法苑珠林 5

English (machine translation) 5

Language: English

5.1

Compiled by the śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple

5.2

Chapter 4: The Six Destinies (these six destinies form six sections)

5.3

Section on the Devas (this comprises four separate sub-sections):

5.4

Sub-section on Setting Forth the Intent
Sub-section on Bringing Together Names
Sub-section on Undergoing Suffering
Sub-section on the Ending of Retribution

Now, concerning the retribution of devas: their consciousness is rich and splendid, their clothing and ornaments bright and novel, and their physical forms light and exquisite. Yet atop Paranirmitavaśavartin resides the Demon King; within the samādhi of non-conception one turns instead into a non-Buddhist; at the peak of the four formless realms evil attachments are not slight; and among the six realms of desire delusion is exceedingly heavy. Unable to uphold prajñā or make offerings to nirvāṇa, their arrogance ever increases and their conception of self and other grows ever more intense. For this reason, the flowers on their heads wither, sweat flows from their armpits down their lapels, the jewelled palaces lose their radiance, and their gossamer garments gather grime. Relying on this pure mind, may all of these be confessed and washed clean. Universally for the Cāturmahārājakāyika, Trāyastriṃśa, Tuṣita, Yāma, Nirmāṇarati, Paranirmitavaśavartin, the Mahābrahmā, Brahmapurohita, Ābhāsvara, Śubhakṛtsna, Bṛhatphala, Anāgāmin, Avṛha, Atapa, Sudṛśa, Sudarśana; the sphere of boundless space, the sphere of boundless consciousness, the sphere of nothingness, and the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception; extending horizontally to the limits of other realms, and vertically to the highest heavens—whether sitting upright on lotus pedestals, remaining still for kalpas, or focusing their spirits within jade palaces, a single glance spanning a thousand years: may their spontaneous garments never depart from their forms; may they forever enjoy roaming through the Hall of the Good Dharma; may they be cut off from the sickness of separation upon birth; may they be free from the toil of military battle; may they forever leave behind the five signs of decay and always be enriched with the seven jewels, their physical forms dignified and their deportment brilliant, forever abandoning the causes of suffering and ascending purely to joyful fruits.

5.7

Sub-section 2: Bringing Together Names

5.8

Question: Why are they called the 'six destinies' (gati)?
Answer: According to the Abhidharma treatises, gati means 'arrival' and is also called 'path' (mārga). It means that the paths of good and evil karmic causes can convey and bring one to the place of rebirth; thus it is called a gati. Alternatively, based on the karma one has generated, one proceeds (qu) to that place of rebirth; thus it is called a gati. Furthermore, gati has the sense of 'tending toward', meaning that the karma created can tend toward heaven down to hell.

5.9

Question: Are there only these six destinies, or are there definitely other paths?
Answer: For now we follow the explanation of one school without addition or subtraction. If we rely on the Lou tan jing, it also speaks of nine paths of sentient beings dwelling together: first, the path of bodhisattvas; second, the path of pratyekabuddhas; third, the path of śrāvakas. Adding these to the previous six paths, the common and the holy dwell together because of the desire to transform one another. As for deva ('heaven'), as explained in the Vibhāṣā's etymology, it is called tian ('heaven') because its light shines radiantly. Furthermore, tian means dian ('summit'). Dian means the highest summit. Among the ten thousand things, heaven alone is above; hence it is called dian. Furthermore, tian means xian ('lofty and prominent'). Xian means high and manifest. Among the ten thousand things, heaven alone is uniquely high, prominently covering above; hence it is called xian.

5.10

Question: Why is that destiny called deva?
Answer: Among all destinies, it is the most supreme, most joyous, most wonderful, and highest; therefore it is called the destiny of devas. Some say: having previously performed superior, wonderful bodily, verbal, and mental actions, one goes there and is born there to continue them; thus it is called the destiny of devas. Some say: because light increases, it is called deva, for their spontaneous light constantly illuminates day and night. Grammarians say: because it can illuminate, it is called deva, for it manifests superior fruits, illuminating the causes cultivated in the past. Furthermore, because of playful pleasure it is called deva, for they constantly disport and experience superior joy.

