold, silver, precious gems, countries, cities, wives, and children. If you have gold, you can give people gold; if you have silver, you can give people silver; if you have jewels, you can give them to others. If you have a country or city, you can relinquish it to others. If you have a wife, you can give her away; if you have a child, you can give him or her away. [This is done in order to single-mindedly cultivate the Way.] This is outward giving. As for inner wealth, you can give away your head, eyes, brain, bone marrow, skin, blood, flesh, and bones. The above constitutes the giving of wealth.
The second kind of giving is the giving of Dharma. The gift of Dharma refers to explaining the threefold study of precepts, samadhi, and wisdom. You give all these various kinds of Dharma to people, so that they gain benefit.
The third kind of giving is the giving of courage. When someone undergoes a catastrophe or a frightening experience, you can dispel their anxiety and alleviate their distress. That what meant by giving courage.
And when you see someone practicing giving and you support him joyfully, praising and rejoicing in what he doing, you will obtain vast and great blessings: your reward of blessings will be immense. Foolish people may say, ell, if I do some charitable act and others amass vast blessings by following along and supporting me, won that diminish my own reward of blessings? “Anticipating that foolish people might reason that way there follows a dialogue to this point:
A Shramana asked, is there an end to those blessings?" He asking, ill the blessings disappear? " That is to say, the person who originally did the giving obtained blessings. When others rejoiced in his deed, they also ob tained great blessings. Will the first person be able to keep his blessings? Or will they be snatched away by the others?
The Buddha said, onsider the flame of a single torch. Though hundreds of thousands of people come to light their own torches from it so that they can cook their food and ward off darkness, the first torch remains the same. " Although there is only one flame, a hundred thousand people all come and use the flame to light their fires. They share the fire and use it to cook their food and dispel the darkness. Still, the flame of the original torch remains as it was in the beginning. It won go out. Blessings, too, are like this. The reward of blessings is also like this. The analogy explains that someone who cultivates the Way by practicing giving can realize the fruition in the future. Cooking the food is analogous to realizing the fruition of one cultivation. Warding off the darkness is analogous to warding off the delusions caused by the threefold obstacles: the obstacle of karma, the obstacle of retribution, and the obstacle of afflictions.
What is being said is that the merit and virtue of your acts of giving will enable you and others to realize the fruition in the Way. You will be able to wipe out the three obstacles, and other people who joyfully support you will also be able to purge them. This merit and virtue will be shared by all alike.
End of Section 8 to 10.
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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha (Section 1 to 7)
Lectures by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua,
Given at Gold Mountain Monastery,
San Francisco, California, in 1974
Sutra in Forty-Two Sections
(Section 1 to 7)
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Section 1
Leaving Home and Becoming an Arhat
The Buddha said, people who take leave of their families and go forth from the householder life, who know their mind and penetrate to its origin, and who understand the unconditioned Dharma are called Shramanas. They constantly observe the 250 precepts, and they value purity in all that they do. By practicing the four true paths, they can become Arhats."
This is the first section of the Sutra in Forty-two Sections. It says that a Shramana (Buddhist monk) can become an Arhat.
The Buddha said, people who take leave of their families and go forth from the householder life. "When you leave home, according to the Buddhadharma it is necessary to receive your parents ' permission. It not like in America where you are free after the age of eighteen to do whatever you want. Formerly, within Buddhism in India and in China, in order to comply with the custom of the country, it was necessary to tell your plans to your parents: going to leave the home life. “This is called taking leave of them. To leave home is to respectfully offer up your body, mind, and life to the Triple Jewel and no longer to engage in worldly affairs. This is what is meant by take leave of their families and go forth from the householder life. “You enter a place of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and you leave the home-life.
In going forth from the householder life, you leave the ordinary household that has been your worldly home. Every household has its own troubles; there is constant quarreling among relatives and no real happiness. Thus you want to leave the mundane home, which is also called the burning house. It is said, he three realms are like a burning house; there is no peace to be found in them. “Therefore, it also called leaving the home of the three realms --the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm. It also called leaving the home of afflictions. Laypeople all have afflictions and no true happiness; that why they wish to leave home. Once you leave home, it essential that you cut off afflictions and resolve your mind on Bodhi. That is what is meant by leaving home.
They are people who know their mind and penetrate to its origin. This means knowing your own fundamental mind and recognizing that when the mind arises, every kind of dharma arises. When the mind is gone, every kind of dharma ceases. There are no dharma’s beyond the mind, and there is no mind outside of dharmas. Mind and dharma’s are one. If you understand that there is no mind outside of dharmas, then you understand the nature that is everywhere calculating and attaching, our ordinary conscious mind.
In penetrating to the origin, if we understand that the mind and nature in fact have no real substance, nor any form or appearance, if we can understand this principle, then we will understand that the nature which arises dependent on other things is false and illusory. The nature that is everywhere calculating and attaching is fundamentally empty as well. The nature that arises dependent on other things is also false and illusory. Neither of these natures actually exists. That is what is meant by knowing the mind and penetrating to its origin.
And who understand the unconditioned Dharma. To understand the unconditioned Dharma is to understand the Dharma of True Suchness. True Suchness and all dharma’s are not one, but at the same time they are not dual. If you understand this doctrine, that True Suchness and all dharma’s are not one and yet not different, then you can understand the perfectly accomplished real nature. You can awaken to your basic substance. That is what is meant by understand the unconditioned Dharma. "
Are called Shramanas. If you can be like that, if you can take leave of your family and go forth from the householder life, know your mind and penetrate to its origin, and understand the unconditioned Dharma, then you can be called a Shramana . "Shramana" is a Sanskrit word that means "diligently putting to rest." The Shramana diligently cultivates precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom; and he puts to rest greed, anger, and stupidity. After you leave the householder life, you should not diligently cultivate greed, anger, and stupidity while putting to rest precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom. If day after day you are without wisdom and day after day your stupidity grows greater, that is what is meant by diligently cultivating how to be greedy, diligently cultivating how to be angry, and diligently cultivating how to be stupid. Every day you are confronted with your own greed, anger, and stupidity. You can put them down, and so precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom cannot develop. You pay no attention whatsoever to investigating how to cultivate, how to hold precepts, how to practice Samadhi, and how to develop wisdom. Every day your afflictions increase. And why? Because your karmic obstacles from past lives are too heavy and your karmic retribution is so weighty that it keeps you from making the resolve for Bodhi. It makes you constantly find fault with other people. With this attitude, from morning until night you feel that you are better than anyone else, even to the point that you feel you are better than your teacher. Your teacher doesn’t measure up to me. See how talented I am? You could say that heaven above to earth below, I alone am honored. '" Someone with this outlook is certainly headed for a fall.
I often see Sangha members who haven even learned how to place their palms together correctly; they join their palms in a very sloppy manner. They sometimes hold them up at eye level! Properly done, your palms should come together in front of your chest. When you place your palms together, your ten fingers should be touching one another. After having left home for so many years, you don even know how to put your palms together! You don know how to bow correctly or to offer incense correctly; you’re too pathetic! If you don't know how to place your palms together, then you should look at the older cultivators and imitate them.
I recall when I explained the Rules of Deportment for Novices, I told you all not to put your fingers into your nostrils. How could this possibly happen? Because you joined your palms so high that your fingertips brush against your nose! Your folded palms should be at chest level. Hold them evenly at chest level, not at your mouth, your nose, or your eyes. When you are unclear about as basic a point as this, how can you cultivate the Way at all? If you still get this wrong, you will understand cultivation even less. When you cultivate the Way, you cannot be sloppy about anything or you won have any accomplishment. If you are off by a hairsbreadth in the beginning, you'll be off by a thousand miles in the end”
So, as Shramanas cultivate, they constantly observe the 250 precepts. They always rely on the precepts in their cultivation and do not violate them, and thus their study of the precepts grows. They value purity in all that they do. In motion and stillness, no matter what you are doing, you should maintain your purity. There should be no defilement in what you do.
By practicing the four true paths. The four true paths refer to the Four Noble Truths: suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the Way. When Shramanas diligently cultivate this Dharma, they can become Arhats. Since Arhat is a Sanskrit word with three meanings, it is considered to be a term that contains many meanings and thus is not translated. Due to the multiple meanings, it is not translated. We merely transliterate the sound of the Sanskrit word. The three meanings of Arhat are:
1. Killer of thieves. Arhats are really fierce! Wherever there are thieves about, they kill them. "Well, “you ask, "Aren't they violating precepts then?" The thieves the Arhats kill are not external thieves. They kill the inner thieves of affliction. Why are there thieves outside? Because there are thieves of affliction inside thieves of greed, hatred, and stupidity. Greed is a thief, anger is a thief, and stupidity is a thief. These are the thieves that must be killed. Therefore, the first meaning is "killer of thieves."
2. Worthy of offerings. They are entitled to receive the offerings of gods and humans. An Arhat who has been certified to the fruition is an enlightened sage. If you make offerings to an Arhat, you can thereby gain limitless and boundless blessings, too many to be reckoned. Being a Bhikshu is the cause of becoming an Arhat; one becomes an Arhat as a result of having been a Bhikshu. At the stage of causation, Bhikshus are destroyers of evil, and at the time of fruition, they are killers of thieves. At the stage of causation they are mendicants, and at the time of fruition they are said to be worthy of offerings. At the stage of causation they are frighteners of Mara, and at the time of fruition they are free of rebirth.
3. Free of rebirth. What is meant by "free of rebirth"? It means they have ended birth and death. They no longer suffer its misery. However, they have only ended share section birth and death. They have not yet ended change birth and death, so they are only Arhats. If you can cultivate the 250 precepts, then you will accomplish your study of the precepts. If you value purity in all things, then you will accomplish your study of Samadhi. If you cultivate the Way of the Four Truths, then you will accomplish your study of wisdom. In this way, you will cultivate precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom to perfection; and you will destroy greed, hatred, and stupidity. Once you have destroyed greed, hatred, and stupidity, you become an Arhat. There are four kinds of Arhats: first, second, third, and fourth stage Arhats. One who accomplishes the fourth stage of Arhatship truly ends birth and death.
Arhats can fly and transform themselves. They have a life span of vast eons, and wherever they dwell they can move heaven and earth. "
What is an Arhat? A fourth stage Arhat has reached the position called Beyond Study, because further study is no longer necessary. So Arhats of the first three fruitions are in the position of Having More to Study. Arhats of the fourth fruition have reached the position of the Way of Certification; second and third fruition Arhats have reached the position of the Way of Cultivation; and first fruition Arhats have reached the position of the Way of Seeing.
Later this Sutra says: "Be careful not to believe your own mind; your mind is not to be trusted." We should be particularly careful not to believe our own minds. Our minds are unreliable. You can trust your mind only after you reach the fourth stage of Arhatship.
Sages who reach the fourth fruition of Arhatship don’t have any more desire and love. They have severed love and desire. What proof is there that someone has certified to the fourth fruition of Arhatship? A fourth stage Arhat feet don touch the ground. His feet leave the ground by three-tenths of an inch, and for that reason he never squashes insects or ants, as would an ordinary person who walks along. When he walking, there may be insects or ants beneath his feet, but he won step on them. This proves that he has become certified to the fruition. Not only can fourth stage Arhats do this, but first stage Arhats can do this as well. Therefore, the text says: Arhats can fly and transform themselves. A fourth stage Arhat can go wherever he wants to go and he can transform himself in endless ways. He can create endless numbers of transformation-bodies. For example, when I was in Taiwan, I visited the elder cultivator Dharma Master Guang Qin and invited him to come to America. He pointed to his heart and said he could come whenever he wanted to come. Now when he wants to come, he can. He knows he has come, but other people don't know. Only those who have opened their spiritual eyes will be able to see that the elder Dharma Master Guang Qin is here.
Not only can the spirit of a fourth stage Arhat travel to some other place, his whole body can go. He can go easily and whenever he pleases. It not necessary for him to buy an airplane ticket. He can just travel through the air and transform himself freely. Arhats possess the ability to make eighteen transformations, and each of these transformations is truly inconceivable.
They have a life span of vast eons. These vast eons are limitlessly long, because a fourth stage Arhat can live as long as he wishes. Longevity is no problem. When the body he inhabits gets old and deteriorates, he can exchange it for another body quite easily. Thus he has a life span of vast eons.
People who realize the fourth fruition of Arhatship have freedom over birth and death. They are truly free: if they want to live they can live; if they want to die they can die at any time they choose. If they want to die standing up, they can die standing up. If they want to die sitting, they can die sitting. If they want to die walking, they can die walking. If they want to die sleeping, they can die sleeping, just as they please. They are very independent; no one can control them. So that why they have a life span of great eons and are said to be free of rebirth. They are not reborn, and they no longer die.
And wherever they dwell they can move heaven and earth. Wherever an Arhat dwells, the heaven spirits and the earth spirits are influenced and moved by him. They are all taught and transformed by him. That what this line means. Wherever an Arhat dwells, the gods, dragons, and members of the eightfold pantheon protect his Dharma and keep his locale peaceful. There aren’t any hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, avalanches, tidal waves, or any such disasters because the Dharma protectors and good spirits are always guarding him and making everything auspicious. Inauspicious things do unexpectedly happen to Arhats, though; these are manifestations of karma from their past lives. Occasionally such things do occur. Because an Arhat cultivation at the stage of causation may not have been perfect, he will encounter trials and difficulties after he has achieved the fruition. So it is said, he who cultivates blessings without cultivating wisdom is like an elephant wearing a valuable necklace. One who cultivates wisdom without cultivating blessings is like an Arhat who receives scanty offerings. "Sometimes Arhats have no food to eat. They go out on alms rounds, but nobody makes offerings to them. That because when they were at the causal stage, they only cultivated wisdom and didn’t cultivate blessings. And so even after they become Arhats, they don have any blessings. People rarely make offerings to them.
Another way to explain over heaven and earth is that in every move this Arhat makes, no matter what he does, both heaven and earth will tremble and quake for him. This is a brief explanation of the word Arhat. "
Superior to the Arhat is the Anagamin. At the end of his life, an Anagamin vital spirit will rise above the nineteenth heaven, and he will become an Arhat."
Prior to the Arhat is the Anagamin. A fourth fruition Arhat has realized the position of being Beyond Study, while an Anagamin, an Arhat at the third stage of fruition, is still in the position of Having More to Study. A Sakridagamin of the second stage has severed six grades of delusion in thought in the desire realm and still has to cut off the last three grades of delusion in thought in the desire realm. Once he severs those last three grades, he realizes the stage of an Anagamin and becomes certified to the third stage of Arhatship. One who has not finished cutting off these last three grades is called a Sakridagamin.
At the end of his life, if an Anagamin vital spirit becomes a ghost, then it is known as his body between sets of skandhas. “If it is yang, then it is known as the vital spirit; this is also what we refer to as the soul, or efficacious nature. It will rise above the nineteenth heaven, and he will become an Arhat. When the Anagamin life ends, since he has not ended birth and death, his soul rises above the nineteenth heaven. We count from the Heaven of the Four Kings up to the Heaven of No Afflictions. The Heaven of No Afflictions is above the nineteenth heaven. Above the nineteenth heaven, the Anagamin will realize Arhatship, so his name means e who never again returns. “He doesn’t return into the human realm. This is the Anagamin, an Arhat of the third fruition.
Just now we heard that there are no disasters wherever an Arhat dwells, and some people have raised doubts that it might not be peaceful where an Arhat dwells. I won comment about that, but I will speak about the Elder Master Hsu Yun in China and the responses that occurred during his life. Once during the Sino-Japanese War, when the Elder Master was living at Nanhua Monastery near Canton, Japanese warplanes dropped several bombs on the area, but none exploded. Some people say, ell, they were duds. It was just a coincidence. “But then, why weren’t other people so lucky? Why was it only at Nanhua Monastery that there were duds?
Another time, when the Elder Master Hsu Yun was transmitting the precepts at Yun Qi Monastery in Yunnan, the trees blossomed with lotus flowers. Why didn’t the trees blossom with lotuses in those areas to which he didn’t go? On the leaves of the vegetables and other plants there appeared images of Buddha’s. Despite the power of such miraculous responses, people still failed to recognize them as such. They considered them to be merely isolated occurrences. When the Elder Master Hsu Yun was at Nanhua Monastery, a cypress tree that had been dead for several hundred years came back to life and budded. That was another inconceivable happening, as was the time when a white fox came and took refuge. At the time people still didn’t realize clearly what was happening. Now that the Elder Master Yun has entered Nirvana, everyone praises him. They all say that the Venerable Yun was a sage who realized the fruition of the Way and that he was a Bodhisattva who returned to earth. This is just how people are something is before their eyes, they miss it; and once they missed it, they regret it. People are strange and stupid creatures.
Now in America I want to create living Buddhas, living Bodhisattvas, and living Arhats. I want to create Anagamins, Sakridagamins, and Srotaapannas. Anyone who can get rid of desire and cut off love will have a share in it. As for those who can get rid of desire and cut off love those who are completely spineless here just no way to help them. Everything is made from the mind alone. If a person wants to be a ghost, he can be a ghost; if he wants to be a Buddha, he can be a Buddha. If a person wants to be a person, he can be a person. If he wants to be an animal, he can be an animal; it just remains to be seen which road his mind takes.
Don’t assume that The Ten Dharma-realms Are Not Beyond a Single Thought is an insignificant little book. A thousand years from now, there may be many people who will become enlightened upon reading that book. That is a future matter. Right now it remains to be seen whether anyone will become enlightened.
Superior to the Anagamin is the Sakridagamin, who ascends once, returns once more, and thereafter becomes an Arhat. Prior to the Sakridagamin is the Srotaapanna, who has seven deaths and seven births remaining, and then becomes an Arhat. Severing love and desire is like severing the four limbs; one never uses them again."
Prior to the Anagamin is the Sakridagamin, who ascends once, returns once more, and thereafter be comes an Arhat. The sage of the second fruition is called a Sakridagamin. Sakridagamin “is Sanskrit and means e who returns once more.” At this level of sagehood, one is in the position of the Way of Cultivation. What does it mean to return once more”? The Sakridagamin is reborn once in the heavens and once in the human realm. The Sakridagamin has cut off six grades of delusion in thought in the desire realm. What is delusion in thought? “Thought “here means consideration or discrimination. If you have thought, but no delusion, that can also be pure. As long as you use wisdom to make discriminations, that is not delusion in thought. Delusion in thought exists when you are confused, and you don understand. You think about what you don’t understand. This is the nature that is entirely calculated and attached to. "
For example, you might see a piece of rope at night, but not recognize it as a rope. You think, h, look, it a snake! “Why do you think that the rope is a snake? Because, based on the rope, you give rise to the nature that is entirely calculated and attached to. “That is the nature that arises relying on other things.” If you investigate the rope itself, you find that the rope is in fact made of hemp and it not a snake. Then you are using he perfectly accomplished real nature. "
The desire realm has nine grades of delusion in thought. One reaches the third fruition after severing the last three grades of delusion in thought. If one severs the first six grades of delusion in thought in the desire realm, one becomes certified to the second fruition of Arhatship. If one has not severed these six grades, one cannot become certified to the second fruition. One returns once to the heavens in the desire realm and once to the human realm. Thus, one is called e who returns once more. “When one returns, one becomes certified to Arhatship and ends birth and death.
Prior to the Sakridagamin is the Srotaapanna. Srotaapanna, also Sanskrit, means “entering the flow” or “joining the flow.” It also means “opposing the flow.” Entering the flow “means one enters the flow of the Dharma-nature of a sage. “Opposing the flow “means one opposes the flow of the six defiling objects of ordinary people. The six defiling objects are: forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, and dharmas. When one becomes certified to the first fruition, one cuts off delusion in views. We have delusion in views and delusion in thought; we are confused by views as well as by thoughts. Delusion in views and delusion in thought take control of us and cause us to be confused. So, if you genuinely want to become enlightened, you have to cut off these two kinds of delusion. Delusion in views must be severed, and delusion in thought must be cut off, too.
What is delusion in views? Delusion in views means that when faced with situations, one feels greed and love. Delusion in thought means one becomes confused about the principle and makes discriminations. Delusion in views: you see events and things, and you are confused by them. Once you are confused by them, you follow along with the situation and are turned by it. And when you are turned by the situation, you give rise to greed and love. With greed, you become attached to things; and with love, you can bear to part with things. Being attached and unable to put things down, you can realize sagehood. If you want to achieve sagehood, you have to cut off delusion in views. How many grades of delusion in views are there? There are eighty-eight grades of delusion in views. When you cut off these eighty-eight grades, you attain the first fruition of Arhatship and become a Srotaapanna. The Srotaapanna is a sage of the first fruition. What is meant by joining the flow”? You join with the sages ' flow; you are together with sages.
A Srotaapanna is one who has seven deaths and seven births remaining, and then becomes an Arhat. Sages who have realized the first fruition have seven more births and deaths to undergo. When these seven births and deaths are over, then these sages become certified to the fourth fruition of Arhatship and put an end to birth and death. The seven births and deaths are divided in this way: upon reaching the upper-highest level of delusion in thought in the desire realm, you put an end to greed, hatred, stupidity, and pride, and you sever delusion in thought. Severing delusion continues through two births and deaths. Then one life is spent in the middle-highest level of the desire realm; one life in the lower-highest level; one life in the upper-middle level; one life in the middle-middle level and lower-middle levels combined; and one life in the upper-lowest, middle-lowest, and lower-lowest parts combined, for a total of seven birth and deaths. When the seven are finished, you can realize the fruition of Arhatship and end share section birth and death. This is the way it happens in the ordinary course of events, but it can vary among particular individuals; there nothing fixed about it. If a cultivator potentials and roots are special, then he might advance from the first stage directly to the fourth stage of Arhatship. Kumarajiva mother, for instance, went from the first fruition to the second fruition. Therefore, the sequence of certification is not fixed.
There are many categories of delusion in thought and delusion in views in the Triple Realm, but when all is said and done, what confuses people most is love and desire. Love and desire gain control of us and turn us upside down. Knowing clearly something is wrong, we still want to go and do it. Knowing clearly something is right, we don want to do it. People are just such strange creatures. Even if we know very well that something is not good and we are told not to do it, we still go ahead and do it anyway. Knowing clearly something is good; we still don’t want to do it, even when we were told to do it. We never listen. Why? Because love and desire control us and cause us to be upside-down.
Severing love and desire is like severing the four limbs; one never uses them again. If we can cut off love and desire, then we certainly will be able to accomplish the Way. Cutting off love and desire is just like cutting off your hands and feet: once you cut off your hands and feet, you can use them anymore. That what it should be like when you cut off your love and desire. So the Sutra says, prior to the Sakridagamin is the Srotaapanna, who has seven deaths and seven births remaining, and then realizes Arhatship. “You must be just that determined, that decisive. You shouldn't neglect to cut off what you are supposed to cut off; otherwise you'll have trouble. You ought to cut off love and desire, but you don cut them off; in general, you just keep avoiding the issue. This is to be indecisive, to have no real wisdom. Without any genuine wisdom, you keep intending to cut them off but never quite do it. Some people are proverbially indecisive like this. They think about it one way, and then they decide that it really another way. They have no will of their own and no principles to go by. This is of no benefit to cultivation. People who cultivate the Way should have heroic determination in their words and deeds. If they are resolute and decisive, then they can cultivate the Way.
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Section 2
Eliminating Desire and Ending Seeking
The Buddha said, those who have left the home-life and become Shramanas cut off desire, renounce love, and recognize the source of their minds. They penetrate the Buddha profound principles and awaken to the unconditioned Dharma. Internally they have no thing to attain, and externally they seek nothing. They are not mentally bound to the Way, nor are they tied to karma. They are free of thought and action; they neither cultivate nor attain certification; they do not pass through the various stages, and yet they are highly revered. This is the meaning of the Way. "
This second section of the Sutra is talking about non-cultivation and non-certification.
The Buddha said, those who have left the home-life and become Shramanas cut off desire. "What should people who want to leave the home of the Triple Realm and become Shramanas do? They should cut off desire. Earlier, the Sutra said, severing love and desire is like severing the four limbs; one never uses them again. “They renounce love and recognize the source of their minds. At that point when there is no more love, they recognize the source of their own minds. They penetrate the Buddha pro-found principles and awaken to the unconditioned Dharma. They understand the Buddha most profound principles, which are neither conditioned nor unconditioned. Internally they have no-thing to attain, and externally they seek nothing. If you want to talk in terms of yourself, you have no understanding and no attaining. Inside, you obtain nothing. Outside you seek nothing and obtain nothing. Obtaining nothing inside is the unconditioned Dharma; seeking nothing outside is also the unconditioned Dharma. So it said,
The less you know of what is going on,
The less affliction you will have.
If you reach the point of seeking nothing,
Then you will have no worries.
When they reach the state of there being nothing to obtain inside, and nothing to seek outside, they are not mentally bound to the Way. They don necessarily say to themselves that they are cultivating the Way. At the same time you can always find them cultivating. Nor are they tied to karma. They also find it impossible to create any kind of bad karma.
They are free of thought and action. They have no false thoughts; all they have are proper thoughts. They don’t have even a single false thought, so they are free of thought. Since they perform no false or superfluous actions, they are free of action. “They don do anything in particular. They neither cultivate nor attain certification. They have done what they had to do, they have already cultivated to the ultimate point. There is nothing left that they can cultivate. They don certify because they have already obtained the fundamental substance of the Way. They have already realized the fruition of their cultivation.
They do not pass through the various stages. It is unnecessary to go through all these positions: from the Ten Dwellings to the Ten Practices, to the Ten Transferences, to the Ten Grounds. You need not go through them. You suddenly transcend them. And yet they are highly revered. The position that Shramanas occupy is lofty. This is the meaning of the Way. That is what a Shramana who has attained the Way is like.
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Section 3
Severing Love and Renouncing Greed
The Buddha said, having their hair and beards, they become Shramanas who accept the Dharmas of the Way. They renounce worldly wealth and riches. In receiving alms, they accept only what enough. They take only one meal a day at noon, pass the night beneath trees, and are careful not to seek more than that. Craving and desire are what cause people to be stupid and dull. "
This is the third of the forty-two sections; it praises the most excellent ascetic practices. If you can cultivate these supreme ascetic practices, you can become certified in your fruition in the Way.
The Buddha said. These are the words of the Buddha. What did the Buddha say? He said, having their hair and beards." People who leave the home-life shave off their beards and the hair on their heads, and they become Shramanas, left-home people, who accept the Dharmas of the Way. To accept the Dharmas of the Way means a cultivator should accept the Way in his mind and cultivate the Dharmas of the Way. A person who cultivates the Dharmas of the Way should renounce worldly wealth and riches; he doesn’t want the riches of the world. Here, for example, we have several people who have left the home-life and are keeping the precept against holding money. That is very good. That's to renounce worldly wealth and riches. All the fighting in the world is due to wealth. Take a look: countries fight with countries, families feud with families, and people battle with people because of personal benefit. He can renounce worldly wealth; he doesn’t want any worldly valuables.
In receiving alms, they accept only what enough. Every day they carry their bowls and receive alms. They eat their fill, and that suffices them. Here, receiving alms means they carry their bowls and receive alms food. They accept only what enough “means that having eaten their fill, they stop, they aren’t greedy; they don’t eat more. They don’t eat often they take only one meal a day at noon and they pass the night beneath trees. When they sleep, they sleep under trees. Further, they don’t sleep under any one tree more than three nights. And they are careful not to seek more than that. You should be careful not to seek for more. Don’t seek for anything beyond these simple things.
Craving and desire are what cause people to be stupid and dull. A person stupidity is like weeds growing in his mind: the sod and rocks cover over the mind, making him dull. Like the sun obscured by clouds, we don’t understand things; we can fathom how to do things. And what causes this? Craving and desire. They make us stupid. You object to my saying you are stupid? If you weren’t stupid, then why, once you received the precepts, would you then break them? If you aren’t stupid, then why do you want to do things that you should not do? Just because of craving and desire. You can see through love and you can put down desire, and so you aren’t at ease. If you can see through and put down things, then you feel at ease; and then you won have any worries, any distress, any troubles, or any affliction. Everything will be just fine. There won’t be any problems at all. The way I like to say it in English is: everything okay.
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Section 4
Clarifying Good and Evil
The Buddha said, living beings may perform Ten Good Deeds or Ten Evil Deeds. What are the ten? Three are done with the body, four are done with the mouth, and three are done with the mind. The three done with the body are killing, stealing, and lust. The four done with the mouth are duplicity, harsh speech, lies, and frivolous speech. The three done with the mind are jealousy, hatred, and stupidity. Thus these ten are not in accord with the Way of Sages and are called the Ten Evil Deeds. To put a stop to these evils is to perform the Ten Good Deeds. "
The fourth section discusses how good and evil have no fixed form. It as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It simply up to us to do it.
The Buddha said, living beings may perform ten good deeds. There are ten kinds of good deeds that living beings can do. Or there are also ten evil deeds. Although these are good deeds, if done incorrectly, they become evil. What are the ten? Three are done with the body, four are done with the mouth, and three are done with the mind.
The three done with the body are killing, stealing, and lust. What is meant by killing? To kill is to take a life, to put an end to the life of another sentient creature. What is meant by stealing? It means to take some object without getting the owner permission. Lust refers to sexual intercourse between men and women.
The four done with the mouth are duplicity, harsh speech, lies, and frivolous speech. Duplicity, or double-tongued speech, doesn’t refer to someone growing two tongues. It means saying things in two different ways. You speak about Mr. Lee to Mr. Chang, and then you speak about Mr. Chang to Mr. Lee. You speak out of both corners of your mouth. Harsh speech means scolding or profanity. Telling lies means saying things that aren’t true. Frivolous speech means talking about things that are meaningless frivolous, in appropriate things. Frivolous speech reflects deviant knowledge and deviant views.
The three done with the mind are jealousy, hatred, and stupidity. Jealousy refers to envy. When you’re jealous, you don’t wish good to come to others. When something good happens to another person, you become jealous. Hatred includes haughtiness, resentment, maliciousness, and vengefulness. When one is stupid, one doesn’t distinguish between principles and facts.
Thus these ten are not in accord with the Way of Sages and do not lead one down a good path. They are called the Ten Evil Deeds. To put a stop to these evils is to perform the Ten Good Deeds. The Ten Good Deeds are: not killing, not stealing, not being lustful, not being jealous, not hating, not being stupid, not engaging in duplicity, not using harsh speech, not telling lies, and not speaking frivolously.
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Section 5
Reducing the Severity of Offenses
The Buddha said, "If a person has many offenses and does not repent of them, but cuts off all thought of repentance, the offenses will engulf him, just as water returning to the sea will gradually become deeper and wider. If a person has offenses and, realizing they are wrong, reforms and does good, the offenses will dissolve by themselves, just as a sick person who begins to perspire will gradually be cured. "
The fifth section exhorts people to realize that if we have offenses, we can change them and start over with a clean slate. But if we have offenses and don change them, then the offenses always remain with us. If we can reform and make a fresh start, then the offenses disappear.
The Buddha said, "If a person has many offenses and does not repent of them. The category of offenses includes all kinds of mistakes and wrong deeds. If you don change and repent of offenses, but conceal them and hide them away because you don want anyone to see them or know about them that called not being repentant. The person cuts off all thought of repentance. You don realize that you should repent. You abruptly put a stop to any thought of repentance. That is, you have no intention of changing your errors. If you stop your thoughts of repentance, then when the offenses come down upon you, they will engulf you. The offenses will engulf him, just as water returning to the sea will gradually become deeper and wider. It will be like a small stream flowing back into the sea. Gradually the small offenses will grow deeper and broader, and will turn into big offenses. Even tiny transgressions will become huge. Light karmic obstructions will become heavy karmic obstructions.
If a person has offenses and, realizing they are wrong, reforms and does good. You can have such monstrous offenses that they fill up the sky, but with a single thought of repentance you can melt them away. Your offenses may be as vast as the heavens, but if you can repent of them, they will disappear. You must repent, untie the knot of offenses and realize your own mistakes. After that, you should change your evil conduct into good conduct and practice all kinds of good deeds. The offenses will dissolve by themselves, just as a sick person who begins to perspire will gradually be cured. If you can become a new person, then your offenses will disappear. What is this like? It like a feverish person who breaks out in a sweat and then gradually becomes well.
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Section 6
Tolerating Evil-doers and Avoiding Hatred
The Buddha said, "When an evil person hears about your goodness and intentionally comes to cause trouble, you should restrain yourself and not become angry or blame him. Then the one who has come to do evil will do evil to himself. "
This is the sixth section, which says that good can overcome evil, but evil cannot overcome good. The previous section told people to stop doing evil and to do good, to reform themselves. The Buddha feared that some people might be afraid that if they did good deeds, evil people would give them trouble. So the Buddha spoke this section.
The Buddha said, "When an evil person hears about your goodness and intentionally comes to cause trouble. Suppose an evil person hears that you’re doing good deeds, and he intentionally comes to hassle you. He comes to give you trouble and to disrupt your practice of good deeds. At that time you should restrain yourself, you should remain cool and dispassionate. Don’t get agitated or nervous.
And you should not become angry or blame him. You shouldn’t get angry, nor should you scold him. Don’t talk about his wrongdoing. Then the one who has come to do evil will do evil to himself. The evil person who comes to bother you and disrupt your practice will wind up giving himself trouble. He just destroying himself; he just giving himself a hard time. It like a mirror in which an extremely ugly reflection appears. The ugly appearance is simply his own reflection in the mirror; it not that the mirror itself is ugly.
This illustrates that no matter how bad an evil person is, the evil belongs to him and will bring him harm in the end. If you pay no attention to him, there will be no problem. As soon as you start paying attention to him, though, what happens? You fall in with his ilk; you become an evil person yourself.
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Section 7
Evil Returns to the Doer
The Buddha said, "There was a person who, upon hearing that I observe the Way and practice great humane kindness, intentionally came to berate me. I was silent and did not reply. When he finished abusing me, I asked, "If you are courteous to people and they do not accept your courtesy, the courtesy returns to you, does it not?”
"It does, he replied. I said, how you are scolding me, but I do not receive it, so the misfortune returns to you and must remain with you. It is as inevitable as an echo that follows a sound, or as a shadow that follows a form. In the end you cannot avoid it. Therefore, be careful not to do evil.”
The seventh section verifies the preceding statement that one who does evil harms himself. In order to explain this, the Buddha makes an analogy.
The Buddha said, "There was a person who, upon hearing that I observe the Way and practice great humane kindness, intentionally came to berate me." The Buddha is a person who observes and cultivates the Way. He also cultivates the practice of great kindness. On hearing this, a person came right up to the Buddha and started scolding him. The Buddha heard him, but was silent and did not reply. He remained silent and did not say anything. When he finished abusing me, once the person stopped berating him, I, the Buddha, asked, "If you are courteous to people and they do not accept your courtesy, the courtesy returns to you, does it not?”
"It does, he replied.”Right," he said. "It comes back to me. If they do not accept my courtesy and respect, then I take those back."
I said, "Now you are scolding me, but I do not receive it.”Now, sir," the Buddha said, you are scolding me. You berate me, but I remain thus, thus, and unmoving. Whether you scold me or not, it all the same to me. I not affected by your scolding; I simply won accept it. So the misfortune returns to you and must remain with you. "Sir, " the Buddha continued, "your scolding me is not right, so there will certainly be an unfortunate result; it is inevitable. And that misfortune will fall back on you; it will follow you just as an echo follows a sound or as a shadow follows a form, just as the shadow of your body follows you. In the end you cannot avoid it, the misfortune that will result from your having scolded me. Therefore, be careful not to do evil. It is my hope that everyone will not do evil deeds."
(End of Section 1 to 7)
Given at Gold Mountain Monastery,
San Francisco, California, in 1974
Sutra in Forty-Two Sections
(Section 1 to 7)
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Section 1
Leaving Home and Becoming an Arhat
The Buddha said, people who take leave of their families and go forth from the householder life, who know their mind and penetrate to its origin, and who understand the unconditioned Dharma are called Shramanas. They constantly observe the 250 precepts, and they value purity in all that they do. By practicing the four true paths, they can become Arhats."
This is the first section of the Sutra in Forty-two Sections. It says that a Shramana (Buddhist monk) can become an Arhat.
The Buddha said, people who take leave of their families and go forth from the householder life. "When you leave home, according to the Buddhadharma it is necessary to receive your parents ' permission. It not like in America where you are free after the age of eighteen to do whatever you want. Formerly, within Buddhism in India and in China, in order to comply with the custom of the country, it was necessary to tell your plans to your parents: going to leave the home life. “This is called taking leave of them. To leave home is to respectfully offer up your body, mind, and life to the Triple Jewel and no longer to engage in worldly affairs. This is what is meant by take leave of their families and go forth from the householder life. “You enter a place of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and you leave the home-life.
In going forth from the householder life, you leave the ordinary household that has been your worldly home. Every household has its own troubles; there is constant quarreling among relatives and no real happiness. Thus you want to leave the mundane home, which is also called the burning house. It is said, he three realms are like a burning house; there is no peace to be found in them. “Therefore, it also called leaving the home of the three realms --the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm. It also called leaving the home of afflictions. Laypeople all have afflictions and no true happiness; that why they wish to leave home. Once you leave home, it essential that you cut off afflictions and resolve your mind on Bodhi. That is what is meant by leaving home.
They are people who know their mind and penetrate to its origin. This means knowing your own fundamental mind and recognizing that when the mind arises, every kind of dharma arises. When the mind is gone, every kind of dharma ceases. There are no dharma’s beyond the mind, and there is no mind outside of dharmas. Mind and dharma’s are one. If you understand that there is no mind outside of dharmas, then you understand the nature that is everywhere calculating and attaching, our ordinary conscious mind.
In penetrating to the origin, if we understand that the mind and nature in fact have no real substance, nor any form or appearance, if we can understand this principle, then we will understand that the nature which arises dependent on other things is false and illusory. The nature that is everywhere calculating and attaching is fundamentally empty as well. The nature that arises dependent on other things is also false and illusory. Neither of these natures actually exists. That is what is meant by knowing the mind and penetrating to its origin.
And who understand the unconditioned Dharma. To understand the unconditioned Dharma is to understand the Dharma of True Suchness. True Suchness and all dharma’s are not one, but at the same time they are not dual. If you understand this doctrine, that True Suchness and all dharma’s are not one and yet not different, then you can understand the perfectly accomplished real nature. You can awaken to your basic substance. That is what is meant by understand the unconditioned Dharma. "
Are called Shramanas. If you can be like that, if you can take leave of your family and go forth from the householder life, know your mind and penetrate to its origin, and understand the unconditioned Dharma, then you can be called a Shramana . "Shramana" is a Sanskrit word that means "diligently putting to rest." The Shramana diligently cultivates precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom; and he puts to rest greed, anger, and stupidity. After you leave the householder life, you should not diligently cultivate greed, anger, and stupidity while putting to rest precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom. If day after day you are without wisdom and day after day your stupidity grows greater, that is what is meant by diligently cultivating how to be greedy, diligently cultivating how to be angry, and diligently cultivating how to be stupid. Every day you are confronted with your own greed, anger, and stupidity. You can put them down, and so precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom cannot develop. You pay no attention whatsoever to investigating how to cultivate, how to hold precepts, how to practice Samadhi, and how to develop wisdom. Every day your afflictions increase. And why? Because your karmic obstacles from past lives are too heavy and your karmic retribution is so weighty that it keeps you from making the resolve for Bodhi. It makes you constantly find fault with other people. With this attitude, from morning until night you feel that you are better than anyone else, even to the point that you feel you are better than your teacher. Your teacher doesn’t measure up to me. See how talented I am? You could say that heaven above to earth below, I alone am honored. '" Someone with this outlook is certainly headed for a fall.
I often see Sangha members who haven even learned how to place their palms together correctly; they join their palms in a very sloppy manner. They sometimes hold them up at eye level! Properly done, your palms should come together in front of your chest. When you place your palms together, your ten fingers should be touching one another. After having left home for so many years, you don even know how to put your palms together! You don know how to bow correctly or to offer incense correctly; you’re too pathetic! If you don't know how to place your palms together, then you should look at the older cultivators and imitate them.
I recall when I explained the Rules of Deportment for Novices, I told you all not to put your fingers into your nostrils. How could this possibly happen? Because you joined your palms so high that your fingertips brush against your nose! Your folded palms should be at chest level. Hold them evenly at chest level, not at your mouth, your nose, or your eyes. When you are unclear about as basic a point as this, how can you cultivate the Way at all? If you still get this wrong, you will understand cultivation even less. When you cultivate the Way, you cannot be sloppy about anything or you won have any accomplishment. If you are off by a hairsbreadth in the beginning, you'll be off by a thousand miles in the end”
So, as Shramanas cultivate, they constantly observe the 250 precepts. They always rely on the precepts in their cultivation and do not violate them, and thus their study of the precepts grows. They value purity in all that they do. In motion and stillness, no matter what you are doing, you should maintain your purity. There should be no defilement in what you do.
By practicing the four true paths. The four true paths refer to the Four Noble Truths: suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the Way. When Shramanas diligently cultivate this Dharma, they can become Arhats. Since Arhat is a Sanskrit word with three meanings, it is considered to be a term that contains many meanings and thus is not translated. Due to the multiple meanings, it is not translated. We merely transliterate the sound of the Sanskrit word. The three meanings of Arhat are:
1. Killer of thieves. Arhats are really fierce! Wherever there are thieves about, they kill them. "Well, “you ask, "Aren't they violating precepts then?" The thieves the Arhats kill are not external thieves. They kill the inner thieves of affliction. Why are there thieves outside? Because there are thieves of affliction inside thieves of greed, hatred, and stupidity. Greed is a thief, anger is a thief, and stupidity is a thief. These are the thieves that must be killed. Therefore, the first meaning is "killer of thieves."
2. Worthy of offerings. They are entitled to receive the offerings of gods and humans. An Arhat who has been certified to the fruition is an enlightened sage. If you make offerings to an Arhat, you can thereby gain limitless and boundless blessings, too many to be reckoned. Being a Bhikshu is the cause of becoming an Arhat; one becomes an Arhat as a result of having been a Bhikshu. At the stage of causation, Bhikshus are destroyers of evil, and at the time of fruition, they are killers of thieves. At the stage of causation they are mendicants, and at the time of fruition they are said to be worthy of offerings. At the stage of causation they are frighteners of Mara, and at the time of fruition they are free of rebirth.
3. Free of rebirth. What is meant by "free of rebirth"? It means they have ended birth and death. They no longer suffer its misery. However, they have only ended share section birth and death. They have not yet ended change birth and death, so they are only Arhats. If you can cultivate the 250 precepts, then you will accomplish your study of the precepts. If you value purity in all things, then you will accomplish your study of Samadhi. If you cultivate the Way of the Four Truths, then you will accomplish your study of wisdom. In this way, you will cultivate precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom to perfection; and you will destroy greed, hatred, and stupidity. Once you have destroyed greed, hatred, and stupidity, you become an Arhat. There are four kinds of Arhats: first, second, third, and fourth stage Arhats. One who accomplishes the fourth stage of Arhatship truly ends birth and death.
Arhats can fly and transform themselves. They have a life span of vast eons, and wherever they dwell they can move heaven and earth. "
What is an Arhat? A fourth stage Arhat has reached the position called Beyond Study, because further study is no longer necessary. So Arhats of the first three fruitions are in the position of Having More to Study. Arhats of the fourth fruition have reached the position of the Way of Certification; second and third fruition Arhats have reached the position of the Way of Cultivation; and first fruition Arhats have reached the position of the Way of Seeing.
Later this Sutra says: "Be careful not to believe your own mind; your mind is not to be trusted." We should be particularly careful not to believe our own minds. Our minds are unreliable. You can trust your mind only after you reach the fourth stage of Arhatship.
Sages who reach the fourth fruition of Arhatship don’t have any more desire and love. They have severed love and desire. What proof is there that someone has certified to the fourth fruition of Arhatship? A fourth stage Arhat feet don touch the ground. His feet leave the ground by three-tenths of an inch, and for that reason he never squashes insects or ants, as would an ordinary person who walks along. When he walking, there may be insects or ants beneath his feet, but he won step on them. This proves that he has become certified to the fruition. Not only can fourth stage Arhats do this, but first stage Arhats can do this as well. Therefore, the text says: Arhats can fly and transform themselves. A fourth stage Arhat can go wherever he wants to go and he can transform himself in endless ways. He can create endless numbers of transformation-bodies. For example, when I was in Taiwan, I visited the elder cultivator Dharma Master Guang Qin and invited him to come to America. He pointed to his heart and said he could come whenever he wanted to come. Now when he wants to come, he can. He knows he has come, but other people don't know. Only those who have opened their spiritual eyes will be able to see that the elder Dharma Master Guang Qin is here.
Not only can the spirit of a fourth stage Arhat travel to some other place, his whole body can go. He can go easily and whenever he pleases. It not necessary for him to buy an airplane ticket. He can just travel through the air and transform himself freely. Arhats possess the ability to make eighteen transformations, and each of these transformations is truly inconceivable.
They have a life span of vast eons. These vast eons are limitlessly long, because a fourth stage Arhat can live as long as he wishes. Longevity is no problem. When the body he inhabits gets old and deteriorates, he can exchange it for another body quite easily. Thus he has a life span of vast eons.
People who realize the fourth fruition of Arhatship have freedom over birth and death. They are truly free: if they want to live they can live; if they want to die they can die at any time they choose. If they want to die standing up, they can die standing up. If they want to die sitting, they can die sitting. If they want to die walking, they can die walking. If they want to die sleeping, they can die sleeping, just as they please. They are very independent; no one can control them. So that why they have a life span of great eons and are said to be free of rebirth. They are not reborn, and they no longer die.
And wherever they dwell they can move heaven and earth. Wherever an Arhat dwells, the heaven spirits and the earth spirits are influenced and moved by him. They are all taught and transformed by him. That what this line means. Wherever an Arhat dwells, the gods, dragons, and members of the eightfold pantheon protect his Dharma and keep his locale peaceful. There aren’t any hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, avalanches, tidal waves, or any such disasters because the Dharma protectors and good spirits are always guarding him and making everything auspicious. Inauspicious things do unexpectedly happen to Arhats, though; these are manifestations of karma from their past lives. Occasionally such things do occur. Because an Arhat cultivation at the stage of causation may not have been perfect, he will encounter trials and difficulties after he has achieved the fruition. So it is said, he who cultivates blessings without cultivating wisdom is like an elephant wearing a valuable necklace. One who cultivates wisdom without cultivating blessings is like an Arhat who receives scanty offerings. "Sometimes Arhats have no food to eat. They go out on alms rounds, but nobody makes offerings to them. That because when they were at the causal stage, they only cultivated wisdom and didn’t cultivate blessings. And so even after they become Arhats, they don have any blessings. People rarely make offerings to them.
Another way to explain over heaven and earth is that in every move this Arhat makes, no matter what he does, both heaven and earth will tremble and quake for him. This is a brief explanation of the word Arhat. "
Superior to the Arhat is the Anagamin. At the end of his life, an Anagamin vital spirit will rise above the nineteenth heaven, and he will become an Arhat."
Prior to the Arhat is the Anagamin. A fourth fruition Arhat has realized the position of being Beyond Study, while an Anagamin, an Arhat at the third stage of fruition, is still in the position of Having More to Study. A Sakridagamin of the second stage has severed six grades of delusion in thought in the desire realm and still has to cut off the last three grades of delusion in thought in the desire realm. Once he severs those last three grades, he realizes the stage of an Anagamin and becomes certified to the third stage of Arhatship. One who has not finished cutting off these last three grades is called a Sakridagamin.
At the end of his life, if an Anagamin vital spirit becomes a ghost, then it is known as his body between sets of skandhas. “If it is yang, then it is known as the vital spirit; this is also what we refer to as the soul, or efficacious nature. It will rise above the nineteenth heaven, and he will become an Arhat. When the Anagamin life ends, since he has not ended birth and death, his soul rises above the nineteenth heaven. We count from the Heaven of the Four Kings up to the Heaven of No Afflictions. The Heaven of No Afflictions is above the nineteenth heaven. Above the nineteenth heaven, the Anagamin will realize Arhatship, so his name means e who never again returns. “He doesn’t return into the human realm. This is the Anagamin, an Arhat of the third fruition.
Just now we heard that there are no disasters wherever an Arhat dwells, and some people have raised doubts that it might not be peaceful where an Arhat dwells. I won comment about that, but I will speak about the Elder Master Hsu Yun in China and the responses that occurred during his life. Once during the Sino-Japanese War, when the Elder Master was living at Nanhua Monastery near Canton, Japanese warplanes dropped several bombs on the area, but none exploded. Some people say, ell, they were duds. It was just a coincidence. “But then, why weren’t other people so lucky? Why was it only at Nanhua Monastery that there were duds?
Another time, when the Elder Master Hsu Yun was transmitting the precepts at Yun Qi Monastery in Yunnan, the trees blossomed with lotus flowers. Why didn’t the trees blossom with lotuses in those areas to which he didn’t go? On the leaves of the vegetables and other plants there appeared images of Buddha’s. Despite the power of such miraculous responses, people still failed to recognize them as such. They considered them to be merely isolated occurrences. When the Elder Master Hsu Yun was at Nanhua Monastery, a cypress tree that had been dead for several hundred years came back to life and budded. That was another inconceivable happening, as was the time when a white fox came and took refuge. At the time people still didn’t realize clearly what was happening. Now that the Elder Master Yun has entered Nirvana, everyone praises him. They all say that the Venerable Yun was a sage who realized the fruition of the Way and that he was a Bodhisattva who returned to earth. This is just how people are something is before their eyes, they miss it; and once they missed it, they regret it. People are strange and stupid creatures.
Now in America I want to create living Buddhas, living Bodhisattvas, and living Arhats. I want to create Anagamins, Sakridagamins, and Srotaapannas. Anyone who can get rid of desire and cut off love will have a share in it. As for those who can get rid of desire and cut off love those who are completely spineless here just no way to help them. Everything is made from the mind alone. If a person wants to be a ghost, he can be a ghost; if he wants to be a Buddha, he can be a Buddha. If a person wants to be a person, he can be a person. If he wants to be an animal, he can be an animal; it just remains to be seen which road his mind takes.
Don’t assume that The Ten Dharma-realms Are Not Beyond a Single Thought is an insignificant little book. A thousand years from now, there may be many people who will become enlightened upon reading that book. That is a future matter. Right now it remains to be seen whether anyone will become enlightened.
Superior to the Anagamin is the Sakridagamin, who ascends once, returns once more, and thereafter becomes an Arhat. Prior to the Sakridagamin is the Srotaapanna, who has seven deaths and seven births remaining, and then becomes an Arhat. Severing love and desire is like severing the four limbs; one never uses them again."
Prior to the Anagamin is the Sakridagamin, who ascends once, returns once more, and thereafter be comes an Arhat. The sage of the second fruition is called a Sakridagamin. Sakridagamin “is Sanskrit and means e who returns once more.” At this level of sagehood, one is in the position of the Way of Cultivation. What does it mean to return once more”? The Sakridagamin is reborn once in the heavens and once in the human realm. The Sakridagamin has cut off six grades of delusion in thought in the desire realm. What is delusion in thought? “Thought “here means consideration or discrimination. If you have thought, but no delusion, that can also be pure. As long as you use wisdom to make discriminations, that is not delusion in thought. Delusion in thought exists when you are confused, and you don understand. You think about what you don’t understand. This is the nature that is entirely calculated and attached to. "
For example, you might see a piece of rope at night, but not recognize it as a rope. You think, h, look, it a snake! “Why do you think that the rope is a snake? Because, based on the rope, you give rise to the nature that is entirely calculated and attached to. “That is the nature that arises relying on other things.” If you investigate the rope itself, you find that the rope is in fact made of hemp and it not a snake. Then you are using he perfectly accomplished real nature. "
The desire realm has nine grades of delusion in thought. One reaches the third fruition after severing the last three grades of delusion in thought. If one severs the first six grades of delusion in thought in the desire realm, one becomes certified to the second fruition of Arhatship. If one has not severed these six grades, one cannot become certified to the second fruition. One returns once to the heavens in the desire realm and once to the human realm. Thus, one is called e who returns once more. “When one returns, one becomes certified to Arhatship and ends birth and death.
Prior to the Sakridagamin is the Srotaapanna. Srotaapanna, also Sanskrit, means “entering the flow” or “joining the flow.” It also means “opposing the flow.” Entering the flow “means one enters the flow of the Dharma-nature of a sage. “Opposing the flow “means one opposes the flow of the six defiling objects of ordinary people. The six defiling objects are: forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, and dharmas. When one becomes certified to the first fruition, one cuts off delusion in views. We have delusion in views and delusion in thought; we are confused by views as well as by thoughts. Delusion in views and delusion in thought take control of us and cause us to be confused. So, if you genuinely want to become enlightened, you have to cut off these two kinds of delusion. Delusion in views must be severed, and delusion in thought must be cut off, too.
What is delusion in views? Delusion in views means that when faced with situations, one feels greed and love. Delusion in thought means one becomes confused about the principle and makes discriminations. Delusion in views: you see events and things, and you are confused by them. Once you are confused by them, you follow along with the situation and are turned by it. And when you are turned by the situation, you give rise to greed and love. With greed, you become attached to things; and with love, you can bear to part with things. Being attached and unable to put things down, you can realize sagehood. If you want to achieve sagehood, you have to cut off delusion in views. How many grades of delusion in views are there? There are eighty-eight grades of delusion in views. When you cut off these eighty-eight grades, you attain the first fruition of Arhatship and become a Srotaapanna. The Srotaapanna is a sage of the first fruition. What is meant by joining the flow”? You join with the sages ' flow; you are together with sages.
A Srotaapanna is one who has seven deaths and seven births remaining, and then becomes an Arhat. Sages who have realized the first fruition have seven more births and deaths to undergo. When these seven births and deaths are over, then these sages become certified to the fourth fruition of Arhatship and put an end to birth and death. The seven births and deaths are divided in this way: upon reaching the upper-highest level of delusion in thought in the desire realm, you put an end to greed, hatred, stupidity, and pride, and you sever delusion in thought. Severing delusion continues through two births and deaths. Then one life is spent in the middle-highest level of the desire realm; one life in the lower-highest level; one life in the upper-middle level; one life in the middle-middle level and lower-middle levels combined; and one life in the upper-lowest, middle-lowest, and lower-lowest parts combined, for a total of seven birth and deaths. When the seven are finished, you can realize the fruition of Arhatship and end share section birth and death. This is the way it happens in the ordinary course of events, but it can vary among particular individuals; there nothing fixed about it. If a cultivator potentials and roots are special, then he might advance from the first stage directly to the fourth stage of Arhatship. Kumarajiva mother, for instance, went from the first fruition to the second fruition. Therefore, the sequence of certification is not fixed.
There are many categories of delusion in thought and delusion in views in the Triple Realm, but when all is said and done, what confuses people most is love and desire. Love and desire gain control of us and turn us upside down. Knowing clearly something is wrong, we still want to go and do it. Knowing clearly something is right, we don want to do it. People are just such strange creatures. Even if we know very well that something is not good and we are told not to do it, we still go ahead and do it anyway. Knowing clearly something is good; we still don’t want to do it, even when we were told to do it. We never listen. Why? Because love and desire control us and cause us to be upside-down.
Severing love and desire is like severing the four limbs; one never uses them again. If we can cut off love and desire, then we certainly will be able to accomplish the Way. Cutting off love and desire is just like cutting off your hands and feet: once you cut off your hands and feet, you can use them anymore. That what it should be like when you cut off your love and desire. So the Sutra says, prior to the Sakridagamin is the Srotaapanna, who has seven deaths and seven births remaining, and then realizes Arhatship. “You must be just that determined, that decisive. You shouldn't neglect to cut off what you are supposed to cut off; otherwise you'll have trouble. You ought to cut off love and desire, but you don cut them off; in general, you just keep avoiding the issue. This is to be indecisive, to have no real wisdom. Without any genuine wisdom, you keep intending to cut them off but never quite do it. Some people are proverbially indecisive like this. They think about it one way, and then they decide that it really another way. They have no will of their own and no principles to go by. This is of no benefit to cultivation. People who cultivate the Way should have heroic determination in their words and deeds. If they are resolute and decisive, then they can cultivate the Way.
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Section 2
Eliminating Desire and Ending Seeking
The Buddha said, those who have left the home-life and become Shramanas cut off desire, renounce love, and recognize the source of their minds. They penetrate the Buddha profound principles and awaken to the unconditioned Dharma. Internally they have no thing to attain, and externally they seek nothing. They are not mentally bound to the Way, nor are they tied to karma. They are free of thought and action; they neither cultivate nor attain certification; they do not pass through the various stages, and yet they are highly revered. This is the meaning of the Way. "
This second section of the Sutra is talking about non-cultivation and non-certification.
The Buddha said, those who have left the home-life and become Shramanas cut off desire. "What should people who want to leave the home of the Triple Realm and become Shramanas do? They should cut off desire. Earlier, the Sutra said, severing love and desire is like severing the four limbs; one never uses them again. “They renounce love and recognize the source of their minds. At that point when there is no more love, they recognize the source of their own minds. They penetrate the Buddha pro-found principles and awaken to the unconditioned Dharma. They understand the Buddha most profound principles, which are neither conditioned nor unconditioned. Internally they have no-thing to attain, and externally they seek nothing. If you want to talk in terms of yourself, you have no understanding and no attaining. Inside, you obtain nothing. Outside you seek nothing and obtain nothing. Obtaining nothing inside is the unconditioned Dharma; seeking nothing outside is also the unconditioned Dharma. So it said,
The less you know of what is going on,
The less affliction you will have.
If you reach the point of seeking nothing,
Then you will have no worries.
When they reach the state of there being nothing to obtain inside, and nothing to seek outside, they are not mentally bound to the Way. They don necessarily say to themselves that they are cultivating the Way. At the same time you can always find them cultivating. Nor are they tied to karma. They also find it impossible to create any kind of bad karma.
They are free of thought and action. They have no false thoughts; all they have are proper thoughts. They don’t have even a single false thought, so they are free of thought. Since they perform no false or superfluous actions, they are free of action. “They don do anything in particular. They neither cultivate nor attain certification. They have done what they had to do, they have already cultivated to the ultimate point. There is nothing left that they can cultivate. They don certify because they have already obtained the fundamental substance of the Way. They have already realized the fruition of their cultivation.
They do not pass through the various stages. It is unnecessary to go through all these positions: from the Ten Dwellings to the Ten Practices, to the Ten Transferences, to the Ten Grounds. You need not go through them. You suddenly transcend them. And yet they are highly revered. The position that Shramanas occupy is lofty. This is the meaning of the Way. That is what a Shramana who has attained the Way is like.
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Section 3
Severing Love and Renouncing Greed
The Buddha said, having their hair and beards, they become Shramanas who accept the Dharmas of the Way. They renounce worldly wealth and riches. In receiving alms, they accept only what enough. They take only one meal a day at noon, pass the night beneath trees, and are careful not to seek more than that. Craving and desire are what cause people to be stupid and dull. "
This is the third of the forty-two sections; it praises the most excellent ascetic practices. If you can cultivate these supreme ascetic practices, you can become certified in your fruition in the Way.
The Buddha said. These are the words of the Buddha. What did the Buddha say? He said, having their hair and beards." People who leave the home-life shave off their beards and the hair on their heads, and they become Shramanas, left-home people, who accept the Dharmas of the Way. To accept the Dharmas of the Way means a cultivator should accept the Way in his mind and cultivate the Dharmas of the Way. A person who cultivates the Dharmas of the Way should renounce worldly wealth and riches; he doesn’t want the riches of the world. Here, for example, we have several people who have left the home-life and are keeping the precept against holding money. That is very good. That's to renounce worldly wealth and riches. All the fighting in the world is due to wealth. Take a look: countries fight with countries, families feud with families, and people battle with people because of personal benefit. He can renounce worldly wealth; he doesn’t want any worldly valuables.
In receiving alms, they accept only what enough. Every day they carry their bowls and receive alms. They eat their fill, and that suffices them. Here, receiving alms means they carry their bowls and receive alms food. They accept only what enough “means that having eaten their fill, they stop, they aren’t greedy; they don’t eat more. They don’t eat often they take only one meal a day at noon and they pass the night beneath trees. When they sleep, they sleep under trees. Further, they don’t sleep under any one tree more than three nights. And they are careful not to seek more than that. You should be careful not to seek for more. Don’t seek for anything beyond these simple things.
Craving and desire are what cause people to be stupid and dull. A person stupidity is like weeds growing in his mind: the sod and rocks cover over the mind, making him dull. Like the sun obscured by clouds, we don’t understand things; we can fathom how to do things. And what causes this? Craving and desire. They make us stupid. You object to my saying you are stupid? If you weren’t stupid, then why, once you received the precepts, would you then break them? If you aren’t stupid, then why do you want to do things that you should not do? Just because of craving and desire. You can see through love and you can put down desire, and so you aren’t at ease. If you can see through and put down things, then you feel at ease; and then you won have any worries, any distress, any troubles, or any affliction. Everything will be just fine. There won’t be any problems at all. The way I like to say it in English is: everything okay.
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Section 4
Clarifying Good and Evil
The Buddha said, living beings may perform Ten Good Deeds or Ten Evil Deeds. What are the ten? Three are done with the body, four are done with the mouth, and three are done with the mind. The three done with the body are killing, stealing, and lust. The four done with the mouth are duplicity, harsh speech, lies, and frivolous speech. The three done with the mind are jealousy, hatred, and stupidity. Thus these ten are not in accord with the Way of Sages and are called the Ten Evil Deeds. To put a stop to these evils is to perform the Ten Good Deeds. "
The fourth section discusses how good and evil have no fixed form. It as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It simply up to us to do it.
The Buddha said, living beings may perform ten good deeds. There are ten kinds of good deeds that living beings can do. Or there are also ten evil deeds. Although these are good deeds, if done incorrectly, they become evil. What are the ten? Three are done with the body, four are done with the mouth, and three are done with the mind.
The three done with the body are killing, stealing, and lust. What is meant by killing? To kill is to take a life, to put an end to the life of another sentient creature. What is meant by stealing? It means to take some object without getting the owner permission. Lust refers to sexual intercourse between men and women.
The four done with the mouth are duplicity, harsh speech, lies, and frivolous speech. Duplicity, or double-tongued speech, doesn’t refer to someone growing two tongues. It means saying things in two different ways. You speak about Mr. Lee to Mr. Chang, and then you speak about Mr. Chang to Mr. Lee. You speak out of both corners of your mouth. Harsh speech means scolding or profanity. Telling lies means saying things that aren’t true. Frivolous speech means talking about things that are meaningless frivolous, in appropriate things. Frivolous speech reflects deviant knowledge and deviant views.
The three done with the mind are jealousy, hatred, and stupidity. Jealousy refers to envy. When you’re jealous, you don’t wish good to come to others. When something good happens to another person, you become jealous. Hatred includes haughtiness, resentment, maliciousness, and vengefulness. When one is stupid, one doesn’t distinguish between principles and facts.
Thus these ten are not in accord with the Way of Sages and do not lead one down a good path. They are called the Ten Evil Deeds. To put a stop to these evils is to perform the Ten Good Deeds. The Ten Good Deeds are: not killing, not stealing, not being lustful, not being jealous, not hating, not being stupid, not engaging in duplicity, not using harsh speech, not telling lies, and not speaking frivolously.
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Section 5
Reducing the Severity of Offenses
The Buddha said, "If a person has many offenses and does not repent of them, but cuts off all thought of repentance, the offenses will engulf him, just as water returning to the sea will gradually become deeper and wider. If a person has offenses and, realizing they are wrong, reforms and does good, the offenses will dissolve by themselves, just as a sick person who begins to perspire will gradually be cured. "
The fifth section exhorts people to realize that if we have offenses, we can change them and start over with a clean slate. But if we have offenses and don change them, then the offenses always remain with us. If we can reform and make a fresh start, then the offenses disappear.
The Buddha said, "If a person has many offenses and does not repent of them. The category of offenses includes all kinds of mistakes and wrong deeds. If you don change and repent of offenses, but conceal them and hide them away because you don want anyone to see them or know about them that called not being repentant. The person cuts off all thought of repentance. You don realize that you should repent. You abruptly put a stop to any thought of repentance. That is, you have no intention of changing your errors. If you stop your thoughts of repentance, then when the offenses come down upon you, they will engulf you. The offenses will engulf him, just as water returning to the sea will gradually become deeper and wider. It will be like a small stream flowing back into the sea. Gradually the small offenses will grow deeper and broader, and will turn into big offenses. Even tiny transgressions will become huge. Light karmic obstructions will become heavy karmic obstructions.
If a person has offenses and, realizing they are wrong, reforms and does good. You can have such monstrous offenses that they fill up the sky, but with a single thought of repentance you can melt them away. Your offenses may be as vast as the heavens, but if you can repent of them, they will disappear. You must repent, untie the knot of offenses and realize your own mistakes. After that, you should change your evil conduct into good conduct and practice all kinds of good deeds. The offenses will dissolve by themselves, just as a sick person who begins to perspire will gradually be cured. If you can become a new person, then your offenses will disappear. What is this like? It like a feverish person who breaks out in a sweat and then gradually becomes well.
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Section 6
Tolerating Evil-doers and Avoiding Hatred
The Buddha said, "When an evil person hears about your goodness and intentionally comes to cause trouble, you should restrain yourself and not become angry or blame him. Then the one who has come to do evil will do evil to himself. "
This is the sixth section, which says that good can overcome evil, but evil cannot overcome good. The previous section told people to stop doing evil and to do good, to reform themselves. The Buddha feared that some people might be afraid that if they did good deeds, evil people would give them trouble. So the Buddha spoke this section.
The Buddha said, "When an evil person hears about your goodness and intentionally comes to cause trouble. Suppose an evil person hears that you’re doing good deeds, and he intentionally comes to hassle you. He comes to give you trouble and to disrupt your practice of good deeds. At that time you should restrain yourself, you should remain cool and dispassionate. Don’t get agitated or nervous.
And you should not become angry or blame him. You shouldn’t get angry, nor should you scold him. Don’t talk about his wrongdoing. Then the one who has come to do evil will do evil to himself. The evil person who comes to bother you and disrupt your practice will wind up giving himself trouble. He just destroying himself; he just giving himself a hard time. It like a mirror in which an extremely ugly reflection appears. The ugly appearance is simply his own reflection in the mirror; it not that the mirror itself is ugly.
This illustrates that no matter how bad an evil person is, the evil belongs to him and will bring him harm in the end. If you pay no attention to him, there will be no problem. As soon as you start paying attention to him, though, what happens? You fall in with his ilk; you become an evil person yourself.
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Section 7
Evil Returns to the Doer
The Buddha said, "There was a person who, upon hearing that I observe the Way and practice great humane kindness, intentionally came to berate me. I was silent and did not reply. When he finished abusing me, I asked, "If you are courteous to people and they do not accept your courtesy, the courtesy returns to you, does it not?”
"It does, he replied. I said, how you are scolding me, but I do not receive it, so the misfortune returns to you and must remain with you. It is as inevitable as an echo that follows a sound, or as a shadow that follows a form. In the end you cannot avoid it. Therefore, be careful not to do evil.”
The seventh section verifies the preceding statement that one who does evil harms himself. In order to explain this, the Buddha makes an analogy.
The Buddha said, "There was a person who, upon hearing that I observe the Way and practice great humane kindness, intentionally came to berate me." The Buddha is a person who observes and cultivates the Way. He also cultivates the practice of great kindness. On hearing this, a person came right up to the Buddha and started scolding him. The Buddha heard him, but was silent and did not reply. He remained silent and did not say anything. When he finished abusing me, once the person stopped berating him, I, the Buddha, asked, "If you are courteous to people and they do not accept your courtesy, the courtesy returns to you, does it not?”
"It does, he replied.”Right," he said. "It comes back to me. If they do not accept my courtesy and respect, then I take those back."
I said, "Now you are scolding me, but I do not receive it.”Now, sir," the Buddha said, you are scolding me. You berate me, but I remain thus, thus, and unmoving. Whether you scold me or not, it all the same to me. I not affected by your scolding; I simply won accept it. So the misfortune returns to you and must remain with you. "Sir, " the Buddha continued, "your scolding me is not right, so there will certainly be an unfortunate result; it is inevitable. And that misfortune will fall back on you; it will follow you just as an echo follows a sound or as a shadow follows a form, just as the shadow of your body follows you. In the end you cannot avoid it, the misfortune that will result from your having scolded me. Therefore, be careful not to do evil. It is my hope that everyone will not do evil deeds."
(End of Section 1 to 7)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha (Introductory Sections)
Lectures by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua,
Given at Gold Mountain Monastery,
San Francisco, California, in 1974
The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha
Introductory Sections
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The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha. The ten words of the title express both the general and individual names of this Sutra. All sutras spoken by the Buddha share the general name "sutra." The individual name, which accompanies the word "sutra," is the particular name of that sutra, which distinguishes it from other sutras. The word "sutra" is just like the word "human," which we use to describe all people. "Human" is the general name, and each person has his own individual name: this one is named Smith, and another is named Chang. The sutras the Buddha spoke are also like that; they have both general and individual names. "The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha" is the individual name of this Sutra. Examining the words of the individual name, we find that the title of this Sutra is established on the basis of a person and a dharma. The Buddha is a person and "Forty-two Sections" is a dharma. Therefore, the title is referred to as established on the basis of a person and a dharma.
This Sutra is composed of Dharma spoken by the Buddha. When the Buddha disciples were compiling the Sutra Treasury , they selected individual passages and combined them into one work. You could also say it a Buddha-anthology . The Buddha's sayings were put together to make one sutra. The forty-two sections are the forty-two selections of the Sutra. This was the first sutra to be transmitted to China. The two Honorable Elders Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana brought this Sutra to China from India on a white horse (around a.d. 67). White Horse Monastery was established in Loyang by Han Ming Di, the emperor of that time.
The Buddhadharma was transmitted to China during the Han Dynasty (206 b.c.d. 220). During that era, Taoism also flourished. When Buddhism came to China, the Taoist masters became jealous. They held an audience with the emperor and told him, "Buddhism is a false faith. It is a barbarian religion; it not Chinese. Therefore, you should not permit it to spread through China. You should abolish Buddhism!" they urged. "If you will not abolish it, then you should at least hold a contest."
What were the rules of the contest? The Taoists suggested that the emperor put the Buddha sutras together in a pile with the Taoists' texts and then set fire to them. Whichever books burned belonged to the false religion, and the texts that survived the flames would be recognized as the true ones.
The Taoist leader Chu Shanxin and five hundred other Taoist masters put the Taoist texts together with the Buddhist sutras and then prayed to the Venerable Great Master Laozi, "Divine Lord, O Virtuous One of the Way! You must grant us a magical response to ensure that our texts will not burn and that the Buddhist sutras will go up in flames!"
Many of the Taoist masters present had spiritual powers. Some could soar through the clouds and ride the fog. Others could sail through the heavens and hide in the earth. Some could vanish into thin air. You might see one in front of you, but suddenly he would disappear! There were Taoists who had the power to do almost anything. Some of them could make a quick escape by disappearing. They had used the charms and spells of the Taoist religion to gain a considerable number of spiritual powers.
When the fire was lit, guess what happened? Not only did the Buddhist sutras not burn, they emitted light instead! The relics (sharira) of the Buddha also emitted a five-colored light that flared into space as bright as the sun, shining over the entire world.
As soon as the Taoist texts were set on fire, they burned to ashes and were gone. Those who had been able to soar through the clouds couldn’t do it anymore; they had lost their spiritual powers. Those who had been able to sail to the heavens could no longer manage it. Those who had been able to hide in the earth could no longer hide in the earth. Those who had been able to vanish couldn’t vanish. The spells they mumbled no longer worked. There was no response. The Taoist texts burned to a crisp, and the Taoist masters Chu Shanxin and Fei Zhengqing died of rage right then and there! Witnessing the death of their leaders, two or three hundred Taoists shaved their heads and became Buddhist monks on the spot. So, the first time Taoism and Buddhism held a Dharma-contest, the Taoists lost.
After the book burning , the two Honorable Elders, Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana, ascended into space and revealed the Eighteen Transformations of an Arhat. They emitted water from the upper part of their bodies and fire from the lower part; then they emitted fire from the upper part of their bodies and water from the lower part; they walked about in space; they lay down and went to sleep in space; and they manifested various spiritual transformations there. Right away the emperor and all the people simultaneously came to believe in Buddhism. That is why this Sutra is extremely important. It was the first Buddhist sutra to be transmitted to China. So, we have come together to investigate this text today.
Let look into the word "Buddha" first. Buddha is a Sanskrit word. The complete transliteration into Chinese is “fo tuo ye”; translated, it means "an enlightened one." There are three kinds of enlightenment: enlightenment of oneself, enlightenment of others, and perfection of enlightenment and practice.
1. Enlightenment of oneself: Someone who enlightens himself is different from an ordinary person who is not enlightened. Cultivators of the Two Vehicles , the Sound-hearers and Pratyekabuddhas , have enlightened themselves and are thus no longer the same as ordinary people, but they do not enlighten others.
2. Enlightenment of others: Someone who can enlighten others is different from the cultivators of the Two Vehicles. This person is called a Bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas can enlighten themselves and enlighten others. Being able to benefit themselves, they can also benefit others. They regard all living beings impartially. They themselves are enlightened, and they want all living beings to become enlightened also. This is called the enlightenment of others.
3. Perfection of enlightenment and practice: Although Bodhisattvas can enlighten others, they still have not reached the perfection of enlightenment and practice. Buddhas can enlighten themselves, can enlighten others, and also have perfected their enlightenment and practice. Because they have perfected the threefold enlightenment, they are Buddhas.
Spoken by. The Buddha spoke this Sutra because he found joy in his mind delights and wanted to share that joy with others. That means that he expressed the things that made him happy, and by doing so, his happiness increased.
Forty-two Sections. There are forty-two sections in this Sutra, and each of these is one of the Buddha discourses on Dharma.
Sutra. The word "sutra" has four meanings : to string together, to gather in, constant, and a method.
1. "To string together" is to unite the meanings that have been expounded. Just as we string together a set of recitation beads, the principles of a sutra are strung together word by word, connecting the meanings that were explained.
2. "To gather in" means to bring in those living beings who are ready for the teaching.
3. "Constant" means that from ancient times to the present, the sutra has not changed. In the past it did not change, in the present it does not change, and in the future it will not change. From antiquity it has remained constant. Therefore it is called constant.
4. "Method " refers to what people in the three periods of timeast, present, and future similarly venerate. People within the three periods of time revere this method and use it to cultivate.
The word "Sutra" contains other meanings, too. A sutra is like a bubbling spring, because principles flow forth from it like water from a spring. It is also like a carpenter plumb line, which is a tool that carpenters use for marking straight lines on boards. The carpenter covers his string with ink and then snaps it so that it marks the board. This analogy symbolizes that sutras serve as the standard of the Dharma. A further meaning of "sutra" is path. Sutras teach people methods for cultivation, so the word "sutra" also means a path for cultivation. There are other meanings as well in the word "sutra." This is a general explanation of the meaning of the Sutra title, The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha.
Co-translated by Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana of the Later Han Dynasty.
Since this was the first sutra to come to China from India, it had to be translated. Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana were two Dharma Masters from Central India who co-translated this Sutra in the Later Han Dynasty.
The Han Dynasty was divided into the Western Han (206 b.c..d. 23) and the Eastern Han (a.d. 25 220). The Later Han, the period referred to here, is known as the Eastern Han.
In the Eastern Han, during the third year of the Yung ping reign period (a.d. 62), Emperor Ming dreamed that a golden man with a halo of light above his head flew into the imperial palace. The next day he asked his cabinet ministers about the dream, and an astrologer named Fu Yi said to the emperor, have heard that in India there was a holy sage whom people called Buddha. Your dream, Your Majesty, is certainly of the Buddha. " At that time a scholar named Wang Zun also told the emperor, about a book was written in the Zhou Dynasty called Records of Strange Events (Yi Ji). That book states that when the Buddha was born in the Zhou Dynasty during the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Zhao (around 1024 b.c.), the creeks and rivers overflowed their banks, the entire earth quaked, and a five-colored auspicious light pierced the heavens. At that time there was an astrologer and diviner named Su You . He consulted the I Ching [Book of Changes] and got the hexagram qian, nine in the fifth place, lying dragon in the heavens. ' Su You ascertained that a great sage had been born in India who would transmit a teaching that would come to China after a thousand years.
Then King Zhao of Zhou ordered that the details of the event be carved in stone and recorded. He then buried the stone at a certain spot south of the city, to wait and see if the event would actually occur--to see if a thousand years hence the Buddhadharma would actually be transmitted to China.
Later in the Zhou Dynasty, during the reign of King Mu (1001 946 b.c.), there was a massive earthquake that shook heaven and earth. A white rainbow with twelve rays was seen extending across the sun. Rainbows are mentioned in the Shurangama Sutra. This was a white rainbow which seemed to arch across the sun during the daytime. This rainbow appeared just as the Buddha was about to enter Nirvana. Although India was far from China, the Chinese were aware of what was happening. The Buddha appearance in the world was no chance event. When the Buddha was born in India, all the creeks and rivers overflowed their banks in China. There were floods, and the entire earth quaked. When the Buddha entered Nirvana, a white rainbow with twelve rays arched across the sun. Around this time another astrologer named Hu Duo used the I Ching to consult the hexagrams. He concluded, great sage from the West has left the world. During the Zhou Dynasty, in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Zhao (around 1024 b.c.), this great sage was born in India, and now he has entered Nirvana. " Despite their distance, the Chinese knew about these events that happened in India. In China there were diviners who could predict such events accurately.
About a thousand years later, Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty had the dream about the Buddha (around a.d. 62). In the seventh year of the Yungping reign, the year of Jia Zi (a.d. 64), he commanded three courtiersai Yin, Qin Jing, and Wang Zuno take eighteen people to India to seek the Buddhadharma. In central India they met the Honorable Elders Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana . The two returned to China with the three courtiers, arriving at Loyang in a.d. 67, the tenth year of the Yung ping reign period, during the year of Ding Mao. They came on a white horse carrying their sutras, and Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty built the White Horse Monastery .
Four years later, on the first day of the fifth month in the fourteenth year of the Yungping reign period, the Taoists of the Five Mountains in China arrived to stop the spread of Buddhism . As I mentioned earlier, they wanted to set fire to the scriptures of both religions. But unexpectedly, all the Taoist texts burned up, and the Buddhist sutras did not go up in flames. The Buddha sharira radiated a five-colored beam of light. The light seemed to form an umbrella, a canopy in the air, which shaded all those who had gathered to watch the scriptures burn. When all the people in attendance saw this canopy of light, they immediately believed in Buddhism.
Sutra Preface
When the World Honored One had attained the Way, he thought, "To leave desire behind and to gain calmness and tranquillity is supreme." He abided in deep meditative concentration and subdued every demon and externalist.
In the Deer Park he turned the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths and took across Ajnata-kaundinya and the other four disciples, who all realized the fruition of the Way. Then the Bhikshus expressed their doubts and asked the Buddha how to resolve them. The World Honored One taught and exhorted them, until one by one they awakened and gained enlightenment. After that, they each put their palms together, respectfully gave their assent, and followed the Buddha instructions.
When the World Honored One had attained the Way orld Honored One " refers to Shakyamuni Buddha and is one of the Ten Titles of the Buddha. The Buddha saw a bright star at night from where he sat beneath the Bodhi Tree, and he awakened to the Way. He thought, o leave desire behind and to gain calmness and tranquillity is supreme. "He thought to himself, ho is the first person that should be taken across? What shall I do first? " o leave desire behind " means to have no thoughts of desire and to be free of all traces of defilement. almness and tranquillity " means purity, doing action-less action and being thus, thus, and unmoving. This is the finest of all things and is the most inconceivable state.
He abided in deep meditative concentration and subdued every demon and externalist. He remained in profound samadhi, finding it supreme. In this state of great concentration, he was able to subdue the many kinds of demons and unbelievers.
In the Deer Park the Buddha contemplated, and he saw that Ajnata-kaundinya and the other four men were the first ones he ought to take across. That is why he went to the Deer Park and turned the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the Way. Suffering is a consequence of our actions in the mundane world. An accumulation of those actions is the cause that leads to a particular consequence. When we work to transcend the world, we are rewarded with the cessation of suffering. Practicing the Way is the cause that results in transcendence of the world. Suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the Way are called the Dharmas of the Four Noble Truths.
After the Buddha accomplished Buddhahood, he first spoke the Flower Adornment Sutra in order to take across the Great Knights Who Realize the Dharma Body (Bodhisattvas). But common, ordinary beings were still unable to accept the great Dharma of the Flower Adornment Sutra. It is said that,
They had eyes, but were still unable to see Nishyanda Buddha.
