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Shurangama Sutra Chapter 7 Shurangama Sutra 楞严经
Shurangama Sutra
Śūraṅgama Sūtra
Shurangama Sutra
(The full title:)
Sutra of the Foremost Shurangama at the Crown of the Great Buddha; and of All
the Bodhisattvas' Myriad Practices for Cultivating and Certifying to the
Complete Meaning of the Tathagata's Secret Cause.
(Taisho Tripitaka 0945)
Translated during the Tang Dynasty by Shramana Paramiti from central India.
Chapter 8
"Ananda, each of these categories of beings is replete with all twelve kinds of
upside-down states, just as pressing on one's eye produces a variety of
flower-like images. With the inversion of wonderful perfection, pure
understanding of the true mind becomes glutted with false and random thoughts.
Now, as you cultivate towards certification to the Samadhi of Buddha, you will
go through three gradual stages in order to get rid of the basic cause of these
random thoughts. They work in just the way that hot water mixed with the ashes
of incense clease a vessel that has held poisonous honey. Afterwards, such a
vessel can be used to store sweet dew.
"What are the three gradual stages? The first is to correct one's habits by
getting rid of the aiding causes; the second is to truly cultivate to cut out
the very essence of karmic offenses; the third is to increase one's vigor to
prevent the manifestation of karma.
"What are aiding causes? Ananda, the twelve categories of beings in this world
are not in complete in themselves, but depend on four kinds of eating; that is,
eating by portions, eating by contact, eating by thought, and eating by
consciousness. Therefore, the Buddha said that all beings must eat to live.
"Ananda, all beings can live if they eat what is fresh, and they will die if
they take poison. Beings who seek Samadhi should refrain from eating five
pungent plants of this world. If these five are eaten cooked, they increase
one's sexual desire; if they are eaten raw, they increase one's anger.
Therefore, even if people in this world who eat pungent plants can expound the
twelve divisions of the Sutra canon, the gods and immortals of the ten
directions will stay far away from them because they smell so bad. However,
after they eat these things the hungry ghosts will hover around and kiss their
lips. Being always in the presence of ghosts, their blessings and virtue will
dissolve as the days go by, and they will experience no lasting benefit. People
who eat pungent plants and also cultivate Samadhi will not be protected by the
Bodhisattvas, gods, immortals, or good spirits of the ten directions; therefore,
the tremendously powerful demon kings, able to do as they please, will appear in
the body of a Buddha and speak Dharma for them, denouncing the precepts and
praising lust, rage, and delusion. When their lives end, these people will join
the retinue of demon kings. When they use up their blessings as demons, they
will fall into the unintermittent hell. Ananda, those who cultivate for Bodhi
should never eat the five pungent plants. This is the first of the gradual
stages of cultivation.
"What is the essence of karmic offenses? Ananda, beings who want to enter
Samadhi must first firmly uphold the pure precepts. They must exterminate sexual
desire forever, not partake of wine or meat, and eat cooked rather than raw
foods. Ananda, if cultivators do not cut off sexual desire and killing, it will
be impossible for them to transcend the Triple Realm. You should regard sexual
desire as a poisonous snake or a resentful bandit. First hold to the Hearers'
Four or Eight Parajikas in order to control your physical activity; then
cultivate the Bodhisattva's pure regulations in order to control your mental
activity. When the precepts are successfully upheld, one will not create karma
that leads to mutual rebirth and mutual killing in this world. If one does not
steal, one will not be indebted, and one will not have to pay back past debts in
this world. If people who are pure in this way cultivate Samadhi, they will
naturally be able to contemplate the extent of the worlds of the ten directions
with the physical body given them by their parents; without need of the Heavenly
Eye, they will perceive the Buddhas speaking Dharma and receive in person the
sagely instruction. Obtaining great spiritual penetrations, they will roam
through the ten directions, gain clarity regarding past lives, and will not
encounter difficulties and dangers. This is the second of the gradual stages of
cultivation.
"What is the manifestation of karma? Ananda, such people as these, who are pure
and who uphold the precepts, do not have thoughts of greed and sexual desire,
and so they do not become dissipated in the pursuit of the six external defiling
sense-objects. Because they do not pursue them, they turn around to their own
source. Without the conditions of the defiling objects, there is nothing for the
sense-organs to match themselves with, and so they reverse their flow, become
one unit, and are no longer confined to six individual functions. All the lands
of the ten directions then become as brilliantly clear and pure as a moon
suspended in crystal. Their bodies and minds are blissful as they experience the
equality of wonderful perfection, and they attain great peace. The secret
perfection and pure wonder of all the Tathagatas appear before them. These
people then obtain Patience with the Non-existence of Beings and Dharmas. They
thereupon gradually cultivate according to their practices, until they reside
securely in the sagely positions. This is the third of the gradual stages of
cultivation.
"Ananda, these good people's emotional love and desire are withered and dry, the
sense-organs and sense objects no longer mesh, and so the residual habits do not
continue to arise. Recognizing that the attachments of the mind are false, they
use only wisdom. That wisdom shines throughout the ten directions, and this
initial wisdom is called the Stage of Dry Wisdom. Although the habits of desire
are initially dried up, they still have not merged with Dharma-water that flows
from the Tathagatas.
"Then, with this mind centered on the middle, they enter the flow where
wonderful perfection reveals itself. From the truth of that wonderful perfection
there repeatedly arise wonders of truth. They always dwell in the wonder of
faith, until all false thinking is completely eliminated and the Middle Way is
totally true. This is called the Mind that Resides in Faith.
"When true faith is clearly understood, then perfect penetration is total, and
the three aspects of skandhas, places, and realms are no longer obstructions.