5.11

Question: What are the bodily forms and appearances of the devas?
Answer: Their forms stand upright.
Question: What is their speech like?
Answer: They all speak the sacred tongue. Furthermore, the Lokasthitābhidharma-śāstra states: 'Deva is called dibo (deva), meaning that because they practice good causes, they are born into this path; hence they are called devas.' Now we briefly discuss the bodily marks of retribution of the devas: namely, none of the devas have bones or flesh, nor do they have gross or subtle excrement and impurities. Their bodies emit light without distinction of day and night. By retribution they obtain the five supernatural knowledges, and their forms have no obstruction. Thus the Saddharmanmityupasthāna-sūtra says: 'Just as in a single room where five hundred lamps are lit, their lights do not crowd one another, so too when five hundred devas are placed in the hand of a deva, it is neither tight nor obstructed.' Furthermore, that sūtra states: 'In the Yāma heaven, sometimes one hundred, or even one thousand, sit together on the filaments of a single lotus flower without hindrance, constriction, or crowding, due to their good karma and the power of their own karma.' Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: 'In the third heaven of Śubhakṛtsna, sixty persons sit on the tip of a single needle to listen to the Dharma without obstructing one another.' Furthermore, the Saddharmanmityupasthāna-sūtra says: 'At that time, the King of the Yāma Devas spoke a gāthā for the devas:'

5.12

"If a person keeps the Buddha in mind, / That one is called a person of good life. / Because he does not depart from mindfulness of the Buddha, / This is the life within life.
If a person keeps the Dharma in mind, / That one is called a person of good life. / Because he does not depart from mindfulness of the Dharma, / This is the life within life.
If a person keeps the Saṃgha in mind, / That one is called a person of good life. / Because he does not depart from mindfulness of the Saṃgha, / This is the life within life."

5.13

"Furthermore, in the Yāma heaven there are three great beings who constantly preach the Dharma to the heedless devas. What are the three? The first is the Bodhisattva King of the Yāma Devas, Mucilinda; the second is the Bodhisattva Swan King of Auspicious Season; the third is the Bodhisattva Peacock King of Varied Adornments. These three great beings constantly preach the Dharma for the benefit of others, causing some to attain śrāvakabodhi, and some to attain pratyekabodhi."

5.14

Sub-section 3: Undergoing Suffering

5.15

Now, explaining the sutras, I shall fully clarify the suffering of the heavenly destinies, elucidating the sufferings of the form realm and formless realm. Although the upper realms are superior, they still possess subtle suffering. Thus the *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra* says: Although in the upper two realms there is no coarse suffering, there is subtle suffering. How is this known? In the four dhyānas it is explained that there are walking, standing, and lying down. According to the existence of these four, all must entail suffering. Furthermore, the form realm possesses eye, ear, and body consciousnesses; the sensations contained within these very consciousnesses are called suffering and pleasure. Moving from one deportment to seek another deportment, because one seeks a deportment, one knows there is suffering. Moreover, without understanding, one loves and clings to one's already gained retribution; when losing it, there is great suffering. As stated in the sutras, only those who have attained the path have no appearance of grief or suffering when approaching the end of life. Since they are now ordinary beings, how could they be devoid of grief and joy? Where the treatise speaks of 'no suffering', it is because the marks of suffering are subtle that it is said to be absent, just as when eating with little salt, one says there is no salt; it is not that there is entirely pleasure and no suffering. Because pleasure in the upper realms involves tranquil cessation without clinging, coarse greed, hostility, and anger cannot be generated; therefore it is called 'neither suffering nor pleasure'. Furthermore, because there is no suffering from knives, staves, and the like, it is said to have no suffering; it is not that there is no subtle suffering. Thus the *Nirvāṇa-sūtra* says: Although in the world there are superior, wonderful, and pure gardens and groves, if a dead corpse is inside, it becomes impure; everyone together abandons it and does not give rise to love and attachment. The form realm is also like this: although pure and wonderful, because a physical body exists, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas abandon it together. If one does not cultivate this contemplation, it is called not cultivating the body; thus one knows there is suffering. Furthermore, the *Dharmapada-avadāna-sūtra* says: Four bhikṣus were sitting beneath a tree and asked one another, 'In all the world, what is the greatest suffering?' One said, 'In the world there is no suffering greater than sexual desire.' One said, 'In the world there is no suffering greater than hunger and thirst.' One said, 'In the world there is no suffering greater than anger.' One said, 'In the world there is no suffering greater than terror and fear.' They disputed over the meaning of suffering endlessly. The Buddha, knowing their words, went to their place and asked the bhikṣus, 'What matter were you just discussing?' They immediately arose, bowed, and fully related what they had discussed. The Buddha said, 'Bhikṣus, what you have discussed does not reach the ultimate meaning of suffering. In the world, no suffering exceeds having a body. Hunger, thirst, cold, heat, anger, terror, sensual desire, enmity, and calamity—all are due to having a body. Now, the body is the root of all suffering, the origin of misfortunes and calamities. It exhausts the mind, strains all thought, and causes countless anxieties and fears. Writhing beings in the three realms mutually harm one another; the fetters of self and mine cause birth and death to continue without cease: all are caused by the body. Those who desire and vow to leave the worldly sufferings must seek tranquil cessation. Restraining the mind, guarding correctness, and being serene and without thought, one can attain nirvāṇa. This is the supreme pleasure.' Thus we know that if one has not attained the noble wisdom to extinguish this body of the three realms, how could it not be suffering? Question: 'It may be granted that the form realm has a body and thus has suffering, but the formless realm has no physical form; how does painful feeling arise?' Answer: 'That retribution is subtle and refined, invisible to ordinary beings and followers of the small [vehicle]. Being devoid of coarse physical obstruction does not mean there is no subtle matter. The extensive discussion of its existence or nonexistence is covered in another chapter. Thus the *Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra* says: When dying and falling from the upper two realms, they produce great agony, worse than that in the lower realms. It is like falling from the highest point and being crushed to smithereens. Furthermore, the *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra* says: Suffering and pleasure accompany the body up to the fourth dhyāna; grief and joy accompany the mind up to the peak of existence.'