They had ears, but were still unable to hear the perfect, sudden teaching.
That why the Buddha traveled to the Deer Park . The park was named Deer Park because in the past there were two deer kings who taught their herds there. I told the story of these deer kings when I lectured on the Shurangama Sutra. If you want to know the details, then you can refer to my commentary on the Shurangama Sutra.
At that time Ashvajit, Subhadra, Mahanama-kulika, Ajnata-kaundinya, and Dashabala-kashyapa were all cultivating in the Deer Park. They had been cultivating together with the Buddha earlier, and they were all the Buddha relatives. Ashvajit , Subhadra , and Mahanama-kulika were kin on his father side; and Ajnata-kaundinya and Dashabala-kashyapa were both maternal uncles. The five men had been sent into the wilds by the Buddha father to look after the Buddha. But Ajnata-kaundinya and Dashabala-kashyapa were unable to endure the hardship that cultivation involved, and they left first. The remaining three Ashvajit, Subhadra, and Mahanama-kulikapon seeing the Buddha accept a bowl of porridge that was sent by a heavenly maiden, assumed that the Buddha could no longer cultivate asceticism. They left him and found their way to the Deer Park.
Thus, when the Buddha realized the Way, he first went to find his five fellow cultivators so that he could take them across. After the Buddha finished speaking the Flower Adornment Sutra , he contemplated all living beings and their potentials and affinities to see whom he should take across first. Knowing that Ajnata-kaundinya and the other four were ready to be taken across, he himself traveled to the Deer Park to turn the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths . "Turn " means to roll the wheel, to make it revolve. The Four Noble Truths are: suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the Way. "Dharma" means "method" and "rule." The term "wheel" is used because the Dharma that the Buddha speaks flows forth from his mind into the minds of living beings, so that they can turn away from confusion and go towards enlightenment. Thus it is called a wheel. "Wheel" also implies crushing and subduing. "Crush" means to break apart. "Subdue" means to make submissive. The more solid the opposition, the more the wheel is able to smash it. It is designed to smash apart the externalists and demon kings. That is the meaning of "wheel."
The Dharma of the Four Noble Truths is the first Dharma that the Buddha spoke in our world. It said that the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths was turned three times . The first time was the Turning of Revelation. evelation " means the Buddha shows it to us. We don understand, so he tells us about it. Why is it called the turning of the Dharma-wheel of revelation? Because it reveals what the dharmas of the Four Noble Truths are about. The Turning of Revelation is also called the Initial Turning because the Buddha had just begun to turn the Wheel of Dharma. The Buddha said, here is suffering. Its nature is oppressive. " What is oppressive about it? Suffering makes you feel intense misery and deep pain pain so oppressive that it takes your breath away. What kinds of suffering are there? There are: the Three Sufferings, the Eight Sufferings, and the Limitless Sufferings.
The Three Sufferings are:
1. the suffering within suffering,
2. the suffering of decay,
3. the suffering of process.
What is the "suffering within suffering" ? When one is already suffering , one further undergoes increased misery; when you are already miserable, your pain doubles: that is suffering within suffering. Who would experience this problem? Consider poor people who are starving and cold, people who never eat their fill and who cannot dress warmly. They still have a wooden hut to sleep in at night. Although they don eat their fill and cannot dress warmly, they are still fairly well off. Then suppose that a hurricane or a cloudburst destroys their wooden hut, leaving them homeless. Now, on top of their hunger and cold, they have lost their shelter as well. Wouldn you consider that suffering?
Or perhaps someone has a place to live in and enough food to eat, but has no clothes to wear: that is also a form of suffering within suffering. Or someone may have sufficient clothing and shelter, but always goes hungry. That is also the suffering within suffering and is known as the suffering of poverty . Such suffering is hard to endure. It oppresses one to an acute degree.
You might object, "Rich people don't experience suffering, right? " Don't you know that rich people experience the suffering of decay? A person may be both noble-born and wealthy, but then be kidnapped by bandits. The bandits estimate his wealth and estate to be worth five million, and they demand six million in ransom. He has to borrow another million to satisfy the kidnappers. Isn't this a case of wealth going to ruin? This is the suffering of decay when it applies to wealth.
If you don't experience the suffering of poverty or the suffering of wealth going to ruin, you will still pass through life various processes : from youth to maturity, from maturity to old age, and from old age to death. Your thoughts roll on in ceaseless succession, and that is the suffering of process. Those are called the Three Sufferings.
The Eight Sufferings are:
1. The suffering of birth
2. The suffering of aging
3. The suffering of sickness
4. The suffering of death
5. The suffering of being apart from what you love
6. The suffering of being near what you detest
7. The suffering of not getting what you seek
8. the suffering of the raging blaze of the five skandhas
Beyond these forms of suffering, there are also limitless kinds of suffering that we undergo. That is why the Buddha said, "Here is suffering; its nature is oppressive."
"Here is accumulation; its nature is to beckon." What accumulates are afflictions. The accumulation of afflictions is a kind of beckoning. Once you have afflictions inside you, afflictions will accumulate from outside. If inwardly you harbor greed, hatred, and stupidity, then outwardly things will not go your way. That is why the Buddha described it as accumulation, with a nature that beckons.
"Here is cessation; by nature it can be realized." This is saying that cessation, or still quietude, brings joy. This can be realized. You can realize the joy of this stillness and quietude.
"Here is the Way ; by nature it can be cultivated." The Way is a Way of precepts, a Way of concentration, and a Way of wisdom. In detail it refers to the Thirty-seven Limbs of Enlightenment , which are: the Seven Shares of Bodhi, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Five Roots, the Five Powers, the Four Stations of Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts, and the Four Bases of Psychic Power. Together, they make up the Thirty-seven Limbs of Enlightenment. The Way, by its nature, can be cultivated. The above was the first turning of the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths, and it is called the Turning of Revelation.
The second turning of the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths was the Turning of Exhortation . The Buddha said, here is suffering, you should recognize it. There is accumulation, you should cut it off. There is cessation, you should realize it. There is the Way, you should cultivate it. " This is the Turning of Exhortation. He urged other people to cultivate the Four Noble Truths. This is called the Turning of Exhortation.
The third turning of the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths is known as the Turning of Certification . The Buddha said, ot only am I telling all of you to recog nize suffering, cut off accumulation, long for cessation, and cultivate the Way, I am also telling you, here is suffering; I have already recognized it. There is accumulation; I have already cut it off. ' What accumulates are afflictions and I have already cut them off. I would not tell you to stop afflictions before I myself had stopped them. I feel at ease now because I am free of afflictions. That is why I am telling you now to cut off afflictions, and to recognize the suffering that they bring on. here is cessation, I have already realized it. ' I have already realized the bliss of still tranquillity. So I am telling you all now to realize the joy of cessation, too. here is the Way, I have already cultivated it. ' I have completed my cultivation of the Way, and I don need to cultivate it further. Now I hope that all of you will recognize suffering, cut off its accumulation, long for cessation, and cultivate the Way. "
And took across Ajnata-kaundinya and the other four disciples, who all realized the fruition of the Way. When the Buddha spoke the three turnings of the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths, Ajnata-kaundinya immediately became enlightened and realized the fruition of his cultivation. Thereafter he was called the one who understands the fundamental limits of reality. He was also known to posterity as the first one to understand.
Why did Ajnata-kaundinya awaken first? Because in the past, when the Buddha was at the stage of causation, he was incarnated as the Patient Immortal . King Kali sliced off all four of his limbs and demanded to know whether the Immortal felt any hatred towards him. He replied, o, I don hate you. " King Kali asked, hat proof is there that you feel no hatred? " The Patient Immortal said, f I do hate you, then my four limbs will not grow back as they were before. If I bear you no ill will, then the four limbs that you have severed will grow back just as they were. "
With those words, his four limbs did grow back as they had been. After that, the Patient Immortal made a vow: hen I become a Buddha, I will take you across first, because you are my Good and Wise Advisor. "
In that previous lifetime, Ajnata-kaundinya was King Kali, and the Patient Immortal was Shakyamuni Buddha. So when the Buddha accomplished Buddha hood, he looked around to see whom he should take across first. hom should I take across first? I should first rescue the man who cut off my hands and feet. " Hence, when the Buddha spoke Dharma for him, Ajnata-kaundinya immediately became enlightened.
Next the Buddha explained about holding precepts and giving. How does one uphold the precepts? How does one practice giving? How does one get reborn in the heavens? He warned about desire, saying, aving thoughts of desire is wrong; it is impure. If you leave desires behind, only then can you become pure, only then can you gain true happiness. " At that time Ashvajit (Horse Victory) Bhikshu and Subhadra (Little Worthy) also became enlightened. They were the next two to awaken.
Third, the Buddha went on to explain other Dharma-doors, and at that time Mahanama-kulika and Dashabala-kashyapa also became enlightened. Those five men were the first to leave home and become Bhikshus. They were the first ones to become enlightened and to realize the Fourth Stage of Arhatship. So the text says, " and took across Ajnata-kaundinya and the other four disciples, who all realized the fruition of the Way. "
Then the Bhikshus expressed their doubts. Later, the other Bhikshus asked the Buddha about the Dharma to clear up their misunderstandings and doubts about principles. nd asked the Buddha how to resolve them. They asked the Buddha whether they should go forward in their cultivation or stop where they were. They asked the Buddha to make a decision for them. The World Honored One taught and exhorted them until one by one they awakened and gained enlightenment.
The Buddha taught and transformed the Bhikshus, and gave them instructions; he offered them advice. After the Buddha taught and transformed them, every one of the Bhikshus became enlightened. That is when they each put their palms together, respectfully gave their assent, and followed the Buddha esteemed instructions. Then they placed their palms together respectfully and gave their assent. That is, they put into practice the principles that the Buddha taught them. Because I thought everyone already understood, I skipped explaining the meaning of "bhikshu." I didn't realize that some people still don't understand.
"Bhikshu" is a Sanskrit word; it has three meanings:
1. destroyer of evil
2. frightener of Mara
3. mendicant
Because it has three meanings, if you translate it as "mendicant," then the meanings "destroyer of evil" or "frightener of Mara" are lost. If you choose "destroyer of evil" as the translation, then it won't mean "mendicant" or "frightener of Mara." Because the word "bhikshu" has three meanings, it therefore belongs to the category of terms that contain many meanings and thus are not translated. This is one of the five kinds of terms that should not be translated in the translation of sutras. The five kinds are:
1. words that contain many meanings
2. venerated words
3. terms referring to things that are not found in this country
4. terms that accord with ancient usage
5. terms with secret meanings
Because the word "bhikshu" contains three meanings, its Sanskrit rendering is retained.
The three meanings are:
1. Destroyer of evil: When afflictions are present, there is evil. A Bhikshu is called a destroyer of evil.
2. Mendicant: From above, a Bhikshu receives Dharma from the Buddha in order to increase his wisdom-life. From below, he seeks food from living beings, so that they might plant a field of blessings.
3. Frightener of Mara: When a Bhikshu ascends the mandala platform to receive the Bhikshu precepts , the Precept Teacher (Upadhyaya) asks him, re you a great hero? " The candidate answers, es, I am a great hero! " At that reply, the demons of the heavens and the externalists tremble with fear. Therefore he called a frightener of Mara.
When one leaves home to become a novice (Shramanera), one must know the meanings of the words Shramanera and Bhikshu. After he leaves home, a Bhikshu must know how to destroy evil and how to cut off afflictions. Destroying evil is the equivalent of cutting off afflictions. Our afflictions are extremely evil. If you wish to know whether or not an individual cultivates the Way, you need only check to see whether or not he still has a temper. A person with a big temper does not cultivate the Way. Someone who cultivates the Way is able to patiently endure anything that comes along. No matter who scolds or beats him, he can endure it, to the point that even if someone were to kill him, he could endure it. In all of these situations, one must be patient. Besides being patient, one must possess wisdom and a discriminating eye. That is why a Bhikshu has a world-transcending appearance. If a Bhikshu is able to cut off delusions and to realize the Truth, if he can cut off the delusions of the Triple Realm, then he will realize Arhatship.
We have with us someone who studied Buddhism for four or five years in the past, but only now, after years of searching, has he been able to find his way to Gold Mountain Monastery. This hasn been an easy accom plishment. In the world there are many people who look high and low to study the Buddhadharma, but who can find a genuine place to study. You who have made it to Gold Mountain Monastery should not assume that it has been an easy matter getting here. It difficult to enter Gold Mountain door. I hope you will all take special note of this point.
(Next: Section 1 to 7)
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Given at Gold Mountain Monastery,
San Francisco, California, in 1974
The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha
Introductory Sections
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The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha. The ten words of the title express both the general and individual names of this Sutra. All sutras spoken by the Buddha share the general name "sutra." The individual name, which accompanies the word "sutra," is the particular name of that sutra, which distinguishes it from other sutras. The word "sutra" is just like the word "human," which we use to describe all people. "Human" is the general name, and each person has his own individual name: this one is named Smith, and another is named Chang. The sutras the Buddha spoke are also like that; they have both general and individual names. "The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha" is the individual name of this Sutra. Examining the words of the individual name, we find that the title of this Sutra is established on the basis of a person and a dharma. The Buddha is a person and "Forty-two Sections" is a dharma. Therefore, the title is referred to as established on the basis of a person and a dharma.
This Sutra is composed of Dharma spoken by the Buddha. When the Buddha disciples were compiling the Sutra Treasury , they selected individual passages and combined them into one work. You could also say it a Buddha-anthology . The Buddha's sayings were put together to make one sutra. The forty-two sections are the forty-two selections of the Sutra. This was the first sutra to be transmitted to China. The two Honorable Elders Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana brought this Sutra to China from India on a white horse (around a.d. 67). White Horse Monastery was established in Loyang by Han Ming Di, the emperor of that time.
The Buddhadharma was transmitted to China during the Han Dynasty (206 b.c.d. 220). During that era, Taoism also flourished. When Buddhism came to China, the Taoist masters became jealous. They held an audience with the emperor and told him, "Buddhism is a false faith. It is a barbarian religion; it not Chinese. Therefore, you should not permit it to spread through China. You should abolish Buddhism!" they urged. "If you will not abolish it, then you should at least hold a contest."
What were the rules of the contest? The Taoists suggested that the emperor put the Buddha sutras together in a pile with the Taoists' texts and then set fire to them. Whichever books burned belonged to the false religion, and the texts that survived the flames would be recognized as the true ones.
The Taoist leader Chu Shanxin and five hundred other Taoist masters put the Taoist texts together with the Buddhist sutras and then prayed to the Venerable Great Master Laozi, "Divine Lord, O Virtuous One of the Way! You must grant us a magical response to ensure that our texts will not burn and that the Buddhist sutras will go up in flames!"
Many of the Taoist masters present had spiritual powers. Some could soar through the clouds and ride the fog. Others could sail through the heavens and hide in the earth. Some could vanish into thin air. You might see one in front of you, but suddenly he would disappear! There were Taoists who had the power to do almost anything. Some of them could make a quick escape by disappearing. They had used the charms and spells of the Taoist religion to gain a considerable number of spiritual powers.
When the fire was lit, guess what happened? Not only did the Buddhist sutras not burn, they emitted light instead! The relics (sharira) of the Buddha also emitted a five-colored light that flared into space as bright as the sun, shining over the entire world.
As soon as the Taoist texts were set on fire, they burned to ashes and were gone. Those who had been able to soar through the clouds couldn’t do it anymore; they had lost their spiritual powers. Those who had been able to sail to the heavens could no longer manage it. Those who had been able to hide in the earth could no longer hide in the earth. Those who had been able to vanish couldn’t vanish. The spells they mumbled no longer worked. There was no response. The Taoist texts burned to a crisp, and the Taoist masters Chu Shanxin and Fei Zhengqing died of rage right then and there! Witnessing the death of their leaders, two or three hundred Taoists shaved their heads and became Buddhist monks on the spot. So, the first time Taoism and Buddhism held a Dharma-contest, the Taoists lost.
After the book burning , the two Honorable Elders, Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana, ascended into space and revealed the Eighteen Transformations of an Arhat. They emitted water from the upper part of their bodies and fire from the lower part; then they emitted fire from the upper part of their bodies and water from the lower part; they walked about in space; they lay down and went to sleep in space; and they manifested various spiritual transformations there. Right away the emperor and all the people simultaneously came to believe in Buddhism. That is why this Sutra is extremely important. It was the first Buddhist sutra to be transmitted to China. So, we have come together to investigate this text today.
Let look into the word "Buddha" first. Buddha is a Sanskrit word. The complete transliteration into Chinese is “fo tuo ye”; translated, it means "an enlightened one." There are three kinds of enlightenment: enlightenment of oneself, enlightenment of others, and perfection of enlightenment and practice.
1. Enlightenment of oneself: Someone who enlightens himself is different from an ordinary person who is not enlightened. Cultivators of the Two Vehicles , the Sound-hearers and Pratyekabuddhas , have enlightened themselves and are thus no longer the same as ordinary people, but they do not enlighten others.
2. Enlightenment of others: Someone who can enlighten others is different from the cultivators of the Two Vehicles. This person is called a Bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas can enlighten themselves and enlighten others. Being able to benefit themselves, they can also benefit others. They regard all living beings impartially. They themselves are enlightened, and they want all living beings to become enlightened also. This is called the enlightenment of others.
3. Perfection of enlightenment and practice: Although Bodhisattvas can enlighten others, they still have not reached the perfection of enlightenment and practice. Buddhas can enlighten themselves, can enlighten others, and also have perfected their enlightenment and practice. Because they have perfected the threefold enlightenment, they are Buddhas.
Spoken by. The Buddha spoke this Sutra because he found joy in his mind delights and wanted to share that joy with others. That means that he expressed the things that made him happy, and by doing so, his happiness increased.
Forty-two Sections. There are forty-two sections in this Sutra, and each of these is one of the Buddha discourses on Dharma.
Sutra. The word "sutra" has four meanings : to string together, to gather in, constant, and a method.
1. "To string together" is to unite the meanings that have been expounded. Just as we string together a set of recitation beads, the principles of a sutra are strung together word by word, connecting the meanings that were explained.
2. "To gather in" means to bring in those living beings who are ready for the teaching.
3. "Constant" means that from ancient times to the present, the sutra has not changed. In the past it did not change, in the present it does not change, and in the future it will not change. From antiquity it has remained constant. Therefore it is called constant.
4. "Method " refers to what people in the three periods of timeast, present, and future similarly venerate. People within the three periods of time revere this method and use it to cultivate.
The word "Sutra" contains other meanings, too. A sutra is like a bubbling spring, because principles flow forth from it like water from a spring. It is also like a carpenter plumb line, which is a tool that carpenters use for marking straight lines on boards. The carpenter covers his string with ink and then snaps it so that it marks the board. This analogy symbolizes that sutras serve as the standard of the Dharma. A further meaning of "sutra" is path. Sutras teach people methods for cultivation, so the word "sutra" also means a path for cultivation. There are other meanings as well in the word "sutra." This is a general explanation of the meaning of the Sutra title, The Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha.
Co-translated by Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana of the Later Han Dynasty.
Since this was the first sutra to come to China from India, it had to be translated. Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana were two Dharma Masters from Central India who co-translated this Sutra in the Later Han Dynasty.
The Han Dynasty was divided into the Western Han (206 b.c..d. 23) and the Eastern Han (a.d. 25 220). The Later Han, the period referred to here, is known as the Eastern Han.
In the Eastern Han, during the third year of the Yung ping reign period (a.d. 62), Emperor Ming dreamed that a golden man with a halo of light above his head flew into the imperial palace. The next day he asked his cabinet ministers about the dream, and an astrologer named Fu Yi said to the emperor, have heard that in India there was a holy sage whom people called Buddha. Your dream, Your Majesty, is certainly of the Buddha. " At that time a scholar named Wang Zun also told the emperor, about a book was written in the Zhou Dynasty called Records of Strange Events (Yi Ji). That book states that when the Buddha was born in the Zhou Dynasty during the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Zhao (around 1024 b.c.), the creeks and rivers overflowed their banks, the entire earth quaked, and a five-colored auspicious light pierced the heavens. At that time there was an astrologer and diviner named Su You . He consulted the I Ching [Book of Changes] and got the hexagram qian, nine in the fifth place, lying dragon in the heavens. ' Su You ascertained that a great sage had been born in India who would transmit a teaching that would come to China after a thousand years.
Then King Zhao of Zhou ordered that the details of the event be carved in stone and recorded. He then buried the stone at a certain spot south of the city, to wait and see if the event would actually occur--to see if a thousand years hence the Buddhadharma would actually be transmitted to China.
Later in the Zhou Dynasty, during the reign of King Mu (1001 946 b.c.), there was a massive earthquake that shook heaven and earth. A white rainbow with twelve rays was seen extending across the sun. Rainbows are mentioned in the Shurangama Sutra. This was a white rainbow which seemed to arch across the sun during the daytime. This rainbow appeared just as the Buddha was about to enter Nirvana. Although India was far from China, the Chinese were aware of what was happening. The Buddha appearance in the world was no chance event. When the Buddha was born in India, all the creeks and rivers overflowed their banks in China. There were floods, and the entire earth quaked. When the Buddha entered Nirvana, a white rainbow with twelve rays arched across the sun. Around this time another astrologer named Hu Duo used the I Ching to consult the hexagrams. He concluded, great sage from the West has left the world. During the Zhou Dynasty, in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Zhao (around 1024 b.c.), this great sage was born in India, and now he has entered Nirvana. " Despite their distance, the Chinese knew about these events that happened in India. In China there were diviners who could predict such events accurately.
About a thousand years later, Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty had the dream about the Buddha (around a.d. 62). In the seventh year of the Yungping reign, the year of Jia Zi (a.d. 64), he commanded three courtiersai Yin, Qin Jing, and Wang Zuno take eighteen people to India to seek the Buddhadharma. In central India they met the Honorable Elders Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana . The two returned to China with the three courtiers, arriving at Loyang in a.d. 67, the tenth year of the Yung ping reign period, during the year of Ding Mao. They came on a white horse carrying their sutras, and Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty built the White Horse Monastery .
Four years later, on the first day of the fifth month in the fourteenth year of the Yungping reign period, the Taoists of the Five Mountains in China arrived to stop the spread of Buddhism . As I mentioned earlier, they wanted to set fire to the scriptures of both religions. But unexpectedly, all the Taoist texts burned up, and the Buddhist sutras did not go up in flames. The Buddha sharira radiated a five-colored beam of light. The light seemed to form an umbrella, a canopy in the air, which shaded all those who had gathered to watch the scriptures burn. When all the people in attendance saw this canopy of light, they immediately believed in Buddhism.
Sutra Preface
When the World Honored One had attained the Way, he thought, "To leave desire behind and to gain calmness and tranquillity is supreme." He abided in deep meditative concentration and subdued every demon and externalist.
In the Deer Park he turned the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths and took across Ajnata-kaundinya and the other four disciples, who all realized the fruition of the Way. Then the Bhikshus expressed their doubts and asked the Buddha how to resolve them. The World Honored One taught and exhorted them, until one by one they awakened and gained enlightenment. After that, they each put their palms together, respectfully gave their assent, and followed the Buddha instructions.
When the World Honored One had attained the Way orld Honored One " refers to Shakyamuni Buddha and is one of the Ten Titles of the Buddha. The Buddha saw a bright star at night from where he sat beneath the Bodhi Tree, and he awakened to the Way. He thought, o leave desire behind and to gain calmness and tranquillity is supreme. "He thought to himself, ho is the first person that should be taken across? What shall I do first? " o leave desire behind " means to have no thoughts of desire and to be free of all traces of defilement. almness and tranquillity " means purity, doing action-less action and being thus, thus, and unmoving. This is the finest of all things and is the most inconceivable state.
He abided in deep meditative concentration and subdued every demon and externalist. He remained in profound samadhi, finding it supreme. In this state of great concentration, he was able to subdue the many kinds of demons and unbelievers.
In the Deer Park the Buddha contemplated, and he saw that Ajnata-kaundinya and the other four men were the first ones he ought to take across. That is why he went to the Deer Park and turned the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the Way. Suffering is a consequence of our actions in the mundane world. An accumulation of those actions is the cause that leads to a particular consequence. When we work to transcend the world, we are rewarded with the cessation of suffering. Practicing the Way is the cause that results in transcendence of the world. Suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the Way are called the Dharmas of the Four Noble Truths.
After the Buddha accomplished Buddhahood, he first spoke the Flower Adornment Sutra in order to take across the Great Knights Who Realize the Dharma Body (Bodhisattvas). But common, ordinary beings were still unable to accept the great Dharma of the Flower Adornment Sutra. It is said that,
They had eyes, but were still unable to see Nishyanda Buddha.
They had ears, but were still unable to hear the perfect, sudden teaching.
That why the Buddha traveled to the Deer Park . The park was named Deer Park because in the past there were two deer kings who taught their herds there. I told the story of these deer kings when I lectured on the Shurangama Sutra. If you want to know the details, then you can refer to my commentary on the Shurangama Sutra.
At that time Ashvajit, Subhadra, Mahanama-kulika, Ajnata-kaundinya, and Dashabala-kashyapa were all cultivating in the Deer Park. They had been cultivating together with the Buddha earlier, and they were all the Buddha relatives. Ashvajit , Subhadra , and Mahanama-kulika were kin on his father side; and Ajnata-kaundinya and Dashabala-kashyapa were both maternal uncles. The five men had been sent into the wilds by the Buddha father to look after the Buddha. But Ajnata-kaundinya and Dashabala-kashyapa were unable to endure the hardship that cultivation involved, and they left first. The remaining three Ashvajit, Subhadra, and Mahanama-kulikapon seeing the Buddha accept a bowl of porridge that was sent by a heavenly maiden, assumed that the Buddha could no longer cultivate asceticism. They left him and found their way to the Deer Park.
Thus, when the Buddha realized the Way, he first went to find his five fellow cultivators so that he could take them across. After the Buddha finished speaking the Flower Adornment Sutra , he contemplated all living beings and their potentials and affinities to see whom he should take across first. Knowing that Ajnata-kaundinya and the other four were ready to be taken across, he himself traveled to the Deer Park to turn the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths . "Turn " means to roll the wheel, to make it revolve. The Four Noble Truths are: suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the Way. "Dharma" means "method" and "rule." The term "wheel" is used because the Dharma that the Buddha speaks flows forth from his mind into the minds of living beings, so that they can turn away from confusion and go towards enlightenment. Thus it is called a wheel. "Wheel" also implies crushing and subduing. "Crush" means to break apart. "Subdue" means to make submissive. The more solid the opposition, the more the wheel is able to smash it. It is designed to smash apart the externalists and demon kings. That is the meaning of "wheel."
The Dharma of the Four Noble Truths is the first Dharma that the Buddha spoke in our world. It said that the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths was turned three times . The first time was the Turning of Revelation. evelation " means the Buddha shows it to us. We don understand, so he tells us about it. Why is it called the turning of the Dharma-wheel of revelation? Because it reveals what the dharmas of the Four Noble Truths are about. The Turning of Revelation is also called the Initial Turning because the Buddha had just begun to turn the Wheel of Dharma. The Buddha said, here is suffering. Its nature is oppressive. " What is oppressive about it? Suffering makes you feel intense misery and deep pain pain so oppressive that it takes your breath away. What kinds of suffering are there? There are: the Three Sufferings, the Eight Sufferings, and the Limitless Sufferings.
The Three Sufferings are:
1. the suffering within suffering,
2. the suffering of decay,
3. the suffering of process.
What is the "suffering within suffering" ? When one is already suffering , one further undergoes increased misery; when you are already miserable, your pain doubles: that is suffering within suffering. Who would experience this problem? Consider poor people who are starving and cold, people who never eat their fill and who cannot dress warmly. They still have a wooden hut to sleep in at night. Although they don eat their fill and cannot dress warmly, they are still fairly well off. Then suppose that a hurricane or a cloudburst destroys their wooden hut, leaving them homeless. Now, on top of their hunger and cold, they have lost their shelter as well. Wouldn you consider that suffering?
Or perhaps someone has a place to live in and enough food to eat, but has no clothes to wear: that is also a form of suffering within suffering. Or someone may have sufficient clothing and shelter, but always goes hungry. That is also the suffering within suffering and is known as the suffering of poverty . Such suffering is hard to endure. It oppresses one to an acute degree.
You might object, "Rich people don't experience suffering, right? " Don't you know that rich people experience the suffering of decay? A person may be both noble-born and wealthy, but then be kidnapped by bandits. The bandits estimate his wealth and estate to be worth five million, and they demand six million in ransom. He has to borrow another million to satisfy the kidnappers. Isn't this a case of wealth going to ruin? This is the suffering of decay when it applies to wealth.
If you don't experience the suffering of poverty or the suffering of wealth going to ruin, you will still pass through life various processes : from youth to maturity, from maturity to old age, and from old age to death. Your thoughts roll on in ceaseless succession, and that is the suffering of process. Those are called the Three Sufferings.
The Eight Sufferings are:
1. The suffering of birth
2. The suffering of aging
3. The suffering of sickness
4. The suffering of death
5. The suffering of being apart from what you love
6. The suffering of being near what you detest
7. The suffering of not getting what you seek
8. the suffering of the raging blaze of the five skandhas
Beyond these forms of suffering, there are also limitless kinds of suffering that we undergo. That is why the Buddha said, "Here is suffering; its nature is oppressive."
"Here is accumulation; its nature is to beckon." What accumulates are afflictions. The accumulation of afflictions is a kind of beckoning. Once you have afflictions inside you, afflictions will accumulate from outside. If inwardly you harbor greed, hatred, and stupidity, then outwardly things will not go your way. That is why the Buddha described it as accumulation, with a nature that beckons.
"Here is cessation; by nature it can be realized." This is saying that cessation, or still quietude, brings joy. This can be realized. You can realize the joy of this stillness and quietude.
"Here is the Way ; by nature it can be cultivated." The Way is a Way of precepts, a Way of concentration, and a Way of wisdom. In detail it refers to the Thirty-seven Limbs of Enlightenment , which are: the Seven Shares of Bodhi, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Five Roots, the Five Powers, the Four Stations of Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts, and the Four Bases of Psychic Power. Together, they make up the Thirty-seven Limbs of Enlightenment. The Way, by its nature, can be cultivated. The above was the first turning of the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths, and it is called the Turning of Revelation.
The second turning of the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths was the Turning of Exhortation . The Buddha said, here is suffering, you should recognize it. There is accumulation, you should cut it off. There is cessation, you should realize it. There is the Way, you should cultivate it. " This is the Turning of Exhortation. He urged other people to cultivate the Four Noble Truths. This is called the Turning of Exhortation.
The third turning of the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths is known as the Turning of Certification . The Buddha said, ot only am I telling all of you to recog nize suffering, cut off accumulation, long for cessation, and cultivate the Way, I am also telling you, here is suffering; I have already recognized it. There is accumulation; I have already cut it off. ' What accumulates are afflictions and I have already cut them off. I would not tell you to stop afflictions before I myself had stopped them. I feel at ease now because I am free of afflictions. That is why I am telling you now to cut off afflictions, and to recognize the suffering that they bring on. here is cessation, I have already realized it. ' I have already realized the bliss of still tranquillity. So I am telling you all now to realize the joy of cessation, too. here is the Way, I have already cultivated it. ' I have completed my cultivation of the Way, and I don need to cultivate it further. Now I hope that all of you will recognize suffering, cut off its accumulation, long for cessation, and cultivate the Way. "
And took across Ajnata-kaundinya and the other four disciples, who all realized the fruition of the Way. When the Buddha spoke the three turnings of the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths, Ajnata-kaundinya immediately became enlightened and realized the fruition of his cultivation. Thereafter he was called the one who understands the fundamental limits of reality. He was also known to posterity as the first one to understand.
Why did Ajnata-kaundinya awaken first? Because in the past, when the Buddha was at the stage of causation, he was incarnated as the Patient Immortal . King Kali sliced off all four of his limbs and demanded to know whether the Immortal felt any hatred towards him. He replied, o, I don hate you. " King Kali asked, hat proof is there that you feel no hatred? " The Patient Immortal said, f I do hate you, then my four limbs will not grow back as they were before. If I bear you no ill will, then the four limbs that you have severed will grow back just as they were. "
With those words, his four limbs did grow back as they had been. After that, the Patient Immortal made a vow: hen I become a Buddha, I will take you across first, because you are my Good and Wise Advisor. "
In that previous lifetime, Ajnata-kaundinya was King Kali, and the Patient Immortal was Shakyamuni Buddha. So when the Buddha accomplished Buddha hood, he looked around to see whom he should take across first. hom should I take across first? I should first rescue the man who cut off my hands and feet. " Hence, when the Buddha spoke Dharma for him, Ajnata-kaundinya immediately became enlightened.
Next the Buddha explained about holding precepts and giving. How does one uphold the precepts? How does one practice giving? How does one get reborn in the heavens? He warned about desire, saying, aving thoughts of desire is wrong; it is impure. If you leave desires behind, only then can you become pure, only then can you gain true happiness. " At that time Ashvajit (Horse Victory) Bhikshu and Subhadra (Little Worthy) also became enlightened. They were the next two to awaken.
Third, the Buddha went on to explain other Dharma-doors, and at that time Mahanama-kulika and Dashabala-kashyapa also became enlightened. Those five men were the first to leave home and become Bhikshus. They were the first ones to become enlightened and to realize the Fourth Stage of Arhatship. So the text says, " and took across Ajnata-kaundinya and the other four disciples, who all realized the fruition of the Way. "
Then the Bhikshus expressed their doubts. Later, the other Bhikshus asked the Buddha about the Dharma to clear up their misunderstandings and doubts about principles. nd asked the Buddha how to resolve them. They asked the Buddha whether they should go forward in their cultivation or stop where they were. They asked the Buddha to make a decision for them. The World Honored One taught and exhorted them until one by one they awakened and gained enlightenment.
The Buddha taught and transformed the Bhikshus, and gave them instructions; he offered them advice. After the Buddha taught and transformed them, every one of the Bhikshus became enlightened. That is when they each put their palms together, respectfully gave their assent, and followed the Buddha esteemed instructions. Then they placed their palms together respectfully and gave their assent. That is, they put into practice the principles that the Buddha taught them. Because I thought everyone already understood, I skipped explaining the meaning of "bhikshu." I didn't realize that some people still don't understand.
"Bhikshu" is a Sanskrit word; it has three meanings:
1. destroyer of evil
2. frightener of Mara
3. mendicant
Because it has three meanings, if you translate it as "mendicant," then the meanings "destroyer of evil" or "frightener of Mara" are lost. If you choose "destroyer of evil" as the translation, then it won't mean "mendicant" or "frightener of Mara." Because the word "bhikshu" has three meanings, it therefore belongs to the category of terms that contain many meanings and thus are not translated. This is one of the five kinds of terms that should not be translated in the translation of sutras. The five kinds are:
1. words that contain many meanings
2. venerated words
3. terms referring to things that are not found in this country
4. terms that accord with ancient usage
5. terms with secret meanings
Because the word "bhikshu" contains three meanings, its Sanskrit rendering is retained.
The three meanings are:
1. Destroyer of evil: When afflictions are present, there is evil. A Bhikshu is called a destroyer of evil.
2. Mendicant: From above, a Bhikshu receives Dharma from the Buddha in order to increase his wisdom-life. From below, he seeks food from living beings, so that they might plant a field of blessings.
3. Frightener of Mara: When a Bhikshu ascends the mandala platform to receive the Bhikshu precepts , the Precept Teacher (Upadhyaya) asks him, re you a great hero? " The candidate answers, es, I am a great hero! " At that reply, the demons of the heavens and the externalists tremble with fear. Therefore he called a frightener of Mara.
When one leaves home to become a novice (Shramanera), one must know the meanings of the words Shramanera and Bhikshu. After he leaves home, a Bhikshu must know how to destroy evil and how to cut off afflictions. Destroying evil is the equivalent of cutting off afflictions. Our afflictions are extremely evil. If you wish to know whether or not an individual cultivates the Way, you need only check to see whether or not he still has a temper. A person with a big temper does not cultivate the Way. Someone who cultivates the Way is able to patiently endure anything that comes along. No matter who scolds or beats him, he can endure it, to the point that even if someone were to kill him, he could endure it. In all of these situations, one must be patient. Besides being patient, one must possess wisdom and a discriminating eye. That is why a Bhikshu has a world-transcending appearance. If a Bhikshu is able to cut off delusions and to realize the Truth, if he can cut off the delusions of the Triple Realm, then he will realize Arhatship.
We have with us someone who studied Buddhism for four or five years in the past, but only now, after years of searching, has he been able to find his way to Gold Mountain Monastery. This hasn been an easy accom plishment. In the world there are many people who look high and low to study the Buddhadharma, but who can find a genuine place to study. You who have made it to Gold Mountain Monastery should not assume that it has been an easy matter getting here. It difficult to enter Gold Mountain door. I hope you will all take special note of this point.
(Next: Section 1 to 7)
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Buddhist Vocabulary
This glossary is an aid for readers unfamiliar with the Buddhist vocabulary. Definitions have been kept simple, and are not necessarily complete.
AGAMAS – the Sutras of the Small Vehicle.
ANUTTARASAMYAKSAMBODHI – the Utmost, Proper, and Equal Enlightenment. The highest enlightenment, realized by Buddhas.
ARHAT – one of the fruits of the path of cultivation. Arhats have attained the cessation of involuntary physical birth and death. The word has three meanings, which are as follows:
1. Worthy of offerings.
2. Killer of thieves. Arhats have killed the thieves of the afflictions and outflows.
3. Non-born. An Arhat dwells in the forbearance of the non-arisal of dharmas.
ASAMKHYEYA – uncountable. An extremely large number.
AVALOKITESVARA – one of the major Bodhisattvas. His name means One Who Contemplates the Sounds of the World, and One Who Contemplates Sovereignty. In Chinese he is called Kuan Yin or Kuan Shih Yin.
BHIKSU – a monk who has received the transmission of the complete code of Bhiksu regulations (227-250), depending on recensions). Bhiksus and Bhiksunis, as well as corresponding novices, are the only members of the Sangha as it was instituted by the Buddha.
BHIKSUNI – feminine form of Bhiksu.
BODHI – enlightenment.
BODHISATTVA – from Bodhi, enlightenment, and Sattva, a being. A bodhisattva is an “enlightenment being,” i.e., one who has resolved to win enlightenment for himself and for all living beings.
BRAHMAN – a member of the highest Indian caste.
BUDDHA – from Budh-, to awaken, The Awakened One. One who has reached the Utmost, Right, and Equal Enlightenment. Buddhahood is inherent in all beings. As long as it remains unrealized they remain beings; once it is realized they are Buddhas. There are infinite numbers of Buddhas.
CHI LI SHE – a class of fire spirit.
CHI LI CH’A – a class of fire spirit.
DEVADATTA – the Buddha’s cousin and rival who constantly tried to oppose the Buddha’s teaching and create schisms in the Sangha. He tried to bury the Buddha under an avalanche and succeeded in injuring one of the Buddha’s toes. For having shed the Buddha’s blood he fell alive into the hells.
DHARMA – a law, rule, method, norm. This is one of the key terms in Buddhism and covers a multitude of meanings. 1. The teaching of the Buddha, called Buddhism in English, is called Buddhadharma or more simply, Dharma, in both Chinese and Sanskrit. 2. Dharma: a. a specific element of psycho-physical existence. There are usually one hundred in the Great Vehicle, and from 72 to 86 in various Hinayana traditions. The Sarvastivadins list 75. b. Any one of the methods of cultivation undertaken by spirants to the holy results attainable by the practice of the Buddhadharma. In this usage the recitation of sutras, the performance of ceremonies, the practice of meditation, the recitation of the names of Buddhas, and so forth, are all dharmas.
DHARMA MASTER – a teacher of Dharma. A polite term of address for members of the Sangha.
DHUTA – ascetic practices which may be voluntarily assumed by cultivators. There are traditionally twelve or thirteen.
DHYANA – a practice of thought cultivation and insight which leads to the development of higher mental states. It is not just idle nursing or a state of concentration, for it involves a discipline which is clearly and fully described in the sutras. It is often translated erroneously as meditation. Meditation in its western sense is an intellectual process. Dhyana is both a process and a state which has little to do with conventional intellectual thought.
ENLIGHTENED TO CONDITIONS – see PRATYEKABUDDHAS.
FORMLESS REALM – third of the three realms. Characterized by lack of any form at all. Inhabited by higher gods and sages.
IGNORANCE – the fundamental error which brings about existence. The word is not used in the common sense of simply being unaware of something. Ignorance means the most basic cause in the arousal of discriminations. It is the initial perception of either existence or non-existence when in reality there is neither one nor the other. This topic is treated at very great length in the Surangama Sutra and Asvaghosa’s Mahayanasraddhotpadasastra.
JAMBUDVIPA – one of the four continents of this world-system. It is located in the south, is shaped like a triangle, and is where we live.
JETA GROVE – a grove of trees located within the park at Sravasti which had been given to the Buddha by the merchant Anathapindada. The grove belonged to Prince Jeta who offered it to the Buddha. The Buddha had a lecture hall and taught many sutras there.
KALPA – an aeon. These are of various lengths. The basic kalpa is 13,965 years long. One thousand such kalpas constitute a small kalpa. Twenty small kalpas constitute a medium kalpa. Four medium kalpas make a great kalpa. The lifespan of a world-system is four great kalpas.
KARMA – deeds. From Sanskrit kr-, to do. Karma does not mean fate. It means the deeds which we create ourselves and the retributions which those deeds bring us.
LEAVE HOME – to renounce the householder life and devote oneself completely to the Buddhist Dharma.
LI MEI – a broad category covering manifold nature-spirits, which are formed from the emanations of trees, rocks, mountains, and so forth. They are malevolent and have potent spiritual powers. They correspond to such beings as trolls, bogies, and the little people in their more unpleasant and tricky moments. Such beings often grant wishes and answer petitions with such efficacy that they deceive humans into supplying them with offerings.
LOTUS FLOWER-NIRVANA PERIOD – The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra and Nirvana Sutra are ultimate teachings of the Great Vehicle. These sutras were taught during the last eight years of the Buddha’s teaching. The Earth Store Bodhisattva Sutra was taught in between those two. For a complete explanation of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra see Master Tu Lun’s lectures translated by Dharma Master Hen Ch’ien.
MAHASATTVA – an epithet used for great Bodhisattvas.
MANJUSRI – one of the greatest of the Bodhisattvas. He is renowned as foremost in wisdom.
NAYUTA – an extremely large number.
NINE DHARMA REALMS – nine realms of existence. They are the Dharma realms of 1) Bodhisattvas, 2) Those Enlightened to Conditions, 3) Sound-Hearers, 4) Gods, 5) Men, 6) Asuras, 7) Animals 8) Hungry ghosts, and 9) Hell-Dwellers.
NIRVANA – perfect quiescence realized by enlightened sages. There are several types of Nirvana, each attained by sages of a particular level.
OUTFLOWS – Sanskrit asvara. Anything which serves to divert beings away from their inherent Buddha-nature. Outflows are so called because they are turnings of energy and attention outward rather than inward. Outflows are ended by practice of the three-fold non-outflow study, i.e., morality, samadhi, and wisdom.
PARAMITA – crossing over. This is a series of six, sometimes ten, practices which serve to carry one from this shore of birth-and-death to the other shore of Nirvana. The paramitas are the foundation of the Bodhisattva practice.
PRANIDHANA – vow, resolve. Part of the essential equipment in cultivation of the Bodhisattva path is vows. Earth Store Bodhisattva is known as foremost in the strength of his vows.
PRATYEKABUDDHAS – those who attain enlightenment through contemplation of the chains of the link of causation. This specifically refers to the twelve links of conditioned co-production.
REALM OF DESIRE – the lowest of the three-part division of the world. It is comprised of beings from the hells through the first six realms of the gods and is characterized by the presence of coarse desire. It includes the realm of humans.
REALM OF FORM – second of the three realms. It is characterized by the presence of form but lack of desire. Inhabited by numerous grades and kinds of divine beings.
REALM OF FORMLESSNESS – see FORMLESS REALM.
SAHA – the name of the world-system in which we live. It means “able to endure” because the beings of this world are capable of bearing much suffering.
SAKRA – chief god of the Trayastrimsa heaven, also known as Indra.
SAMADHI – a wholesome state of insight attained through practice of various dharma doors. There are numerous samadhis.
SANGHA – the community of the Buddha’s disciples who have gone forth from the home life and received the traditional ordination under procedures established by the Buddha.
SASTRA – second of the three divisions of the canon. It consists of discourses and assorted writings on the Dharma, which are composed by individuals who expound different theories and interpretations of material found in the Sutras. Sastras deal with wisdom.
SOUND-HEARERS – Sravakas, the Buddha’s disciples of the Small Vehicle, so called because they hear the sound of the Buddha’s voice and understand the Way.
SKANDHA – constituents of the entire psycho-physical unit which we mistake for a personality. Skandhas consist of a number of impersonal elements called dharmas. The five Skandhas are form, feeling, conceptualization, formative impulses, and consciousness.
SRAMANA – a bhiksu. The word is explained as “diligently putting to rest.” A sramana diligently cultivates morality, samadhi, and wisdom and puts to rest greed, anger, and stupidity.
SUMERU – the axial mountain in the center of every world system.
SURANGAMA MANTRA – an extremely powerful dharani at the core of the Surangama Sutra. This dharani is one of the key dharmas taught by Master Hua and is the most effective weapon one can wield against demons and evil forces.
SUTRA – the first of the three-part division of the canon, which consists of discourses by the Buddha or discourses given by various members of the assembly with the authority of the Buddha.
THREE-THOUSAND-GREAT-THOUSAND-WORLDS – one world is composed of one Mt. Sumeru, one sun, one moon, four great continents; and the various seas and oceans which surround them. One thousand such worlds form a small-thousand-world system. One thousand small-thousand-world systems form a medium-thousand-world system. One thousand medium-thousand-world systems in turn form a great-thousand-world system. This set of worlds is usually referred to as three-thousand-great-thousand-world-systems to indicate that it is composed of smaller sets.
TRAYASTRIMSA HEAVEN – the second of the six heavens in the realm of desire. It is the heaven in which this sutra was taught.
TRIPLE JEWEL – the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
TRIPLE WORLD – the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the formless realm.
UPASAKA – a layman who has taken refuge with the Triple Jewel.
UPASIKA – the feminine form of Upasaka.
WANG LIANG – see LI MEI.
WHEEL-TURNING KING – a world-ruling monarch who uses his power to help turn the wheel of Dharma throughout the world.
VINAYA – the third of three divisions of the canon. It consists of rules of discipline and training. Vinaya deals with morality.
YAKSA – a type of ghost which travels extremely quickly. Yaksas serve as messengers between various parts of the world because of their great speed.
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AGAMAS – the Sutras of the Small Vehicle.
ANUTTARASAMYAKSAMBODHI – the Utmost, Proper, and Equal Enlightenment. The highest enlightenment, realized by Buddhas.
ARHAT – one of the fruits of the path of cultivation. Arhats have attained the cessation of involuntary physical birth and death. The word has three meanings, which are as follows:
1. Worthy of offerings.
2. Killer of thieves. Arhats have killed the thieves of the afflictions and outflows.
3. Non-born. An Arhat dwells in the forbearance of the non-arisal of dharmas.
ASAMKHYEYA – uncountable. An extremely large number.
AVALOKITESVARA – one of the major Bodhisattvas. His name means One Who Contemplates the Sounds of the World, and One Who Contemplates Sovereignty. In Chinese he is called Kuan Yin or Kuan Shih Yin.
BHIKSU – a monk who has received the transmission of the complete code of Bhiksu regulations (227-250), depending on recensions). Bhiksus and Bhiksunis, as well as corresponding novices, are the only members of the Sangha as it was instituted by the Buddha.
BHIKSUNI – feminine form of Bhiksu.
BODHI – enlightenment.
BODHISATTVA – from Bodhi, enlightenment, and Sattva, a being. A bodhisattva is an “enlightenment being,” i.e., one who has resolved to win enlightenment for himself and for all living beings.
BRAHMAN – a member of the highest Indian caste.
BUDDHA – from Budh-, to awaken, The Awakened One. One who has reached the Utmost, Right, and Equal Enlightenment. Buddhahood is inherent in all beings. As long as it remains unrealized they remain beings; once it is realized they are Buddhas. There are infinite numbers of Buddhas.
CHI LI SHE – a class of fire spirit.
CHI LI CH’A – a class of fire spirit.
DEVADATTA – the Buddha’s cousin and rival who constantly tried to oppose the Buddha’s teaching and create schisms in the Sangha. He tried to bury the Buddha under an avalanche and succeeded in injuring one of the Buddha’s toes. For having shed the Buddha’s blood he fell alive into the hells.
DHARMA – a law, rule, method, norm. This is one of the key terms in Buddhism and covers a multitude of meanings. 1. The teaching of the Buddha, called Buddhism in English, is called Buddhadharma or more simply, Dharma, in both Chinese and Sanskrit. 2. Dharma: a. a specific element of psycho-physical existence. There are usually one hundred in the Great Vehicle, and from 72 to 86 in various Hinayana traditions. The Sarvastivadins list 75. b. Any one of the methods of cultivation undertaken by spirants to the holy results attainable by the practice of the Buddhadharma. In this usage the recitation of sutras, the performance of ceremonies, the practice of meditation, the recitation of the names of Buddhas, and so forth, are all dharmas.
DHARMA MASTER – a teacher of Dharma. A polite term of address for members of the Sangha.
DHUTA – ascetic practices which may be voluntarily assumed by cultivators. There are traditionally twelve or thirteen.
DHYANA – a practice of thought cultivation and insight which leads to the development of higher mental states. It is not just idle nursing or a state of concentration, for it involves a discipline which is clearly and fully described in the sutras. It is often translated erroneously as meditation. Meditation in its western sense is an intellectual process. Dhyana is both a process and a state which has little to do with conventional intellectual thought.
ENLIGHTENED TO CONDITIONS – see PRATYEKABUDDHAS.
FORMLESS REALM – third of the three realms. Characterized by lack of any form at all. Inhabited by higher gods and sages.
IGNORANCE – the fundamental error which brings about existence. The word is not used in the common sense of simply being unaware of something. Ignorance means the most basic cause in the arousal of discriminations. It is the initial perception of either existence or non-existence when in reality there is neither one nor the other. This topic is treated at very great length in the Surangama Sutra and Asvaghosa’s Mahayanasraddhotpadasastra.
JAMBUDVIPA – one of the four continents of this world-system. It is located in the south, is shaped like a triangle, and is where we live.
JETA GROVE – a grove of trees located within the park at Sravasti which had been given to the Buddha by the merchant Anathapindada. The grove belonged to Prince Jeta who offered it to the Buddha. The Buddha had a lecture hall and taught many sutras there.
KALPA – an aeon. These are of various lengths. The basic kalpa is 13,965 years long. One thousand such kalpas constitute a small kalpa. Twenty small kalpas constitute a medium kalpa. Four medium kalpas make a great kalpa. The lifespan of a world-system is four great kalpas.
KARMA – deeds. From Sanskrit kr-, to do. Karma does not mean fate. It means the deeds which we create ourselves and the retributions which those deeds bring us.
LEAVE HOME – to renounce the householder life and devote oneself completely to the Buddhist Dharma.
LI MEI – a broad category covering manifold nature-spirits, which are formed from the emanations of trees, rocks, mountains, and so forth. They are malevolent and have potent spiritual powers. They correspond to such beings as trolls, bogies, and the little people in their more unpleasant and tricky moments. Such beings often grant wishes and answer petitions with such efficacy that they deceive humans into supplying them with offerings.
LOTUS FLOWER-NIRVANA PERIOD – The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra and Nirvana Sutra are ultimate teachings of the Great Vehicle. These sutras were taught during the last eight years of the Buddha’s teaching. The Earth Store Bodhisattva Sutra was taught in between those two. For a complete explanation of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra see Master Tu Lun’s lectures translated by Dharma Master Hen Ch’ien.
MAHASATTVA – an epithet used for great Bodhisattvas.
MANJUSRI – one of the greatest of the Bodhisattvas. He is renowned as foremost in wisdom.
NAYUTA – an extremely large number.
NINE DHARMA REALMS – nine realms of existence. They are the Dharma realms of 1) Bodhisattvas, 2) Those Enlightened to Conditions, 3) Sound-Hearers, 4) Gods, 5) Men, 6) Asuras, 7) Animals 8) Hungry ghosts, and 9) Hell-Dwellers.
NIRVANA – perfect quiescence realized by enlightened sages. There are several types of Nirvana, each attained by sages of a particular level.
OUTFLOWS – Sanskrit asvara. Anything which serves to divert beings away from their inherent Buddha-nature. Outflows are so called because they are turnings of energy and attention outward rather than inward. Outflows are ended by practice of the three-fold non-outflow study, i.e., morality, samadhi, and wisdom.
PARAMITA – crossing over. This is a series of six, sometimes ten, practices which serve to carry one from this shore of birth-and-death to the other shore of Nirvana. The paramitas are the foundation of the Bodhisattva practice.
PRANIDHANA – vow, resolve. Part of the essential equipment in cultivation of the Bodhisattva path is vows. Earth Store Bodhisattva is known as foremost in the strength of his vows.
PRATYEKABUDDHAS – those who attain enlightenment through contemplation of the chains of the link of causation. This specifically refers to the twelve links of conditioned co-production.
REALM OF DESIRE – the lowest of the three-part division of the world. It is comprised of beings from the hells through the first six realms of the gods and is characterized by the presence of coarse desire. It includes the realm of humans.
REALM OF FORM – second of the three realms. It is characterized by the presence of form but lack of desire. Inhabited by numerous grades and kinds of divine beings.
REALM OF FORMLESSNESS – see FORMLESS REALM.
SAHA – the name of the world-system in which we live. It means “able to endure” because the beings of this world are capable of bearing much suffering.
SAKRA – chief god of the Trayastrimsa heaven, also known as Indra.
SAMADHI – a wholesome state of insight attained through practice of various dharma doors. There are numerous samadhis.
SANGHA – the community of the Buddha’s disciples who have gone forth from the home life and received the traditional ordination under procedures established by the Buddha.
SASTRA – second of the three divisions of the canon. It consists of discourses and assorted writings on the Dharma, which are composed by individuals who expound different theories and interpretations of material found in the Sutras. Sastras deal with wisdom.
SOUND-HEARERS – Sravakas, the Buddha’s disciples of the Small Vehicle, so called because they hear the sound of the Buddha’s voice and understand the Way.
SKANDHA – constituents of the entire psycho-physical unit which we mistake for a personality. Skandhas consist of a number of impersonal elements called dharmas. The five Skandhas are form, feeling, conceptualization, formative impulses, and consciousness.
SRAMANA – a bhiksu. The word is explained as “diligently putting to rest.” A sramana diligently cultivates morality, samadhi, and wisdom and puts to rest greed, anger, and stupidity.
SUMERU – the axial mountain in the center of every world system.
SURANGAMA MANTRA – an extremely powerful dharani at the core of the Surangama Sutra. This dharani is one of the key dharmas taught by Master Hua and is the most effective weapon one can wield against demons and evil forces.
SUTRA – the first of the three-part division of the canon, which consists of discourses by the Buddha or discourses given by various members of the assembly with the authority of the Buddha.
THREE-THOUSAND-GREAT-THOUSAND-WORLDS – one world is composed of one Mt. Sumeru, one sun, one moon, four great continents; and the various seas and oceans which surround them. One thousand such worlds form a small-thousand-world system. One thousand small-thousand-world systems form a medium-thousand-world system. One thousand medium-thousand-world systems in turn form a great-thousand-world system. This set of worlds is usually referred to as three-thousand-great-thousand-world-systems to indicate that it is composed of smaller sets.
TRAYASTRIMSA HEAVEN – the second of the six heavens in the realm of desire. It is the heaven in which this sutra was taught.
TRIPLE JEWEL – the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
TRIPLE WORLD – the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the formless realm.
UPASAKA – a layman who has taken refuge with the Triple Jewel.
UPASIKA – the feminine form of Upasaka.
WANG LIANG – see LI MEI.
WHEEL-TURNING KING – a world-ruling monarch who uses his power to help turn the wheel of Dharma throughout the world.
VINAYA – the third of three divisions of the canon. It consists of rules of discipline and training. Vinaya deals with morality.
YAKSA – a type of ghost which travels extremely quickly. Yaksas serve as messengers between various parts of the world because of their great speed.
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Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Chapter 13)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Entrustment of Men and Gods
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Sutra:
At that time the World-Honored One extended his gold colored arm and again rubbed the crown of Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, as he said, “Earth Store, Earth Store, your spiritual powers, compassion, wisdom, and eloquence are inconceivable. Even if all the Buddhas of the ten directions were to praise your inconceivable qualities, they could not finish in thousands of tens of thousands of aeons.
Commentary:
The Buddha calls Earth Store Bodhisattva’s name twice in order to show the depth of his compassion and loving care for him. Earth Store’s spiritual power is said to be inconceivable because all the beings in the hells receive its benefit, enabling even those who fundamentally should not be able to leave their sufferings to do so. In addition, his compassion is said to be inconceivable because there are none to whom he is not compassionate.
There are three major types of compassion: compassion which is offered with conditions, compassion with respect to Buddhadharmas, and even unconditionally offered compassion. The latter kind of compassion is particularly wonderful and beyond thought. The power of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s compassion is unusually great; a strength which even most other Bodhisattvas cannot match: he alone has made the vow to go to the hells and rescue beings. Avalokitesvara, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra have great vows, yet they teach beings in the world; only Earth Store Bodhisattva does not fear the sufferings of the hells and goes there to teach beings. Thus he is known as the Teaching Host in the Dark Regions.
A demonstration of his inconceivable eloquence can be found in his ability to teach hungry ghosts to turn from evil to good. If his eloquence were not completely unobstructed and beyond thought, he would certainly be unable to effect such changes. Even if you wish to investigate the inconceivability of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s various states, you will be unable to do so, since they are completely beyond all thought. This being the case, what is there to investigate?
Sutra:
“Earth Store, Earth Store, remember that now, in the Trayastrimsa Heaven in this great assembly of hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of ineffable Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, gods, dragons, and eightfold divisions of spirits, I entrust to you the men and gods of the future who have not yet left the burning house of the Triple World. Do not allow those beings to fall into the Evil Paths for the space of even a single day and night, much less fall into the uninterrupted hell of the Five Offenses and the Avici hell, where they would have to pass through thousands of tens of thousands of millions of aeons without being able to leave.”
“Earth Store, the beings of Jambudvipa are of irresolute will and nature, and they habitually do many evil deeds. Even if they resolve their thoughts on good, they quickly turn back on that resolve, and if they encounter evil conditions they tend to become increasingly involved in them. For this reason I reduplicate hundreds of thousands of millions of transformation bodies to cross them over in accord with their respective natures.”
Commentary:
The irresolute nature of living beings can be seen in those who want to study one day and not the next, who want to do good for a moment and then decide to do evil. In one moment you resolve to cultivate and accomplish the pure Dharma-body, and then the resolve changes to a wish for the retribution body. A moment later you may decide that having a hundred thousand million transformation bodies is the most desirable goal and switch to that, and so there is nothing fixed about your will or resolve. These are examples of irresolute will concerning the bodies of the Buddha.
On the other hand, irresolute will can also be seen in the desire, on one day, to cultivate the Ten Good Deeds and attain rebirth in the heavens, followed by a burst of activity in the Ten Evils the next. One’s resolve is set for the heavens, but the next day one thinks that being an animal wouldn’t be bad. An unfixed nature very commonly shows up in the resolve to stop smoking, drinking, or taking drugs: one’s resolutions often last for only a moment. What is particularly bad about this kind of vacillating behavior is that people who act this way always end up rationalizing their actions one way or another.
When people of irresolute nature meet a teacher who tells them to learn or do something and stresses its importance, they may try to take action, but they lack the resolve to complete the project. If someone tells them to misbehave, on the other hand, they don’t even need instructions but learn to do it spontaneously. Gamblers are an excellent example of this tendency: no one has to teach them how to place bets; they see it done once and remember all the details of how to do it themselves in the future.
While it does happen that living beings may decide to do good deeds – contribute to building a temple, printing sutras, or making images, for example – they may quickly turn back on their initial resolve. They give, but the gift is accompanied by the thought, “What’s in it for me?” A good historical example of such a person is the Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, who built temples, aided the Sangha, and propagated Buddhism, but who still had to ask Patriarch Bodhidharma how much merit he had accrued.
When living beings tend to retreat from good, they surge forward into evil – they are attracted by anything that is conducive to falling into evil paths. Foremost among these causes are greed for sex and wealth; hatred, which leads to murder, arson, and other antisocial acts; and stupidity, which derives one constantly to try to get what he cannot attain.
Sutra:
“Earth Store, I now carefully entrust the multitudes of men and gods of the future to you. If, in the future, gods or men plant good roots in the Buddhadharma, be they as little as a hair, dust most, grain of sand, or drop of water, you should use your spiritual powers and virtues to protect them so that they gradually cultivate the unsurpassed way and do not retreat from it.
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future men and gods who ought to fall into the Evil Paths in accord with the retribution of their deeds, who are on the verge of falling into those paths, or who are already at the very gates of those paths, recite the name of one Buddha or Bodhisattva, or a single sentence or verse from a Mahayana sutra, you should manifest a limitless body, smash the hells, and cause them to be born in the heavens and receive supremely wonderful bliss.”
“The World-Honored One then spoke in verse, saying,
Men and gods of the future,
as well as those now living,
I entrust all to you.
Use your penetrations
To rescue them all.
With your expedient skill in means,
Do not allow them to fall
into the Evil Paths.”
Commentary:
It should be realized that those who are studying this sutra are included in the group of good men and women, for if they were not they would have given up the study long ago. Evil men and women who take up this study feel as if they are sitting on needles: they put it aside and run off as soon as possible. Good men and women who take it up feel ever increasing joy in study. Furthermore, this passage reassures us that, although we beings are of irresolve nature and mind, there is no need to be frightened, since Sakyamuni Buddha and Earth Store Bodhisattva have made this pact. All that is required is to have done good works in the Buddhadharma.
It may be objected by someone that he has done good but has never seen Earth Store Bodhisattva come to protect him. Think it over a moment. Although his protection may not have been visible, were you ever in an accident in which you might have been injured or killed but from which you escaped unharmed? That is an example of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s protection of you.
If you object that you have never been in an accident and consequently have not been protected by Earth Store Bodhisattva, then continue to reflect. Have you ever had a serious illness from which you recovered? Or have you ever been on a boat in rough waters and avoided capsizing? Such good fortune is due to the protection of Earth Store Bodhisattva. Have you ever been on an airplane trip that was completely without incident? That too is through the protection of Earth Store Bodhisattva. In fact, if you’ve ever felt apprehension about undertaking a voyage and managed to overcome your fear, that too is an example of Earth Store Bodhisattva giving you a little added courage. The situations in which he responds are varied and uncountable. Because of the agreement made in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, living beings should have faith in him.
Sutra:
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, knelt, placed his palms together, and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, please do not be concerned. If good men and women in the future have a single thought of respect toward the Buddhadharma, I shall use hundreds of thousands of expedient devices to cross them over so that they may quickly attain liberation from birth and death. How much more will those who have heard of good undertakings and cultivated in accord with them be able to attain spontaneous irreversibility from the unsurpassed Way.”
Commentary:
It is important to consider the reason that one was born a human being. Are we humans merely in order to live in confusion and die a muddle death? Is the point of our lives merely to eat our fill and go to sleep, only to wake to eat again? Are we in the world only in order to work at a job and get enough money for a couple of meals a day and a suit of clothes? If all we are here for is to eat and sleep, sleep and eat again, while waiting to die, then it would be better to hasten our death, for such a life is utterly meaningless. The troubles and difficulties far surpass the ease and pleasure, and death is preferable.
But if we come to human life for the purpose of establishing merit and benefiting those who come after us, then there is meaning. It is for those who come first to teach those who come later, for those who understand to teach those who do not. If everyone understood the principle of cultivation, there would be much less sorrow in the world. In whatever you do, see to it that you are helping others, not trying to be helped by them. Emulate the behavior of Sakyamuni Buddha, of the Bodhisattvas, of the great Patriarchs of old, all of whom worked exclusively for the benefit of beings. Do not merely become involved in “intellectual Zen” and chatter about Dharma.
If you hear of someone doing a meritorious deed – printing sutras, or constructing temples, for example – support those endeavors. If you are unable to do so with money, give your labor. In general, make sure that your every action is for the purpose of aiding beings.
Sutra:
When this was said, a Bodhisattva named Empty Space Store arose from the midst of that assembly and spoke to the Buddha: “World-Honored One, I have come to the Trayastrimsa Heaven and heard the Thus Come One speak of the inconceivable power of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s awesome spiritual strength. If in the future good men or women, as well as gods and dragons, hear this sutra and the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva, or if they gaze at and worship his image, how many kinds of advantages and blessings will they attain? Please, World-Honored One, speak about this for the sake of those living beings in the present and in the future.”
The Buddha told Empty Space Store Bodhisattva, “Listen attentively, listen attentively, I shall enumerate and describe them to you. If there are good men and women in the future who see Earth Store’s image, or who hear this sutra or read or recite it; who use incense, flowers, food and drink, clothing, or gems as offerings; or if they praise, behold, and worship him, they shall attain twenty-eight kinds of advantages:
1. They will be remembered and protected by gods and dragons.
2. Their good roots will increase daily.
3. They will accumulate superior causes of wisdom.
4. They will not retreat from Bodhi.
5. Their food and drink will be abundant.
6. Epidemics will not touch them.
7. They will not encounter disasters of fire and water.
8. They will not be trouble by thieves.
9. They will be respected by all who see them.
10. They will be aided by ghosts and spirits.
11. Women will be reborn as men.
12. If born as women they will be daughters of kings and ministers.
13. They will have upright and proper appearances.
14. They will often be born in the heavens.
15. They may be emperors or kings.
16. They will know their past lives.
17. They will attain whatever they seek.
18. Their families will be happy.
19. All disasters will be eradicated.
20. They will eternally be apart from the paths of karma.
21. They will always arrive at their destination.
22. At night their dreams will be peaceful and happy.
23. Their deceased relatives will leave suffering behind.
24. They will receive the blessings from their past lives.
25. They will be praised by the sages.
26. They will be intelligent and their roots will be keen.
27. They will have magnanimous, kind, and sympathetic hearts.
28. They will ultimately attain Buddhahood.
Commentary:
Empty Space Store Bodhisattva, who comes from a world thousands of millions of worlds systems away, has a jewel in his topknot from which anything one wishes for will come. Should you ever encounter a Bodhisattva with a wishing gem atop his head, you should recognize him, for if you do, you will be able to have some of the treasures he has in empty space, and you will never be poor.
When the text speaks of beings who see Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, it refers to the trueness of their vision. Hearing the sutra shows the trueness of their hearing; recitation and offerings of food and drink show the trueness of their speech and taste; while offering of incense and flowers show the trueness of their sense of smell. The use of clothing and gems shows the trueness of their sense of touch. When all six senses (including thought) are true, living beings may derive twenty-eight kinds of benefit. Since many are self-explanatory, only a few of the benefits will be mentioned in this commentary.
They will accumulate superior causes of wisdom. The causes of wisdom included listening to explanations of sutras and hearing Dharma spoken, things which most ordinary people do not become involved in.
Their food and drink will be abundant. Everyone ought to look at himself at this point and ask why it is that he may not have sufficient food and clothing in this life. It is a result of not having planted good roots in the past, of not having worshipped Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, and not having recited the sutra.
Epidemics will not touch them. I recall that once, when I was in Manchuria, there was an epidemic, and in one household of eleven people, thirteen died. One of the two added to make the full complement was a servant in the house and the other a visiting relative. The death from one disease of so many at one time is what is meant by an epidemic.
At that time I said to four of my young disciples, “Let us go rescue people.”
“How?” they asked.
“We shall disperse the epidemic simply by reciting the Great Compassion Mantra.” We then went to all the villages in which the disease was raging and circled each one three times while reciting the Great Compassion Mantra, a dharma cultivated by many of those listening to his lecture, is truly miraculous. But until you have had this sort of experience you do not realize it.
They will be respected by all who see them. It will not be necessary to hang out a sign and advertise oneself; there will be no effort required for people to respect you, for respect will come naturally. If there is virtue, the respect comes naturally; if there is no virtue, no matter how hard a wind you blow, you’ll never be able to stir up respect. It is definitely not a good thing to go about saying what a great protector of the Buddhadharma you are or how you are a member of this and that benevolent association. It is pseudo virtue that constantly tries to sell itself, and the result of such activity is that while those without eyes may be deceived, people who see clearly will know you for the pitiful thing you are.
Women will be reborn as men. It was mentioned earlier in the sutra that women have five obstacles and cannot hold certain positions. It is important to understand that this passage is not saying that a woman can turn into a man in this life. If she dislikes the body of a woman, she may be reborn male in the next life. Women who do not mind being women, however, will be reborn in royal households.
Their families will be happy. In spite of the intimacy between father and son, sometimes this relationship is strained. Children often look on their parents as having addled or petrified brains totally incapable of understanding modern trends. They often feel that their parents have no idea how to be a father or mother and that the parents are totally misguided and confused. Parents, on their part, may sometimes realize that their children are up to no good, but because of the deep compassion and love they have for them, they are willing to overlook their children’s faults.
The same kind of problem may even arise between husbands and wives. Before the marriage everything is fine and there is never a quarrel, but after the wedding they begin to display their tempers to one another. As a result of worshipping Earth Store, none of these problems appear.
At night their dreams will be peaceful and happy. They may dream of making offerings to the Buddha, of bowing, reciting sutras, of holding mantras, of chanting the Buddha’s name, or of other beneficial practices.
Their deceased relatives will leave suffering behind. This refers not only to relatives in this life but to ancestors and parents of aeons of past lives.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Empty Space Store Bodhisattva, if gods, dragons, or spirits of the present or future hear Earth Store Bodhisattva’s name, bow to his image, or merely hear of his past vows and conduct, and then praise him and gaze at and worship him, they will attain seven kinds of advantages.
1. They will quickly step over to the sages’ ground.
2. Their evil karma will be eradicated.
3. All the Buddha’s will protect and be near them.
4. They will not retreat form Bodhi.
5. Their fundamental powers will increase.
6. They will know their past lives.
7. They will ultimately realize Buddhahood
Commentary:
As above, most of these benefits are self-explanatory and only a few will be noted here.
Irreversibility from Bodhi simply refers to seeing out to become a Buddha and continuing until that goal is reached. You start out by holding the Five Precepts, leaving home, cultivating to become a great monk, a patriarch, and then, after you practice the Bodhisattva way, a Buddha. Of course, you must continue the practice and not turn back. You cannot say one day that you will cultivate the Five Precepts and then the very next moment hesitates about practicing them. Do not think that if you receive the precepts and then break them it will be a great loss of face, too embarrassing a position, and consequently put off receiving them. Don’t on the one hand think about leaving home and, on the other, start doubting the merits of doing so.
When the text says their fundamental powers will increase it means that their inherent ability to become Buddhas will grow daily. In addition to these benefits they will attain the penetration of their past lives and know, for example, “Once I was a tiny ant and now I have obtained the enormous body of a human. I went from an ant to a butterfly, from a butterfly to a songbird; the songbird became an eagle, a vegetarian eagle, and so blessings and wisdom were cultivated for accomplishing Bodhi. Along that road I have now become a human.” When you obtain the penetration of your past lives you will know all of this, for behind one body there follow limitless numbers of differing bodies.
Sutra:
At that time, all those who had come from the ten directions, unspeakable numbers of Buddhas, Thus Come Ones, as well as the great Bodhisattvas, gods, dragons, and the remainder of the Eightfold Divisions who hears Sakyamuni Buddha’s praise of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s great inconceivable spiritual powers, exclaimed that there had never been anything like this before.
At that time incense, flowers, heavenly garments, and gems rained down in the Trayastrimsa Heaven as offerings to Sakyamuni Buddha and Earth Store Bodhisattva. When this was finished, the entire assembly again gazed, made obeisance, placed their palms together, and withdrew.
Commentary:
The exegesis of the sutra text is now finished, but cultivation is not complete until Buddhahood has been achieved. Only then can it be said, “Done is what had to be done. The life of purity has been led, there is no further becoming.”
Those who have been able to study this sutra are people with good roots, for if they were not, there is no way they could have had this opportunity. In fact, even if they wanted to study it they would be unable to do so. Some who do not have good roots might even say that they do not wish to become Buddhas, that they would just as soon go off to the hells and let Earth Store Bodhisattva use his great powers to release them, so that they could continue a life of wrongdoing. They ignore the fact that Earth Store Bodhisattva’s great spiritual powers enable him to know full well what is in their thoughts and that when he sees such a plan he neglects to open the gates of those offenders’ hell. Do not study the ways of such people. Go onward in cultivation, practice in accordance with the principles of this sutra. Do so with energy, do not retreat. Go forward with vigor.
End of Chapter 13.
(End of Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva)
The Entrustment of Men and Gods
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Sutra:
At that time the World-Honored One extended his gold colored arm and again rubbed the crown of Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, as he said, “Earth Store, Earth Store, your spiritual powers, compassion, wisdom, and eloquence are inconceivable. Even if all the Buddhas of the ten directions were to praise your inconceivable qualities, they could not finish in thousands of tens of thousands of aeons.
Commentary:
The Buddha calls Earth Store Bodhisattva’s name twice in order to show the depth of his compassion and loving care for him. Earth Store’s spiritual power is said to be inconceivable because all the beings in the hells receive its benefit, enabling even those who fundamentally should not be able to leave their sufferings to do so. In addition, his compassion is said to be inconceivable because there are none to whom he is not compassionate.
There are three major types of compassion: compassion which is offered with conditions, compassion with respect to Buddhadharmas, and even unconditionally offered compassion. The latter kind of compassion is particularly wonderful and beyond thought. The power of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s compassion is unusually great; a strength which even most other Bodhisattvas cannot match: he alone has made the vow to go to the hells and rescue beings. Avalokitesvara, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra have great vows, yet they teach beings in the world; only Earth Store Bodhisattva does not fear the sufferings of the hells and goes there to teach beings. Thus he is known as the Teaching Host in the Dark Regions.
A demonstration of his inconceivable eloquence can be found in his ability to teach hungry ghosts to turn from evil to good. If his eloquence were not completely unobstructed and beyond thought, he would certainly be unable to effect such changes. Even if you wish to investigate the inconceivability of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s various states, you will be unable to do so, since they are completely beyond all thought. This being the case, what is there to investigate?
Sutra:
“Earth Store, Earth Store, remember that now, in the Trayastrimsa Heaven in this great assembly of hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of ineffable Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, gods, dragons, and eightfold divisions of spirits, I entrust to you the men and gods of the future who have not yet left the burning house of the Triple World. Do not allow those beings to fall into the Evil Paths for the space of even a single day and night, much less fall into the uninterrupted hell of the Five Offenses and the Avici hell, where they would have to pass through thousands of tens of thousands of millions of aeons without being able to leave.”
“Earth Store, the beings of Jambudvipa are of irresolute will and nature, and they habitually do many evil deeds. Even if they resolve their thoughts on good, they quickly turn back on that resolve, and if they encounter evil conditions they tend to become increasingly involved in them. For this reason I reduplicate hundreds of thousands of millions of transformation bodies to cross them over in accord with their respective natures.”
Commentary:
The irresolute nature of living beings can be seen in those who want to study one day and not the next, who want to do good for a moment and then decide to do evil. In one moment you resolve to cultivate and accomplish the pure Dharma-body, and then the resolve changes to a wish for the retribution body. A moment later you may decide that having a hundred thousand million transformation bodies is the most desirable goal and switch to that, and so there is nothing fixed about your will or resolve. These are examples of irresolute will concerning the bodies of the Buddha.
On the other hand, irresolute will can also be seen in the desire, on one day, to cultivate the Ten Good Deeds and attain rebirth in the heavens, followed by a burst of activity in the Ten Evils the next. One’s resolve is set for the heavens, but the next day one thinks that being an animal wouldn’t be bad. An unfixed nature very commonly shows up in the resolve to stop smoking, drinking, or taking drugs: one’s resolutions often last for only a moment. What is particularly bad about this kind of vacillating behavior is that people who act this way always end up rationalizing their actions one way or another.
When people of irresolute nature meet a teacher who tells them to learn or do something and stresses its importance, they may try to take action, but they lack the resolve to complete the project. If someone tells them to misbehave, on the other hand, they don’t even need instructions but learn to do it spontaneously. Gamblers are an excellent example of this tendency: no one has to teach them how to place bets; they see it done once and remember all the details of how to do it themselves in the future.
While it does happen that living beings may decide to do good deeds – contribute to building a temple, printing sutras, or making images, for example – they may quickly turn back on their initial resolve. They give, but the gift is accompanied by the thought, “What’s in it for me?” A good historical example of such a person is the Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, who built temples, aided the Sangha, and propagated Buddhism, but who still had to ask Patriarch Bodhidharma how much merit he had accrued.
When living beings tend to retreat from good, they surge forward into evil – they are attracted by anything that is conducive to falling into evil paths. Foremost among these causes are greed for sex and wealth; hatred, which leads to murder, arson, and other antisocial acts; and stupidity, which derives one constantly to try to get what he cannot attain.
Sutra:
“Earth Store, I now carefully entrust the multitudes of men and gods of the future to you. If, in the future, gods or men plant good roots in the Buddhadharma, be they as little as a hair, dust most, grain of sand, or drop of water, you should use your spiritual powers and virtues to protect them so that they gradually cultivate the unsurpassed way and do not retreat from it.
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future men and gods who ought to fall into the Evil Paths in accord with the retribution of their deeds, who are on the verge of falling into those paths, or who are already at the very gates of those paths, recite the name of one Buddha or Bodhisattva, or a single sentence or verse from a Mahayana sutra, you should manifest a limitless body, smash the hells, and cause them to be born in the heavens and receive supremely wonderful bliss.”
“The World-Honored One then spoke in verse, saying,
Men and gods of the future,
as well as those now living,
I entrust all to you.
Use your penetrations
To rescue them all.
With your expedient skill in means,
Do not allow them to fall
into the Evil Paths.”
Commentary:
It should be realized that those who are studying this sutra are included in the group of good men and women, for if they were not they would have given up the study long ago. Evil men and women who take up this study feel as if they are sitting on needles: they put it aside and run off as soon as possible. Good men and women who take it up feel ever increasing joy in study. Furthermore, this passage reassures us that, although we beings are of irresolve nature and mind, there is no need to be frightened, since Sakyamuni Buddha and Earth Store Bodhisattva have made this pact. All that is required is to have done good works in the Buddhadharma.
It may be objected by someone that he has done good but has never seen Earth Store Bodhisattva come to protect him. Think it over a moment. Although his protection may not have been visible, were you ever in an accident in which you might have been injured or killed but from which you escaped unharmed? That is an example of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s protection of you.
If you object that you have never been in an accident and consequently have not been protected by Earth Store Bodhisattva, then continue to reflect. Have you ever had a serious illness from which you recovered? Or have you ever been on a boat in rough waters and avoided capsizing? Such good fortune is due to the protection of Earth Store Bodhisattva. Have you ever been on an airplane trip that was completely without incident? That too is through the protection of Earth Store Bodhisattva. In fact, if you’ve ever felt apprehension about undertaking a voyage and managed to overcome your fear, that too is an example of Earth Store Bodhisattva giving you a little added courage. The situations in which he responds are varied and uncountable. Because of the agreement made in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, living beings should have faith in him.
Sutra:
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, knelt, placed his palms together, and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, please do not be concerned. If good men and women in the future have a single thought of respect toward the Buddhadharma, I shall use hundreds of thousands of expedient devices to cross them over so that they may quickly attain liberation from birth and death. How much more will those who have heard of good undertakings and cultivated in accord with them be able to attain spontaneous irreversibility from the unsurpassed Way.”
Commentary:
It is important to consider the reason that one was born a human being. Are we humans merely in order to live in confusion and die a muddle death? Is the point of our lives merely to eat our fill and go to sleep, only to wake to eat again? Are we in the world only in order to work at a job and get enough money for a couple of meals a day and a suit of clothes? If all we are here for is to eat and sleep, sleep and eat again, while waiting to die, then it would be better to hasten our death, for such a life is utterly meaningless. The troubles and difficulties far surpass the ease and pleasure, and death is preferable.
But if we come to human life for the purpose of establishing merit and benefiting those who come after us, then there is meaning. It is for those who come first to teach those who come later, for those who understand to teach those who do not. If everyone understood the principle of cultivation, there would be much less sorrow in the world. In whatever you do, see to it that you are helping others, not trying to be helped by them. Emulate the behavior of Sakyamuni Buddha, of the Bodhisattvas, of the great Patriarchs of old, all of whom worked exclusively for the benefit of beings. Do not merely become involved in “intellectual Zen” and chatter about Dharma.