Then all their habits throughout innumerable eons of past and future, during
which they abandon bodies and receive bodies, appear to them now in the present
moment. These good people can remember everything and forget nothing. This is
called the Mind that Resides in Mindfulness.
"When the wonderful perfection is completely true, that essential true brings
about a transformation. They go beyond the beginningless habits to reach the one
essential brightness. Relying solely on this essential brightness, they progress
toward true purity. This is called the Mind of Vigor.
"The essence of the mind reveals itself as total wisdom; this is called the Mind
that Resides in Wisdom.
"As the wisdom and brightness are held steadfast, a profound stillness pervades
everywhere. The stage at which the majesty of this stillness becomes constant
and solid is called the Mind that Resides in Samadhi.
"The light of Samadhi emits brightness. When the essence of the brightness
enters deeply within, they only advance and never retreat. This is called the
Mind that is Irreversible.
"When the progress of their minds is secure, and they hold their minds and
protect them without loss, they connect with the life-breath of the Tathagatas
of the ten directions. This is called the Mind that Protects the Dharma.
"Protecting their light of enlightenment, they can use this wonderful force to
return to the Buddha's light of compassion and to come back to stand firm with
the Buddha. It is like two mirrors that are set facing one another, so that
between them the exquisite images inter-reflect and enter into one another layer
upon layer. This is called the Mind that Makes Transferences.
"With this secret interplay of light, they obtain the Buddha's eternal solidity
and unsurpassed wonderful purity. Dwelling in the unconditioned, they know no
loss or dissipation.
This is called the Mind that Resides in Precepts.
"Abiding in the precepts with self-mastery, they can roam throughout the ten
directions, going anywhere they wish. This is called the Mind that Resides in
Vows.
"Ananda, these good people use proper expedients to bring forth those ten minds.
The essence of these minds becomes dazzling, and their ten functions
interconnect to a point of single-mindedness. That is called the Dwelling of
Bringing Forth the Resolve.
"The discoveries made by that mind are like pure crystal within which can be
seen pure gold. Based on those previous wonderful minds, they step up to this
level called the Dwelling of the Ground of Regulation.
"When the mind on that ground connects with wisdom, both become bright and
comprehensive. Traversing the ten directions then without obstruction is called
the Dwelling of Cultivation.
"When their conduct is the same as the Buddhas' and they connect with the
Buddha's spirit, then, like the body-between-skandhas searching for a father and
mother, they penetrate the darkness with a hidden communication and enter the
lineage of the Tathagata. That is called the Dwelling of Noble Birth.
"Since they ride in the womb of the Way, they are heirs to enlightenment just as
a mature fetus has developed all human features. That is called the Dwelling
that is Endowed with Skill-in-Means.
"Their physical appearances become those of Buddhas and their minds the same as
well. That is called Dwelling in the Proper Mind.
"United in body and mind, they grow and mature day by day. That is called
Dwelling in Irreversibility.
"With the efficacious appearance of ten bodies, which are simultaneously
perfected, they are Dwelling as a Pure Youth.
"Completely developed, they leave the womb and become sons of the Buddha. That
is Dwelling as a Dharma Prince. Reaching the fullness of adulthood, they are
like a chosen prince to whom a mighty king turns over the affairs of state.
Eventually that eldest son of the kshatriya king will be ceremoniously anointed
on the crown of the head. That is called Dwelling in Anointing the Crown of the
Head.
"Ananda, after these good men have become sons of the Buddha, they are replete
with the limitlessly many wonderful virtues of the Tathagatas, and they comply
and accord with beings throughout the ten directions. That is called the Conduct
of Happiness.
"Being well able to accommodate all beings is called the Conduct of Benefiting.
"Enlightening themselves and enlightening others without putting forth any
resistance is called the Conduct Free of Anger.
"Then they undergo birth in various forms continuously to the bounds of the
future. Practicing that equally throughout the three periods of time and
pervading the ten directions is called the Conduct Continued Endlessly.
"When everything is equally in accord, one never makes mistakes among the
various Dharma doors. That is called 'he Conduct of Freedom from Deluded
Confusion.
"Then within what is identical, myriad differences appear.
Yet within the different appearances, an identity can be perceived.
That is called the Conduct of Wholesome Manifestation.
"That continues until it includes all particles of dust that fill up empty space
throughout the ten directions. In each and every mote of dust there appear the
worlds of the ten directions. And yet the appearance of dust motes and the
appearance of worlds do not interfere with one another. That is called the
Conduct of Non-Attachment.
"Everything that appears before one becomes a foremost paramita. That is called
the Conduct of Veneration.
"With such perfect fusion, one can model oneself after all the Buddhas of the
ten directions. That is called the Conduct Based on Wholesome Dharmas.
"As each and every one of those becomes pure and without outflows, they merge
into a singular truth, unconditioned, that is the essence of the nature. That is
called the Conduct of Reality.
"Ananda, when these good men replete with spiritual penetrations have done the
Buddha's work and are totally pure and absolutely true, they can remain distant
from obstacles and calamities. Then they take beings across without being
attached to the idea of taking them across. They direct the unconditioned mind
toward the path of Nirvana. That is called the Transference of Saving and
Protecting Living Beings, while apart from the Appearance of Living Beings.
"Destroying what should be destroyed and remaining far removed from what should
be left behind is called the Transference of Indestructibility.
"Fundamental Enlightenment is profound indeed, an enlightenment on a level with
the Buddhas' enlightenment. That is called the Transference of Sameness with All
Buddhas.
"When absolute truth is discovered, their level is like the level of Buddhas.
That is called the Transference of Reaching all Places.
"Worlds and Tathagatas include one another without any obstruction. That is
called the Transference of a Treasury of Inexhaustible Merit and Virtue.