5.16

Question: 'Those born in the upper heavens have abandoned evil and accumulated goodness. Why is it that when their retribution is exhausted, they immediately enter the three bad paths?' Answer: 'Ordinary beings have had boundless evil karma since beginningless time. For a single day's greed and anger, they can receive a thousand forms; how much more so when their evil deeds are numerous! They merely temporarily suppress the defilements to be born there. Once the rewarded merit is exhausted, the time for former karma matures, and they fall back into the three bad paths; what cause for doubt is there? Thus the *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra* says: People in the form and formless realms consider it to be nirvāṇa. When approaching the end of life, they see the intermediate state of the desire or form realms, and immediately generate wrong views, thinking that there is no nirvāṇa and slandering the unsurpassed Dharma. One should know that they possess unwholesome karma. Moreover, the *Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra* says: Dying in the heaven of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, one falls into the Avīci hell. Thus we know that transmigration throughout the three realms is entirely suffering. Third, clarifying the suffering of the devas of the desire realm: when they engage in battle in those heavens, they mutually harm one another, suffering both physically and mentally. If their thighs or joints are severed, they grow back again; but if their heads are cut off or their waists severed, then there is the suffering of death. As the *Abhidharma* states, the devas of the desire realm have the ten paths of karma and are free from immoral conduct. Although devas do not harm devas, they harm other destinies. Also, if their hands or feet are severed, they are cut off and grow back again; if their heads are cut off, they die. Mutually dispossessing one another, they even possess all ten paths of karma. Furthermore, when their merit is about to be exhausted, the five signs of decay appear, causing them great sorrow and anguish. Thus the *Nirvāṇa-sūtra* says: Although in the heavens there are no major afflictions or suffering, their bodies are supple, delicate, and smooth; when they see the five signs, they undergo extreme suffering, no different from the sufferings of hell. It is like poison mixed with food, delicious at first but bitter afterward. Therefore a verse in the *Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra* says:

5.17

Like poison mixed with honey, / It must not be eaten; / Heavenly pleasure is also like this: / Great suffering when falling away. / When karma is exhausted, one harbors sorrow and anguish, / Parting from all the heavenly maidens; / Great suffering and anguish at the time of falling away / Cannot be compared. / When good karma is about to end, / Like the flame of a lamp about to go out, / Not knowing where one will go, / The mind gives rise to great suffering and anguish. / When about to fall from heaven, / The mind gives rise to great suffering and anguish; / All the bitter torments of hell / Are not even one-sixteenth of it. / All the wheels of flame / Are made by the power of craving; / The chains of craving bind sentient beings, / Leading them to the perilous bad paths. / The three realms are like a turning wheel; / The wheel of karmic bonds never ceases. / Therefore abandon craving and desire; / Free from desire, one attains nirvāṇa.