If you hear of someone doing a meritorious deed – printing sutras, or constructing temples, for example – support those endeavors. If you are unable to do so with money, give your labor. In general, make sure that your every action is for the purpose of aiding beings.
Sutra:
When this was said, a Bodhisattva named Empty Space Store arose from the midst of that assembly and spoke to the Buddha: “World-Honored One, I have come to the Trayastrimsa Heaven and heard the Thus Come One speak of the inconceivable power of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s awesome spiritual strength. If in the future good men or women, as well as gods and dragons, hear this sutra and the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva, or if they gaze at and worship his image, how many kinds of advantages and blessings will they attain? Please, World-Honored One, speak about this for the sake of those living beings in the present and in the future.”
The Buddha told Empty Space Store Bodhisattva, “Listen attentively, listen attentively, I shall enumerate and describe them to you. If there are good men and women in the future who see Earth Store’s image, or who hear this sutra or read or recite it; who use incense, flowers, food and drink, clothing, or gems as offerings; or if they praise, behold, and worship him, they shall attain twenty-eight kinds of advantages:
1. They will be remembered and protected by gods and dragons.
2. Their good roots will increase daily.
3. They will accumulate superior causes of wisdom.
4. They will not retreat from Bodhi.
5. Their food and drink will be abundant.
6. Epidemics will not touch them.
7. They will not encounter disasters of fire and water.
8. They will not be trouble by thieves.
9. They will be respected by all who see them.
10. They will be aided by ghosts and spirits.
11. Women will be reborn as men.
12. If born as women they will be daughters of kings and ministers.
13. They will have upright and proper appearances.
14. They will often be born in the heavens.
15. They may be emperors or kings.
16. They will know their past lives.
17. They will attain whatever they seek.
18. Their families will be happy.
19. All disasters will be eradicated.
20. They will eternally be apart from the paths of karma.
21. They will always arrive at their destination.
22. At night their dreams will be peaceful and happy.
23. Their deceased relatives will leave suffering behind.
24. They will receive the blessings from their past lives.
25. They will be praised by the sages.
26. They will be intelligent and their roots will be keen.
27. They will have magnanimous, kind, and sympathetic hearts.
28. They will ultimately attain Buddhahood.
Commentary:
Empty Space Store Bodhisattva, who comes from a world thousands of millions of worlds systems away, has a jewel in his topknot from which anything one wishes for will come. Should you ever encounter a Bodhisattva with a wishing gem atop his head, you should recognize him, for if you do, you will be able to have some of the treasures he has in empty space, and you will never be poor.
When the text speaks of beings who see Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, it refers to the trueness of their vision. Hearing the sutra shows the trueness of their hearing; recitation and offerings of food and drink show the trueness of their speech and taste; while offering of incense and flowers show the trueness of their sense of smell. The use of clothing and gems shows the trueness of their sense of touch. When all six senses (including thought) are true, living beings may derive twenty-eight kinds of benefit. Since many are self-explanatory, only a few of the benefits will be mentioned in this commentary.
They will accumulate superior causes of wisdom. The causes of wisdom included listening to explanations of sutras and hearing Dharma spoken, things which most ordinary people do not become involved in.
Their food and drink will be abundant. Everyone ought to look at himself at this point and ask why it is that he may not have sufficient food and clothing in this life. It is a result of not having planted good roots in the past, of not having worshipped Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, and not having recited the sutra.
Epidemics will not touch them. I recall that once, when I was in Manchuria, there was an epidemic, and in one household of eleven people, thirteen died. One of the two added to make the full complement was a servant in the house and the other a visiting relative. The death from one disease of so many at one time is what is meant by an epidemic.
At that time I said to four of my young disciples, “Let us go rescue people.”
“How?” they asked.
“We shall disperse the epidemic simply by reciting the Great Compassion Mantra.” We then went to all the villages in which the disease was raging and circled each one three times while reciting the Great Compassion Mantra, a dharma cultivated by many of those listening to his lecture, is truly miraculous. But until you have had this sort of experience you do not realize it.
They will be respected by all who see them. It will not be necessary to hang out a sign and advertise oneself; there will be no effort required for people to respect you, for respect will come naturally. If there is virtue, the respect comes naturally; if there is no virtue, no matter how hard a wind you blow, you’ll never be able to stir up respect. It is definitely not a good thing to go about saying what a great protector of the Buddhadharma you are or how you are a member of this and that benevolent association. It is pseudo virtue that constantly tries to sell itself, and the result of such activity is that while those without eyes may be deceived, people who see clearly will know you for the pitiful thing you are.
Women will be reborn as men. It was mentioned earlier in the sutra that women have five obstacles and cannot hold certain positions. It is important to understand that this passage is not saying that a woman can turn into a man in this life. If she dislikes the body of a woman, she may be reborn male in the next life. Women who do not mind being women, however, will be reborn in royal households.
Their families will be happy. In spite of the intimacy between father and son, sometimes this relationship is strained. Children often look on their parents as having addled or petrified brains totally incapable of understanding modern trends. They often feel that their parents have no idea how to be a father or mother and that the parents are totally misguided and confused. Parents, on their part, may sometimes realize that their children are up to no good, but because of the deep compassion and love they have for them, they are willing to overlook their children’s faults.
The same kind of problem may even arise between husbands and wives. Before the marriage everything is fine and there is never a quarrel, but after the wedding they begin to display their tempers to one another. As a result of worshipping Earth Store, none of these problems appear.
At night their dreams will be peaceful and happy. They may dream of making offerings to the Buddha, of bowing, reciting sutras, of holding mantras, of chanting the Buddha’s name, or of other beneficial practices.
Their deceased relatives will leave suffering behind. This refers not only to relatives in this life but to ancestors and parents of aeons of past lives.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Empty Space Store Bodhisattva, if gods, dragons, or spirits of the present or future hear Earth Store Bodhisattva’s name, bow to his image, or merely hear of his past vows and conduct, and then praise him and gaze at and worship him, they will attain seven kinds of advantages.
1. They will quickly step over to the sages’ ground.
2. Their evil karma will be eradicated.
3. All the Buddha’s will protect and be near them.
4. They will not retreat form Bodhi.
5. Their fundamental powers will increase.
6. They will know their past lives.
7. They will ultimately realize Buddhahood
Commentary:
As above, most of these benefits are self-explanatory and only a few will be noted here.
Irreversibility from Bodhi simply refers to seeing out to become a Buddha and continuing until that goal is reached. You start out by holding the Five Precepts, leaving home, cultivating to become a great monk, a patriarch, and then, after you practice the Bodhisattva way, a Buddha. Of course, you must continue the practice and not turn back. You cannot say one day that you will cultivate the Five Precepts and then the very next moment hesitates about practicing them. Do not think that if you receive the precepts and then break them it will be a great loss of face, too embarrassing a position, and consequently put off receiving them. Don’t on the one hand think about leaving home and, on the other, start doubting the merits of doing so.
When the text says their fundamental powers will increase it means that their inherent ability to become Buddhas will grow daily. In addition to these benefits they will attain the penetration of their past lives and know, for example, “Once I was a tiny ant and now I have obtained the enormous body of a human. I went from an ant to a butterfly, from a butterfly to a songbird; the songbird became an eagle, a vegetarian eagle, and so blessings and wisdom were cultivated for accomplishing Bodhi. Along that road I have now become a human.” When you obtain the penetration of your past lives you will know all of this, for behind one body there follow limitless numbers of differing bodies.
Sutra:
At that time, all those who had come from the ten directions, unspeakable numbers of Buddhas, Thus Come Ones, as well as the great Bodhisattvas, gods, dragons, and the remainder of the Eightfold Divisions who hears Sakyamuni Buddha’s praise of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s great inconceivable spiritual powers, exclaimed that there had never been anything like this before.
At that time incense, flowers, heavenly garments, and gems rained down in the Trayastrimsa Heaven as offerings to Sakyamuni Buddha and Earth Store Bodhisattva. When this was finished, the entire assembly again gazed, made obeisance, placed their palms together, and withdrew.
Commentary:
The exegesis of the sutra text is now finished, but cultivation is not complete until Buddhahood has been achieved. Only then can it be said, “Done is what had to be done. The life of purity has been led, there is no further becoming.”
Those who have been able to study this sutra are people with good roots, for if they were not, there is no way they could have had this opportunity. In fact, even if they wanted to study it they would be unable to do so. Some who do not have good roots might even say that they do not wish to become Buddhas, that they would just as soon go off to the hells and let Earth Store Bodhisattva use his great powers to release them, so that they could continue a life of wrongdoing. They ignore the fact that Earth Store Bodhisattva’s great spiritual powers enable him to know full well what is in their thoughts and that when he sees such a plan he neglects to open the gates of those offenders’ hell. Do not study the ways of such people. Go onward in cultivation, practice in accordance with the principles of this sutra. Do so with energy, do not retreat. Go forward with vigor.
End of Chapter 13.
(End of Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Chapter 12)
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Benefits from Seeing and Hearing
________________________________________
Sutra:
At that time the World-Honored One emitted hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of great rays of light from the door of his crown: the White Ray, the Great White Ray, the Auspicious Portent Ray, the Great Auspicious Portent Ray, the Jade Ray, the Great Jade Ray, the Purple Ray, the Great Purple Ray, the Blue Ray, the Great Blue Ray, the Azure Ray, the Great Azure Ray, the Red Ray, the Great Red Ray, the Green Ray, the Great Green Ray, the Gold Ray, the Great Gold Ray, the Good Luck Cloud, the Great Good Luck Cloud, the Thousand-Wheeled Ray, the Great Thousand-Wheeled Ray, the Jeweled Ray, the Great Jeweled Ray, the Solar Disc Ray, the Great Solar Disc Ray, the Lunar Disc Ray, the Great Lunar Disc Ray, the Palace Ray, the Great Palace Ray, the Ocean Cloud Ray and the Great Ocean Cloud Ray.
Commentary:
This chapter discusses the merit and benefit derived from seeing the image of merely hearing the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva. The “door of his crown” refers to an invisible “opening” in the crown of the Buddha’s head, which is said to be “invisibly high.” It is not something exclusive to the Buddhas, however, since everyone may have such a “door.” It is through this door that the Buddha-nature of a person skilled in cultivation of the Way leaves the body at death. When it leaves it goes wherever one wishes, but only on the condition that some successful work of cultivation took place during the person’s life.
The light rays, which illumined all beings in the nine Dharma realms below the Buddha, lit up hundreds of millions of worlds in order to reveal the importance of this sutra to living beings. These manifold light rays serve to remind us to put forth great effort in explaining, lecturing on, printing, and circulating this sutra.
The printing and circulation of sutras is a beneficial cause that leads to the development of wisdom. Since there are so few sutras and commentaries available in the West, it can be said that the ground is parched and waiting for the rain of Dharma. The circulation of sutras such as this one is the falling of the Dharma rain.
The names of the various rays of light indicate what the rays reveal and how they function. The White Ray and the Great White Ray represent the power of Earth Store Bodhisattva and of this sutra to disperse the darkness in the world; the Thousand-Wheeled Light reveals the appearance of the thousand-spoke wheel such as is seen on the sole of the Buddha’s feet. The other rays reveal similar phenomena.
Sutra:
After emitting such rays of light from the door of his crown, the Buddha spoke in wonderfully subtle sounds to the great assembly of gods, dragons, and other members of the Eightfold Division of ghosts and spirits, and to humans, nonhumans, and others: “Hear me now in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven as I praise Earth Store Bodhisattva’s beneficial and inconceivable deeds among men and gods, his rapid progress in the causes of wisdom, his certification on the Tenth Ground, and his ultimate irreversibility from Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.”
Commentary:
Wonderfully subtle sounds refer to the Four Types of Eloquence and the Eight Types of Sound.
The first of the Four Types of Eloquence is Unobstructed Eloquence of Meaning. Although there is fundamentally no meaning to express, when the Buddha speaks Dharma to awaken beings to the state beyond words, the meanings and doctrines become infinite and multilayered in response to the needs of living beings.
The second is Unobstructed Eloquence in Dharma. Fundamentally there is just one kind of Dharma, but when the Buddha speaks, it is manifested as limitless and unbounded Dharmas. Even though as many Dharmas appear, they eventually return to one, and so it is said, “One root disperses to the myriad numbers, a myriad numbers all return to the single root.”
The third kind of eloquence is Unobstructed Eloquence of Phrasing. When some people speak they finish in two or three short sentences; when the Buddha speaks, on the other hand, his words are like an inexhaustible torrent.
The fourth kind of eloquence is the Eloquence of Delight in Speech. It includes not only the enjoyment of speaking Dharma, but also the quality of which cause those who hears to enjoy listening.
In addition to the Four Types of Eloquence there are Eight Types of Sound:
1. The ultimately Good Sound. The sound of the Buddha’s voice is devoid of all the rasping, harsh qualities so often found among people. It is a harmonious sound, and the more one hears it the more he wishes to continue doing so.
2. The Gentle Sound. This sound is like the soft sound of a flowing brook, and it far surpasses the sound of music.
3. The Harmonious Sound.
4. The Venerable and Wise Sound. The Buddha’s voice is such that we need not even mention listening to his words; just hearing his sound is sufficient to lead to the development of wisdom.
5. The Non-Yin Sound. This is the “yin” that occurs in the compound yin and yang. Yin represents the passive, negative, feminine, earthy, and so forth. Yang represents the active, positive, masculine, heavenly, and so forth. Many people’s voices show yin qualities, such as a high and delicate timbre. When the Buddha speaks there is no such quality in his sound.
6. The Non-misleading Sound. Everything the Buddha says is right and proper. There is never any need to fear that he is telling jokes or misleading people.
7. The Far-Reaching Sound. The Buddha’s disciple Mahamaudgalyayana, foremost in spiritual powers, once passed through limitless millions of Buddha-lands to the east in order to find out where the Buddha’s voice stopped. No matter how far he traveled, the voice was still just as if the Buddha were at his ear.
8. The Inexhaustible Sound. The sound of the Buddha’s voice can never be cut off.
When the Buddha speaks he may use only some, or he may use all, of these eight sounds. One person may hear the Far-Reaching Sound while at the same time another hears the Gentle Sound. This is due to the differing natures of living beings.
The sutra text here makes a passing reference to the Ten Grounds, parts of the fifty-five stages of a Bodhisattva’s progress. This is discussed in great detail in the Avatamsaka Sutra, as well as in the Surangama Sutra.
The first of the ten called the Ground of Joy. At this stage a Bodhisattva is always happy, even if beaten or reviled. Because of his constant joy he is able to reach the second ground, Leaving Defilement. Leaving defilement means putting aside all greed for personal comfort and most particularly greed for sexual pleasure. When all desire and unclean thoughts have been put aside, the third stage, Emitting Light, is reached. Once light is emitted, it flares into the blazing light of wisdom. Consequently, the name of the fourth stage is Blazing Wisdom. The fifth ground is called Difficult to Conquer, since the Bodhisattva in this stage has such wonderful spiritual powers that he is invincible in debate. The sixth ground is called Manifestation, since there are further manifestations of wisdom and light. The seventh is called Far Traveling, and the eighth Unmoving. At the eighth stage the Bodhisattva does not need to move from his field of enlightenment and yet he is able to manifest and teach beings throughout the universe. The ninth stage is called Good Wisdom, and the tenth Dharma Cloud. At this stage the wisdom and compassion of the Bodhisattva cover beings like a great cloud that shades the earth.
In the above passage of text the Buddha praised Earth Store Bodhisattva’s irreversibility from Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, the Utmost, Right, and Equal Enlightenment. Although Earth Store Bodhisattva has not yet become a Buddha, the degree of his enlightenment is equal to that of the Buddhas.
There are varying degrees of enlightenment. Those of the Two Vehicles – Sound-Hearers and those enlightened to causation – are surpassed by the enlightenment of the Bodhisattvas. The enlightenment of the Bodhisattvas is said to be right and equal, since it can be said to be equal to that of the Buddhas. Such enlightenment, however, is still not the highest degree, since it is surpassed by that of the Buddha. Thus only Buddhas are said to have the Unsurpassed, Right, and Equal Enlightenment.
The term “irreversibility” refers to the Three Types of Non-retreat. The first of these is Irreversibility of Position, so called because there is no retreat to the practices of the Two Vehicles. The second is Irreversibility of Practice: there is no retreat to the non-cultivating behavior of common people. The third is Irreversibility of Thought, so called because the thought is firmly fixed on the practice of the Great Vehicle Dharmas.
Sutra:
As this was said, in the midst of the assembly a Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, named Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, arose from his seat, knelt, and with palms together said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, is replete with great compassion and pities living beings who suffer for their offenses. In thousands of tens of thousands of millions of worlds he manifests thousands of ten thousands of millions of transformation bodies. His meritorious virtues and awesome spiritual powers are inconceivable.”
“I have heard the World-Honored One and the limitless Buddhas of the ten directions praise Earth Store Bodhisattva with different mouths but a common sound, saying that even if all the Buddhas of the past, present, and future were to speak of his meritorious qualities, these qualities still could not be fathomed. I have heard the World-Honored One tell the great assembly about the benefits of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s inconceivability. Cause the gods, dragons, and the others of the Eightfold Division to gaze in worship and attain blessings.”
Commentary:
When the Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, Avalokitesvara, says that he has heard the Buddhas of the ten directions praise Earth Store Bodhisattva with different mouths but a common sound, there are two possible explanations. One is that each Buddha spoke at a different time and place, yet each of them said exactly the same words; the other is that all the Buddhas simultaneously made this statement.
Although his meritorious qualities derived from worshiping the Buddhas are limitless, we can select five representative benefits as examples. Those who bow to and worship Buddhas and Bodhisattvas gain a pleasing appearance, a physiognomy that causes anyone who sees them to feel respect. The second benefit is the obtaining of a wonderful sound. The third is the attainment of wealth and honor. The fourth is birth in honorable families. The fifth is rebirth in the heavens.
Sutra:
The Buddha replied to the Bodhisattva Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, “You have great affinity with the Saha World. If gods, dragons, men, women, spirits, ghosts, or any other being who suffers for offenses within the Six Paths hears your name, sees your image, fixes his gaze on you, or praises you, they will become irreversible in the unsurpassed Way. They will always be born among men and gods and there receive wonderful bliss. When their conditions are ripe they will encounter Buddhas and be given their predictions of enlightenment. You now have great compassion and pity for living beings, for gods, dragons, and the others of the Eightfold Division. Listen as I proclaim the inconceivably benefits of Earth Store Bodhisattva. Listen attentively. I will discuss it for you.”
The Contemplator of the World’s Sounds said, “So be it, World-Honored One, I will be pleased to hear.”
The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, “In worlds of the present and future there will be gods whose heavenly merit has ended, who manifest the five signs of decay and are about to fall into the Evil Paths. When those signs appear, if those gods, whether male or female, see Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, hear his name, gaze at him or bow once to him, they will increase their heavenly blessings, receive great happiness, and never again fall into the retributions of the Three Evil Paths. How much more will limitless, boundless merit, virtue, and blessings accrue to those who see and hear the Bodhisattva and use incense, flowers, clothing, food, drink, jewels, and gems as gifts and offerings.”
Commentary:
While the blessings enjoyed in the heavens are extremely blissful, still certain signs appear that mark the immense fall of a god. There are three recensions of this list of signs, one giving five major signs, one give five minor signs, and one giving seven signs. The five major signs are as follows:
1. The ever-fresh slower headdresses of the gods begin to wilt.
2. The permanently clean clothes of the gods become soiled.
3. The gods never sweat, but when signs of their decay occur, they perspire under their arms.
4. The normally fragrant bodies of the gods begin to stink when the signs of decay appear.
5. The gods normally sit still and composed, as if in samadhi. When the signs of decay appear they begin to fidget. Once these signs have occurred, the gods fall and may be reborn as humans, ghosts, animals, hell dwellers, and so forth.
In addition to the five major signs of decay, there are five minor signs, which are as follows:
1. The subtle voices of the gods become coarse.
2. The shining light of their bodies fades.
3. Their bodies usually repel water like glass. When the signs of decay appear they become soaked by rain.
4. They become unable to renounce certain states of existence and become strongly attached to them.
5. They become weak and devoid of energy. At this time their eyes, which normally remain fairly steady, begin to flit about.
In addition to the five major and five minor signs of decay, there is yet another list giving seven signs of decay. Some of these repeat those in the above lists but since they are often given as a unit, they will be treated as such here.
1. The light of the gods is extinguished.
2. Their flowers fade.
3. Their beautiful form changes and they become unattractive.
4. Their clothing catches dust.
5. They perspire.
6. Their bodies become thin.
7. They cannot remain still in their seats.
If, when these signs of decay are manifested, the gods are able to worship Earth Store Bodhisattva; their blessings will not only continue but increase.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, if living beings in the Six Paths, present and future, are on the verge of death and hear the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva, the single passing of that sound by their ear will eternally remove them from the sufferings of the Three Evil Paths. How much more will this be true if the parents and relatives use the dying man’s houses, wealth, jewels, and clothing to commission the carving or painting of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image. If that sick person has not yet died and sees or hears that, on his behalf, relatives have used his house, jewels, and so forth for the carving or painting of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, because of that merit, he may quickly be cured and his lifespan prolonged, even if his karmic retribution is such that he should have undergone severe sickness. If that person’s retribution is such that because of all manner of offense obstacles and karmic obstructions he should fall into the Evil Paths at death, because of receiving such merit he will be born among men and gods, and there receive extremely wonderful bliss. All his obstacles due to offenses will be eradicated.”
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, in the future a man or woman may lose father, mother, brothers, or sisters while he or she is still an infant or child under ten years. When fully grown the person may think of these parents and relatives but does not know into what path or world or heaven they have been born. If that person is able to carve or paint an image of Earth Store Bodhisattva, hear his name, or gaze upon and worship him; and if he can continue to do so from one through seven days, constantly hearing his name, seeing his image, beholding, worshipping, and making offerings without retreating from his initial resolve, then that person’s relatives will be liberated for many aeons. Even though their karma might be such as to cause them to fall into the Evil Paths, they will quickly be reborn in the heavens, where they will receive supremely wonderful bliss. This results from their receiving the meritorious virtues established by that son, daughter, brother, or sister who has carved or painted an image of Earth Store Bodhisattva and then bowed to and worshipped it.”
“If that person’s relatives have already been born in the heavens on the strength of their own merit and are already experiencing supremely wonderful bliss, upon receiving this additional merit their causes for wisdom will increase and they will receive limitless bliss. If that person is able to behold and worship Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image singlemindedly during three weeks, reciting his name a full ten thousand times, the Bodhisattva may manifest a limitless body and tell that person the name of the world in which his relatives have been born. The Bodhisattva may manifest great spiritual power and personally lead him to those worlds in a dream to see his relatives.”
Commentary:
Because living beings, even those who believe in the Buddha, may sometimes be quite confused, the Bodhisattva does not always come to them in their waking state but sometimes appears in dreams.
Sutra:
“Moreover, if one is able to recite the Bodhisattva’s name one thousand times a day every day for one thousand days, the Bodhisattva will command the ghosts and spirits to abide on the ground where that person is and to surround and protect him for his entire life. In this world his clothing and food will be abundant and he will have no suffering from sickness or the like. No accidents will occur in his house, much less affect his person. Finally, the Bodhisattva will rub his crown and bestow a prediction of enlightenment upon him.”
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, if a good man or woman in the future wishes to practice great compassion to rescue all living beings and wishes to cultivate unsurpassed Bodhi in order to leave the Triple World, and if that person sees Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, hears his name, and relies on him sincerely, using incense, flowers, clothing, jewels, food, and drink to make offerings, or if he gazes at and worships him, his wishes will quickly be realized and his obstructions will forever be left behind.”
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, if good men and women in the future wish to fulfill hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of wishes and to succeed in as many undertakings regarding both present and future, they should simply return to and rely upon, gaze in worship at, make offerings to, and praise the image of Earth Store Bodhisattva. Their wishes and goals will certainly be realized. Moreover, they may ask Earth Store Bodhisattva, the Compassionate One, to eternally protect them. In a dream the Bodhisattva will rub their crowns and bestow predictions of enlightenment.
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds Bodhisattva, good men and women in the future may have high regard for the Great Vehicle Sutras and make the inconceivable resolve to read and recite them from memory. They may then encounter a good master who instructs them, so that they may become familiar with the texts. But as soon as they learn them, they forget them. They may become unable for months and years to read or recite them from memory. It is because such persons’ karmic obstructions from past lives have not yet been eradicated that they do not have the nature to read and recite sutras of the Great Vehicle. Upon hearing Earth Store Bodhisattva’s name or seeing his image, they should feel deep respect and state their situation to the Bodhisattva. They should then take incense, flowers, clothing, food, and drink, as well as all manner of playthings, and make offerings to the Bodhisattva. They should place a bowl of pure water before the Bodhisattva’s image for one day and one night. Afterward, placing their palms together let them state their request and then drink the water while facing south. As the water is about to enter their mouths they should be particularly sincere and earnest. After drinking the water they should abstain from the five pungent plants, wine, meat, all sexual activity, and false speech, as well as all killing and harming, for one to three weeks. In dreams these good men or women will see Earth Store Bodhisattva manifesting a limitless body and anointing their crowns with water. When they awaken they will be endowed with keen intelligence. Should this sutra then be heard by them one time, they will eternally remember it and never forget or lose a single sentence or verse.”
Commentary:
The reason beings encounter obstructions to their cultivation is that they have not yet eradicated karmic blocks from past lives. These obstructions often appear at moments when beings are about to undertake some beneficial practice, the recitation of sutras, for example. Just as they are about to start they are overwhelmed with weariness and become captivated by the demons of sleep. As soon as they put the text of the sutra down, the demons leave them alone, and if they become involved in idle, useless activities and chatter, they find themselves bursting with energy. The dharma given here to counteract this type of obstruction includes making offerings, among them even playthings. This refers to all sorts of toys, such as the balls children play with. Don’t think, however, that the Bodhisattva likes to play with toys. The point of this offering is that one gives the things he most enjoys. This particular dharma also requires abstention from the five pungent plants, a list that includes everything in the category of garlic, onions, shallots, chives, and leeks. These items are forbidden because they tend to increase torpor, stupidity, anger, and sexual desire.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds Bodhisattva, if there are people in the future whose food and clothing are insufficient, who endure sickness and ill fortune, whose families are not peaceful, whose relatives are scattered, who are bothered by unfortunate occurrences, or who are often startled in their sleep by dreams, upon hearing the Bodhisattva’s name and seeing his image, they should recite his name a full ten thousand times with extreme sincerity and respect. Those inauspicious matters will gradually be eradicated, and they will attain peace and happiness. Their food and clothing will be abundant and even in their dreams they will be peaceful and happy.
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, good men or women in the future who must enter mountain forests; cross over rivers, seas, and the great waters; or pass through dangerous roads for the sake of earning their own livelihood, for public affairs, matters of life and death, or other urgent business, should first recite the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva a full ten thousand times. The ghosts and spirits of the ground they pass over will always surround and protect them in their walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. The peace and happiness of those persons will constantly be guarded, so that even if they encounter tigers, wolves, lions, or other harmful evil creatures, the beasts will be unable to hurt them.”
The Buddha told the Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, “Earth Store Bodhisattva has great affinity with beings in Jambudvipa. Hundreds of thousands of aeons would not be time enough to describe the benefits derived by living beings who see this Bodhisattva and hear his name. Therefore, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds Bodhisattva, you should use your spiritual powers to propagate this sutra and to cause the living beings of the Saha world to receive peace and happiness throughout hundreds of thousands of myriads of aeons.”
At that time the World-Honored One spoke verses, saying:
“Earth Store Bodhisattva’s spiritual strength
Cannot be explained with infinities of words.
To see, to hear, to worship for but one thought
Brings endless benefit to men and gods.
If a man’s or woman’s or a god’s or dragon’s
Lifespan ends and he should fall
Into evil ways, his lifespan will increase
And his offenses will be wiped away.
Those who have lost their parents’ devoted care,
And do not know what paths their spirits took;
Lost brothers, sisters, or some other kin,
Whom in their youth they never met at all,
Should carve or paint an image of this Lord,
Should gaze and worship him unceasingly,
And for twenty-one days constantly hold his name.
The Bodhisattva will reveal a boundless body
And show the realms in which the kin were born.
And kin who have fallen into evil ways
Will quickly leave behind these states of woe.
To cultivate the Bodhi unsurpassed
And leave behind the suffering Triple World,
To bring about the great compassion heart,
Just gaze upon the image of this Lord.
Each wish one makes will quickly come to pass
And karmic hindrances will not bind one up.
If one does not retreat from his first thought
His crown will be rubbed, he’ll hear a prophecy.
If a man resolves to read a sutra text,
Wishing to cross over confused beings to the other shore,
Although his wish transcends all words and thoughts.
What he has read he straightaway forgets;
Because he doubts, blocked by karmic faults,
He cannot hold the sutra in his mind.
To Earth Store Bodhisattva he should offer
Scents and flowers, clothing, food, and toys,
And place pure water on that Lord’s altar,
Wait one day and night, then drink the water;
Carefully avoid the pungent plants,
Both meat and wine, improper sex and speech;
For twenty-one days neither kills nor injures;
Just recite the name of this great Lord.
Then in a dream he’ll see the boundless realm
And, once awake, obtain keenness of ear;
Then when a sutra text passes his ear
Throughout ten million lives he’ll not forget.
The power of this Lord cannot be thought
Or talked about, yet it can cause one to
Obtain great wisdom.
If poverty-stricken beings, plagues with disease,
Whose homes are troubled, whose relatives are scattered,
Who aren’t at peace, even in sleep or dreams,
Seek a way to leave misfortune’s grasp
And sincerely gaze in worship on this Lord,
Their bitter sorrows will be wiped away.
With sufficient food and clothes, and peaceful dreams,
Gods and ghosts will circle and protect them.
Those who travel in mountain wilds, on seas,
Who meet with poisonous birds and beasts, or evil
Men or ghosts, spirits, or evil winds –
So many kinds of troublesome disturbances –
Should gaze in worship and make offerings
To Earth Store Bodhisattva’s form.
Within the mountain forests, and on the seas,
The evil multitudes will disappear.
Avalokitesvara, be attentive.
Earth Store cannot be reached by word or thought.
A thousand million years is time too brief
To fully describe the power of this Lord.
If humans can but hear the name “Earth Store,”
Or if they see his image, worship once,
Or offer flowers, clothing, food, perfumes,
They will delight in a thousand wondrous joys.
If one returns this merit to the Dharma Realm,
He will become a Buddha, freed
From birth and death. Therefore, Avalokitesvara,
You should know this sutra and spread it through worlds
More numerous than the Ganges River’s sands.”
End of Chapter 12
(Next: Chapter 13)
The Benefits from Seeing and Hearing
________________________________________
Sutra:
At that time the World-Honored One emitted hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of great rays of light from the door of his crown: the White Ray, the Great White Ray, the Auspicious Portent Ray, the Great Auspicious Portent Ray, the Jade Ray, the Great Jade Ray, the Purple Ray, the Great Purple Ray, the Blue Ray, the Great Blue Ray, the Azure Ray, the Great Azure Ray, the Red Ray, the Great Red Ray, the Green Ray, the Great Green Ray, the Gold Ray, the Great Gold Ray, the Good Luck Cloud, the Great Good Luck Cloud, the Thousand-Wheeled Ray, the Great Thousand-Wheeled Ray, the Jeweled Ray, the Great Jeweled Ray, the Solar Disc Ray, the Great Solar Disc Ray, the Lunar Disc Ray, the Great Lunar Disc Ray, the Palace Ray, the Great Palace Ray, the Ocean Cloud Ray and the Great Ocean Cloud Ray.
Commentary:
This chapter discusses the merit and benefit derived from seeing the image of merely hearing the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva. The “door of his crown” refers to an invisible “opening” in the crown of the Buddha’s head, which is said to be “invisibly high.” It is not something exclusive to the Buddhas, however, since everyone may have such a “door.” It is through this door that the Buddha-nature of a person skilled in cultivation of the Way leaves the body at death. When it leaves it goes wherever one wishes, but only on the condition that some successful work of cultivation took place during the person’s life.
The light rays, which illumined all beings in the nine Dharma realms below the Buddha, lit up hundreds of millions of worlds in order to reveal the importance of this sutra to living beings. These manifold light rays serve to remind us to put forth great effort in explaining, lecturing on, printing, and circulating this sutra.
The printing and circulation of sutras is a beneficial cause that leads to the development of wisdom. Since there are so few sutras and commentaries available in the West, it can be said that the ground is parched and waiting for the rain of Dharma. The circulation of sutras such as this one is the falling of the Dharma rain.
The names of the various rays of light indicate what the rays reveal and how they function. The White Ray and the Great White Ray represent the power of Earth Store Bodhisattva and of this sutra to disperse the darkness in the world; the Thousand-Wheeled Light reveals the appearance of the thousand-spoke wheel such as is seen on the sole of the Buddha’s feet. The other rays reveal similar phenomena.
Sutra:
After emitting such rays of light from the door of his crown, the Buddha spoke in wonderfully subtle sounds to the great assembly of gods, dragons, and other members of the Eightfold Division of ghosts and spirits, and to humans, nonhumans, and others: “Hear me now in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven as I praise Earth Store Bodhisattva’s beneficial and inconceivable deeds among men and gods, his rapid progress in the causes of wisdom, his certification on the Tenth Ground, and his ultimate irreversibility from Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.”
Commentary:
Wonderfully subtle sounds refer to the Four Types of Eloquence and the Eight Types of Sound.
The first of the Four Types of Eloquence is Unobstructed Eloquence of Meaning. Although there is fundamentally no meaning to express, when the Buddha speaks Dharma to awaken beings to the state beyond words, the meanings and doctrines become infinite and multilayered in response to the needs of living beings.
The second is Unobstructed Eloquence in Dharma. Fundamentally there is just one kind of Dharma, but when the Buddha speaks, it is manifested as limitless and unbounded Dharmas. Even though as many Dharmas appear, they eventually return to one, and so it is said, “One root disperses to the myriad numbers, a myriad numbers all return to the single root.”
The third kind of eloquence is Unobstructed Eloquence of Phrasing. When some people speak they finish in two or three short sentences; when the Buddha speaks, on the other hand, his words are like an inexhaustible torrent.
The fourth kind of eloquence is the Eloquence of Delight in Speech. It includes not only the enjoyment of speaking Dharma, but also the quality of which cause those who hears to enjoy listening.
In addition to the Four Types of Eloquence there are Eight Types of Sound:
1. The ultimately Good Sound. The sound of the Buddha’s voice is devoid of all the rasping, harsh qualities so often found among people. It is a harmonious sound, and the more one hears it the more he wishes to continue doing so.
2. The Gentle Sound. This sound is like the soft sound of a flowing brook, and it far surpasses the sound of music.
3. The Harmonious Sound.
4. The Venerable and Wise Sound. The Buddha’s voice is such that we need not even mention listening to his words; just hearing his sound is sufficient to lead to the development of wisdom.
5. The Non-Yin Sound. This is the “yin” that occurs in the compound yin and yang. Yin represents the passive, negative, feminine, earthy, and so forth. Yang represents the active, positive, masculine, heavenly, and so forth. Many people’s voices show yin qualities, such as a high and delicate timbre. When the Buddha speaks there is no such quality in his sound.
6. The Non-misleading Sound. Everything the Buddha says is right and proper. There is never any need to fear that he is telling jokes or misleading people.
7. The Far-Reaching Sound. The Buddha’s disciple Mahamaudgalyayana, foremost in spiritual powers, once passed through limitless millions of Buddha-lands to the east in order to find out where the Buddha’s voice stopped. No matter how far he traveled, the voice was still just as if the Buddha were at his ear.
8. The Inexhaustible Sound. The sound of the Buddha’s voice can never be cut off.
When the Buddha speaks he may use only some, or he may use all, of these eight sounds. One person may hear the Far-Reaching Sound while at the same time another hears the Gentle Sound. This is due to the differing natures of living beings.
The sutra text here makes a passing reference to the Ten Grounds, parts of the fifty-five stages of a Bodhisattva’s progress. This is discussed in great detail in the Avatamsaka Sutra, as well as in the Surangama Sutra.
The first of the ten called the Ground of Joy. At this stage a Bodhisattva is always happy, even if beaten or reviled. Because of his constant joy he is able to reach the second ground, Leaving Defilement. Leaving defilement means putting aside all greed for personal comfort and most particularly greed for sexual pleasure. When all desire and unclean thoughts have been put aside, the third stage, Emitting Light, is reached. Once light is emitted, it flares into the blazing light of wisdom. Consequently, the name of the fourth stage is Blazing Wisdom. The fifth ground is called Difficult to Conquer, since the Bodhisattva in this stage has such wonderful spiritual powers that he is invincible in debate. The sixth ground is called Manifestation, since there are further manifestations of wisdom and light. The seventh is called Far Traveling, and the eighth Unmoving. At the eighth stage the Bodhisattva does not need to move from his field of enlightenment and yet he is able to manifest and teach beings throughout the universe. The ninth stage is called Good Wisdom, and the tenth Dharma Cloud. At this stage the wisdom and compassion of the Bodhisattva cover beings like a great cloud that shades the earth.
In the above passage of text the Buddha praised Earth Store Bodhisattva’s irreversibility from Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, the Utmost, Right, and Equal Enlightenment. Although Earth Store Bodhisattva has not yet become a Buddha, the degree of his enlightenment is equal to that of the Buddhas.
There are varying degrees of enlightenment. Those of the Two Vehicles – Sound-Hearers and those enlightened to causation – are surpassed by the enlightenment of the Bodhisattvas. The enlightenment of the Bodhisattvas is said to be right and equal, since it can be said to be equal to that of the Buddhas. Such enlightenment, however, is still not the highest degree, since it is surpassed by that of the Buddha. Thus only Buddhas are said to have the Unsurpassed, Right, and Equal Enlightenment.
The term “irreversibility” refers to the Three Types of Non-retreat. The first of these is Irreversibility of Position, so called because there is no retreat to the practices of the Two Vehicles. The second is Irreversibility of Practice: there is no retreat to the non-cultivating behavior of common people. The third is Irreversibility of Thought, so called because the thought is firmly fixed on the practice of the Great Vehicle Dharmas.
Sutra:
As this was said, in the midst of the assembly a Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, named Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, arose from his seat, knelt, and with palms together said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, is replete with great compassion and pities living beings who suffer for their offenses. In thousands of tens of thousands of millions of worlds he manifests thousands of ten thousands of millions of transformation bodies. His meritorious virtues and awesome spiritual powers are inconceivable.”
“I have heard the World-Honored One and the limitless Buddhas of the ten directions praise Earth Store Bodhisattva with different mouths but a common sound, saying that even if all the Buddhas of the past, present, and future were to speak of his meritorious qualities, these qualities still could not be fathomed. I have heard the World-Honored One tell the great assembly about the benefits of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s inconceivability. Cause the gods, dragons, and the others of the Eightfold Division to gaze in worship and attain blessings.”
Commentary:
When the Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, Avalokitesvara, says that he has heard the Buddhas of the ten directions praise Earth Store Bodhisattva with different mouths but a common sound, there are two possible explanations. One is that each Buddha spoke at a different time and place, yet each of them said exactly the same words; the other is that all the Buddhas simultaneously made this statement.
Although his meritorious qualities derived from worshiping the Buddhas are limitless, we can select five representative benefits as examples. Those who bow to and worship Buddhas and Bodhisattvas gain a pleasing appearance, a physiognomy that causes anyone who sees them to feel respect. The second benefit is the obtaining of a wonderful sound. The third is the attainment of wealth and honor. The fourth is birth in honorable families. The fifth is rebirth in the heavens.
Sutra:
The Buddha replied to the Bodhisattva Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, “You have great affinity with the Saha World. If gods, dragons, men, women, spirits, ghosts, or any other being who suffers for offenses within the Six Paths hears your name, sees your image, fixes his gaze on you, or praises you, they will become irreversible in the unsurpassed Way. They will always be born among men and gods and there receive wonderful bliss. When their conditions are ripe they will encounter Buddhas and be given their predictions of enlightenment. You now have great compassion and pity for living beings, for gods, dragons, and the others of the Eightfold Division. Listen as I proclaim the inconceivably benefits of Earth Store Bodhisattva. Listen attentively. I will discuss it for you.”
The Contemplator of the World’s Sounds said, “So be it, World-Honored One, I will be pleased to hear.”
The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, “In worlds of the present and future there will be gods whose heavenly merit has ended, who manifest the five signs of decay and are about to fall into the Evil Paths. When those signs appear, if those gods, whether male or female, see Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, hear his name, gaze at him or bow once to him, they will increase their heavenly blessings, receive great happiness, and never again fall into the retributions of the Three Evil Paths. How much more will limitless, boundless merit, virtue, and blessings accrue to those who see and hear the Bodhisattva and use incense, flowers, clothing, food, drink, jewels, and gems as gifts and offerings.”
Commentary:
While the blessings enjoyed in the heavens are extremely blissful, still certain signs appear that mark the immense fall of a god. There are three recensions of this list of signs, one giving five major signs, one give five minor signs, and one giving seven signs. The five major signs are as follows:
1. The ever-fresh slower headdresses of the gods begin to wilt.
2. The permanently clean clothes of the gods become soiled.
3. The gods never sweat, but when signs of their decay occur, they perspire under their arms.
4. The normally fragrant bodies of the gods begin to stink when the signs of decay appear.
5. The gods normally sit still and composed, as if in samadhi. When the signs of decay appear they begin to fidget. Once these signs have occurred, the gods fall and may be reborn as humans, ghosts, animals, hell dwellers, and so forth.
In addition to the five major signs of decay, there are five minor signs, which are as follows:
1. The subtle voices of the gods become coarse.
2. The shining light of their bodies fades.
3. Their bodies usually repel water like glass. When the signs of decay appear they become soaked by rain.
4. They become unable to renounce certain states of existence and become strongly attached to them.
5. They become weak and devoid of energy. At this time their eyes, which normally remain fairly steady, begin to flit about.
In addition to the five major and five minor signs of decay, there is yet another list giving seven signs of decay. Some of these repeat those in the above lists but since they are often given as a unit, they will be treated as such here.
1. The light of the gods is extinguished.
2. Their flowers fade.
3. Their beautiful form changes and they become unattractive.
4. Their clothing catches dust.
5. They perspire.
6. Their bodies become thin.
7. They cannot remain still in their seats.
If, when these signs of decay are manifested, the gods are able to worship Earth Store Bodhisattva; their blessings will not only continue but increase.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, if living beings in the Six Paths, present and future, are on the verge of death and hear the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva, the single passing of that sound by their ear will eternally remove them from the sufferings of the Three Evil Paths. How much more will this be true if the parents and relatives use the dying man’s houses, wealth, jewels, and clothing to commission the carving or painting of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image. If that sick person has not yet died and sees or hears that, on his behalf, relatives have used his house, jewels, and so forth for the carving or painting of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, because of that merit, he may quickly be cured and his lifespan prolonged, even if his karmic retribution is such that he should have undergone severe sickness. If that person’s retribution is such that because of all manner of offense obstacles and karmic obstructions he should fall into the Evil Paths at death, because of receiving such merit he will be born among men and gods, and there receive extremely wonderful bliss. All his obstacles due to offenses will be eradicated.”
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, in the future a man or woman may lose father, mother, brothers, or sisters while he or she is still an infant or child under ten years. When fully grown the person may think of these parents and relatives but does not know into what path or world or heaven they have been born. If that person is able to carve or paint an image of Earth Store Bodhisattva, hear his name, or gaze upon and worship him; and if he can continue to do so from one through seven days, constantly hearing his name, seeing his image, beholding, worshipping, and making offerings without retreating from his initial resolve, then that person’s relatives will be liberated for many aeons. Even though their karma might be such as to cause them to fall into the Evil Paths, they will quickly be reborn in the heavens, where they will receive supremely wonderful bliss. This results from their receiving the meritorious virtues established by that son, daughter, brother, or sister who has carved or painted an image of Earth Store Bodhisattva and then bowed to and worshipped it.”
“If that person’s relatives have already been born in the heavens on the strength of their own merit and are already experiencing supremely wonderful bliss, upon receiving this additional merit their causes for wisdom will increase and they will receive limitless bliss. If that person is able to behold and worship Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image singlemindedly during three weeks, reciting his name a full ten thousand times, the Bodhisattva may manifest a limitless body and tell that person the name of the world in which his relatives have been born. The Bodhisattva may manifest great spiritual power and personally lead him to those worlds in a dream to see his relatives.”
Commentary:
Because living beings, even those who believe in the Buddha, may sometimes be quite confused, the Bodhisattva does not always come to them in their waking state but sometimes appears in dreams.
Sutra:
“Moreover, if one is able to recite the Bodhisattva’s name one thousand times a day every day for one thousand days, the Bodhisattva will command the ghosts and spirits to abide on the ground where that person is and to surround and protect him for his entire life. In this world his clothing and food will be abundant and he will have no suffering from sickness or the like. No accidents will occur in his house, much less affect his person. Finally, the Bodhisattva will rub his crown and bestow a prediction of enlightenment upon him.”
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, if a good man or woman in the future wishes to practice great compassion to rescue all living beings and wishes to cultivate unsurpassed Bodhi in order to leave the Triple World, and if that person sees Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, hears his name, and relies on him sincerely, using incense, flowers, clothing, jewels, food, and drink to make offerings, or if he gazes at and worships him, his wishes will quickly be realized and his obstructions will forever be left behind.”
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, if good men and women in the future wish to fulfill hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of wishes and to succeed in as many undertakings regarding both present and future, they should simply return to and rely upon, gaze in worship at, make offerings to, and praise the image of Earth Store Bodhisattva. Their wishes and goals will certainly be realized. Moreover, they may ask Earth Store Bodhisattva, the Compassionate One, to eternally protect them. In a dream the Bodhisattva will rub their crowns and bestow predictions of enlightenment.
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds Bodhisattva, good men and women in the future may have high regard for the Great Vehicle Sutras and make the inconceivable resolve to read and recite them from memory. They may then encounter a good master who instructs them, so that they may become familiar with the texts. But as soon as they learn them, they forget them. They may become unable for months and years to read or recite them from memory. It is because such persons’ karmic obstructions from past lives have not yet been eradicated that they do not have the nature to read and recite sutras of the Great Vehicle. Upon hearing Earth Store Bodhisattva’s name or seeing his image, they should feel deep respect and state their situation to the Bodhisattva. They should then take incense, flowers, clothing, food, and drink, as well as all manner of playthings, and make offerings to the Bodhisattva. They should place a bowl of pure water before the Bodhisattva’s image for one day and one night. Afterward, placing their palms together let them state their request and then drink the water while facing south. As the water is about to enter their mouths they should be particularly sincere and earnest. After drinking the water they should abstain from the five pungent plants, wine, meat, all sexual activity, and false speech, as well as all killing and harming, for one to three weeks. In dreams these good men or women will see Earth Store Bodhisattva manifesting a limitless body and anointing their crowns with water. When they awaken they will be endowed with keen intelligence. Should this sutra then be heard by them one time, they will eternally remember it and never forget or lose a single sentence or verse.”
Commentary:
The reason beings encounter obstructions to their cultivation is that they have not yet eradicated karmic blocks from past lives. These obstructions often appear at moments when beings are about to undertake some beneficial practice, the recitation of sutras, for example. Just as they are about to start they are overwhelmed with weariness and become captivated by the demons of sleep. As soon as they put the text of the sutra down, the demons leave them alone, and if they become involved in idle, useless activities and chatter, they find themselves bursting with energy. The dharma given here to counteract this type of obstruction includes making offerings, among them even playthings. This refers to all sorts of toys, such as the balls children play with. Don’t think, however, that the Bodhisattva likes to play with toys. The point of this offering is that one gives the things he most enjoys. This particular dharma also requires abstention from the five pungent plants, a list that includes everything in the category of garlic, onions, shallots, chives, and leeks. These items are forbidden because they tend to increase torpor, stupidity, anger, and sexual desire.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds Bodhisattva, if there are people in the future whose food and clothing are insufficient, who endure sickness and ill fortune, whose families are not peaceful, whose relatives are scattered, who are bothered by unfortunate occurrences, or who are often startled in their sleep by dreams, upon hearing the Bodhisattva’s name and seeing his image, they should recite his name a full ten thousand times with extreme sincerity and respect. Those inauspicious matters will gradually be eradicated, and they will attain peace and happiness. Their food and clothing will be abundant and even in their dreams they will be peaceful and happy.
“Moreover, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, good men or women in the future who must enter mountain forests; cross over rivers, seas, and the great waters; or pass through dangerous roads for the sake of earning their own livelihood, for public affairs, matters of life and death, or other urgent business, should first recite the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva a full ten thousand times. The ghosts and spirits of the ground they pass over will always surround and protect them in their walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. The peace and happiness of those persons will constantly be guarded, so that even if they encounter tigers, wolves, lions, or other harmful evil creatures, the beasts will be unable to hurt them.”
The Buddha told the Contemplator of the World’s Sounds, “Earth Store Bodhisattva has great affinity with beings in Jambudvipa. Hundreds of thousands of aeons would not be time enough to describe the benefits derived by living beings who see this Bodhisattva and hear his name. Therefore, Contemplator of the World’s Sounds Bodhisattva, you should use your spiritual powers to propagate this sutra and to cause the living beings of the Saha world to receive peace and happiness throughout hundreds of thousands of myriads of aeons.”
At that time the World-Honored One spoke verses, saying:
“Earth Store Bodhisattva’s spiritual strength
Cannot be explained with infinities of words.
To see, to hear, to worship for but one thought
Brings endless benefit to men and gods.
If a man’s or woman’s or a god’s or dragon’s
Lifespan ends and he should fall
Into evil ways, his lifespan will increase
And his offenses will be wiped away.
Those who have lost their parents’ devoted care,
And do not know what paths their spirits took;
Lost brothers, sisters, or some other kin,
Whom in their youth they never met at all,
Should carve or paint an image of this Lord,
Should gaze and worship him unceasingly,
And for twenty-one days constantly hold his name.
The Bodhisattva will reveal a boundless body
And show the realms in which the kin were born.
And kin who have fallen into evil ways
Will quickly leave behind these states of woe.
To cultivate the Bodhi unsurpassed
And leave behind the suffering Triple World,
To bring about the great compassion heart,
Just gaze upon the image of this Lord.
Each wish one makes will quickly come to pass
And karmic hindrances will not bind one up.
If one does not retreat from his first thought
His crown will be rubbed, he’ll hear a prophecy.
If a man resolves to read a sutra text,
Wishing to cross over confused beings to the other shore,
Although his wish transcends all words and thoughts.
What he has read he straightaway forgets;
Because he doubts, blocked by karmic faults,
He cannot hold the sutra in his mind.
To Earth Store Bodhisattva he should offer
Scents and flowers, clothing, food, and toys,
And place pure water on that Lord’s altar,
Wait one day and night, then drink the water;
Carefully avoid the pungent plants,
Both meat and wine, improper sex and speech;
For twenty-one days neither kills nor injures;
Just recite the name of this great Lord.
Then in a dream he’ll see the boundless realm
And, once awake, obtain keenness of ear;
Then when a sutra text passes his ear
Throughout ten million lives he’ll not forget.
The power of this Lord cannot be thought
Or talked about, yet it can cause one to
Obtain great wisdom.
If poverty-stricken beings, plagues with disease,
Whose homes are troubled, whose relatives are scattered,
Who aren’t at peace, even in sleep or dreams,
Seek a way to leave misfortune’s grasp
And sincerely gaze in worship on this Lord,
Their bitter sorrows will be wiped away.
With sufficient food and clothes, and peaceful dreams,
Gods and ghosts will circle and protect them.
Those who travel in mountain wilds, on seas,
Who meet with poisonous birds and beasts, or evil
Men or ghosts, spirits, or evil winds –
So many kinds of troublesome disturbances –
Should gaze in worship and make offerings
To Earth Store Bodhisattva’s form.
Within the mountain forests, and on the seas,
The evil multitudes will disappear.
Avalokitesvara, be attentive.
Earth Store cannot be reached by word or thought.
A thousand million years is time too brief
To fully describe the power of this Lord.
If humans can but hear the name “Earth Store,”
Or if they see his image, worship once,
Or offer flowers, clothing, food, perfumes,
They will delight in a thousand wondrous joys.
If one returns this merit to the Dharma Realm,
He will become a Buddha, freed
From birth and death. Therefore, Avalokitesvara,
You should know this sutra and spread it through worlds
More numerous than the Ganges River’s sands.”
End of Chapter 12
(Next: Chapter 13)
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Chapter 11)
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Dharma Protection of the Earth Spirit
________________________________________
Commentary:
The name of the great earth spirit referred to in this chapter title is “Firm and Solid,” for that is a primary attribute of the earth. Living beings are to the earth as insects are to a great ocean-going vessel; although they may run back and forth across its surface, they are unable to move the vessel itself at all. Just as a liner moves through the sea, so too does our planet move through space, with living beings on it.
Earth spirits are very numerous. In the Agama Sutras the foremost earth spirit, Firm and Solid, appeared before the Buddha, took a haughty and arrogant stance, and blustered that there were no spirits besides her; she alone was the supreme spirit. She was rather upset to hear the Buddha explain that there were also water and fire spirits as well as earth spirits. When she finally heard the Buddha speak Dharma, she lost her haughtiness and took refuge with the Triple Jewel. Just as the four elemental spirits exist in space, so do the four elements exist within the body of living beings.
The term “earth” was explained earlier in the sutra. Now, it will be explained in another way, this time in terms of the four qualities of nirvana: permanence, happiness, purity, and true-self. Because of the Dharma Door of Prajnaparamita, the earth is unchanging and so can be called permanent; because it supports the ten thousand things it can be said to have the virtues of happiness. The earth gives birth to and supports all things, and since they are pure at birth, it has the virtue of purity; the earth is independent and self-sufficient, and can thus be said to have the virtues of true-self.
In this chapter, the spirit of the earth makes a vow to protect those who recite this sutra and the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva.
Sutra:
At that time the earth spirit Firm and Solid spoke to the Buddha and said, “World-Honored One, from long ago I have personally beheld and paid homage to limitless Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas, all of whom have inconceivable and great spiritual penetrations and wisdom, and all of whom cross over many living beings. Among all the Bodhisattvas, Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, has the deepest and most weighty vows. World-Honored One, Earth Store Bodhisattva has great affinity with beings in Jambudvipa. Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Avalokitesvara, and Maitreya also transform hundreds of thousands of bodies to cross over those in the Six Paths, but their vows have an end. Earth Store Bodhisattva has made these vows to teach living beings in the Six Paths throughout aeons as many as the number of sand grains in hundreds of thousands of myriads of Ganges Rivers.
“World-Honored One, as I regard the living beings of the present and future, I see those who make shrines of earth, stone, bamboo, or wood and set them in pure places in the southern part of their dwellings. They place within the shrines an image of Earth Store Bodhisattva, either carved, painted, or made of gold, silver, copper, or iron. They then burn incense and make offerings, worship and praise him. By doing these things they will receive ten kinds of advantages and benefits.”
Commentary:
The practice of gazing at the image of a Buddha or Bodhisattva can be likened to that of men and women, who sometimes like to stare ceaselessly at each other for long periods. The gazing between men and women, however, is impure, since it is based on desire. When one gazes at a Buddha, all desire has been transformed into wisdom. Such long gazing is pure and natural, arises spontaneously, and is constantly practices. One may look at an image, look at it again and again, and end up in Buddhahood through gazing.
Sutra:
“What are these ten? Their lands will be fertile; their families and homes will be peaceful; their ancestors will be born in the heavens; they will have benefit and longevity in their present life; what they seek will be as they will; they will escape the disasters of water and fire; they will escape other calamities; their nightmares will cease; they will be protected by spirits in all their comings and goings; and they will encounter many causes of wisdom.”
Commentary:
Those who worship Earth Store Bodhisattva will have fertile lands, and whatever they plant will bring forth abundant harvest. A good harvest is of no major interest, however, if there is not a peaceful home in which to enjoy it, and so the second of the ten benefits is the peace and happiness of the home. In addition to these benefits, those reverent members of the household mentioned above, as well as other relatives who have died, will be able to be born in the heavens, all as a result of having survivors who gaze at and worship Earth Store Bodhisattva.
It may be objected that there is no way to verify these rebirths in the heavens. If you cultivate and work hard, you will attain the penetration of the heavenly eye and be able to see into the heavens for yourself. In any case, the next of the ten benefits is something that can be seen – prolonged lifespans. I had a disciple in Hong Kong who consulted the oracle of the Book of Changes when he was seventy-nine years old. He found he was due to die in that year and was frightened. When he asked me to allow him to take refuge, he also asked to have another ten years of life. I agreed. I told him that if he would strictly obey my instructions and act in accordance with the teachings, I would promise him another twelve years. He did this, and although there was no way to know if my words were true or false, he lived until the age of ninety-two.
All the above benefits affect others. The fifth one promises that one’s own wishes will be fulfilled. If you wish to obtain a good spouse, it will happen; if you have left home and wish to be a good bhiksu or bhiksuni that will occur as well. Of course, it is best not to have any desire for these results, but if you do, they will come about.
The sixth benefit insures freedom from being drowned or burned. Earlier, when discussing the four elemental spirits, I neglected to mention their appearance, but now, since I notice that the fire spirit has come to join us, I’ll describe them to you. The fire spirit is like a great one-legged red bird who runs away as soon as his name, Fang Mien, is called. The water spirit, named Wang Hsiang, looks like a little boy with red eyes and very long ears that droop to the ground. Although it is very difficult to encounter such spirits, if you do, and if you can catch and eat one, you can become a water spirit yourself.
The seventh of the ten benefits which accrue to those who worship Earth Store Bodhisattva is freedom from calamities and unexpected accidents. The eighth is that all nightmares will cease. Sometimes people have dreams and wake up to find that they are immobilized by a large heavy creature who keeps them from moving or speaking. Those who have this problem, caused by ghosts called Nightmare Ghosts, or Kumbhandas, will not have them again after they cultivate the worship of Earth Store Bodhisattva.
The ninth benefit is that such persons will always be protected by spirits in whatever they do. If, for example, they are in an automobile accident and manage to escape without a scratch, it is because of such protection. The tenth of the benefits insures that they will encounter many causes of wisdom. This includes opportunities to hear lectures on sutras and to practice cultivation.
Sutra:
“World-Honored One, living beings of the present and future will obtain these advantages and benefits if they can construct a place of worship and make offerings in their homes.”
Firm and Solid continued to speak to the Buddha: “World-Honored One, if good men or women in the future keep this sutra and an image of the Bodhisattva in their homes, and if in addition they recite the sutra and make offerings to the Bodhisattva, I shall use my spiritual powers to surround and protect them day and night so that all threat of floods, fire, robbery and theft, great calamities, and small accidents, will be eradicated.”
The Buddha told the earth spirit Firm and Solid, “There are few spirits who can match the great spiritual power you possess. Why? All the lands in Jambudvipa receive your protection; all the grasses, woods, sands, stones, paddy fields, hemp, bamboo, reeds, grains, rice, and gems come forth from the ground because of your power. Moreover, your constant praise of the beneficial deeds of Earth Store Bodhisattva makes your meritorious virtues and spiritual penetrations hundreds of thousands of times those of ordinary earth spirits.
“If good men or women make offerings in the future to this Bodhisattva, or recite and rely upon the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva in their cultivation, you should use your spiritual power to protect them and not allow disastrous or unwelcome affairs even to be heard, much less undergone by them. Not only will those people be protected by you, but Brahma, Sakra, and their retinues, as well as the retinues of all the other gods, shall also protect them. Why will they obtain protection from worthies and sages such as these? They obtain such great protection from having beheld and worshipped the image of Earth Store Bodhisattva, and from having recited this sutra of his past vows. They shall naturally leave the sea of suffering and certify to the bliss of nirvana.”
End of Chapter 11
(Next: Chapter 12)
The Dharma Protection of the Earth Spirit
________________________________________
Commentary:
The name of the great earth spirit referred to in this chapter title is “Firm and Solid,” for that is a primary attribute of the earth. Living beings are to the earth as insects are to a great ocean-going vessel; although they may run back and forth across its surface, they are unable to move the vessel itself at all. Just as a liner moves through the sea, so too does our planet move through space, with living beings on it.
Earth spirits are very numerous. In the Agama Sutras the foremost earth spirit, Firm and Solid, appeared before the Buddha, took a haughty and arrogant stance, and blustered that there were no spirits besides her; she alone was the supreme spirit. She was rather upset to hear the Buddha explain that there were also water and fire spirits as well as earth spirits. When she finally heard the Buddha speak Dharma, she lost her haughtiness and took refuge with the Triple Jewel. Just as the four elemental spirits exist in space, so do the four elements exist within the body of living beings.
The term “earth” was explained earlier in the sutra. Now, it will be explained in another way, this time in terms of the four qualities of nirvana: permanence, happiness, purity, and true-self. Because of the Dharma Door of Prajnaparamita, the earth is unchanging and so can be called permanent; because it supports the ten thousand things it can be said to have the virtues of happiness. The earth gives birth to and supports all things, and since they are pure at birth, it has the virtue of purity; the earth is independent and self-sufficient, and can thus be said to have the virtues of true-self.
In this chapter, the spirit of the earth makes a vow to protect those who recite this sutra and the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva.
Sutra:
At that time the earth spirit Firm and Solid spoke to the Buddha and said, “World-Honored One, from long ago I have personally beheld and paid homage to limitless Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas, all of whom have inconceivable and great spiritual penetrations and wisdom, and all of whom cross over many living beings. Among all the Bodhisattvas, Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, has the deepest and most weighty vows. World-Honored One, Earth Store Bodhisattva has great affinity with beings in Jambudvipa. Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Avalokitesvara, and Maitreya also transform hundreds of thousands of bodies to cross over those in the Six Paths, but their vows have an end. Earth Store Bodhisattva has made these vows to teach living beings in the Six Paths throughout aeons as many as the number of sand grains in hundreds of thousands of myriads of Ganges Rivers.
“World-Honored One, as I regard the living beings of the present and future, I see those who make shrines of earth, stone, bamboo, or wood and set them in pure places in the southern part of their dwellings. They place within the shrines an image of Earth Store Bodhisattva, either carved, painted, or made of gold, silver, copper, or iron. They then burn incense and make offerings, worship and praise him. By doing these things they will receive ten kinds of advantages and benefits.”
Commentary:
The practice of gazing at the image of a Buddha or Bodhisattva can be likened to that of men and women, who sometimes like to stare ceaselessly at each other for long periods. The gazing between men and women, however, is impure, since it is based on desire. When one gazes at a Buddha, all desire has been transformed into wisdom. Such long gazing is pure and natural, arises spontaneously, and is constantly practices. One may look at an image, look at it again and again, and end up in Buddhahood through gazing.
Sutra:
“What are these ten? Their lands will be fertile; their families and homes will be peaceful; their ancestors will be born in the heavens; they will have benefit and longevity in their present life; what they seek will be as they will; they will escape the disasters of water and fire; they will escape other calamities; their nightmares will cease; they will be protected by spirits in all their comings and goings; and they will encounter many causes of wisdom.”
Commentary:
Those who worship Earth Store Bodhisattva will have fertile lands, and whatever they plant will bring forth abundant harvest. A good harvest is of no major interest, however, if there is not a peaceful home in which to enjoy it, and so the second of the ten benefits is the peace and happiness of the home. In addition to these benefits, those reverent members of the household mentioned above, as well as other relatives who have died, will be able to be born in the heavens, all as a result of having survivors who gaze at and worship Earth Store Bodhisattva.
It may be objected that there is no way to verify these rebirths in the heavens. If you cultivate and work hard, you will attain the penetration of the heavenly eye and be able to see into the heavens for yourself. In any case, the next of the ten benefits is something that can be seen – prolonged lifespans. I had a disciple in Hong Kong who consulted the oracle of the Book of Changes when he was seventy-nine years old. He found he was due to die in that year and was frightened. When he asked me to allow him to take refuge, he also asked to have another ten years of life. I agreed. I told him that if he would strictly obey my instructions and act in accordance with the teachings, I would promise him another twelve years. He did this, and although there was no way to know if my words were true or false, he lived until the age of ninety-two.
All the above benefits affect others. The fifth one promises that one’s own wishes will be fulfilled. If you wish to obtain a good spouse, it will happen; if you have left home and wish to be a good bhiksu or bhiksuni that will occur as well. Of course, it is best not to have any desire for these results, but if you do, they will come about.
The sixth benefit insures freedom from being drowned or burned. Earlier, when discussing the four elemental spirits, I neglected to mention their appearance, but now, since I notice that the fire spirit has come to join us, I’ll describe them to you. The fire spirit is like a great one-legged red bird who runs away as soon as his name, Fang Mien, is called. The water spirit, named Wang Hsiang, looks like a little boy with red eyes and very long ears that droop to the ground. Although it is very difficult to encounter such spirits, if you do, and if you can catch and eat one, you can become a water spirit yourself.
The seventh of the ten benefits which accrue to those who worship Earth Store Bodhisattva is freedom from calamities and unexpected accidents. The eighth is that all nightmares will cease. Sometimes people have dreams and wake up to find that they are immobilized by a large heavy creature who keeps them from moving or speaking. Those who have this problem, caused by ghosts called Nightmare Ghosts, or Kumbhandas, will not have them again after they cultivate the worship of Earth Store Bodhisattva.
The ninth benefit is that such persons will always be protected by spirits in whatever they do. If, for example, they are in an automobile accident and manage to escape without a scratch, it is because of such protection. The tenth of the benefits insures that they will encounter many causes of wisdom. This includes opportunities to hear lectures on sutras and to practice cultivation.
Sutra:
“World-Honored One, living beings of the present and future will obtain these advantages and benefits if they can construct a place of worship and make offerings in their homes.”
Firm and Solid continued to speak to the Buddha: “World-Honored One, if good men or women in the future keep this sutra and an image of the Bodhisattva in their homes, and if in addition they recite the sutra and make offerings to the Bodhisattva, I shall use my spiritual powers to surround and protect them day and night so that all threat of floods, fire, robbery and theft, great calamities, and small accidents, will be eradicated.”
The Buddha told the earth spirit Firm and Solid, “There are few spirits who can match the great spiritual power you possess. Why? All the lands in Jambudvipa receive your protection; all the grasses, woods, sands, stones, paddy fields, hemp, bamboo, reeds, grains, rice, and gems come forth from the ground because of your power. Moreover, your constant praise of the beneficial deeds of Earth Store Bodhisattva makes your meritorious virtues and spiritual penetrations hundreds of thousands of times those of ordinary earth spirits.
“If good men or women make offerings in the future to this Bodhisattva, or recite and rely upon the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva in their cultivation, you should use your spiritual power to protect them and not allow disastrous or unwelcome affairs even to be heard, much less undergone by them. Not only will those people be protected by you, but Brahma, Sakra, and their retinues, as well as the retinues of all the other gods, shall also protect them. Why will they obtain protection from worthies and sages such as these? They obtain such great protection from having beheld and worshipped the image of Earth Store Bodhisattva, and from having recited this sutra of his past vows. They shall naturally leave the sea of suffering and certify to the bliss of nirvana.”
End of Chapter 11
(Next: Chapter 12)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Chapter 10)
CHAPTER TEN
The Conditions and Comparative Merits of Giving
__________________________________________
Sutra:
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva Mahasattva, inspired by the Buddha’s awesome spirit, arose from his seat, knelt, placed his palms together and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, when I compare the various acts giving done by the beings within the paths of karma, I see some that are great and some that are small. As a result, some receive blessings for one life, some for ten lives, and some receive great blessings and profit for one hundred or one thousand lives. Why is this? Please, World-Honored One, explain this for me.”
Commentary:
There are three kinds of gifts: the gift of wealth, the gift of Dharma, and the gift of fearlessness. The first of these is again divided into two types, inner and outer wealth.
Outer wealth includes gold, silver, jewels, and things external to the body. In grand terms, giving of outer wealth can be said to involve the renunciation of an entire country, as Sakyamuni Buddha did. This kind of wealth even includes husbands and wives, for those who are seeking Dharma will even give their mates away for the sake of Dharma. Any reason other than seeking Dharma, of course, is not justified; certainly one cannot give up his wife in exchange for a prettier one.
The gift of inner wealth consists of giving skin, brains, marrow, sinew, and bone.
When giving Dharma, one gives the Dharma he has learned in order to teach beings to leave confusion and go toward enlightenment. There is a proverb that says, “Do not clutch at your treasures while the country is laid waste.” In other words, if you have a valuable treasure that can be used to obtain anything one wishes, it should be put into action rather than hoarded while the entire country is laid waste and starves. The gift of Dharma is the supreme gift and cannot be surpassed.
The gift of fearlessness pacifies and comforts people who are upset or who have encountered terrible disasters.
In this passage, Earth Store Bodhisattva has asked the Buddha to explain the differences in the retributions for various kinds of giving done by beings who are in the karmic paths.
Sutra:
At that time the Buddha told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “For the sake of all these assembled in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, I will discuss the comparative meritorious virtues of the giving done by the living beings in Jambudvipa. Listen attentively to what I say.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva replied, “I have had doubts about this matter and will be pleased to listen.”
Commentary:
At this point it is important to understand that Earth Store Bodhisattva’s statement is merely a means to request information for the sake of living beings. He already understands and really has no doubts. One might object that he lies, but this is not the case, for not only are his words not harmful to other beings; they bring benefit to them. Because he knows that living beings do not understand the matter of giving, he asks this question on their behalf.
Sutra:
The Buddha said to Earth Store Bodhisattva, “In Jambudvipa, the kings of countries, noblemen, great ministers, great elders, great Ksatriyas, great Brahmans, and others may encounter the tired, poor, hunchbacked, crippled, dumb, mute, deaf, stupid, or eyeless, as well as others who are handicapped. Those kings and great men may wish to give and be able to do so with great compassion, a humble heart, and a smile. They may give personally with their own hands, or arrange for others to do so, using gentle words and sympathetic speech. Such kings, ministers, and others will obtain blessings comparable to the meritorious virtue of giving to as many Buddhas as there are grains of sand in one hundred Ganges Rivers. Why is this? Those persons will receive such a meritorious reward because of having shown a great compassionate heart toward the poorest, most impoverished, and most handicapped individuals. For one hundred thousand lives they will always have an abundance of the seven gems, not to mention clothing, food, and the necessities of life.
Commentary:
There are ten meanings included in the word, “elder.” They are venerable name, high position, great blessings, great power, deep wisdom, pure conduct, advancement in years, proper etiquette, praise from those above, and being a source of refuge to those below.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future the kings of countries, Brahmans, and the like encounter Buddha stupas, monasteries, or images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Sound-Hearers, or Pratyekabuddhas, and personally make offerings or give gifts, those persons will obtain three aeons as Sakra and will receive supremely wonderful bliss. If they are able to transfer the merit of that giving and dedicate it to the Dharma-realm, those great kings and other men will be Great Brahma Heaven Kings for ten aeons.”
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future, kings, Brahmans, and others encounter ruined, decayed, broken, and tumbledown stupas, temples, sutras, or images of previous Buddhas, they may resolve to restore them. They may then do so themselves or encourage as many as a hundred thousand other people to help, and thereby establish affinities. Those kings and the like will be wheel-turning kings throughout a hundred thousand lives, and all those who help them will be kings of smaller countries for as many lives. If, before the Buddhastupa or monastery, they are able to resolve to dedicate this merit to the Dharma-realm, such kings and their helpers will finally accomplish the Buddha path, their good retribution being limitless and unbounded.”
Commentary:
The Pratyekabuddhas are those who are enlightened to causation. They are known as “enlightened to causation” when there is a Buddha in the world, but when there is no Buddha in the world, they are called “solitary enlightened ones.” The wheel-turning king is one who can become either a universal monarch if he does not cultivate or a Buddha if he does.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future the kings of countries, Brahmans, and others have compassionate thoughts when seeing the old, the sick, or women in childbirth, and provide them with ointments, medicines, food, drink, and bedding so as to make them peaceful and comfortable, the merit of their giving is quite inconceivable. For one thousand aeons such kings will constantly be lords of the Pure Dwelling Heaven; for two hundred aeons they will be lords in the Six Desire Heavens, and they will ultimately attain Buddhahood. They will eternally not fall into the Evil Paths, and for one hundred thousand lives they will hear no sounds of suffering.”
“Moreover, Earth Store, if kings, Brahmans and others can give in this way, in the future they will receive limitless blessings. If they are able to dedicate that merit, be it great or small, they will ultimately attain Buddhahood. How much more easily will they be able to attain the positions of Sakra, Brahma, or wheel-turning king. Therefore, Earth Store, you should exhort all living beings to study in this way.
“Moreover, Earth Store, if there are good men or women who plant a few good roots in the Buddhadharma, amounting to as little as a fine hair, a grain of sand, or a mote of dust, they will receive incomparable blessings.
“Moreover, Earth Store, good men or women in the future may encounter the image of a Buddha, Bodhisattva, Pratyekabuddha, or Wheel-Turning king, and may give gifts or make offerings. Such persons will attain limitless blessings and will always receive supremely wonderful bliss among men and gods. If they can dedicate that merit to the Dharma-realm, their blessings and profits will be beyond compare.”
“Moreover, Earth Store, if good men or good women in the future encounter a Mahayana Sutra, and on hearing but one gatha or sentence of it energetically resolve to the benevolent and respectfully praise and make offerings, those people will attain great, limitless, and unbounded rewards. If they can dedicate that merit to the Dharma-realm, their blessings will be incomparable.
Commentary:
This sutra, the Surangama Sutra, the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Blossom Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and others which we study are all sutras of the Great Vehicle. Consider the number of people in the world who have never even heard of the Buddhadharma, much less the names of sutras. Of those who have heard of the existence of sutras, how many do you think have been able to study them in detail?
Sutra:
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future good men or women encounter new Buddhastupas, temples, or sutras of the Great Vehicle and make offerings to them, gaze at them in worship, and respectfully make praises with joined palms; or if they encounter old temples, stupas, or sutras that are in ruins and either repair them themselves or encourage others to aid them, such people will be the kings of small countries throughout thirty lives. Those who act as the leaders in these affairs will always be wheel-turning kings who teach those minor kings by means of the good Dharma.”
“Moreover, Earth Store, in the future, good men or women may plant good roots in the Buddhadharma by giving, making offerings, repairing temples or monasteries, binding sutras, or doing good deeds that are as small as one strand of hair, one mote of dust, a grain of sand, or a drop of water. Merely by transferring the merit from that deed to the Dharma-realm, those people’s meritorious virtues will be such that they will receive supremely wonderful bliss for one hundred thousand lives. If they dedicate the merit only to their own family or relatives, or to their own personal benefit, they will receive as a result only three lives of bliss, thus putting aside the ten-thousand-fold reward. Earth Store, such are the conditions of giving.”
End of Chapter 10
(Next: Chapter 11)
The Conditions and Comparative Merits of Giving
__________________________________________
Sutra:
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva Mahasattva, inspired by the Buddha’s awesome spirit, arose from his seat, knelt, placed his palms together and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, when I compare the various acts giving done by the beings within the paths of karma, I see some that are great and some that are small. As a result, some receive blessings for one life, some for ten lives, and some receive great blessings and profit for one hundred or one thousand lives. Why is this? Please, World-Honored One, explain this for me.”
Commentary:
There are three kinds of gifts: the gift of wealth, the gift of Dharma, and the gift of fearlessness. The first of these is again divided into two types, inner and outer wealth.
Outer wealth includes gold, silver, jewels, and things external to the body. In grand terms, giving of outer wealth can be said to involve the renunciation of an entire country, as Sakyamuni Buddha did. This kind of wealth even includes husbands and wives, for those who are seeking Dharma will even give their mates away for the sake of Dharma. Any reason other than seeking Dharma, of course, is not justified; certainly one cannot give up his wife in exchange for a prettier one.
The gift of inner wealth consists of giving skin, brains, marrow, sinew, and bone.
When giving Dharma, one gives the Dharma he has learned in order to teach beings to leave confusion and go toward enlightenment. There is a proverb that says, “Do not clutch at your treasures while the country is laid waste.” In other words, if you have a valuable treasure that can be used to obtain anything one wishes, it should be put into action rather than hoarded while the entire country is laid waste and starves. The gift of Dharma is the supreme gift and cannot be surpassed.
The gift of fearlessness pacifies and comforts people who are upset or who have encountered terrible disasters.
In this passage, Earth Store Bodhisattva has asked the Buddha to explain the differences in the retributions for various kinds of giving done by beings who are in the karmic paths.
Sutra:
At that time the Buddha told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “For the sake of all these assembled in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, I will discuss the comparative meritorious virtues of the giving done by the living beings in Jambudvipa. Listen attentively to what I say.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva replied, “I have had doubts about this matter and will be pleased to listen.”
Commentary:
At this point it is important to understand that Earth Store Bodhisattva’s statement is merely a means to request information for the sake of living beings. He already understands and really has no doubts. One might object that he lies, but this is not the case, for not only are his words not harmful to other beings; they bring benefit to them. Because he knows that living beings do not understand the matter of giving, he asks this question on their behalf.
Sutra:
The Buddha said to Earth Store Bodhisattva, “In Jambudvipa, the kings of countries, noblemen, great ministers, great elders, great Ksatriyas, great Brahmans, and others may encounter the tired, poor, hunchbacked, crippled, dumb, mute, deaf, stupid, or eyeless, as well as others who are handicapped. Those kings and great men may wish to give and be able to do so with great compassion, a humble heart, and a smile. They may give personally with their own hands, or arrange for others to do so, using gentle words and sympathetic speech. Such kings, ministers, and others will obtain blessings comparable to the meritorious virtue of giving to as many Buddhas as there are grains of sand in one hundred Ganges Rivers. Why is this? Those persons will receive such a meritorious reward because of having shown a great compassionate heart toward the poorest, most impoverished, and most handicapped individuals. For one hundred thousand lives they will always have an abundance of the seven gems, not to mention clothing, food, and the necessities of life.
Commentary:
There are ten meanings included in the word, “elder.” They are venerable name, high position, great blessings, great power, deep wisdom, pure conduct, advancement in years, proper etiquette, praise from those above, and being a source of refuge to those below.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future the kings of countries, Brahmans, and the like encounter Buddha stupas, monasteries, or images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Sound-Hearers, or Pratyekabuddhas, and personally make offerings or give gifts, those persons will obtain three aeons as Sakra and will receive supremely wonderful bliss. If they are able to transfer the merit of that giving and dedicate it to the Dharma-realm, those great kings and other men will be Great Brahma Heaven Kings for ten aeons.”
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future, kings, Brahmans, and others encounter ruined, decayed, broken, and tumbledown stupas, temples, sutras, or images of previous Buddhas, they may resolve to restore them. They may then do so themselves or encourage as many as a hundred thousand other people to help, and thereby establish affinities. Those kings and the like will be wheel-turning kings throughout a hundred thousand lives, and all those who help them will be kings of smaller countries for as many lives. If, before the Buddhastupa or monastery, they are able to resolve to dedicate this merit to the Dharma-realm, such kings and their helpers will finally accomplish the Buddha path, their good retribution being limitless and unbounded.”
Commentary:
The Pratyekabuddhas are those who are enlightened to causation. They are known as “enlightened to causation” when there is a Buddha in the world, but when there is no Buddha in the world, they are called “solitary enlightened ones.” The wheel-turning king is one who can become either a universal monarch if he does not cultivate or a Buddha if he does.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future the kings of countries, Brahmans, and others have compassionate thoughts when seeing the old, the sick, or women in childbirth, and provide them with ointments, medicines, food, drink, and bedding so as to make them peaceful and comfortable, the merit of their giving is quite inconceivable. For one thousand aeons such kings will constantly be lords of the Pure Dwelling Heaven; for two hundred aeons they will be lords in the Six Desire Heavens, and they will ultimately attain Buddhahood. They will eternally not fall into the Evil Paths, and for one hundred thousand lives they will hear no sounds of suffering.”
“Moreover, Earth Store, if kings, Brahmans and others can give in this way, in the future they will receive limitless blessings. If they are able to dedicate that merit, be it great or small, they will ultimately attain Buddhahood. How much more easily will they be able to attain the positions of Sakra, Brahma, or wheel-turning king. Therefore, Earth Store, you should exhort all living beings to study in this way.
“Moreover, Earth Store, if there are good men or women who plant a few good roots in the Buddhadharma, amounting to as little as a fine hair, a grain of sand, or a mote of dust, they will receive incomparable blessings.
“Moreover, Earth Store, good men or women in the future may encounter the image of a Buddha, Bodhisattva, Pratyekabuddha, or Wheel-Turning king, and may give gifts or make offerings. Such persons will attain limitless blessings and will always receive supremely wonderful bliss among men and gods. If they can dedicate that merit to the Dharma-realm, their blessings and profits will be beyond compare.”