"Since their level is like the Buddhas', each and every cause they create at
that level is pure. Based on the dispersing of such causes, they go straight
down the path to Nirvana. That is called the Transference of the Good Roots of
Following what is Basically Identical.
"When true roots are set down, then all beings in the ten directions are my own
nature. Not a single being is lost, as this nature is successfully perfected.
That is called the Transference of Following the Impartial Contemplation of all
Beings.
"Being identical with all dharmas yet apart from all phenomena, they are not
attached to either the identity or the separation. That is called the
Transference of the Appearance of True Suchness.
"That which is thus is truly obtained, and there is no obstruction throughout
the ten directions. That is called the Transference of Unfettered Liberation.
"When the virtue of the nature is perfectly realized, the boundaries of the
Dharma Realm are destroyed. That is called the Transference of the Limitlessness
of the Dharma Realm.
"Ananda, when these good men have completely purified these forty-one minds,
they further accomplish Four Kinds of Wonderfully Perfect Aiding Practices.
"The enlightenment of a Buddha is just about to become a function of their own
minds. It is on the verge of emerging but has not yet emerged, and so it can be
compared to the point just before wood ignites when it is drilled to produce
fire. That is called the Level of Heat.
"They continue on with their own minds to tread where the Buddhas tread, as if
relying and yet not. It is as if they were climbing a lofty mountain, to the
point where their bodies are in space but there remains a slight obstruction
beneath them. That is called the Level of the Summit.
"When the mind and the Buddha are two and yet the same, they have well obtained
the Middle Way. They are like someone who endures something when it seems
impossible to either hold it in or let it go. That is called the Level of
Patience.
"When numbers and limits are gone, no such designations as the Middle Way or as
confusion and enlightenment are made. That is called the Level of Being First in
the World.
"Ananda, these good men have successfully penetrated through to Great Bodhi.
Their enlightenment reaches through to the Tathagatas'. They have fathomed the
state of Buddhahood. That is called the Ground of Happiness.
"The differences enter into identity; even the notion of identity is gone. That
is called the Ground of Leaving Filth.
"At the point of ultimate purity, brightness comes forth. That is called the
Ground of Emitting Light.
"When the brightness becomes ultimate, enlightenment is full.
That is called the Ground of Blazing Wisdom.
"No identity or difference can be attained. That is called the Ground of
Invincibility.'
"With unconditioned True Suchness, the nature is spotless, and brightness is
revealed. That is called the Ground of Manifestation.
"Coming to the farthest limits of True Suchness is called the Ground of
Traveling Far.
"The single mind of True Suchness is called the Ground of Immovability.
"Bringing forth the function of True Suchness is called the Ground of Good
Wisdom.
"Ananda, all Bodhisattvas beyond this point have completed their cultivation and
have perfected their merit and virtue, and so this Ground is called the Level of
Cultivation.
"Then a wonderful cloud of compassion hovers over the Sea of Nirvana. That is
called 'the Ground of the Dharma Cloud.
"The Tathagatas counter the flow as the Bodhisattvas thus reach this point
through compliance with practice. Their enlightenment is about to meet that of
the Buddhas; it is therefore called Equal Enlightenment.
"Ananda, the enlightenment which encompasses the Mind of Dry Wisdom through to
the culmination of Equal Enlightenment is awakening within the Varja Mind. That
constitutes the Level of Initial Dry Wisdom. Thus there are totals of twelve
single and grouped levels. At last they reach Wonderful Enlightenment and
accomplish the Unsurpassed Way. At all these levels they use vajra contemplation
of Ten Profound Analogies for the ways in which things are like an illusion. In
Shamatha they use the Tathagatas' Vipashyana to cultivate them purely, to be
certified to them, and to gradually enter them more and more deeply. Ananda,
because they put to use the three means of advancement throughout all of them,
they are well able to accomplish the fifty-five stages of the True Bodhi
Path"This manner of contemplation is called proper contemplation.
Contemplation other than this is called deviant contemplation."
Then Dharma Prince Manjushri arose from his seat, and in the midst of the
assembly he bowed at the Buddha's feet and said to the Buddha, "What is the name
of this Sutra and how should we and all beings uphold it?"
The Buddha told Manjushri, "This Sutra is called the Crown of Great Buddha,
Sitata-Patra, the Unsurpassed Precious Seal and Pure, Clear, Ocean-like Eye of
the Tathagatas of the Ten Directions."
"It is also called The Cause for Saving a Relative, the Rescue of Ananda and the
Bhikshuni Nature, and the Attaining of the Bodhi-Heart and Entry into the Sea of
Pervasive Knowledge."
"It is also called The Tathagatas' Secret Cause of Cultivation that Brings
Certification to the Complete Meaning."
"It is also called The Great Expansive Means, the Wonderful Lotus Flower King,
the Dharani Mantra which is the Mother of all Buddhas of the Ten Directions."
"It is also called The Foremost Shurangama, Sections and Phrases for Anointing
the Crown of the Head, and All Bodhisattvas' Myriad Practices."
"Thus should you respectfully uphold it."
(In-depth explanation on causes and retributions:)
After that was said, Ananda and all in the great assembly immediately received
the Tathagata's instruction in the secret seal, the meaning of Patra, and heard
these names for the complete meaning of this Sutra. They were suddenly
enlightened to Dhyana, advanced in their cultivation to the sagely position, and
increased their understanding of the wonderful principle. Their minds were
focused and serene.