5.18

Furthermore, the *Nirvāṇa-sūtra* says: Although one may attain the body of a Brahmā heaven up to the heaven of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, at the end of life one falls back into the three bad destinies. Although one may have the body of the Four Heavenly Kings up to the Paranirmitavaśavartin heaven, at the end of life one is born into the destiny of animals, becoming lions, tigers, rhinoceroses, jackals, wolves, elephants, horses, cattle, donkeys, and the like. Therefore we know that when heavenly retribution is exhausted, the body undergoes great suffering. Since there is such peril, one must open one's sincerity, list these karmas, and repent so as to suppress and extinguish them. If a person commits sins and finishes receiving their retribution, and later cultivates goodness so that they are born in heaven, due to the remaining misfortunes of the past they still subtly experience them in heaven. Thus the *Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra* says: If in a previous life one had the karma of stealing, at that time one will see the heavenly maidens take the adornments one wears and offer them to other devaputras. If in a previous life one had the karma of false speech, when the heavenly maidens hear one speak, they will generate inverted understanding, thinking it is abusive speech. If in a previous life one gave liquor to a person observing the precepts, or broke the prohibitions and drank liquor oneself, or made yeast and fermented alcohol, at the end of life one's mind will be muddled and confused, losing right mindfulness and falling into hell. If in a previous life one had the karma of killing, one's lifespan will be short and life will end quickly. If in a previous life one had the karma of sexual misconduct, one will see all the heavenly maidens abandon oneself to enjoy one another's company with other devaputras. These are called the five signs of decay. Because of these five kinds of flaws in keeping the precepts, bound by the net of karma, one receives this karmic retribution. Furthermore, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, also observed the fruits of karma in his palace: in the eighteen compartments of the Great Screaming Hell, the karmas of killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and false speech cause one to fall into this hell and fully undergo all sufferings. Emerging from hell, one is born among the hungry ghosts, where the lifespan is long. Dying among the hungry ghosts, one is born among animals, mutually harming one another. Dying among animals, if born among humans, one's bodily complexion will be haggard and devoid of majestic power. If there is remaining karma allowing birth in heaven, one's bodily size and appearance will all be diminished and inferior; the radiance of all one's precious adornments will be faint and meager; one will not be loved or respected by heavenly maidens; the heavenly maidens will be unfaithful and abandon one for other heavens; one's wisdom will be slight and the mind will not be upright; one will be ridiculed by other devaputras; and when the heavenly hosts fight with the asuras, one will be killed by others—all on account of remaining karma.

5.19

Section 4: The Dissolution of Retribution

5.20

According to the *New Vibhāṣā-śāstra*, when the devas are about to reach the end of life, two kinds of five signs of decay first appear: first, minor; second, major. What are the five minor signs of decay? First, as the devas move about, five musical sounds issue from their bodily adornments, surpassing what skilled musicians can achieve; when approaching the end of life, these sounds no longer arise. Some say disagreeable sounds issue instead. Second, the bodily radiance of the devas is brilliant, illuminating day and night, and their bodies cast no shadow; when approaching the end of life, their bodily radiance becomes dim and faint. Some say it is extinguished completely, and a bodily shadow then appears. Third, the skin and bodies of the devas are delicate and smooth, so that when bathing in fragrant pools, as soon as they emerge from the water, water does not cling to their bodies, like lotus leaves; when approaching the end of life, water clings to their bodies. Fourth, the various sense-spheres of the devas are all exquisite, sweeping along their sense faculties like a whirling wheel of fire without pausing even briefly; when approaching the end of life, they cling exclusively to a single sense-sphere, unable to abandon it for a long time. Fifth, the physical strength of the devas is robust and their eyes never blink; when approaching the end of life, their physical strength becomes deficient and weak, and their eyes blink frequently. What are the five major signs of decay? First, their clothing, formerly clean, now becomes soiled. Second, their floral crowns, formerly flourishing, now wither. Third, sweat suddenly flows from both armpits. Fourth, their bodies suddenly produce a foul odor. Fifth, they take no pleasure in staying in their original seats. After the previous five signs of decay appear, they may perhaps be averted. At that time, because the five minor signs of decay appeared, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, knew that the major signs of decay would soon appear. Terror arose in his heart, and he thought: 'Who can save me from such decay and distress? I must take refuge.' He then understood on his own: 'Except for the Buddha, the World-Honoured One, none can rescue me.' He immediately went to the Buddha's place to plead for mercy and seek rescue. The Buddha preached the Dharma for him, and he was able to see the truth, causing those signs of decay to be extinguished all at once. Therefore, before the Buddha, leaping with joy, he spoke affectionate words and uttered this gāthā:

5.21

The Great Seer should know: / Right on this seat, / I have regained heavenly lifespan; / May the Honoured One keep this in mind.

5.22

Furthermore, the *Subduing the Arhat Sutra* says: Formerly, in the palace of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven, there was a deva whose life was drawing to a close, and seven kinds of omens appeared: first, the light from his neck went out; second, the flowers on his head withered; third, his facial complexion changed; fourth, dust appeared on his clothes; fifth, sweat flowed from beneath his armpits; sixth, his bodily form grew emaciated; seventh, he left his original seat. He then contemplated for himself that after his life ended, he would descend to be born in the belly of a mangy sow in the country of Kuśīnagara as a piglet. He felt extreme sorrow and anguish in advance, not knowing what plan to make. Another deva said to him, 'Now the Buddha is here preaching the Dharma for the assembly. Only the Buddha can liberate you from your transgressions.' He immediately went to the Buddha's place, bowed with his head to the ground, and before he could ask, the Buddha, knowing, told him, 'All things without exception return to impermanence. You have always known this; why be sorrowful? To be freed from a pig's body, constantly recite the three refuges.' He did so for three days, and seven days later the deva's life ended, and he descended to be born in the country of Vaiśālī as the son of an elder's household. While in his mother's womb, he took the three refuges three times a day. When first born, falling to the ground, he also knelt and took the refuges himself. His mother delivered him without lochia. The maidservants attending the mother were terrified and ran away. The mother also found it deeply bizarre, thought it was a demonic delusion, and intended to kill him. The father knew he was an exceptional son and ordered that he be well cared for. When he was approaching the age of seven, playing by the roadside with his peers, he encountered Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana. The boy came forward and bowed. The noble ones were astonished and marvelled; he fully recounted the events in heaven. This boy invited the Buddha to his home, and the Buddha preached the sutra for them. The boy, his parents, and his inner and outer relatives all attained avaivartika, which here is translated as non-retrogression. (According to the sutras, there are many kinds of heavens, fully explained in the thirty-two sections of the earlier chapter on the Three Realms; here, in relation to the six destinies, four sections are briefly set forth.)