“Moreover, Earth Store, if good men or good women in the future encounter a Mahayana Sutra, and on hearing but one gatha or sentence of it energetically resolve to the benevolent and respectfully praise and make offerings, those people will attain great, limitless, and unbounded rewards. If they can dedicate that merit to the Dharma-realm, their blessings will be incomparable.
Commentary:
This sutra, the Surangama Sutra, the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Blossom Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and others which we study are all sutras of the Great Vehicle. Consider the number of people in the world who have never even heard of the Buddhadharma, much less the names of sutras. Of those who have heard of the existence of sutras, how many do you think have been able to study them in detail?
Sutra:
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future good men or women encounter new Buddhastupas, temples, or sutras of the Great Vehicle and make offerings to them, gaze at them in worship, and respectfully make praises with joined palms; or if they encounter old temples, stupas, or sutras that are in ruins and either repair them themselves or encourage others to aid them, such people will be the kings of small countries throughout thirty lives. Those who act as the leaders in these affairs will always be wheel-turning kings who teach those minor kings by means of the good Dharma.”
“Moreover, Earth Store, in the future, good men or women may plant good roots in the Buddhadharma by giving, making offerings, repairing temples or monasteries, binding sutras, or doing good deeds that are as small as one strand of hair, one mote of dust, a grain of sand, or a drop of water. Merely by transferring the merit from that deed to the Dharma-realm, those people’s meritorious virtues will be such that they will receive supremely wonderful bliss for one hundred thousand lives. If they dedicate the merit only to their own family or relatives, or to their own personal benefit, they will receive as a result only three lives of bliss, thus putting aside the ten-thousand-fold reward. Earth Store, such are the conditions of giving.”
End of Chapter 10
(Next: Chapter 11)
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva
CHAPTER NINE
The Names of Buddhas
________________________________________
Commentary:
Originally all Buddhas had ten thousand names each, but because no one could remember so many, the names were reduced to one thousand each. Since that was still too many to be remembered by most people, the names were further simplified to one hundred, which were reduced still further to ten. These Ten Designations, common to all Buddhas, were explained in Chapter Four. I will refresh your memory by reviewing the names once again. They are, the Thus Come One, the One Worthy of Offerings, the One of Right and Equal Enlightenment, the One Perfect in Clarity and Conduct, the Well-Gone-Forth One, the Unsurpassed Scholar Who Comprehends the World, the Valiant Tamer and Guide, the Master of Gods and Men, the Buddha, and the World-Honored One.
Sutra:
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva Mahasattva, said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, I shall now perform a profitable and beneficial act for the sake of living beings of the future, so that they may obtain great help and benefit in the midst of life and death. Please, World-Honored One, hear my words.”
The Buddha told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “With your great compassion you now wish to undertake the inconceivable task of rescuing all those in the Six Paths who suffer for their offenses. The time is just right, speak quickly, for I am about to enter nirvana. You should complete this vow soon so that I have no need to be concerned for living beings of the present or future.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “In the past, numberless asamkhyeyas of aeons ago, a Buddha named Limitless Body Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name and suddenly gives rise to a thought of respect, that person will overstep the heavy offenses of forty aeons of birth and death. How much more will he be able to do this if he sculpts or paints this Buddha’s image, or praises and makes offerings to him. The merit of this is limitless and unbounded.”
Commentary:
Here is a famous story concerning the practice discussed in the preceding text:
One day when Sakyamuni Buddha was not at the Jeta Grove but a number of his disciples, all Arhats, were, a musty old man who wished to leave home came to the grove. The Arhats took an immediate dislike to the old fellow because, when they used their powers of investigation, they saw that within eighty-thousand great aeons he had not planted a single good root. Consequently they did not allow him to go forth from home to the homeless life. You see, it is not a simple matter to leave the home life. It is said, “Do not declare leaving home an easy thing to do; throughout many lives, Bodhi must be planted.”
The old man, who must have been a good ninety or a hundred years old, had no possessions at all, not even clothes or food, and perhaps he thought that he might be able to come by these things if he left home. After being turned down by the Buddha’s disciples, he hobbled along the road leading away from the grove and headed for the Ganges River, where he planned to end it all.
As he stood on the river bank about to drown himself, the Buddha, whom he did not recognize by sight, came walking along and said, “Old man, aren’t you a bit old for swimming?”
The man replied, “I intend to commit suicide, since all I wanted to do was leave home and cultivate, but the Buddha’s disciples would not allow me to do so. If I did now, perhaps I’ll get to be a young man in my next life and be able to leave home. As it is, the Buddha’s disciples don’t seem to like people like me, and decides, I’m so shriveled and ugly with age that people can’t even stand to look at me.”
The Buddha then disclosed his identity and offered to accept the old man as a disciple. They returned to the Jeta Grove where the Buddha spoke Dharma and the old man certified to the fruit of Arhatship, a phenomenon that was not all rare during the Buddha’s lifetime. A number of senior Arhats objected that the old man couldn’t have attained Arhatship because he did not have any good roots, but the Buddha corrected them. “You know only what can be found within eighty thousand great aeons, but beyond that you know nothing. You are like people inside a house who are able to see everything within the walls but nothing outside them. Over eighty thousand aeons ago, this old man was a firewood-gatherer who met a tiger in the mountain wilds one day. Frightened, he exclaimed ‘Namo Buddha,’ and as a result of that single sentence he is able to leave home life now.” If people have not recited a great many Namo Buddha’s in the past, they will not be able to leave home life in the present.
Sutra:
“Again, in the past, as many aeons ago as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, a Buddha named Jewel Nature appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears the name of this Buddha and in the space of a finger-snap decides to take refuge, it will be eternally impossible to turn that person from the unsurpassed path.”
“Again, in the past, a Buddha named Padma-Victory Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name, or if the name merely passes by his or her ear, that person will attain one thousand births in the Six Desire Heavens. How much more will this be true if he or she sincerely recites the name of that Thus Come One.”
Commentary:
Padma is the name of the red lotus flower, the supreme and unsurpassed lotus. If one merely hears the name Padma Victory Thus Come One he will be reborn in the Six Desire Heavens that were discussed earlier. Since merely hearing the name has such great merit, reciting it certainly has even more.
A man once went to Pratimoksa Monastery and plucked an exquisitely beautiful golden-colored flower from a tree and offered it before the image of Sakyamuni Buddha. He then asked an old man in the temple how much merit he had derived from his offering. He was told that he would have to ask someone who had left home if he wanted to get the answer. He then asked a bhiksu how much merit had been derived from his offering, and was told that he would have to ask someone who had cultivated dhyana samadhi and reached the stage of Arhatship if he wanted to get the answer. He then sought out and found an Arhat to whom he put the same question. The Arhat contemplated and investigated the matter for him, and saw that the merit from this offering totally filled eighty thousand aeons and was still unbounded. Since he could not know any further than eighty thousand kalpas, he told the man that he would have to ask Sakyamuni Buddha himself. The Buddha replied that the merit from his offering a single flower totally filled empty space to the end of the Dharma-realm.
Sutra:
“Again, in the past, indescribable asamkhyeyas of aeons ago, a Buddha named Lion Roar Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name and single-mindedly takes refuge, that person will encounter numberless Buddhas, who will rub his or her crown and bestow predictions of enlightenment upon the individual.”
“Again, in the past, a Buddha named Krakucchanda appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name and sincerely beholds, worships, or praises him, that person will be the Great Brahma King in the assemblies of the one thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Aeon, and will there receive a lofty prediction.”
“Again, in the past, a Buddha named Vipasin appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name, that person will eternally avoid falling into the Evil Paths, will always be born among men and gods, and will receive supremely wonderful bliss.”
“Again, in the past, as man aeons ago as there are grains of sand in limitless and boundless numbers of Ganges Rivers, a Buddha named Jeweled Victory appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name, that person will never again fall into the Evil Paths and will eternally dwell in the heavens, where he or she will receive supremely wonderful bliss.”
“Again, in the past, a Buddha named Jeweled Appearance Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name and gives rise to a thought of respect, that person will before long attain the fruit of Arhatship.”
Commentary:
Krakucchanda means both “victorious contemplation” and “manifold contemplation.” When the text says that by merely hearing or reciting the names of these Buddhas beings will not fall into the states of woe, it is important to realize that this means that we must stop doing evil. If after hearing these names we continue to do wrong, it is still possible to fall into the hells. People who say that now that they have heard the Buddha’s name they are sure to avoid the hells, and use this as an excuse to commit murder and arson and indulge in all sorts of antisocial behavior, will fall nonetheless.
Sutra:
“Again, limitless asamkhyeyas of aeons ago, a Buddha named Kasaya Banner Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name, that person will overcome the offenses of birth and death for one hundred aeons.”
“Again, in the past, a Buddha named Great Penetration Mountain King Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name, that person will encounter as many Buddhas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, who will speak Dharma for him, and he will certainly realize Bodhi.”
“Again, in the past, there were Buddhas named Pure Moon Buddha, Mountain King Buddha, Wise Victory Buddha, Pure Name King Buddha, Accomplished Wisdom Buddha, Unsurpassed Buddha, Wonderful Sound Buddha, Full Moon Buddha, Moon Face Buddha, and other such indescribable Buddhas. World-Honored One, living beings of the present and future, both gods and humans, men and women, will obtain limitless meritorious virtues by merely reciting one Buddha’s name. How much the more if they recite many names. In birth and death all these living beings will obtain great benefit and ultimately will not fall into the Evil Paths.”
“If even one person in a dying person’s family loudly recites on Buddha’s name for the sake of the dying person, that dying one will quickly be freed from all karmic offenses except the uninterrupted retribution of the Five Offenses. The Five Offenses warranting uninterrupted retribution are so extremely heavy that one who commits them should not escape retribution for myriads of aeons. If, however, at the time of the offender’s death, another person recites the names of Buddhas on his behalf, his offenses can be gradually wiped away. How much more will this be true for living beings who recited those names themselves. The merit thus attained is limitless and eradicates numberless offenses.”
End of Chapter 9
(Next: Chapter 10)
The Names of Buddhas
________________________________________
Commentary:
Originally all Buddhas had ten thousand names each, but because no one could remember so many, the names were reduced to one thousand each. Since that was still too many to be remembered by most people, the names were further simplified to one hundred, which were reduced still further to ten. These Ten Designations, common to all Buddhas, were explained in Chapter Four. I will refresh your memory by reviewing the names once again. They are, the Thus Come One, the One Worthy of Offerings, the One of Right and Equal Enlightenment, the One Perfect in Clarity and Conduct, the Well-Gone-Forth One, the Unsurpassed Scholar Who Comprehends the World, the Valiant Tamer and Guide, the Master of Gods and Men, the Buddha, and the World-Honored One.
Sutra:
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva Mahasattva, said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, I shall now perform a profitable and beneficial act for the sake of living beings of the future, so that they may obtain great help and benefit in the midst of life and death. Please, World-Honored One, hear my words.”
The Buddha told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “With your great compassion you now wish to undertake the inconceivable task of rescuing all those in the Six Paths who suffer for their offenses. The time is just right, speak quickly, for I am about to enter nirvana. You should complete this vow soon so that I have no need to be concerned for living beings of the present or future.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “In the past, numberless asamkhyeyas of aeons ago, a Buddha named Limitless Body Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name and suddenly gives rise to a thought of respect, that person will overstep the heavy offenses of forty aeons of birth and death. How much more will he be able to do this if he sculpts or paints this Buddha’s image, or praises and makes offerings to him. The merit of this is limitless and unbounded.”
Commentary:
Here is a famous story concerning the practice discussed in the preceding text:
One day when Sakyamuni Buddha was not at the Jeta Grove but a number of his disciples, all Arhats, were, a musty old man who wished to leave home came to the grove. The Arhats took an immediate dislike to the old fellow because, when they used their powers of investigation, they saw that within eighty-thousand great aeons he had not planted a single good root. Consequently they did not allow him to go forth from home to the homeless life. You see, it is not a simple matter to leave the home life. It is said, “Do not declare leaving home an easy thing to do; throughout many lives, Bodhi must be planted.”
The old man, who must have been a good ninety or a hundred years old, had no possessions at all, not even clothes or food, and perhaps he thought that he might be able to come by these things if he left home. After being turned down by the Buddha’s disciples, he hobbled along the road leading away from the grove and headed for the Ganges River, where he planned to end it all.
As he stood on the river bank about to drown himself, the Buddha, whom he did not recognize by sight, came walking along and said, “Old man, aren’t you a bit old for swimming?”
The man replied, “I intend to commit suicide, since all I wanted to do was leave home and cultivate, but the Buddha’s disciples would not allow me to do so. If I did now, perhaps I’ll get to be a young man in my next life and be able to leave home. As it is, the Buddha’s disciples don’t seem to like people like me, and decides, I’m so shriveled and ugly with age that people can’t even stand to look at me.”
The Buddha then disclosed his identity and offered to accept the old man as a disciple. They returned to the Jeta Grove where the Buddha spoke Dharma and the old man certified to the fruit of Arhatship, a phenomenon that was not all rare during the Buddha’s lifetime. A number of senior Arhats objected that the old man couldn’t have attained Arhatship because he did not have any good roots, but the Buddha corrected them. “You know only what can be found within eighty thousand great aeons, but beyond that you know nothing. You are like people inside a house who are able to see everything within the walls but nothing outside them. Over eighty thousand aeons ago, this old man was a firewood-gatherer who met a tiger in the mountain wilds one day. Frightened, he exclaimed ‘Namo Buddha,’ and as a result of that single sentence he is able to leave home life now.” If people have not recited a great many Namo Buddha’s in the past, they will not be able to leave home life in the present.
Sutra:
“Again, in the past, as many aeons ago as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, a Buddha named Jewel Nature appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears the name of this Buddha and in the space of a finger-snap decides to take refuge, it will be eternally impossible to turn that person from the unsurpassed path.”
“Again, in the past, a Buddha named Padma-Victory Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name, or if the name merely passes by his or her ear, that person will attain one thousand births in the Six Desire Heavens. How much more will this be true if he or she sincerely recites the name of that Thus Come One.”
Commentary:
Padma is the name of the red lotus flower, the supreme and unsurpassed lotus. If one merely hears the name Padma Victory Thus Come One he will be reborn in the Six Desire Heavens that were discussed earlier. Since merely hearing the name has such great merit, reciting it certainly has even more.
A man once went to Pratimoksa Monastery and plucked an exquisitely beautiful golden-colored flower from a tree and offered it before the image of Sakyamuni Buddha. He then asked an old man in the temple how much merit he had derived from his offering. He was told that he would have to ask someone who had left home if he wanted to get the answer. He then asked a bhiksu how much merit had been derived from his offering, and was told that he would have to ask someone who had cultivated dhyana samadhi and reached the stage of Arhatship if he wanted to get the answer. He then sought out and found an Arhat to whom he put the same question. The Arhat contemplated and investigated the matter for him, and saw that the merit from this offering totally filled eighty thousand aeons and was still unbounded. Since he could not know any further than eighty thousand kalpas, he told the man that he would have to ask Sakyamuni Buddha himself. The Buddha replied that the merit from his offering a single flower totally filled empty space to the end of the Dharma-realm.
Sutra:
“Again, in the past, indescribable asamkhyeyas of aeons ago, a Buddha named Lion Roar Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name and single-mindedly takes refuge, that person will encounter numberless Buddhas, who will rub his or her crown and bestow predictions of enlightenment upon the individual.”
“Again, in the past, a Buddha named Krakucchanda appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name and sincerely beholds, worships, or praises him, that person will be the Great Brahma King in the assemblies of the one thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Aeon, and will there receive a lofty prediction.”
“Again, in the past, a Buddha named Vipasin appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name, that person will eternally avoid falling into the Evil Paths, will always be born among men and gods, and will receive supremely wonderful bliss.”
“Again, in the past, as man aeons ago as there are grains of sand in limitless and boundless numbers of Ganges Rivers, a Buddha named Jeweled Victory appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name, that person will never again fall into the Evil Paths and will eternally dwell in the heavens, where he or she will receive supremely wonderful bliss.”
“Again, in the past, a Buddha named Jeweled Appearance Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name and gives rise to a thought of respect, that person will before long attain the fruit of Arhatship.”
Commentary:
Krakucchanda means both “victorious contemplation” and “manifold contemplation.” When the text says that by merely hearing or reciting the names of these Buddhas beings will not fall into the states of woe, it is important to realize that this means that we must stop doing evil. If after hearing these names we continue to do wrong, it is still possible to fall into the hells. People who say that now that they have heard the Buddha’s name they are sure to avoid the hells, and use this as an excuse to commit murder and arson and indulge in all sorts of antisocial behavior, will fall nonetheless.
Sutra:
“Again, limitless asamkhyeyas of aeons ago, a Buddha named Kasaya Banner Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name, that person will overcome the offenses of birth and death for one hundred aeons.”
“Again, in the past, a Buddha named Great Penetration Mountain King Thus Come One appeared in the world. If a man or woman hears this Buddha’s name, that person will encounter as many Buddhas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, who will speak Dharma for him, and he will certainly realize Bodhi.”
“Again, in the past, there were Buddhas named Pure Moon Buddha, Mountain King Buddha, Wise Victory Buddha, Pure Name King Buddha, Accomplished Wisdom Buddha, Unsurpassed Buddha, Wonderful Sound Buddha, Full Moon Buddha, Moon Face Buddha, and other such indescribable Buddhas. World-Honored One, living beings of the present and future, both gods and humans, men and women, will obtain limitless meritorious virtues by merely reciting one Buddha’s name. How much the more if they recite many names. In birth and death all these living beings will obtain great benefit and ultimately will not fall into the Evil Paths.”
“If even one person in a dying person’s family loudly recites on Buddha’s name for the sake of the dying person, that dying one will quickly be freed from all karmic offenses except the uninterrupted retribution of the Five Offenses. The Five Offenses warranting uninterrupted retribution are so extremely heavy that one who commits them should not escape retribution for myriads of aeons. If, however, at the time of the offender’s death, another person recites the names of Buddhas on his behalf, his offenses can be gradually wiped away. How much more will this be true for living beings who recited those names themselves. The merit thus attained is limitless and eradicates numberless offenses.”
End of Chapter 9
(Next: Chapter 10)
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Chapter 8)
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Praises of the Multitudes of King Yama
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Sutra:
At that time from within the Iron Ring Mountain came Yama, son of heaven, and with him limitless ghosts kings, all of whom appeared before the Buddha in the Trayastrimsa Heaven: the ghost king Evil Poison, the ghost king Many Evils, the ghost king Great Argument, the ghost king White Tiger, the ghost king Blood Tiger, the ghost king Crimson Tiger, the ghost king Disaster, the ghost king Flying Body, the ghost king Lightning Flash, the ghost king Wolf Tooth, the ghost king Thousand Eyes, the ghost king Animal Eater, the ghost king Rock Bearer, the ghost king Lord of Bad News, the ghost king Lord of Calamities, the ghost king Lord of Food, the ghost king Lord of Wealth, the ghost king Lord of Domestic Animals, the ghost king Lord of Birds, the ghost king Lord of Beasts, the ghost king Lord of Mountain Spirits, the ghost king Lord of Birth, the ghost king Lord of Life, the ghost king Lord of Sickness, the ghost king Lord of Danger, the ghost king Three Eyes, the ghost king Four Eyes, the ghost king Five Eyes, the Ch’i Li She King, the Great Ch’i Li She King, the Ch’i Li Ch’a King, the Great Ch’i Li Ch’a King, the No Ch’a King, the Great No Ch’a King, and other such great ghost kings. There were also hundreds of thousands of minor ghost kings who dwelt throughout Jambudvipa, each of whom ruled over something specific.
Commentary:
It is generally said that there are ten Yamas, chief officials over ghosts. In this text, however, we are discussing not merely the ten Yamas of Jambudvipa, but all the innumerable Yamas who came from all the worlds, from the moon, the planets, the stars, and other iron ring mountains. In general, wherever there are people there are Yamas, and where there are no people, there are no Yamas. This is because if there were no people there would be no ghosts, if there were no ghosts, there would be no Buddha, and if there were no Buddha there would be no Yama. What is most important to realize is that if there were no people, there would not be anything at all. People require, make, and use everything. If there were no people there would be no Buddha, no Bodhisattvas, no animals, no hungry ghosts, nor hells.
The question arises, of course, as to how people come to exist, and the answer is that they, like all the other nine Dharma Realms, are created by the mind alone. The Avatamsaka Sutra says, “If a man wishes to understand the nature of all Buddhas of the three periods of time, he should contemplate the nature of the Dharma realm: everything comes from the mind alone.” The idle thoughts in our minds are like waves on the water, and the mountains, rivers, and the great earth are merely the result of those thoughts. When there is false thinking inwardly, outwardly there are objects; if we did not think, everything would be empty.
Within the Flower Store World Sea is a Lotus Flower Curtain with twenty tiers. The world in which we live is located on the thirteenth tier. Surrounding the Lotus Flower Curtain are seven golden mountains and seven perfumed seas, and beyond all of that there is a great iron ring mountain.
All the Yamas who came to the Trayastrimsa Dharma Assembly are sons of heaven, the same title given to Jesus. Some emperors, too, are called sons of heaven, but none of these sons of heaven are greater or smaller than others. Yama, the son of heaven, is recognized as such by the Buddha, as are the emperors; Jesus, on the other hand, gave himself the title.
If I wanted, I too could call myself the son of heaven, and there might not be great opposition, but I do not like to do this since there isn’t any emperor, and the son of heaven is much too lowly a position. Yama does not think that his position is too lowly, because it is his responsibility. In Buddhism, after receiving the bhiksu precepts, one can become a teacher of gods and men; not only can a bhiksu be the son of heaven, he can be the grandfather of heaven as well.
The ghost king Evil Poison, an extremely fierce ghost king, wishes to swallow every living being he sees. His mouth is evil and poisonous. There is no need to be afraid of him, however, since he harms only people who are evil and poisonous themselves; he uses evil to cure evil, and poison to counteract poison. If you recite the Buddha’s name you will gain the respect of this ghost king, who will bow to you. As long as you recite the Buddha’s name, recite sutras, and keep your thoughts resolved on enlightenment, there will be no problems with this ghost king, since, although he manifests an outwardly poisonous and evil appearance, he inwardly has the heart of a Bodhisattva, as does Yama himself. Consequently, those who practice Buddhadharma do not have anything to fear from him. In fact, if any of my disciples meet up with him, all they have to do is mention my name, because we made an agreement, he and I. I told him that when any of my disciples encounter him, he should take their offenses and give them all to me.
The ghost king Many Evils also opposes those who do evil, and so I doubt that you who are now studying Buddhadharma and who have mended your ways will have anything to fear from him. He particularly frightens those who have committed patricide or matricide, murdered Arhats, broken up the Sangha, or shed the Buddha’s blood.
People who like to argue, who always manage to find principles where there are none, who maintain that they have not violated precepts when in fact they have, and who practice deceit, encounter the ghost king Great Argument.
The White Tiger ghost king has a ghost’s body and a tiger’s head. The ghost king Blood Tiger has a bloody head, and the ghost king Crimson Tiger has a red body and a tiger’s head. These ghosts have horrifying appearances because they are terrifiers who appear at the end of life to battle those who have committed the ten offenses and the five rebellious acts. If it were not for the compassionate aid of Dharma Protectors and Bodhisattvas, who see how pitiful you are and protect you when you meet up with these ghosts, your end would be quite pathetic.
The ghost king Disaster brings all sorts of inauspicious events, such as bandits, thieves, and fires, as retribution to people who warrant them. Everything that occurs, even disasters, is the result of causes planted in the past.
The ghost king Thousand Eyes is not like the Thousand-Handed Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, whose hands each contain an eye. He is also not like the ghost whose many horns have eyes. This ghost’s body is covered with holes, places where there is only bone and no flesh, and in the bone in each hole there is an eye which shines like the beam of light from a flashlight.
The ghost king Animal Eater eats tigers and other large beasts, and the ghost king Rock Bearer carries around a huge rock with which he flattens anyone who has committed offenses. The ghost king Lord of Bad News is responsible for the transmission of bad news such as premonitions of death. The ghost king Lord of Calamities not only sends messages of bad news, but actually brings about accidents and disasters such as airplane crashes.
The ghost king Lord of Beasts watches over all animals. In the east there is a lapis lazuli mountain where a ghost king is lord of tigers, rabbits, and dragons. In the south is a crystal mountain whose ghost king is lord of snakes, horses, and sheep. There is a silver mountain in the west, and its ghost king is lord of monkeys, chickens and dogs. On a gold mountain in the north, which cannot be reached, a ghost king is lord of pigs, mice, and cows.
The ghost king lord of Mountain Spirits watches over the ghosts who come into being from mountain essences, earth, stones, trees, and so forth. Such ghosts and other weird phenomena are collectively known as Li Mei and Wang Liang.
The ghost king Lord of Birth presides over births and makes the process either easier and more peaceful or more painful, depending on the nature of the mother and child. This activity, like those of the ghost kings described earlier, is for the purpose of teaching beings to change their wrong ways. The ghost king Lord of Lifespan watches over the life of everything that has blood and breath.
The eyes of the ghosts kings Three Eyes, Four Eyes, and Five Eyes are not arranged like the five eyes gained through cultivation. The eyes of the ghost king Three Eyes are placed in a triangle, those of Four Eyes are in a square, and those of the king of Five Eyes come together in a bizarre and frightening fashion. In general, these ghosts have frightening appearances.
The Ch’i Li She King lives on a mountain in the south and watches over fire. The Great Ch’i Li She King lives farther south and is also a great fire ghosts. The No Ch’a King is a Dharma protector and a son of the Four Heavenly Kings.
All these great ghosts were followed by little ghosts, ghost sons, ghost mothers, and ghost grandchildren.
Sutra:
Aided by the Buddha’s awesome spirit and the power of Earth Store Bodhisattva, all these ghost kings, as well as Yama, Son of Heaven, came together in the Trayastrimsa Heaven and stood off to one side. Then, Yama, Son of Heaven, placed his palms together and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, because of the Buddha’s awesome spirit and the power of Earth Store Bodhisattva, all these ghost kings and I have been able to come to this great assembly in the Trayastrimsa Heaven. There is now a small doubt that we should like to express, and we hope the World-Honored One will be compassionate and resolve it.”
The Buddha told Yama, Son of Heaven, “As you will. I shall speak for you.”
At that time Yama, Son of Heaven, looked respectfully at the World-Honored One, made obeisance, turned his head to acknowledge Earth Store Bodhisattva, and then said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, as I contemplate, I see that Earth Store Bodhisattva uses hundreds of thousands of expedient devices to cross over living beings who suffer for their offenses within the six paths of birth. I see that he does so without the least fatigue or weariness. This great Bodhisattva has inconceivable spiritual penetrations that enable living beings to obtain release from retribution for their offenses; nonetheless, before long, they fall back into the evil ways.
“World-Honored One, since Earth Store Bodhisattva has such great inconceivable spiritual power, why do living beings not rely on it, stays in the good way, and eternally holds to their liberation? Please, World-Honored One, explain this for me.”
The Buddha told Yama, Son of Heaven, “The living beings of Jambudvipa have stubborn and obstinate natures, difficult to tame, difficult to subdue. This great Bodhisattva constantly rescues such living beings throughout hundreds of thousands of aeons, and causes them to obtain liberation quickly. He rescues even those who have fallen into the Three Evil Paths from their offenses. He extricates them from their own basic karmic conditions and leads them to understand the events of past lives.
“Because the living beings of Jambudvipa are bound up with heavy bad habits, which cause them to resolve in the paths, arriving and departing over and over, it takes this Bodhisattva many aeons to completely rescue and liberate them.”
Commentary:
An example of obstinacy and stubbornness can be seen in those people who consider forms of law and order evil and think only anarchy is worthwhile. However, there is no way to get a perfect measure without using a standard rule.
The text says that living beings are bound by many bad habits. Bound means linked, the idea being that past, present, and future lives are all linked through karmic retribution. The first bad habit is lust, the primary problem of living beings, and the most difficult to eliminate, more difficult than jumping into the sky. If men and women are able to cut off all lustful thoughts of each other, they are said to have subdued the tiger; if they have cut off afflictions, they have tamed the dragon. Afflictions and ignorance are like an untamed dragon that undergoes limitless transformations and appears in many strange guises. Those who cultivate should examine themselves to see if they have achieved the skill of taming the dragon and subduing the tiger. If living beings have totally eliminated all desires, they are said to be without outflows; if desire remains, there are still outflows.
The second major habit of living beings is greed. It is because of greed for pleasurable sensations that there is desire. The third habit is arrogance. Basically one may not be any different from anyone else, yet he comes to see himself as superior to others. The desire to be foremost, to be always out in front is called arrogance. The fourth habit is hatred; the wish to harm others even though they may not have done anything bad to you. The fifth is cheating, which is to say, doing deceitful and false deeds. The sixth is lying. Deceit involves covering up known bad with a good appearance, whereas lying is out-and-out misrepresentation of the truth under all circumstances.
The seventh bad habit of living beings is blaming – passing the buck and trying to shift one’s errors off on others. The eighth is improper knowledge and views, and the ninth is deviousness. The tenth is accusation, enjoyed by those bringing suits against others even though they are without any principle in their own case. The above list is discussed in the Surangama Sutra as the ten fine, subtle causes for undergoing retributions in the Six Paths.
Sutra:
“They are like a man who becomes confused, loses his original home, and mistakenly enters a dangerous path in which there are many yaksas, tigers, wolves, lions, serpents, and vipers. A confused person would certainly be poisoned very quickly on that path. When a wise adviser who understands many methods and who is able to control all the poison of those yaksas, evil ghosts, and others, suddenly encounters the confused man about to enter the dangerous road, the adviser says to him, ‘Say, fellow, why are you entering this road? What methods do you have to deal with all that poison?’ “
“The confused traveler who hears such words suddenly knows that it is a dangerous path, and begins to retreat, to leave it. The Good-Knowing adviser then takes him by the hand, leading him off the dangerous path so that he avoids the evil poisons. They reach a good way and he becomes happy and at peace. The adviser then says to him, ‘Well, confused one, do not go back into that path again, for those who enter it have a difficult time getting out, and moreover, it destroys their very nature and life.’”
“The confused traveler thanks him profusely, and as they are about to separated, the adviser says to him, ‘If you see those whom you know personally, as well as other travelers, be they men or women, tell them that there are many poisons and evils on the path which can cause them to lose their very nature and life. Do not let them seek their own deaths.’ In the same way, Earth Store Bodhisattva, replete with great compassion, rescues living beings who suffer from their offenses and causes them to be born among men and gods, where they receive wonderful bliss.
“All the offenders, knowing the sufferings of the path of evil karma, obtain release and never go down that road again. They are like the confused person who mistakenly enters a dangerous road but whom, having encountered a good adviser who leads him out, does not enter that road again. If he meets others he teaches them not to enter into that road by saying, ‘I, myself, was confused but have obtained liberation and will not enter that road again.’ If he encounters that dangerous path again and he is still confused and makes the mistake, unaware that it is the dangerous path he encountered before, then he will probably lose his life. The same thing is true if one has fallen into the Evil Path and, because of the powerful expedient device of Earth Store Bodhisattva, has been made to take rebirth among men or gods, but then falls into the Evil Paths again. If one’s karmic bonds are heavy, one dwells in the hells for a long time without liberation.”
At that time the ghost king Evil Poison placed his palms together respectfully, addressed the Buddha, and said, “World-Honored One, we limitless ghost kings of Jambudvipa either benefit or harm beings. Each of us is different; our karmic retribution causes us and our followers to roam in the world doing much evil and little good. When we pass a household or a city, a town, village, or hamlet, a garden, cottage, or hut where there is a man or woman who has cultivated as little as a hair’s worth of good deeds, who has hung but one banner or one canopy, who has used a little incense or a few flowers as offerings to images of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, or who has read and recited the sutras, or burned incense as an offering to even one sentence or gatha in them, all of us ghost kings will respect and revere that person as we would the Buddhas of the past, present, and future. We will order all the smaller ghosts, each of whom has great power, as well as all the ground spirits, to surround and protect that person. Bad affairs, accidents, severe and unexpected illnesses, as well as all other unwelcome phenomena, will not be allowed to draw near his dwelling or place of residence, much less enter the door.”
The Buddha said to the ghost kings, “It is excellent, excellent, that all you ghost kings and Yama are able to protect good men and women in this way. I shall tell Brahma and Sakra to cause you to be protected as well.”
When this was said, a ghost king in the assembly named Lord of Lifespan said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, my conditions are such that I am Lord of the Lifespan of men in Jambudvipa, and govern the time of their birth and death. My fundamental vows are based on a great desire to benefit people, but living beings do not understand my intent and go through birth and death uneasy. Why is this?
“When humans in Jambudvipa have just borne children,” Lord of Lifespan continued, “be they boys or girls, or when they are just about to give birth, good deeds should be done to increase the benefits of the household and thus cause the local ground spirits to be immeasurably pleased. The spirits will then benefit the entire family and protect the mother and child so that they obtain great peace and happiness. After the birth, all killing and injuring for the purpose of offering fresh foods to the mother should carefully be avoided, as should calling together assemblies of the family for the sake of drinking wine, eating meat, singing, making music, and playing instruments, for all these things can keep the mother and child from obtaining peace and happiness. Why? At the difficult time of birth there are uncountable evil ghosts, such as Wang Liang and Ching Mei, who desire to eat the strong-smelling blood. I quickly cause the ground spirits of that household to protect the mother and child, allowing them to be peaceful and happy and to obtain benefit. When people in such households see this benefit they should establish merit in response to the ground spirits. If instead of doing this they harm, kill, and assemble all the relatives together for feasting and playing, they will undergo a retribution for this violation, which harms both mother and child.”
Commentary:
At the time of birth, good deeds – acts that are beneficial to others – should be done to cause an auspicious light to protect the household. The local earth spirits are greatly pleased by this and also act to protect the home. The class of ground spirits referred to here has the lowest rank, much like a notary public in the civil service system, and each of them is responsible for a particular area of a city or district. These spirits are in such a position because of a fondness for doing good deeds unaccompanied by actual cultivation.
Sutra:
“Moreover, when the humans of Jambudvipa are on the verge of death, I desire to keep them from falling into the Evil Paths, regardless of whether they have done good or evil, but how much is my power to do so increased when they have cultivated good roots! When a practicer of good in Jambudvipa is about to die, there are hundreds of thousands of ghosts and spirits of the evil ways who transform themselves and appear as the parents, relatives, and friends of the dying in an attempt to lead him to fall into the Evil Paths. How much more is this the case for those who have done evil!”
“Therefore, World-Honored One, when a man or woman in Jambudvipa is on the verge of death and his consciousness and spirit are confused and dark, when he is unable to discriminate between good and evil and his eyes and ears are unable to see or hear, his relatives should certainly establish great offerings, recite the holy sutras, and recite the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Such good conditions can cause the dead person to leave the Evil Paths, and all the demons, ghosts, and spirits will withdraw and disperse.”
“World-Honored One, if at the time of death any living being hears the name of one Buddha or Bodhisattva, or if he hears a sentence or gatha of a Mahayana sutra, I see that such a person can be liberated from his small bad deeds, which unite to pull him into the Evil Paths, and that he can also be kept apart from the uninterrupted retribution of the Five Offenses.”
Commentary:
The time of death refers to the time when warmth, breath, and consciousness have ceased. When this occurs, the Intermediate Skandha Body is confused and unaware that it is dead; it cannot tell good from evil and has no perceptions. During this period the survivors should do great merit for the sake of the dead one. In China, monks are requested to recite sutras for the dead during the first seven weeks after death. For example, in commemoration of the nirvana of the Venerable Hsu Yun, the Buddhist Lecture Hall in Hong Kong had the entire Mahaprajnaparamitasutra recited in a one-hundred-sixty-day session, something that had never been done before in the entire history of Buddhism, from Sakyamuni Buddha on. The compilers of the Old Master’s biography neglected to mention this Dharma Assembly.
The last sentence in this section of the Chinese text appears to say that one can be liberated form all but the Five Offenses; in other words, that hearing the name of a Buddha or Bodhisattva at the time of death can liberate one from all his offenses except those of the Five Offenses that incur uninterrupted retribution. On the other hand, the sentence can be read to say that even the latter offenses can be eradicated. If an ultimately sincere thought is produced at the time of death, all offenses can be eradicated; the problem is that it is extremely difficult to have such a thought at that time.
Sutra:
The Buddha told the ghost king Lord of Lifespan, “Because of your great compassion you are able to make such great vows and protect all living beings in the midst of life and death. In the future, when men and women reach the time of death, do not withdraw from your vow, but cause them to attain liberation and be eternally peaceful.”
The ghost king told the Buddha, “Please do not be concerned. Until the end of this life I shall constantly protect the living beings of Jambudvipa, both at the time of birth and at the time of death, so that they obtain tranquility. I only wish that at the time of birth and death they will believe what I say and thereby be liberated and attain great profit.”
At that time the Buddha told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “This great ghost king, Lord of Lifespan, has already passed through hundreds of thousands of lives as a great ghost king, protecting living beings in life and death. Only because of this great lord’s compassionate vows does he manifest the body of a ghost king, for in reality he is not a ghost. After one hundred and seventy aeons have passed, in an aeon named Tranquility, he will accomplish Buddhahood. His kalpa will be called Happiness and his world will be named Pure Dwelling. His name will be No Appearance Thus Come One, and his lifespan will be incalculable aeons. Earth Store, the doings of this great ghost king are inconceivable, and the men and gods whom he crosses over are limitless.”
Commentary:
This ghost king is extremely independent and can do as he likes. If he wants a person to live, he lives, if he wants him to die, he dies. Since all lives are in his hands, you can be sure that if he were greedy and could be bought off, like many officials, there would be quite a lot more people in the world.
During the time of Dharma Master Tao Sheng, this ghost once came to hear Dharma spoken. Tao Sheng told him that he ought to become a human, to which the ghost replied, “I’ve been a ghost three thousand autumns, with no worries and no cares. The noble Sheng now tells me to become a man, but I do not think I am able. I would probably commit offenses and fall into even worse states than the one I am in now. I think I’ll remain a ghost.” This is not unlike the Chinese proverb that says, “If a beggar begs for three years, he won’t accept the imperial position.”
The ghost spoke of Dharma Master Tao Sheng as “the Noble Sheng.” This practice of using one character of a person’s name and preceding it by the word noble is a sign of great respect and is still in use.
End of Chapter 8
(Next: Chapter 9)
-----------------------------------
The Praises of the Multitudes of King Yama
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Sutra:
At that time from within the Iron Ring Mountain came Yama, son of heaven, and with him limitless ghosts kings, all of whom appeared before the Buddha in the Trayastrimsa Heaven: the ghost king Evil Poison, the ghost king Many Evils, the ghost king Great Argument, the ghost king White Tiger, the ghost king Blood Tiger, the ghost king Crimson Tiger, the ghost king Disaster, the ghost king Flying Body, the ghost king Lightning Flash, the ghost king Wolf Tooth, the ghost king Thousand Eyes, the ghost king Animal Eater, the ghost king Rock Bearer, the ghost king Lord of Bad News, the ghost king Lord of Calamities, the ghost king Lord of Food, the ghost king Lord of Wealth, the ghost king Lord of Domestic Animals, the ghost king Lord of Birds, the ghost king Lord of Beasts, the ghost king Lord of Mountain Spirits, the ghost king Lord of Birth, the ghost king Lord of Life, the ghost king Lord of Sickness, the ghost king Lord of Danger, the ghost king Three Eyes, the ghost king Four Eyes, the ghost king Five Eyes, the Ch’i Li She King, the Great Ch’i Li She King, the Ch’i Li Ch’a King, the Great Ch’i Li Ch’a King, the No Ch’a King, the Great No Ch’a King, and other such great ghost kings. There were also hundreds of thousands of minor ghost kings who dwelt throughout Jambudvipa, each of whom ruled over something specific.
Commentary:
It is generally said that there are ten Yamas, chief officials over ghosts. In this text, however, we are discussing not merely the ten Yamas of Jambudvipa, but all the innumerable Yamas who came from all the worlds, from the moon, the planets, the stars, and other iron ring mountains. In general, wherever there are people there are Yamas, and where there are no people, there are no Yamas. This is because if there were no people there would be no ghosts, if there were no ghosts, there would be no Buddha, and if there were no Buddha there would be no Yama. What is most important to realize is that if there were no people, there would not be anything at all. People require, make, and use everything. If there were no people there would be no Buddha, no Bodhisattvas, no animals, no hungry ghosts, nor hells.
The question arises, of course, as to how people come to exist, and the answer is that they, like all the other nine Dharma Realms, are created by the mind alone. The Avatamsaka Sutra says, “If a man wishes to understand the nature of all Buddhas of the three periods of time, he should contemplate the nature of the Dharma realm: everything comes from the mind alone.” The idle thoughts in our minds are like waves on the water, and the mountains, rivers, and the great earth are merely the result of those thoughts. When there is false thinking inwardly, outwardly there are objects; if we did not think, everything would be empty.
Within the Flower Store World Sea is a Lotus Flower Curtain with twenty tiers. The world in which we live is located on the thirteenth tier. Surrounding the Lotus Flower Curtain are seven golden mountains and seven perfumed seas, and beyond all of that there is a great iron ring mountain.
All the Yamas who came to the Trayastrimsa Dharma Assembly are sons of heaven, the same title given to Jesus. Some emperors, too, are called sons of heaven, but none of these sons of heaven are greater or smaller than others. Yama, the son of heaven, is recognized as such by the Buddha, as are the emperors; Jesus, on the other hand, gave himself the title.
If I wanted, I too could call myself the son of heaven, and there might not be great opposition, but I do not like to do this since there isn’t any emperor, and the son of heaven is much too lowly a position. Yama does not think that his position is too lowly, because it is his responsibility. In Buddhism, after receiving the bhiksu precepts, one can become a teacher of gods and men; not only can a bhiksu be the son of heaven, he can be the grandfather of heaven as well.
The ghost king Evil Poison, an extremely fierce ghost king, wishes to swallow every living being he sees. His mouth is evil and poisonous. There is no need to be afraid of him, however, since he harms only people who are evil and poisonous themselves; he uses evil to cure evil, and poison to counteract poison. If you recite the Buddha’s name you will gain the respect of this ghost king, who will bow to you. As long as you recite the Buddha’s name, recite sutras, and keep your thoughts resolved on enlightenment, there will be no problems with this ghost king, since, although he manifests an outwardly poisonous and evil appearance, he inwardly has the heart of a Bodhisattva, as does Yama himself. Consequently, those who practice Buddhadharma do not have anything to fear from him. In fact, if any of my disciples meet up with him, all they have to do is mention my name, because we made an agreement, he and I. I told him that when any of my disciples encounter him, he should take their offenses and give them all to me.
The ghost king Many Evils also opposes those who do evil, and so I doubt that you who are now studying Buddhadharma and who have mended your ways will have anything to fear from him. He particularly frightens those who have committed patricide or matricide, murdered Arhats, broken up the Sangha, or shed the Buddha’s blood.
People who like to argue, who always manage to find principles where there are none, who maintain that they have not violated precepts when in fact they have, and who practice deceit, encounter the ghost king Great Argument.
The White Tiger ghost king has a ghost’s body and a tiger’s head. The ghost king Blood Tiger has a bloody head, and the ghost king Crimson Tiger has a red body and a tiger’s head. These ghosts have horrifying appearances because they are terrifiers who appear at the end of life to battle those who have committed the ten offenses and the five rebellious acts. If it were not for the compassionate aid of Dharma Protectors and Bodhisattvas, who see how pitiful you are and protect you when you meet up with these ghosts, your end would be quite pathetic.
The ghost king Disaster brings all sorts of inauspicious events, such as bandits, thieves, and fires, as retribution to people who warrant them. Everything that occurs, even disasters, is the result of causes planted in the past.
The ghost king Thousand Eyes is not like the Thousand-Handed Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, whose hands each contain an eye. He is also not like the ghost whose many horns have eyes. This ghost’s body is covered with holes, places where there is only bone and no flesh, and in the bone in each hole there is an eye which shines like the beam of light from a flashlight.
The ghost king Animal Eater eats tigers and other large beasts, and the ghost king Rock Bearer carries around a huge rock with which he flattens anyone who has committed offenses. The ghost king Lord of Bad News is responsible for the transmission of bad news such as premonitions of death. The ghost king Lord of Calamities not only sends messages of bad news, but actually brings about accidents and disasters such as airplane crashes.
The ghost king Lord of Beasts watches over all animals. In the east there is a lapis lazuli mountain where a ghost king is lord of tigers, rabbits, and dragons. In the south is a crystal mountain whose ghost king is lord of snakes, horses, and sheep. There is a silver mountain in the west, and its ghost king is lord of monkeys, chickens and dogs. On a gold mountain in the north, which cannot be reached, a ghost king is lord of pigs, mice, and cows.
The ghost king lord of Mountain Spirits watches over the ghosts who come into being from mountain essences, earth, stones, trees, and so forth. Such ghosts and other weird phenomena are collectively known as Li Mei and Wang Liang.
The ghost king Lord of Birth presides over births and makes the process either easier and more peaceful or more painful, depending on the nature of the mother and child. This activity, like those of the ghost kings described earlier, is for the purpose of teaching beings to change their wrong ways. The ghost king Lord of Lifespan watches over the life of everything that has blood and breath.
The eyes of the ghosts kings Three Eyes, Four Eyes, and Five Eyes are not arranged like the five eyes gained through cultivation. The eyes of the ghost king Three Eyes are placed in a triangle, those of Four Eyes are in a square, and those of the king of Five Eyes come together in a bizarre and frightening fashion. In general, these ghosts have frightening appearances.
The Ch’i Li She King lives on a mountain in the south and watches over fire. The Great Ch’i Li She King lives farther south and is also a great fire ghosts. The No Ch’a King is a Dharma protector and a son of the Four Heavenly Kings.
All these great ghosts were followed by little ghosts, ghost sons, ghost mothers, and ghost grandchildren.
Sutra:
Aided by the Buddha’s awesome spirit and the power of Earth Store Bodhisattva, all these ghost kings, as well as Yama, Son of Heaven, came together in the Trayastrimsa Heaven and stood off to one side. Then, Yama, Son of Heaven, placed his palms together and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, because of the Buddha’s awesome spirit and the power of Earth Store Bodhisattva, all these ghost kings and I have been able to come to this great assembly in the Trayastrimsa Heaven. There is now a small doubt that we should like to express, and we hope the World-Honored One will be compassionate and resolve it.”
The Buddha told Yama, Son of Heaven, “As you will. I shall speak for you.”
At that time Yama, Son of Heaven, looked respectfully at the World-Honored One, made obeisance, turned his head to acknowledge Earth Store Bodhisattva, and then said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, as I contemplate, I see that Earth Store Bodhisattva uses hundreds of thousands of expedient devices to cross over living beings who suffer for their offenses within the six paths of birth. I see that he does so without the least fatigue or weariness. This great Bodhisattva has inconceivable spiritual penetrations that enable living beings to obtain release from retribution for their offenses; nonetheless, before long, they fall back into the evil ways.
“World-Honored One, since Earth Store Bodhisattva has such great inconceivable spiritual power, why do living beings not rely on it, stays in the good way, and eternally holds to their liberation? Please, World-Honored One, explain this for me.”
The Buddha told Yama, Son of Heaven, “The living beings of Jambudvipa have stubborn and obstinate natures, difficult to tame, difficult to subdue. This great Bodhisattva constantly rescues such living beings throughout hundreds of thousands of aeons, and causes them to obtain liberation quickly. He rescues even those who have fallen into the Three Evil Paths from their offenses. He extricates them from their own basic karmic conditions and leads them to understand the events of past lives.
“Because the living beings of Jambudvipa are bound up with heavy bad habits, which cause them to resolve in the paths, arriving and departing over and over, it takes this Bodhisattva many aeons to completely rescue and liberate them.”
Commentary:
An example of obstinacy and stubbornness can be seen in those people who consider forms of law and order evil and think only anarchy is worthwhile. However, there is no way to get a perfect measure without using a standard rule.
The text says that living beings are bound by many bad habits. Bound means linked, the idea being that past, present, and future lives are all linked through karmic retribution. The first bad habit is lust, the primary problem of living beings, and the most difficult to eliminate, more difficult than jumping into the sky. If men and women are able to cut off all lustful thoughts of each other, they are said to have subdued the tiger; if they have cut off afflictions, they have tamed the dragon. Afflictions and ignorance are like an untamed dragon that undergoes limitless transformations and appears in many strange guises. Those who cultivate should examine themselves to see if they have achieved the skill of taming the dragon and subduing the tiger. If living beings have totally eliminated all desires, they are said to be without outflows; if desire remains, there are still outflows.
The second major habit of living beings is greed. It is because of greed for pleasurable sensations that there is desire. The third habit is arrogance. Basically one may not be any different from anyone else, yet he comes to see himself as superior to others. The desire to be foremost, to be always out in front is called arrogance. The fourth habit is hatred; the wish to harm others even though they may not have done anything bad to you. The fifth is cheating, which is to say, doing deceitful and false deeds. The sixth is lying. Deceit involves covering up known bad with a good appearance, whereas lying is out-and-out misrepresentation of the truth under all circumstances.
The seventh bad habit of living beings is blaming – passing the buck and trying to shift one’s errors off on others. The eighth is improper knowledge and views, and the ninth is deviousness. The tenth is accusation, enjoyed by those bringing suits against others even though they are without any principle in their own case. The above list is discussed in the Surangama Sutra as the ten fine, subtle causes for undergoing retributions in the Six Paths.
Sutra:
“They are like a man who becomes confused, loses his original home, and mistakenly enters a dangerous path in which there are many yaksas, tigers, wolves, lions, serpents, and vipers. A confused person would certainly be poisoned very quickly on that path. When a wise adviser who understands many methods and who is able to control all the poison of those yaksas, evil ghosts, and others, suddenly encounters the confused man about to enter the dangerous road, the adviser says to him, ‘Say, fellow, why are you entering this road? What methods do you have to deal with all that poison?’ “
“The confused traveler who hears such words suddenly knows that it is a dangerous path, and begins to retreat, to leave it. The Good-Knowing adviser then takes him by the hand, leading him off the dangerous path so that he avoids the evil poisons. They reach a good way and he becomes happy and at peace. The adviser then says to him, ‘Well, confused one, do not go back into that path again, for those who enter it have a difficult time getting out, and moreover, it destroys their very nature and life.’”
“The confused traveler thanks him profusely, and as they are about to separated, the adviser says to him, ‘If you see those whom you know personally, as well as other travelers, be they men or women, tell them that there are many poisons and evils on the path which can cause them to lose their very nature and life. Do not let them seek their own deaths.’ In the same way, Earth Store Bodhisattva, replete with great compassion, rescues living beings who suffer from their offenses and causes them to be born among men and gods, where they receive wonderful bliss.
“All the offenders, knowing the sufferings of the path of evil karma, obtain release and never go down that road again. They are like the confused person who mistakenly enters a dangerous road but whom, having encountered a good adviser who leads him out, does not enter that road again. If he meets others he teaches them not to enter into that road by saying, ‘I, myself, was confused but have obtained liberation and will not enter that road again.’ If he encounters that dangerous path again and he is still confused and makes the mistake, unaware that it is the dangerous path he encountered before, then he will probably lose his life. The same thing is true if one has fallen into the Evil Path and, because of the powerful expedient device of Earth Store Bodhisattva, has been made to take rebirth among men or gods, but then falls into the Evil Paths again. If one’s karmic bonds are heavy, one dwells in the hells for a long time without liberation.”
At that time the ghost king Evil Poison placed his palms together respectfully, addressed the Buddha, and said, “World-Honored One, we limitless ghost kings of Jambudvipa either benefit or harm beings. Each of us is different; our karmic retribution causes us and our followers to roam in the world doing much evil and little good. When we pass a household or a city, a town, village, or hamlet, a garden, cottage, or hut where there is a man or woman who has cultivated as little as a hair’s worth of good deeds, who has hung but one banner or one canopy, who has used a little incense or a few flowers as offerings to images of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, or who has read and recited the sutras, or burned incense as an offering to even one sentence or gatha in them, all of us ghost kings will respect and revere that person as we would the Buddhas of the past, present, and future. We will order all the smaller ghosts, each of whom has great power, as well as all the ground spirits, to surround and protect that person. Bad affairs, accidents, severe and unexpected illnesses, as well as all other unwelcome phenomena, will not be allowed to draw near his dwelling or place of residence, much less enter the door.”
The Buddha said to the ghost kings, “It is excellent, excellent, that all you ghost kings and Yama are able to protect good men and women in this way. I shall tell Brahma and Sakra to cause you to be protected as well.”
When this was said, a ghost king in the assembly named Lord of Lifespan said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, my conditions are such that I am Lord of the Lifespan of men in Jambudvipa, and govern the time of their birth and death. My fundamental vows are based on a great desire to benefit people, but living beings do not understand my intent and go through birth and death uneasy. Why is this?
“When humans in Jambudvipa have just borne children,” Lord of Lifespan continued, “be they boys or girls, or when they are just about to give birth, good deeds should be done to increase the benefits of the household and thus cause the local ground spirits to be immeasurably pleased. The spirits will then benefit the entire family and protect the mother and child so that they obtain great peace and happiness. After the birth, all killing and injuring for the purpose of offering fresh foods to the mother should carefully be avoided, as should calling together assemblies of the family for the sake of drinking wine, eating meat, singing, making music, and playing instruments, for all these things can keep the mother and child from obtaining peace and happiness. Why? At the difficult time of birth there are uncountable evil ghosts, such as Wang Liang and Ching Mei, who desire to eat the strong-smelling blood. I quickly cause the ground spirits of that household to protect the mother and child, allowing them to be peaceful and happy and to obtain benefit. When people in such households see this benefit they should establish merit in response to the ground spirits. If instead of doing this they harm, kill, and assemble all the relatives together for feasting and playing, they will undergo a retribution for this violation, which harms both mother and child.”
Commentary:
At the time of birth, good deeds – acts that are beneficial to others – should be done to cause an auspicious light to protect the household. The local earth spirits are greatly pleased by this and also act to protect the home. The class of ground spirits referred to here has the lowest rank, much like a notary public in the civil service system, and each of them is responsible for a particular area of a city or district. These spirits are in such a position because of a fondness for doing good deeds unaccompanied by actual cultivation.
Sutra:
“Moreover, when the humans of Jambudvipa are on the verge of death, I desire to keep them from falling into the Evil Paths, regardless of whether they have done good or evil, but how much is my power to do so increased when they have cultivated good roots! When a practicer of good in Jambudvipa is about to die, there are hundreds of thousands of ghosts and spirits of the evil ways who transform themselves and appear as the parents, relatives, and friends of the dying in an attempt to lead him to fall into the Evil Paths. How much more is this the case for those who have done evil!”
“Therefore, World-Honored One, when a man or woman in Jambudvipa is on the verge of death and his consciousness and spirit are confused and dark, when he is unable to discriminate between good and evil and his eyes and ears are unable to see or hear, his relatives should certainly establish great offerings, recite the holy sutras, and recite the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Such good conditions can cause the dead person to leave the Evil Paths, and all the demons, ghosts, and spirits will withdraw and disperse.”
“World-Honored One, if at the time of death any living being hears the name of one Buddha or Bodhisattva, or if he hears a sentence or gatha of a Mahayana sutra, I see that such a person can be liberated from his small bad deeds, which unite to pull him into the Evil Paths, and that he can also be kept apart from the uninterrupted retribution of the Five Offenses.”
Commentary:
The time of death refers to the time when warmth, breath, and consciousness have ceased. When this occurs, the Intermediate Skandha Body is confused and unaware that it is dead; it cannot tell good from evil and has no perceptions. During this period the survivors should do great merit for the sake of the dead one. In China, monks are requested to recite sutras for the dead during the first seven weeks after death. For example, in commemoration of the nirvana of the Venerable Hsu Yun, the Buddhist Lecture Hall in Hong Kong had the entire Mahaprajnaparamitasutra recited in a one-hundred-sixty-day session, something that had never been done before in the entire history of Buddhism, from Sakyamuni Buddha on. The compilers of the Old Master’s biography neglected to mention this Dharma Assembly.
The last sentence in this section of the Chinese text appears to say that one can be liberated form all but the Five Offenses; in other words, that hearing the name of a Buddha or Bodhisattva at the time of death can liberate one from all his offenses except those of the Five Offenses that incur uninterrupted retribution. On the other hand, the sentence can be read to say that even the latter offenses can be eradicated. If an ultimately sincere thought is produced at the time of death, all offenses can be eradicated; the problem is that it is extremely difficult to have such a thought at that time.
Sutra:
The Buddha told the ghost king Lord of Lifespan, “Because of your great compassion you are able to make such great vows and protect all living beings in the midst of life and death. In the future, when men and women reach the time of death, do not withdraw from your vow, but cause them to attain liberation and be eternally peaceful.”
The ghost king told the Buddha, “Please do not be concerned. Until the end of this life I shall constantly protect the living beings of Jambudvipa, both at the time of birth and at the time of death, so that they obtain tranquility. I only wish that at the time of birth and death they will believe what I say and thereby be liberated and attain great profit.”
At that time the Buddha told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “This great ghost king, Lord of Lifespan, has already passed through hundreds of thousands of lives as a great ghost king, protecting living beings in life and death. Only because of this great lord’s compassionate vows does he manifest the body of a ghost king, for in reality he is not a ghost. After one hundred and seventy aeons have passed, in an aeon named Tranquility, he will accomplish Buddhahood. His kalpa will be called Happiness and his world will be named Pure Dwelling. His name will be No Appearance Thus Come One, and his lifespan will be incalculable aeons. Earth Store, the doings of this great ghost king are inconceivable, and the men and gods whom he crosses over are limitless.”
Commentary:
This ghost king is extremely independent and can do as he likes. If he wants a person to live, he lives, if he wants him to die, he dies. Since all lives are in his hands, you can be sure that if he were greedy and could be bought off, like many officials, there would be quite a lot more people in the world.
During the time of Dharma Master Tao Sheng, this ghost once came to hear Dharma spoken. Tao Sheng told him that he ought to become a human, to which the ghost replied, “I’ve been a ghost three thousand autumns, with no worries and no cares. The noble Sheng now tells me to become a man, but I do not think I am able. I would probably commit offenses and fall into even worse states than the one I am in now. I think I’ll remain a ghost.” This is not unlike the Chinese proverb that says, “If a beggar begs for three years, he won’t accept the imperial position.”
The ghost spoke of Dharma Master Tao Sheng as “the Noble Sheng.” This practice of using one character of a person’s name and preceding it by the word noble is a sign of great respect and is still in use.
End of Chapter 8
(Next: Chapter 9)
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Monday, July 14, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Chapter 7)
CHAPTER SEVEN
Benefits for the Living and the Dead
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Sutra:
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, I see that almost every motion and stirring of thought of the living beings of Jambudvipa is an offense, and that those living beings lose the benefits they have obtained, many of them retreating from their initial resolve. If they encounter evil conditions, they harbor them in every thought. This is like a man carrying a heavy rock through the mud. With each step his rock becomes heavier and more ponderous, and he sinks even deeper. If he meets a powerful guide he may be exhorted and warned to set his feet on firm ground again; his load may be lightened or even totally removed. If he reaches level ground he should remain aware of the evil road and never traverse it again.”
Commentary:
When living beings in Jambudvipa generate thoughts, they usually commit offenses, because most of their thoughts are motivated by greed, desire, jealousy, obstructions, and arrogance. Proper thoughts respect those who are better in something than oneself and aid those who are less able. Because we beings have not resolved to act in this fashion, our thoughts almost all constitute offenses.
Many people study for a year or two and then decide to quit the Buddhadharma. In the first year of study the Buddha seems to be right before their eyes; after two years he seems to retreat a bit, and by the end of the third year he is eighty-four thousand miles away. After this he seems to retreat to the very border of the universe. These feelings represent withdrawal from one’s initial resolve. Even those who do not think about quitting should constantly inspect their thoughts and actions to be sure they are in accord with their resolve as it was when they first left home life. For example, those who have gone forth into the homeless life cannot speak casually all the time, because talking is a useless waste of vital energy and spirit and an impediment to cultivation. Constant inspection of your own behavior to ascertain that it is in accord with your initial resolve to study the Buddhadharma is a sign that you are not retreating from that resolve. Many people begin to cultivate and then encounter some demon or other and are turned away by it. Once you encounter evil conditions and become involved in them, they tend to increase and grow. However, the resolve for enlightenment can either grow day by day or diminish and scatter. Most living beings tend to decrease their thoughts of enlightenment, and to grow toward evil.
In the analogy given in this passage, the rock represents the heavy load of evil karma, the muddy bog represents the three states of woe, and the good guide is the Buddha, a Bodhisattva, or a Good- Knowing Adviser with great wisdom who takes some of the load.
Sutra:
“World-Honored One, the habitual evil of living beings extends from the subtle to the overwhelmingly great. Since all beings have such habits, their parents or relatives should create merit for them when they are on the verge of dying in order to assist them on the road ahead. This may be done by hanging banners and canopies, lighting lamps, reciting the holy sutras, or making offerings before the images of Buddhas and sages. It includes recitation of the names of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Pratyekabuddhas in such a way that the recitation of each name passes by the ear of the dying one and is heard in his fundamental consciousness.
“The evil deeds done by living beings bear corresponding results, yet even if one ought to fall into the Evil Paths, his offenses may be eradicated if his survivors cultivate holy causes for him. During a period of forty-nine days after the death, they should do many good deeds that can cause the dead one to leave the Evil Paths, be born among male gods, and receive supremely wonderful bliss. The benefits that accrue to the survivors are also unlimited.”
Commentary:
Even if living beings have such weighty karmic loads that they are due to fall into the hells, their survivors can do meritorious deeds to benefit them. If they recite the names of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Pratyekabuddhas, they should be certain to do so in a clear voice that can be heard by the dying person, so that it will register in his fundamental consciousness – the Eighth Consciousness – which is the first to come and the last to leave at death. There is a verse that says of the Eighth Consciousness:
This wide, inexhaustible triple store is unfathomably deep,
Its realm is that of the seventh’s waves blown up by former states.
Receiving the perfume, holding the seeds of the organs, body, and things,
It is the first to come and last to go, acting as the host.
In this verse the Eighth Consciousness is compared to a vast sea that stores the past, present, and future. The myriad thoughts of living beings are like waves on the sea, and they are transmitted by the Seventh Consciousness to the Eighth. Once they have perfumed the Eighth Consciousness, they are held or stored up and are the seeds from which organs, body, and objective world sprout. At birth this consciousness is the first to appear, and it is the last to leave at death. Consequently it acts as the master. Although false thoughts appear as functions of the Sixth Consciousness, they come from seeds in the Eighth.
When all the other seven consciousnesses have scattered and left at the time of death, the basic, or Eighth Consciousness remains a while longer. At that time Mahayana sutras should be read aloud or the Buddha’s name recited, and they should be spoken loudly enough to be heard by that consciousness. This is not the only thing that can be done to benefit the dead. During the first forty-nine days after death, the severity of karmic retribution is not determined; many merit-producing practices that can have a beneficial effect can be done on behalf of the dead during this time.
Sutra:
“Therefore, before the World-Honored One, as well as before the gods, dragons, and the rest of the Eightfold Division, both human and nonhuman, I vow to exhort the living beings of Jambudvipa to be careful and avoid harming, killing, and creating evil conditions, or calling on ghosts, spirits, or Wang Liang on the day of death. Why? Sacrificing beings is not in the least helpful to the dead but binds up the conditions of offense so that they grow ever more deep and heavy. The dead one might be due to receive a good retribution and be born among men and gods in his next life or in the future, but because of offenses committed by his family in his name, his good rebirth will be delayed. Everyone must undergo the Evil Paths in accordance with his own deeds; it is even more unbearable when survivors add to those deeds. It is as if a man had been traveling from a distant place with a hundred-pound load and had been cut off from his provisions for three days. If he were suddenly to encounter a neighbor who gave him a few more things to carry, his load would become heavier and more distressing.
“World-Honored One, as I contemplate the living beings of Jambudvipa, I see that those who are able to do good, even as little as a hair, a drop of water, a grain of sand, or a mote of dust, will obtain the benefits of their good deeds.”
Commentary:
There is a custom prevalent in China but not widely practiced in the United States of sacrificing to ghosts and spirits. Among the supernatural beings are a class called Wang Liang, strange ghosts that develop in the mountain wilds; there are other bizarre forms of nature spirits as well. A verse that discusses the practices of sacrificing to ghosts and spirits says:
People, confused and ill at ease,
Sacrifice pigs and sheep to ghosts and gods.
This killing reflects enmity from past lives.
Why add frost to snow?
Do not be so certain it is a pig or goat,
For heads and faces change ten thousand times.
As the wheel turns and beings trade their places,
There is not a single place to hide,
In the depths of the sea or sky.
In China people often make offerings on major occasions. They are called red sacrifices if made for the living and white if made for the dead. People don’t always understand how things ought to be done, and when someone in their family dies, they pray to the gods and spirits to keep their relatives out of the hells. In order to obtain a response they bring offerings of chicken, pork, and other flesh foods and repeat such offerings again and again.
This constant taking of lives reflects enmity from the past. Once a killing takes place, it is repaid in kind, and a vicious cycle is inaugurated, all the result of hatred that began in past lives. To commit more killings on top of those already committed is as senseless as adding frost to already frozen snow.
It is simplistic to think that pigs are just pigs, and that sheep are only sheep, for they are often people who have fallen into the realm of the animals. People can become pigs; pigs can become people. In fact, if you study the inhabitants of any particular country you will often find that they look a great deal like the kind of animals they most like to eat. Countries where people eat a lot of pork are often inhabited by porcine people, and it may also be observed that the eyes of people who eat a great deal of beef are slightly bovine. In some countries of Southeast Asia, people eat great quantities of frogs, and many have froglike eyes. Such changes are constantly occurring.
The Surangama Sutra explains how sheep are transformed into people, and the same logic applies to other animals. The spiritual nature of a pig may end up in the body of a human, and a man may end up in the body of a swine. This is just like moving from house to house. It is possible to go from a great mansion to a wretched hovel. At the moment, we happen to be people, but it is not certain that we always have been or will remain so. Wait until you find yourself in the realm of the pig, and you will suddenly find out how unpleasant it is. Although most people think that everything remains static and unchanging, those with penetration into past lives know about this constant motion and interchange and the interrelation of all living beings.
When a dead man comes to be judged by King Yama, the sacrifices made by his relatives for his sake are held against him, and even though he claims no connection with the deeds, they still affect his rebirth. From this it can clearly be seen that the best thing to do after a death is to maintain the practice of vegetarian eating, recitation of the Buddha’s name, and recitation of sutras, in order to lighten, rather than increase, the deceased person’s karmic burden.
Creating offense karma for a dead person is like adding more weight to the burden of one who is already weak with hunger. The addition of further weight can only make him stumble and fall more heavily. In this analogy the baggage represents the Five Skandhas, and its weight of a hundred pounds stands for the Ten Evil Deeds. The neighbor who adds this weight stands for the relative who sacrifices animals for him.
Sutra:
After this had been said, an elder named Great Eloquence, who had long since testified to the unproduced and who often appeared in the body of an elder to teach and cross over those in the ten directions, arose from the midst of that assembly, placed his palms together respectfully, and said to Earth Store Bodhisattva, “Great Lord, when the close and distant relatives of the dead in Jambudvipa cultivate meritorious virtues for the dead by preparing vegetarian meals and doing other good deeds, does the dead one attain any benefit?”
Earth Store Bodhisattva replied, “Elder, based on the awesome spiritual power of the Buddhas, I will now explain this matter, in a general way, for the sake of living beings of the present and future. Elder, if living beings of the present and future on the verge of dying hear the name of one Buddha, one Bodhisattva, or one Pratyekabuddha, they will attain liberation whether they have offenses or not.
“If a man or woman who has not cultivated good causes during life and who has committed many offenses has close or distant relatives who do deeds productive of blessings and various holy deeds for his sake, after death he will receive one-seventh of the benefit, and six parts will accrue to those who help him. Therefore, all good men and women of the present and future who hear and practice this will attain a share.”
Commentary:
The phrase, “on the verge of dying” specifically refers to the time the life-force is cut off. The life-force consists of three things: warmth, breath, and consciousness. When warmth ceases and the breath stops, the dispersal of consciousness follows. Of this moment it is said, “When the birds die their calls are pitiful; when men die, their words are always good.” At the final moment people tend to awaken to what they have done and manifest a good heart. They become aware of their errors and may repent. If they hear the name of a Buddha, Bodhisattva, or Pratyekabuddha at that time, they may eradicate limitless offenses and plant limitless good deeds.
It is because of the extreme importance of this moment of death, and the difficulty of maintaining a clear thought of repentance at that time, that we constantly recite the Buddha’s name while alive. If we wait until the moment of death, it will be too easy to forget to do this. But if we recite while alive, we will be unable to forget at the critical moment. While it is possible to wait until the moment of death to recite the Buddha’s name and become good-hearted, such an act is difficult to manage at this time.
Sutra:
“When the great ghost of impermanence arrives, the spirit roams in darkness and obscurity, not knowing what is offense and what is merit. For forty-nine days it is as if one were stunned and deaf, or as if in a court arguing karmic retribution. Once judgment has been fixed, rebirth is undergone in accordance with one’s deeds. Before that rebirth is reached, there are thousands of ten thousands of worrisome sufferings that must be undergone. How much more is this the case for those who are to fall into the Evil Paths.
“Throughout forty-nine days one whose life has ended and who has not yet been reborn looks for his flesh-and-bone survivors to do merit powerful enough to rescue him. At the end of that time he falls into his karmic retribution. If he is an offender, he passes through a hundred thousand years without a day of liberation; if his offenses are the five uninterrupted retribution, he falls into the great hells, where he undergoes suffering for tens of thousands of aeons.”
Commentary:
During the period of the seven weeks following death one is as if in darkness or as if in a court arguing his case. In the hells there are ten Yamas, each of whom has five subalterns. The first of these lower-ranking officials is called Fresh; the second, Water; the third, Earth; the fourth, Wood; and the fifth, Spring. Within all five divisions there is argument and discussion about the deeds that have been done and the retributions to be undergone. In China it is customary to have monks recite sutras and do various things for the benefit of the dead during the seven weeks following death. This custom is derived from the principle clearly stated in this passage.
Sutra:
“Moreover, elder, when one who has bad karma dies; his relatives may prepare a vegetarian offering to aid him in his karmic path. In doing this they should not throw rice-washing water or vegetable leaves on the ground during the preparation of the meal, or before it has been eaten, and all food that has not first been offered to the Buddha and Sangha should not be eaten. If there is laxness or transgression in this matter, the deceased will receive no strength from it. If purity is vigorously maintained in making the offering to the Buddha and Sangha, the dead one will receive one seventh of the merit. Therefore, elder, if the living beings of Jambudvipa make vegetarian offerings after the death of their fathers, mothers, and relatives, and make earnest supplication on their behalf, they will benefit the living and the dead.”
After this had been said, thousands of tens of thousands of millions of nayutas of ghosts and spirits of Jambudvipa who were in the Trayastrimsa Heaven resolved their thoughts on the unsurpassed enlightenment. The elder, Great Eloquence, made obeisance and withdrew.
Commentary:
It is customary in Buddhist societies to make special food as an offering to the Buddha on Holidays and special occasions. It is particularly stressed here that the food may not be eaten before it has been offered to the Buddha and Sangha. In general this holds true for whatever is eaten in temples and Buddha-halls.
When an offering is made people usually use an odd number of bowls reserved for this purpose only, and place them symmetrically in front of the Buddha images. Carefully and orderly arrangement of the offering is a sign of respect; tossing things down before the Buddha is not permitted. People who have any sense of cleanliness and propriety are not pleased when something is thrown in front of them, and since the Buddha is ultimately pure and proper, it is unseemly to toss things before him. The place reserved for offering bowls should not be cluttered with articles that do not pertain to the offering; it should be a place especially set aside for offerings.
Anything used as an offering to the Buddha should not only be carefully placed, it should be properly laid out as well. That is, it is not correct to bring an offering in a box and then set the unopened box in front of the Buddha. It is a matter of simple courtesy. We would never invite a guest to dinner and then set an unopened bag of food before him, and we ought to realize that this applies to the Buddha as well. Everything should be symmetrically placed and well arranged, for there is an order to everything. Sometimes an offering is made in which hundreds of dishes are used, some containing food, others holding clothing, jewels, or anything else that is new and unusual. The offerings are passed from one person to another, so that each person, in turn, offers up each article.
This order holds in relations between those who have left home as well; one who has been ordained a moment longer is to be regarded as senior. This is not a question of years but rather of seniority in Buddhism. If you are one hundred years old and have just left home, you are junior to everyone else. When bhiksus die, their age is recorded in two cycles, and it will be said, “His worldly age was sixty and his precept age was forty.” All of these matters may seem trivial, but they are important issues in Buddhism. Now that the Buddhadharma is being properly established in the West, it is important that such things be understood.
If offerings are cultivated with great reverence and respect; if the Sangha does not eat until the offering has been made to the Buddha; if the lay people wait until the Sangha has been served; if everything is handles properly, arranged correctly, and treated with the proper respect, the dead receive one seventh of the merit generated.
End of Chapter 7
(Next: Chapter 8)
Benefits for the Living and the Dead
________________________________________
Sutra:
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, I see that almost every motion and stirring of thought of the living beings of Jambudvipa is an offense, and that those living beings lose the benefits they have obtained, many of them retreating from their initial resolve. If they encounter evil conditions, they harbor them in every thought. This is like a man carrying a heavy rock through the mud. With each step his rock becomes heavier and more ponderous, and he sinks even deeper. If he meets a powerful guide he may be exhorted and warned to set his feet on firm ground again; his load may be lightened or even totally removed. If he reaches level ground he should remain aware of the evil road and never traverse it again.”
Commentary:
When living beings in Jambudvipa generate thoughts, they usually commit offenses, because most of their thoughts are motivated by greed, desire, jealousy, obstructions, and arrogance. Proper thoughts respect those who are better in something than oneself and aid those who are less able. Because we beings have not resolved to act in this fashion, our thoughts almost all constitute offenses.
Many people study for a year or two and then decide to quit the Buddhadharma. In the first year of study the Buddha seems to be right before their eyes; after two years he seems to retreat a bit, and by the end of the third year he is eighty-four thousand miles away. After this he seems to retreat to the very border of the universe. These feelings represent withdrawal from one’s initial resolve. Even those who do not think about quitting should constantly inspect their thoughts and actions to be sure they are in accord with their resolve as it was when they first left home life. For example, those who have gone forth into the homeless life cannot speak casually all the time, because talking is a useless waste of vital energy and spirit and an impediment to cultivation. Constant inspection of your own behavior to ascertain that it is in accord with your initial resolve to study the Buddhadharma is a sign that you are not retreating from that resolve. Many people begin to cultivate and then encounter some demon or other and are turned away by it. Once you encounter evil conditions and become involved in them, they tend to increase and grow. However, the resolve for enlightenment can either grow day by day or diminish and scatter. Most living beings tend to decrease their thoughts of enlightenment, and to grow toward evil.
In the analogy given in this passage, the rock represents the heavy load of evil karma, the muddy bog represents the three states of woe, and the good guide is the Buddha, a Bodhisattva, or a Good- Knowing Adviser with great wisdom who takes some of the load.
Sutra:
“World-Honored One, the habitual evil of living beings extends from the subtle to the overwhelmingly great. Since all beings have such habits, their parents or relatives should create merit for them when they are on the verge of dying in order to assist them on the road ahead. This may be done by hanging banners and canopies, lighting lamps, reciting the holy sutras, or making offerings before the images of Buddhas and sages. It includes recitation of the names of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Pratyekabuddhas in such a way that the recitation of each name passes by the ear of the dying one and is heard in his fundamental consciousness.
“The evil deeds done by living beings bear corresponding results, yet even if one ought to fall into the Evil Paths, his offenses may be eradicated if his survivors cultivate holy causes for him. During a period of forty-nine days after the death, they should do many good deeds that can cause the dead one to leave the Evil Paths, be born among male gods, and receive supremely wonderful bliss. The benefits that accrue to the survivors are also unlimited.”
Commentary:
Even if living beings have such weighty karmic loads that they are due to fall into the hells, their survivors can do meritorious deeds to benefit them. If they recite the names of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Pratyekabuddhas, they should be certain to do so in a clear voice that can be heard by the dying person, so that it will register in his fundamental consciousness – the Eighth Consciousness – which is the first to come and the last to leave at death. There is a verse that says of the Eighth Consciousness:
This wide, inexhaustible triple store is unfathomably deep,
Its realm is that of the seventh’s waves blown up by former states.
Receiving the perfume, holding the seeds of the organs, body, and things,
It is the first to come and last to go, acting as the host.
In this verse the Eighth Consciousness is compared to a vast sea that stores the past, present, and future. The myriad thoughts of living beings are like waves on the sea, and they are transmitted by the Seventh Consciousness to the Eighth. Once they have perfumed the Eighth Consciousness, they are held or stored up and are the seeds from which organs, body, and objective world sprout. At birth this consciousness is the first to appear, and it is the last to leave at death. Consequently it acts as the master. Although false thoughts appear as functions of the Sixth Consciousness, they come from seeds in the Eighth.
When all the other seven consciousnesses have scattered and left at the time of death, the basic, or Eighth Consciousness remains a while longer. At that time Mahayana sutras should be read aloud or the Buddha’s name recited, and they should be spoken loudly enough to be heard by that consciousness. This is not the only thing that can be done to benefit the dead. During the first forty-nine days after death, the severity of karmic retribution is not determined; many merit-producing practices that can have a beneficial effect can be done on behalf of the dead during this time.
Sutra:
“Therefore, before the World-Honored One, as well as before the gods, dragons, and the rest of the Eightfold Division, both human and nonhuman, I vow to exhort the living beings of Jambudvipa to be careful and avoid harming, killing, and creating evil conditions, or calling on ghosts, spirits, or Wang Liang on the day of death. Why? Sacrificing beings is not in the least helpful to the dead but binds up the conditions of offense so that they grow ever more deep and heavy. The dead one might be due to receive a good retribution and be born among men and gods in his next life or in the future, but because of offenses committed by his family in his name, his good rebirth will be delayed. Everyone must undergo the Evil Paths in accordance with his own deeds; it is even more unbearable when survivors add to those deeds. It is as if a man had been traveling from a distant place with a hundred-pound load and had been cut off from his provisions for three days. If he were suddenly to encounter a neighbor who gave him a few more things to carry, his load would become heavier and more distressing.
“World-Honored One, as I contemplate the living beings of Jambudvipa, I see that those who are able to do good, even as little as a hair, a drop of water, a grain of sand, or a mote of dust, will obtain the benefits of their good deeds.”
Commentary:
There is a custom prevalent in China but not widely practiced in the United States of sacrificing to ghosts and spirits. Among the supernatural beings are a class called Wang Liang, strange ghosts that develop in the mountain wilds; there are other bizarre forms of nature spirits as well. A verse that discusses the practices of sacrificing to ghosts and spirits says:
People, confused and ill at ease,
Sacrifice pigs and sheep to ghosts and gods.
This killing reflects enmity from past lives.
Why add frost to snow?
Do not be so certain it is a pig or goat,
For heads and faces change ten thousand times.
As the wheel turns and beings trade their places,
There is not a single place to hide,
In the depths of the sea or sky.
In China people often make offerings on major occasions. They are called red sacrifices if made for the living and white if made for the dead. People don’t always understand how things ought to be done, and when someone in their family dies, they pray to the gods and spirits to keep their relatives out of the hells. In order to obtain a response they bring offerings of chicken, pork, and other flesh foods and repeat such offerings again and again.
This constant taking of lives reflects enmity from the past. Once a killing takes place, it is repaid in kind, and a vicious cycle is inaugurated, all the result of hatred that began in past lives. To commit more killings on top of those already committed is as senseless as adding frost to already frozen snow.
It is simplistic to think that pigs are just pigs, and that sheep are only sheep, for they are often people who have fallen into the realm of the animals. People can become pigs; pigs can become people. In fact, if you study the inhabitants of any particular country you will often find that they look a great deal like the kind of animals they most like to eat. Countries where people eat a lot of pork are often inhabited by porcine people, and it may also be observed that the eyes of people who eat a great deal of beef are slightly bovine. In some countries of Southeast Asia, people eat great quantities of frogs, and many have froglike eyes. Such changes are constantly occurring.