Ananda cut off and cast aside six sections of subtle afflictions in his
cultivation of the mind in the Triple Realm. He arose from his seat, bowed at
the Buddha's feet, places his palms together respectfully, and said to the
Buddha, "The Great, mighty and Virtuous Bhagavan, whose compassionate sound
knows no limit, has well instructed beings as to their extremely subtle
submersion in delusion and has caused me on this day to become blissful in body
and mind and to obtain enormous benefit. Bhagavan, if the wonderful brightness
of this truly pure and wonderful mind is basically all-pervading, then
everything on the great earth, including the grasses and trees, the wriggling
worms and tiny forms of life are originally True Suchness and are themselves the
Tathagata- true embodiments of Buddhahood. Since the Buddhas' embodiments are
true and real, how can there also be hells, hungry ghosts, animals, asuras,
humans, gods, and other paths of rebirth? Bhagavan, do these paths exist
naturally of themselves, or are they created by beings' falseness and habits?
"Bhagavan, the Bhikshuni Precious Lotus Fragrance, for example, received the
Bodhisattva Precepts and then indulged in lustful desire, recklessly saying that
sexual acts did not involve killing or stealing and they carried no karmic
retribution. But after saying that, her female organs caught fire, and then the
raging blaze spread throughout all her joints as she fell into the
Unintermittent Hell alive. And there were the Mighty King Crystal and the
Bhikshu Good Stars. Crystal exterminated the Gautama clan and Good Stars
recklessly said that all dharmas are empty. They both sank into the
Unintermittent Hell alive. Are these hells fixed places, or do they arise
spontaneously? Is it that each individual undergoes whatever kind of karma he or
she creates? I only hope the Buddha will be compassionate and instruct those of
us who do not understand this. May he cause all beings who uphold the precepts
to receive this definitive instruction with joyful respect upon hearing it and
be careful not to transgress it."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "What a good question! You want to keep all living
beings from adopting deviant views. You should listen attentively now and I will
explain this matter for you."
"Actually, Ananda, all beings are fundamentally true and pure, but because of
their false views they give rise to the falseness of habits, which are divided
into an internal aspect and an external aspect."
"Ananda, the internal aspect refers to what occurs inside living beings. Because
of love and defilement, they produce the falseness of emotions. When these
emotions accumulate without cease, they can create the fluids of love. That is
why living beings' mouths water when they think about delicious food. When they
think about a deceased person, either with fondness or with anger, tears will
flow from their eyes. When they are greedy for wealth, a current of lust will
course through their hearts and their skin will become lustrous. When their
minds dwell on lustful conduct, spontaneous secretions will come from the male
or female organ. Ananda, although the kinds of love differ, their flow and
formation is the same. With this moisture, one cannot ascend, but will naturally
fall. This is called the Internal Aspect."
"Ananda, the External Aspect refers to what happens outside living beings.
Because of longing and yearning, they give rise to fantasies. When these
fantasies persist without cease, they can create an uplifting energy. That is
why when living beings uphold the precepts in their minds, their bodies will be
buoyant and feel light and clear. When they uphold mantra seals in their minds,
they will command a heroic and resolute perspective. When they have the desire
in their minds to be born in the heavens, in their dreams they will have
thoughts of flying and ascending. When they cherish the Buddhalands in their
minds, then the sagely realms will appear in a shimmering vision, and they will
serve the good and wise advisors with little thought for their own lives.
Ananda, although the thought varies, the lightness and uplifting is the same.
With flight and ascension, one will not sink, but will naturally become
transcendent. This is called the External Aspect."
"Ananda, all beings in the world are caught up in the continuity of birth and
death. Birth happens because of their habitual tendencies; death results inflow
and change. When they are on the verge of dying, but when the final warmth has
not left their bodies, all the good and evil they have done in that life
suddenly and simultaneously manifest. They experience the intermingling of two
habits: an abhorrence of death and an attraction to life."
"Endowed solely with thought, they will fly and can certainly be reborn in the
heavens. If fly into the heart, with blessings and wisdom, as well as pure vows,
then their hearts will spontaneously open and they will see the Buddhas of the
ten directions and all their pure lands and they will be reborn in whichever one
they wish."
"When they have more thought than emotion, they are not quite as ethereal and so
they become flying immortals, great mighty ghost kings, space traveling-yakshas,
or earth-traveling rakshasas who roam the Heaven of the Four Kings, going where
they please without obstruction. Among them may be some with good vows and good
hearts who will protect and uphold my dharma. Perhaps they protect the pure
precepts by following and supporting those who hold precepts. Perhaps they
protect holy mantras by following and supporting those who hold mantras. Perhaps
they protect those who practice Dhyana Samadhi so they can cultivate
Dharma-Ksanti(forbearance)s. These beings will be close to the Tathagata beneath
his seat."
"When their thought and emotion are of equal proportions, they neither fly nor
fall, but are born in the human realm, where the brightness of thought leads to
intelligence and the darkness of emotion leads to dullness."
"When they have more emotion than thought, they enter the animal realm. With
heavier emotion, they become fur-bearing beasts; with lighter emotion, they
become winged creatures."
"When they have seventy percent emotion and thirty percent thought, they fall
beneath the wheel of water and are bordering on the wheel of fire, where they
experience the full force of the raging blaze. In the bodies of hungry ghosts,
they are constantly burned to a crisp. Even water harms them, and they have
nothing to eat or drink for hundreds of thousands of eons."
"When they have ninety percent emotion and ten percent thought, they fall
through the wheel of fire until their bodies enter a region where wind and fire
interact. With lighter emotion they are born in the intermittent hell; with
heavier emotion they are born in the unintermittent hell. When they are
possessed entirely of emotion, they sink into the Avici Hell. If in their minds
they slander the Mahayana, defame the Buddha's pure precepts, irrationally speak
dharma, are greedy for offerings from the faithful, recklessly accept the
respect of others, commit the five rebellious acts and the ten major offenses,
then they are further reborn in Avici Hell throughout the ten directions.