5.23

Circumstances of Sympathetic Resonance (briefly citing six verifications)

5.24

Shi Shiguang, lay devotee of the Jin
Śramaṇa Shi Huiwei of the Jin
Two daughters of the Lun family of the Song
Śramaṇa Shi Tanluan of the Wei
Yuanxian Chao, lay devotee of the Wei
Śramaṇa Shi Huishao of the Liang

5.25

Now, the conditions of the ten unwholesome actions are vast and easily entered by the mind; the power of the myriad virtues is feeble and struggles to move the spiritual nature. Treacherous intents frequently arise and ominous signs are repeatedly heard; the true Dharma is seldom encountered, while the teachings sink and the Way falls into ruin. Thus, if a single breath is not pursued, one departs forever for myriad kalpas; if briefly parted for a single kṣaṇa, one is permanently separated across a thousand generations. This is truly because faith and slander vie with one another, and good and evil mutually infringe. The foolish and deluded lightly raise corrupt winds, while the pure and upright often suffer persecution from flatterers. Thus, during the more than six hundred years since the teaching spread to the land of Cīnasthāna, Cui, Helian, and the Zhou cruelly brought ruin and eradication three times. Calamity did not spare their heels, and disaster reached their own persons, thereby inviting the signs of sympathetic resonance and the retributions of good and evil. For this reason, Jian'an was moved by a dream and his illness was cured; Wenxuan had an apparition of a spirit and his sickness healed. When the King of Wu besieged the monastery, the relics floated with radiance; when the Lord of Qi carried out an execution, the blade instantly snapped. Yuwen destroyed the saṃgha and ulcers ruptured; Tuoba abolished monasteries and pus flowed. Sun Hao urinated on an image and suffered pain in his genitals; Helian was ferocious and obstinate and was struck dead by thunder. Ancient and modern signs of auspiciousness and calamity regarding good and evil are as extensively detailed in works such as the Xuan yan ji, the Ming xiang ji, the Bao ying ji, the Gan tong zhuan, the Yuan hun zhi, the You ming lu, the Sou shen ji, the Jing yi ji, the Fa yuan, the Hong ming ji, the Jing lü yi xiang, the San bao zheng ying, the Sheng ji ji, the Gui xin lu, the Xiguo xingzhuan, the Ming seng zhuan, the Gao seng zhuan, and the Ming bao shi yi. With their scrolls exceeding several hundreds, they cannot all be listed. Transmitted in the classics and canons, hung high like the sun and moon, they are sufficient to enable one to see with one's own eyes and dispel empty doubts and future perplexities. Therefore a sūtra says: 'Practicing good brings good retribution; practicing evil brings evil retribution.' The Book of Changes states: 'A family that accumulates good will surely have an abundance of blessings; a family that accumulates evil will surely have an abundance of calamities.' One may truly know that the retributions of good and evil follow one like shadow and echo, and the omens of suffering and joy have always overcome one another. Having searched through more than four thousand records and biographies, I have selected the efficacious anomalies and placed them at the end of each section. If one does not cite proof, perverse afflictions will be difficult to eliminate. What remains unexhausted, I hope will be supplemented here.