The Surangama Sutra explains how sheep are transformed into people, and the same logic applies to other animals. The spiritual nature of a pig may end up in the body of a human, and a man may end up in the body of a swine. This is just like moving from house to house. It is possible to go from a great mansion to a wretched hovel. At the moment, we happen to be people, but it is not certain that we always have been or will remain so. Wait until you find yourself in the realm of the pig, and you will suddenly find out how unpleasant it is. Although most people think that everything remains static and unchanging, those with penetration into past lives know about this constant motion and interchange and the interrelation of all living beings.
When a dead man comes to be judged by King Yama, the sacrifices made by his relatives for his sake are held against him, and even though he claims no connection with the deeds, they still affect his rebirth. From this it can clearly be seen that the best thing to do after a death is to maintain the practice of vegetarian eating, recitation of the Buddha’s name, and recitation of sutras, in order to lighten, rather than increase, the deceased person’s karmic burden.
Creating offense karma for a dead person is like adding more weight to the burden of one who is already weak with hunger. The addition of further weight can only make him stumble and fall more heavily. In this analogy the baggage represents the Five Skandhas, and its weight of a hundred pounds stands for the Ten Evil Deeds. The neighbor who adds this weight stands for the relative who sacrifices animals for him.
Sutra:
After this had been said, an elder named Great Eloquence, who had long since testified to the unproduced and who often appeared in the body of an elder to teach and cross over those in the ten directions, arose from the midst of that assembly, placed his palms together respectfully, and said to Earth Store Bodhisattva, “Great Lord, when the close and distant relatives of the dead in Jambudvipa cultivate meritorious virtues for the dead by preparing vegetarian meals and doing other good deeds, does the dead one attain any benefit?”
Earth Store Bodhisattva replied, “Elder, based on the awesome spiritual power of the Buddhas, I will now explain this matter, in a general way, for the sake of living beings of the present and future. Elder, if living beings of the present and future on the verge of dying hear the name of one Buddha, one Bodhisattva, or one Pratyekabuddha, they will attain liberation whether they have offenses or not.
“If a man or woman who has not cultivated good causes during life and who has committed many offenses has close or distant relatives who do deeds productive of blessings and various holy deeds for his sake, after death he will receive one-seventh of the benefit, and six parts will accrue to those who help him. Therefore, all good men and women of the present and future who hear and practice this will attain a share.”
Commentary:
The phrase, “on the verge of dying” specifically refers to the time the life-force is cut off. The life-force consists of three things: warmth, breath, and consciousness. When warmth ceases and the breath stops, the dispersal of consciousness follows. Of this moment it is said, “When the birds die their calls are pitiful; when men die, their words are always good.” At the final moment people tend to awaken to what they have done and manifest a good heart. They become aware of their errors and may repent. If they hear the name of a Buddha, Bodhisattva, or Pratyekabuddha at that time, they may eradicate limitless offenses and plant limitless good deeds.
It is because of the extreme importance of this moment of death, and the difficulty of maintaining a clear thought of repentance at that time, that we constantly recite the Buddha’s name while alive. If we wait until the moment of death, it will be too easy to forget to do this. But if we recite while alive, we will be unable to forget at the critical moment. While it is possible to wait until the moment of death to recite the Buddha’s name and become good-hearted, such an act is difficult to manage at this time.
Sutra:
“When the great ghost of impermanence arrives, the spirit roams in darkness and obscurity, not knowing what is offense and what is merit. For forty-nine days it is as if one were stunned and deaf, or as if in a court arguing karmic retribution. Once judgment has been fixed, rebirth is undergone in accordance with one’s deeds. Before that rebirth is reached, there are thousands of ten thousands of worrisome sufferings that must be undergone. How much more is this the case for those who are to fall into the Evil Paths.
“Throughout forty-nine days one whose life has ended and who has not yet been reborn looks for his flesh-and-bone survivors to do merit powerful enough to rescue him. At the end of that time he falls into his karmic retribution. If he is an offender, he passes through a hundred thousand years without a day of liberation; if his offenses are the five uninterrupted retribution, he falls into the great hells, where he undergoes suffering for tens of thousands of aeons.”
Commentary:
During the period of the seven weeks following death one is as if in darkness or as if in a court arguing his case. In the hells there are ten Yamas, each of whom has five subalterns. The first of these lower-ranking officials is called Fresh; the second, Water; the third, Earth; the fourth, Wood; and the fifth, Spring. Within all five divisions there is argument and discussion about the deeds that have been done and the retributions to be undergone. In China it is customary to have monks recite sutras and do various things for the benefit of the dead during the seven weeks following death. This custom is derived from the principle clearly stated in this passage.
Sutra:
“Moreover, elder, when one who has bad karma dies; his relatives may prepare a vegetarian offering to aid him in his karmic path. In doing this they should not throw rice-washing water or vegetable leaves on the ground during the preparation of the meal, or before it has been eaten, and all food that has not first been offered to the Buddha and Sangha should not be eaten. If there is laxness or transgression in this matter, the deceased will receive no strength from it. If purity is vigorously maintained in making the offering to the Buddha and Sangha, the dead one will receive one seventh of the merit. Therefore, elder, if the living beings of Jambudvipa make vegetarian offerings after the death of their fathers, mothers, and relatives, and make earnest supplication on their behalf, they will benefit the living and the dead.”
After this had been said, thousands of tens of thousands of millions of nayutas of ghosts and spirits of Jambudvipa who were in the Trayastrimsa Heaven resolved their thoughts on the unsurpassed enlightenment. The elder, Great Eloquence, made obeisance and withdrew.
Commentary:
It is customary in Buddhist societies to make special food as an offering to the Buddha on Holidays and special occasions. It is particularly stressed here that the food may not be eaten before it has been offered to the Buddha and Sangha. In general this holds true for whatever is eaten in temples and Buddha-halls.
When an offering is made people usually use an odd number of bowls reserved for this purpose only, and place them symmetrically in front of the Buddha images. Carefully and orderly arrangement of the offering is a sign of respect; tossing things down before the Buddha is not permitted. People who have any sense of cleanliness and propriety are not pleased when something is thrown in front of them, and since the Buddha is ultimately pure and proper, it is unseemly to toss things before him. The place reserved for offering bowls should not be cluttered with articles that do not pertain to the offering; it should be a place especially set aside for offerings.
Anything used as an offering to the Buddha should not only be carefully placed, it should be properly laid out as well. That is, it is not correct to bring an offering in a box and then set the unopened box in front of the Buddha. It is a matter of simple courtesy. We would never invite a guest to dinner and then set an unopened bag of food before him, and we ought to realize that this applies to the Buddha as well. Everything should be symmetrically placed and well arranged, for there is an order to everything. Sometimes an offering is made in which hundreds of dishes are used, some containing food, others holding clothing, jewels, or anything else that is new and unusual. The offerings are passed from one person to another, so that each person, in turn, offers up each article.
This order holds in relations between those who have left home as well; one who has been ordained a moment longer is to be regarded as senior. This is not a question of years but rather of seniority in Buddhism. If you are one hundred years old and have just left home, you are junior to everyone else. When bhiksus die, their age is recorded in two cycles, and it will be said, “His worldly age was sixty and his precept age was forty.” All of these matters may seem trivial, but they are important issues in Buddhism. Now that the Buddhadharma is being properly established in the West, it is important that such things be understood.
If offerings are cultivated with great reverence and respect; if the Sangha does not eat until the offering has been made to the Buddha; if the lay people wait until the Sangha has been served; if everything is handles properly, arranged correctly, and treated with the proper respect, the dead receive one seventh of the merit generated.
End of Chapter 7
(Next: Chapter 8)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Chapter 6)
CHAPTER SIX
The Thus Come One’s Praises
________________________________________
Sutra:
At that time the World-Honored One emitted a great bright light from his entire body, illuminating as many Buddha-lands as there are grains of sand in hundreds of thousands of millions of Ganges Rivers. With a great sound he spoke to all the Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas, from all these Buddha-lands, as well as to the gods, dragons, ghosts and spirits, humans, nonhumans, and others, saying, “Listen as I now praise and extol Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, who manifests great and inconceivable awesome spirit and compassionate power to rescue and protect living beings wherever they encounter misery and suffering. After my extinction, all of you Bodhisattvas, Great Beings, and all you gods, dragons, ghosts, spirits, and others should practice expedient devices for the sake of protecting this sutra and causing all living beings to testify to the bliss of nirvana.
Commentary:
The emission of light from the Buddha’s entire body indicates the importance of this sutra. The great sound with which he speaks leads all living beings who hear it to be joyful, even though it is as great as resounding thunder or a lion’s roar. The sound is so pleasing, like the clear ring of a toned brass bell, that those who hear it enter the Dharma-hearing Samadhi.
Sutra:
After the Buddha spoke, a Bodhisattva named Universally Expansive arose from the midst of the assembly, placed his palms together respectfully, and said to the Buddha, “We now hear the World-Honored One’s praise of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s awesome spiritual virtue. World-Honored One, for the sake of future living beings in the Dharma-Ending Age, please tell us how Earth Store Bodhisattva has benefited men and gods; caused the gods, dragons, and the remainder of the Eightfold Division, as well as other living beings of the future, to receive the Buddha’s teaching respectfully.”
At that time the World-Honored One said to the Bodhisattva Universally Expansive and to the Fourfold Assembly, “Listen attentively, listen attentively. I will briefly describe how Earth Store Bodhisattva’s blessings and virtues have benefited men and gods.”
Universally Expansive replied, “So be it, World-Honored One, we will be glad to hear.”
Commentary:
There are Five Blessings discussed in the section of the Book of History called the “Great Plan.” The first of these is called “blessings and longevity.” “Blessings” indicates a quality of comfort and ease, while “longevity” indicates life to an old age. These blessings are threefold: wealth, revenue, and long life. The first of these, wealth, refers to the goods that come to one naturally; the second indicates that which comes through a salary or other source of income; and the third is simply a protracted lifespan. If one has these three advantages, he is said to have blessings.
In China, when people think of longevity, they think of Nan Chi Ts’e, who had an extremely high forehead and no hair. Within his mind were three heavenly books, and he was able to know almost everything.
The second of the Five Blessings is “riches,” which includes both wealth and honor. The third is “soundness of body and serenity of mind,” the fourth is the “love of virtue,” and the fifth is “life crowned with good end” – in other words, a peaceful death.
In addition to the Five Blessings, there are Five Virtues. The first of these is “warmth,” that is, being neither too cold, like an immobile statue, nor too warm, like a playful flirt. The Superior Man is warm when there should be warmth; he laughs when there should be laughter, and he speaks when there should be speaking.
The second of the Five Virtues is “good-heartedness.” The third is “respect,” a virtue that should be applied to everyone. The fourth, “thrift,” is very important, as is the fifth, “yielding.”
To be thrifty is to avoid wasting a single thing, to economize wherever possible. If, for example, we usually eat five bowls of food, we might economize and eat only three, thus saving two bowls for those who do not have anything themselves. One ought to be thrifty with respect to his own person and also with respect to his merit. It is not a good idea to have much food, to own many clothes, or to have too large a place to live in. Always be sparing.
The fifth virtue, “yielding,” is the quality of always letting others go first and always being polite. Long ago in China there was an official named Kung Yung, to whom the proverbial phrase, “Kung Yung yielded the pears of four,” refers. When Kung Yung was a little boy of four, a visitor came to his home and brought a crate of pears. All the children in the household were summoned together and allowed to choose a pear each, and Kung Yung deliberately sought out the smallest of the lot. When questioned as to the reason for this action, he replied that since he was the smallest, he should take the least amount and leave the rest for his older brothers.
Another saying, “Huang Hsiang warmed the sheets at nine,” refers to a boy who dutifully warmed his parents’ cold sheets before he himself would go to sleep. Both of these show virtuous conduct which embodies the Five Virtues.
Sutra:
The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Universally Expansive, “If in the future good men or good women hear Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva’s name, worship, and fix their gaze on him, they will overcome the offenses of thirty kalpas. Universally Expansive, if good men or good women paint, draw, use earth, stone, lacquerware, gold, silver, brass, or iron to make this Bodhisattva’s image, gaze at it, and bow but once, they will be reborn one hundred times in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, and will eternally avoid falling into the Evil Paths. If their heavenly merit becomes exhausted and they are born below in the human world, they will be powerful kings.
Commentary:
Gazing at the image means to stare reverently, as if forgetting everything else, much as people in love stare at one another. The good retributions for cultivating such practices include rebirth as kings, and from this we should realize that those who are kings and presidents in this world are all persons who have worshiped Earth Store Bodhisattva in the past.
Sutra:
“If there are women who detest the body of a woman, and who full-heartedly make offerings to Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, whether the image be a painting or made of earth, stone, lacquerware, brass, iron, or some other material, and if they do so day after day without fail, using flowers, incense, food, drink, clothing, colored silks, banners, money, jewels, and other items as offerings, when the female retribution body of those good women is exhausted, for hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of aeons they will never again be born in worlds where there are women, much less be one, unless it be through the strength of their compassionate vows to liberate living beings. From the power of the meritorious virtues resulting from these offerings to Earth Store Bodhisattva, they will not receive the bodies of women throughout hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of aeons.
Commentary:
Do not think that being a woman is a good thing, for being a woman involves a great deal of trouble. There are women who do not like it and always wonder why they have to be women; they want to learn what they can do about it. Through worship of Earth Store Bodhisattva these questions can be resolved.
What is the trouble involved in being a woman? Because there are people who might like to investigate this further, I will go into a bit more detail. You should not think of this as an attempt to cause women to dislike their state and leave home. If that occurred then there might be even more problems for me to deal with.
There are Five Obstructions and Ten Evils encountered by women. First we will discuss the Five Obstruction. The first is that women are not able to become the Great Brahma Lord because that position is accomplished through purity, and the body of a woman has a great many impurities. Second, women cannot become Sakra. An astute student may object that earlier we discussed the thirty-three women who became lords of the heavens of the Thirty-Three. This objection is a valid one, but it should be realized that upon reaching the heavens their bodies became male, because only males can be lords of the heavens. Although Sakra has some desire remaining that desire is quite light; women; on the other hand, are extremely libidinous and consequently cannot become Sakra.
Third, women cannot become demon kings. This is not too bad. They cannot attain this position because demons are extremely hard, solid, and firm, while women are extremely soft and weak. As soon as anything unusual comes up they are at a loss and have to seek help. Fourth, women cannot be wise wheel-turning kings – the gold, silver, copper, and iron wheel-turning kings – as long as they have female bodies. Wise kings have hearts of great compassion and kindness; they teach people to maintain the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds. Whenever women see something good occur to others, they become jealous, and this keeps them from having great compassion. Because of this basic problem, they cannot become wheel-turning kings. Fifth, they cannot become Buddhas. Buddhas have ten thousand virtues; women have many evils. They are jealous and obstructive, and their hearts are about the size of a sesame seed.
If, however, women are able to rid themselves of jealousy, desire, weakness, defilement, and of all evils, they may become men, and so theirs is not a hopeless plight. There is, for example, the case of the dragon king’s daughter. When Sariputra said that she could not become a Buddha, she took a precious gem, her most valuable and cherished possession, and offered it to the Buddha, who accept it. She then asked Sariputra if the Buddha’s acceptance of her offering was fast, and he replied that, indeed, it had been quick. “I shall become a Buddha that quickly,” she said and then she became a Buddha. This is proof that women’s lot is not hopeless. All they must do is resolve to cultivate courageously and they too can become Buddhas.
There are also Ten Evils that pertain to women. First, at their birth their parents are displeased. Although it is not always the case that parents are displeased at the birth of a daughter, in most societies this is the case, and a daughter starts out life by making a bad impression on her parents.
The second evil is that raising daughters is not a very interesting task. The third is that women are always afraid of people. Boys are not usually afraid, but girls almost always are. The fourth evil connected with women is that their parents undergo a great deal of worry about their daughters’ marriage. In America this is not a major matter, but in most other countries parents have to give a great deal of consideration to finding good husbands for their daughters.
Once girls grow up, the fifth of the Ten Evils occurs, when they have to leave their parents alone. The sixth comes after they have been married and are in constant fear of their husbands. When a husband likes something, they are pleased, and when he is angry, they cower in terror. The seventh evil of women is the difficulty and fear of giving birth.
The eighth difficulty is that no matter what they do or say, the report gets back to their parents that they are not good. Although the good remains, it is a goodness that does not influence their parents. The ninth is that they are always controlled by their husbands and are subject to many restrictions, which, if broken, can lead to divorce.
The above nine evils apply to women in their youth. They are old when the tenth arrives and their own children and grandchildren slight them. As the proverb says, “To be old and not yet dead is to be a rascal.” These are only a few of the many problems involved with being a woman. To explain all of them in detail would be an unending task.
Beings who truly cultivate will be reborn as women only if they have made a vow to appear in that form in order to teach others. Even though a woman may now think that she does not want a woman’s body, it is possible that it has been obtained through vows made in the past. Consequently, you never know which of you now studying the sutra might be here as a woman because of such a vow.
The Buddha’s mother, the Lady Maya, for example, roams at play among beings by means of the Samadhi of Great Illusion and has made the vow to be the mother of all Buddhas. The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Who Observes the Sounds of the World, is neither male nor female but knows that men enjoy beautiful women and is manifested in such a body for the sake of teaching them. Although he is manifested in the body of a woman, Avalokitesvara is not involved in emotional states and is never affected by them.
This method of teaching should be studied and applied, for if one is to rescue beings, he must lead them out of suffering and not be pulled back by them to flounder in the sea of suffering. One who is affected by greed for his environment, and by pleasure found in emotions, is confused and lacks samadhi. When Avalokitesvara is manifested in the body of a woman, he is never defiled by emotion, and his practice of kindness and compassion thus is genuine loving and is protective of beings.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive if a woman who dislikes being ugly, vile, and prone to sickness gazes at and worships an image of Earth Store Bodhisattva with a sincere mind for even the space of a single meal, throughout thousands of tens of thousands of aeons she will always receive a body with full features. If that ugly woman does not dislike the body of a woman, during hundreds of thousands of ten thousands of millions of lives she will always be a royal woman or the concubine of a king, the wife of a minister of great family, or the wife of an elder, and be upright with perfect features. Such are the rewards for beholding and worshiping Earth Store Bodhisattva.
Commentary:
There are Ten Bad Deeds that cause women to have an ugly appearance. The first is being fond of anger. While there are some women who do not often become angry, many fly into a rage over as small a thing as a needle, and, what is more, they enjoy it.
The second reason for ugliness is doubt and gossip. Full of doubts about everything, they constantly talk about how they are mistreated; in this way they constantly spread hateful gossip. The third reason for their ugliness is that they like to lie and confuse people. The fourth is their delight in stirring up trouble. The fifth is their lack of respect for their parents. This, of course, is just a generalization; but while there are a great many who do have respect, many do not.
The sixth is that they are disrespectful in holy places, in temples, or in places of those who have cultivated and certified to the Way. The seventh is that they like to appropriate the property of the sages for themselves. The eighth is that they like to extinguish the lamps lit before the Buddhas. Although there are not too many who would do this, it does happen and it brings forth the retribution of ugliness.
The ninth reason is that they belittle and look down on those who are ugly. Although you are unaware of it, there is something in the nature of things that acts like a camera. When an ugly person is maligned for his appearance, a picture is taken and stored until the next lifetime when the one who looked down on another becomes ugly himself. The tenth reason is that they like to learn every possible variation of bad conduct. These are the ten causes for ugliness among women.
There are also ten reasons why women are sickly. The first of these is beating other living beings. The second is exhorting others to beat living beings, telling them, for example, to hit cats, club dogs, trample mice, or beat children. The third is praising the practice of beating and telling others how good it is. The fourth is taking delight in seeing others beaten.
The fifth is delight in seeing the sick, and the sixth is displeasure felt on seeing someone cured. The seventh reason for being sickly is that in the past they gave medicines to the sick but gave them the wrong ones. To headache sufferers, for example, they gave medicine for stomach cramps and then bragged about how well they had nursed the sick...
The eighth is that they become jealous when a doctor cures a patient and sometimes even wish that the doctors would disappear. The ninth is that they hope the sick will remain invalids and never be cured. The tenth reason is incessant eating. Before they have finished digesting one meal, they are back eating and never stop. If it were not for the above twenty kinds of bad conduct, the women discussed here would not be ugly, vile, and prone to sickness.
In a body with full features, every organ looks as it should; the ears are shaped like proper ears, the eyes like eyes, and so forth. It might be objected that eyes are always eyes and won’t look like anything else. This is true, but here we are speaking of features that are shaped properly. Some eyes are very square shaped, and others are triangular; some ears are well shaped and some are pointed.
Among other things, a person’s face reveals his merit. If the nostrils are exposed, a person has little merit; if his eyes are triangular rather than almond-shaped, he should not be befriended. I once was friendly with and greatly helped a person, even though he did have triangular eyes and exposed nostrils. He constantly defamed me and tried to ruin me behind my back. As a result of his slander he developed terminal cancer. Even in death, however, he could not stop comparing himself with others.
Not long ago Dharma Master Ts’e Hang in Taiwan left instructions that his corpse be placed in a large crockery jar and sealed for three years, after which the jar was to be opened to see if the corpse was in good condition, in which case it was to be gilded. The Dharma Master with triangular eyes in Hong Kong gave instructions for the same thing to be done for him, but only one day after his death his head had already fallen over to one side. If one has some spiritual skill, his head will remain upright when his body is placed in a sitting position after death and will stay there for quite a long time. Needless to say, the Hong Kong Dharma Master’s disciples did not open his jar after three years. They knew what they would find.
For men it is appropriate to have a large mouth, but with women this is not the case. No matter how good a person she may be, the husband of a woman with high cheekbones and a large mouth will die young. From looking at the features, an entire life may be known; one can see the progress from youth to middle age and on to old age. Physiognomy has been studied deeply by the Chinese. A good example of a full physiognomy is Cardinal Yu Pin, whose features are full and complete. It is unfortunate that he has gone down the wrong road, for if he were a Buddhist, he would certainly have become an inconceivable Dharma Master. One obtains full and complete features from having worshiped Earth Store Bodhisattva.
When the sutra says that a woman will be born upright and with full features, it means that all her features will be in harmony with one another. If the eyes are good but the nose is not, she cannot be said to have full features. If one ear is large and the other small, if eyes and nose are complete but the ears are not good, her features are incomplete. The features should also be well balanced on the face and not crowded together in the middle. When the features are thus balanced and all the parts are well formed, it is a result of having worshipped Earth Store Bodhisattva.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, if a good man or woman is able to play music, sing, or chant praises, and make offerings of incense and flowers before that Bodhisattva’s image, and is able to exhort others to do likewise, both now and in the future that person will be surrounded day and night by hundreds of thousands of ghosts and spirits, who will even prevent bad news from reaching his ears, much less allow him to suffer accidents.
Commentary:
If anyone is able to sing, hum, or chant praises of Earth Store Bodhisattva, he will be surrounded by Dharma Protectors who will avert calamities such as airplane crashes, automobile wrecks, and so forth. Those who believe in the Buddha should not fear ghosts, since ghosts must bow to those who have cultivated merit. Of course, if one does not do meritorious deeds, there will be no protectors, and anything might happen.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, in the future evil men, spirits, or ghosts may see good men or women respectfully making offerings and praising, beholding, and worshipping Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image. These evil beings may wrongly express ridicule and malign the acts of worship as profitless affairs devoid of meritorious qualities. They may bare their teeth in laughter, slander them behind their backs, and exhort others to do likewise, whether one person or many, or they may even bear just one single thought of slander. Such beings will fall into and remain in the Avici Hells, undergoing the utmost misery as retribution for their calumny, even after the nirvana of the thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Aeon. After that kalpa they will be reborn among the hungry ghosts, where they will pass a thousand aeons before being reborn as animals. After another one thousand aeons, even though they may again attain a human body, they will be poor and lowly, with incomplete organs, and their many evil deeds will bind up their minds. Before long they will fall into the Evil Paths again. Universally Expansive, such are the retributions that will be undergone by those who ridicule and slander others’ offerings. How much worse will it be if they have other evil and harmful views.
Commentary:
Evil spirits are inveterate troublemakers. Some of them go to temples, impersonate the presiding deity, and receive offerings. In the temples of Kuan Kung for example, Kuan Kung is not present at all times. While he is gone, the evil spirits may come and cause people to make flesh and blood offerings.
Evil ghosts are primarily Kumbhandas, although there are others. The Kumbhandas are large, melon-shaped beings who are also known as nightmare ghosts, because they enjoy sitting on sleeping persons, who wake up terrified and unable to move.
In addition to these, there are other small evil ghosts who lodge in plants and trees, where they manifest their powers and cause people to believe in them. People who are sick might go to such a tree and offer incense in hope of a cure; if they have lost things, they might ask a certain tree to help retrieve them. When the response they sought occurs, people think that the tree has brought about a miraculous intervention on the part of some Bodhisattva, and will often sacrifice chickens, pigs, or other animals as offerings to the tree, not knowing it is inhabited by an evil ghost. The tree at Nan Hua temple, which took refuge and received the precepts from the Venerable Master Hsu Yun, was an example of such a phenomenon.
A great many strange events occur in this world. For those who do not understand Buddhadharma it is very easy to think that a miraculous response has been obtained from a Buddha or Bodhisattva, but those who understand these matters clearly realize that not every response is a sign of the Buddha’s aid and are not taken in by evil ghosts and spirits.
They may bare their teeth in laughter, slander them behind their backs, and exhort others to do likewise. Laughing is done to the face, while slander is done behind the back of people who cultivate the Way. For example, some people may say, “I’ve been up to the Sino-American Buddhist Association and I’ve seen them put on robes and precept sashes and then knock their heads on the ground before the Buddha-image, get up, and do it again. All day long they bow and recite sutras. What a bother. All that useless ceremony. Why don’t they take a nap?”
When they exhort others to do likewise, they say things like, “There is no point in reciting sutras, no benefit is derived from listening to lectures on Dharma, and there is no interest at all in reciting mantras. Don’t bother with that, just take a bit of this fine drug and you’ll end up in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.” Their rationalizations are common in the world and are not rare even within Buddhism. Since a person who behaves like this can’t break the rules of proper conduct by himself and get away with it, he gets others to join him for support. Thus when called on their behavior, they claim that they are not alone, and that everyone else does the same thing.
The aeon in which we live is called Auspicious because it has one thousand Buddhas, of whom Sakyamuni is the fourth. As can be imagined, the time required for the remaining nine hundred and ninety-six Buddhas to come into the world and enter extinction is long indeed. For those who will receive the retribution for slander in the Avici hell, one of our days and nights constitutes sixty small aeons. As mentioned above, fifty of our years make one day and night in the Heaven of the Four Kings, and one hundred of our years make a day and night in the Trayastrimsa Heaven. The reason for these differences is that when one is feeling happy, time seems to pass quickly, but when he is suffering or unhappy, minutes seem like hours and hours like days. Because the sufferings in the hells are so intense, time passes extremely slowly.
After aeons of suffering in the Evil Paths, those who have slandered are born into poverty. Poverty is not caused by conditions in this life alone but is retribution for deeds done long ago. The solution to this problem lies not in putting people on a welfare dole but in teaching them to do good and to cease doing the kinds of deeds that get them into such a destitute position in the first place. Merely doling out money will not correct the essential cause of poverty. True welfare lies in teaching people to respect the Buddha and to refrain from slandering the Triple Jewel.
When the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are in the world, there is an opportunity to plant merit and avert the causes of poverty. No matter what the conditions are something bad always occurs to those who have slighted the Triple Jewel. If they are not without food, then they have no clothes or shelter, and before long they commit offenses and fall back into the states of woe. Earlier the sutra mentioned a person who was reborn with a lifespan of only thirteen years, after which he was to have fallen into the states of woe again. This is an example of what is being discussed here.
Are the periods of time mentioned in this passage definitely fixed: that is, will such persons really have to spend a thousand aeons as hungry ghosts and as many among the animals? These various retributions were made clear by Sakyamuni Buddha and are certain. There are, however, mitigating circumstances. A hungry ghost who resolves his thoughts on compassion and acts as a protector for someone who is cultivating is an example. Ghosts may also see someone cultivating and decide to undertake the practice of bowing to the Buddhas. Because such ghosts plant good roots while they are still suffering for their offenses, they may escape some time in the realm of ghosts, and be reborn as animals or even as humans.
Animals who live near cultivation – those who live on temple grounds, for example – may gradually become permeated with Buddhism and come to have faith in the Buddha, thus lightening their karmic obstacles. When the Venerable Master Hsu Yun was at Nan Hua temple, a chicken followed along with the monks as they circumambulated the Buddha. After three years of such practice it stood before the Buddha and went off to rebirth. Although these states of retribution are undergone for fixed periods of time, there are always special circumstances that may alter the normal course of retribution.
People who come to realize that their poverty, low stature, and handicaps are a result of not having respected Earth Store Bodhisattva and of having slandered the Triple Jewel may change their ways. They may undertake the practice of vegetarianism and recitation of the Buddha’s name, or they may even leave home to become bhiksus. Such persons will not necessarily have to return to the states of woe. Although the Buddhadharma contains principles, it is totally alive, not fixed and dead; therefore, it is necessary to look at each particular case to see what special conditions there may be. If someone guilty of offenses repents and reforms his conduct, it is not certain that he will have to fall into the states of woe.
In the final chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra, the one on the Vows and Conduct of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, it is said that if karmic obstacles had form and substance, one person’s would fill all empty space. Although they do not have form, they should not be considered lightly. Doing a little more evil here or there is certainly dangerous, especially when one understands the principles involved. The ability to repent eradicates offense, and so it is said, “Bowing before the Buddhas wipes away offenses as many as sands of the Ganges; giving support increases blessings without limit.”
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, in the future men or women may be bedridden with a long illness and in spit of their wishes be unable either to get well or to die. At night they may dream of evil ghosts, of family and relatives, or of wandering in dangerous paths; in numerous nightmares they may roam with ghosts and spirits. As these dreams continue over a period of days, months, and years, such persons may weaken and waste away, cry out in fitful sleep, and be depressed and melancholy day by day. All of this is due to an unresolved degree of severity of their evil karmic paths, which make it difficult for them to die and difficult for them to be cured. The eyes of common men and women cannot distinguish such things.
Commentary:
This passage does not refer to ordinary illnesses, but to chronic and crippling diseases. Those who are handicapped by such illness may wish to die and be relieved of their suffering, but cannot do so; they may wish to be cured and restored to a healthy life, but that too does not occur.
In their dreams such people may consort with evil ghosts and practice a variety of unclean and evil deeds. The more numerous these deeds, the worse the illness becomes. What is more, they may see their deceased relatives in dreams, an inauspicious sign. At the door of every household there are protective spirits who will allow those under their protection to enter the home. When evil ghosts wish to molest the living, they are unable to get past the guardians of the door and so they tag along with a dead member of that family and thus sneak into the household. Seeing dead relatives in dreams is an inauspicious sign because, even though the relatives themselves are not coming to do the living any harm, they are followed by their friends, among who may be some very malevolent ghosts.
These ill persons may also dream of walking high in the mountains in an area given to sudden landslides or on a road infested with wolves, tigers, and monsters. They may be attacked by Kumbhanda ghosts who render them incapable of movement or sound so that they just lie paralyzed and terrified as if entrance in some demonic samadhi. These attacks may occur several times in a single night. The victims may even know that they are dealing with ghosts, yet in their dreams they may roam about and play with them, because in dreams they frequently do not know enough to be afraid.
Those who have this illness may become emaciated, consumptive, and racked with pain and spasms, and be always on the verge of tears. All of this is because the offenses which they have committed are numerous, and although they are not yet dead, their retributions are being determined in the hells.
Sutra:
“In this instance this sutra should be recited once in a loud voice before the images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and possessions which the sick one loves, such as clothing, jewels, gardens, or houses, should be offered, saying in a voice before the sick person, “I, so and so, before this sutra and image, give all these items on behalf of this sick person.’ Making offerings to the sutra and images, making images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, constructing temples and monasteries, lighting oil lamps, or giving to the permanently dwelling may be undertaken in a like manner.
“The sick person should be told three times of the offerings that are being made so that he may hear and know of them. If his consciousnesses are separated and scattered and his breath exhausted, then for one, two , three, four, and on through seven days, this sutra should be read aloud in a clear voice. When that person’s life is gone he will achieve eternal liberation from all the heavy and disastrous offenses committed in his life, even the five offenses that receive uninterrupted retribution. He will always be born in a place where he will know his past life’s; much greater will the beneficial retributions be if a good man or woman writes this sutra out himself, teaches others to do so, carves or paints images himself, or teaches others to do so.
Commentary:
All the properties mentioned in the sutra may be sold and the proceeds used to construct images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas – acts productive of extremely great merit. When the announcement of the offerings is made, those who are performing them on behalf of the sick person should insert their own names where the text says, “I, so and so.” The announcement is to be made three times so that the sick person knows what is being done. The reference at the end of the passage to teaching others to do so means to solicit funds for the sake of making images.
Sutra:
“Therefore, Universally Expansive, if you see a person reading and reciting this sutra or having a single thought of praise and respect for it, you should employ hundreds of thousands of expedients to exhort him to be energetic and not retreat. In both the present and the future he will be able to obtain thousands of tens of thousands of millions of inconceivable meritorious virtues.
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, when dreaming or dozing, living beings in the future may see ghosts, spirits and other forms that are either sad, weeping, or worried, fearful, or terrified. These are all past fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, and relatives from one, ten, a hundred, or a thousand lives, who have not yet been able to leave the Evil Paths. They have no place from which to hope for the power of blessings to rescue them, and so they plead with their flesh-and-bone descendants to establish expedient devices for them so that they might leave the Evil Paths. Universally Expansive, using your spiritual power, you should cause all these descendants to recite this sutra with sincerity before the images of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, or to request others to recite it, either three or seven times. When the sutra has been sounded the proper number of times, relatives in the Evil Paths will obtain liberation and never again be seen by those who dream or doze.
Commentary:
The term “doze” refers here to the state between ordinary wakefulness and sleep, just on the edge of sleep. The term “dream” refers to a number of classes of dreams: those that come from ignorant habits, those that contain prognostications of good or evil, those that are caused by an imbalance of the four elements, and those that are remembrances of things past.
The first of these classes of dreams is caused by confused and obscure habits. Because such dreams are unclear, they are not remembered when one awakens. The second consists of those in which some foreknowledge is attained and warnings of impending events, either good or bad, are given. The Venerable Hsu Yun’s dream in which the Sixth Patriarch said “Come back, return, there is yet work to do,” is an example of such a dream; in fact, it turned out to be a dream calling him back to Nan Hua Monastery to restore the temple. Sometimes warnings are found in dreams, warnings to avoid doing certain things lest the person encounter accidents. Because people ignore such warnings they end up getting hurt.
The third class of dreams arises from an imbalance of the four elements. According to Chinese medical study, there are four hundred forty kinds of diseases and eight hundred eighty cures. In Buddhism it is said that there are eighty-four thousand dharmas, which are prescriptions to cure as many illnesses. If any one of the four elements becomes predominant, a corresponding illness arises, and there may be dreams in connection with the illness.
The fourth class of dreams is that which is based on remembrance of past things. During the dream the dreamer sees old friends and old places, but when he awakens it is all seen to have been unreal and a dream.
There are many kinds of ghosts that may occur in dreams: some with flaming red hair, protruding teeth, and elephant tusks; some weeping and wailing, with running eyes and dripping noses; some in the form of friends and relatives who seem distraught and worried; and other forms as well. Some ghosts are parents and relatives from past lives, and for this reason all living beings should be regarded as one’s past parents and as future Buddhas. One who regards all beings in this way will never bother a single being, for he sees them all as his own parents.
Ghosts who are seen in dreams such as the ones mentioned above have done bad deeds and fallen into the states of woe. They have no one to help them by reciting sutras or doing other similar meritorious acts. It is for this reason that there exists the Buddhist custom of reciting sutras for the benefit of either the living or the dead. Those for whose sake the act is being done receive merit in this way and can be freed from the states of woe.
If a descendant of ghosts wishes to read this sutra for them but is unable to do so for some reason, he may hire others to do the reading for him. In any case, the sutra should be recited three or seven times. These are odd numbers and belong to the yang, whereas even numbers are yin. Thus the reading of the sutra a yang number of times signals the breaking up of karmic obstacles in the hells.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, in the future, lowly people, bondsmen, serving maids, and others who are not independent may be aware of their past deeds and wish to repent of them and to reform. They should gaze at and worship Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image with a sincere heart for seven days and recite his name a full ten thousand times. When their current retribution ends they will be born into wealth and honor, and throughout thousands of tens of thousands of lives they will not pass through any of the sufferings of the Three Evil Paths.
Commentary:
There are five basic reasons for which people are born into poverty. The first of these is arrogance, particularly toward one’s parents. The second is obstinacy that is, refusing to listen to teachers and elders. The third is lack of diligence in honoring the Triple Jewel. The fourth is thievery. There are a great many people who rob from others when they themselves have no money. They use their ill-gotten gains to eat, drink, and make merry, to keep themselves in wine and drugs. When the money is gone they go out and steal again. As a result, they are reborn in extremely low and servile positions.
The fifth reason for being born into poverty is accumulation of unpaid debts. Although money is false and empty, it cannot be used casually and wasted. To borrow money and not repay it, thinking that you have no obligation because money is of no true importance, will lead to rebirth as a servile and poor person.
There are also five causes that lead to rebirth in wealthy and honorable families. The first of these is compassionate giving. The second is respect for parents and teachers. It is totally wrong for people to talk about how they hate their parents, how their parents restrict and hamper them, and how their parents are stupid. It is also wrong to bow to a master and then talk about him behind his back. Treating parents and teachers this way is to commit offenses that make it impossible to be reborn in a good family.
The third cause of birth into wealth and honor is worship of the Triple Jewel. The fourth is patience and lack of anger. When one is scolded the best thing is to be happy, pleased, and not in the least upset. This is a difficult undertaking, for it is not always easy to be patient and to be polite to everyone.
The fifth cause is listening to sutras and vinaya, which is to say, attending lectures on sutras and studying and practicing the moral precepts. While the ideal is to have all five virtues, the practice of even one will keep you from being born in a servile and lowly position.
Sutra:
Moreover, Universally Expansive, if in the future in Jambudvipa there are Ksatriyas, Brahmans, elders, upasakas, and others of various names and clans who have newborn sons or daughter, they should recite this inconceivable sutra and recite the Bodhisattva’s name a full ten thousand times within seven days before the child’s birth. If that newly born child was to have had a disastrous life, he will be liberated from it and be peaceful, happy, easily raised, and long-lived. If he was to have received a life of blessings, his peace and happiness will increase, as will his lifespan.
Commentary:
This passage particularly mentions Jambudvipa, our continent. The process of birth and death is not the same in all places. In Uttarakuru, for example, people are born under trees. It is a very simple matter; the mother merely goes beneath a tree and, like a hen laying an egg, gives birth to a child. In the eastern continent, Purva-videha, and in the western continent, Apara-godaniya, there are relatively few births, since those who live there have comparatively little desire.
In our continent, many beings are born, and birth is usually quite painful for the mother. In some cases the child may be born upside down, or be difficult to bear because of a breech birth. In another case, called the “plucking lotus birth,” only one foot emerges at the beginning of birth; in another the womb is pulled out along with the child. In general, birth is a difficult experience.
The elders mentioned in the text need not belong to either of the noble castes, but they do have wealth and blessings.
Because the recitation of this sutra and of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s name can cause those who should receive a disastrous life to be easily brought up and long-lived, we can see that the lifespan is not a predetermined and fixed thing. If good is done, the lifespan will increase; if evil is done, it will diminish. Everything depends on what the individual himself does.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, on the first, eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth days of the month, the offenses of living beings will be gathered together and judged. Since almost every single movement or stirring of thoughts on the part of the living beings of Jambudvipa is karma and an offense, how much more likely are they to incur offenses when they actually give themselves over to killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and false speech. If they are able to recite this sutra before the images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or sages once on these ten days, there will be no disasters for one hundred yojanas to the north, south, east, and west. Those in their families, both old and young, now and in the future, will be apart from the Evil Paths throughout hundreds of thousands of years. If they can recite it once on each of these ten vegetarian days, there will be no accidents or illnesses in the family and there will be food and clothing in abundance.
Commentary:
On the ten dates mentioned in the sutra text, the various ghosts and spirits go over the deeds done by beings and determine the virtue and sinfulness of each. Even if one merely has thoughts of committing offenses he is, in effect, committing those offenses; how much heavier is his offense karma if he actually does those deeds of killing, stealing, lying, and sexual misconduct. The last of these is one that Westerners are prone to consider a very minor matter, but it is well to be aware that it is classed as an offense; it is the one living beings are most likely to commit. The text discusses recitation of this sutra on the ten vegetarian days, fixed dates on which vows of abstention from unclean foods are practiced.
Sutra:
“Therefore, Universally Expansive, you should know of the unspeakable hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of great awesome occurrences of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s beneficial spiritual powers. The living beings of Jambudvipa have strong affinity with this Great Being, and if they hear his name, see his image, or hear but three or five words, a verse, or sentence of this sutra, they will obtain particularly wonderful peace and happiness in this present life. Through hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of future lives their appearance will always be upright and they will be born into honorable and wealthy families.”
Commentary:
The truth of the Buddha’s statement that we all have strong affinity with Earth Store Bodhisattva should be apparent when we consider our present opportunity to hear about this Bodhisattva and meet him. Such affinity comes from having planted causes with him long ago. The three words mentioned in the text represent the disintegration of the three delusions:
1) Coarse delusions
2) Fine delusions
3) Delusions like dust and sand
Coarse delusions are deluded views; fine ones are the delusions of thought; and those as numerous as dust and sand are the delusions of ignorance.
“Three words” also represents the destruction of the three obstacles:
1) The retribution obstacle
2) The karma obstacle
3) The affliction obstacle
It may be objected by some that they have studied sutras for a long time but do not feel as though their obstacles have been overcome. Such a thought is in itself a sign that those obstacles have already started to disappear. If they were not being eradicated, you would not even know that you had such problems, since you would still mistake your afflictions for precious gems and would not want to be rid of them.
In addition to the above effects, the “three words” also represent the accomplishment of the Three Kinds of Knowledge:
1) Knowledge of the Way
2) All Knowledge
3) Knowledge of All Modes
They also represent the perfection of the three virtues of:
1) The Dharma-body
2) Prajna
3) Liberation
When the text mentions five words, it refers to the disintegration of the Five Dwellings. The first of these is dwelling in the affliction of views and love. Because there are views, there is also a love which arises for that which is viewed.
The second is dwelling in the affliction of desire and love. Because of desire there arises love and, consequently, afflictions. In people who are devoid of love there is no hate, and without hatred, there are no afflictions.
The third is the affliction of dwelling in form and love, which arises when love occurs with respect to form. The fourth is the affliction of dwelling in formlessness, and the fifth is the affliction of dwelling in ignorance.
On hearing this sutra it is possible to break the Five Dwellings in affliction and leave the Five Paths. It is also possible to strengthen the Five Faculties, develop the Five Powers, and accomplish the fivefold Dharma-body. The Five Faculties are:
1) Faith
2) Vigor
3) Mindfulness
4) Concentration
5) Wisdom
The five powers are the resulting strengths that arise from development of the Five Faculties. The fivefold Dharma-body is composed of:
1) Morality
2) Samadhi
3) Wisdom
4) Liberation
5) The liberated knowledge and views
Hearing one verse or even a sentence of principle from this sutra can cause you to leave through the One Door and enter the Miraculous Adornment Road. Hearing one sentence can cause you to attain the complete brightness of the One Nature. To explain these principles fully would take many words; I am only giving you their names, for they will be explained more carefully in the future.
People’s appearances are not always proper and their features are not always put together harmoniously. For example, some may be born with a monkeylike hand, with horse-like nostrils, or with rat-like eyes. There is a Chinese proverb that says, “A rabbit’s head and a serpent’s eyes, ears like a rat and a vultures beak.” A person with these features does not have a proper physiognomy; his face resembles many animals moving together to form a whole. What we are talking about here is achieving a proper and organized physiognomy.
People can also be born wealthy as a result of their virtuous conduct. On the other hand, those who are not wealthy, who are poor, lowly, and servile, have slandered the Triple Jewel.
Sutra:
After Universally Expansive had heard that the Buddha, the Thus Come One, praise and laud Earth Store Bodhisattva, he knelt with both knees on the ground, placed his palms together, and said, “World-Honored One, I have long known that this great lord had such inconceivably great spiritual powers and vast mighty vows. My questions are put for the sake of benefiting living beings of the future; I shall receive the answer most respectfully. World-Honored One, what should we call this sutra and how should it be propagated?”
The Buddha said, “This sutra has three names: the first is the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva; is also called Earth Store’s Past Conduct; and it is called Earth Store’s Fundamental Power of the Way. Because this Bodhisattva has made such great vows over so many aeons to benefit and profit living beings, you should all propagate the sutra in accord with these vows.
After Universally Expansive heard this he placed his palms together respectfully, made obeisance, and withdrew.
Commentary:
There are two styles of kneeling. In the first, one sits on his left leg, which is placed under the body. The second method is ordinary kneeling with both knees on the ground and is known as “long kneeling” because it is a position that can be maintained for some time; the former style can be maintained only for relatively short periods. The Buddha said that because of the difficulty of the former position, women should kneel with both knees on the ground but men should use the other method.
In Burma, Ceylon, and other countries, young bhiksus kneel when they see other bhiksus, and sramanera kneel whenever they meet any bhiksu. They keep their eyes downcast and do not look at the bhiksu’s face.
From the three names given to this sutra we can realize the importance of the conduct of Bodhisattvas who make and practice great vows, even to the extreme of giving one’s head if it can benefit beings, but not giving a hair of the body if it will cause harm. The sutra should be propagated and spread throughout the world, in accord with such vows and practices.
End of Chapter 6.
(Next: Chapter 7)
The Thus Come One’s Praises
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Sutra:
At that time the World-Honored One emitted a great bright light from his entire body, illuminating as many Buddha-lands as there are grains of sand in hundreds of thousands of millions of Ganges Rivers. With a great sound he spoke to all the Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas, from all these Buddha-lands, as well as to the gods, dragons, ghosts and spirits, humans, nonhumans, and others, saying, “Listen as I now praise and extol Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, who manifests great and inconceivable awesome spirit and compassionate power to rescue and protect living beings wherever they encounter misery and suffering. After my extinction, all of you Bodhisattvas, Great Beings, and all you gods, dragons, ghosts, spirits, and others should practice expedient devices for the sake of protecting this sutra and causing all living beings to testify to the bliss of nirvana.
Commentary:
The emission of light from the Buddha’s entire body indicates the importance of this sutra. The great sound with which he speaks leads all living beings who hear it to be joyful, even though it is as great as resounding thunder or a lion’s roar. The sound is so pleasing, like the clear ring of a toned brass bell, that those who hear it enter the Dharma-hearing Samadhi.
Sutra:
After the Buddha spoke, a Bodhisattva named Universally Expansive arose from the midst of the assembly, placed his palms together respectfully, and said to the Buddha, “We now hear the World-Honored One’s praise of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s awesome spiritual virtue. World-Honored One, for the sake of future living beings in the Dharma-Ending Age, please tell us how Earth Store Bodhisattva has benefited men and gods; caused the gods, dragons, and the remainder of the Eightfold Division, as well as other living beings of the future, to receive the Buddha’s teaching respectfully.”
At that time the World-Honored One said to the Bodhisattva Universally Expansive and to the Fourfold Assembly, “Listen attentively, listen attentively. I will briefly describe how Earth Store Bodhisattva’s blessings and virtues have benefited men and gods.”
Universally Expansive replied, “So be it, World-Honored One, we will be glad to hear.”
Commentary:
There are Five Blessings discussed in the section of the Book of History called the “Great Plan.” The first of these is called “blessings and longevity.” “Blessings” indicates a quality of comfort and ease, while “longevity” indicates life to an old age. These blessings are threefold: wealth, revenue, and long life. The first of these, wealth, refers to the goods that come to one naturally; the second indicates that which comes through a salary or other source of income; and the third is simply a protracted lifespan. If one has these three advantages, he is said to have blessings.
In China, when people think of longevity, they think of Nan Chi Ts’e, who had an extremely high forehead and no hair. Within his mind were three heavenly books, and he was able to know almost everything.
The second of the Five Blessings is “riches,” which includes both wealth and honor. The third is “soundness of body and serenity of mind,” the fourth is the “love of virtue,” and the fifth is “life crowned with good end” – in other words, a peaceful death.
In addition to the Five Blessings, there are Five Virtues. The first of these is “warmth,” that is, being neither too cold, like an immobile statue, nor too warm, like a playful flirt. The Superior Man is warm when there should be warmth; he laughs when there should be laughter, and he speaks when there should be speaking.
The second of the Five Virtues is “good-heartedness.” The third is “respect,” a virtue that should be applied to everyone. The fourth, “thrift,” is very important, as is the fifth, “yielding.”
To be thrifty is to avoid wasting a single thing, to economize wherever possible. If, for example, we usually eat five bowls of food, we might economize and eat only three, thus saving two bowls for those who do not have anything themselves. One ought to be thrifty with respect to his own person and also with respect to his merit. It is not a good idea to have much food, to own many clothes, or to have too large a place to live in. Always be sparing.
The fifth virtue, “yielding,” is the quality of always letting others go first and always being polite. Long ago in China there was an official named Kung Yung, to whom the proverbial phrase, “Kung Yung yielded the pears of four,” refers. When Kung Yung was a little boy of four, a visitor came to his home and brought a crate of pears. All the children in the household were summoned together and allowed to choose a pear each, and Kung Yung deliberately sought out the smallest of the lot. When questioned as to the reason for this action, he replied that since he was the smallest, he should take the least amount and leave the rest for his older brothers.
Another saying, “Huang Hsiang warmed the sheets at nine,” refers to a boy who dutifully warmed his parents’ cold sheets before he himself would go to sleep. Both of these show virtuous conduct which embodies the Five Virtues.
Sutra:
The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Universally Expansive, “If in the future good men or good women hear Earth Store Bodhisattva, Mahasattva’s name, worship, and fix their gaze on him, they will overcome the offenses of thirty kalpas. Universally Expansive, if good men or good women paint, draw, use earth, stone, lacquerware, gold, silver, brass, or iron to make this Bodhisattva’s image, gaze at it, and bow but once, they will be reborn one hundred times in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, and will eternally avoid falling into the Evil Paths. If their heavenly merit becomes exhausted and they are born below in the human world, they will be powerful kings.
Commentary:
Gazing at the image means to stare reverently, as if forgetting everything else, much as people in love stare at one another. The good retributions for cultivating such practices include rebirth as kings, and from this we should realize that those who are kings and presidents in this world are all persons who have worshiped Earth Store Bodhisattva in the past.
Sutra:
“If there are women who detest the body of a woman, and who full-heartedly make offerings to Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image, whether the image be a painting or made of earth, stone, lacquerware, brass, iron, or some other material, and if they do so day after day without fail, using flowers, incense, food, drink, clothing, colored silks, banners, money, jewels, and other items as offerings, when the female retribution body of those good women is exhausted, for hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of aeons they will never again be born in worlds where there are women, much less be one, unless it be through the strength of their compassionate vows to liberate living beings. From the power of the meritorious virtues resulting from these offerings to Earth Store Bodhisattva, they will not receive the bodies of women throughout hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of aeons.
Commentary:
Do not think that being a woman is a good thing, for being a woman involves a great deal of trouble. There are women who do not like it and always wonder why they have to be women; they want to learn what they can do about it. Through worship of Earth Store Bodhisattva these questions can be resolved.
What is the trouble involved in being a woman? Because there are people who might like to investigate this further, I will go into a bit more detail. You should not think of this as an attempt to cause women to dislike their state and leave home. If that occurred then there might be even more problems for me to deal with.
There are Five Obstructions and Ten Evils encountered by women. First we will discuss the Five Obstruction. The first is that women are not able to become the Great Brahma Lord because that position is accomplished through purity, and the body of a woman has a great many impurities. Second, women cannot become Sakra. An astute student may object that earlier we discussed the thirty-three women who became lords of the heavens of the Thirty-Three. This objection is a valid one, but it should be realized that upon reaching the heavens their bodies became male, because only males can be lords of the heavens. Although Sakra has some desire remaining that desire is quite light; women; on the other hand, are extremely libidinous and consequently cannot become Sakra.
Third, women cannot become demon kings. This is not too bad. They cannot attain this position because demons are extremely hard, solid, and firm, while women are extremely soft and weak. As soon as anything unusual comes up they are at a loss and have to seek help. Fourth, women cannot be wise wheel-turning kings – the gold, silver, copper, and iron wheel-turning kings – as long as they have female bodies. Wise kings have hearts of great compassion and kindness; they teach people to maintain the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds. Whenever women see something good occur to others, they become jealous, and this keeps them from having great compassion. Because of this basic problem, they cannot become wheel-turning kings. Fifth, they cannot become Buddhas. Buddhas have ten thousand virtues; women have many evils. They are jealous and obstructive, and their hearts are about the size of a sesame seed.
If, however, women are able to rid themselves of jealousy, desire, weakness, defilement, and of all evils, they may become men, and so theirs is not a hopeless plight. There is, for example, the case of the dragon king’s daughter. When Sariputra said that she could not become a Buddha, she took a precious gem, her most valuable and cherished possession, and offered it to the Buddha, who accept it. She then asked Sariputra if the Buddha’s acceptance of her offering was fast, and he replied that, indeed, it had been quick. “I shall become a Buddha that quickly,” she said and then she became a Buddha. This is proof that women’s lot is not hopeless. All they must do is resolve to cultivate courageously and they too can become Buddhas.
There are also Ten Evils that pertain to women. First, at their birth their parents are displeased. Although it is not always the case that parents are displeased at the birth of a daughter, in most societies this is the case, and a daughter starts out life by making a bad impression on her parents.
The second evil is that raising daughters is not a very interesting task. The third is that women are always afraid of people. Boys are not usually afraid, but girls almost always are. The fourth evil connected with women is that their parents undergo a great deal of worry about their daughters’ marriage. In America this is not a major matter, but in most other countries parents have to give a great deal of consideration to finding good husbands for their daughters.
Once girls grow up, the fifth of the Ten Evils occurs, when they have to leave their parents alone. The sixth comes after they have been married and are in constant fear of their husbands. When a husband likes something, they are pleased, and when he is angry, they cower in terror. The seventh evil of women is the difficulty and fear of giving birth.
The eighth difficulty is that no matter what they do or say, the report gets back to their parents that they are not good. Although the good remains, it is a goodness that does not influence their parents. The ninth is that they are always controlled by their husbands and are subject to many restrictions, which, if broken, can lead to divorce.
The above nine evils apply to women in their youth. They are old when the tenth arrives and their own children and grandchildren slight them. As the proverb says, “To be old and not yet dead is to be a rascal.” These are only a few of the many problems involved with being a woman. To explain all of them in detail would be an unending task.
Beings who truly cultivate will be reborn as women only if they have made a vow to appear in that form in order to teach others. Even though a woman may now think that she does not want a woman’s body, it is possible that it has been obtained through vows made in the past. Consequently, you never know which of you now studying the sutra might be here as a woman because of such a vow.
The Buddha’s mother, the Lady Maya, for example, roams at play among beings by means of the Samadhi of Great Illusion and has made the vow to be the mother of all Buddhas. The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Who Observes the Sounds of the World, is neither male nor female but knows that men enjoy beautiful women and is manifested in such a body for the sake of teaching them. Although he is manifested in the body of a woman, Avalokitesvara is not involved in emotional states and is never affected by them.
This method of teaching should be studied and applied, for if one is to rescue beings, he must lead them out of suffering and not be pulled back by them to flounder in the sea of suffering. One who is affected by greed for his environment, and by pleasure found in emotions, is confused and lacks samadhi. When Avalokitesvara is manifested in the body of a woman, he is never defiled by emotion, and his practice of kindness and compassion thus is genuine loving and is protective of beings.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive if a woman who dislikes being ugly, vile, and prone to sickness gazes at and worships an image of Earth Store Bodhisattva with a sincere mind for even the space of a single meal, throughout thousands of tens of thousands of aeons she will always receive a body with full features. If that ugly woman does not dislike the body of a woman, during hundreds of thousands of ten thousands of millions of lives she will always be a royal woman or the concubine of a king, the wife of a minister of great family, or the wife of an elder, and be upright with perfect features. Such are the rewards for beholding and worshiping Earth Store Bodhisattva.
Commentary:
There are Ten Bad Deeds that cause women to have an ugly appearance. The first is being fond of anger. While there are some women who do not often become angry, many fly into a rage over as small a thing as a needle, and, what is more, they enjoy it.
The second reason for ugliness is doubt and gossip. Full of doubts about everything, they constantly talk about how they are mistreated; in this way they constantly spread hateful gossip. The third reason for their ugliness is that they like to lie and confuse people. The fourth is their delight in stirring up trouble. The fifth is their lack of respect for their parents. This, of course, is just a generalization; but while there are a great many who do have respect, many do not.
The sixth is that they are disrespectful in holy places, in temples, or in places of those who have cultivated and certified to the Way. The seventh is that they like to appropriate the property of the sages for themselves. The eighth is that they like to extinguish the lamps lit before the Buddhas. Although there are not too many who would do this, it does happen and it brings forth the retribution of ugliness.
The ninth reason is that they belittle and look down on those who are ugly. Although you are unaware of it, there is something in the nature of things that acts like a camera. When an ugly person is maligned for his appearance, a picture is taken and stored until the next lifetime when the one who looked down on another becomes ugly himself. The tenth reason is that they like to learn every possible variation of bad conduct. These are the ten causes for ugliness among women.
There are also ten reasons why women are sickly. The first of these is beating other living beings. The second is exhorting others to beat living beings, telling them, for example, to hit cats, club dogs, trample mice, or beat children. The third is praising the practice of beating and telling others how good it is. The fourth is taking delight in seeing others beaten.
The fifth is delight in seeing the sick, and the sixth is displeasure felt on seeing someone cured. The seventh reason for being sickly is that in the past they gave medicines to the sick but gave them the wrong ones. To headache sufferers, for example, they gave medicine for stomach cramps and then bragged about how well they had nursed the sick...
The eighth is that they become jealous when a doctor cures a patient and sometimes even wish that the doctors would disappear. The ninth is that they hope the sick will remain invalids and never be cured. The tenth reason is incessant eating. Before they have finished digesting one meal, they are back eating and never stop. If it were not for the above twenty kinds of bad conduct, the women discussed here would not be ugly, vile, and prone to sickness.
In a body with full features, every organ looks as it should; the ears are shaped like proper ears, the eyes like eyes, and so forth. It might be objected that eyes are always eyes and won’t look like anything else. This is true, but here we are speaking of features that are shaped properly. Some eyes are very square shaped, and others are triangular; some ears are well shaped and some are pointed.
Among other things, a person’s face reveals his merit. If the nostrils are exposed, a person has little merit; if his eyes are triangular rather than almond-shaped, he should not be befriended. I once was friendly with and greatly helped a person, even though he did have triangular eyes and exposed nostrils. He constantly defamed me and tried to ruin me behind my back. As a result of his slander he developed terminal cancer. Even in death, however, he could not stop comparing himself with others.
Not long ago Dharma Master Ts’e Hang in Taiwan left instructions that his corpse be placed in a large crockery jar and sealed for three years, after which the jar was to be opened to see if the corpse was in good condition, in which case it was to be gilded. The Dharma Master with triangular eyes in Hong Kong gave instructions for the same thing to be done for him, but only one day after his death his head had already fallen over to one side. If one has some spiritual skill, his head will remain upright when his body is placed in a sitting position after death and will stay there for quite a long time. Needless to say, the Hong Kong Dharma Master’s disciples did not open his jar after three years. They knew what they would find.
For men it is appropriate to have a large mouth, but with women this is not the case. No matter how good a person she may be, the husband of a woman with high cheekbones and a large mouth will die young. From looking at the features, an entire life may be known; one can see the progress from youth to middle age and on to old age. Physiognomy has been studied deeply by the Chinese. A good example of a full physiognomy is Cardinal Yu Pin, whose features are full and complete. It is unfortunate that he has gone down the wrong road, for if he were a Buddhist, he would certainly have become an inconceivable Dharma Master. One obtains full and complete features from having worshiped Earth Store Bodhisattva.
When the sutra says that a woman will be born upright and with full features, it means that all her features will be in harmony with one another. If the eyes are good but the nose is not, she cannot be said to have full features. If one ear is large and the other small, if eyes and nose are complete but the ears are not good, her features are incomplete. The features should also be well balanced on the face and not crowded together in the middle. When the features are thus balanced and all the parts are well formed, it is a result of having worshipped Earth Store Bodhisattva.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, if a good man or woman is able to play music, sing, or chant praises, and make offerings of incense and flowers before that Bodhisattva’s image, and is able to exhort others to do likewise, both now and in the future that person will be surrounded day and night by hundreds of thousands of ghosts and spirits, who will even prevent bad news from reaching his ears, much less allow him to suffer accidents.
Commentary:
If anyone is able to sing, hum, or chant praises of Earth Store Bodhisattva, he will be surrounded by Dharma Protectors who will avert calamities such as airplane crashes, automobile wrecks, and so forth. Those who believe in the Buddha should not fear ghosts, since ghosts must bow to those who have cultivated merit. Of course, if one does not do meritorious deeds, there will be no protectors, and anything might happen.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, in the future evil men, spirits, or ghosts may see good men or women respectfully making offerings and praising, beholding, and worshipping Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image. These evil beings may wrongly express ridicule and malign the acts of worship as profitless affairs devoid of meritorious qualities. They may bare their teeth in laughter, slander them behind their backs, and exhort others to do likewise, whether one person or many, or they may even bear just one single thought of slander. Such beings will fall into and remain in the Avici Hells, undergoing the utmost misery as retribution for their calumny, even after the nirvana of the thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Aeon. After that kalpa they will be reborn among the hungry ghosts, where they will pass a thousand aeons before being reborn as animals. After another one thousand aeons, even though they may again attain a human body, they will be poor and lowly, with incomplete organs, and their many evil deeds will bind up their minds. Before long they will fall into the Evil Paths again. Universally Expansive, such are the retributions that will be undergone by those who ridicule and slander others’ offerings. How much worse will it be if they have other evil and harmful views.
Commentary:
Evil spirits are inveterate troublemakers. Some of them go to temples, impersonate the presiding deity, and receive offerings. In the temples of Kuan Kung for example, Kuan Kung is not present at all times. While he is gone, the evil spirits may come and cause people to make flesh and blood offerings.
Evil ghosts are primarily Kumbhandas, although there are others. The Kumbhandas are large, melon-shaped beings who are also known as nightmare ghosts, because they enjoy sitting on sleeping persons, who wake up terrified and unable to move.
In addition to these, there are other small evil ghosts who lodge in plants and trees, where they manifest their powers and cause people to believe in them. People who are sick might go to such a tree and offer incense in hope of a cure; if they have lost things, they might ask a certain tree to help retrieve them. When the response they sought occurs, people think that the tree has brought about a miraculous intervention on the part of some Bodhisattva, and will often sacrifice chickens, pigs, or other animals as offerings to the tree, not knowing it is inhabited by an evil ghost. The tree at Nan Hua temple, which took refuge and received the precepts from the Venerable Master Hsu Yun, was an example of such a phenomenon.
A great many strange events occur in this world. For those who do not understand Buddhadharma it is very easy to think that a miraculous response has been obtained from a Buddha or Bodhisattva, but those who understand these matters clearly realize that not every response is a sign of the Buddha’s aid and are not taken in by evil ghosts and spirits.
They may bare their teeth in laughter, slander them behind their backs, and exhort others to do likewise. Laughing is done to the face, while slander is done behind the back of people who cultivate the Way. For example, some people may say, “I’ve been up to the Sino-American Buddhist Association and I’ve seen them put on robes and precept sashes and then knock their heads on the ground before the Buddha-image, get up, and do it again. All day long they bow and recite sutras. What a bother. All that useless ceremony. Why don’t they take a nap?”
When they exhort others to do likewise, they say things like, “There is no point in reciting sutras, no benefit is derived from listening to lectures on Dharma, and there is no interest at all in reciting mantras. Don’t bother with that, just take a bit of this fine drug and you’ll end up in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.” Their rationalizations are common in the world and are not rare even within Buddhism. Since a person who behaves like this can’t break the rules of proper conduct by himself and get away with it, he gets others to join him for support. Thus when called on their behavior, they claim that they are not alone, and that everyone else does the same thing.
The aeon in which we live is called Auspicious because it has one thousand Buddhas, of whom Sakyamuni is the fourth. As can be imagined, the time required for the remaining nine hundred and ninety-six Buddhas to come into the world and enter extinction is long indeed. For those who will receive the retribution for slander in the Avici hell, one of our days and nights constitutes sixty small aeons. As mentioned above, fifty of our years make one day and night in the Heaven of the Four Kings, and one hundred of our years make a day and night in the Trayastrimsa Heaven. The reason for these differences is that when one is feeling happy, time seems to pass quickly, but when he is suffering or unhappy, minutes seem like hours and hours like days. Because the sufferings in the hells are so intense, time passes extremely slowly.
After aeons of suffering in the Evil Paths, those who have slandered are born into poverty. Poverty is not caused by conditions in this life alone but is retribution for deeds done long ago. The solution to this problem lies not in putting people on a welfare dole but in teaching them to do good and to cease doing the kinds of deeds that get them into such a destitute position in the first place. Merely doling out money will not correct the essential cause of poverty. True welfare lies in teaching people to respect the Buddha and to refrain from slandering the Triple Jewel.
When the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are in the world, there is an opportunity to plant merit and avert the causes of poverty. No matter what the conditions are something bad always occurs to those who have slighted the Triple Jewel. If they are not without food, then they have no clothes or shelter, and before long they commit offenses and fall back into the states of woe. Earlier the sutra mentioned a person who was reborn with a lifespan of only thirteen years, after which he was to have fallen into the states of woe again. This is an example of what is being discussed here.
Are the periods of time mentioned in this passage definitely fixed: that is, will such persons really have to spend a thousand aeons as hungry ghosts and as many among the animals? These various retributions were made clear by Sakyamuni Buddha and are certain. There are, however, mitigating circumstances. A hungry ghost who resolves his thoughts on compassion and acts as a protector for someone who is cultivating is an example. Ghosts may also see someone cultivating and decide to undertake the practice of bowing to the Buddhas. Because such ghosts plant good roots while they are still suffering for their offenses, they may escape some time in the realm of ghosts, and be reborn as animals or even as humans.
Animals who live near cultivation – those who live on temple grounds, for example – may gradually become permeated with Buddhism and come to have faith in the Buddha, thus lightening their karmic obstacles. When the Venerable Master Hsu Yun was at Nan Hua temple, a chicken followed along with the monks as they circumambulated the Buddha. After three years of such practice it stood before the Buddha and went off to rebirth. Although these states of retribution are undergone for fixed periods of time, there are always special circumstances that may alter the normal course of retribution.
People who come to realize that their poverty, low stature, and handicaps are a result of not having respected Earth Store Bodhisattva and of having slandered the Triple Jewel may change their ways. They may undertake the practice of vegetarianism and recitation of the Buddha’s name, or they may even leave home to become bhiksus. Such persons will not necessarily have to return to the states of woe. Although the Buddhadharma contains principles, it is totally alive, not fixed and dead; therefore, it is necessary to look at each particular case to see what special conditions there may be. If someone guilty of offenses repents and reforms his conduct, it is not certain that he will have to fall into the states of woe.
In the final chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra, the one on the Vows and Conduct of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, it is said that if karmic obstacles had form and substance, one person’s would fill all empty space. Although they do not have form, they should not be considered lightly. Doing a little more evil here or there is certainly dangerous, especially when one understands the principles involved. The ability to repent eradicates offense, and so it is said, “Bowing before the Buddhas wipes away offenses as many as sands of the Ganges; giving support increases blessings without limit.”
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, in the future men or women may be bedridden with a long illness and in spit of their wishes be unable either to get well or to die. At night they may dream of evil ghosts, of family and relatives, or of wandering in dangerous paths; in numerous nightmares they may roam with ghosts and spirits. As these dreams continue over a period of days, months, and years, such persons may weaken and waste away, cry out in fitful sleep, and be depressed and melancholy day by day. All of this is due to an unresolved degree of severity of their evil karmic paths, which make it difficult for them to die and difficult for them to be cured. The eyes of common men and women cannot distinguish such things.
Commentary:
This passage does not refer to ordinary illnesses, but to chronic and crippling diseases. Those who are handicapped by such illness may wish to die and be relieved of their suffering, but cannot do so; they may wish to be cured and restored to a healthy life, but that too does not occur.
In their dreams such people may consort with evil ghosts and practice a variety of unclean and evil deeds. The more numerous these deeds, the worse the illness becomes. What is more, they may see their deceased relatives in dreams, an inauspicious sign. At the door of every household there are protective spirits who will allow those under their protection to enter the home. When evil ghosts wish to molest the living, they are unable to get past the guardians of the door and so they tag along with a dead member of that family and thus sneak into the household. Seeing dead relatives in dreams is an inauspicious sign because, even though the relatives themselves are not coming to do the living any harm, they are followed by their friends, among who may be some very malevolent ghosts.
These ill persons may also dream of walking high in the mountains in an area given to sudden landslides or on a road infested with wolves, tigers, and monsters. They may be attacked by Kumbhanda ghosts who render them incapable of movement or sound so that they just lie paralyzed and terrified as if entrance in some demonic samadhi. These attacks may occur several times in a single night. The victims may even know that they are dealing with ghosts, yet in their dreams they may roam about and play with them, because in dreams they frequently do not know enough to be afraid.
Those who have this illness may become emaciated, consumptive, and racked with pain and spasms, and be always on the verge of tears. All of this is because the offenses which they have committed are numerous, and although they are not yet dead, their retributions are being determined in the hells.
Sutra:
“In this instance this sutra should be recited once in a loud voice before the images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and possessions which the sick one loves, such as clothing, jewels, gardens, or houses, should be offered, saying in a voice before the sick person, “I, so and so, before this sutra and image, give all these items on behalf of this sick person.’ Making offerings to the sutra and images, making images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, constructing temples and monasteries, lighting oil lamps, or giving to the permanently dwelling may be undertaken in a like manner.
“The sick person should be told three times of the offerings that are being made so that he may hear and know of them. If his consciousnesses are separated and scattered and his breath exhausted, then for one, two , three, four, and on through seven days, this sutra should be read aloud in a clear voice. When that person’s life is gone he will achieve eternal liberation from all the heavy and disastrous offenses committed in his life, even the five offenses that receive uninterrupted retribution. He will always be born in a place where he will know his past life’s; much greater will the beneficial retributions be if a good man or woman writes this sutra out himself, teaches others to do so, carves or paints images himself, or teaches others to do so.
Commentary:
All the properties mentioned in the sutra may be sold and the proceeds used to construct images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas – acts productive of extremely great merit. When the announcement of the offerings is made, those who are performing them on behalf of the sick person should insert their own names where the text says, “I, so and so.” The announcement is to be made three times so that the sick person knows what is being done. The reference at the end of the passage to teaching others to do so means to solicit funds for the sake of making images.
Sutra:
“Therefore, Universally Expansive, if you see a person reading and reciting this sutra or having a single thought of praise and respect for it, you should employ hundreds of thousands of expedients to exhort him to be energetic and not retreat. In both the present and the future he will be able to obtain thousands of tens of thousands of millions of inconceivable meritorious virtues.
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, when dreaming or dozing, living beings in the future may see ghosts, spirits and other forms that are either sad, weeping, or worried, fearful, or terrified. These are all past fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, and relatives from one, ten, a hundred, or a thousand lives, who have not yet been able to leave the Evil Paths. They have no place from which to hope for the power of blessings to rescue them, and so they plead with their flesh-and-bone descendants to establish expedient devices for them so that they might leave the Evil Paths. Universally Expansive, using your spiritual power, you should cause all these descendants to recite this sutra with sincerity before the images of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, or to request others to recite it, either three or seven times. When the sutra has been sounded the proper number of times, relatives in the Evil Paths will obtain liberation and never again be seen by those who dream or doze.
Commentary:
The term “doze” refers here to the state between ordinary wakefulness and sleep, just on the edge of sleep. The term “dream” refers to a number of classes of dreams: those that come from ignorant habits, those that contain prognostications of good or evil, those that are caused by an imbalance of the four elements, and those that are remembrances of things past.
The first of these classes of dreams is caused by confused and obscure habits. Because such dreams are unclear, they are not remembered when one awakens. The second consists of those in which some foreknowledge is attained and warnings of impending events, either good or bad, are given. The Venerable Hsu Yun’s dream in which the Sixth Patriarch said “Come back, return, there is yet work to do,” is an example of such a dream; in fact, it turned out to be a dream calling him back to Nan Hua Monastery to restore the temple. Sometimes warnings are found in dreams, warnings to avoid doing certain things lest the person encounter accidents. Because people ignore such warnings they end up getting hurt.
The third class of dreams arises from an imbalance of the four elements. According to Chinese medical study, there are four hundred forty kinds of diseases and eight hundred eighty cures. In Buddhism it is said that there are eighty-four thousand dharmas, which are prescriptions to cure as many illnesses. If any one of the four elements becomes predominant, a corresponding illness arises, and there may be dreams in connection with the illness.
The fourth class of dreams is that which is based on remembrance of past things. During the dream the dreamer sees old friends and old places, but when he awakens it is all seen to have been unreal and a dream.
There are many kinds of ghosts that may occur in dreams: some with flaming red hair, protruding teeth, and elephant tusks; some weeping and wailing, with running eyes and dripping noses; some in the form of friends and relatives who seem distraught and worried; and other forms as well. Some ghosts are parents and relatives from past lives, and for this reason all living beings should be regarded as one’s past parents and as future Buddhas. One who regards all beings in this way will never bother a single being, for he sees them all as his own parents.
Ghosts who are seen in dreams such as the ones mentioned above have done bad deeds and fallen into the states of woe. They have no one to help them by reciting sutras or doing other similar meritorious acts. It is for this reason that there exists the Buddhist custom of reciting sutras for the benefit of either the living or the dead. Those for whose sake the act is being done receive merit in this way and can be freed from the states of woe.
If a descendant of ghosts wishes to read this sutra for them but is unable to do so for some reason, he may hire others to do the reading for him. In any case, the sutra should be recited three or seven times. These are odd numbers and belong to the yang, whereas even numbers are yin. Thus the reading of the sutra a yang number of times signals the breaking up of karmic obstacles in the hells.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, in the future, lowly people, bondsmen, serving maids, and others who are not independent may be aware of their past deeds and wish to repent of them and to reform. They should gaze at and worship Earth Store Bodhisattva’s image with a sincere heart for seven days and recite his name a full ten thousand times. When their current retribution ends they will be born into wealth and honor, and throughout thousands of tens of thousands of lives they will not pass through any of the sufferings of the Three Evil Paths.
Commentary:
There are five basic reasons for which people are born into poverty. The first of these is arrogance, particularly toward one’s parents. The second is obstinacy that is, refusing to listen to teachers and elders. The third is lack of diligence in honoring the Triple Jewel. The fourth is thievery. There are a great many people who rob from others when they themselves have no money. They use their ill-gotten gains to eat, drink, and make merry, to keep themselves in wine and drugs. When the money is gone they go out and steal again. As a result, they are reborn in extremely low and servile positions.
The fifth reason for being born into poverty is accumulation of unpaid debts. Although money is false and empty, it cannot be used casually and wasted. To borrow money and not repay it, thinking that you have no obligation because money is of no true importance, will lead to rebirth as a servile and poor person.
There are also five causes that lead to rebirth in wealthy and honorable families. The first of these is compassionate giving. The second is respect for parents and teachers. It is totally wrong for people to talk about how they hate their parents, how their parents restrict and hamper them, and how their parents are stupid. It is also wrong to bow to a master and then talk about him behind his back. Treating parents and teachers this way is to commit offenses that make it impossible to be reborn in a good family.
The third cause of birth into wealth and honor is worship of the Triple Jewel. The fourth is patience and lack of anger. When one is scolded the best thing is to be happy, pleased, and not in the least upset. This is a difficult undertaking, for it is not always easy to be patient and to be polite to everyone.
The fifth cause is listening to sutras and vinaya, which is to say, attending lectures on sutras and studying and practicing the moral precepts. While the ideal is to have all five virtues, the practice of even one will keep you from being born in a servile and lowly position.
Sutra:
Moreover, Universally Expansive, if in the future in Jambudvipa there are Ksatriyas, Brahmans, elders, upasakas, and others of various names and clans who have newborn sons or daughter, they should recite this inconceivable sutra and recite the Bodhisattva’s name a full ten thousand times within seven days before the child’s birth. If that newly born child was to have had a disastrous life, he will be liberated from it and be peaceful, happy, easily raised, and long-lived. If he was to have received a life of blessings, his peace and happiness will increase, as will his lifespan.
Commentary:
This passage particularly mentions Jambudvipa, our continent. The process of birth and death is not the same in all places. In Uttarakuru, for example, people are born under trees. It is a very simple matter; the mother merely goes beneath a tree and, like a hen laying an egg, gives birth to a child. In the eastern continent, Purva-videha, and in the western continent, Apara-godaniya, there are relatively few births, since those who live there have comparatively little desire.
In our continent, many beings are born, and birth is usually quite painful for the mother. In some cases the child may be born upside down, or be difficult to bear because of a breech birth. In another case, called the “plucking lotus birth,” only one foot emerges at the beginning of birth; in another the womb is pulled out along with the child. In general, birth is a difficult experience.
The elders mentioned in the text need not belong to either of the noble castes, but they do have wealth and blessings.
Because the recitation of this sutra and of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s name can cause those who should receive a disastrous life to be easily brought up and long-lived, we can see that the lifespan is not a predetermined and fixed thing. If good is done, the lifespan will increase; if evil is done, it will diminish. Everything depends on what the individual himself does.
Sutra:
“Moreover, Universally Expansive, on the first, eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth days of the month, the offenses of living beings will be gathered together and judged. Since almost every single movement or stirring of thoughts on the part of the living beings of Jambudvipa is karma and an offense, how much more likely are they to incur offenses when they actually give themselves over to killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and false speech. If they are able to recite this sutra before the images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or sages once on these ten days, there will be no disasters for one hundred yojanas to the north, south, east, and west. Those in their families, both old and young, now and in the future, will be apart from the Evil Paths throughout hundreds of thousands of years. If they can recite it once on each of these ten vegetarian days, there will be no accidents or illnesses in the family and there will be food and clothing in abundance.
Commentary:
On the ten dates mentioned in the sutra text, the various ghosts and spirits go over the deeds done by beings and determine the virtue and sinfulness of each. Even if one merely has thoughts of committing offenses he is, in effect, committing those offenses; how much heavier is his offense karma if he actually does those deeds of killing, stealing, lying, and sexual misconduct. The last of these is one that Westerners are prone to consider a very minor matter, but it is well to be aware that it is classed as an offense; it is the one living beings are most likely to commit. The text discusses recitation of this sutra on the ten vegetarian days, fixed dates on which vows of abstention from unclean foods are practiced.
Sutra:
“Therefore, Universally Expansive, you should know of the unspeakable hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of great awesome occurrences of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s beneficial spiritual powers. The living beings of Jambudvipa have strong affinity with this Great Being, and if they hear his name, see his image, or hear but three or five words, a verse, or sentence of this sutra, they will obtain particularly wonderful peace and happiness in this present life. Through hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of future lives their appearance will always be upright and they will be born into honorable and wealthy families.”
Commentary:
The truth of the Buddha’s statement that we all have strong affinity with Earth Store Bodhisattva should be apparent when we consider our present opportunity to hear about this Bodhisattva and meet him. Such affinity comes from having planted causes with him long ago. The three words mentioned in the text represent the disintegration of the three delusions:
1) Coarse delusions
2) Fine delusions
3) Delusions like dust and sand
Coarse delusions are deluded views; fine ones are the delusions of thought; and those as numerous as dust and sand are the delusions of ignorance.
“Three words” also represents the destruction of the three obstacles:
1) The retribution obstacle
2) The karma obstacle
3) The affliction obstacle
It may be objected by some that they have studied sutras for a long time but do not feel as though their obstacles have been overcome. Such a thought is in itself a sign that those obstacles have already started to disappear. If they were not being eradicated, you would not even know that you had such problems, since you would still mistake your afflictions for precious gems and would not want to be rid of them.
In addition to the above effects, the “three words” also represent the accomplishment of the Three Kinds of Knowledge:
1) Knowledge of the Way
2) All Knowledge
3) Knowledge of All Modes
They also represent the perfection of the three virtues of:
1) The Dharma-body
2) Prajna
3) Liberation
When the text mentions five words, it refers to the disintegration of the Five Dwellings. The first of these is dwelling in the affliction of views and love. Because there are views, there is also a love which arises for that which is viewed.