Although one receives one's due according to the evil karma one has created, a
group can undergo an identical lot, and there are definite places where it
occurs."
"Ananda, it all comes from the karmic responses which living beings themselves
invoke. They create ten habitual causes and undergo six interacting
retributions. What are the ten causes? Ananda, the first consists the habit of
lustful intercourse which gives rise to mutual rubbing. When this rubbing
continues without cease, it activates a tremendous raging fire, just as warmth
arises between a person's hands when he rubs them together. Because these two
habits set each other ablaze, there come into being the Iron Bed, the Copper
Pillar, and other such experiences. Therefore the Tathagatas of the ten
directions look upon the act of lust and name it the 'fire of desire.'
Bodhisattvas avoid desire as they would a fiery pit."
"The second consists of the habit of greedy scheming, which gives rise to a
suction. When this suction continues without cease, it produces intense cold and
solid ice where freezing occurs, just as a sensation of cold is experienced when
a person draws in a blast of wind through his mouth. Because these two habits
clash together, there come into being Cold Hells such as chattering, whimpering
and shuddering; blue, red, and white lotuses; and other such experiences.
Therefore the Tathagatas of the ten directions look upon excessive seeking and
name it 'the water of greed'. Bodhisattvas avoid greed as they would a sea of
pestilence."
"The third consists of habits of arrogance and resulting friction which give
rise to mutual intimidation. When it accelerates without cease, it produces
torrents and rapids which create restless waves of water, just as water is
produced when a person continuously works his tongue in an effort to taste
flavors. Because these two habits incite one another, there come into being the
river of blood, the river of ashes, the burning sand, the poisonous sea, the
molten copper which is forced down one's throat, and other such experiences.
Therefore, the Tathagatas of the ten directions look upon self-satisfaction and
name it 'drinking the water of stupidity.' Bodhisattvas avoid arrogance as they
would a huge deluge."
"The fourth consists of habits of hatred which give rise to mutual defiance.
When this defiance binds one without cease, one's heart becomes so hot that it
catches fire, and the molten vapors turn into metal. From it is produced the
mountain of knives, the iron cudgel, the tree of swords, the wheels of swords,
axes and halberds, and spears and saws. It is like when a person harbors a
grudge and the urge to kill surges forth. Because these two habits clash with
one another, there come into being castration and hacking, beheading and
mutilation, filing and sticking, flogging and beating, and other such
experiences. Therefore, the Tathagatas of the ten directions look upon hatred
and name it 'sharp knives and swords.' Bodhisattvas avoid hatred as they would a
massacre."
"The fifth consists of habits of deception and misleading involvements which
give rise to mutual guile. When such maneuvering continues without cease, it
produces ropes for strangling and wood for imprisoning. It is like how grass and
trees grow in an irrigated field. Because the two habits perpetuate one another,
there come into being handcuffs and fetters, cangues and locks, whips and clubs,
sticks and cudgels, and other such experiences. Therefore, the Tathagatas of the
ten directions look upon deception and name it a 'treacherous crook.'
Bodhisattvas fear deception as they would a savage wolf."
"The sixth consists of the habit of lying combined with continual fraudulence
which give rise to mutual cheating. When false accusations continue without
cease, one becomes adept at corruption. From this there come into being such
filthy impurities as dirt, excrement and urine. It is like the obscuring of
one's vision when the dust is stirred up by the wind. Because these two habits
augment one another, there come into being sinking and drowning, tossing and
pitching, flying and falling, floating and submerging, and other such
experiences. Therefore, the Tathagatas of the ten directions look upon lying and
name it 'robbery and murder.' Bodhisattvas regard lying as they would treading
on a venomous snake."
"The seventh consists of the habits of enmity and mutual suspicion, which give
rise to grievances. From this there come into being the experiences of being
pelted by flying rocks or gravel, being imprisoned in a box, car, or urn; and
being bagged and struck. It is like a treacherous person who harbors evil in his
mind. Because these two habits swallow one another up, there come into being
tossing, pitching, seizing, striking, and banging, and other such experiences.
Therefore, the Tathagatas of the ten directions look upon animosity and name it
a 'perverse and harmful ghost.' Bodhisattvas regard animosity as they would
drinking poisonous wine."
"The eighth consists of the habit of expressing (wrong) views, such as those of
satkayadrishti, prohibitions, grasping, and other deviant insights and the karma
involved in these, which result from contradiction and opposition. From these
there come into being court officials and deputies holding documents, whom one
meets as if they were people coming and going on the road. Because these two
habits influence one another, there come into being official inquiries, baited
questions, examinations, interrogations, public investigations, exposure, the
youths who record good and evil, carrying the record books of the offenders'
arguments and rationalizations, and other such experiences. Therefore, the
Tathagatas of the ten directions look upon evil views and name them the 'pit of
views.' Bodhisattvas regard having false and one-sided views as they would
standing on the edge of a steep ravine full of poison."
"The ninth consists of the habit of injustice that comes from instigating false
charges and libeling. From them are produced crushing between mountains,
crushing between rocks, stone rollers, stone grinders, plowing, and grinding. It
is like a slanderous villain who engages in persecuting good people unjustly.
Because these two habits join ranks, there come into being pressing and pushing,
bludgeons and compulsion, squeezing and straining, weighing and measuring, and
other such experiences. Therefore, there Tathagatas of the ten directions look
upon harmful accusations and name them 'a treacherous tiger.' Bodhisattvas
regard injustice as they would a bolt of lightning."