5.26

Shi Shiguang of the Jin dynasty was a native of Xiangyang. In the eighth year of the Xianhe reign era, he died at Wuchang. On the seventh day, the śramaṇa Zhi Fashan was chanting the Aṣṭasāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā. Becoming tired, he lay down briefly and heard what sounded like a human voice above the spirit altar. The Shi family had a maidservant named Zhang Xin, who saw Shiguang sitting upon the seat, dressed in a robe and cap just as in life. He said to Xin: 'I was originally due to fall among the dragons, but Upādhyāya Zhi chanted the sūtra for me, and Tanhu and Tanjian have welcomed me up to the seventh Brahma heaven, a place of joy.' Hu and Jian were both novices under Shan who had already passed away. Later, Zhi Fashan went again to chant the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā for him, and he appeared upon the seat once more. During his lifetime, Shiguang had made an offering of two banners, which were then in the monastery. He called out to Zhang Xin to take the banners and see him off. Xin said, 'Yes,' and thereupon swooned and died. Shiguang took Xin, who held the banners, and together they flew northwest, ascending an azure mountain the color of lapis lazuli. Arriving at the mountain peak, they saw the heavenly gate in the distance. Shiguang then took the banners himself and sent Xin back, giving her a piece of azure incense shaped like a croton seed, saying, 'Present this to Upādhyāya Zhi.' Before Xin had returned, she saw Shiguang from afar enter directly into the heavenly gate. Xin returned by the same road and suddenly revived; she also could no longer see the incense in her hand, and the banners were still in the monastery as before. When Shiguang and Xin had left the house, his six-year-old son saw it, pointed, and said to his grandmother: 'The young master is flying up to heaven! Grandmother, do you see him or not?' Later, Shiguang returned again with more than ten heavenly beings to his home, lingered, and then departed. Every time he came, he was seen wearing a hairpin and cap, but whenever he left, his hair knot was bare. Xin asked him about it, and he replied: 'In heaven there are crowns, so I do not wear this.' Later, he wore a heavenly crown, and together with the host of heavenly beings, played lutes and walked along singing, heading straight up to his mother's hall. Xin asked, 'Why do you come repeatedly?' He said, 'I come wanting you all to know of karmic offenses and blessings, and also to gladden mother.' The sound of the lute was clear and marvelous, unlike earthly sounds. The family, both young and old, all could hear it, yet they heard the sound as if separated by a wall or barrier, unable to perceive it closely; only Xin heard it distinctly on her own. After a short while, he left. Xin saw him off herself and saw Shiguang enter a dark gate. After a while, he came out and said to Xin: 'My maternal uncle is here, daily beaten with clubs and whips, suffering excruciating pain beyond endurance. I went to visit him and have now returned. Uncle was condemned for committing the crime of killing, and therefore receives this retribution. You may tell aunt to assemble monks to chant sūtras, and he should gradually be liberated.' The uncle was the General of Light Chariots, who had already died. (The preceding one is from the Ming xiang ji).

5.27

The śramaṇa Shi Huiwei of Chang'an during the Jin dynasty was of unknown origins. Residing at a great monastery in Chang'an, his observance of the precepts was pure and clean. He mostly dwelt in mountain valleys, practicing the work of dhyāna meditation. A headless ghost came, but Wei's countenance did not change. He said to the ghost: 'Having no head, you have no suffering of headaches. How delightful!' The ghost then concealed its form and returned as a belly-less ghost, possessing only hands and feet. Wei said again: 'Since you have no belly, you have no worry over the five viscera. How joyful!' In an instant it again assumed different shapes, but Wei dismissed them all in accordance with his words. Long afterward, the weather was bitterly cold with snow. A woman came asking for lodging; her appearance was upright and dignified, her clothing fresh and bright, and her demeanor seductive, gentle, and elegant. She called herself a heavenly maiden, saying: 'Because the Venerable One has virtue, Heaven has sent me to comfort and console you.' Talking of desire, she tried to sway his mind. Wei held firm to his resolute intention, his single mind undisturbed. He said to the woman: 'My mind is like dead ashes; do not test me with a leather sack [of filth].' The woman then soared into the clouds and vanished, turning back to sigh and say: 'The sea waters may dry up, and Mount Sumeru may tumble, but that Venerable One holds his resolve firm and pure.' Later, in the third year of the Long'an reign era of the Jin dynasty, he traveled together with Faxian to the Western Regions, and his final end is unknown. Next, there was Shi Xianhu, surnamed Sun, a native of Liangzhou. He came to reside at Yanxing Temple in Guanghan, constantly taking the practice of dhyāna as his occupation. He was also skilled in monastic vinaya conduct, without the slightest flaw. He died in the fifth year of the Long'an reign era of the Jin dynasty. Nearing death, five-colored light shone from his mouth, filling the entire monastery. His dying instruction was to have his body cremated, which his disciples carried out. When finished, all his limbs and joints were reduced to ashes, and only a single finger of his hand was unburned. They consequently buried it beneath a stūpa. (The preceding one is from the Liang dynasty Gao seng zhuan).