The second is dwelling in the affliction of desire and love. Because of desire there arises love and, consequently, afflictions. In people who are devoid of love there is no hate, and without hatred, there are no afflictions.
The third is the affliction of dwelling in form and love, which arises when love occurs with respect to form. The fourth is the affliction of dwelling in formlessness, and the fifth is the affliction of dwelling in ignorance.
On hearing this sutra it is possible to break the Five Dwellings in affliction and leave the Five Paths. It is also possible to strengthen the Five Faculties, develop the Five Powers, and accomplish the fivefold Dharma-body. The Five Faculties are:
1) Faith
2) Vigor
3) Mindfulness
4) Concentration
5) Wisdom
The five powers are the resulting strengths that arise from development of the Five Faculties. The fivefold Dharma-body is composed of:
1) Morality
2) Samadhi
3) Wisdom
4) Liberation
5) The liberated knowledge and views
Hearing one verse or even a sentence of principle from this sutra can cause you to leave through the One Door and enter the Miraculous Adornment Road. Hearing one sentence can cause you to attain the complete brightness of the One Nature. To explain these principles fully would take many words; I am only giving you their names, for they will be explained more carefully in the future.
People’s appearances are not always proper and their features are not always put together harmoniously. For example, some may be born with a monkeylike hand, with horse-like nostrils, or with rat-like eyes. There is a Chinese proverb that says, “A rabbit’s head and a serpent’s eyes, ears like a rat and a vultures beak.” A person with these features does not have a proper physiognomy; his face resembles many animals moving together to form a whole. What we are talking about here is achieving a proper and organized physiognomy.
People can also be born wealthy as a result of their virtuous conduct. On the other hand, those who are not wealthy, who are poor, lowly, and servile, have slandered the Triple Jewel.
Sutra:
After Universally Expansive had heard that the Buddha, the Thus Come One, praise and laud Earth Store Bodhisattva, he knelt with both knees on the ground, placed his palms together, and said, “World-Honored One, I have long known that this great lord had such inconceivably great spiritual powers and vast mighty vows. My questions are put for the sake of benefiting living beings of the future; I shall receive the answer most respectfully. World-Honored One, what should we call this sutra and how should it be propagated?”
The Buddha said, “This sutra has three names: the first is the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva; is also called Earth Store’s Past Conduct; and it is called Earth Store’s Fundamental Power of the Way. Because this Bodhisattva has made such great vows over so many aeons to benefit and profit living beings, you should all propagate the sutra in accord with these vows.
After Universally Expansive heard this he placed his palms together respectfully, made obeisance, and withdrew.
Commentary:
There are two styles of kneeling. In the first, one sits on his left leg, which is placed under the body. The second method is ordinary kneeling with both knees on the ground and is known as “long kneeling” because it is a position that can be maintained for some time; the former style can be maintained only for relatively short periods. The Buddha said that because of the difficulty of the former position, women should kneel with both knees on the ground but men should use the other method.
In Burma, Ceylon, and other countries, young bhiksus kneel when they see other bhiksus, and sramanera kneel whenever they meet any bhiksu. They keep their eyes downcast and do not look at the bhiksu’s face.
From the three names given to this sutra we can realize the importance of the conduct of Bodhisattvas who make and practice great vows, even to the extreme of giving one’s head if it can benefit beings, but not giving a hair of the body if it will cause harm. The sutra should be propagated and spread throughout the world, in accord with such vows and practices.
End of Chapter 6.
(Next: Chapter 7)
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisatva (Chapter 5)
CHAPTER FIVE
The Names of the Hells
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Sutra:
At that time Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, said to Earth Store Bodhisattva, “Humane One, for the sake of the gods, dragons, and the fourfold assembly, as well as for all living beings of the present and future, please speak about the names of the hells and describe the retributions for evil undergone by living beings of Jambudvipa in the Saha world.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva replied, “Humane One, receiving the Buddha’s awesome spirit as well as your strength, I shall speak in general terms of the names of the hells, and of the retributions for offenses and evil.
“Humane One, east of Jambudvipa there is a mountain called Iron Ring, which is totally black and has neither sun nor moonlight. There is a great hell there called Uninterrupted, and another called the Great Avici. There is also a hell called Four Pointed, a hell called Flying Knives, a hell called Flying Arrows, and a hell called Squeezing Mountains; a hell called Piercing Spears, a hell called Iron Carts, a hell called Iron Beds, and a hell called Iron Ox; a hell called Iron Clothing, a hell called Thousand Blades, a hell called Iron Asses, and a hell called Molten Brass; a hell called Embracing Pillar, a hell called Flowing Fire, a hell called Plowing Tongues, and a hell called Head Chopping; a hell called Burning Feet, a hell called Eye Pecking, a hell called Iron Pellets, and a hell called Quarreling; a hell called Iron Ax, and a hell called Much Hatred.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva said, “Humane One, such is the unlimited number of hells within the Iron Ring. In addition there is the hell of Crying Out, the hell of Pulling Tongues, the hell of Dung and Urine, and the hell of Brazen Locks; the hell of Fire Elephants, the hell of Fire Dogs, the hell of Fire Horses, and the hell of Fire Oxen; the hell of Fire Mountains, the hell of Fire Stones, the hell of Fire Beds, and the hell of Fire Beams; the hell of Fire Eagles, the hell of Sawing Teeth, the hell of Flaying skin, and the hell of Blood Drinking; the hell of Burning Hands, the hell of Burning Feet, the hell of Hanging Thorns, and the hell of Fire Houses; the hell of Iron Rooms, and the hell of Fire Wolves.
“Such are the hells, and within each of them there are one, two, three, four, or as many as hundreds of thousands of smaller hells, each with its own name.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva told the Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, “Humane One, such are the karmic retributions of the living beings of Jambudvipa who do evil. The power of karma is extremely great and can rival Mount Sumeru; it can deepen the great ocean and can obstruct the way of wisdom. For this reason, living beings should not slight small evils and consider them as being no offense, for after death retribution is undergone in the most exact detail. Father and son may be close, but their roads diverge and each goes his own way, and even if they should meet, neither would consent to undergo suffering in the other’s place. Now, drawing on the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, I shall speak of the events of hellish retributions for offenses. Please, Humane One, hear these words.”
Universal Worthy replied, “I have long known of the retributions of the Three Evil Ways. I hope that the Humane One will discuss them, so that living beings who do evil in the future time of the Dharma-Ending Age may hear the Humane One’s words and take refuge in the Buddha.”
Earth Store said, “Humane One, these are the phenomena of retribution in the hells for offenses. There is a hell in which the offender’s tongue is stretched out and plowed through by cattle; there is a hell in which the offender’s heart is pulled out and eaten by yaksas; there is a hell in which the offender’s body is fried in cauldrons of seething broth; there is a hell in which the offender is made to embrace a red-hot bronze pillar; there is a hell in which the offender is followed everywhere by fire; there is a hell in which there is cold and ice; there is a hell in which there is limitless dung and urine; there is a hell in which there are flying maces; there is a hell in which there are many fiery spears; there is a hell in which one is constantly beaten on the chest and back; there is a hell in which one’s hands and feet are burned; there is a hell in which the offender is wrapped and bound by iron serpents; there is a hell in which there are running iron dogs; and there is a hell in which the offender is yoked between iron donkeys.
“Humane One, such are the retributions. In each hell there are a hundred thousand kinds of utensils of karma, and all are made of copper, iron, stone, or fire, the four materials which are summoned by the manifold karmas. If I were to explain the hellish retributions for offenses in detail, any single hell would have hundreds of thousands of kinds of acute suffering. How much more numerous would the sufferings in the many hells be. Now, drawing upon the awesome spirit of the Buddha, I have replied to the Human One’s question. It has been a general discussion, for if I were to speak in detail, I could not finish in a kalpa.”
Commentary:
The term “hell” represents in Chinese compound which literally translates as “ground prison.” Just as there are prisons made by governments to punish offenders in the human realm, so too are there prisons in the shadowy places within the ground. Those prisons, or hells, differ from those among human beings in that they are not prepare by a governmental authority to await the arrival of criminals. The hells have no concrete form, only names. When a being is due to fall into one, however, it is manifest as a result of that being’s powerful karma.
It is certainly not made by ghosts. It is not created by anyone other than the very person who habits it.
There is a great hell called Ultimately Uninterrupted, and another called the Great Avici. “Uninterrupted” here has the same five meanings discussed previously. The Avici, or “uninterrupted,” Hell is distinguished here from the hell which is called Ultimately Uninterrupted.
The Four-Pointed Hell is foursquare with four hornlike prods whose points prick people. In the Flying Knives Hell, knives suddenly appear and fly at people, to suffer fatal pain but are instantly reborn to suffer again.
The doors in the east of the Squeezing Mountains Hell open and the prisoner rushes out to escape. The first thing he sees is a pair of mountains toward which he runs to hide, but suddenly they come together and crush him. It is not only through the eastern door that the prisoner meets this retribution; the doors in all the four directions lead to the same result. This is a karmic result of having oppressed others with worldly power when one was alive.
The prisoners in the Hell of Iron Carts are run over by great iron carts. When Sakyamuni Buddha was still cultivating toward Buddhahood, he achieved the penetration of the heavenly eye and saw the sufferings in this hell. At this time he resolved his thought on compassion and vowed to save all offenders. This was his initial resolution of the great compassion.
In the Iron Bed Hell, from under an iron bed on which the offender is forced to lie come red hot iron knives. Those who profess precepts but do not maintain them fall into the Iron Clothing Hell, where hooks, knives, and barbs strip them of their clothing. When the criminal is naked he sees an iron suit of clothes fly through the air and he calls out to it to come to him. This it does, but the iron becomes searing hot and burns him to death, whereupon he is revived by the Clever Breeze.
In the Thousand Blades Hell, blades fall upon the prisoners like rain, but as soon as the prisoners are minced up and die, the Clever Breeze revives them.
As you remember, those who fall into the Embracing Pillar Hell see the pillar as their favorite mate. When they rush to embrace the pillar, it becomes red hot and sears them to death, after which they are revived by the Clever Breeze. It is important to realize that love is not necessarily a good thing, for it can very easily cause one to travel an improper path and end up in the Roasting Hell. The next hell in the list, the Hell of Flowing Fire, is also a result of the lustful deeds of beings.
He who slanders the Triple Jewel, or commit other of the four evils of the mouth, falls into the Hell of Plowing Tongues where his tongue is pulled out to a length of several thousand feet and then is furrowed with a plow.
Those who behead living beings, insects, birds, animals of all sorts, or even poison insects which they see, fall into the Chopping Heads Hell.
In the Hell of Burning Feet, not only is fire applied to the feet, but wherever the feet are set down, blazing fires spring up.
In the Eye-Pecking Hell, vultures gouge out the eyes of offenders, and then crack open their skulls and drink the brain fluids. Those who like to argue and fight fall into the Quarreling Hell, where they are constantly tormented and berated by myriads of ghosts.
In the hell where the offenders are coiled and bound by iron snakes, there are serpents whose entire bodies are covered with mouths from which they spit out small snakes. Each of these has twenty iron mouths. They drill into the offender’s eyes and emerge through his genitals. The pain of this retribution is unbearable and comes from lustful conduct.
Only a few of the innumerable hells are mentioned in the sutra text. For example, the Hell of Crying Out is the fourth of the eight cold hells, which are counted among the eighteen major hells. There are also eight hot hells in that list.
Even children devoted to their parents cannot undergo retribution in the hells on their behalf. Although close relationships like that of father and son exist among people, in the hells relationships from earlier lives are known, and perhaps those who were recently father and son find out that they have been great enemies in past existences. In the hells, no one consents to undergo suffering for another.
End of Chapter 5.
(Next: Chapter 6)
The Names of the Hells
________________________________________
Sutra:
At that time Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, said to Earth Store Bodhisattva, “Humane One, for the sake of the gods, dragons, and the fourfold assembly, as well as for all living beings of the present and future, please speak about the names of the hells and describe the retributions for evil undergone by living beings of Jambudvipa in the Saha world.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva replied, “Humane One, receiving the Buddha’s awesome spirit as well as your strength, I shall speak in general terms of the names of the hells, and of the retributions for offenses and evil.
“Humane One, east of Jambudvipa there is a mountain called Iron Ring, which is totally black and has neither sun nor moonlight. There is a great hell there called Uninterrupted, and another called the Great Avici. There is also a hell called Four Pointed, a hell called Flying Knives, a hell called Flying Arrows, and a hell called Squeezing Mountains; a hell called Piercing Spears, a hell called Iron Carts, a hell called Iron Beds, and a hell called Iron Ox; a hell called Iron Clothing, a hell called Thousand Blades, a hell called Iron Asses, and a hell called Molten Brass; a hell called Embracing Pillar, a hell called Flowing Fire, a hell called Plowing Tongues, and a hell called Head Chopping; a hell called Burning Feet, a hell called Eye Pecking, a hell called Iron Pellets, and a hell called Quarreling; a hell called Iron Ax, and a hell called Much Hatred.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva said, “Humane One, such is the unlimited number of hells within the Iron Ring. In addition there is the hell of Crying Out, the hell of Pulling Tongues, the hell of Dung and Urine, and the hell of Brazen Locks; the hell of Fire Elephants, the hell of Fire Dogs, the hell of Fire Horses, and the hell of Fire Oxen; the hell of Fire Mountains, the hell of Fire Stones, the hell of Fire Beds, and the hell of Fire Beams; the hell of Fire Eagles, the hell of Sawing Teeth, the hell of Flaying skin, and the hell of Blood Drinking; the hell of Burning Hands, the hell of Burning Feet, the hell of Hanging Thorns, and the hell of Fire Houses; the hell of Iron Rooms, and the hell of Fire Wolves.
“Such are the hells, and within each of them there are one, two, three, four, or as many as hundreds of thousands of smaller hells, each with its own name.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva told the Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, “Humane One, such are the karmic retributions of the living beings of Jambudvipa who do evil. The power of karma is extremely great and can rival Mount Sumeru; it can deepen the great ocean and can obstruct the way of wisdom. For this reason, living beings should not slight small evils and consider them as being no offense, for after death retribution is undergone in the most exact detail. Father and son may be close, but their roads diverge and each goes his own way, and even if they should meet, neither would consent to undergo suffering in the other’s place. Now, drawing on the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, I shall speak of the events of hellish retributions for offenses. Please, Humane One, hear these words.”
Universal Worthy replied, “I have long known of the retributions of the Three Evil Ways. I hope that the Humane One will discuss them, so that living beings who do evil in the future time of the Dharma-Ending Age may hear the Humane One’s words and take refuge in the Buddha.”
Earth Store said, “Humane One, these are the phenomena of retribution in the hells for offenses. There is a hell in which the offender’s tongue is stretched out and plowed through by cattle; there is a hell in which the offender’s heart is pulled out and eaten by yaksas; there is a hell in which the offender’s body is fried in cauldrons of seething broth; there is a hell in which the offender is made to embrace a red-hot bronze pillar; there is a hell in which the offender is followed everywhere by fire; there is a hell in which there is cold and ice; there is a hell in which there is limitless dung and urine; there is a hell in which there are flying maces; there is a hell in which there are many fiery spears; there is a hell in which one is constantly beaten on the chest and back; there is a hell in which one’s hands and feet are burned; there is a hell in which the offender is wrapped and bound by iron serpents; there is a hell in which there are running iron dogs; and there is a hell in which the offender is yoked between iron donkeys.
“Humane One, such are the retributions. In each hell there are a hundred thousand kinds of utensils of karma, and all are made of copper, iron, stone, or fire, the four materials which are summoned by the manifold karmas. If I were to explain the hellish retributions for offenses in detail, any single hell would have hundreds of thousands of kinds of acute suffering. How much more numerous would the sufferings in the many hells be. Now, drawing upon the awesome spirit of the Buddha, I have replied to the Human One’s question. It has been a general discussion, for if I were to speak in detail, I could not finish in a kalpa.”
Commentary:
The term “hell” represents in Chinese compound which literally translates as “ground prison.” Just as there are prisons made by governments to punish offenders in the human realm, so too are there prisons in the shadowy places within the ground. Those prisons, or hells, differ from those among human beings in that they are not prepare by a governmental authority to await the arrival of criminals. The hells have no concrete form, only names. When a being is due to fall into one, however, it is manifest as a result of that being’s powerful karma.
It is certainly not made by ghosts. It is not created by anyone other than the very person who habits it.
There is a great hell called Ultimately Uninterrupted, and another called the Great Avici. “Uninterrupted” here has the same five meanings discussed previously. The Avici, or “uninterrupted,” Hell is distinguished here from the hell which is called Ultimately Uninterrupted.
The Four-Pointed Hell is foursquare with four hornlike prods whose points prick people. In the Flying Knives Hell, knives suddenly appear and fly at people, to suffer fatal pain but are instantly reborn to suffer again.
The doors in the east of the Squeezing Mountains Hell open and the prisoner rushes out to escape. The first thing he sees is a pair of mountains toward which he runs to hide, but suddenly they come together and crush him. It is not only through the eastern door that the prisoner meets this retribution; the doors in all the four directions lead to the same result. This is a karmic result of having oppressed others with worldly power when one was alive.
The prisoners in the Hell of Iron Carts are run over by great iron carts. When Sakyamuni Buddha was still cultivating toward Buddhahood, he achieved the penetration of the heavenly eye and saw the sufferings in this hell. At this time he resolved his thought on compassion and vowed to save all offenders. This was his initial resolution of the great compassion.
In the Iron Bed Hell, from under an iron bed on which the offender is forced to lie come red hot iron knives. Those who profess precepts but do not maintain them fall into the Iron Clothing Hell, where hooks, knives, and barbs strip them of their clothing. When the criminal is naked he sees an iron suit of clothes fly through the air and he calls out to it to come to him. This it does, but the iron becomes searing hot and burns him to death, whereupon he is revived by the Clever Breeze.
In the Thousand Blades Hell, blades fall upon the prisoners like rain, but as soon as the prisoners are minced up and die, the Clever Breeze revives them.
As you remember, those who fall into the Embracing Pillar Hell see the pillar as their favorite mate. When they rush to embrace the pillar, it becomes red hot and sears them to death, after which they are revived by the Clever Breeze. It is important to realize that love is not necessarily a good thing, for it can very easily cause one to travel an improper path and end up in the Roasting Hell. The next hell in the list, the Hell of Flowing Fire, is also a result of the lustful deeds of beings.
He who slanders the Triple Jewel, or commit other of the four evils of the mouth, falls into the Hell of Plowing Tongues where his tongue is pulled out to a length of several thousand feet and then is furrowed with a plow.
Those who behead living beings, insects, birds, animals of all sorts, or even poison insects which they see, fall into the Chopping Heads Hell.
In the Hell of Burning Feet, not only is fire applied to the feet, but wherever the feet are set down, blazing fires spring up.
In the Eye-Pecking Hell, vultures gouge out the eyes of offenders, and then crack open their skulls and drink the brain fluids. Those who like to argue and fight fall into the Quarreling Hell, where they are constantly tormented and berated by myriads of ghosts.
In the hell where the offenders are coiled and bound by iron snakes, there are serpents whose entire bodies are covered with mouths from which they spit out small snakes. Each of these has twenty iron mouths. They drill into the offender’s eyes and emerge through his genitals. The pain of this retribution is unbearable and comes from lustful conduct.
Only a few of the innumerable hells are mentioned in the sutra text. For example, the Hell of Crying Out is the fourth of the eight cold hells, which are counted among the eighteen major hells. There are also eight hot hells in that list.
Even children devoted to their parents cannot undergo retribution in the hells on their behalf. Although close relationships like that of father and son exist among people, in the hells relationships from earlier lives are known, and perhaps those who were recently father and son find out that they have been great enemies in past existences. In the hells, no one consents to undergo suffering for another.
End of Chapter 5.
(Next: Chapter 6)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Chapter 4)
CHAPTER FOUR
Karmic Retribution of Living Beings
________________________________________
Sutra:
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, because I have received the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, the Thus Come One, I reduplicate my body and rescue living beings from their karmic retributions everywhere, throughout hundreds of thousands of millions of worlds. If it were not for the great compassionate strength of the Thus Come One, I would be unable to perform such changes and transformations. Now, I receive the World-Honored One’s entrustment; until the coming of Ajita, I will cause all living beings in the Six Paths to attain liberation. So it is, World-Honored One, do not be concerned.”
Commentary:
Earth Store Bodhisattva does not brag, “I have great spiritual penetrations, far-reaching wisdom, and charismatic eloquence.” Instead, he says humbly that because he has received the Buddha’s power, he is able to reduplicate his body and rescue living beings who have doubts, commit karma, and undergo subsequent retributions. The process by which the reduplicated bodies which did not formerly exist come into being is called “transformation.”
Ajita is another name of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, and it means both “invincible” and “the kind one.” Since there is none who can overcome him, he can be victorious over all, and since he cannot be defeated, he constantly laughs and is never angry. It is from these qualities that his wisdom comes.
Sutra:
The Buddha then told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “Living beings who have not yet obtained liberation have unfixed natures and consciousness. They may practice evil or good and reap the corresponding karma. Their good or evil acts arise in accordance with their states, and they turn in the Five Paths without a moment’s rest. They pass through kalpas as numerous as motes of dust, confused, deluded, obstructed, and afflicted by difficulties, like fish swimming down a long stream through nets. They may slip about through the nets for a long time, but, after temporary liberation, they again are snagged. It is for such as these that I would be concerned, but since you have made extensive vows and sworn to cross over such offenders throughout many kalpas, I have no cause for worry.”
Commentary:
People who have unfixed natures and consciousness have no determined resolve. First they decide to study the Buddhadharma and then they change their minds. Their good or evil acts arise in accordance with their states. If they encounter a healthy environment, good friends who explain Dharma and teach them to benefit others, they continue their study. If they meet bad friends who lead them into debauchery, they follow along and their good acts cease.
The same process of influences is at work everywhere. If you are always with energetic people, little by little you too become vigorous. If you associate with lazy people, even though you may be energetic by nature, you become lazy too. This is what is meant by the proverb, “Be near rouge and turn red, be near ink and turn black.” Things take on the color to which they are exposed. Dye cloth tan and it becomes tan; put it in yellow dye and it turns yellow. If you become friends with drinkers, you unsuspectingly become one of them; if you run with people who take drugs, you end up like them. We should always be cautious in choosing our friends, since it is their advice to which we listen most. If your friends are good ones, you should listen to them, but if they are bad, they should be ignored.
The Five Paths are the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, and gods. While it is common to refer to the Six Paths, they may also be reckoned as five, since asuras appear in all paths. Living beings turn in the paths like fish swimming down a long stream through nets. The analogies in the Buddhist sutras certainly are fitting.
Sutra:
When this was said, a Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, named Samadhi Self-Existent King arose from the midst of the assembly and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, what vows has Earth Store Bodhisattva made during these many kalpas that he now receives the World-Honored One’s special praise? Please, World-Honored One, speak about this.”
The World-Honored One said to Samadhi Self-Existent King, “Listen attentively, consider this well. I shall now explain this matter for you.”
Commentary:
A Mahasattva is a great being. Because he cultivated samadhi and attained a self-contained existence, this Bodhisattva is called Samadhi Self-Existent King.
Sutra:
“Once, limitless asamkhyeyas of nayutas of kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named All-Knowledge-Accomplished Thus Come One, the One Worthy of Offerings, the One of Right and Equal Enlightenment, the One Perfect in Clarity and Conduct, the Well-Gone-Forth One, the Unsurpassed Scholar Who Comprehends the World, the Valiant Tamer and Guide, the Master of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. That Buddha’s lifespan was sixty thousand kalpas. Before leaving home he had been the king of a small country and had been friendly with the king of a neighboring country with whom he practiced the Ten Good Deeds and benefited living beings. Because the citizens of these countries did many evil acts, the kings agreed to perfect expedient devices for them. One vowed, ‘I will accomplish the Buddha Way quickly and then cross over all the others without exception.”
“The other king vowed, ‘If I do not first cross over all those who suffer for their offenses, and cause them to attain peace and Bodhi, I shall not accomplish Buddhahood.’”
The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Samadhi Self-Existent King, “The King who vowed to become a Buddha quickly is All-Knowing-Accomplished Thus Come One. The king who vowed not to become a Buddha until he had seen all others safely across is Earth Store Bodhisattva.”
Commentary:
Asamkhyeya and nayuta are the names of very large numbers that describe the time when All-Knowledge-Accomplished Thus Come One appeared in the world. There are Three Kinds of Knowledge:
1. All Knowledge
2. Knowledge of the Way
3. Knowledge of All Modes
The third of these encompasses the other two.
The sutra text describes this Buddha by means of the Ten Designations of the Buddha. The first is Thus Come One. A layman once asked me if Amitabha Buddha and Thus Come One Buddha were different. You should know that all Buddhas are called Thus Come One. There is Amitabha Thus Come One, Sakyamuni Thus come One, Medicine Master Thus Come One, and so forth. This use of names is similar to that found among people. Everyone has his own personal name, which may be used by his peers or by those above him who know him well, but most people also have a title by which they are known to people with whom they are only distantly acquainted. Each of the Ten Designations of the Buddha has its own descriptive title. The designation Thus Come One, for example, has the title “Identity with the Former Virtuous Ones.”
As for the meaning of the term “Thus Come One,” “Thus” is placeless and without direction, and “Come” is a response and manifestation. “Come,” therefore, can be explained as not coming from anywhere, and “Thus” as not going anywhere. The meaning of all this is that nothing comes and nothing goes. Furthermore, “Thus” is the principle of fundamental enlightenment, and “Come” is the wisdom of initial enlightenment which arises in reliance on the principle of fundamental enlightenment.
The One Worthy of Offerings. In this phrase the word “worthy” means deserving. That is to say, since he merits the offerings of men and gods, men and gods should make offerings to him. This designation, like all the others, has its particular title, “Capable of Being a Field of Merit.” There are two kinds of merit fields. The first is that of self-benefit and the second that of benefiting others. To benefit oneself means to investigate truth and eliminate doubts. It is called self-benefit, since he who investigates is the one who understands. Others, however, must be taught so they may learn to do the same work. This teaching is the benefiting of others.
The One of Right and Equal Enlightenment. Right is distinguished from the wrong of outside ways. Equal is distinguished from the nonequality of the Two Vehicles, which only attain to an extreme of the emptiness principle and do not see the equality of emptiness and existence. One with enlightenment is distinguished from those who are unenlightened. The designation as a whole means that there is nothing that is not known, and this designation also has its own title, “Universal Knowledge of the Dharma Realm.”
The Surangama Sutra says, “The straightness of the pine, the twining of the bramble, the whiteness of the egret, and the blackness of the crow are fully understood in their original existence.” The Buddha knows the reasons for all phenomena, just as he knows every drop of rain that falls, even those outside the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds.
The One Perfect in Clarity and Conduct. Clarity means understanding and conduct means cultivation. Clarity is wisdom; conduct is blessings. This refers to the double perfection of the Buddha’s wisdom and blessings. There are Three Kinds of Clarity:
1. Clarity of the Heavenly Eye
2. Clarity of Past Lives
3. Clarity of Exhaustion of Outflows
The title of this designation is the “Display of Causal Virtues in the Result,” because it is on the ground of results that the virtuous conduct cultivated on the ground of cause is made manifest.
The Well-Gone-Forth One. The title of this designation is “Wonderfully Gone to Bodhi.” This title derives from the Buddha’s ability to go into all Buddha-lands of the Ten Directions and use expedient devices and provisional teachings to transform living beings.
The Unsurpassed Scholar Who Comprehends the World. If one has doubts of any sort he can still be surpassed. Because the Buddha has cut off all doubts – those of views, those of thought, and those as fine as dust and sand – he is an unsurpassed scholar. Because he knows that both the body and exterior states are empty and false, and that only the Buddha vehicle is genuine, this designation has the title, “Penetrating through the Counterfeit and Reaching the Truth.”
The Valiant tamer and Guide. The Buddha regulates living beings in the Six Paths and guides them toward the result of Buddhahood. Because he guides living beings from the turning wheel of birth and death, this designation has the title, “Collecting and Teaching Beings in Accordance with the Way.”
The Master of Gods and Men. He is a model for the triple world with all its gods and men. The title of this designation is “Speaking Dharma in Response to the Opportunities of Beings.”
The Buddha. The title of this designation is “Fully Bright in the Three Enlightenments.” The Three Enlightenments are:
1. The Enlightenment of Self
2. The Enlightenment of Others
3. The Completion of Enlightenment and Conduct
The World-Honored One. Because he is honored both in and beyond the world, he has this designation, whose special title is “The Only Revered One of the Triple World.” The Triple World is:
1. The realm of desire
2. The realm of form
3. The formless realm
When Sakyamuni Buddha was born, he pointed one hand at heaven and the other at earth, took seven steps, and said, “In the heavens above and here below, I alone am honored.” Thus he has this title. There are six additional meanings to the honorific “World-Honored One”:
1. Self-Existent
2. Blazing
3. Upright and Majestic
4. Universally Renowned
5. Auspicious
6. Venerable and Honorable
The Ten Good Deeds practiced by the kings of the two small countries are abstention from:
1. Killing
2. Lying
3. Sexual misconduct
4. Greed
5. Hatred
6. Stupidity
7. Bad speech
8. False speech
9. Double-tongued speech
10. Idle talk
Sutra:
“Moreover, limitless asamkhyeya kalpas ago a Buddha named Pure-Lotus-Eyes Thus Come One appeared in the world. His lifespan was forty kalpas. During his Dharma-Image Period, an Arhat who had great merit and who crossed over living beings, teaching them as he encountered them, met a woman named Bright Eyes who made an offering of food to him.
“‘What is your wish?’ asked the Arhat.
“Bright Eyes replied, ‘On the day of my mother’s death I performed meritorious deeds for her rescue, but I do not yet know in what path she has been born.’
“Out of pity for her, the Arhat entered into samadhi to contemplate, and saw that Bright Eyes’ mother had fallen into an evil path where she was undergoing extremely great suffering. The Arhat asked, ‘When your mother was alive, what deeds did she do that she should now be undergoing such great punishment in an evil path?’
“Bright Eyes replied, ‘My mother enjoyed eating fish, turtles, and the like. She particularly relished their fried or boiled roe, and because she was fond of eating, she took thousands of lives. Oh, Venerable Compassionate One, how can she be saved?’
“The Arhat pitied her and established an expedient device and said, ‘With a sincere will be mindful of Pure-Lotus-Eyes Thus Come One, and also make carved and painted images for the benefit of the living and the dead.’
“On hearing this, Bright Eyes renounced everything she loved, drew an image of that Buddha, and made offerings before it. Moreover, she wept sorrowfully as she respectfully gazed at and worshiped that Buddha. Suddenly, in the small hours of the night, as if in a dream, she saw that Buddha’s body, dazzling gold in color and as large as Mount Sumeru, emitting great light.
“This Buddha said to Bright Eyes, ‘Before long your mother will be born in your own household and as soon as she can know hunger and cold she will speak.’
“Shortly thereafter, a maidservant in the house bore a son who spoke within three days of his birth. Lowering his head and weeping mournfully, he said, ‘In life and death one must undergo retributions for his own deeds. I am your mother and have been in darkness for a long time. Since leaving you I have constantly been reborn in the great hells. As a result of receiving the power of your meritorious deeds, I have been able to be reborn, but only as a poor son of low class. My lifespan, moreover, will be short, and after thirteen years I will fall into an evil path again. Do you have some way to affect my liberation?’ “
Commentary:
The Arhat sat in dhyana and investigated the plight of Bright Eyes’ mother. His investigation involved an act of volition for its accomplishment, whereas Bodhisattvas are able to use their spiritual penetrations at any time, anywhere, and need not deliberately make an effort to meditate and enter samadhi.
Bright Eyes renounced everything she loved, drew an image of that Buddha, and made offerings before it. Just as the Brahman woman sold her house, Bright Eyes gave away and sold her most cherished possessions for the sake of performing an offering of incense, flowers, ointments, fruits, food and drink, clothing, bedding, and medicinal herbs before the Buddha Pure-Lotus-Eyes. Later the Buddha appeared to her as if in a dream; because of her extreme sincerity and earnestness, there was what is called an “intertwined response with the Way,” and she saw the Buddha’s body.
Sutra:
“When Bright Eyes heard the words of the servant’s child, she knew without doubt that he was her mother and, choked with sobs, said to the child, ‘Since you are my mother you should know your own past offenses. What deeds did you do that caused you to fall into the Evil Paths?”
“The servant’s child said, ‘I have undergone this retribution as a result of killing and slandering. If I had not received the merit which you earned to rescue me from difficulty, my karma would be such that I could not yet have been released.’
“On hearing this, Bright Eyes asked, ‘What happens during retribution in the hells?”
“The servant’s son answered, ‘Merely to speak of those sufferings is unbearable, and even a hundred thousand years would not suffice to describe them all.’
“Bright Eyes heard this and wept bitterly and said into empty space, ‘May my mother be eternally separated from the hells, and after these thirteen years may she be free of her heavy offenses and leave the Evil Paths. O Buddha of the Ten Directions have compassion and pity me. Hear the far-reaching vows which I am making for the sake of my mother. If she can leave the Three Evil Paths forever, leave the lower classes, leave the body of a woman, and never again have to endure them, then, before the image of the Thus Come One Pure-Lotus-Eyes, I vow that from this day forth, throughout hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of kalpas, I will rescue living beings who are suffering in the hells for their offenses, and others of the Three Evil Paths. I will rescue them all and cause them to leave the realm of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and the like. Only when the beings who are undergoing retribution for their offenses have all become Buddhas will I myself accomplish the right enlightenment.’
“After making this vow she clearly heard the Thus Come One Pure-Lotus-Eyes say to her, ‘Bright Eyes, you have great compassion to be able to make such a great vow for your mother’s sake. I see that your mother will cast off this body after thirteen years and will be born a Brahman with a lifespan of one hundred years. After that life she will be born with a lifespan of kalpas in the Land of No Concern, after which she will accomplish Buddhahood and cross over as many men and gods as there are sand grains in the Ganges.’ “
Sakyamuni Buddha told Samadhi Self-Existent King, “The Arhat with great merit who helped Bright Eyes is now Inexhaustible-Intention Bodhisattva, the mother of Bright Eyes is Liberation Bodhisattva, and Bright Eyes herself is now Earth Store Bodhisattva. Throughout many aeons, because of his compassionate pity, he has made as many vows as there are sand grains in the Ganges to rescue living beings.
“Men and women in the future who do not practice good but do evil, who do not believe in cause and effect, who indulge in sexual misconduct and false speech, who practice double-tongued and harsh speech, and who slander the Great Vehicle, will certainly fall into the Evil Paths. But if they encounter a good, knowing adviser who, in the flick of a finger, leads them to take refuge with Earth Store Bodhisattva, those living beings will obtain release from the retribution of the Three Evil Paths. Those whose acts show deference; who are respectful with a determined mind; who gaze in worship, praise, and make offering of flowers, incense, clothing, gems, or food and drink will be born in the heavens. There they will enjoy supremely wonderful bliss for hundreds of thousands of kalpas. When their heavenly merit is ended and they are born below in the world of men, they will be imperial kings throughout hundreds of thousands of kalpas and will be capable of remembering the causes and results of their former lives. O, Samadhi Self-Existent King, Earth Store Bodhisattva has inconceivable and ineffable great spiritual power to benefit living beings. All you Bodhisattvas should recall this sutra and proclaim and widely spread it.”
Samadhi Self-Existent King said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, please do not be concerned. We thousands of tens of thousands of millions of Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas, receiving the Buddha’s awesome spirit, will certainly proclaim this sutra widely throughout Jambudvipa for the benefit of living beings.”
Having spoken thus to the Buddha, the Bodhisattva Samadhi Self-Existent King put his palms together respectfully, bowed, and withdrew.
Commentary;
Some of you may think that the study of Dharma is uncomfortable. What do you think it would be like in the hells? Although you might scream that you did not want to endure such misery, you would have no way to escape, for if the effect of your offenses is not yet extinguished, there is simply no way out. Even if you undergo a little pain in the human realm, just think how much less painful it is than being in the hells. With this attitude, no matter how badly your legs hurt when you meditate, you will always be happy and will know no suffering.
You see, as the Brahman woman on the causal ground, even Earth Store Bodhisattva was helpless and could only weep to the Buddha to save her mother from the paths of knives, of blood, and of fire, as well as those of the Three States of Woe. Now, in turn, you should all be aware that if it were not for the great vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, we might very well be undergoing retributions in the hells, tormented among the hungry ghosts, or suffering among the animals. The reason that we have become humans is that Earth Store Bodhisattva made vows to rescue us. Since we have not yet achieved the penetration of past lives, however, we do not realize the good fortune we have derived from him, how much merciful and compassionate aid we have received. If he had not made his vows, we would all be in great danger. Consequently, we should always remember to repay his kindness. Ultimately, like Bright Eyes’ mother, we can be born in the Land of No Concern, which is the Western Paradise, the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Recently, when I lectured at the University of California, a student asked if Buddhists believed in cause and effect, I replied, “It is not a matter of belief or disbelief. If you believe in it, then there is such a thing as cause and effect; if you do not believe in it, cause and effect operate just the same. For example, go punch someone; you will certainly get hit back. Your initial punch is the cause, and your being beaten in return is an effect. Now, do you believe the principle that when you hit someone you will be hit in return?”
The student was speechless, even though he probably had a store of theories demonstrating the nonexistence of causal relationships. Perhaps he was afraid of being beaten up, or maybe he simply did not want to attack people, but in any case that was the end of that. Of course, you all know that you should not go around hitting people. If you do, you are planting a cause and you are going to get clobbered. That is an effect.
If you are not good to others, they will not be good to you. If you plant good seeds, you will reap good fruits. If you have bad friends, you will become a bad friend yourself, and if you have good friend, you will become like them. The principle of cause and effect applies everywhere. You needn’t look around to see why people are not good to you; just ask yourself, “Am I good to them?” Always turn your light back and look inward. Do not be like a camera, which can only take pictures of other people and cannot know what its own interior looks like.
One who is given to double-tongued speech presents one face to one person and another face to another. You praise A to his face and speak with him of B’s faults. When with B you speak ill of A. In this way you may cause separations and schisms, and so this offense includes one of the gravest offenses, breaking up the harmonious Sangha.
What is meant by breaking up the harmonious Sangha? The Buddhadharma is studied with bhiksus and sramaneras, and one who studies Buddhadharma cannot study on the one hand and, on the other, slander those with whom he studies. Laymen may not speak of the faults of those who have received the bhiksu or sramana precepts. This holds true for bhiksunis, too, of course. One may not destroy or cause dissension in the Sangha, saying to one person who has left home, for example, that another one has this or that fault. This kind of activity sows the seeds of dissension and causes the harmonious Sangha to disperse. To do this is to commit one of the five grave offenses discussed earlier.
Not only the Sangha; one may also not slander the Great Vehicle. One may say there is no such thing as the Mahayana, and that only the Pali Canon may be believed. The other day, for example, an insane man came here, and when he saw us studying sutras in Chinese, he asked if it had been taken from Pali. He didn’t even know what Pali was, let alone understand the question of authenticity.
What is meant by good, knowing adviser? The word good in this title may be explained as able, because a good, knowing adviser is capable of knowledge; that is, he is capable of knowing, without any obstruction whatever, that the triple world is like a burning house. There are three kinds of good, knowing advisers:
1. outward protectors
2. fellow cultivators
3. teachers
The first are those who supply the things necessary to support the Triple Jewel, and they act as Dharma protectors. The second, fellow cultivators help find and correct each other’s flaws. Since one may not know his own shortcomings, his fellow cultivators can help point them out. This does not mean, however, that they pick on and anger one another. Far from it. The idea behind this kind of relationship is mutual aid.
There is a bit of shop talk among lapidaries that says, “Slice, rub, and polish.” To render a piece of rough jade into a beautiful gem, you must first slice it open; then you must grind away all the flaws and polish it. A similar process of self-cultivation is what is being described here.
What is a teaching good, knowing adviser? He is one who instructs beings in the Buddhadharma, who lectures on sutras and speaks Dharma in order to teach them.
A flick of a finger lasts for sixty-four ksanas, each of which in turn lasts for the space of twenty blinks of an eye and contains nine hundred births and deaths. Each of these twenty blinks is twenty thoughts long. If one can encounter Earth Store Bodhisattva, and in the flick of a finger he can return to and rely upon this Bodhisattva, offering up his life and conduct, he will completely eradicate limitless offenses meriting the states of woe.
All you Bodhisattvas should recall this sutra and proclaim and widely spread it. The reason we now have a chance to see and study this sutra is that all those Bodhisattvas have been proclaiming and spreading it. If it were not for them, we would have no way to encounter this rare Dharma jewel.
Sutra:
At that time the Four Heavenly Kings arose from their seats, put their palms together respectfully, and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, since Earth Store Bodhisattva has made such extensive vows for kalpas, why then has he not yet completed his crossing over of beings? Why does he continue to practice such vast vows? Please, World-Honored One, explain this for us.”
The Buddha told the Four Heavenly Kings, “Excellent, excellent. For your benefit as well as for the benefit of men and gods of the present and future, I will speak of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s words in the paths of birth and death in Jambudvipa in the Saha world. I shall speak of his expedient devices, and of his compassion and pity in rescuing, saving, crossing over, and liberating beings who are suffering for their offenses.”
The Four Heavenly Kings replied, “Yes, World-Honored One, we would like to hear about his work.”
The Buddha told the Four Heavenly Kings, “From kalpas long ago until the present, Earth Store Bodhisattva has crossed over and liberated living beings, yet out of compassionate pity for those beings still suffering in the world, he has not yet completed his vows. Moreover, he sees that their causes for limitless kalpas in the future are like uncut tendrils and vines, and, because of this, he makes his mighty vows. Thus, in the continent of Jambudvipa, in the Saha world, this Bodhisattva teaches and transforms beings by means of thousands of tens of thousands of myriads of expedient devices.
“Kings, to killers Earth Store Bodhisattva speaks of a retribution of a short lifespan; to robbers he speaks of a retribution of poverty and acute suffering; to practicers of sexual misconduct he speaks of the retribution of being born as pigeons, mandarin drakes and ducks; to the foul-mouthed he speaks of the retribution of a quarreling family.
“To slanderers he speaks of the retribution of a tongueless and cankerous mouth; to the hateful he speaks of being ugly and crippled; to the stingy he speaks of frustrated desires; to gluttons he speaks of the retribution of sickness, hunger, and thirst; to those who enjoy hunting, he speaks of the retribution of a frightening insanity and disastrous doom.”
“To cruel parents or step-parents he speaks of the retribution of being flogged in future lives; to those who net and trap young animals, he speaks of the retribution of separation of flesh from bone; to those who slander the Triple Jewel, he speaks of the retribution of being blind, deaf, or mute; to those who slight the Dharma and regard the teachings with arrogance, he speaks of being in the Evil Paths forever; to those who recklessly use the things of the permanently dwelling, he speaks of the retribution of revolving in the hells for myriads of kalpas; to those who defile the pure conduct of others and purposely slander the Sangha, he speaks of an eternity in the animal realm; to those who scald, burn, behead, cut, or otherwise harm animals, he speaks of repayment in kind.
“Those who violate precepts and the regulations of pure eating, he speaks of the retribution of being born as birds and beasts suffering from hunger and thirst; to those who make unprincipled and destructive use of things, he speaks of the retribution of never obtaining what they seek; to those who are arrogant and haughty, he speaks of a retribution of being servile and of low class; to those whose double-tongued behavior causes dissension and disorder, he speaks of a retribution of tongueless ness and speech impediments; to those of biased views, he speaks of rebirth in the frontier regions.
“This is a general description of the hundreds of thousands of differing retributions resulting from the habitual bad deeds of body, mouth, and mind committed by the living beings of Jambudvipa. Since they have such differing responses, Earth Store Bodhisattva uses hundreds of thousands of expedient means to teach them. The living beings who commit offenses must first undergo retributions of such as these, and then fall into the hells, where they pass through kalpas with no moment of escape. You should therefore protect people and protect their countries. Do not allow living beings to be confused by these manifold deeds.”
On hearing this the Four Heavenly Kings wept sorrowfully, placed their palms together, and withdrew.
Commentary:
The Four Heavenly Kings of the four directions live halfway up Mount Sumeru in palaces forty-two thousand yojanas high, made of the Seven Precious Things: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, mother-of-pearl, red pearls, and carnelian. Their palaces are adorned with tiers of railings, seven layers of netting, and seven rows of trees.
The king of the east, Dhrtarastra, “he who upholds his country,” has ninety-nine sons, all of whom are named Indra. He commands two groups of ghosts and spirits, fragrant spirits and malodorous spirits.
The fragrant spirits are gandharvas, musicians who are also called doubtful spirits because, although they look like humans, they have a single horn in their foreheads. When people see them, they are unsure about whether the spirits are human. Gandharvas are extremely fond of incense and will flock to places where it is burned. The Jade Emperor, the chief of the Indras, has a very rare and wonderful sandalwood which he burns to attract them. When they arrive, he has them play music for him, since he is still caught up in the realm of defiling objects and enjoys hearing music.
The malodorous ghosts, Budana, are called Pa Ta No in the Surangama Mantra. Wherever they go they are followed by a putrid stench. Both of these groups of ghosts and spirits are under the jurisdiction of the king of the east.
The king of the south is called Virudhaka, “increasing and growing,” because he is able to lengthen and increase the good roots of living beings. He too has ninety-nine sons, all of whom are named Indra. In fact, each of the four kings has ninety-nine sons, all with the same name, so that there are three hundred and ninety-six Indras in all.
Virudhaka also watches over two groups of ghosts and spirits, one of the kumbhandas and the other the Pretas. The Kumbhandas called “distant’ ghosts because they like to stay far away from people, are also known as barrel ghosts or melon ghosts because of their shape. Pretas are called “proximate” ghosts because they like to be near people, and, in fact, they establish themselves as ancestral spirits at the memorial plaques people set up for their deceased relatives.
The king of the west is named Virupaksa, “many languages,” because he can speak the tongues of all countries; he is also called Broad Eyes. He, like the other kings, is responsible for two groups of ghosts and spirits, the Pisaci and poison dragons. The Pisaci, called Pi Sha She in the Surangama Mantra, are also called madness ghosts because they can cause incurable insanity in people. They subsist on essential energies, particularly those of humans, and always flock to places where sexual activities are producing these substances. The other group under jurisdiction of this king is the poison dragons, whose poison may be contracted by seeing, hearing, smelling, or even just being near them.
The king of the south, Vaisravana, “widely learned,” is the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings. It is in his palace that their meetings are convened. The two groups of ghosts and spirits under his command are the Yaksas and the Raksas. There are several categories of Yaksas, those who live on the ground, those in space, and those who abide in the heavens. Because Yaksas travel at more or less the speed of light, they are called speedy ghosts. Raksas, “fearsome ghosts,” are so called because of their terrifying appearance.
The Buddha told the Four Heavenly Kings that Earth Store Bodhisattva sees all the causes and conditions of living beings. The power of our deeds is like the tendrils that grow on plants and grasses, getting longer year after year. We commit deeds in one life and then in the next life we commit more, building up our karma. This continues life after life and the offense karma becomes heavier, while the merit we have acquired becomes light and lighter. With only slight meritorious virtue, you cannot become a Buddha, but if your karmic obstacles are extremely heavy, you can become a ghost.
People of little understanding say that there are no such things as ghosts. Their argument is not up to the level of a child’s. Children, at least, will usually believe an explanation that is principled, whereas people who oppose belief in ghosts and spirits usually do so without paying attention to the principles involved. If there were no ghosts, there could be no Buddhas, since the difference between the two is just a turn. If the turn is made, you are a Buddha; if not, you are a ghost. Humans are in the midst of the turning, and, consequently, if their karma becomes heavier, it is very easy for them to fall into the realms of the ghosts.
In this passage of text the Buddha describes for the Four Heavenly Kings the expedient devices used by Earth Store Bodhisattva.
To robbers he speaks of a retribution of poverty and acute suffering. Stealing includes not only actual theft but also the use of people’s property without their knowledge or permission. When Earth Store Bodhisattva meets people who commit this kind of offense, he tells them of the retribution of poverty. The reason there are so many poor people in the world is that there have been many who have stolen in past lives who are now undergoing the appropriate retribution. The more one steals, the poorer he will be, and the more he will have cause to fear one of the most bitter of all kinds of suffering, that of poverty.
Sexual misconduct refers to adultery and all manner of extramarital affairs. One should not misconstrue this, however, and say that since one is married there is no problem and one can be totally unrestrained in his sexual activity with his wife. Even married couples had best decrease this activity because it leads to dullness. The more one is involved in sexual matters, the less light he has. One has light and manifests wisdom if he does not engage in sex.
The pigeon is thought to be the most lustful bird of all and can raise an amazing number of fledglings every year. Most animals and birds mate with the male above and the female below, but the pigeon is so lustful that he reverses these positions.
The emotional attachment of mandarin drakes and ducks to their mates is extremely strong, and they are absolutely inseparable, not only in the water and on land but even in the air. Although birds may seem to have independence of a sort, they are by no means free, and theirs is certainly not a good state to be in. For those who engage in sexual misconduct, the retribution of the bird realm is a likely one, and so Earth Store Bodhisattva speaks of it to such people.
He tells those who scold, slander, lie, and speak falsely and harshly that they will always be surrounded by strife and never know peace. Those who like to prattle and talk confusedly, who slander the Triple Jewel, will be mutes or stutterers in the future. This is also the reason people sometimes develop incurable canker sores in their mouths.
To the hateful he speaks of a retribution of being ugly and crippled. This retribution is spoken of to people whose natures are like those of asuras, whose tempers flare up at the slightest provocation. When people get angry their faces turn purple and their eyes bulge, their veins stand out, and they become quite repulsive. If you like to get angry now, you face the retribution of ugliness.
The Chinese term that refers to the retribution of being crippled actually alludes to a peculiar inability to pass water. If you always get angry, in future lives you will not only be ugly, you will also be plagued by myriad illnesses.
There are some people, gluttons, who eat and drink nonstop from morning until night. After they eat they nap and then wake to eat again in a routine that never varies. They are totally uncontrolled, knowing no regulation or moderation. Earth Store Bodhisattva tells such people that in the future they will never be able to get their fill, and that their throats will be so diseased and swollen that they will be unable to swallow even water.
Hunters are people who take pleasure in the chase. Having killed an animal they are filled with pride, strength, and joy. To those who are totally given over to such activities, Earth Store Bodhisattva speaks of the retribution of a frightening insanity and disastrous doom. He might say, for example, “In your next life you will quite probably go mad and have an untimely death.” This refers to accidental deaths like those in automobile collisions, airplane explosions, or falling in front of a speeding train – all unexpected, violent, and premature deaths. People may be led to stop hunting as a result of hearing such predictions.
Now that we are studying this sutra and have come to know these retributions, you, too, can explain them to people on appropriate occasions. You and Earth Store Bodhisattva can undertake a partnership in this work.
Confucius’ disciple Min Tzu Ch’ien had a stepmother who was partial to her own son and did not like Min Tzu Ch’ien at all. In the winter, when padded garments are worn for warmth, she made a quilted and double-lined robe for her own child but a single-layered robe stuffed with rushes for Min Tzu Ch’ien. While her own son was warm and cozy, Min Tzu Ch’ien quietly endured the cold.
One day his father was riding with Min Tzu Ch’ien in a chariot and saw that the boy was trembling. Chiding the lad for shivering on what was not a very cold day; the father lashed out with his crop and ripped his son’s coat. When he saw the single layer of cloth and rushes, the father wept, felt ashamed at how badly he had treated his son, and vowed to get rid of his new wife immediately.
Min Tzu Ch’ien knelt before his father and pleaded on his stepmother’s behalf, saying, “When the mother is here, one son has a simple garment, but if the mother leaves, two sons will freeze.” When his father confronted Min Tzu Ch’ien’s stepmother with the facts, she felt shame and realized what a good stepson she had. Thereafter she treated both boys equally.
In China there were often adopted children in a family. These children were frequently treated very poorly by their stepparents. The result of such treatment of stepchildren is flogging in future lives.
Separation of flesh from bone is a retribution incurred by those who trap animals, particularly very young ones. The term “flesh from bone” refers to one’s family; as a retribution for this type of deed, one’s family is dispersed and its members cannot see one another.
People who are blind, deaf, or mute have slandered the Triple Jewel and have fallen into the hells, where they spent countless kalpas. After their term they worked their way up to becoming animals, and, once they managed to escape the animal realm, they obtained human birth. This birth was into poor or impoverished circumstances or as mutes or blind people.
Those who purposely slander the Sangha, for example, who spread rumors of cheating, drinking, or killing about a monk who has not done anything wrong, will first fall into the hells and then spend an eternity among the animals.
To those who scald, burn, behead, cut, or otherwise injure animals, he speaks of repayment in kind. If you use boiling water or fire to get rid of ants or an insect nest, for example, or if you slice or club animals to death, you will be repaid in kind.
Violating precepts is doing that which you know quite clearly to be wrong. The offenses incurred by this class of wrongdoing are particularly heavy, much more so than when one misbehaves unknowingly. If you kill after taking the precept against killing, you are violating that precept. If you steal after receiving the precept, the same is true, and so forth for the precepts against sexual misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants.
All these, however, are visible surface manifestations that everyone can see. There is yet another type of violation of precept, with which most people are unfamiliar, since it is invisible. There are two major kinds of precept violation: that which has form and can be seen and that which has no form and is invisible. In the Buddhadharma the latter is considered a violation of precepts just as much as is the former, even though in most other religions this is not the case.
There are four kinds of violation that have no form and cannot be seen. In the first of these, one is able to maintain the pure precepts and practice them superficially, but in the practice there remains a view of a self. “I hold the precepts, I maintain the precepts. I do this, and I do that.” Although such a person may not have actually violated any precept per se, he still has not maintained the true precepts, for one who does so cannot possibly have a view that he is higher or better than others.
In the second type, one may be able to recite and quote all the sutras and regulations, yet never leave a view of the body. In the first type of violation there was always the thought of I. In this case, although there is not constant thought of I, continual attention is paid to the body, which is never allowed to be the least bit uncomfortable. If one prefers a lazy and sloppy body and continues to pamper it, even though such a person has not violated any specific precept, neither has he truly maintained the precepts.
The third category of violation is related to those who are able to practice the Twelve Dhuta, ascetic practices. Such practices are cultivated with great energy, vigor, and alertness. “I never sleep, yet I have great energy; instead of sleeping I just sit and meditate. Others like to eat, but I don’t even drink water.” Although one may follow austere practices, he may also retain the view that things still exist, and he may not have relinquished the view of a self. One who cultivates such practices, but who has not yet seen through the emptiness of self and things, may seem to be holding precepts, but in fact his cultivation is still far off the mark.
In the fourth category, one may practice and maintain a heart of great compassion toward all beings, yet be frightened or alarmed on hearing that dharmas are empty, neither produced nor destroyed. In this case, as in the three above, even though there has been no actual violation of precepts, the moral conduct is far from perfected.
Pure eating refers not only to abstaining from meat but to eating at prescribed times. If, for example, one has vowed not to eat after noon and then does so, he not only violates the precept regarding pure eating, he violates the precept against stealing as well. When asked whether or not he has eaten, such a person may reply that he has not and thus also violate their precept against lying. The one who supplies food to the violator also violates precepts in these cases, and the Buddha said of all such persons, “They are not my disciples.” Such persons are like garbage-eating seabirds or dung-eating ghosts. They are extremely unfortunate, and Earth Store Bodhisattva warns them that they may suffer the retribution of becoming hungry birds and beasts.
Those who make unprincipled and destructive use of things will also undergo retribution. Take, for example, a teacup that could have a long period of useful functioning. If, for no good reason, you decide to smash it and render it useless, you are committing the offense mentioned here. This principle applies not only to teacups but to anything which belongs to the permanently dwelling or to private individuals. In the future, those who commit this offense will be unable to fulfill their wishes and will never obtain what they seek.
Biased views refer to those who absolutely refuse to comply with rules.
The habitual bad deeds of body, mouth, and mind, the three evils, are ten in all. Three pertain to the body: killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. There are four evils of the mouth: idle speech, false speech, evil speech, and double-tongued speech. There are three evils of the mind: greed, hatred, and stupidity. Taken together, these are called the Ten Evil Deeds.
After hearing this, the Four Heavenly Kings wept sorrowfully, placed their palms together, and withdraw. They wept, on one hand, for those many beings who had to endure such sufferings and, on the other, from shame that they had not fulfilled their responsibility to protect living beings. They were greatly moved, placed their palms together, and withdrew.
End of Chapter 4
(Next: Chapter 5)
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Karmic Retribution of Living Beings
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Sutra:
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, because I have received the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, the Thus Come One, I reduplicate my body and rescue living beings from their karmic retributions everywhere, throughout hundreds of thousands of millions of worlds. If it were not for the great compassionate strength of the Thus Come One, I would be unable to perform such changes and transformations. Now, I receive the World-Honored One’s entrustment; until the coming of Ajita, I will cause all living beings in the Six Paths to attain liberation. So it is, World-Honored One, do not be concerned.”
Commentary:
Earth Store Bodhisattva does not brag, “I have great spiritual penetrations, far-reaching wisdom, and charismatic eloquence.” Instead, he says humbly that because he has received the Buddha’s power, he is able to reduplicate his body and rescue living beings who have doubts, commit karma, and undergo subsequent retributions. The process by which the reduplicated bodies which did not formerly exist come into being is called “transformation.”
Ajita is another name of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, and it means both “invincible” and “the kind one.” Since there is none who can overcome him, he can be victorious over all, and since he cannot be defeated, he constantly laughs and is never angry. It is from these qualities that his wisdom comes.
Sutra:
The Buddha then told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “Living beings who have not yet obtained liberation have unfixed natures and consciousness. They may practice evil or good and reap the corresponding karma. Their good or evil acts arise in accordance with their states, and they turn in the Five Paths without a moment’s rest. They pass through kalpas as numerous as motes of dust, confused, deluded, obstructed, and afflicted by difficulties, like fish swimming down a long stream through nets. They may slip about through the nets for a long time, but, after temporary liberation, they again are snagged. It is for such as these that I would be concerned, but since you have made extensive vows and sworn to cross over such offenders throughout many kalpas, I have no cause for worry.”
Commentary:
People who have unfixed natures and consciousness have no determined resolve. First they decide to study the Buddhadharma and then they change their minds. Their good or evil acts arise in accordance with their states. If they encounter a healthy environment, good friends who explain Dharma and teach them to benefit others, they continue their study. If they meet bad friends who lead them into debauchery, they follow along and their good acts cease.
The same process of influences is at work everywhere. If you are always with energetic people, little by little you too become vigorous. If you associate with lazy people, even though you may be energetic by nature, you become lazy too. This is what is meant by the proverb, “Be near rouge and turn red, be near ink and turn black.” Things take on the color to which they are exposed. Dye cloth tan and it becomes tan; put it in yellow dye and it turns yellow. If you become friends with drinkers, you unsuspectingly become one of them; if you run with people who take drugs, you end up like them. We should always be cautious in choosing our friends, since it is their advice to which we listen most. If your friends are good ones, you should listen to them, but if they are bad, they should be ignored.
The Five Paths are the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, and gods. While it is common to refer to the Six Paths, they may also be reckoned as five, since asuras appear in all paths. Living beings turn in the paths like fish swimming down a long stream through nets. The analogies in the Buddhist sutras certainly are fitting.
Sutra:
When this was said, a Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, named Samadhi Self-Existent King arose from the midst of the assembly and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, what vows has Earth Store Bodhisattva made during these many kalpas that he now receives the World-Honored One’s special praise? Please, World-Honored One, speak about this.”
The World-Honored One said to Samadhi Self-Existent King, “Listen attentively, consider this well. I shall now explain this matter for you.”
Commentary:
A Mahasattva is a great being. Because he cultivated samadhi and attained a self-contained existence, this Bodhisattva is called Samadhi Self-Existent King.
Sutra:
“Once, limitless asamkhyeyas of nayutas of kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named All-Knowledge-Accomplished Thus Come One, the One Worthy of Offerings, the One of Right and Equal Enlightenment, the One Perfect in Clarity and Conduct, the Well-Gone-Forth One, the Unsurpassed Scholar Who Comprehends the World, the Valiant Tamer and Guide, the Master of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. That Buddha’s lifespan was sixty thousand kalpas. Before leaving home he had been the king of a small country and had been friendly with the king of a neighboring country with whom he practiced the Ten Good Deeds and benefited living beings. Because the citizens of these countries did many evil acts, the kings agreed to perfect expedient devices for them. One vowed, ‘I will accomplish the Buddha Way quickly and then cross over all the others without exception.”
“The other king vowed, ‘If I do not first cross over all those who suffer for their offenses, and cause them to attain peace and Bodhi, I shall not accomplish Buddhahood.’”
The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Samadhi Self-Existent King, “The King who vowed to become a Buddha quickly is All-Knowing-Accomplished Thus Come One. The king who vowed not to become a Buddha until he had seen all others safely across is Earth Store Bodhisattva.”
Commentary:
Asamkhyeya and nayuta are the names of very large numbers that describe the time when All-Knowledge-Accomplished Thus Come One appeared in the world. There are Three Kinds of Knowledge:
1. All Knowledge
2. Knowledge of the Way
3. Knowledge of All Modes
The third of these encompasses the other two.
The sutra text describes this Buddha by means of the Ten Designations of the Buddha. The first is Thus Come One. A layman once asked me if Amitabha Buddha and Thus Come One Buddha were different. You should know that all Buddhas are called Thus Come One. There is Amitabha Thus Come One, Sakyamuni Thus come One, Medicine Master Thus Come One, and so forth. This use of names is similar to that found among people. Everyone has his own personal name, which may be used by his peers or by those above him who know him well, but most people also have a title by which they are known to people with whom they are only distantly acquainted. Each of the Ten Designations of the Buddha has its own descriptive title. The designation Thus Come One, for example, has the title “Identity with the Former Virtuous Ones.”
As for the meaning of the term “Thus Come One,” “Thus” is placeless and without direction, and “Come” is a response and manifestation. “Come,” therefore, can be explained as not coming from anywhere, and “Thus” as not going anywhere. The meaning of all this is that nothing comes and nothing goes. Furthermore, “Thus” is the principle of fundamental enlightenment, and “Come” is the wisdom of initial enlightenment which arises in reliance on the principle of fundamental enlightenment.
The One Worthy of Offerings. In this phrase the word “worthy” means deserving. That is to say, since he merits the offerings of men and gods, men and gods should make offerings to him. This designation, like all the others, has its particular title, “Capable of Being a Field of Merit.” There are two kinds of merit fields. The first is that of self-benefit and the second that of benefiting others. To benefit oneself means to investigate truth and eliminate doubts. It is called self-benefit, since he who investigates is the one who understands. Others, however, must be taught so they may learn to do the same work. This teaching is the benefiting of others.
The One of Right and Equal Enlightenment. Right is distinguished from the wrong of outside ways. Equal is distinguished from the nonequality of the Two Vehicles, which only attain to an extreme of the emptiness principle and do not see the equality of emptiness and existence. One with enlightenment is distinguished from those who are unenlightened. The designation as a whole means that there is nothing that is not known, and this designation also has its own title, “Universal Knowledge of the Dharma Realm.”
The Surangama Sutra says, “The straightness of the pine, the twining of the bramble, the whiteness of the egret, and the blackness of the crow are fully understood in their original existence.” The Buddha knows the reasons for all phenomena, just as he knows every drop of rain that falls, even those outside the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds.
The One Perfect in Clarity and Conduct. Clarity means understanding and conduct means cultivation. Clarity is wisdom; conduct is blessings. This refers to the double perfection of the Buddha’s wisdom and blessings. There are Three Kinds of Clarity:
1. Clarity of the Heavenly Eye
2. Clarity of Past Lives
3. Clarity of Exhaustion of Outflows
The title of this designation is the “Display of Causal Virtues in the Result,” because it is on the ground of results that the virtuous conduct cultivated on the ground of cause is made manifest.
The Well-Gone-Forth One. The title of this designation is “Wonderfully Gone to Bodhi.” This title derives from the Buddha’s ability to go into all Buddha-lands of the Ten Directions and use expedient devices and provisional teachings to transform living beings.
The Unsurpassed Scholar Who Comprehends the World. If one has doubts of any sort he can still be surpassed. Because the Buddha has cut off all doubts – those of views, those of thought, and those as fine as dust and sand – he is an unsurpassed scholar. Because he knows that both the body and exterior states are empty and false, and that only the Buddha vehicle is genuine, this designation has the title, “Penetrating through the Counterfeit and Reaching the Truth.”
The Valiant tamer and Guide. The Buddha regulates living beings in the Six Paths and guides them toward the result of Buddhahood. Because he guides living beings from the turning wheel of birth and death, this designation has the title, “Collecting and Teaching Beings in Accordance with the Way.”
The Master of Gods and Men. He is a model for the triple world with all its gods and men. The title of this designation is “Speaking Dharma in Response to the Opportunities of Beings.”
The Buddha. The title of this designation is “Fully Bright in the Three Enlightenments.” The Three Enlightenments are:
1. The Enlightenment of Self
2. The Enlightenment of Others
3. The Completion of Enlightenment and Conduct
The World-Honored One. Because he is honored both in and beyond the world, he has this designation, whose special title is “The Only Revered One of the Triple World.” The Triple World is:
1. The realm of desire
2. The realm of form
3. The formless realm
When Sakyamuni Buddha was born, he pointed one hand at heaven and the other at earth, took seven steps, and said, “In the heavens above and here below, I alone am honored.” Thus he has this title. There are six additional meanings to the honorific “World-Honored One”:
1. Self-Existent
2. Blazing
3. Upright and Majestic
4. Universally Renowned
5. Auspicious
6. Venerable and Honorable
The Ten Good Deeds practiced by the kings of the two small countries are abstention from:
1. Killing
2. Lying
3. Sexual misconduct
4. Greed
5. Hatred
6. Stupidity
7. Bad speech
8. False speech
9. Double-tongued speech
10. Idle talk
Sutra:
“Moreover, limitless asamkhyeya kalpas ago a Buddha named Pure-Lotus-Eyes Thus Come One appeared in the world. His lifespan was forty kalpas. During his Dharma-Image Period, an Arhat who had great merit and who crossed over living beings, teaching them as he encountered them, met a woman named Bright Eyes who made an offering of food to him.
“‘What is your wish?’ asked the Arhat.
“Bright Eyes replied, ‘On the day of my mother’s death I performed meritorious deeds for her rescue, but I do not yet know in what path she has been born.’
“Out of pity for her, the Arhat entered into samadhi to contemplate, and saw that Bright Eyes’ mother had fallen into an evil path where she was undergoing extremely great suffering. The Arhat asked, ‘When your mother was alive, what deeds did she do that she should now be undergoing such great punishment in an evil path?’
“Bright Eyes replied, ‘My mother enjoyed eating fish, turtles, and the like. She particularly relished their fried or boiled roe, and because she was fond of eating, she took thousands of lives. Oh, Venerable Compassionate One, how can she be saved?’
“The Arhat pitied her and established an expedient device and said, ‘With a sincere will be mindful of Pure-Lotus-Eyes Thus Come One, and also make carved and painted images for the benefit of the living and the dead.’
“On hearing this, Bright Eyes renounced everything she loved, drew an image of that Buddha, and made offerings before it. Moreover, she wept sorrowfully as she respectfully gazed at and worshiped that Buddha. Suddenly, in the small hours of the night, as if in a dream, she saw that Buddha’s body, dazzling gold in color and as large as Mount Sumeru, emitting great light.
“This Buddha said to Bright Eyes, ‘Before long your mother will be born in your own household and as soon as she can know hunger and cold she will speak.’
“Shortly thereafter, a maidservant in the house bore a son who spoke within three days of his birth. Lowering his head and weeping mournfully, he said, ‘In life and death one must undergo retributions for his own deeds. I am your mother and have been in darkness for a long time. Since leaving you I have constantly been reborn in the great hells. As a result of receiving the power of your meritorious deeds, I have been able to be reborn, but only as a poor son of low class. My lifespan, moreover, will be short, and after thirteen years I will fall into an evil path again. Do you have some way to affect my liberation?’ “
Commentary:
The Arhat sat in dhyana and investigated the plight of Bright Eyes’ mother. His investigation involved an act of volition for its accomplishment, whereas Bodhisattvas are able to use their spiritual penetrations at any time, anywhere, and need not deliberately make an effort to meditate and enter samadhi.
Bright Eyes renounced everything she loved, drew an image of that Buddha, and made offerings before it. Just as the Brahman woman sold her house, Bright Eyes gave away and sold her most cherished possessions for the sake of performing an offering of incense, flowers, ointments, fruits, food and drink, clothing, bedding, and medicinal herbs before the Buddha Pure-Lotus-Eyes. Later the Buddha appeared to her as if in a dream; because of her extreme sincerity and earnestness, there was what is called an “intertwined response with the Way,” and she saw the Buddha’s body.
Sutra:
“When Bright Eyes heard the words of the servant’s child, she knew without doubt that he was her mother and, choked with sobs, said to the child, ‘Since you are my mother you should know your own past offenses. What deeds did you do that caused you to fall into the Evil Paths?”
“The servant’s child said, ‘I have undergone this retribution as a result of killing and slandering. If I had not received the merit which you earned to rescue me from difficulty, my karma would be such that I could not yet have been released.’
“On hearing this, Bright Eyes asked, ‘What happens during retribution in the hells?”
“The servant’s son answered, ‘Merely to speak of those sufferings is unbearable, and even a hundred thousand years would not suffice to describe them all.’
“Bright Eyes heard this and wept bitterly and said into empty space, ‘May my mother be eternally separated from the hells, and after these thirteen years may she be free of her heavy offenses and leave the Evil Paths. O Buddha of the Ten Directions have compassion and pity me. Hear the far-reaching vows which I am making for the sake of my mother. If she can leave the Three Evil Paths forever, leave the lower classes, leave the body of a woman, and never again have to endure them, then, before the image of the Thus Come One Pure-Lotus-Eyes, I vow that from this day forth, throughout hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of kalpas, I will rescue living beings who are suffering in the hells for their offenses, and others of the Three Evil Paths. I will rescue them all and cause them to leave the realm of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and the like. Only when the beings who are undergoing retribution for their offenses have all become Buddhas will I myself accomplish the right enlightenment.’
“After making this vow she clearly heard the Thus Come One Pure-Lotus-Eyes say to her, ‘Bright Eyes, you have great compassion to be able to make such a great vow for your mother’s sake. I see that your mother will cast off this body after thirteen years and will be born a Brahman with a lifespan of one hundred years. After that life she will be born with a lifespan of kalpas in the Land of No Concern, after which she will accomplish Buddhahood and cross over as many men and gods as there are sand grains in the Ganges.’ “
Sakyamuni Buddha told Samadhi Self-Existent King, “The Arhat with great merit who helped Bright Eyes is now Inexhaustible-Intention Bodhisattva, the mother of Bright Eyes is Liberation Bodhisattva, and Bright Eyes herself is now Earth Store Bodhisattva. Throughout many aeons, because of his compassionate pity, he has made as many vows as there are sand grains in the Ganges to rescue living beings.
“Men and women in the future who do not practice good but do evil, who do not believe in cause and effect, who indulge in sexual misconduct and false speech, who practice double-tongued and harsh speech, and who slander the Great Vehicle, will certainly fall into the Evil Paths. But if they encounter a good, knowing adviser who, in the flick of a finger, leads them to take refuge with Earth Store Bodhisattva, those living beings will obtain release from the retribution of the Three Evil Paths. Those whose acts show deference; who are respectful with a determined mind; who gaze in worship, praise, and make offering of flowers, incense, clothing, gems, or food and drink will be born in the heavens. There they will enjoy supremely wonderful bliss for hundreds of thousands of kalpas. When their heavenly merit is ended and they are born below in the world of men, they will be imperial kings throughout hundreds of thousands of kalpas and will be capable of remembering the causes and results of their former lives. O, Samadhi Self-Existent King, Earth Store Bodhisattva has inconceivable and ineffable great spiritual power to benefit living beings. All you Bodhisattvas should recall this sutra and proclaim and widely spread it.”
Samadhi Self-Existent King said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, please do not be concerned. We thousands of tens of thousands of millions of Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas, receiving the Buddha’s awesome spirit, will certainly proclaim this sutra widely throughout Jambudvipa for the benefit of living beings.”
Having spoken thus to the Buddha, the Bodhisattva Samadhi Self-Existent King put his palms together respectfully, bowed, and withdrew.
Commentary;
Some of you may think that the study of Dharma is uncomfortable. What do you think it would be like in the hells? Although you might scream that you did not want to endure such misery, you would have no way to escape, for if the effect of your offenses is not yet extinguished, there is simply no way out. Even if you undergo a little pain in the human realm, just think how much less painful it is than being in the hells. With this attitude, no matter how badly your legs hurt when you meditate, you will always be happy and will know no suffering.
You see, as the Brahman woman on the causal ground, even Earth Store Bodhisattva was helpless and could only weep to the Buddha to save her mother from the paths of knives, of blood, and of fire, as well as those of the Three States of Woe. Now, in turn, you should all be aware that if it were not for the great vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, we might very well be undergoing retributions in the hells, tormented among the hungry ghosts, or suffering among the animals. The reason that we have become humans is that Earth Store Bodhisattva made vows to rescue us. Since we have not yet achieved the penetration of past lives, however, we do not realize the good fortune we have derived from him, how much merciful and compassionate aid we have received. If he had not made his vows, we would all be in great danger. Consequently, we should always remember to repay his kindness. Ultimately, like Bright Eyes’ mother, we can be born in the Land of No Concern, which is the Western Paradise, the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Recently, when I lectured at the University of California, a student asked if Buddhists believed in cause and effect, I replied, “It is not a matter of belief or disbelief. If you believe in it, then there is such a thing as cause and effect; if you do not believe in it, cause and effect operate just the same. For example, go punch someone; you will certainly get hit back. Your initial punch is the cause, and your being beaten in return is an effect. Now, do you believe the principle that when you hit someone you will be hit in return?”
The student was speechless, even though he probably had a store of theories demonstrating the nonexistence of causal relationships. Perhaps he was afraid of being beaten up, or maybe he simply did not want to attack people, but in any case that was the end of that. Of course, you all know that you should not go around hitting people. If you do, you are planting a cause and you are going to get clobbered. That is an effect.
If you are not good to others, they will not be good to you. If you plant good seeds, you will reap good fruits. If you have bad friends, you will become a bad friend yourself, and if you have good friend, you will become like them. The principle of cause and effect applies everywhere. You needn’t look around to see why people are not good to you; just ask yourself, “Am I good to them?” Always turn your light back and look inward. Do not be like a camera, which can only take pictures of other people and cannot know what its own interior looks like.
One who is given to double-tongued speech presents one face to one person and another face to another. You praise A to his face and speak with him of B’s faults. When with B you speak ill of A. In this way you may cause separations and schisms, and so this offense includes one of the gravest offenses, breaking up the harmonious Sangha.
What is meant by breaking up the harmonious Sangha? The Buddhadharma is studied with bhiksus and sramaneras, and one who studies Buddhadharma cannot study on the one hand and, on the other, slander those with whom he studies. Laymen may not speak of the faults of those who have received the bhiksu or sramana precepts. This holds true for bhiksunis, too, of course. One may not destroy or cause dissension in the Sangha, saying to one person who has left home, for example, that another one has this or that fault. This kind of activity sows the seeds of dissension and causes the harmonious Sangha to disperse. To do this is to commit one of the five grave offenses discussed earlier.
Not only the Sangha; one may also not slander the Great Vehicle. One may say there is no such thing as the Mahayana, and that only the Pali Canon may be believed. The other day, for example, an insane man came here, and when he saw us studying sutras in Chinese, he asked if it had been taken from Pali. He didn’t even know what Pali was, let alone understand the question of authenticity.
What is meant by good, knowing adviser? The word good in this title may be explained as able, because a good, knowing adviser is capable of knowledge; that is, he is capable of knowing, without any obstruction whatever, that the triple world is like a burning house. There are three kinds of good, knowing advisers:
1. outward protectors
2. fellow cultivators
3. teachers
The first are those who supply the things necessary to support the Triple Jewel, and they act as Dharma protectors. The second, fellow cultivators help find and correct each other’s flaws. Since one may not know his own shortcomings, his fellow cultivators can help point them out. This does not mean, however, that they pick on and anger one another. Far from it. The idea behind this kind of relationship is mutual aid.
There is a bit of shop talk among lapidaries that says, “Slice, rub, and polish.” To render a piece of rough jade into a beautiful gem, you must first slice it open; then you must grind away all the flaws and polish it. A similar process of self-cultivation is what is being described here.
What is a teaching good, knowing adviser? He is one who instructs beings in the Buddhadharma, who lectures on sutras and speaks Dharma in order to teach them.
A flick of a finger lasts for sixty-four ksanas, each of which in turn lasts for the space of twenty blinks of an eye and contains nine hundred births and deaths. Each of these twenty blinks is twenty thoughts long. If one can encounter Earth Store Bodhisattva, and in the flick of a finger he can return to and rely upon this Bodhisattva, offering up his life and conduct, he will completely eradicate limitless offenses meriting the states of woe.
All you Bodhisattvas should recall this sutra and proclaim and widely spread it. The reason we now have a chance to see and study this sutra is that all those Bodhisattvas have been proclaiming and spreading it. If it were not for them, we would have no way to encounter this rare Dharma jewel.
Sutra:
At that time the Four Heavenly Kings arose from their seats, put their palms together respectfully, and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, since Earth Store Bodhisattva has made such extensive vows for kalpas, why then has he not yet completed his crossing over of beings? Why does he continue to practice such vast vows? Please, World-Honored One, explain this for us.”
The Buddha told the Four Heavenly Kings, “Excellent, excellent. For your benefit as well as for the benefit of men and gods of the present and future, I will speak of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s words in the paths of birth and death in Jambudvipa in the Saha world. I shall speak of his expedient devices, and of his compassion and pity in rescuing, saving, crossing over, and liberating beings who are suffering for their offenses.”
The Four Heavenly Kings replied, “Yes, World-Honored One, we would like to hear about his work.”
The Buddha told the Four Heavenly Kings, “From kalpas long ago until the present, Earth Store Bodhisattva has crossed over and liberated living beings, yet out of compassionate pity for those beings still suffering in the world, he has not yet completed his vows. Moreover, he sees that their causes for limitless kalpas in the future are like uncut tendrils and vines, and, because of this, he makes his mighty vows. Thus, in the continent of Jambudvipa, in the Saha world, this Bodhisattva teaches and transforms beings by means of thousands of tens of thousands of myriads of expedient devices.
“Kings, to killers Earth Store Bodhisattva speaks of a retribution of a short lifespan; to robbers he speaks of a retribution of poverty and acute suffering; to practicers of sexual misconduct he speaks of the retribution of being born as pigeons, mandarin drakes and ducks; to the foul-mouthed he speaks of the retribution of a quarreling family.
“To slanderers he speaks of the retribution of a tongueless and cankerous mouth; to the hateful he speaks of being ugly and crippled; to the stingy he speaks of frustrated desires; to gluttons he speaks of the retribution of sickness, hunger, and thirst; to those who enjoy hunting, he speaks of the retribution of a frightening insanity and disastrous doom.”
“To cruel parents or step-parents he speaks of the retribution of being flogged in future lives; to those who net and trap young animals, he speaks of the retribution of separation of flesh from bone; to those who slander the Triple Jewel, he speaks of the retribution of being blind, deaf, or mute; to those who slight the Dharma and regard the teachings with arrogance, he speaks of being in the Evil Paths forever; to those who recklessly use the things of the permanently dwelling, he speaks of the retribution of revolving in the hells for myriads of kalpas; to those who defile the pure conduct of others and purposely slander the Sangha, he speaks of an eternity in the animal realm; to those who scald, burn, behead, cut, or otherwise harm animals, he speaks of repayment in kind.
“Those who violate precepts and the regulations of pure eating, he speaks of the retribution of being born as birds and beasts suffering from hunger and thirst; to those who make unprincipled and destructive use of things, he speaks of the retribution of never obtaining what they seek; to those who are arrogant and haughty, he speaks of a retribution of being servile and of low class; to those whose double-tongued behavior causes dissension and disorder, he speaks of a retribution of tongueless ness and speech impediments; to those of biased views, he speaks of rebirth in the frontier regions.
“This is a general description of the hundreds of thousands of differing retributions resulting from the habitual bad deeds of body, mouth, and mind committed by the living beings of Jambudvipa. Since they have such differing responses, Earth Store Bodhisattva uses hundreds of thousands of expedient means to teach them. The living beings who commit offenses must first undergo retributions of such as these, and then fall into the hells, where they pass through kalpas with no moment of escape. You should therefore protect people and protect their countries. Do not allow living beings to be confused by these manifold deeds.”