"The tenth consists of the habits of litigation and the mutual disputations
which give rise to covering. From them are produced the mirror that reflects and
the lamp that shines, exposing one just as if one were in direct sunlight and
had no way to hide one's shadow. Because these two habits bicker back and forth,
there come into being evil companions, the mirror of karma, the fiery pearl,
exposure of past karma, inquests, and other such experiences. Therefore, all the
Tathagatas of the ten directions look upon covering and name it a 'hidden
villain.' Bodhisattvas regard covering as they would having to carry a mountain
atop their heads while walking upon the sea."
"What are the six retributions? Ananda, all living beings create karma with
their six consciousnesses. The evil retributions they call down upon themselves
come from the six sense organs."
"What are the evil retributions that arise from the six sense organs? The first
is the retribution of seeing, which brings an evil result. The karma of seeing
intermingles, so that at the time of death one first sees a raging conflagration
which fills the ten directions. The deceased one's spiritual consciousness takes
flight, but then falls. Riding on a wisp of smoke, it enters the unintermittent
hell. There, two kinds of phenomena may occur. The first is clear perception, in
which one sees all sorts of evil things. This causes one to experience boundless
fear. The second is obscure perception, which is a stillness devoid of seeing.
This causes one to experience boundless terror. When the fire that comes from
seeing burns the sense of hearing, it becomes cauldrons of boiling water and
molten copper. When it burns the breath, it becomes black smoke and purple
fumes. When it burns the sense of taste, it becomes scorching hot pellets and
molten iron gruel. When it burns the sense of touch, it become white-hot embers
and glowing coals. When it burns the mind, it becomes sparks of fire that shower
everywhere and whip up and inflame the entire realm of space."
"The second is the retribution of hearing, which brings an evil result. The
karma of hearing intermingles, and thus at the time of death one first sees
gigantic waves that drown the whole world. The deceased one's spiritual
consciousness falls into the water and rides the current into the unintermittent
hell. There, two kinds of phenomena may occur. One is open hearing, in which it
hears all sorts of noise and its essential spirit becomes confused. The other is
closed hearing, in which there is a stillness devoid of hearing, and its soul
sinks into oblivion. When the waves from hearing flow into the hearing, they
become scolding and interrogation. When they flow into the seeing, they become
thunder and roaring and evil poisonous vapors. When they flow into the breath,
they become rain and fog permeated with poisonous organisms that entirely fill
up the body. When they flow into the sense of taste, they become pus a nd blood
and every kind of filth. When they flow into the sense of touch, they become
animals and ghosts, and excrement and urine. When they flow into the mind, they
become lightning and hail which ravage the heart and soul."
"The third is the retribution of smelling, which brings an evil result. The
karma of smelling intermingles, and thus at the time of death one first sees a
poisonous vapor that permeates the atmosphere near and far. The deceased one's
spiritual consciousness wells up out of the earth and enters the unintermittent
hell. There, two kinds of phenomena may occur. One is penetrating smelling, in
which one is thoroughly infused with the evil vapors and one's mind becomes
distressed. The other is blocked smelling, in which one's breath is cut off and
there is no passage, and one lies stifled and suffocating on the ground. When
the vapor of smelling invades the breath, it becomes cross-examination and
torture. When it invades the seeing, it becomes fire and torches. When it
invades the hearing, it becomes sinking and drowning, molten metal and boiling
liquids. When it invades the sense of taste, it becomes putrid or rancid foods.
When it invades the sense of touch, it becomes the actions of ripping apart and
beating to a pulp. It also becomes a huge mountain of flesh which has hundreds
and thousands of eyes and which is sucked and fed upon by numberless worms. When
it invades the mind, it becomes ashes, pestilent air, and flying sand and gravel
which cut the body to ribbons."
"The fourth is the retribution of tasting, which brings an evil result. This
karma of tasting intermingles, and thus at the time of death one first sees an
iron net ablaze with a raging fire that covers over the entire world. The
deceased one's spiritual consciousness passes down through this hanging net, and
suspended upside down it enters the unintermittent hell. There, two kinds of
phenomena may occur. One is a sucking air which congeals into ice so that it
freezes the flesh of his body until it bursts open. The other is a spitting
blast of air which spews out a raging fire that roasts his bones and marrow to a
crisp. When the tasting of flavors passes through the sense of taste, it becomes
what must be acknowledged and what must be endured. When it passes through the
seeing, it becomes burning metal and stones. When it passes through the hearing,
it becomes sharp weapons and knives. When it passes through the sense of smell,
it becomes a vast iron cage that encloses the entire land. When it passes
through the sense of touch, it becomes bows and arrows, crossbows, and darts.
When it passes through the mind, it becomes flying pieces of molten iron that
rain down from out of space."
"The fifth is the retribution of touching, which brings an evil result. The
karma of touching intermingles, and thus at the time of death one first sees
huge mountains closing in on one from four sides, leaving no path of escape. The
deceased one's spiritual consciousness then sees a vast iron city. Fiery snakes
and fiery dogs, wolves, lions, ox-headed jail keepers, and horse-headed
rakshasas brandishing spears and lances drive it into the iron city toward the
unintermittent hell. There, two kinds of phenomena may occur. One is touch that
involves coming together, in which mountains come together to squeeze its body
until its flesh, bones, and blood are totally dispersed. The other is touch that
involves separation, in which knives and swords attack the body, ripping the
heart and liver to shreds. When this touching passes through the sensation of
touch, it becomes colliding, striking, stabbing, and piercing. When it passes
through the seeing, it becomes burning and scorching. When it passes through the
hearing, one hears the sounds on the path to the hells, at the gate to the
hells, and in the courts of trial. . When it passes through the sense of smell,
it becomes enclosures, bags, interrogation, and binding up. When it passes
through the sense of taste, it become plowing, pinching, chopping, and severing.
When it passes through the mind, it becomes falling, flying, frying, and
broiling."