5.28

The two daughters of the Lun family under the Song dynasty were natives of Zengcheng in Dongguan. They were elder and younger sisters at that time. In the ninth year of the Yuanjia reign era, the elder sister was ten years old and the younger sister was nine years old. In their remote southern village, they were simple and ignorant, knowing nothing of the sūtras and Dharma. Suddenly, on the eighth day of the second month, both vanished. After three days they returned, speaking vaguely of having seen the Buddha. On the fifteenth day of the ninth month, they vanished again, returning after ten days speaking foreign languages and reciting sūtras and Sanskrit texts. When they saw śramaṇas from the Western Regions, they could mutually converse and explain things. On the fifteenth day of the first month of the following year, they suddenly disappeared once more. Laborers in the fields said they saw them drifting directly up into the sky riding the wind. Their parents wailed in fright, sacrificing to spirits to seek blessings. After a month had passed, they returned, having shaved their heads as nuns and wearing Dharma robes, carrying their hair as they came back. They recounted that they had seen the Buddha and bhikṣuṇīs, who said: 'By past karmic conditions, you ought to be my disciples.' The Buddha raised his hand and stroked their hair, which fell away, and bestowed Dharma names upon them: the elder was named Fayuan, and the younger was named Facai. As he was sending them back, he said: 'You may build a vihāra, and I shall bestow upon you the sūtras and Dharma.' When the girls returned home, they immediately destroyed the spirit altars and erected a vihāra, fasting and chanting by night. In the evenings, there was often a five-colored light floating across the mountain ridges like lamps and torches. The girls said that thereafter their deportment was refined and elegant, their speech and demeanor upright, such that the manners of the capital could not surpass them. The regional inspector Wei Lang came to their village to welcome and make offerings to them, and upon hearing their discourse, he was deeply reverent and amazed. Thereupon, the entire mountain valley came to know and revere the Dharma. (The preceding one is from the Ming xiang ji).

5.29

The śramaṇa Tanluan of Xuanzhong Monastery in the Shibigu valley of Xihe under the Wei dynasty was of unknown clan, a native of Yanmen. His home was near Mount Wutai, and his miraculous signs and divine wonders astonished the common people. Because Luan suffered from a qi disorder, he traveled about seeking medical treatment. When he reached the ancient ruins of the Qin tombs along the Fen River, he entered the city's east gate and looked up toward the azure clouds. Suddenly he saw the heavenly gate wide open, with the steps and ranks of the six desire heavens layered above and below, appearing distinct and clear to his sight. From this his illness was cured. Later, he went south of the Yangtze to the retreat of Tao Yinju, seeking recipes for immortality in hopes of prolonging his life. When he arrived at the mountain retreat, Tao received him joyfully and presented him with ten scrolls of immortality scriptures in fulfillment of his request. Returning as far as the Zhejiang River, there was the deity Master Baolang; when he stirred up the waves, they would only cease after seven days. It happened to be the beginning of the swell, so there was no way to cross. Luan went to the deity's shrine and prayed earnestly, promising that if his request was granted, he would build a shrine for him. In an instant, the deity manifested his form, appearing to be about twenty years of age, and came to tell Luan: 'If you wish to cross, you will be able to do so tomorrow morning. I hope you will not break your word.' When the next morning came, the waves were still raging furiously, but as soon as he boarded the boat, all became tranquil and still, and by this means he arrived safely. Emperor Wu of Liang held him in high esteem and issued an imperial decree to rebuild an efficacious shrine for the river deity. Later, taking leave of the Emperor to return to Wei territory, Luan wished to travel to famous mountains to practice according to the elixir recipes. When he arrived at Luoyang, he met the Tripiṭaka master Bodhiruci from India. Luan approached him and asked: 'In the Buddha's Dharma, is there any method of longevity and immortality superior to the immortality scriptures of this land?' Ruci spat on the ground and said to him: 'What kind of talk is that? They cannot be compared! Where in this land is there any method of longevity and immortality? Even if one attains longevity and does not die for a short while, in the end one still transmigrates within the three realms of existence.' He then handed him the Contemplation Sūtra, saying: 'This is the great elixir of immortality. If you practice in accordance with it, you will attain liberation from birth and death, forever cutting off saṃsāra.' Later, he moved to Xuanzhong Monastery at the Shibi cliffs on the northern mountain of Fenzhou, single-mindedly relying on the sūtra to cultivate Pure Land karma. His age was sixty-seven. On the day of his demise, banners, flowers, canopies, and parasols shone brilliantly over the courtyard and buildings, fragrant vapors billowed, and celestial sounds bustled in chorus. All those who ascended the monastery beforehand witnessed it together. In the fourth year of the Xinghe reign era of the Eastern Wei, he passed away at a mountain monastery in Pingyao at the age of sixty-seven. (The preceding one is from the Liang Dynasty Gao seng zhuan).