On hearing this the Four Heavenly Kings wept sorrowfully, placed their palms together, and withdrew.
Commentary:
The Four Heavenly Kings of the four directions live halfway up Mount Sumeru in palaces forty-two thousand yojanas high, made of the Seven Precious Things: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, mother-of-pearl, red pearls, and carnelian. Their palaces are adorned with tiers of railings, seven layers of netting, and seven rows of trees.
The king of the east, Dhrtarastra, “he who upholds his country,” has ninety-nine sons, all of whom are named Indra. He commands two groups of ghosts and spirits, fragrant spirits and malodorous spirits.
The fragrant spirits are gandharvas, musicians who are also called doubtful spirits because, although they look like humans, they have a single horn in their foreheads. When people see them, they are unsure about whether the spirits are human. Gandharvas are extremely fond of incense and will flock to places where it is burned. The Jade Emperor, the chief of the Indras, has a very rare and wonderful sandalwood which he burns to attract them. When they arrive, he has them play music for him, since he is still caught up in the realm of defiling objects and enjoys hearing music.
The malodorous ghosts, Budana, are called Pa Ta No in the Surangama Mantra. Wherever they go they are followed by a putrid stench. Both of these groups of ghosts and spirits are under the jurisdiction of the king of the east.
The king of the south is called Virudhaka, “increasing and growing,” because he is able to lengthen and increase the good roots of living beings. He too has ninety-nine sons, all of whom are named Indra. In fact, each of the four kings has ninety-nine sons, all with the same name, so that there are three hundred and ninety-six Indras in all.
Virudhaka also watches over two groups of ghosts and spirits, one of the kumbhandas and the other the Pretas. The Kumbhandas called “distant’ ghosts because they like to stay far away from people, are also known as barrel ghosts or melon ghosts because of their shape. Pretas are called “proximate” ghosts because they like to be near people, and, in fact, they establish themselves as ancestral spirits at the memorial plaques people set up for their deceased relatives.
The king of the west is named Virupaksa, “many languages,” because he can speak the tongues of all countries; he is also called Broad Eyes. He, like the other kings, is responsible for two groups of ghosts and spirits, the Pisaci and poison dragons. The Pisaci, called Pi Sha She in the Surangama Mantra, are also called madness ghosts because they can cause incurable insanity in people. They subsist on essential energies, particularly those of humans, and always flock to places where sexual activities are producing these substances. The other group under jurisdiction of this king is the poison dragons, whose poison may be contracted by seeing, hearing, smelling, or even just being near them.
The king of the south, Vaisravana, “widely learned,” is the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings. It is in his palace that their meetings are convened. The two groups of ghosts and spirits under his command are the Yaksas and the Raksas. There are several categories of Yaksas, those who live on the ground, those in space, and those who abide in the heavens. Because Yaksas travel at more or less the speed of light, they are called speedy ghosts. Raksas, “fearsome ghosts,” are so called because of their terrifying appearance.
The Buddha told the Four Heavenly Kings that Earth Store Bodhisattva sees all the causes and conditions of living beings. The power of our deeds is like the tendrils that grow on plants and grasses, getting longer year after year. We commit deeds in one life and then in the next life we commit more, building up our karma. This continues life after life and the offense karma becomes heavier, while the merit we have acquired becomes light and lighter. With only slight meritorious virtue, you cannot become a Buddha, but if your karmic obstacles are extremely heavy, you can become a ghost.
People of little understanding say that there are no such things as ghosts. Their argument is not up to the level of a child’s. Children, at least, will usually believe an explanation that is principled, whereas people who oppose belief in ghosts and spirits usually do so without paying attention to the principles involved. If there were no ghosts, there could be no Buddhas, since the difference between the two is just a turn. If the turn is made, you are a Buddha; if not, you are a ghost. Humans are in the midst of the turning, and, consequently, if their karma becomes heavier, it is very easy for them to fall into the realms of the ghosts.
In this passage of text the Buddha describes for the Four Heavenly Kings the expedient devices used by Earth Store Bodhisattva.
To robbers he speaks of a retribution of poverty and acute suffering. Stealing includes not only actual theft but also the use of people’s property without their knowledge or permission. When Earth Store Bodhisattva meets people who commit this kind of offense, he tells them of the retribution of poverty. The reason there are so many poor people in the world is that there have been many who have stolen in past lives who are now undergoing the appropriate retribution. The more one steals, the poorer he will be, and the more he will have cause to fear one of the most bitter of all kinds of suffering, that of poverty.
Sexual misconduct refers to adultery and all manner of extramarital affairs. One should not misconstrue this, however, and say that since one is married there is no problem and one can be totally unrestrained in his sexual activity with his wife. Even married couples had best decrease this activity because it leads to dullness. The more one is involved in sexual matters, the less light he has. One has light and manifests wisdom if he does not engage in sex.
The pigeon is thought to be the most lustful bird of all and can raise an amazing number of fledglings every year. Most animals and birds mate with the male above and the female below, but the pigeon is so lustful that he reverses these positions.
The emotional attachment of mandarin drakes and ducks to their mates is extremely strong, and they are absolutely inseparable, not only in the water and on land but even in the air. Although birds may seem to have independence of a sort, they are by no means free, and theirs is certainly not a good state to be in. For those who engage in sexual misconduct, the retribution of the bird realm is a likely one, and so Earth Store Bodhisattva speaks of it to such people.
He tells those who scold, slander, lie, and speak falsely and harshly that they will always be surrounded by strife and never know peace. Those who like to prattle and talk confusedly, who slander the Triple Jewel, will be mutes or stutterers in the future. This is also the reason people sometimes develop incurable canker sores in their mouths.
To the hateful he speaks of a retribution of being ugly and crippled. This retribution is spoken of to people whose natures are like those of asuras, whose tempers flare up at the slightest provocation. When people get angry their faces turn purple and their eyes bulge, their veins stand out, and they become quite repulsive. If you like to get angry now, you face the retribution of ugliness.
The Chinese term that refers to the retribution of being crippled actually alludes to a peculiar inability to pass water. If you always get angry, in future lives you will not only be ugly, you will also be plagued by myriad illnesses.
There are some people, gluttons, who eat and drink nonstop from morning until night. After they eat they nap and then wake to eat again in a routine that never varies. They are totally uncontrolled, knowing no regulation or moderation. Earth Store Bodhisattva tells such people that in the future they will never be able to get their fill, and that their throats will be so diseased and swollen that they will be unable to swallow even water.
Hunters are people who take pleasure in the chase. Having killed an animal they are filled with pride, strength, and joy. To those who are totally given over to such activities, Earth Store Bodhisattva speaks of the retribution of a frightening insanity and disastrous doom. He might say, for example, “In your next life you will quite probably go mad and have an untimely death.” This refers to accidental deaths like those in automobile collisions, airplane explosions, or falling in front of a speeding train – all unexpected, violent, and premature deaths. People may be led to stop hunting as a result of hearing such predictions.
Now that we are studying this sutra and have come to know these retributions, you, too, can explain them to people on appropriate occasions. You and Earth Store Bodhisattva can undertake a partnership in this work.
Confucius’ disciple Min Tzu Ch’ien had a stepmother who was partial to her own son and did not like Min Tzu Ch’ien at all. In the winter, when padded garments are worn for warmth, she made a quilted and double-lined robe for her own child but a single-layered robe stuffed with rushes for Min Tzu Ch’ien. While her own son was warm and cozy, Min Tzu Ch’ien quietly endured the cold.
One day his father was riding with Min Tzu Ch’ien in a chariot and saw that the boy was trembling. Chiding the lad for shivering on what was not a very cold day; the father lashed out with his crop and ripped his son’s coat. When he saw the single layer of cloth and rushes, the father wept, felt ashamed at how badly he had treated his son, and vowed to get rid of his new wife immediately.
Min Tzu Ch’ien knelt before his father and pleaded on his stepmother’s behalf, saying, “When the mother is here, one son has a simple garment, but if the mother leaves, two sons will freeze.” When his father confronted Min Tzu Ch’ien’s stepmother with the facts, she felt shame and realized what a good stepson she had. Thereafter she treated both boys equally.
In China there were often adopted children in a family. These children were frequently treated very poorly by their stepparents. The result of such treatment of stepchildren is flogging in future lives.
Separation of flesh from bone is a retribution incurred by those who trap animals, particularly very young ones. The term “flesh from bone” refers to one’s family; as a retribution for this type of deed, one’s family is dispersed and its members cannot see one another.
People who are blind, deaf, or mute have slandered the Triple Jewel and have fallen into the hells, where they spent countless kalpas. After their term they worked their way up to becoming animals, and, once they managed to escape the animal realm, they obtained human birth. This birth was into poor or impoverished circumstances or as mutes or blind people.
Those who purposely slander the Sangha, for example, who spread rumors of cheating, drinking, or killing about a monk who has not done anything wrong, will first fall into the hells and then spend an eternity among the animals.
To those who scald, burn, behead, cut, or otherwise injure animals, he speaks of repayment in kind. If you use boiling water or fire to get rid of ants or an insect nest, for example, or if you slice or club animals to death, you will be repaid in kind.
Violating precepts is doing that which you know quite clearly to be wrong. The offenses incurred by this class of wrongdoing are particularly heavy, much more so than when one misbehaves unknowingly. If you kill after taking the precept against killing, you are violating that precept. If you steal after receiving the precept, the same is true, and so forth for the precepts against sexual misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants.
All these, however, are visible surface manifestations that everyone can see. There is yet another type of violation of precept, with which most people are unfamiliar, since it is invisible. There are two major kinds of precept violation: that which has form and can be seen and that which has no form and is invisible. In the Buddhadharma the latter is considered a violation of precepts just as much as is the former, even though in most other religions this is not the case.
There are four kinds of violation that have no form and cannot be seen. In the first of these, one is able to maintain the pure precepts and practice them superficially, but in the practice there remains a view of a self. “I hold the precepts, I maintain the precepts. I do this, and I do that.” Although such a person may not have actually violated any precept per se, he still has not maintained the true precepts, for one who does so cannot possibly have a view that he is higher or better than others.
In the second type, one may be able to recite and quote all the sutras and regulations, yet never leave a view of the body. In the first type of violation there was always the thought of I. In this case, although there is not constant thought of I, continual attention is paid to the body, which is never allowed to be the least bit uncomfortable. If one prefers a lazy and sloppy body and continues to pamper it, even though such a person has not violated any specific precept, neither has he truly maintained the precepts.
The third category of violation is related to those who are able to practice the Twelve Dhuta, ascetic practices. Such practices are cultivated with great energy, vigor, and alertness. “I never sleep, yet I have great energy; instead of sleeping I just sit and meditate. Others like to eat, but I don’t even drink water.” Although one may follow austere practices, he may also retain the view that things still exist, and he may not have relinquished the view of a self. One who cultivates such practices, but who has not yet seen through the emptiness of self and things, may seem to be holding precepts, but in fact his cultivation is still far off the mark.
In the fourth category, one may practice and maintain a heart of great compassion toward all beings, yet be frightened or alarmed on hearing that dharmas are empty, neither produced nor destroyed. In this case, as in the three above, even though there has been no actual violation of precepts, the moral conduct is far from perfected.
Pure eating refers not only to abstaining from meat but to eating at prescribed times. If, for example, one has vowed not to eat after noon and then does so, he not only violates the precept regarding pure eating, he violates the precept against stealing as well. When asked whether or not he has eaten, such a person may reply that he has not and thus also violate their precept against lying. The one who supplies food to the violator also violates precepts in these cases, and the Buddha said of all such persons, “They are not my disciples.” Such persons are like garbage-eating seabirds or dung-eating ghosts. They are extremely unfortunate, and Earth Store Bodhisattva warns them that they may suffer the retribution of becoming hungry birds and beasts.
Those who make unprincipled and destructive use of things will also undergo retribution. Take, for example, a teacup that could have a long period of useful functioning. If, for no good reason, you decide to smash it and render it useless, you are committing the offense mentioned here. This principle applies not only to teacups but to anything which belongs to the permanently dwelling or to private individuals. In the future, those who commit this offense will be unable to fulfill their wishes and will never obtain what they seek.
Biased views refer to those who absolutely refuse to comply with rules.
The habitual bad deeds of body, mouth, and mind, the three evils, are ten in all. Three pertain to the body: killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. There are four evils of the mouth: idle speech, false speech, evil speech, and double-tongued speech. There are three evils of the mind: greed, hatred, and stupidity. Taken together, these are called the Ten Evil Deeds.
After hearing this, the Four Heavenly Kings wept sorrowfully, placed their palms together, and withdraw. They wept, on one hand, for those many beings who had to endure such sufferings and, on the other, from shame that they had not fulfilled their responsibility to protect living beings. They were greatly moved, placed their palms together, and withdrew.
End of Chapter 4
(Next: Chapter 5)
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Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Chapter 3)
CHAPTER THREE
Contemplating the Karmic Conditions of Living Beings
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Sutra:
At that time the Buddha’s mother, the Lady Maya, placed her palms together respectfully and said to Earth Store Bodhisattva, “Holy One, the deeds done by the living beings of Jambudvipa differ. What are their respective retributions?”
Earth Store replied, “In a thousand ten thousands of worlds and lands, whether with or without hells, with or without women, the Buddhadharma, Sound-Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas, and others, the retributions of the hells differ.”
Commentary:
The term “living beings” is composed of two words in Chinese, literally, many/born. Living beings are said to grasp at the many aggregates (form, reception, thought, activity, and consciousness) and thereby attain bodies. They are born into various states as a result of manifold causes and conditions, which are collectively called karma. Karma is a Sanskrit term that refers to that which is made by the activity of speech, body, or mind. What is the difference between “cause” and “karma”? Cause refers to a single incident; karma is a long accumulation of causes. There are many causes and conditions that constitute karma, and each being has his own. Therefore the states encountered by living beings differ. Some encounter great joy because they planted good seeds long ago, while others must endure a great deal of hardship, always living in difficult situations, because they have only sown bad causes. In general, if you plant good seeds, you reap good fruit; if you plant bad seeds, you reap bad fruit.
Good and bad are done by you alone, and no one forces you to do either. Even the work of becoming a Buddha is something to which you alone must apply effort; no one else can make you do it, and nobody can do it for you. If you do the work, you will plant the seeds of Buddhahood and find accomplishment. If you do the deeds, the karma, of Buddhas, you will be a Buddha in the future; if you do the deeds of demons, you will become a demon. Didn’t the text say earlier that the hells are called forth in response to the Three Evil Karmas?
After Sakyamuni Buddha accomplished the Way, he spoke Dharma for forty-nine years in over three hundred Dharma assemblies. When he was about to enter nirvana he realized that he had not yet crossed over his mother, the Lady Maya, and so he went to the Trayastrimsa Heaven to speak Dharma for her.
Some worlds have hells and some do not. The Land of Ultimate Bliss, for example, does not have any of the Three Evil Paths, nor any hells, hungry ghosts, or animals. In this world of ours, on the other hand, they do exist.
Some worlds – ours for example – have both men and women as well as sages and common people. The Land of Ultimate Bliss has only men. How does this come about? Men remain men, but when women go to that world they become men. Since there are no women, the people in the world of Ultimate Bliss are born transformationally from lotus flowers. When we recite the Buddha’s name once here, our lotus-flower mother in the Land of Ultimate Bliss grows a bit. The more we recite it here, the more our flower grows. The more sincere our recitation is, the more flourishing our lotus.
When the Eighth Consciousness has not yet become a person, a god, a ghost, etc., it is called the Intermediate Skandha Body. When we die, the Intermediate Skandha, or Intermediate Shadow Body, is led into the lotus flower. When that flower opens, a person is born.
In some worlds a Buddha may be speaking Dharma; in others, the Dharma of a Buddha may circulate. Places where no one speaks Dharma, where there are no Buddha images, sutras, or people who have left the home life, are called places without Buddhadharma. According to the sutras, the northern continent, Uttarakuru, does not have Buddhadharma, and is classed among the Eight Difficulties, circumstances in which it is hard to encounter Buddhadharma.
From the point of view of common people, Sound-hearers are very happy, but from the standpoint of the Bodhisattva, the Sound-Hearers, too, have their sufferings. The passage cited above refers to places that have the sufferings of Sound-Hearers or the sufferings of the Pratyekabuddhas.
Regardless of who you are, if you create karma, you will undergo the appropriate retribution; avoiding karma you avoid the retribution that follows it. This is a certain principle that works impartially, with equality for all.
Sutra:
The Lady Maya again spoke to Earth Store Bodhisattva; “I wish to hear only of the bad paths that are the retribution from offenses in Jambudvipa.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva replied, “Holy Mother, please listen and I will explain it in general terms.”
The Buddha’s mother answered, “I hope that you will do so.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Holy Mother, “These are the names of the retributions for offenses in Jambudvipa. Living beings who are not filial to their parents, who harm or kill them, will fall into the uninterrupted hell, where, for a thousand millions of kalpas, they will seek in vain to escape.”
Commentary:
We living beings should be filial to our parents, for those who are not filial commit offenses. Filial piety is important because it is the basis of humanity; if people are not filial, they forget their very origin. Therefore, it is said, “Father gave me a life, mother raised me; their kindness – as vast as high heaven, as manifold as the hairs on the head – is difficult to repay.”
What is filial piety? Does it mean buying rare delicacies to feed one’s parents? Is it perhaps seeing that they are dressed in fine clothes? No. These are a superficial form of filial piety. The inner functioning of filial piety is to comply with one’s parents’ fundamental intent.
Suppose my father likes to smoke opium. If he smoked one once a day, and I smoked two, wouldn’t that be filial piety? It certainly would not. When I said “comply,” I meant to comply with the basic parental desire for the children’s welfare, not with a parent’s superficial habits. If the latter were intended, you might as well say that if your father likes bread and butter, you should say to him, “I like that, too. You’re just going to have to wait while I eat it.” That would be belligerence about a superficial matter, not compliance with your father’s basic benevolent intentions towards you. To comply means to be in accordance with another’s wishes.
There is a couplet that says,
The lamb kneels to drink its milk,
The young crow returns to the nest.
When the lamb drinks its mother’s milk, it kneels to do so. The crow is called filial bird in Chinese since the young crows return with food for their aged mother who can no longer fly. If we are not filial to our parents, we humans are not even the equals of birds and beasts.
There are Five Virtues possessed by humans: humaneness, propriety, etiquette, knowledge, and trust. Since we have the ability to practice these qualities, can we not even equal the best aspects of the behavior of crows and sheep? There is nothing more important than being filial.
Someone might ask, “I want to be filial, but now I have left the home life and my parents are nowhere nearby. How can I be filial?” Leaving one’s home life can be an act of great filial piety. There is a saying,
When one son enters the Buddha’s door,
Nine generations ascend to heaven.
If you leave home to cultivate the Way, nine generations of ancestors receive the benefit and can ascend to heaven. In this way, you are being filial not only to your parents but to your grandparents and to parents and grandparents of past lives. Of course, you must continue to cultivate. If you do not do so, your nine generations will fall into hell, where they will wail and moan: “We had a descendant who left home to cultivate, and because of him we should have been born in the heavens. Who would have thought that all he does is sleep, causing us to fall into hell.”
The mere act of leaving home life is not sufficiently powerful to cause your nine generations of ancestors to be reborn in the heavens. If you do not cultivate the Way, they will not reap any benefit, but if you do cultivate, you are practicing great filial piety.
Sutra:
“Living beings who shed the Buddha’s blood, who slander the Triple Jewel, and who do not respect and venerate sutras, will fall into the uninterrupted hell, and for thousands of tens of thousands of millions of kalpas they will seek escape in vain.”
Commentary:
When the Buddha is in the world, shedding his blood means just that; after his nirvana, it means destroying images of the Buddha.
“How is it possible,” you think “to harm the Buddha, who has such great spiritual powers?”
Sometimes even the Buddha undergoes harm at the expense of others. The Buddha’s cousin, Devadatta, opposed everything the Buddha did and invariably tried to ruin him. If the Buddha said that something was proper, Devadatta would contradict him. He did everything he possibly could to undermine the Buddha.
Once when the Buddha was speaking, Devadatta bribed a poor woman to take part in a plot against him. As is the case with many impoverished persons, her resolve was weak and she would do anything for money. Devadatta had her tie a large sponge around her waist under her clothes and in this condition go to the Buddha’s Dharma assembly and accuse him of fathering her unborn child. But when she arrived, the Buddha used his powerful spiritual strength to make the sponge fall to the ground in full view of the assembly.
Another time the Buddha was walking beneath Vulture Peak when Devadatta, hoping to crush the Buddha, used his spiritual powers to cause an avalanche. A Dharma protector name Pei La, the spirit of Vulture Peak, used his Vajra pestle to smash one of the large boulders, which was about to hit the Buddha. One of the fragments, however, struck the Buddha’s little toe and cracked a bone. At that very moment the ground opened and a fiery chariot emerged from the earth to carry Devadatta off alive to the hells. The retribution incurred by those who deliberately and maliciously destroy images of the Buddha is similar.
Slandering the Triple Jewel is speaking evil of the Buddha, his Dharma, and the Sangha. Among the Bodhisattva precepts is one that prohibits people from speaking of the offenses of the Four Assemblies, the bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, and upasikas. Not only does it warn people to refrain from speaking of those faults, it also prohibits listening to others speak of them. Even if you assent silently in such a conversation, you are violating precepts just as much as if you were speaking. The best thing to do in a situation like this is simply to ignore what is being said.
Among other reasons for not speaking of the faults of the assemblies is that the views of ordinary persons are quite often wrong. The realms of sages and those of ordinary people differ immensely. Bodhisattvas of the first ground, for example, don’t know the states of those of the second ground, and so on up the line. Bodhisattvas on the tenth ground do not know the state of the Bodhisattvas on the ground of equal enlightenment. Before you have attained true wisdom you may not say harmful things about the Four Assemblies; even though people may very clearly be in the wrong, you should not speak of it. Just do things correctly yourself, rather than being like a camera that goes about photographing faults and never examines its own inside.
At this point two illustrative stories come to mind, one about Dhyana Master Chih Kung and the other about Dhyana Master Chi Kung.
During the reign of the emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, there was a Dhyana Master named Chih Kung who ate two pigeons every day. The cook assumed that the birds must be delicious, and after many days of temptation, he sampled a small bit of wing on the sly. The he brought the remainder of the dish to Chih Kung. After he had eaten, Chih Kung called for the cook.
“Why have you been eating my pigeons?”
“I didn’t take any pigeon,” answered the cook.
“Oh? Then what about this?” said Chih Kung. He opened his mouth and two live pigeons emerged. One of the birds flew off, but the other lacked a wing.
“If you didn’t eat a wing, what’s the matter with this bird?” asked Chih Kung.
Although in both cases the men ate pigeons, there was a bit of difference in the act. After Chih Kung had swallowed the pigeon, he could still spit it out whole; the cook, on the other hand, could not do it. Chih Kung’s state was one of “eating and yet not eating.”
At Ling Yuan Monastery at West Lake in Hang Chow lived Dhyana Master Chi Kung, another famous monk who always ate dog meat and drank wine. He was invariably inebriated, and everyone said, “There goes another tippling monk.” In his drunkenness, however, Chi Kung taught and transformed living beings.
Once some new Buddha images had not yet been gilded and he vowed to take on that responsibility. The abbot of his temple agreed and then waited. After some time the images were still not finished, and Chi Kung was questioned about the matter by the abbot. He agreed to do the work that very evening. When night came, however, he merely kept on with his drinking.
When everyone was asleep, he went to the images and began to spew forth pure gold, with which he covered the images. The abbot heard Chi Kung and abruptly ordered him to stop such unseemly conduct. Chi Kung instantly did as he was told.
The next morning the abbot inspected the images. He found that they were covered with gold except for one which lacked a small spot on the crown of the head. Although a master goldsmith completed the work, his ordinary gold could not match that supplied by Dhyana Master Chi Kung.
So, you see, you should not speak of the faults of the Four Assemblies. Speaking of ordinary people is not serious, but suppose you should talk about a Bodhisattva or someone else of attainment. The penalty you might incur could be very great, enough to cause you to fall into hell.
People slander the Triple Jewel because they do not have faith. Another cause is mixing with bad company - people who do not understand and therefore slander the Buddhadharma. Associating with such people may cause one to be influenced by their bad habits.
Some people berate and slander the Triple Jewel and use flattery for ill gain. Such persons’ minds are crooked; they engage in flattery to get what they want. They are stupid, yet puffed up with their own intelligence, like the five thousand bhiksus who left the assembly during the speaking of the Lotus Sutra. Because they had a tiny bit of cleverness, they looked down on others and slandered the good Dharmas, thus blinding the selective Dharma eye of living beings.
What is the retribution for such persons? In the future they will be deformed and crippled, without arms, hands, ears, or legs. They may very well be mutes. Mutes are people who have slandered the Triple Jewel. After they commit this offense they fall into the hells, where they spend two million years of hellish retribution, after which they are born into the realms of the animals. After two million years among the animals, they may be reborn as humans, but they will always be without eyes, ears, or perhaps a nose. In general, their appearance will be deformed.
Sutras must be treated with respect, for, as it says in the Diamond Sutra, “Wherever this sutra is, there is the Buddha.” Sutras are the Dharma-body of the Buddha, toward which we must be very respectful. They should always be stored one level higher than other books, preferably at head level, but certainly never at foot level; it is disrespectful to store Buddhist sutras beneath other books. The places where we sleep are unclean, and sutras should not be placed there. If you do not show the same respect for sutras that you show the Buddha, you are slandering and harming the Triple Jewel. The retribution for not respecting sutras is the same: one falls into the uninterrupted hells and for a hundred thousand millions of kalpas tries to escape but cannot.
Sutra:
“Living beings who usurp property of the ‘permanently dwelling,’ who defile bhiksus or bhiksunis, who practice sexual acts within the Sangharama, or who kill and harm beings there, will fall into the uninterrupted hell where, for thousands of millions of kalpas, they will seek escape in vain.”
Commentary:
To usurp and destroy is to make use of the food, drink, and goods of those permanently dwelling in the temples, without offering compensation. If one lives in a temple before he has left home, he should certainly make offerings and aid that temple. If you live in a temple even for a few days and do not make an offering, you have usurped goods of those permanently dwelling there. This offense will certainly send you to the hells. You should regard living in a temple as being similar to living anywhere else; you should give money for living expenses and thus avoid stealing from those permanently dwelling there. If you have not understood any principles of Buddhism and act improperly, that is one thing; but if you have studied and still behave this way, it is quite another. Consequently, I tell my disciples to make sure they never commit this offense but always support the Triple Jewel.
This principle holds true not only for lay people but for those who have left home life as well. If you cannot augment the resources of a place, you should at least make sure that you do not deplete them.
If you are absolutely broke, that is another matter, but since the place of the permanently dwelling is where the great assembly may live, we must take care not to inconvenience anyone or deplete the supplies. If you use food of the great assembly and there is none left, you have committed an offense. Food is a major source of happiness for human beings, and you cannot deprive others of it. If I alone starve to death, that will be no problem, but I cannot deprive the assembly of its food.” With this attitude you will not commit a grave offense in this area.
There are four kinds of Permanently Dwelling, which in this discussion refer to the goods of the permanently dwelling.
1. The Permanently Dwelling. This category includes the fixed, immovable goods of the Sangha, which cannot be divided up.
2. The Permanently Dwelling of the Ten Directions. This includes items that may be shared by any member of the Sangha from anyplace whatever.
3. The Current Permanently Dwelling. This refers to the actual private property of current members of the Sangha.
4. The Current Permanently Dwelling of the Ten Directions. This refers to the actual property left by decease Sangha members which may be divided among the Sangha members of the Ten Directions.
Some evil people particularly like to take advantage of those who have left their home life and engage in sexual misconduct with them. This is a very great offense. The Sangharama is a still, pure place. Any bodhimandala, any temple, in fact, any place where there is a Buddha image, is a Sangharama. In such places one cannot engage in sexual activities.
A man who suffered from a genital ulcer once asked Mahamaudgalyayana the origin of his disease and was told that it was a result of having violated this regulation in the past. Although he was speaking to a man, the principle is the same for women. Anyone who violates this rule will have to undergo this retribution. These diseases are extremely difficult to cure.
Some people say, after hearing all of this, that the more they study Buddhism, the more inconvenient things become; the more they practice, the less independence they have. When you don’t study the Buddhadharma, are you independent? When you study Buddhism, you may be limited for a while, but this restraint is relatively short-lived. While you study the Buddhadharma, you increase your good roots; when you do not study, you increase your offense-caused obstacles. These obstacles tie you up and your non-independence is eternal. The non-independence of studying the Buddhadharma is a short-term one by comparison, and if you wish to attain eternal independence, you will have to endure it. If you cannot do so, your non-independence will be very long indeed. Weigh the odds for yourself.
Sutra:
“Living beings who pretend to be sramanas but whose hearts are not those of sramanas, who make destructive use of the goods of the permanently dwelling, who take advantage of the white-robed, and who turn their backs on the precepts, doing all manner of evil acts, will fall into the uninterrupted hells and for thousands of ten thousands of millions of kalpas seek escape in vain.”
Commentary:
There are four kinds of sramana:
1. The sramana of the Way of wisdom
2. The sramana who speaks of the Way
3. The sramana who lives the Way
4. The sramana who defiles the Way
The first of these refers to the Buddha and great Bodhisattvas. The second applies to those who explain sutras and preach Dharma, particularly greatly virtuous monks and Arhats who have borne testimony to the fruit of the Way and who spend their lives expounding it. The third kind, the sramana who lives the Way, takes cultivation of the Way as his very life. The fourth kind, who is discussed in the sutra passage cited here, are sramanas who defile the Way.
Although the word sramana has four meanings, it can also be explained with three meanings, which are not three at all but really two, and these two in turn are really just one, which is to say, sramana. Ah, how subtle this Cucchadharma is! The one meaning is simply sramana, and that means “energetic” and “put to rest.”
“Energetic” refers to sramana who are not lazy, and “put to rest” refers to those who are. So you are, sramana has two meanings; one points to laziness, the other to vigor. The lazy one says to the energetic, “Don’t bother about working, relax and take it easy.”
The energetic one replies, “Don’t be so lazy; follow me and cultivate the Way.” Since there are two sides, there is a battle to see which one will win.
I said that this word also had three meanings. “Energetic” and “put to rest” have three aspects each. The threefold aspect of the former is the energetic cultivation of morality, samadhi, and wisdom. The threefold aspect of the latter is the putting to rest of greed, hatred, and stupidity.
Morality is abstinence from evil, planting good causes, and improving one’s conduct. It means turning one’s back on all one’s own errors and leaving them behind.
The guides to morality are the precepts. How many moral precepts are there? There are the Five Precepts: abstention from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants. In addition to these there are the Eight Laymen’s Precepts and the Bodhisattva Precepts, which consist of ten major and forty-eight minor ones. There are also the Ten Precepts of a Sramanera, the Two Hundred and Fifty Precepts of the Bhiksu, and the Three Hundred and Forty-Eight Precepts of the Bhiksuni. Some people say bhiksunis have five hundred precepts, but in fact they have three hundred and forty-eight.
Samadhi is developed by meditation. (If you cultivate the Way you can attain proficiency in it. When you first begin to meditate, you have no samadhi, and your thoughts run off to the heavens and the hells, to the Buddha and to the Bodhisattvas; in fact, your mind wanders all over the Six Paths. In order to keep thought concentrated, and our minds from running all over, we must cultivate samadhi.
Someone is thinking, “Why bother cultivating concentration? Compare it to dancing: you prance and leap about, and it’s much more interesting than just sitting there, like a stick of wood. What are the advantages of Samadhi anyway?”
Basically it has no advantages. ‘The why bother with it?” you ask. If you wish to reveal your inherent wisdom, you must first of all cultivate samadhi, for if you are not able to concentrate, your thoughts will be scattered about and you will never manifest any wisdom. Wisdom comes from samadhi; if you want to be released from ignorance, cultivate samadhi.
One of my disciples recently said that when meditating he felt as if he were on the edge of a great precipice, on the edge of a very deep abyss, and was frightened. This is a sign of the beginning stages of samadhi. Here one must be particularly fearless. If you are meditating and you feel that there is a great piece of iron suspended above your head on the verge of breaking loose, or if you feel a bomb about to go off, do not be affected by it, because if you are, it will be quite easy to enter the realm of the demons. If you become attached to such signs, the “atomic bomb” you feel over your head may very well go off. If, on the other hand, you pay no attention to them, demons cannot come near you, and in fact they will have to run away.
The mental state in which a huge crevasse appears while you are in meditation represents the karmic obstacles, which are heavier and deeper than a ten-thousand-foot abyss. It is a sign that shows you the urgency of cultivation.
Sometimes, when you are meditating, you may feel blissful, self-contained freedom which is so joyful that you forget everything else. This is a taste of dhyana, the most blissful experience in the world of form, which far surpasses connubial pleasures. In fact, it is something to which inhabitants of the realm of form can become decidedly attached. It is said that only the one who drinks the water knows whether it is cold or hot; the same is true of the flavor of dhyana. If you have experienced this state, you know what it is like, and if you have not, you do not know. One of my disciples, for example, is about to attain the state of “being Apart from Production and Obtaining Bliss,” one of the Four Dhyanas. This is not a major matter, but it is quite common and can occur to anyone who cultivates. This stage marks the beginning of samadhi.
What is the function of wisdom? One who has wisdom cannot go down a wrong road. You are confused because you turn your back on enlightenment and unite with the dust. Mistaking suffering for happiness, you confuse the realms of enlightenment and dust. Why do you do all of this? Simply because you do not have any wisdom.
And so, one must be both energetic and resting. Listen energetically to the explanation of sutras, and energetically cultivate morality, samadhi, and wisdom. Most important, you must cultivate yourself and do so vigorously in accordance with the instructions of your teacher. To do this you must put greed, hatred, and stupidity to rest. Don’t be greedy for anything in the world, don’t indulge your temper, and don’t get angry. Give your strong temper away. To whom will you give it? You can give it to me, your teacher, so that I may increase my fire and make my disciples afraid of me. Now you see that your teacher is as soft as cotton, and so you do not cultivate and are lazy. Vigorous cultivation of morality, samadhi and wisdom puts greed, hatred, and stupidity to rest.
There are some people who pretend to be sramanas. Although they have the name, they do not have the heart of a sramana and do not cultivate morality, samadhi, and wisdom. They do not put greed, hatred, and stupidity to rest, and they even think these traits are admirable. They claim to be sramanas, yet their practice lacks compassion and patience. They do not practice the Six Perfections and the Ten Thousand Practices.
There are others who make destructive use of the permanently dwelling. Items belonging to the Triple Jewel, even small ones, cannot be used casually or thrown away. This is true for as small a thing as a sheet of paper. If you waste things, you are destructive of the goods of the permanently dwelling.
There is a saying, “To use a blade of grass or a splinter of wood not given is to steal.” To use other people’s things without their permission is a violation of the precept against stealing.
Nothing that belongs to a temple may be used offhandedly or given away. If as simple a thing as a needle and thread is given to you as an offering, it may not be used carelessly and most certainly may not be given away. If you give away a sheet of paper, a piece of thread, or even a grain of rice for your own personal reasons – particularly in order to gain favor so that people will feel obliged to aid and support you – you are again violating the precept against stealing.
Of course, if you want to give away your own personal belongings, that is another matter, since they are not public property or another’s possessions. This is something to which those who have left home should pay particular attention. You should not use the goods of the permanently dwelling in such a way as to gain favor with laymen or to provoke in them a sense of obligation toward you, for this is to take advantage of the white-robed, the laymen, as well as to steal from the Triple Jewel.
Sutra:
“Living beings, who steal the wealth and property of the permanently dwelling, their grains, food and drink, clothing, or anything that should not be taken, will fall into the uninterrupted hells, where they will seek escape for thousands of tens of thousands of millions of years in vain.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva continued speaking to the Holy Mother: “If living beings commit such offenses, they will fall into the uninterrupted hells, and although they seek for their suffering to stop, it will not do so, not even for the space of a thought.”
The Lady Maya asked, “Why are they called uninterrupted hells?”
Earth Store replied, “Holy Mother, the hells are all within the great Iron Ring Mountain. There are eighteen great hells and five hundred secondary ones, their names all different. In addition, there are another hundred thousand, with distinct names. The wall surrounding the uninterrupted hell is over eighty thousand yojanas in circumference, made entirely of iron, and topped by an unbroken mass of fire. Within that city of hells are many interconnected hells; their names also differ. There is just one hell which is properly called uninterrupted. Its circumference is eighteen thousand yojanas, and its solid iron wall is a thousand yojanas high, surmounted by a fire that plunges toward the base and is met by a fire at the bottom that leaps upward. Iron snakes and dogs spewing fire gallop back and forth atop that wall.”
Commentary:
This hell is called Avici in Sanskrit and is named uninterrupted because the sufferings there are incessant. The souls of those who have committed offenses meriting this hell fall into it at the appropriate time and there the fires burn them to death or knives chop them up. You might think that once they die they pass beyond all pain and suffering, but that is not the case. When people die in the hells, they are instantly reborn, only to die again.
How are people reborn again and again in the hells? There are two winds, one putrid and the other fragrant, known as the Clever Breezes, which blow and revive the dead. Those resurrected by the putrid wind, like the asuras, whose seven orifices are all bunched together, are reborn ugly, and those revived by the fragrant wind are beautiful. Those born in the hells are revived by the putrid wind, and those destined for the heavens, by the fragrant one. Rebirth by the putrid wind occurs instantly, and there is not the slightest interruption in the sufferings.
Because the wall of that hell is one thousand yojanas high, all sunlight is blocked, but fires cast enough light to see by. The fires are the fires of karma, which roast and sear the skin, burning people to death. Think about it. Would you like to go there? What would you do if you found yourself in such a place, bound, confined, and totally unfree? It is all very painful, lacking the slightest freedom. There is nothing but the thought of sorrow, no seeking after fame and profit, nor anything else, only untold suffering. Solid iron represents the hardness and strength of the karmic obstacles that send us to the hells.
Atop each corner in the hell are dogs’ eight hundred yojanas tall, each with eight heads, each of which has six horns, making a total of forty-eight horns. As the heads turn about the horns become wheels of fire and knives, so that wherever one goes he is sliced and burned. What do you think of these animals? Terrible? Go ahead and take a look if you wish, but let me tell you, going there is not like going to the movies. When you go to the movies you can always walk out, but when you go to hell, there is no such freedom. The fiery bodies of these monstrous dogs and snakes belch out noxious fires and a stench so putrid that the offenders vomit their very guts. You don’t have to go there: just think about it to know how it feels.
Sutra:
“In the midst of that hell is a bed that extends for ten thousand yojanas. When one person undergoes punishment, he sees his own body extended across and completely filling the bed, and yet each person of a thousand ten thousands sees his own body doing the same. Such are the retributions for various bad deeds.
“Moreover, offenders undergo many sufferings. A hundred thousand yaksas, as well as evil ghosts with swordlike teeth and eyes like lightening, drag and pull at them with brass-clawed hands. Moreover, there are yaksas who brandish great iron halberds, which they pass through the offenders’ bodies, either through their mouths and noses or through their bellies and backs. They toss them into space, turn them over, and pull them back, or else they place them on the bed. There are also iron eagles that peck at the offenders’ eyes, and iron serpents that encircle their necks. Long nails are driven into all their joints; their tongues are pulled out and plowed through; their guts are pulled out, sawed, and chopped in two. Molten brass is poured into their mouths and their bodies are bound in hot iron. Such are their karmic retributions throughout ten thousand deaths and as many births. They pass through millions of aeons, seeking for release but without hope.”
Commentary:
Yaksas are speedy ghosts, and fundamentally evil, but the ghosts known as evil ghosts are a class of yaksas that travel on the ground. Their mouths are like caverns of blood, their teeth like blades. These ghosts pick you up and toss you about with their enormous strength, throwing you perhaps several yards, perhaps a hundred. Perhaps they place you on the iron bed. Don’t misunderstand, this bed is not for sleeping; once you are on it they stick you with their halberds. Perhaps iron eagles peck at your eyes and head and crack open your skull to eat your brains. Perhaps your tongue is pulled out and plowed through. This is retribution for various deeds of the mouth. Don’t lie or engage in gossip, for if you do you will enter this hell and your tongue will be plowed through like a field. You will undergo ten thousand deaths and as many births, in a single day.
Sutra:
“When this world decays, the offender is born in another world, and when that world is annihilated, he passes in turn through others. When those worlds, too, fall and decay, he returns again. Such is the phenomenon of uninterrupted retribution for offenses.
“Moreover, this hell is given the name uninterrupted for five reasons. What are they? 1) Punishment is undergone day and night throughout kalpas, and there is no time of respite. Therefore it is called uninterrupted. 2) One person fills it, yet many people also fill it. Therefore it is called uninterrupted. 3) The implements of punishment are forks, clubs, eagles, serpents, wolves, and dogs, which pound, grind, saw, drill, chisel, cut, and chop; boiling liquids, iron nets, iron ropes, iron asses, and iron horses that flay one alive, bin the head in rawhide, and pour hot iron over one’s body; meals of iron pellets and drinks of iron fluids. Throughout many nayutas of kalpas such suffering continues without respite. Therefore it is called uninterrupted. 4) Whether a man, a woman, a barbarian, old or young, honorable or lowly, a dragon or a spirit, a god or ghost, everyone must undergo retribution for the offenses he has committed. Therefore it is called uninterrupted. 5) From the time of entry, one undergoes ten thousand deaths and as many births each day and night throughout a hundred thousand kalpas. He may seek release for but the space of a thought, but even such a brief pause is not possible. Only when one’s karma is exhausted can he attain rebirth. Because of this continuity, it is called uninterrupted.”
Commentary:
This world in which we live has its times of becoming, of enduring, of decaying, and of emptiness. Every century the human lifespan decreases by one year, and man’s height diminishes by an inch, so that nowadays the average lifespan is a bit over sixty. This, of course, is just an average which does not consider the exceptions: those who live to be a hundred or those who die at the age of one or two. It is an average that works out over a long span of time.
When Sakyamuni Buddha was in the world, the lifespan was seventy to eighty years; now it is sixty to seventy years. When the lifespan decreases to ten years, it will turn and again begin to increase until it reaches eighty-four thousand years. The period during which the lifespan diminishes is called a decreasing; the period in which it lengthens is called an increasing. One increase and one decrease is called a kalpa, and one thousand of these constitute a small kalpa. Twenty small kalpas make a middle kalpa, and four middle kalpas constitute one great kalpa. Each of the four middle kalpas is one of the periods of becoming, enduring, decaying, and emptiness.
Every world decays. Places that were dry land several thousand years ago are now submerged and no longer exist. Earthquakes eradicate entire villages, districts, or even countries. This is what is meant by decay.
It is not the case that when this world ends one’s karma in the hells is exhausted. Far from it! One simply moves to hells in another world, where the deeds done with the body find retribution, with the body as the tool of karma.
Sutra:
Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Holy Mother, “This is a general description of the uninterrupted hell. If I were to speak extensively about all the names of the implements of punishment in the hells, and all the sufferings there, I could not finish speaking in an entire kalpa.”
After hearing this Lady Maya Placed her palms together sorrowfully, made obeisance, and withdrew.
End of Chapter 3
(Next Chapter 4)
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Contemplating the Karmic Conditions of Living Beings
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Sutra:
At that time the Buddha’s mother, the Lady Maya, placed her palms together respectfully and said to Earth Store Bodhisattva, “Holy One, the deeds done by the living beings of Jambudvipa differ. What are their respective retributions?”
Earth Store replied, “In a thousand ten thousands of worlds and lands, whether with or without hells, with or without women, the Buddhadharma, Sound-Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas, and others, the retributions of the hells differ.”
Commentary:
The term “living beings” is composed of two words in Chinese, literally, many/born. Living beings are said to grasp at the many aggregates (form, reception, thought, activity, and consciousness) and thereby attain bodies. They are born into various states as a result of manifold causes and conditions, which are collectively called karma. Karma is a Sanskrit term that refers to that which is made by the activity of speech, body, or mind. What is the difference between “cause” and “karma”? Cause refers to a single incident; karma is a long accumulation of causes. There are many causes and conditions that constitute karma, and each being has his own. Therefore the states encountered by living beings differ. Some encounter great joy because they planted good seeds long ago, while others must endure a great deal of hardship, always living in difficult situations, because they have only sown bad causes. In general, if you plant good seeds, you reap good fruit; if you plant bad seeds, you reap bad fruit.
Good and bad are done by you alone, and no one forces you to do either. Even the work of becoming a Buddha is something to which you alone must apply effort; no one else can make you do it, and nobody can do it for you. If you do the work, you will plant the seeds of Buddhahood and find accomplishment. If you do the deeds, the karma, of Buddhas, you will be a Buddha in the future; if you do the deeds of demons, you will become a demon. Didn’t the text say earlier that the hells are called forth in response to the Three Evil Karmas?
After Sakyamuni Buddha accomplished the Way, he spoke Dharma for forty-nine years in over three hundred Dharma assemblies. When he was about to enter nirvana he realized that he had not yet crossed over his mother, the Lady Maya, and so he went to the Trayastrimsa Heaven to speak Dharma for her.
Some worlds have hells and some do not. The Land of Ultimate Bliss, for example, does not have any of the Three Evil Paths, nor any hells, hungry ghosts, or animals. In this world of ours, on the other hand, they do exist.
Some worlds – ours for example – have both men and women as well as sages and common people. The Land of Ultimate Bliss has only men. How does this come about? Men remain men, but when women go to that world they become men. Since there are no women, the people in the world of Ultimate Bliss are born transformationally from lotus flowers. When we recite the Buddha’s name once here, our lotus-flower mother in the Land of Ultimate Bliss grows a bit. The more we recite it here, the more our flower grows. The more sincere our recitation is, the more flourishing our lotus.
When the Eighth Consciousness has not yet become a person, a god, a ghost, etc., it is called the Intermediate Skandha Body. When we die, the Intermediate Skandha, or Intermediate Shadow Body, is led into the lotus flower. When that flower opens, a person is born.
In some worlds a Buddha may be speaking Dharma; in others, the Dharma of a Buddha may circulate. Places where no one speaks Dharma, where there are no Buddha images, sutras, or people who have left the home life, are called places without Buddhadharma. According to the sutras, the northern continent, Uttarakuru, does not have Buddhadharma, and is classed among the Eight Difficulties, circumstances in which it is hard to encounter Buddhadharma.
From the point of view of common people, Sound-hearers are very happy, but from the standpoint of the Bodhisattva, the Sound-Hearers, too, have their sufferings. The passage cited above refers to places that have the sufferings of Sound-Hearers or the sufferings of the Pratyekabuddhas.
Regardless of who you are, if you create karma, you will undergo the appropriate retribution; avoiding karma you avoid the retribution that follows it. This is a certain principle that works impartially, with equality for all.
Sutra:
The Lady Maya again spoke to Earth Store Bodhisattva; “I wish to hear only of the bad paths that are the retribution from offenses in Jambudvipa.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva replied, “Holy Mother, please listen and I will explain it in general terms.”
The Buddha’s mother answered, “I hope that you will do so.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Holy Mother, “These are the names of the retributions for offenses in Jambudvipa. Living beings who are not filial to their parents, who harm or kill them, will fall into the uninterrupted hell, where, for a thousand millions of kalpas, they will seek in vain to escape.”
Commentary:
We living beings should be filial to our parents, for those who are not filial commit offenses. Filial piety is important because it is the basis of humanity; if people are not filial, they forget their very origin. Therefore, it is said, “Father gave me a life, mother raised me; their kindness – as vast as high heaven, as manifold as the hairs on the head – is difficult to repay.”
What is filial piety? Does it mean buying rare delicacies to feed one’s parents? Is it perhaps seeing that they are dressed in fine clothes? No. These are a superficial form of filial piety. The inner functioning of filial piety is to comply with one’s parents’ fundamental intent.
Suppose my father likes to smoke opium. If he smoked one once a day, and I smoked two, wouldn’t that be filial piety? It certainly would not. When I said “comply,” I meant to comply with the basic parental desire for the children’s welfare, not with a parent’s superficial habits. If the latter were intended, you might as well say that if your father likes bread and butter, you should say to him, “I like that, too. You’re just going to have to wait while I eat it.” That would be belligerence about a superficial matter, not compliance with your father’s basic benevolent intentions towards you. To comply means to be in accordance with another’s wishes.
There is a couplet that says,
The lamb kneels to drink its milk,
The young crow returns to the nest.
When the lamb drinks its mother’s milk, it kneels to do so. The crow is called filial bird in Chinese since the young crows return with food for their aged mother who can no longer fly. If we are not filial to our parents, we humans are not even the equals of birds and beasts.
There are Five Virtues possessed by humans: humaneness, propriety, etiquette, knowledge, and trust. Since we have the ability to practice these qualities, can we not even equal the best aspects of the behavior of crows and sheep? There is nothing more important than being filial.
Someone might ask, “I want to be filial, but now I have left the home life and my parents are nowhere nearby. How can I be filial?” Leaving one’s home life can be an act of great filial piety. There is a saying,
When one son enters the Buddha’s door,
Nine generations ascend to heaven.
If you leave home to cultivate the Way, nine generations of ancestors receive the benefit and can ascend to heaven. In this way, you are being filial not only to your parents but to your grandparents and to parents and grandparents of past lives. Of course, you must continue to cultivate. If you do not do so, your nine generations will fall into hell, where they will wail and moan: “We had a descendant who left home to cultivate, and because of him we should have been born in the heavens. Who would have thought that all he does is sleep, causing us to fall into hell.”
The mere act of leaving home life is not sufficiently powerful to cause your nine generations of ancestors to be reborn in the heavens. If you do not cultivate the Way, they will not reap any benefit, but if you do cultivate, you are practicing great filial piety.
Sutra:
“Living beings who shed the Buddha’s blood, who slander the Triple Jewel, and who do not respect and venerate sutras, will fall into the uninterrupted hell, and for thousands of tens of thousands of millions of kalpas they will seek escape in vain.”
Commentary:
When the Buddha is in the world, shedding his blood means just that; after his nirvana, it means destroying images of the Buddha.
“How is it possible,” you think “to harm the Buddha, who has such great spiritual powers?”
Sometimes even the Buddha undergoes harm at the expense of others. The Buddha’s cousin, Devadatta, opposed everything the Buddha did and invariably tried to ruin him. If the Buddha said that something was proper, Devadatta would contradict him. He did everything he possibly could to undermine the Buddha.
Once when the Buddha was speaking, Devadatta bribed a poor woman to take part in a plot against him. As is the case with many impoverished persons, her resolve was weak and she would do anything for money. Devadatta had her tie a large sponge around her waist under her clothes and in this condition go to the Buddha’s Dharma assembly and accuse him of fathering her unborn child. But when she arrived, the Buddha used his powerful spiritual strength to make the sponge fall to the ground in full view of the assembly.
Another time the Buddha was walking beneath Vulture Peak when Devadatta, hoping to crush the Buddha, used his spiritual powers to cause an avalanche. A Dharma protector name Pei La, the spirit of Vulture Peak, used his Vajra pestle to smash one of the large boulders, which was about to hit the Buddha. One of the fragments, however, struck the Buddha’s little toe and cracked a bone. At that very moment the ground opened and a fiery chariot emerged from the earth to carry Devadatta off alive to the hells. The retribution incurred by those who deliberately and maliciously destroy images of the Buddha is similar.
Slandering the Triple Jewel is speaking evil of the Buddha, his Dharma, and the Sangha. Among the Bodhisattva precepts is one that prohibits people from speaking of the offenses of the Four Assemblies, the bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, and upasikas. Not only does it warn people to refrain from speaking of those faults, it also prohibits listening to others speak of them. Even if you assent silently in such a conversation, you are violating precepts just as much as if you were speaking. The best thing to do in a situation like this is simply to ignore what is being said.
Among other reasons for not speaking of the faults of the assemblies is that the views of ordinary persons are quite often wrong. The realms of sages and those of ordinary people differ immensely. Bodhisattvas of the first ground, for example, don’t know the states of those of the second ground, and so on up the line. Bodhisattvas on the tenth ground do not know the state of the Bodhisattvas on the ground of equal enlightenment. Before you have attained true wisdom you may not say harmful things about the Four Assemblies; even though people may very clearly be in the wrong, you should not speak of it. Just do things correctly yourself, rather than being like a camera that goes about photographing faults and never examines its own inside.
At this point two illustrative stories come to mind, one about Dhyana Master Chih Kung and the other about Dhyana Master Chi Kung.
During the reign of the emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, there was a Dhyana Master named Chih Kung who ate two pigeons every day. The cook assumed that the birds must be delicious, and after many days of temptation, he sampled a small bit of wing on the sly. The he brought the remainder of the dish to Chih Kung. After he had eaten, Chih Kung called for the cook.
“Why have you been eating my pigeons?”
“I didn’t take any pigeon,” answered the cook.
“Oh? Then what about this?” said Chih Kung. He opened his mouth and two live pigeons emerged. One of the birds flew off, but the other lacked a wing.
“If you didn’t eat a wing, what’s the matter with this bird?” asked Chih Kung.
Although in both cases the men ate pigeons, there was a bit of difference in the act. After Chih Kung had swallowed the pigeon, he could still spit it out whole; the cook, on the other hand, could not do it. Chih Kung’s state was one of “eating and yet not eating.”
At Ling Yuan Monastery at West Lake in Hang Chow lived Dhyana Master Chi Kung, another famous monk who always ate dog meat and drank wine. He was invariably inebriated, and everyone said, “There goes another tippling monk.” In his drunkenness, however, Chi Kung taught and transformed living beings.
Once some new Buddha images had not yet been gilded and he vowed to take on that responsibility. The abbot of his temple agreed and then waited. After some time the images were still not finished, and Chi Kung was questioned about the matter by the abbot. He agreed to do the work that very evening. When night came, however, he merely kept on with his drinking.
When everyone was asleep, he went to the images and began to spew forth pure gold, with which he covered the images. The abbot heard Chi Kung and abruptly ordered him to stop such unseemly conduct. Chi Kung instantly did as he was told.
The next morning the abbot inspected the images. He found that they were covered with gold except for one which lacked a small spot on the crown of the head. Although a master goldsmith completed the work, his ordinary gold could not match that supplied by Dhyana Master Chi Kung.
So, you see, you should not speak of the faults of the Four Assemblies. Speaking of ordinary people is not serious, but suppose you should talk about a Bodhisattva or someone else of attainment. The penalty you might incur could be very great, enough to cause you to fall into hell.
People slander the Triple Jewel because they do not have faith. Another cause is mixing with bad company - people who do not understand and therefore slander the Buddhadharma. Associating with such people may cause one to be influenced by their bad habits.
Some people berate and slander the Triple Jewel and use flattery for ill gain. Such persons’ minds are crooked; they engage in flattery to get what they want. They are stupid, yet puffed up with their own intelligence, like the five thousand bhiksus who left the assembly during the speaking of the Lotus Sutra. Because they had a tiny bit of cleverness, they looked down on others and slandered the good Dharmas, thus blinding the selective Dharma eye of living beings.
What is the retribution for such persons? In the future they will be deformed and crippled, without arms, hands, ears, or legs. They may very well be mutes. Mutes are people who have slandered the Triple Jewel. After they commit this offense they fall into the hells, where they spend two million years of hellish retribution, after which they are born into the realms of the animals. After two million years among the animals, they may be reborn as humans, but they will always be without eyes, ears, or perhaps a nose. In general, their appearance will be deformed.
Sutras must be treated with respect, for, as it says in the Diamond Sutra, “Wherever this sutra is, there is the Buddha.” Sutras are the Dharma-body of the Buddha, toward which we must be very respectful. They should always be stored one level higher than other books, preferably at head level, but certainly never at foot level; it is disrespectful to store Buddhist sutras beneath other books. The places where we sleep are unclean, and sutras should not be placed there. If you do not show the same respect for sutras that you show the Buddha, you are slandering and harming the Triple Jewel. The retribution for not respecting sutras is the same: one falls into the uninterrupted hells and for a hundred thousand millions of kalpas tries to escape but cannot.
Sutra:
“Living beings who usurp property of the ‘permanently dwelling,’ who defile bhiksus or bhiksunis, who practice sexual acts within the Sangharama, or who kill and harm beings there, will fall into the uninterrupted hell where, for thousands of millions of kalpas, they will seek escape in vain.”
Commentary:
To usurp and destroy is to make use of the food, drink, and goods of those permanently dwelling in the temples, without offering compensation. If one lives in a temple before he has left home, he should certainly make offerings and aid that temple. If you live in a temple even for a few days and do not make an offering, you have usurped goods of those permanently dwelling there. This offense will certainly send you to the hells. You should regard living in a temple as being similar to living anywhere else; you should give money for living expenses and thus avoid stealing from those permanently dwelling there. If you have not understood any principles of Buddhism and act improperly, that is one thing; but if you have studied and still behave this way, it is quite another. Consequently, I tell my disciples to make sure they never commit this offense but always support the Triple Jewel.
This principle holds true not only for lay people but for those who have left home life as well. If you cannot augment the resources of a place, you should at least make sure that you do not deplete them.
If you are absolutely broke, that is another matter, but since the place of the permanently dwelling is where the great assembly may live, we must take care not to inconvenience anyone or deplete the supplies. If you use food of the great assembly and there is none left, you have committed an offense. Food is a major source of happiness for human beings, and you cannot deprive others of it. If I alone starve to death, that will be no problem, but I cannot deprive the assembly of its food.” With this attitude you will not commit a grave offense in this area.
There are four kinds of Permanently Dwelling, which in this discussion refer to the goods of the permanently dwelling.
1. The Permanently Dwelling. This category includes the fixed, immovable goods of the Sangha, which cannot be divided up.
2. The Permanently Dwelling of the Ten Directions. This includes items that may be shared by any member of the Sangha from anyplace whatever.
3. The Current Permanently Dwelling. This refers to the actual private property of current members of the Sangha.
4. The Current Permanently Dwelling of the Ten Directions. This refers to the actual property left by decease Sangha members which may be divided among the Sangha members of the Ten Directions.
Some evil people particularly like to take advantage of those who have left their home life and engage in sexual misconduct with them. This is a very great offense. The Sangharama is a still, pure place. Any bodhimandala, any temple, in fact, any place where there is a Buddha image, is a Sangharama. In such places one cannot engage in sexual activities.
A man who suffered from a genital ulcer once asked Mahamaudgalyayana the origin of his disease and was told that it was a result of having violated this regulation in the past. Although he was speaking to a man, the principle is the same for women. Anyone who violates this rule will have to undergo this retribution. These diseases are extremely difficult to cure.
Some people say, after hearing all of this, that the more they study Buddhism, the more inconvenient things become; the more they practice, the less independence they have. When you don’t study the Buddhadharma, are you independent? When you study Buddhism, you may be limited for a while, but this restraint is relatively short-lived. While you study the Buddhadharma, you increase your good roots; when you do not study, you increase your offense-caused obstacles. These obstacles tie you up and your non-independence is eternal. The non-independence of studying the Buddhadharma is a short-term one by comparison, and if you wish to attain eternal independence, you will have to endure it. If you cannot do so, your non-independence will be very long indeed. Weigh the odds for yourself.
Sutra:
“Living beings who pretend to be sramanas but whose hearts are not those of sramanas, who make destructive use of the goods of the permanently dwelling, who take advantage of the white-robed, and who turn their backs on the precepts, doing all manner of evil acts, will fall into the uninterrupted hells and for thousands of ten thousands of millions of kalpas seek escape in vain.”
Commentary:
There are four kinds of sramana:
1. The sramana of the Way of wisdom
2. The sramana who speaks of the Way
3. The sramana who lives the Way
4. The sramana who defiles the Way
The first of these refers to the Buddha and great Bodhisattvas. The second applies to those who explain sutras and preach Dharma, particularly greatly virtuous monks and Arhats who have borne testimony to the fruit of the Way and who spend their lives expounding it. The third kind, the sramana who lives the Way, takes cultivation of the Way as his very life. The fourth kind, who is discussed in the sutra passage cited here, are sramanas who defile the Way.
Although the word sramana has four meanings, it can also be explained with three meanings, which are not three at all but really two, and these two in turn are really just one, which is to say, sramana. Ah, how subtle this Cucchadharma is! The one meaning is simply sramana, and that means “energetic” and “put to rest.”
“Energetic” refers to sramana who are not lazy, and “put to rest” refers to those who are. So you are, sramana has two meanings; one points to laziness, the other to vigor. The lazy one says to the energetic, “Don’t bother about working, relax and take it easy.”
The energetic one replies, “Don’t be so lazy; follow me and cultivate the Way.” Since there are two sides, there is a battle to see which one will win.
I said that this word also had three meanings. “Energetic” and “put to rest” have three aspects each. The threefold aspect of the former is the energetic cultivation of morality, samadhi, and wisdom. The threefold aspect of the latter is the putting to rest of greed, hatred, and stupidity.
Morality is abstinence from evil, planting good causes, and improving one’s conduct. It means turning one’s back on all one’s own errors and leaving them behind.
The guides to morality are the precepts. How many moral precepts are there? There are the Five Precepts: abstention from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants. In addition to these there are the Eight Laymen’s Precepts and the Bodhisattva Precepts, which consist of ten major and forty-eight minor ones. There are also the Ten Precepts of a Sramanera, the Two Hundred and Fifty Precepts of the Bhiksu, and the Three Hundred and Forty-Eight Precepts of the Bhiksuni. Some people say bhiksunis have five hundred precepts, but in fact they have three hundred and forty-eight.
Samadhi is developed by meditation. (If you cultivate the Way you can attain proficiency in it. When you first begin to meditate, you have no samadhi, and your thoughts run off to the heavens and the hells, to the Buddha and to the Bodhisattvas; in fact, your mind wanders all over the Six Paths. In order to keep thought concentrated, and our minds from running all over, we must cultivate samadhi.
Someone is thinking, “Why bother cultivating concentration? Compare it to dancing: you prance and leap about, and it’s much more interesting than just sitting there, like a stick of wood. What are the advantages of Samadhi anyway?”
Basically it has no advantages. ‘The why bother with it?” you ask. If you wish to reveal your inherent wisdom, you must first of all cultivate samadhi, for if you are not able to concentrate, your thoughts will be scattered about and you will never manifest any wisdom. Wisdom comes from samadhi; if you want to be released from ignorance, cultivate samadhi.
One of my disciples recently said that when meditating he felt as if he were on the edge of a great precipice, on the edge of a very deep abyss, and was frightened. This is a sign of the beginning stages of samadhi. Here one must be particularly fearless. If you are meditating and you feel that there is a great piece of iron suspended above your head on the verge of breaking loose, or if you feel a bomb about to go off, do not be affected by it, because if you are, it will be quite easy to enter the realm of the demons. If you become attached to such signs, the “atomic bomb” you feel over your head may very well go off. If, on the other hand, you pay no attention to them, demons cannot come near you, and in fact they will have to run away.
The mental state in which a huge crevasse appears while you are in meditation represents the karmic obstacles, which are heavier and deeper than a ten-thousand-foot abyss. It is a sign that shows you the urgency of cultivation.
Sometimes, when you are meditating, you may feel blissful, self-contained freedom which is so joyful that you forget everything else. This is a taste of dhyana, the most blissful experience in the world of form, which far surpasses connubial pleasures. In fact, it is something to which inhabitants of the realm of form can become decidedly attached. It is said that only the one who drinks the water knows whether it is cold or hot; the same is true of the flavor of dhyana. If you have experienced this state, you know what it is like, and if you have not, you do not know. One of my disciples, for example, is about to attain the state of “being Apart from Production and Obtaining Bliss,” one of the Four Dhyanas. This is not a major matter, but it is quite common and can occur to anyone who cultivates. This stage marks the beginning of samadhi.
What is the function of wisdom? One who has wisdom cannot go down a wrong road. You are confused because you turn your back on enlightenment and unite with the dust. Mistaking suffering for happiness, you confuse the realms of enlightenment and dust. Why do you do all of this? Simply because you do not have any wisdom.
And so, one must be both energetic and resting. Listen energetically to the explanation of sutras, and energetically cultivate morality, samadhi, and wisdom. Most important, you must cultivate yourself and do so vigorously in accordance with the instructions of your teacher. To do this you must put greed, hatred, and stupidity to rest. Don’t be greedy for anything in the world, don’t indulge your temper, and don’t get angry. Give your strong temper away. To whom will you give it? You can give it to me, your teacher, so that I may increase my fire and make my disciples afraid of me. Now you see that your teacher is as soft as cotton, and so you do not cultivate and are lazy. Vigorous cultivation of morality, samadhi and wisdom puts greed, hatred, and stupidity to rest.
There are some people who pretend to be sramanas. Although they have the name, they do not have the heart of a sramana and do not cultivate morality, samadhi, and wisdom. They do not put greed, hatred, and stupidity to rest, and they even think these traits are admirable. They claim to be sramanas, yet their practice lacks compassion and patience. They do not practice the Six Perfections and the Ten Thousand Practices.
There are others who make destructive use of the permanently dwelling. Items belonging to the Triple Jewel, even small ones, cannot be used casually or thrown away. This is true for as small a thing as a sheet of paper. If you waste things, you are destructive of the goods of the permanently dwelling.
There is a saying, “To use a blade of grass or a splinter of wood not given is to steal.” To use other people’s things without their permission is a violation of the precept against stealing.
Nothing that belongs to a temple may be used offhandedly or given away. If as simple a thing as a needle and thread is given to you as an offering, it may not be used carelessly and most certainly may not be given away. If you give away a sheet of paper, a piece of thread, or even a grain of rice for your own personal reasons – particularly in order to gain favor so that people will feel obliged to aid and support you – you are again violating the precept against stealing.
Of course, if you want to give away your own personal belongings, that is another matter, since they are not public property or another’s possessions. This is something to which those who have left home should pay particular attention. You should not use the goods of the permanently dwelling in such a way as to gain favor with laymen or to provoke in them a sense of obligation toward you, for this is to take advantage of the white-robed, the laymen, as well as to steal from the Triple Jewel.
Sutra:
“Living beings, who steal the wealth and property of the permanently dwelling, their grains, food and drink, clothing, or anything that should not be taken, will fall into the uninterrupted hells, where they will seek escape for thousands of tens of thousands of millions of years in vain.”
Earth Store Bodhisattva continued speaking to the Holy Mother: “If living beings commit such offenses, they will fall into the uninterrupted hells, and although they seek for their suffering to stop, it will not do so, not even for the space of a thought.”
The Lady Maya asked, “Why are they called uninterrupted hells?”
Earth Store replied, “Holy Mother, the hells are all within the great Iron Ring Mountain. There are eighteen great hells and five hundred secondary ones, their names all different. In addition, there are another hundred thousand, with distinct names. The wall surrounding the uninterrupted hell is over eighty thousand yojanas in circumference, made entirely of iron, and topped by an unbroken mass of fire. Within that city of hells are many interconnected hells; their names also differ. There is just one hell which is properly called uninterrupted. Its circumference is eighteen thousand yojanas, and its solid iron wall is a thousand yojanas high, surmounted by a fire that plunges toward the base and is met by a fire at the bottom that leaps upward. Iron snakes and dogs spewing fire gallop back and forth atop that wall.”
Commentary:
This hell is called Avici in Sanskrit and is named uninterrupted because the sufferings there are incessant. The souls of those who have committed offenses meriting this hell fall into it at the appropriate time and there the fires burn them to death or knives chop them up. You might think that once they die they pass beyond all pain and suffering, but that is not the case. When people die in the hells, they are instantly reborn, only to die again.
How are people reborn again and again in the hells? There are two winds, one putrid and the other fragrant, known as the Clever Breezes, which blow and revive the dead. Those resurrected by the putrid wind, like the asuras, whose seven orifices are all bunched together, are reborn ugly, and those revived by the fragrant wind are beautiful. Those born in the hells are revived by the putrid wind, and those destined for the heavens, by the fragrant one. Rebirth by the putrid wind occurs instantly, and there is not the slightest interruption in the sufferings.
Because the wall of that hell is one thousand yojanas high, all sunlight is blocked, but fires cast enough light to see by. The fires are the fires of karma, which roast and sear the skin, burning people to death. Think about it. Would you like to go there? What would you do if you found yourself in such a place, bound, confined, and totally unfree? It is all very painful, lacking the slightest freedom. There is nothing but the thought of sorrow, no seeking after fame and profit, nor anything else, only untold suffering. Solid iron represents the hardness and strength of the karmic obstacles that send us to the hells.
Atop each corner in the hell are dogs’ eight hundred yojanas tall, each with eight heads, each of which has six horns, making a total of forty-eight horns. As the heads turn about the horns become wheels of fire and knives, so that wherever one goes he is sliced and burned. What do you think of these animals? Terrible? Go ahead and take a look if you wish, but let me tell you, going there is not like going to the movies. When you go to the movies you can always walk out, but when you go to hell, there is no such freedom. The fiery bodies of these monstrous dogs and snakes belch out noxious fires and a stench so putrid that the offenders vomit their very guts. You don’t have to go there: just think about it to know how it feels.
Sutra:
“In the midst of that hell is a bed that extends for ten thousand yojanas. When one person undergoes punishment, he sees his own body extended across and completely filling the bed, and yet each person of a thousand ten thousands sees his own body doing the same. Such are the retributions for various bad deeds.
“Moreover, offenders undergo many sufferings. A hundred thousand yaksas, as well as evil ghosts with swordlike teeth and eyes like lightening, drag and pull at them with brass-clawed hands. Moreover, there are yaksas who brandish great iron halberds, which they pass through the offenders’ bodies, either through their mouths and noses or through their bellies and backs. They toss them into space, turn them over, and pull them back, or else they place them on the bed. There are also iron eagles that peck at the offenders’ eyes, and iron serpents that encircle their necks. Long nails are driven into all their joints; their tongues are pulled out and plowed through; their guts are pulled out, sawed, and chopped in two. Molten brass is poured into their mouths and their bodies are bound in hot iron. Such are their karmic retributions throughout ten thousand deaths and as many births. They pass through millions of aeons, seeking for release but without hope.”
Commentary:
Yaksas are speedy ghosts, and fundamentally evil, but the ghosts known as evil ghosts are a class of yaksas that travel on the ground. Their mouths are like caverns of blood, their teeth like blades. These ghosts pick you up and toss you about with their enormous strength, throwing you perhaps several yards, perhaps a hundred. Perhaps they place you on the iron bed. Don’t misunderstand, this bed is not for sleeping; once you are on it they stick you with their halberds. Perhaps iron eagles peck at your eyes and head and crack open your skull to eat your brains. Perhaps your tongue is pulled out and plowed through. This is retribution for various deeds of the mouth. Don’t lie or engage in gossip, for if you do you will enter this hell and your tongue will be plowed through like a field. You will undergo ten thousand deaths and as many births, in a single day.
Sutra:
“When this world decays, the offender is born in another world, and when that world is annihilated, he passes in turn through others. When those worlds, too, fall and decay, he returns again. Such is the phenomenon of uninterrupted retribution for offenses.
“Moreover, this hell is given the name uninterrupted for five reasons. What are they? 1) Punishment is undergone day and night throughout kalpas, and there is no time of respite. Therefore it is called uninterrupted. 2) One person fills it, yet many people also fill it. Therefore it is called uninterrupted. 3) The implements of punishment are forks, clubs, eagles, serpents, wolves, and dogs, which pound, grind, saw, drill, chisel, cut, and chop; boiling liquids, iron nets, iron ropes, iron asses, and iron horses that flay one alive, bin the head in rawhide, and pour hot iron over one’s body; meals of iron pellets and drinks of iron fluids. Throughout many nayutas of kalpas such suffering continues without respite. Therefore it is called uninterrupted. 4) Whether a man, a woman, a barbarian, old or young, honorable or lowly, a dragon or a spirit, a god or ghost, everyone must undergo retribution for the offenses he has committed. Therefore it is called uninterrupted. 5) From the time of entry, one undergoes ten thousand deaths and as many births each day and night throughout a hundred thousand kalpas. He may seek release for but the space of a thought, but even such a brief pause is not possible. Only when one’s karma is exhausted can he attain rebirth. Because of this continuity, it is called uninterrupted.”
Commentary:
This world in which we live has its times of becoming, of enduring, of decaying, and of emptiness. Every century the human lifespan decreases by one year, and man’s height diminishes by an inch, so that nowadays the average lifespan is a bit over sixty. This, of course, is just an average which does not consider the exceptions: those who live to be a hundred or those who die at the age of one or two. It is an average that works out over a long span of time.
When Sakyamuni Buddha was in the world, the lifespan was seventy to eighty years; now it is sixty to seventy years. When the lifespan decreases to ten years, it will turn and again begin to increase until it reaches eighty-four thousand years. The period during which the lifespan diminishes is called a decreasing; the period in which it lengthens is called an increasing. One increase and one decrease is called a kalpa, and one thousand of these constitute a small kalpa. Twenty small kalpas make a middle kalpa, and four middle kalpas constitute one great kalpa. Each of the four middle kalpas is one of the periods of becoming, enduring, decaying, and emptiness.
Every world decays. Places that were dry land several thousand years ago are now submerged and no longer exist. Earthquakes eradicate entire villages, districts, or even countries. This is what is meant by decay.
It is not the case that when this world ends one’s karma in the hells is exhausted. Far from it! One simply moves to hells in another world, where the deeds done with the body find retribution, with the body as the tool of karma.
Sutra:
Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Holy Mother, “This is a general description of the uninterrupted hell. If I were to speak extensively about all the names of the implements of punishment in the hells, and all the sufferings there, I could not finish speaking in an entire kalpa.”
After hearing this Lady Maya Placed her palms together sorrowfully, made obeisance, and withdrew.
End of Chapter 3
(Next Chapter 4)
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Monday, July 7, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Chapter 2)
CHAPTER TWO
The Assembly of the Reduplicated Bodies
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Sutra:
At that time the reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva assembled in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven from a hundred thousand tens of thousands of millions of inconceivable, unutterable, immeasurable, ineffable, asamkhyeyas of worlds, from all the places where there are hells. Because of the spiritual power of the Thus Come One, each came from his own direction together with thousands of ten thousands of nayutas of those who had obtained liberation from the paths of karma. All came holding incense and flowers as offerings to the Buddha. Because of the teachings of Earth Store Bodhisattva all of those who came were irreversible from Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, even though long kalpas ago they had been wandering in birth and death, undergoing suffering within Six Paths without even temporary respite. Because of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s great compassion and deep vows, however, each had borned testimony to the fruits. When they came to the Trayastrimsa Heaven, their hearts jumping, they gazed at the Thus Come One, their eyes not leaving him for a moment.
Commentary:
It could be said that the reduplicated body is also the “reduplicated spirit,” “reduplicated nature,” or “reduplicated heart.” Bodhisattvas have a king of spiritually efficacious response, and thus it is said, “A penetration effected, everywhere there is response.” This is also what is meant by the phrases,
A thousand pools of water,
Moons in a thousand pools;
Ten thousand miles without a cloud,
Ten thousand miles of sky.
The moon is reflected in as many pools of water as there are; if there are ten thousand pools, there are as many reflected moons. The moon in the pool represents the “spiritual” being discussed here. It is also “nature” and you might say a “thought” as well. Although there are the appearances of a thousand moons reflected in a thousand pools, the substance of the moon does not reduplicate.
Likewise, the reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva created by living beings. By way of a simple analogy, the reduplicated bodies are like photographs. Originally, there is just one person, but an unlimited number of copies of his photograph may be made. The difference between photographs and reduplicated bodies is that the photographs do not have the ability to function, spiritual response, or the breath of life. The reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva, on the other hand, are identical with his original body and are referred to as the “hundred thousand million transformation bodies.” Wherever Earth Store Bodhisattva sees a hell, no matter where in the world system of a billion worlds it may be, he dispatches a transformation body to teach living beings there. He does this in accord with his vow to teach all the living beings in the hells.
The number of worlds from which the reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva returned to the Trayastrimsa Heaven is completely beyond calculation or comprehension, for the reduplicated bodies exist because of the needs of the limitless number of living beings who are flowing, floating and drowning, dying, and then being reborn again and again in the wheel of life and death, as many as waves on the sea. Because of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s great compassion and deep vows, many had borne testimony to the fruits of the path. He vowed, “Only when the hells are emptied will I become a Buddha; only when living beings have all been saved, will I attain to Bodhi.” Their hearts jumping, they gazed at the Thus Come One, their eyes not leaving him for a moment. This is a sign of utmost sincerity.
Sutra:
At that time the World-Honored One stretched forth his golden-colored arm and rubbed the crowns of all the reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva, from the hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of unthinkable, unutterable, immeasurable, ineffable, limitless asamkhyeyas of worlds, and said, “I teach and transform obstinate living beings within the evil worlds of the Five Turbidities, causing their minds to be regulated and subdued, to renounce the improper and return to the proper. One or two of ten, however, have bad habits remaining and I also divide into hundreds of thousands of millions of bodies in order to establish numerous expedient devices for them. There are those of keen roots who hear and then faithfully accept; there are others who have already reaped good retribution and who have been energetically exhorted to accomplishment. Yet others are dark and dull and must long be taught and transformed in order to effect their return, while others whose karma is heavy do not give rise to respect. The reduplication bodies cross over and release all of these manifold kinds of living beings by being manifested as the bodies of men, women, gods, dragons, spirits, or ghosts. They may be manifested as mountains, forests, streams, springs, and rivers; as lakes, fountains, or wells, in order to benefit people. All of these may save beings. The bodes of divine emperors, Brahma kings, wheel-turning kings, laymen, kings of countries, prime ministers, officials, bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasika, Sound-Hearers, Arhats, Pratyekabuddhas, and Bodhisattvas, may be manifested in order to teach and rescue beings. It is not only the body of a Buddha which manifests.”
Commentary:
The World-Honored One rubbed the limitless crowns of the transformation bodies by means of his total psychic power, which enables one arm to become a hundred thousand, and said, “I teach and transform obstinate living beings within the evil world of the Five Turbidities.” Perhaps “obstinate living beings” includes you, perhaps someone else. Anyone who does not follow the teachings and continues to be unruly is obstinate. It particularly means Americans who very strongly dislike following rules. Just look at the situation here. As soon as children reach a certain age, they begin to ask why there have to be so many rules. Unruly adults come from children who do not like to follow rules.
Subdued minds are harmonious and delight in receiving Dharma, neither opposing nor doubting it. “Keen roots” refers to those whose merit from past lives is extremely great, who are intelligent, and who have a great deal of wisdom. On hearing Dharma they accept it. There are also those who have reaped good retribution. In past lives they may have done deeds to plant the seeds which bear good fruit.
Those who have been energetically exhorted to accomplishment have been exhorted more than once. If, for example, you decide to cross someone over and are not initially successful, keep trying. If they are far away, write letters explaining Buddhadharma to them, and if they are nearby, visit with them now and again and discuss Buddhism.
Cross others over, but do not be crossed over by others. For example, you set out to cross someone over to believe in Buddhadharma and what happens? He makes a Christian out of you. This is what is meant by being crossed over by others. To cross others over is to have wisdom; to be crossed over by others is to be foolish. Therefore, the text says “energetically.”
Do not exhort others once or twice but many times. If you have not been effective, keep at it again and again, right up to the point where you become a Buddha.
There are those who are dark and dull, that is, ignorant, who must be transformed for a long time in order to return. Long means not merely once or twice, not even three or four times. Here, however, it is simply a matter of an unfixed time. If I cannot cross you over in one day, then I will do it in two or three, in a month, a year, or even three, four, or five years. My resolve to cross you over will be a long-lasting one, so that eventually you will come to believe in the Buddha.
Sakyamuni Buddha reduplicates into many bodies in order to release all beings, each of whom has his own particular circumstances and his own karma. These transformation bodies are manifested in many forms, perhaps as a handsome man in order to cross a woman over, or perhaps as a beautiful woman to cross over men. He does this because he knows that, as a result of their heavy desires, most living beings like male-female relationships. Consequently, the Buddha is manifested in accordance with this basic nature of living beings in order that they may more easily be taught.
The transformation bodies may be divine beings or dragons in order to cross over gods and dragons. They may be the imposing spiritual virtues of spirits, or the bodies of great ghost kings. Mountains, forests, streams, and springs are all manifestations of the Thus Come One’s Dharma body. We, along with all of San Francisco, are sitting in the Thus Come One’s Dharma-body but don’t know it. “Old Gold Mountain” (San Francisco) was manifested by the Buddha long ago in order to benefit the living beings who might live here. Although the text says mountains, forests, streams, and springs, don’t think that the level earth is not the Buddha’s Dharma-body, for it is. We are all a part of the Buddha’s Dharma-body, but we can’t see it, because we are like ants walking along the ground, unable to see the big picture. We are tiny bugs on the Dharma-body, we just don’t know it.