"The sixth is the retribution of thinking, which brings an evil result. The
karma of thinking intermingles, and thus at the time of death one first sees a
foul wind which devastates the land. The deceased one's spiritual consciousness
is blown up into space, and then, spiraling downward, it rides that wind
straight into the unintermittent hell. There, two kinds of phenomena may occur.
One is extreme confusion, which causes it to be frantic and to race about
ceaselessly. The other is not confusion, but rather an acute awareness which
causes it to suffer from endless roasting and burning, the extreme pain of which
is difficult to bear. When this deviant thought combines with thinking, it
becomes locations and places. When it combines with seeing, it becomes
inspection and testimonies. When it combines with hearing, it becomes huge
crushing rocks, ice and frost, dirt and fog. When it combines with smelling, it
becomes a great fiery car, a fiery boat, and a fiery jail. When it combines with
tasting, it becomes loud calling, wailing, and regretful weeping. When it
combines with touch, it becomes sensations of large and small, where ten
thousand births and ten thousands deaths are endured every day, and of lying
with one's face to the ground."
"Ananda, these are called the ten causes and six retributions of the hells,
which are all created by the confusion and falseness of living beings."
"If living beings create this evil karma simultaneously, they enter the Avici
Hell and endure limitless suffering, passing through limitless kalpas."
"If each of the six sense organs creates them and if what is done includes each
state and each sense organ, then the person will enter the Eight Unintermittent
Hells."
"If the three karmas of body, mouth, and mind commit acts of killing, stealing,
and lust, the person will enter the Eighteen Hells."
"If the three karmas are not all involved, and there is perhaps just one act of
killing and one of stealing, then the person must enter the Thirty-six Hells."
"If the sense organ of sight alone commits just one karmic offense, then the
person must enter the one hundred and eight hells. "
"Because of this, living beings who do certain things create certain karma, and
so in the world they enter collective hells, which arise from false thinking and
which originally are not there at all."
"And then, Ananda, after the living beings who have slandered and broken the
precepts, violated the Bodhisattva precepts, slandered the Buddha's Nirvana, and
created various other kinds of karma, pass through many kalpas of being burned
in the inferno, they finally finish paying for their offenses and are reborn as
ghosts."
"If greed for material objects was the original cause that made the person
commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take
shape when he encounters material objects and will become a strange ghost."
"If it was indulgence in lust that made the person commit offenses, then, after
he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters the
wind and will become a drought ghost."
"If it was indulgence in lying that made the person commit offenses, then, after
he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters
animals and will become a mei ghost."
"If it was hatred that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has
finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters worms and
insects, and will become a gu poison ghost."
"If it was the harboring of grudges that made the person commit offenses, then,
after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he
encounters degeneration and will become a pestilence ghost."
"If it was arrogance that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has
finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters gases and
will become a hungry ghost."
"If it was injustice to others that made the person commit offenses, then after
he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters
darkness and will become a paralysis ghost."
"If it was attachment to wrong views that made the person commit offenses, then,
after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he
encounters essential energy and will become a wang liang ghost."
"If it was deception that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has
finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters brightness
and will become a servant ghost."
"If it was the practice of forming factions that made the person commit
offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape
when he encounters people and will become a messenger ghost."
"Ananda, such a person's fall is due to his totally emotional level of
functioning. When his karmic fire has burned out, he will rise up to be reborn
as a ghost. This is occasioned by his own karma of false thinking. If he awakens
to Bodhi, then in the wonderful perfect brightness there isn't anything at all."
"Moreover, Ananda, when his karma as a ghost is ended and the consequences of
his emotion and thought are over, he comes into the world to meet his creditors
and settle his accounts with them. He is born as an animal to repay his debts
from past lives."
"The retribution of the strange ghost of material objects is finished when the
object is destroyed and it is reborn in the world, usually as a species of owl."
"The retribution of the drought ghost of the wind is finished when the wind
subsides, and it is reborn in the world, usually as a species of uncanny
creature which gives inauspicious prognostications."
"The retribution of the mei ghost of an animal is finished when the animal dies,
and it is reborn in the world, usually as a species of fox."
"The retribution of the gu ghost in the form of worms and insects is finished
when the gu is exhausted, and it is reborn in the world, usually as a species of
venomous creature."
"The retribution of a pestilence ghost found in degeneration is finished when
the degeneration is complete, and it is reborn in the world, usually as a
species of tapeworm."
"The retribution of the ghost which takes shape in gases is finished when the
gases are gone, and it is then reborn in the world, usually as a species of
animal used for food."
"The retribution of the ghost of darkness is finished when the darkness ends,
and it is then reborn in the world, usually as a species of animal used for
clothing or service."
"The retribution of the ghost which unites with energy is finished when the
union dissolves, and it is then reborn in the world, usually as a species of
migratory creature."
"The retribution of the ghost of brightness and intellect is finished when the
brightness disappears, and it is then reborn in the world, usually as a species
of efficacious creature."
"The retribution of the ghost that relies on a person is finished when the
person dies, and it is then reborn in the world, usually as a species of
domestic animal."
"Ananda, all this is due to the burning out of his karmic fire in payment for
his debts from past lives. The rebirth as an animal is also occasioned by his
own false and empty karma. If he awakens to Bodhi, then fundamentally none of
these false conditions will exist at all. You mentioned Precious Lotus
Fragrance, King Crystal, and Bhikshu Good Stars. Evil karma such as theirs was
created by them alone. It did not fall down out of the heavens or well up from
the earth, nor was it imposed upon them by some person. Their own falseness
brought it into being, and so they themselves have to undergo it. In the
Bodhi-Heart, it is empty and false--a cohesion of false thoughts."
"Moreover, Ananda, if while repaying his past debts by undergoing rebirth as an
animal, such a living being pays back more than he owed, he will then be reborn
as a human to rectify the excess. If the creditor is a person with strength,
blessings, and virtue, then he can pay what he collected in excess without
having to lose his human form. But if he lacks blessings, then he will be reborn
as an animal to pay the outstanding balance."
"Ananda, if the debt involves money, material goods, or manual labor, then once
it is paid, the debt is resolved. But if in the process of repayment the lives
of other beings were taken or their flesh eaten, then it will start a cycle of
mutual devouring and slaughtering that will send the debtors and creditors up
and down endlessly for as many eons as there are atoms of universe. There is no
way to put a stop to it, except through Shamatha or through a Buddha's coming to
the world."
"You should know that when owls and their kind have paid back their debts, they
regain their original form and are born as obstinate people."
"When creatures that are inauspicious have paid back their debts, they regain
their original form and are born as abnormal people."
"When foxes have paid back their debts, they regain their original form and are
born as people who are simpletons."
"When creatures of the venomous category have paid back their debts, they regain
their original form and are born as malicious people."
"When tapeworms and their like have paid back their debts, they regain their
original form and are born as lowly people."
"When the edible types of creatures have paid back their debts, they regain
their original form and are reborn as weak people."
"When creatures that are used for clothing or service have paid back their
debts, they regain their original form and are reborn as people who do hard
labor."
"When creatures that migrate have paid back their debts, they regain their
original form and are reborn as literary people."
"When efficacious creatures have paid back their debts, they regain their
original form and are reborn as intelligent people."
"When domestic animals have paid back their debts, they regain their original
form and are reborn as sophisticated people."
"Ananda, these are all beings that have finished paying back former debts and
are born again in the human realm. They are involved in a beginningless scheme
of karma and delusion and spend their lives killing and being killed by one
another. They do not get to meet the Tathagata or hear the Proper Dharma. They
just abide in the wearisome dust, passing through a repetitive cycle. Such
people can truly be called pitiful."
"Furthermore, Ananda, there are people who do not rely on Proper Enlightenment
to cultivate Samadhi, but cultivate in some special way that is based on their
false thinking. Holding to the idea of perpetuating their physical bodies, they
roam in the mountains and forests in places people do not go and become Ten
Kinds of Immortals."
"Ananda, some living beings with unflagging resolution make themselves strong
with specially prepared foods. When they have perfected this method of dieting,
they are known as earth-traveling immortals."
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves strong through
the use of grasses and herbs. When they have perfected this method of taking
herbs, they are known as flying immortals."
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves strong through
the use of metal and stone. When they have perfected this method of
transformation, they are known as roaming immortals."
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves strong through
movement and stillness. When they have perfected their energy and essence, they
are known as space-traveling immortals."
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves strong by using
the flow of saliva. When they have perfected the virtues of this moisture, they
are known as heaven-traveling immortals."
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves strong with the
essence of sun and moon. When they have perfected the inhalation of this
essence, they are known as all-penetrating immortals."
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves strong through
mantras and precepts. When they have perfected these skills, they are known as
immortals of the Way."
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves strong through
the use of thought processes. When they have perfected thought and memory, they
are known as illuminating immortals"
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves strong through
internal union. When they have perfected the response, they are known as
immortals of essence."
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves strong through
transformations. When they have perfected their awakening, they are known as
immortals of the ultimate level."
"Ananda, these are all people who smelt their minds but do not cultivate Proper
Enlightenment. They obtain some special principle of life and can live for
thousands or tens of thousands of years. They retire deep into the mountains or
onto islands in the sea and cut themselves off from the human realm. However,
they are still part of the turning wheel, because they flow and turn according
to their false thinking and do not cultivate Samadhi. When their reward is
finished, they must still return and enter the various destinies."
"Ananda, there are many people in the world who do not seek what is eternal and
who cannot yet renounce the love that exists between themselves and their wives.
But they have no interest in sexual misconduct and so their purity develops and
their light is revealed. When their life ends, they are born in the Heaven of
the Four Kings next to the sun and moon."
"Those whose sexual love for their wives is slight, but who have not yet
obtained complete purity when dwelling in solitude, transcend the light of sun
and moon at the end of their lives, and reside at the summit of the human realm.
Such people are born in the Trayastrimsha Heaven."
"Those who become temporarily involved when they meet with desire but who do not
dwell upon it when it is finished, and who, while in the human realm, are active
less and quiet more, abide at the end of their lives in light and emptiness
where the illumination of sun and moon does not reach. These beings have their
own light, and they are born in the Suyama Heaven."
"Those who are quiet all the time, but who are not yet able to resist when
stimulated by contact, ascend at the end of their lives to a subtle and ethereal
place; they will not be drawn into the lower realms. The destruction of the
realms of humans and gods and the three disasters at the end of a kalpa will not
reach them, for they are born in the Tushita Heaven."
"Those who are devoid of desire, but who will engage in it for the sake of their
partner, even though to them the experience is as flavorless as chewing wax, are
born at the end of their lives in a transcendental place of transformations.
They are born in the Nirmana-rataya(Bliss by Transformation) Heaven."
"Those who have no worldly thoughts while doing what worldly people do, who are
lucid and beyond such activity while involved in it, are capable at the end of
their lives of entirely transcending states where transformations may be present
or absent. They are born in the Para-nirmita-vasa-vartin(Comfort from Others'
Transformations) Heaven."
"Ananda, although the beings in these six heavens have physically transcended
desire, traces of it still remain in their minds. The levels of existence so far
discussed are known as the Realm of Desire."
Further Reading:
Sūtra Shurangama Sūtra Shurangama Chapitre 8
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