A mountain may appear, for example, and as you climb it you may receive its spiritual energies and attain enlightenment. You may smell the fresh air of the Buddha’s Dharma-body while in the forest and become enlightened.
You should not think that five hundred years after Buddha’s nirvana it became impossible to realize nirvana; it can be done even now. The only thing to be feared is that you will not work. If you do work, I will provide guaranteed insurance for you. When you have opened yourself to enlightenment, you will be able to collect on the policy. Of course, once you have become enlightened, you will not want to bother collecting the money, and so I’ll still come out ahead on the deal.
You may be bathing in a river and feel very comfortable, after which you attain enlightenment; the river is just a manifestation of Sakyamuni Buddha. The water from wells is similar: you may drink it, and day by day your resolve for the Way increases. All of these are inconceivable events. In general, every move of the Buddha’s is undertaken for the benefit of living beings.
While you sit in meditation Sakyamuni Buddha may be manifested in the body of a heavenly emperor who bows to you and tells you that he is lord of the heavens. He comes to you and tells you that he is lord of the heavens. He comes to encourage you because you have firmly resolved to attain the Way.
A wise wheel-turning king has many kinds of precious treasures, among which is a flying chariot pulled by a horse faster than a rocket. Our rockets, which can go to the moon, require quite some time to get there. The flying chariot of the wheel-turning king, however, can go everywhere within the world system of a million worlds within an hour – not merely to the moon and nearby planets but to other galaxies. A wheel-turning king also has a treasure storehouse; whenever he needs money he just states the amount and the earth opens up, revealing as much as he requires. Because his blessings are so great, all the wealth of the earth is at his disposition.
Among his treasures are women. Whenever wise wheel-turning kings wish for a woman, one appears spontaneously. Everything accords with the will of such a king, and he is not subject to the suffering of denial of his desires. The Buddha may be manifested in such a wheel-turning king, and when living beings see him, they resolve their thoughts on the Way. Aside from wheel-turning kings, one never knows which of you laymen might be a manifestation of the Buddha. Bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas: Sakyamuni is manifested in many bodies other than his own Buddha-body in order to cross over living beings.
Sutra:
The Buddha continued, saying, “You see that I have worked hard for many kalpas and endured different kinds of sufferings in order to liberate and cross over those living beings who are obstinate and difficult to transform and who suffer from offenses. Those among them who have not submitted undergo retributions according to their karma. If they should fall into the states of woe and endure a time of great suffering, you should remember my repeated commitment made in the Palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven: I will cause all living beings in the Saha world, until the advent of Maitreya, to attain liberation, to leave suffering eternally, and to encounter Buddhas and receive their prophecies.”
At that time the reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva from all the worlds returned together to a single form which, weeping with pity, said to the Buddha, “Throughout long aeons I have received the Buddha’s guidance, which has caused me to obtain inconceivable spiritual power and great wisdom. My reduplicated bodies fill as many worlds as there are grains of sand in a hundred thousand tens of thousands of Ganges Rivers. In each of those worlds, I transform into tens of thousands of millions of bodies, each of which crosses over a hundred thousand tens of thousands of people and causes them to return respectfully to the Triple Jewel, eternally leave birth and death, and reach the bliss of nirvana. Even if their good deeds within the Buddhadharma are as little as a hair, a drop, a grain of sand, a mote of dust, or a stand of down, I shall gradually cause them to be liberated and attain great benefit. World-Honored One, do not be concerned about future living beings with evil karma.” Thus he spoke three times: “World-Honored One, do not be concerned about future living beings with evil karma.”
At that time the Buddha praised Earth Store Bodhisattva and said, “Very good, very good, I shall help in this work you so willingly undertake. When you fulfill these great vows after long and distant kalpas, you will instantly testify to Bodhi.”
Commentary:
You should contemplate accumulated kalpas, a period so long that it cannot be known. Throughout this time Sakyamuni Buddha will energetically undergo suffering, without a moment for laziness, happiness, or pleasure, in order to release and cross over living beings. Do not think, “Oh, well, I’m probably not included.” You are certainly included among living beings who are obstinate and difficult to transform. How much of his heart’s blood has Sakyamuni Buddha expended to transform and teach us, and yet we still do not know a sense of shame. We think that everything is just fine and that there is no problem. “It’s not so important,” we say, “if Sakyamuni Buddha has to suffer a bit more, it’s no matter. I don’t have to study Buddhadharma now because it will not matter if I fool around for a while.” You explain principles for yourself in this way, and act as your own defense lawyer.
Although Earth Store Bodhisattva’s one body reduplicates to become many bodies, the many return together and become one. The many bodies are just one and the one is many. To speak of this in greater depth, there are neither many bodies nor one body; Earth Store Bodhisattva basically has no body at all. How can we say this? It is because he has no thought of a self. Although he has many bodies, they are not many, and although he has one body, it is not one. One is many, many is one. Earth Store Bodhisattva reduplicates into many bodies, which then all return to one. Which of all these bodies is Earth Store Bodhisattva? Which one is not? Would you say that any particular one of these bodies is his? You cold say that, and one of them is. Yet you could say that it is not. You could say that any body he manifests is his body. According to this theory, however, you could say that there is fundamentally no appearance at all, and therefore you could say that these are not his reduplicated bodies.
You could also say that any person who vows to study the conduct Earth Store Bodhisattva is his reduplicated body and is no different from him. People wish to study his conduct because they respect his behavior, his wisdom, and his vows. In fact, you are one of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s reduplicated bodies, and that is why you like him. Act in accord with his resolve and vows and you are his transformation body. If you can cultivate in accord with the Buddhadharma, if you have a self-nature which is replete with blessings and wisdom, if you understand the mind and see its nature, you too will have spiritual powers and will be able to return to Earth Store Bodhisattva. Return together to a single form means to return to the origin, to go back to the source.
Earth Store Bodhisattva wept with pity for four reasons. First, the living beings in the Six Paths commit bad karma and do not change their behavior. They continue to commit offenses in the realms of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and gods, and still know no sense of shame.
Second, living beings are stubborn and difficult to teach. If you explain the Buddhadharma, they often do not listen, but if you talk non-Dharma with them, they enjoy it. If, for example, you praise someone, talk about how learned and well-behaved he is, people will not pay much attention. If, on the other hand, you speak ill of others, they will listen avidly. “Why, did you know, so and so is so clever that he does scores of things you’ll never find out about.” Yes, people will pay a great deal of attention to this sort of tale, but they will not listen when you tell them to study the Buddhadharma.
If you tell them about a mysterious drug that brings about wonderful and mystical changes, they want to give it a try. Many take marijuana and LSD and other confusing drugs because they are looking for these changes. They become confused and muddled yet feel that they have ended up in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Although these states are basically harmful, those who experience them feel that everything has been transformed – not even heaven and earth are as great as they. When their drug experience is over, however, they are exhausted and have headaches and general bodily pain. Sometimes they do not want to work but just lie about like corpses, unawake and unreasoning. They never wonder how they have come to such a state but only think that if they take a little more dope, they will become enlightened. And so they continue to violate laws and deal in drugs. Wouldn’t you say that this is an ultimate form of self-destruction?
Third, the Thus come One was about to enter nirvana, the sun of wisdom was about to set, and Earth Store Bodhisattva was sorrowful.
Fourth, in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, Sakyamuni Buddha instructed Earth Store Bodhisattva to work until Maitreya appeared in the world, crossing over living beings so that they might encounter Buddhas and receive predictions of enlightenment. Earth Store Bodhisattva wept as he was given this extremely important responsibility.
Spiritual powers are wonderful and unfathomable; there is no way that these powers can be known. Yet, if you wish to cross living beings over, you must have these powers. Spiritual power, moreover, is not sufficient in itself; you must also have great wisdom. Wisdom and spiritual powers aid one another. To obtain them we should first take refuge with the Triple Jewel because before this we are outside the Buddhadharma. Taking refuge is called “casting off the improper and returning to the proper, leaving the dark and entering the light.” Therefore one takes refuge with the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
To reach the bliss of nirvana, which has the Four Qualities of permanence, bliss, self, and purity, one must have done good deeds. A hair represents the lightest of good deeds; a drop represents the fewest; a grain of sand represents the minutest of good deeds; and a mote of dust represents the smallest. A hair is extremely light, a drop of water is a very small quantity, the most minuscule particle of sand is a grain, and a mote of dust borders on emptiness – that is to say, one-seventh the size of the smallest particle visible to the naked eye. This is where the work begins.
Great benefit refers to becoming a Buddha. Just look how great this benefit is. Earth Store Bodhisattva, with his great wisdom, uses all kinds of inconceivable and wonderful methods, so that even if you want to avoid receiving his teaching, you cannot do so. This is what is meant by the phrase from Confucius, “wishing to stop and yet unable.” You might say that you are going to stop studying the Buddhadharma, but you have no way to actually do so. Ah, the wonder is just this very point. Who makes you this way? It is simply through the wonderful functioning of that good, knowing adviser, Earth Store Bodhisattva, of great vows.
Earth Store Bodhisattva spoke these words to the Buddha to say that he would take care of all living beings: “Give the responsibility to me,” he said. “If living beings have not become Buddhas, I too will not become a Buddha. Only when the hells are emptied will I become a Buddha; only when living beings have all been saved will I attain to Bodhi.”
He spoke these words three times to show the importance of the matter under discussion. Laws, for example, are passed in this way; after they are read three times, with no objections, they are considered passed. In this case, however, it is not a question of passing or not passing but merely a matter of showing the importance of the statement.
On hearing this, wouldn’t you say that we ought to be happy? We have committed so many offenses, and yet we still have the opportunity to become Buddhas. Ah, how high, how deep is this kindness. So it is said, “Look up, there is none loftier; drill in, and there is none more firm.” This Bodhisattva’s state is truly inconceivable.
On hearing Earth Store Bodhisattva’s guarantee that all beings would accomplish the Way, the Buddha was pleased and said, “Very good, very good.” The Bodhisattva spoke to the Buddha three times, and now the Buddha replies twice for the same reason.
There are basically Four Great Vows: I vow to save living beings in unending hell; I vow to cut off interminable afflictions; I vow to find unlimited Dharma “doors”; I vow to perfect the unsurpassed Buddha Way.
Now that these vows have been put into English, you should ask yourself every day, “Have I saved living beings, or have I been crossed over by them? Did I start out believing in the Buddha and then, after being told by someone else of the glory of Jesus’ crucifixion, become a Christian?” If this is the case, then you have been crossed over by others and have not saved them.
The same investigation should be made for the other three vows. “I vow to eliminate interminable afflictions. Is it true that when someone spoke harshly to me I got angry and raged in ignorance? If this is the case, then just what have I eliminated?” If you find that you have not been afflicted, you still can’t claim to have attained anything. Wait for an opportunity that tests you, and see if you have really rid yourself of all your afflictions. If you have not done so, you have only studied the Buddhadharma superficially; but if you have eliminated them, you have obtained inner peace and entered into the sea of Buddhadharma.
“I vow to learn the unlimited Dharma Doors.” The doors and entrances into the Buddhadharma are unlimited. It is said there are eighty-four thousand of them, but how could the doors of the Buddhadharma stop at eighty-four thousand? There are far, far more than that. Don’t simply think, “I have now learned to recite the Surangama Mantra and that is fine enough.” Take a look at the Tripitaka, vast as the sea. If you have obtained only a hair, a drop, a grain of sand, or a dust-mote’s worth, you cannot say that you have understood Buddhadharma. If you really penetrate the Buddhadharma and are able to drink the great sea dry in a single gulp, then you have understood. If you cannot do this, you must study more.
“I vow to perfect the unsurpassed Buddha Way.” This does not need further certification. If you had accomplished Buddhahood, we would not have any questions, for they would all be resolved. Of course, if you have not become a Buddha, you cannot pretend to be one, as some people do, and say, “Not only am I a Buddha, so are you. Everyone is Buddha.” Just what kind of a Buddha are you? A greedy Buddha? A hateful Buddha? An ignorant Buddha? An afflicted Buddha? Do not follow arrogant frauds who say they are Buddhas when they are not, who say they are enlightened when they are.
The time when Earth Store Bodhisattva will testify to Bodhi will be at the extreme limit of the future. Is it then the case that he will never have an opportunity to accomplish Bodhi? Don’t worry about that. Earth Store Bodhisattva accomplished Bodhi long, long ago. If he had not done so, he would not have such inconceivably great spiritual power and wisdom. He is just waiting for you and me to accomplish it as well. For these reasons we should all be courageous and vigorous in working toward Bodhi, toward enlightenment.
End of Chapter 2
(Next: Chapter 3)
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The Assembly of the Reduplicated Bodies
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Sutra:
At that time the reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva assembled in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven from a hundred thousand tens of thousands of millions of inconceivable, unutterable, immeasurable, ineffable, asamkhyeyas of worlds, from all the places where there are hells. Because of the spiritual power of the Thus Come One, each came from his own direction together with thousands of ten thousands of nayutas of those who had obtained liberation from the paths of karma. All came holding incense and flowers as offerings to the Buddha. Because of the teachings of Earth Store Bodhisattva all of those who came were irreversible from Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, even though long kalpas ago they had been wandering in birth and death, undergoing suffering within Six Paths without even temporary respite. Because of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s great compassion and deep vows, however, each had borned testimony to the fruits. When they came to the Trayastrimsa Heaven, their hearts jumping, they gazed at the Thus Come One, their eyes not leaving him for a moment.
Commentary:
It could be said that the reduplicated body is also the “reduplicated spirit,” “reduplicated nature,” or “reduplicated heart.” Bodhisattvas have a king of spiritually efficacious response, and thus it is said, “A penetration effected, everywhere there is response.” This is also what is meant by the phrases,
A thousand pools of water,
Moons in a thousand pools;
Ten thousand miles without a cloud,
Ten thousand miles of sky.
The moon is reflected in as many pools of water as there are; if there are ten thousand pools, there are as many reflected moons. The moon in the pool represents the “spiritual” being discussed here. It is also “nature” and you might say a “thought” as well. Although there are the appearances of a thousand moons reflected in a thousand pools, the substance of the moon does not reduplicate.
Likewise, the reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva created by living beings. By way of a simple analogy, the reduplicated bodies are like photographs. Originally, there is just one person, but an unlimited number of copies of his photograph may be made. The difference between photographs and reduplicated bodies is that the photographs do not have the ability to function, spiritual response, or the breath of life. The reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva, on the other hand, are identical with his original body and are referred to as the “hundred thousand million transformation bodies.” Wherever Earth Store Bodhisattva sees a hell, no matter where in the world system of a billion worlds it may be, he dispatches a transformation body to teach living beings there. He does this in accord with his vow to teach all the living beings in the hells.
The number of worlds from which the reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva returned to the Trayastrimsa Heaven is completely beyond calculation or comprehension, for the reduplicated bodies exist because of the needs of the limitless number of living beings who are flowing, floating and drowning, dying, and then being reborn again and again in the wheel of life and death, as many as waves on the sea. Because of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s great compassion and deep vows, many had borne testimony to the fruits of the path. He vowed, “Only when the hells are emptied will I become a Buddha; only when living beings have all been saved, will I attain to Bodhi.” Their hearts jumping, they gazed at the Thus Come One, their eyes not leaving him for a moment. This is a sign of utmost sincerity.
Sutra:
At that time the World-Honored One stretched forth his golden-colored arm and rubbed the crowns of all the reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva, from the hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of unthinkable, unutterable, immeasurable, ineffable, limitless asamkhyeyas of worlds, and said, “I teach and transform obstinate living beings within the evil worlds of the Five Turbidities, causing their minds to be regulated and subdued, to renounce the improper and return to the proper. One or two of ten, however, have bad habits remaining and I also divide into hundreds of thousands of millions of bodies in order to establish numerous expedient devices for them. There are those of keen roots who hear and then faithfully accept; there are others who have already reaped good retribution and who have been energetically exhorted to accomplishment. Yet others are dark and dull and must long be taught and transformed in order to effect their return, while others whose karma is heavy do not give rise to respect. The reduplication bodies cross over and release all of these manifold kinds of living beings by being manifested as the bodies of men, women, gods, dragons, spirits, or ghosts. They may be manifested as mountains, forests, streams, springs, and rivers; as lakes, fountains, or wells, in order to benefit people. All of these may save beings. The bodes of divine emperors, Brahma kings, wheel-turning kings, laymen, kings of countries, prime ministers, officials, bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasika, Sound-Hearers, Arhats, Pratyekabuddhas, and Bodhisattvas, may be manifested in order to teach and rescue beings. It is not only the body of a Buddha which manifests.”
Commentary:
The World-Honored One rubbed the limitless crowns of the transformation bodies by means of his total psychic power, which enables one arm to become a hundred thousand, and said, “I teach and transform obstinate living beings within the evil world of the Five Turbidities.” Perhaps “obstinate living beings” includes you, perhaps someone else. Anyone who does not follow the teachings and continues to be unruly is obstinate. It particularly means Americans who very strongly dislike following rules. Just look at the situation here. As soon as children reach a certain age, they begin to ask why there have to be so many rules. Unruly adults come from children who do not like to follow rules.
Subdued minds are harmonious and delight in receiving Dharma, neither opposing nor doubting it. “Keen roots” refers to those whose merit from past lives is extremely great, who are intelligent, and who have a great deal of wisdom. On hearing Dharma they accept it. There are also those who have reaped good retribution. In past lives they may have done deeds to plant the seeds which bear good fruit.
Those who have been energetically exhorted to accomplishment have been exhorted more than once. If, for example, you decide to cross someone over and are not initially successful, keep trying. If they are far away, write letters explaining Buddhadharma to them, and if they are nearby, visit with them now and again and discuss Buddhism.
Cross others over, but do not be crossed over by others. For example, you set out to cross someone over to believe in Buddhadharma and what happens? He makes a Christian out of you. This is what is meant by being crossed over by others. To cross others over is to have wisdom; to be crossed over by others is to be foolish. Therefore, the text says “energetically.”
Do not exhort others once or twice but many times. If you have not been effective, keep at it again and again, right up to the point where you become a Buddha.
There are those who are dark and dull, that is, ignorant, who must be transformed for a long time in order to return. Long means not merely once or twice, not even three or four times. Here, however, it is simply a matter of an unfixed time. If I cannot cross you over in one day, then I will do it in two or three, in a month, a year, or even three, four, or five years. My resolve to cross you over will be a long-lasting one, so that eventually you will come to believe in the Buddha.
Sakyamuni Buddha reduplicates into many bodies in order to release all beings, each of whom has his own particular circumstances and his own karma. These transformation bodies are manifested in many forms, perhaps as a handsome man in order to cross a woman over, or perhaps as a beautiful woman to cross over men. He does this because he knows that, as a result of their heavy desires, most living beings like male-female relationships. Consequently, the Buddha is manifested in accordance with this basic nature of living beings in order that they may more easily be taught.
The transformation bodies may be divine beings or dragons in order to cross over gods and dragons. They may be the imposing spiritual virtues of spirits, or the bodies of great ghost kings. Mountains, forests, streams, and springs are all manifestations of the Thus Come One’s Dharma body. We, along with all of San Francisco, are sitting in the Thus Come One’s Dharma-body but don’t know it. “Old Gold Mountain” (San Francisco) was manifested by the Buddha long ago in order to benefit the living beings who might live here. Although the text says mountains, forests, streams, and springs, don’t think that the level earth is not the Buddha’s Dharma-body, for it is. We are all a part of the Buddha’s Dharma-body, but we can’t see it, because we are like ants walking along the ground, unable to see the big picture. We are tiny bugs on the Dharma-body, we just don’t know it.
A mountain may appear, for example, and as you climb it you may receive its spiritual energies and attain enlightenment. You may smell the fresh air of the Buddha’s Dharma-body while in the forest and become enlightened.
You should not think that five hundred years after Buddha’s nirvana it became impossible to realize nirvana; it can be done even now. The only thing to be feared is that you will not work. If you do work, I will provide guaranteed insurance for you. When you have opened yourself to enlightenment, you will be able to collect on the policy. Of course, once you have become enlightened, you will not want to bother collecting the money, and so I’ll still come out ahead on the deal.
You may be bathing in a river and feel very comfortable, after which you attain enlightenment; the river is just a manifestation of Sakyamuni Buddha. The water from wells is similar: you may drink it, and day by day your resolve for the Way increases. All of these are inconceivable events. In general, every move of the Buddha’s is undertaken for the benefit of living beings.
While you sit in meditation Sakyamuni Buddha may be manifested in the body of a heavenly emperor who bows to you and tells you that he is lord of the heavens. He comes to you and tells you that he is lord of the heavens. He comes to encourage you because you have firmly resolved to attain the Way.
A wise wheel-turning king has many kinds of precious treasures, among which is a flying chariot pulled by a horse faster than a rocket. Our rockets, which can go to the moon, require quite some time to get there. The flying chariot of the wheel-turning king, however, can go everywhere within the world system of a million worlds within an hour – not merely to the moon and nearby planets but to other galaxies. A wheel-turning king also has a treasure storehouse; whenever he needs money he just states the amount and the earth opens up, revealing as much as he requires. Because his blessings are so great, all the wealth of the earth is at his disposition.
Among his treasures are women. Whenever wise wheel-turning kings wish for a woman, one appears spontaneously. Everything accords with the will of such a king, and he is not subject to the suffering of denial of his desires. The Buddha may be manifested in such a wheel-turning king, and when living beings see him, they resolve their thoughts on the Way. Aside from wheel-turning kings, one never knows which of you laymen might be a manifestation of the Buddha. Bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas: Sakyamuni is manifested in many bodies other than his own Buddha-body in order to cross over living beings.
Sutra:
The Buddha continued, saying, “You see that I have worked hard for many kalpas and endured different kinds of sufferings in order to liberate and cross over those living beings who are obstinate and difficult to transform and who suffer from offenses. Those among them who have not submitted undergo retributions according to their karma. If they should fall into the states of woe and endure a time of great suffering, you should remember my repeated commitment made in the Palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven: I will cause all living beings in the Saha world, until the advent of Maitreya, to attain liberation, to leave suffering eternally, and to encounter Buddhas and receive their prophecies.”
At that time the reduplicated bodies of Earth Store Bodhisattva from all the worlds returned together to a single form which, weeping with pity, said to the Buddha, “Throughout long aeons I have received the Buddha’s guidance, which has caused me to obtain inconceivable spiritual power and great wisdom. My reduplicated bodies fill as many worlds as there are grains of sand in a hundred thousand tens of thousands of Ganges Rivers. In each of those worlds, I transform into tens of thousands of millions of bodies, each of which crosses over a hundred thousand tens of thousands of people and causes them to return respectfully to the Triple Jewel, eternally leave birth and death, and reach the bliss of nirvana. Even if their good deeds within the Buddhadharma are as little as a hair, a drop, a grain of sand, a mote of dust, or a stand of down, I shall gradually cause them to be liberated and attain great benefit. World-Honored One, do not be concerned about future living beings with evil karma.” Thus he spoke three times: “World-Honored One, do not be concerned about future living beings with evil karma.”
At that time the Buddha praised Earth Store Bodhisattva and said, “Very good, very good, I shall help in this work you so willingly undertake. When you fulfill these great vows after long and distant kalpas, you will instantly testify to Bodhi.”
Commentary:
You should contemplate accumulated kalpas, a period so long that it cannot be known. Throughout this time Sakyamuni Buddha will energetically undergo suffering, without a moment for laziness, happiness, or pleasure, in order to release and cross over living beings. Do not think, “Oh, well, I’m probably not included.” You are certainly included among living beings who are obstinate and difficult to transform. How much of his heart’s blood has Sakyamuni Buddha expended to transform and teach us, and yet we still do not know a sense of shame. We think that everything is just fine and that there is no problem. “It’s not so important,” we say, “if Sakyamuni Buddha has to suffer a bit more, it’s no matter. I don’t have to study Buddhadharma now because it will not matter if I fool around for a while.” You explain principles for yourself in this way, and act as your own defense lawyer.
Although Earth Store Bodhisattva’s one body reduplicates to become many bodies, the many return together and become one. The many bodies are just one and the one is many. To speak of this in greater depth, there are neither many bodies nor one body; Earth Store Bodhisattva basically has no body at all. How can we say this? It is because he has no thought of a self. Although he has many bodies, they are not many, and although he has one body, it is not one. One is many, many is one. Earth Store Bodhisattva reduplicates into many bodies, which then all return to one. Which of all these bodies is Earth Store Bodhisattva? Which one is not? Would you say that any particular one of these bodies is his? You cold say that, and one of them is. Yet you could say that it is not. You could say that any body he manifests is his body. According to this theory, however, you could say that there is fundamentally no appearance at all, and therefore you could say that these are not his reduplicated bodies.
You could also say that any person who vows to study the conduct Earth Store Bodhisattva is his reduplicated body and is no different from him. People wish to study his conduct because they respect his behavior, his wisdom, and his vows. In fact, you are one of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s reduplicated bodies, and that is why you like him. Act in accord with his resolve and vows and you are his transformation body. If you can cultivate in accord with the Buddhadharma, if you have a self-nature which is replete with blessings and wisdom, if you understand the mind and see its nature, you too will have spiritual powers and will be able to return to Earth Store Bodhisattva. Return together to a single form means to return to the origin, to go back to the source.
Earth Store Bodhisattva wept with pity for four reasons. First, the living beings in the Six Paths commit bad karma and do not change their behavior. They continue to commit offenses in the realms of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and gods, and still know no sense of shame.
Second, living beings are stubborn and difficult to teach. If you explain the Buddhadharma, they often do not listen, but if you talk non-Dharma with them, they enjoy it. If, for example, you praise someone, talk about how learned and well-behaved he is, people will not pay much attention. If, on the other hand, you speak ill of others, they will listen avidly. “Why, did you know, so and so is so clever that he does scores of things you’ll never find out about.” Yes, people will pay a great deal of attention to this sort of tale, but they will not listen when you tell them to study the Buddhadharma.
If you tell them about a mysterious drug that brings about wonderful and mystical changes, they want to give it a try. Many take marijuana and LSD and other confusing drugs because they are looking for these changes. They become confused and muddled yet feel that they have ended up in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Although these states are basically harmful, those who experience them feel that everything has been transformed – not even heaven and earth are as great as they. When their drug experience is over, however, they are exhausted and have headaches and general bodily pain. Sometimes they do not want to work but just lie about like corpses, unawake and unreasoning. They never wonder how they have come to such a state but only think that if they take a little more dope, they will become enlightened. And so they continue to violate laws and deal in drugs. Wouldn’t you say that this is an ultimate form of self-destruction?
Third, the Thus come One was about to enter nirvana, the sun of wisdom was about to set, and Earth Store Bodhisattva was sorrowful.
Fourth, in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, Sakyamuni Buddha instructed Earth Store Bodhisattva to work until Maitreya appeared in the world, crossing over living beings so that they might encounter Buddhas and receive predictions of enlightenment. Earth Store Bodhisattva wept as he was given this extremely important responsibility.
Spiritual powers are wonderful and unfathomable; there is no way that these powers can be known. Yet, if you wish to cross living beings over, you must have these powers. Spiritual power, moreover, is not sufficient in itself; you must also have great wisdom. Wisdom and spiritual powers aid one another. To obtain them we should first take refuge with the Triple Jewel because before this we are outside the Buddhadharma. Taking refuge is called “casting off the improper and returning to the proper, leaving the dark and entering the light.” Therefore one takes refuge with the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
To reach the bliss of nirvana, which has the Four Qualities of permanence, bliss, self, and purity, one must have done good deeds. A hair represents the lightest of good deeds; a drop represents the fewest; a grain of sand represents the minutest of good deeds; and a mote of dust represents the smallest. A hair is extremely light, a drop of water is a very small quantity, the most minuscule particle of sand is a grain, and a mote of dust borders on emptiness – that is to say, one-seventh the size of the smallest particle visible to the naked eye. This is where the work begins.
Great benefit refers to becoming a Buddha. Just look how great this benefit is. Earth Store Bodhisattva, with his great wisdom, uses all kinds of inconceivable and wonderful methods, so that even if you want to avoid receiving his teaching, you cannot do so. This is what is meant by the phrase from Confucius, “wishing to stop and yet unable.” You might say that you are going to stop studying the Buddhadharma, but you have no way to actually do so. Ah, the wonder is just this very point. Who makes you this way? It is simply through the wonderful functioning of that good, knowing adviser, Earth Store Bodhisattva, of great vows.
Earth Store Bodhisattva spoke these words to the Buddha to say that he would take care of all living beings: “Give the responsibility to me,” he said. “If living beings have not become Buddhas, I too will not become a Buddha. Only when the hells are emptied will I become a Buddha; only when living beings have all been saved will I attain to Bodhi.”
He spoke these words three times to show the importance of the matter under discussion. Laws, for example, are passed in this way; after they are read three times, with no objections, they are considered passed. In this case, however, it is not a question of passing or not passing but merely a matter of showing the importance of the statement.
On hearing this, wouldn’t you say that we ought to be happy? We have committed so many offenses, and yet we still have the opportunity to become Buddhas. Ah, how high, how deep is this kindness. So it is said, “Look up, there is none loftier; drill in, and there is none more firm.” This Bodhisattva’s state is truly inconceivable.
On hearing Earth Store Bodhisattva’s guarantee that all beings would accomplish the Way, the Buddha was pleased and said, “Very good, very good.” The Bodhisattva spoke to the Buddha three times, and now the Buddha replies twice for the same reason.
There are basically Four Great Vows: I vow to save living beings in unending hell; I vow to cut off interminable afflictions; I vow to find unlimited Dharma “doors”; I vow to perfect the unsurpassed Buddha Way.
Now that these vows have been put into English, you should ask yourself every day, “Have I saved living beings, or have I been crossed over by them? Did I start out believing in the Buddha and then, after being told by someone else of the glory of Jesus’ crucifixion, become a Christian?” If this is the case, then you have been crossed over by others and have not saved them.
The same investigation should be made for the other three vows. “I vow to eliminate interminable afflictions. Is it true that when someone spoke harshly to me I got angry and raged in ignorance? If this is the case, then just what have I eliminated?” If you find that you have not been afflicted, you still can’t claim to have attained anything. Wait for an opportunity that tests you, and see if you have really rid yourself of all your afflictions. If you have not done so, you have only studied the Buddhadharma superficially; but if you have eliminated them, you have obtained inner peace and entered into the sea of Buddhadharma.
“I vow to learn the unlimited Dharma Doors.” The doors and entrances into the Buddhadharma are unlimited. It is said there are eighty-four thousand of them, but how could the doors of the Buddhadharma stop at eighty-four thousand? There are far, far more than that. Don’t simply think, “I have now learned to recite the Surangama Mantra and that is fine enough.” Take a look at the Tripitaka, vast as the sea. If you have obtained only a hair, a drop, a grain of sand, or a dust-mote’s worth, you cannot say that you have understood Buddhadharma. If you really penetrate the Buddhadharma and are able to drink the great sea dry in a single gulp, then you have understood. If you cannot do this, you must study more.
“I vow to perfect the unsurpassed Buddha Way.” This does not need further certification. If you had accomplished Buddhahood, we would not have any questions, for they would all be resolved. Of course, if you have not become a Buddha, you cannot pretend to be one, as some people do, and say, “Not only am I a Buddha, so are you. Everyone is Buddha.” Just what kind of a Buddha are you? A greedy Buddha? A hateful Buddha? An ignorant Buddha? An afflicted Buddha? Do not follow arrogant frauds who say they are Buddhas when they are not, who say they are enlightened when they are.
The time when Earth Store Bodhisattva will testify to Bodhi will be at the extreme limit of the future. Is it then the case that he will never have an opportunity to accomplish Bodhi? Don’t worry about that. Earth Store Bodhisattva accomplished Bodhi long, long ago. If he had not done so, he would not have such inconceivably great spiritual power and wisdom. He is just waiting for you and me to accomplish it as well. For these reasons we should all be courageous and vigorous in working toward Bodhi, toward enlightenment.
End of Chapter 2
(Next: Chapter 3)
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Sunday, July 6, 2008
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva
This is one of the books in a series published under the sponsorship of The Institute for Advanced studies of World Religions New York, U.S.A. with the aim of making religious texts translated from various languages accessible in English.
The Collected Lectures of Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua
Translated by American Bhiksu Heng Ching; Revised by American Bhiksuni Heng Ch’ih;
Polished by American Bhiksu Heng Kuan; Certified by Gold Mountain Sramana Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua
Buddhist Text Translation Society
The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions Publishers, New York, N.Y.
The translator dedicates this translation to his grandmother, Rose Klarer, and to his parents, David and Ruth Klarer.
International Standard Book Number: 0-915078-00-7
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 74-18135
© 1974 by the Sino-American Buddhist Association, San Francisco
All rights reserved
Printed and bound in the United States of America
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Namo Earth Store Bodhisattva
Namo Ti Tsang Wang Pu Sa
Namo Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
The sutra often instructs practitioners to recite the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva, as well as the names of various Buddhas. This is traditionally done by prefacing the name with the Sanskrit word Namo, which means praise or homage to, take refuge in, revere, etc. Thus the Bodhisattva’s name would be recited in English, Chinese, and Sanskrit as above.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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THIS TRANSLATION OF THE Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, with the explanatory lectures of Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua, has been prepared by the Buddhist Text Translation Society of the Sino-American Buddhist Association, with headquarters at Gold Mountain Dhyana Monastery, 1731 15th Street, San Francisco, California 94103 U.S.A.
Since everyone who hears or reads a lecture has his or her own understanding, the views of a great many people have been consulted in the preparation of the translation. Although space precludes the mention of every individual, the following members of the Buddhist Text Translation society must be singled out: Dharma Masters Heng Ch’ien and Heng Shou, who, although, they did not work on this text specifically, have given a great deal of advice and criticism on many aspects of translation over the years, Upasaka I Kuo Jung has also been of great help in this regard. The task of refining the English of the initial translation has been performed by Dharma Master Heng Kuan, editor-in-chief of Vajra Bodhi Sea and chairman of the Polishing Committee of the Buddhist Text Translation Society.
In addition to an enormous amount of editorial work, a great deal of preliminary rewriting and sifting had to be done. Much of this work was done by Dharma Master Heng Ch’ih of the Revision Committee of the Buddhist Text Translation Society, who not only helped in rewriting but undertook a great deal of laborious research into Sanskrit forms and niceties of presentation. She is also responsible for putting the entire manuscript into finished typed form, a job of no small matter in itself.
Many people took part in the earlier stages of preparation of this work. Special thanks are due to the following members of the Buddhist Text Translation Society: Dharma Masters Heng Shou and Heng Chu, who did a great deal of the proof-reading and made many useful suggestions: Upasakas Kuo T’ang Yager, Ph.D. candidate; Kuo Hui Weber; Kuo Kuei Bach; Upasika Kuo Chin Vickers, who provided valuable help in preparing copies of the manuscript; and especially Upasika Kuo Tsung Bach, who handled the complex and difficult task of turning the first rough typed manuscript into presentable form.
Special thanks are due to the Venerable Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua, chairman of the Certification Board of the Buddhist Text Translation Society, for having delivered the lectures in the first place and for his constant and patient aid during the preparation of this work.
Special mention must also be made of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions, which has undertaken to have this sutra published, and of Nora A. Larke and Institute copy editors Upasika Yeshe Tsomo and Leah Zahler, who devoted much talent and effort to the preparation of the work. The skilled guidance provided by Nai Yung Chang of Harry N. Abrams, Inc., in the production of this book is likewise greatly appreciated.
Buddhist Text Translation Society
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FOREWORD
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FROM ANCIENT TIMES, the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva has been one of the most popular Chinese Buddhist sutras. “Earth Store” is a literal rendering of the bodhisattva’s original Sanskrit name, Ksitigarbha. In the Buddhist pantheon, he is one of the most highly celebrated bodhisattva, along with Manjusri, Avalokitesvara, and Samantabhadra. These four represent the four basic Mahayana qualities: Manjusri represents great wisdom; Avalokitesvara, great compassion; Samantabhadra, great meritorious deeds; and Ksitigarbha, the great vow – the vow to help and to cross over all sentient beings. “If I do not go to hell (to help them there), who else will go?” is the famous pronouncement of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha.
In the seventh century A.D., this sutra was translated by Siksananda from the Sanskrit into Chinese, but not until this publication has it ever been translated into English. Dharma Master Heng Ching’s work is not a critical study in the traditional Western scholarly sense. However, it bears special importance, as it is accompanied by the comprehensive commentary of Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua. Without such an accompaniment, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for Western readers to understand the significance and applications of this sutra.
One of the aims of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions is to make available religious teachings that were previously inaccessible to the English-speaking student of religion. In this light, the Institute is honored to publish this invaluable source of learning and awareness.
The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions
APRIL 1974
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PREFACE
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DIRECTLY PRIOR TO THE END of the Buddha’s appearance in this world, he and his following of bhiksus journeyed to the Trayastrimsa Heaven so that the Buddha might repay the kindness of his mother by speaking Dharma on her behalf. The Dharma which he spoke on that occasion still exists to this day and is known as the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva. This sutra deals with filial piety – not only that which pertains to the relationship between oneself and one’s parents but rather a universal code of duty for all living beings. A skyscraper is not built from the top down, however, and as an initial step toward embodying one’s universal duty, one begins with duty to one’s immediate family and friends, of which parents are foremost in importance. Hence, when the Buddha answers the Bodhisattva Manjusri’s question concerning the past vows of the Bodhisattva Earth Store in the first chapter of this sutra, he begins by telling him of the Bodhisattva’s filial duty to his parents, which led to his illimitable vows to save all living beings.
The Bodhisattva Earth Store, drawing upon the infinite power of his unwavering resolve, appears throughout the ten directions in an innumerable number of bodies in order to lead even the most obstinate and confused living beings to step from the sea of suffering onto the shore of Nirvana. Although his vows are infinite in their scope, they still do not go beyond the simple relationship called filial piety; the only difference is one of magnitude. Whereas an ordinary person considers even the most perfunctory duty to his parents to be sufficient, the Bodhisattva Earth Store, realizing that at some time during the countless aeons of the past all living beings have been his father and mother, includes all living beings within the scope of his filial duty, a duty which can only be ultimately fulfilled by leading all beings to gain eternal bliss. Since living beings are unlimited in number, it naturally follows that the Bodhisattva’s vows are infinite in magnitude.
In order for us to take the first step out of the sea of suffering, it is necessary for us to become aware of the danger which results from allowing our actions to be affected by the confused emotions which lie so heavily upon us. To this end the Bodhisattva elucidates cause and effect, the realm of karma, informing us of the sufferings of the hells and the actions which lead to such retributions, as well as of the pleasures of the heavens and the actions which they reward. It is not the Bodhisattva’s intention, however, that we turn away in revulsion from the former and grasp at the latter, but rather that we understand the sphere of cause and effect – that simple law which says that one reaps what one sows – and that we learn to avoid planting causes for either the heavens or the hells. Furthermore, in order that we plant the seed for future contact with the Dharma, the Bodhisattva wishes to impress upon us the benefits obtained from engaging in wholesome actions, as opposed to unwholesome ones, so that we will be induced to establish a strong affinity with the Triple Jewel. Although many of the practices mentioned in this sutra are not the direct cause of Buddhahood, the seed of Buddhahood is nurtured by wholesome conduct and cultivation of the Way. These auxiliary causes lead to the direct cause, and for that reason the Bodhisattva encourages us to embody them in our practice.
This sutra is extremely practical, and it is because of this that Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua wished it to be one of the first sutras to be translated into English. With the additional enlightening aid of his lectures, even those most unfamiliar with the Dharma are enabled to grasp the essence of the teaching. The lectures were given in 1968-69 and were at that time orally translated from the Master’s Chinese into English by Dharma Master Heng Ching, who has also bestowed upon us the present translation of the sutra text and the Master’s commentary.
It is through the efforts of Dharma Master Heng Ching that this sutra can now be studied by students of Dharma in the West, with the knowledge that it agrees with the original principles of Buddhism as they were elucidated by the Buddha. When I say efforts, I do not refer merely to the work of translation; for although it was a task which required many months of diligent attention, it rests upon years of study of the Chinese language and actual cultivation of the principles of the Buddhist path to enlightenment. Dharma Master Heng Ching has studied the Chinese language for more than ten years, and he spent the last five of those years under the expert tutelage of the Dhyana Master, who is not only an embodiment of the very heart of Buddhism but also an extremely erudite scholar. Thus Dharma Master Heng Ching has become intimately acquainted with both the doctrinal and practical aspects of the Dharma in a manner that is shared by few people. Under the Master’s guidance he has studied and helped give oral translations of literally thousands of lectures on sutras such as the Surangama Sutra, the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Blossom Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Heart Sutra, and the Avatamsaka Sutra, among others. He has also personally delivered lectures on this sutra, the Surangama Sutra, the Heart Sutra, and the Divination of Good and Evil Karmic Retribution Sutra.
In addition to Dharma Master Heng Ching’s daily practice, he has attended many Buddha Recitation Sessions, Mantra Recitation Sessions, and Meditation Sessions, one of which lasted for ninety-eight days, with twenty-one hours of practice each day. What is most important, however, is not that he attended so many lectures and participated in so many sessions, but that he has actually made a good deal of progress in his cultivation. This puts him far above ordinary scholars, not to speak of those people who have reduced the Dharma to a pathetic exchange of witty remarks based on nothing but sheer confusion. Thus, it is with pleasure that I introduce this sutra to other students of the Dharma.
American Bhiksu Heng Ch’ien
Buddhist Lecture Hall, Hong Kong
Earth Store Bodhisattva’s Birthday,
AUGUST, 1973
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TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION
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THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF TRADITION have shown that there is no substitute for oral instruction. What is more, we in the West have long been hampered in our study of Buddhism by the lack of both adequate texts in English and qualified interpreters to transmit traditional explanations. Even though a few teachers have come to the West, there still remain the problems of access and linguistics. This work provides a solution to these problems by presenting in English translation what was originally a lectured commentary in Chinese.
Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua, founder of the Sino-American Buddhist Association, has been delivering oral commentaries on Buddhist texts for many years. Although based in an age-old tradition, he reveals the Buddhist tradition in a manner that speaks not only to specialists and historians but to all those faced with the continuing problems of human existence in a modern age. All the Master’s lectures since 1968 have been recorded and are being translated, this book being the second in a series of his collected lectures.
That the Master’s lectures are truly effective in terms of the real aim of Buddhism, which is to bring about a change in the lives of the audience, is quite obvious to those who have experienced his teaching. On several occasions during this lecture series, particularly when he discussed the depths of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s filial practice in past lives, many members of the audience were moved to tears. This is not, of course, to say that the Master’s style evokes weeping only; on many occasions his lively wit introduced a humorous and lighthearted mood in the assembly.
Unfortunately, in the transformation of a spoken lecture to the printed page, most such effects are necessarily lost. We have tried as much as possible to retain the flavor of the spoken word while avoiding some of the tedium that can come from a mere verbatim transcription. On the other hand, as we tried to approach the conventions of written English, we have dropped some of the more trivial scholarly niceties. Thus the reader will not find Sanskrit and Chinese words set off by italics; they will be presented as any other word in context and explained.
The good points of the translation are due to the combined efforts of all the member of the Sino-American Buddhist Association, the Buddhist Text Translation Society, the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions, and the editorial staff of Vajra Bodhi Sea, in whose journal these lectures first appeared. Any errors or faults are, of course, solely the translator’s responsibility.
American Bhiksu Heng Ching
Gold Mountain Dhyana Monastery, San Francisco
Earth Store Bodhisattva’s Birthday,
AUGUST, 1973
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CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE
Spiritual Penetrations in the Palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven
CHAPTER TWO
The Assembly of the Reduplicated Bodies
CHAPTER THREE
Contemplating the Karmic Conditions of Living Beings
CHAPTER FOUR
Karmic Retribution of Living Beings
CHAPTER FIVE
The Names of the Hells
CHAPTER SIX
The Thus Come One’s Praises
CHAPTER SEVEN
Benefits for the Living and the Dead
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Praises of the Multitudes of King Yama
CHAPTER NINE
The Names of Buddhas
CHAPTER TEN
The Conditions and Comparative Merits of Giving
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Dharma Protection of the Earth Spirit
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Benefits from Seeing and Hearing
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Entrustment of Men and Gods
GLOSSARY
BUDDHIST TEXT TRANSLATION SOCIETY
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INTRODUCTION
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SUTRAS MAY BE INTRODUCED in a number of ways, all of which help bring out the basic meaning of the text. In studying this sutra we shall approach the text through the investigation of the following six items:
I. The reasons for the arising of the teaching
II. The division and vehicle to which the sutra belongs
III. A determination of the sutra’s principle
IV. A full explanation of the title
V. A history of the translation
VI. A detailed explanation of the sutra
I. THE REASONS FOR THE ARISING OF THE TEACHING
Shortly after Sakyamuni’s birth from his mother’s side, his mother died and ascended to the heavens. After he had become a Buddha and had spoken Dharma for forty-nine years at over three hundred assemblies, he went to the Trayastrimsa Heaven to teach her. This occurred between the speaking of The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Blossom Sutra and The Nirvana Sutra. He stayed in that heaven for three months and spoke this sutra of filial piety, The Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva.
II. THE DIVISION AND VEHICLE TO WHICH THE SUTRA BELONGS
Division refers to the three divisions of the canon, the Sutras, the Sastras, and the Vinaya. The Sutras encompass the study of Samadhi, the Sastras, the study of wisdom, and the Vinaya, the study of moral precepts. Since this sutra discusses morality it belongs to both the Sutra and Vinaya stores.
Vehicle refers to the Five Vehicles. Although some people say that there are only three – the Vehicles of the Sound-hearers, of Those Enlightened to Causation, and of Bodhisattvas – the Vehicles of Men and Gods can be added to these to make five. This sutra deals with the Vehicles of Men, Gods, and Bodhisattvas.
III. A DETERMINATION OF THE SUTRA’S PRINCIPLE
The foundations of this sutra are principles contained in eight terms grouped in four headings:
1. The practice of filial piety
2. The crossing over of living beings
3. The rescuing of sufferers
4. The repaying of kindness
1. To practice filial piety means to be “filial” to one’s parents and thus to be a dazzling light over the entire world. Both heaven and earth are greatly pleased by filial piety and so it is said, “Heaven and earth deem filial piety essential; filial piety is foremost. With one filial son, an entire family is peaceful.” If you are filial to your parents, your children will be filial to you; if you are not filial to your parents, your children will treat you in the same manner.
One may think, “What is the point of being human? Isn’t it merely to try to get by as well as possible?”
It certainly is not! The first duty of human beings is to be filial to their parents. Father and mother are heaven and earth, father and mother are all the elders, and father and mother are all the Buddhas. If you had no parents you would have no body, and if you had no body, you could not become a Buddha. If you want to become a Buddha, you must start out by being filial to your parents.
2. The crossing over of living beings. To cross means to go from one shore to another, from affliction to Bodhi; the Six Paramitas are also known as the six crossings-over. To cross beings over does not mean to cross over merely one, two, three, or four, but to cross all the ten kinds of living beings, so that they reach Buddhahood.
3. The rescuing of sufferers. This sutra is able to pull living beings out of their sufferings.
4. The repaying of kindness. This means to repay the kindness of parents.
I have mentioned only the essential points of these four phrases and will leave it to you to make further investigation of them.
At the mention of the first of these headings, the practice of filial piety, some people will immediately think of rushing home to be filial to their parents. This in itself is an excellent wish and is quite commendable. It is extremely important, however, that those who return home to care for their parents not forget everything they have learned and find themselves slipping back into their old habits. The way to practice ultimate filial piety is to learn how to be a model for and a benefit to the world; the very best way to do that is to study and practice the Buddhadharma.
There are four basic kinds of filial piety: limited, extensive, contemporary, and classic. Limited filial piety is to be filial within your own family but to be unable to “treat others’ elders as your own, treat others’ children as your own.” With extensive filial piety you reach throughout the world and take all fathers and mothers in the world as your own. Although this filial piety is large, it is by no means ultimate.
What then is ultimate filial piety? It is far beyond the scope of the four mentioned above. Sakyamuni Buddha’s father locked him in the palace and he stole away to cultivate a life of austerity in the Himalayas for six years, after which he finally realized Buddhahood beneath the Bodhi tree. After he had become a Buddha, he ascended to the heavens to speak Dharma for his mother. This ultimate filial piety.
Contemporary filial piety is to model oneself on present-day methods of filial piety and to study their methods of behavior.
Classic filial piety is to be filial to all the myriad things, in the same way as the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Virtue in China. But even classic filial piety is not ultimate. If you want to practice ultimate filial piety you should investigate and practice the Buddhadharma; learn to be a good person and a positive force in the world. The practice of acts that benefit society is being genuinely filial to your parents.
IV. A FULL EXPLANATION OF THE TITLE
The name of this sutra is the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, and among the seven classifications of sutra titles it belongs to those made up of a person and a dharma. Earth Store Bodhisattva is the person and past vows a dharma. Past vows can also be said to represent karma, since they are deeds that he performed in the past.
Earth Store Bodhisattva is named after the earth, which not only gives birth to things and makes them grow but can store a great many things within itself as well. Because this Bodhisattva is like the earth, he can produce the myriad things and make them grow. Anyone who believes in him may obtain the treasures stored in the ground: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, mother-of-pearl, red pearls, and carnelian.
Bodhisattva is composed of two words: Bodhi, which means “enlightenment,” and sattva, which means “being.” A Bodhisattva can be said to be either one who enlightens living beings or an enlightened living being.
Past Vows also mean fundamental vows, vows that were made aeons ago. Long ago in the distant past Earth Store Bodhisattva vowed, “If the hells are not empty I will not become a Buddha; when living beings have all been saved, I will attain to Bodhi.”
The hells cannot cease to exist until the karma and the afflictions of living beings have come to an end, and that can never happen because of the nature of living beings. Viewed in the light of modern science and philosophy, isn’t Earth Store Bodhisattva’s behavior irrational? Doesn’t it mean that Earth Store Bodhisattva will never have the opportunity to become a Buddha?
No, it does not mean that he cannot become a Buddha, and his vow is by no means irrational. In fact, his behavior is a manifestation of great compassion.
Question: What is Earth Store Bodhisattva’s Sanskrit name?
Answer: His Sanskrit name is Ksitigarbha, “Earth Store.” There are ten aspects of the earth: it is wide and extensive, it supports all living beings, it is impartial, it receives the great rain, it produces grass and trees, it holds all planted seeds, it holds many treasures, it produces medicines, it is not moved by the blowing wind, and it does not tremble at the lion’s roar.
Question: Isn’t the reason for the earth’s impartiality, its immobility in great wind, and its other characteristics, simply that the earth is an inanimate object without any feelings at all?
Answer: The feelings of the earth are not those that we humans feel, but it does have feeling. The earth is also sentient being.
Past Vows renders the Sanskrit term Pranidhana; the full title of the sutra may be reconstructed as the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Pranidhana Sutra. The vows that this Bodhisattva has made throughout the aeons have all been for the sake of the practice of filial piety.
Sutra has, among others, the following meanings:
1. To traverse. There are many roads that can be traveled, but if you wish to become a Buddha you must follow the road that leads to the goal, i.e., the road indicated by the sutras.
2. Guideline. Sutras are like the mark left by a carpenter’s chalk line; they show a clear and straight path that marks the most direct way to the goal.
3. Garland. Sutras string together manifold principles like flowers in a chain.
4. Thread. Sutras string principles together as a thread links beads in a strand.
5. To attract. Sutras are like lodestones, which attract iron filings. People are attracted to sutras as iron is attracted to a magnet, and those of you who are now studying this sutra have been attracted to it in this way. The force, of course, cannot be seen, but its effect can, and if it is a great force it will attract more people than will a small one.
6. Permanent. No meaning can be added to or subtracted from sutras, for to do so is to merit the hells.
7. Law. The law is honored in the past, present, and future; it is a constant model by which beings may conduct themselves.
8. Tally. In ancient times, contracts were written out and divided between the concerned parties. When the terms of an agreement were fulfilled, or whenever identity related to the contract had to be established, the two pieces were brought together to see whether or not they matched. Sutras are much like this in that they tally with or correspond to the principles of all Buddhas above and with the capacity of beings below.
Earlier I said that the earth receives the great rain and the plants grow on it. In these explanations there are often interconnected relationships that you should be alert for. Grasses and trees represent the potential capacity of living beings, and sutras are the Dharma rain that falls on them. Each plant absorbs the amount of moisture proper to it – more in the case of great trees and less in the case of grasses. Each receives an appropriate share of the total rainfall. This analogy holds for the relationship which people have with sutras. Study of this sutra, for example, will lead the wise to understand the principles appropriate to their own abilities. Everyone who has good roots planted in the Buddhadharma will obtain the advantage proper to him; those who do not have good roots will be led to plant good roots. Because Earth Store Bodhisattva practiced filial conduct in every life, this sutra is known as a Buddhist classic of filial piety. This is an extremely important principle, for if people are not filial to their parents, they have not fulfilled the fundamental responsibility of human beings. It is essential that people repay the enormous kindness shown them by their parents.
Confucius discusses this topic at length, and his statements may be found in the Classic of Filial Piety, where it is said,
Chung Ni sat at ease and Tseng Tzu attended upon him. The Master said, “The Kings of old ruled the empire by means of perfect virtue and the essentials of the Way. The people were in harmony so that between high and low there was no quarreling. Did you know that?”
Tseng Tzu arose from his seat and said, “Shen is foolish, how could he have known?”
The Master said, “Filial piety is the root of all virtue and the origin of teaching. Be seated, and I shall tell you about it. The person, body, hair, and skin are given by the parents; one dare not harm them. This is the beginning of filial piety.”
In the very opening of this discourse Chung Ni, Confucius, discusses filial piety in terms of all elders, and not just one’s own parents. Since Tseng Tzu was Confucius’ disciple, he waited on his teacher with filial piety. When Confucius said that “the person, body, hair, and skin, are given by the parents; one dare not harm them,” he was not speaking as many contemporary young people do, to justify their straggly, dirty hair and unwashed condition. Such people claim that haircuts and baths would harm the natural state of their bodies. Such a position is quite untenable, for what is meant by harming the body is not the superficial acts of maintaining and grooming it; these things, particularly the matter of haircuts, are merely elements of social convention. When Confucius said not to harm the body, he meant not to destroy it. Strangely enough, in our day and age there are rebellious young people who, although aware that Confucius proclaimed this principle, nevertheless take all manner of bizarre and poisonous chemicals and drugs. At the same time they refuse to wash or cut their hair because to do so would be “unnatural.” They put their parents a thousand miles behind them and, indeed, often forget their parents’ very names. In the midst of their “natural” filial piety, they often run afoul of the law and get into serious trouble. Such behavior is a sign of anything but filial piety and must be rectified.
Now that I am living in this country I certainly hope that its citizens will be orderly and law-abiding and that everyone will consider his actions and do only what is beneficial for the country and for all humanity. I hope that all the wrongs that are found throughout human society will be rights. Such actions are manifestations of true filial piety.
A HISTORY OF THE TRANSLATION
The Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva was translated in the T’ang Dynasty by Tripitaka Master Sramana Siksananda of Khotan.
Although some editions of this sutra attribute the translation to Dharma Master Fa Teng of the Ch’en Dynasty, most credit it to Tripitaka Master Siksananda of Khotan, a central Asian country, the name of which means “Earth Milk”. An early king of that country, who was without an heir, prayed to the god of a local temple for a son. From the image’s head came a child who would drink neither human nor cow’s milk, but only a particular milky fluid that appeared on the earth. As a result of this mysterious happening the country was given its rather unusual name.
Sramana is a Sanskrit word which means both “energetic” and “resting,” because a sramana energetically cultivates morality, samadhi, and wisdom and puts greed, hatred, and stupidity to rest.
Siksananda, “delight in study”, was so named because of his joy in learning Buddhadharma.
VI. DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE BODY OF THE SUTRA
Having explained the previous subjects, we will now begin a discussion of the sutra text proper.
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CHAPTER ONE
Spiritual Penetrations in the Palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven
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Trayastrimsa, “Heaven of the Thirty-Three”, is not thirty-third in a vertical arrangement of heavens. Vertically it occupies the second position among eighteen heavens. Its name is taken from the fact that it is the central one among a group of heavens located on the same plane, with eight heavens on each of its four sides. The lord of the central heaven, the thirty-third, is named Sakra or Indra, and in Buddhism he is a protector of the B
The Collected Lectures of Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua
Translated by American Bhiksu Heng Ching; Revised by American Bhiksuni Heng Ch’ih;
Polished by American Bhiksu Heng Kuan; Certified by Gold Mountain Sramana Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua
Buddhist Text Translation Society
The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions Publishers, New York, N.Y.
The translator dedicates this translation to his grandmother, Rose Klarer, and to his parents, David and Ruth Klarer.
International Standard Book Number: 0-915078-00-7
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 74-18135
© 1974 by the Sino-American Buddhist Association, San Francisco
All rights reserved
Printed and bound in the United States of America
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Namo Earth Store Bodhisattva
Namo Ti Tsang Wang Pu Sa
Namo Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
The sutra often instructs practitioners to recite the name of Earth Store Bodhisattva, as well as the names of various Buddhas. This is traditionally done by prefacing the name with the Sanskrit word Namo, which means praise or homage to, take refuge in, revere, etc. Thus the Bodhisattva’s name would be recited in English, Chinese, and Sanskrit as above.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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THIS TRANSLATION OF THE Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, with the explanatory lectures of Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua, has been prepared by the Buddhist Text Translation Society of the Sino-American Buddhist Association, with headquarters at Gold Mountain Dhyana Monastery, 1731 15th Street, San Francisco, California 94103 U.S.A.
Since everyone who hears or reads a lecture has his or her own understanding, the views of a great many people have been consulted in the preparation of the translation. Although space precludes the mention of every individual, the following members of the Buddhist Text Translation society must be singled out: Dharma Masters Heng Ch’ien and Heng Shou, who, although, they did not work on this text specifically, have given a great deal of advice and criticism on many aspects of translation over the years, Upasaka I Kuo Jung has also been of great help in this regard. The task of refining the English of the initial translation has been performed by Dharma Master Heng Kuan, editor-in-chief of Vajra Bodhi Sea and chairman of the Polishing Committee of the Buddhist Text Translation Society.
In addition to an enormous amount of editorial work, a great deal of preliminary rewriting and sifting had to be done. Much of this work was done by Dharma Master Heng Ch’ih of the Revision Committee of the Buddhist Text Translation Society, who not only helped in rewriting but undertook a great deal of laborious research into Sanskrit forms and niceties of presentation. She is also responsible for putting the entire manuscript into finished typed form, a job of no small matter in itself.
Many people took part in the earlier stages of preparation of this work. Special thanks are due to the following members of the Buddhist Text Translation Society: Dharma Masters Heng Shou and Heng Chu, who did a great deal of the proof-reading and made many useful suggestions: Upasakas Kuo T’ang Yager, Ph.D. candidate; Kuo Hui Weber; Kuo Kuei Bach; Upasika Kuo Chin Vickers, who provided valuable help in preparing copies of the manuscript; and especially Upasika Kuo Tsung Bach, who handled the complex and difficult task of turning the first rough typed manuscript into presentable form.
Special thanks are due to the Venerable Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua, chairman of the Certification Board of the Buddhist Text Translation Society, for having delivered the lectures in the first place and for his constant and patient aid during the preparation of this work.
Special mention must also be made of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions, which has undertaken to have this sutra published, and of Nora A. Larke and Institute copy editors Upasika Yeshe Tsomo and Leah Zahler, who devoted much talent and effort to the preparation of the work. The skilled guidance provided by Nai Yung Chang of Harry N. Abrams, Inc., in the production of this book is likewise greatly appreciated.
Buddhist Text Translation Society
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FOREWORD
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FROM ANCIENT TIMES, the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva has been one of the most popular Chinese Buddhist sutras. “Earth Store” is a literal rendering of the bodhisattva’s original Sanskrit name, Ksitigarbha. In the Buddhist pantheon, he is one of the most highly celebrated bodhisattva, along with Manjusri, Avalokitesvara, and Samantabhadra. These four represent the four basic Mahayana qualities: Manjusri represents great wisdom; Avalokitesvara, great compassion; Samantabhadra, great meritorious deeds; and Ksitigarbha, the great vow – the vow to help and to cross over all sentient beings. “If I do not go to hell (to help them there), who else will go?” is the famous pronouncement of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha.
In the seventh century A.D., this sutra was translated by Siksananda from the Sanskrit into Chinese, but not until this publication has it ever been translated into English. Dharma Master Heng Ching’s work is not a critical study in the traditional Western scholarly sense. However, it bears special importance, as it is accompanied by the comprehensive commentary of Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua. Without such an accompaniment, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for Western readers to understand the significance and applications of this sutra.
One of the aims of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions is to make available religious teachings that were previously inaccessible to the English-speaking student of religion. In this light, the Institute is honored to publish this invaluable source of learning and awareness.
The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions
APRIL 1974
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PREFACE
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DIRECTLY PRIOR TO THE END of the Buddha’s appearance in this world, he and his following of bhiksus journeyed to the Trayastrimsa Heaven so that the Buddha might repay the kindness of his mother by speaking Dharma on her behalf. The Dharma which he spoke on that occasion still exists to this day and is known as the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva. This sutra deals with filial piety – not only that which pertains to the relationship between oneself and one’s parents but rather a universal code of duty for all living beings. A skyscraper is not built from the top down, however, and as an initial step toward embodying one’s universal duty, one begins with duty to one’s immediate family and friends, of which parents are foremost in importance. Hence, when the Buddha answers the Bodhisattva Manjusri’s question concerning the past vows of the Bodhisattva Earth Store in the first chapter of this sutra, he begins by telling him of the Bodhisattva’s filial duty to his parents, which led to his illimitable vows to save all living beings.
The Bodhisattva Earth Store, drawing upon the infinite power of his unwavering resolve, appears throughout the ten directions in an innumerable number of bodies in order to lead even the most obstinate and confused living beings to step from the sea of suffering onto the shore of Nirvana. Although his vows are infinite in their scope, they still do not go beyond the simple relationship called filial piety; the only difference is one of magnitude. Whereas an ordinary person considers even the most perfunctory duty to his parents to be sufficient, the Bodhisattva Earth Store, realizing that at some time during the countless aeons of the past all living beings have been his father and mother, includes all living beings within the scope of his filial duty, a duty which can only be ultimately fulfilled by leading all beings to gain eternal bliss. Since living beings are unlimited in number, it naturally follows that the Bodhisattva’s vows are infinite in magnitude.
In order for us to take the first step out of the sea of suffering, it is necessary for us to become aware of the danger which results from allowing our actions to be affected by the confused emotions which lie so heavily upon us. To this end the Bodhisattva elucidates cause and effect, the realm of karma, informing us of the sufferings of the hells and the actions which lead to such retributions, as well as of the pleasures of the heavens and the actions which they reward. It is not the Bodhisattva’s intention, however, that we turn away in revulsion from the former and grasp at the latter, but rather that we understand the sphere of cause and effect – that simple law which says that one reaps what one sows – and that we learn to avoid planting causes for either the heavens or the hells. Furthermore, in order that we plant the seed for future contact with the Dharma, the Bodhisattva wishes to impress upon us the benefits obtained from engaging in wholesome actions, as opposed to unwholesome ones, so that we will be induced to establish a strong affinity with the Triple Jewel. Although many of the practices mentioned in this sutra are not the direct cause of Buddhahood, the seed of Buddhahood is nurtured by wholesome conduct and cultivation of the Way. These auxiliary causes lead to the direct cause, and for that reason the Bodhisattva encourages us to embody them in our practice.
This sutra is extremely practical, and it is because of this that Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua wished it to be one of the first sutras to be translated into English. With the additional enlightening aid of his lectures, even those most unfamiliar with the Dharma are enabled to grasp the essence of the teaching. The lectures were given in 1968-69 and were at that time orally translated from the Master’s Chinese into English by Dharma Master Heng Ching, who has also bestowed upon us the present translation of the sutra text and the Master’s commentary.
It is through the efforts of Dharma Master Heng Ching that this sutra can now be studied by students of Dharma in the West, with the knowledge that it agrees with the original principles of Buddhism as they were elucidated by the Buddha. When I say efforts, I do not refer merely to the work of translation; for although it was a task which required many months of diligent attention, it rests upon years of study of the Chinese language and actual cultivation of the principles of the Buddhist path to enlightenment. Dharma Master Heng Ching has studied the Chinese language for more than ten years, and he spent the last five of those years under the expert tutelage of the Dhyana Master, who is not only an embodiment of the very heart of Buddhism but also an extremely erudite scholar. Thus Dharma Master Heng Ching has become intimately acquainted with both the doctrinal and practical aspects of the Dharma in a manner that is shared by few people. Under the Master’s guidance he has studied and helped give oral translations of literally thousands of lectures on sutras such as the Surangama Sutra, the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Blossom Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Heart Sutra, and the Avatamsaka Sutra, among others. He has also personally delivered lectures on this sutra, the Surangama Sutra, the Heart Sutra, and the Divination of Good and Evil Karmic Retribution Sutra.
In addition to Dharma Master Heng Ching’s daily practice, he has attended many Buddha Recitation Sessions, Mantra Recitation Sessions, and Meditation Sessions, one of which lasted for ninety-eight days, with twenty-one hours of practice each day. What is most important, however, is not that he attended so many lectures and participated in so many sessions, but that he has actually made a good deal of progress in his cultivation. This puts him far above ordinary scholars, not to speak of those people who have reduced the Dharma to a pathetic exchange of witty remarks based on nothing but sheer confusion. Thus, it is with pleasure that I introduce this sutra to other students of the Dharma.
American Bhiksu Heng Ch’ien
Buddhist Lecture Hall, Hong Kong
Earth Store Bodhisattva’s Birthday,
AUGUST, 1973
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TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION
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THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF TRADITION have shown that there is no substitute for oral instruction. What is more, we in the West have long been hampered in our study of Buddhism by the lack of both adequate texts in English and qualified interpreters to transmit traditional explanations. Even though a few teachers have come to the West, there still remain the problems of access and linguistics. This work provides a solution to these problems by presenting in English translation what was originally a lectured commentary in Chinese.
Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua, founder of the Sino-American Buddhist Association, has been delivering oral commentaries on Buddhist texts for many years. Although based in an age-old tradition, he reveals the Buddhist tradition in a manner that speaks not only to specialists and historians but to all those faced with the continuing problems of human existence in a modern age. All the Master’s lectures since 1968 have been recorded and are being translated, this book being the second in a series of his collected lectures.
That the Master’s lectures are truly effective in terms of the real aim of Buddhism, which is to bring about a change in the lives of the audience, is quite obvious to those who have experienced his teaching. On several occasions during this lecture series, particularly when he discussed the depths of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s filial practice in past lives, many members of the audience were moved to tears. This is not, of course, to say that the Master’s style evokes weeping only; on many occasions his lively wit introduced a humorous and lighthearted mood in the assembly.
Unfortunately, in the transformation of a spoken lecture to the printed page, most such effects are necessarily lost. We have tried as much as possible to retain the flavor of the spoken word while avoiding some of the tedium that can come from a mere verbatim transcription. On the other hand, as we tried to approach the conventions of written English, we have dropped some of the more trivial scholarly niceties. Thus the reader will not find Sanskrit and Chinese words set off by italics; they will be presented as any other word in context and explained.
The good points of the translation are due to the combined efforts of all the member of the Sino-American Buddhist Association, the Buddhist Text Translation Society, the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions, and the editorial staff of Vajra Bodhi Sea, in whose journal these lectures first appeared. Any errors or faults are, of course, solely the translator’s responsibility.
American Bhiksu Heng Ching
Gold Mountain Dhyana Monastery, San Francisco
Earth Store Bodhisattva’s Birthday,
AUGUST, 1973
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CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE
Spiritual Penetrations in the Palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven
CHAPTER TWO
The Assembly of the Reduplicated Bodies
CHAPTER THREE
Contemplating the Karmic Conditions of Living Beings
CHAPTER FOUR
Karmic Retribution of Living Beings
CHAPTER FIVE
The Names of the Hells
CHAPTER SIX
The Thus Come One’s Praises
CHAPTER SEVEN
Benefits for the Living and the Dead
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Praises of the Multitudes of King Yama
CHAPTER NINE
The Names of Buddhas
CHAPTER TEN
The Conditions and Comparative Merits of Giving
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Dharma Protection of the Earth Spirit
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Benefits from Seeing and Hearing
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Entrustment of Men and Gods
GLOSSARY
BUDDHIST TEXT TRANSLATION SOCIETY
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INTRODUCTION
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SUTRAS MAY BE INTRODUCED in a number of ways, all of which help bring out the basic meaning of the text. In studying this sutra we shall approach the text through the investigation of the following six items:
I. The reasons for the arising of the teaching
II. The division and vehicle to which the sutra belongs
III. A determination of the sutra’s principle
IV. A full explanation of the title
V. A history of the translation
VI. A detailed explanation of the sutra
I. THE REASONS FOR THE ARISING OF THE TEACHING
Shortly after Sakyamuni’s birth from his mother’s side, his mother died and ascended to the heavens. After he had become a Buddha and had spoken Dharma for forty-nine years at over three hundred assemblies, he went to the Trayastrimsa Heaven to teach her. This occurred between the speaking of The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Blossom Sutra and The Nirvana Sutra. He stayed in that heaven for three months and spoke this sutra of filial piety, The Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva.
II. THE DIVISION AND VEHICLE TO WHICH THE SUTRA BELONGS
Division refers to the three divisions of the canon, the Sutras, the Sastras, and the Vinaya. The Sutras encompass the study of Samadhi, the Sastras, the study of wisdom, and the Vinaya, the study of moral precepts. Since this sutra discusses morality it belongs to both the Sutra and Vinaya stores.
Vehicle refers to the Five Vehicles. Although some people say that there are only three – the Vehicles of the Sound-hearers, of Those Enlightened to Causation, and of Bodhisattvas – the Vehicles of Men and Gods can be added to these to make five. This sutra deals with the Vehicles of Men, Gods, and Bodhisattvas.
III. A DETERMINATION OF THE SUTRA’S PRINCIPLE
The foundations of this sutra are principles contained in eight terms grouped in four headings:
1. The practice of filial piety
2. The crossing over of living beings
3. The rescuing of sufferers
4. The repaying of kindness
1. To practice filial piety means to be “filial” to one’s parents and thus to be a dazzling light over the entire world. Both heaven and earth are greatly pleased by filial piety and so it is said, “Heaven and earth deem filial piety essential; filial piety is foremost. With one filial son, an entire family is peaceful.” If you are filial to your parents, your children will be filial to you; if you are not filial to your parents, your children will treat you in the same manner.
One may think, “What is the point of being human? Isn’t it merely to try to get by as well as possible?”
It certainly is not! The first duty of human beings is to be filial to their parents. Father and mother are heaven and earth, father and mother are all the elders, and father and mother are all the Buddhas. If you had no parents you would have no body, and if you had no body, you could not become a Buddha. If you want to become a Buddha, you must start out by being filial to your parents.
2. The crossing over of living beings. To cross means to go from one shore to another, from affliction to Bodhi; the Six Paramitas are also known as the six crossings-over. To cross beings over does not mean to cross over merely one, two, three, or four, but to cross all the ten kinds of living beings, so that they reach Buddhahood.
3. The rescuing of sufferers. This sutra is able to pull living beings out of their sufferings.
4. The repaying of kindness. This means to repay the kindness of parents.
I have mentioned only the essential points of these four phrases and will leave it to you to make further investigation of them.
At the mention of the first of these headings, the practice of filial piety, some people will immediately think of rushing home to be filial to their parents. This in itself is an excellent wish and is quite commendable. It is extremely important, however, that those who return home to care for their parents not forget everything they have learned and find themselves slipping back into their old habits. The way to practice ultimate filial piety is to learn how to be a model for and a benefit to the world; the very best way to do that is to study and practice the Buddhadharma.
There are four basic kinds of filial piety: limited, extensive, contemporary, and classic. Limited filial piety is to be filial within your own family but to be unable to “treat others’ elders as your own, treat others’ children as your own.” With extensive filial piety you reach throughout the world and take all fathers and mothers in the world as your own. Although this filial piety is large, it is by no means ultimate.
What then is ultimate filial piety? It is far beyond the scope of the four mentioned above. Sakyamuni Buddha’s father locked him in the palace and he stole away to cultivate a life of austerity in the Himalayas for six years, after which he finally realized Buddhahood beneath the Bodhi tree. After he had become a Buddha, he ascended to the heavens to speak Dharma for his mother. This ultimate filial piety.
Contemporary filial piety is to model oneself on present-day methods of filial piety and to study their methods of behavior.
Classic filial piety is to be filial to all the myriad things, in the same way as the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Virtue in China. But even classic filial piety is not ultimate. If you want to practice ultimate filial piety you should investigate and practice the Buddhadharma; learn to be a good person and a positive force in the world. The practice of acts that benefit society is being genuinely filial to your parents.
IV. A FULL EXPLANATION OF THE TITLE
The name of this sutra is the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, and among the seven classifications of sutra titles it belongs to those made up of a person and a dharma. Earth Store Bodhisattva is the person and past vows a dharma. Past vows can also be said to represent karma, since they are deeds that he performed in the past.
Earth Store Bodhisattva is named after the earth, which not only gives birth to things and makes them grow but can store a great many things within itself as well. Because this Bodhisattva is like the earth, he can produce the myriad things and make them grow. Anyone who believes in him may obtain the treasures stored in the ground: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, mother-of-pearl, red pearls, and carnelian.
Bodhisattva is composed of two words: Bodhi, which means “enlightenment,” and sattva, which means “being.” A Bodhisattva can be said to be either one who enlightens living beings or an enlightened living being.
Past Vows also mean fundamental vows, vows that were made aeons ago. Long ago in the distant past Earth Store Bodhisattva vowed, “If the hells are not empty I will not become a Buddha; when living beings have all been saved, I will attain to Bodhi.”
The hells cannot cease to exist until the karma and the afflictions of living beings have come to an end, and that can never happen because of the nature of living beings. Viewed in the light of modern science and philosophy, isn’t Earth Store Bodhisattva’s behavior irrational? Doesn’t it mean that Earth Store Bodhisattva will never have the opportunity to become a Buddha?
No, it does not mean that he cannot become a Buddha, and his vow is by no means irrational. In fact, his behavior is a manifestation of great compassion.
Question: What is Earth Store Bodhisattva’s Sanskrit name?
Answer: His Sanskrit name is Ksitigarbha, “Earth Store.” There are ten aspects of the earth: it is wide and extensive, it supports all living beings, it is impartial, it receives the great rain, it produces grass and trees, it holds all planted seeds, it holds many treasures, it produces medicines, it is not moved by the blowing wind, and it does not tremble at the lion’s roar.
Question: Isn’t the reason for the earth’s impartiality, its immobility in great wind, and its other characteristics, simply that the earth is an inanimate object without any feelings at all?
Answer: The feelings of the earth are not those that we humans feel, but it does have feeling. The earth is also sentient being.
Past Vows renders the Sanskrit term Pranidhana; the full title of the sutra may be reconstructed as the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Pranidhana Sutra. The vows that this Bodhisattva has made throughout the aeons have all been for the sake of the practice of filial piety.
Sutra has, among others, the following meanings:
1. To traverse. There are many roads that can be traveled, but if you wish to become a Buddha you must follow the road that leads to the goal, i.e., the road indicated by the sutras.
2. Guideline. Sutras are like the mark left by a carpenter’s chalk line; they show a clear and straight path that marks the most direct way to the goal.
3. Garland. Sutras string together manifold principles like flowers in a chain.
4. Thread. Sutras string principles together as a thread links beads in a strand.
5. To attract. Sutras are like lodestones, which attract iron filings. People are attracted to sutras as iron is attracted to a magnet, and those of you who are now studying this sutra have been attracted to it in this way. The force, of course, cannot be seen, but its effect can, and if it is a great force it will attract more people than will a small one.
6. Permanent. No meaning can be added to or subtracted from sutras, for to do so is to merit the hells.
7. Law. The law is honored in the past, present, and future; it is a constant model by which beings may conduct themselves.
8. Tally. In ancient times, contracts were written out and divided between the concerned parties. When the terms of an agreement were fulfilled, or whenever identity related to the contract had to be established, the two pieces were brought together to see whether or not they matched. Sutras are much like this in that they tally with or correspond to the principles of all Buddhas above and with the capacity of beings below.
Earlier I said that the earth receives the great rain and the plants grow on it. In these explanations there are often interconnected relationships that you should be alert for. Grasses and trees represent the potential capacity of living beings, and sutras are the Dharma rain that falls on them. Each plant absorbs the amount of moisture proper to it – more in the case of great trees and less in the case of grasses. Each receives an appropriate share of the total rainfall. This analogy holds for the relationship which people have with sutras. Study of this sutra, for example, will lead the wise to understand the principles appropriate to their own abilities. Everyone who has good roots planted in the Buddhadharma will obtain the advantage proper to him; those who do not have good roots will be led to plant good roots. Because Earth Store Bodhisattva practiced filial conduct in every life, this sutra is known as a Buddhist classic of filial piety. This is an extremely important principle, for if people are not filial to their parents, they have not fulfilled the fundamental responsibility of human beings. It is essential that people repay the enormous kindness shown them by their parents.
Confucius discusses this topic at length, and his statements may be found in the Classic of Filial Piety, where it is said,
Chung Ni sat at ease and Tseng Tzu attended upon him. The Master said, “The Kings of old ruled the empire by means of perfect virtue and the essentials of the Way. The people were in harmony so that between high and low there was no quarreling. Did you know that?”
Tseng Tzu arose from his seat and said, “Shen is foolish, how could he have known?”
The Master said, “Filial piety is the root of all virtue and the origin of teaching. Be seated, and I shall tell you about it. The person, body, hair, and skin are given by the parents; one dare not harm them. This is the beginning of filial piety.”
In the very opening of this discourse Chung Ni, Confucius, discusses filial piety in terms of all elders, and not just one’s own parents. Since Tseng Tzu was Confucius’ disciple, he waited on his teacher with filial piety. When Confucius said that “the person, body, hair, and skin, are given by the parents; one dare not harm them,” he was not speaking as many contemporary young people do, to justify their straggly, dirty hair and unwashed condition. Such people claim that haircuts and baths would harm the natural state of their bodies. Such a position is quite untenable, for what is meant by harming the body is not the superficial acts of maintaining and grooming it; these things, particularly the matter of haircuts, are merely elements of social convention. When Confucius said not to harm the body, he meant not to destroy it. Strangely enough, in our day and age there are rebellious young people who, although aware that Confucius proclaimed this principle, nevertheless take all manner of bizarre and poisonous chemicals and drugs. At the same time they refuse to wash or cut their hair because to do so would be “unnatural.” They put their parents a thousand miles behind them and, indeed, often forget their parents’ very names. In the midst of their “natural” filial piety, they often run afoul of the law and get into serious trouble. Such behavior is a sign of anything but filial piety and must be rectified.
Now that I am living in this country I certainly hope that its citizens will be orderly and law-abiding and that everyone will consider his actions and do only what is beneficial for the country and for all humanity. I hope that all the wrongs that are found throughout human society will be rights. Such actions are manifestations of true filial piety.
A HISTORY OF THE TRANSLATION
The Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva was translated in the T’ang Dynasty by Tripitaka Master Sramana Siksananda of Khotan.
Although some editions of this sutra attribute the translation to Dharma Master Fa Teng of the Ch’en Dynasty, most credit it to Tripitaka Master Siksananda of Khotan, a central Asian country, the name of which means “Earth Milk”. An early king of that country, who was without an heir, prayed to the god of a local temple for a son. From the image’s head came a child who would drink neither human nor cow’s milk, but only a particular milky fluid that appeared on the earth. As a result of this mysterious happening the country was given its rather unusual name.
Sramana is a Sanskrit word which means both “energetic” and “resting,” because a sramana energetically cultivates morality, samadhi, and wisdom and puts greed, hatred, and stupidity to rest.
Siksananda, “delight in study”, was so named because of his joy in learning Buddhadharma.
VI. DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE BODY OF THE SUTRA
Having explained the previous subjects, we will now begin a discussion of the sutra text proper.
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CHAPTER ONE
Spiritual Penetrations in the Palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven
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Trayastrimsa, “Heaven of the Thirty-Three”, is not thirty-third in a vertical arrangement of heavens. Vertically it occupies the second position among eighteen heavens. Its name is taken from the fact that it is the central one among a group of heavens located on the same plane, with eight heavens on each of its four sides. The lord of the central heaven, the thirty-third, is named Sakra or Indra, and in Buddhism he is a protector of the B