5.30

Xian Chao, whose style name was Yiqi, was a clerk of Jibei commandery during the Wei dynasty. In the middle of the Jiaping reign era, while spending the night alone, he dreamed that a divine maiden came to join him. She referred to herself as a heavenly jade maiden, a native of Dong commandery, surnamed Chenggong, and styled Zhiqiong. Having lost her parents early, the Heavenly Emperor took pity on her solitary distress and sent her down to marry and follow a husband. While dreaming, his vital spirits were stirred awake; he admired her extraordinary beauty, which was not the countenance of an ordinary mortal. After waking, he yearned for her, as if she were present yet vanished. After three or four such nights, she manifestly came to visit him. She rode in a curtained carriage accompanied by eight maidservants, wearing garments of damask, silk, and embroidery; her appearance and figure were like that of a flying immortal. She herself said she was seventy years old, but looked like a maiden of fifteen or sixteen. In the carriage were flagons and jars of pure white lapis lazuli, with five sets of drink and fare, filled with strange delicacies. She then set out wine and food to drink and dine together with Yiqi. She said to Yiqi: 'I am a jade maiden of heaven. Having been sent down to marry, I have come to join you. It is not on account of your virtue, but because of past karmic fortunes that we should be husband and wife. I can bring you no benefit, nor will I bring you harm. However, in your travels you may always ride light carriages and mount fat horses; in food and drink you may always obtain rare flavors and exotic dishes; and plain silks can be provided in abundance without lack. Yet I am a spirit, so I will not bear children for you, nor do I have a jealous nature; I will not interfere with your worldly marriage.' Thereupon they became husband and wife, and she presented him with a poem, the text of which read:

5.31

Drifting and surging onward, the path unfolds, / Towering cloud-rocks flourish and thrive. / The lingzhi blossom needs no moistening dew; / Supreme virtue meets its appointed time. / Would a divine immortal descend in vain? / Answering destiny, I come to assist you. / Receiving me brings glory to your five clans; / Casting me off will invite calamity.

5.32

This was the general drift of her poem; its full text ran to more than two hundred words and cannot be completely recorded. In addition, she annotated the *Changes* in seven rolls on divining good and ill fortune, and Yiqi grasped all of its meanings. They lived as husband and wife for seven or eight years. After Yiqi's parents took a wife for him, they were divided by days and resented it, divided by nights and slept apart; she came by night and left at dawn, fleeting as if flying. Only Yiqi saw her; other people did not see her. Although she stayed in a dark room, human voices were readily heard, and her footprints were often seen, yet they never beheld her form. Later, people found it strange and questioned him, and the matter leaked out. The jade woman then asked to leave, saying, 'I am a divine person; though I have consorted with you, I did not wish people to see me. Yet your nature is careless and indiscreet. In the past, my association with you lasted for accumulated years, and our bond of affection was not light. To part all at once—how could I not grieve and regret it? The situation cannot last; let each of us make effort.' She called her attendants, laid out wine and food, opened a bamboo hamper, took out two lengths of woven skirts and blouses, and bestowed them on Yiqi. She also presented him with a poem. Holding his arm, she bade farewell, tears streaming in profusion. Solemnly she mounted the carriage and departed, swift as flying. Yiqi's sorrow and emotion accumulated for days until he was nearly exhausted. Later, he came upon the road at Mount Yu in Jibei; looking westward toward the bend in the road from afar, there was a horse carriage resembling Zhiqiong's. Galloping forward, he arrived, and it was indeed the jade woman. Thereupon they drew back the curtain and saw each other, weeping at first and rejoicing afterwards. Holding the reins on the left, she helped him up to ride together to Luoyang. They thereupon made a household and restored their old affection. Down to the Taikang reign era she was still there, but she did not come and go every day; only on the third day of the third month, the fifth day of the fifth month, the seventh day of the seventh month, the ninth day of the ninth month, and on the dawn of the fifteenth day, would she come down and visit, staying the night before leaving. Zhang Maoxian composed the 'Rhapsody on the Divine Woman' for her. (The one above is from the *Soushen ji*.)

5.33

Under the Liang, the śramaṇa Huishao of Longyuan Temple in Shu commandery was surnamed Chen and was originally a man of Taiqiu in Yingchuan. He had few desires and much wisdom, and was exceptionally clever and intelligent. At the age of fifty, he died in the Mahāyāna Hall of his home temple. At that time, a worthy man of Chengdu named Ying Shifeng ceased breathing on account of illness, yet his chest remained warm, and after five days he finally revived. He said that he had been summoned to King Yama and heard the instructions: 'Welcome the Dharma Master.' In an instant [Huishao] arrived. The King stepped down from the dais, joined his palms, and bowed his head in homage; he spoke no further words, but merely wrote on a document, inscribing a large character *zheng* (governance). Shao went outside and sat under a tree beside a broad road, where he saw a young boy holding up an unwashed kāṣāya on a lacquered willow basket, telling Shao to wear it. Ten monks came to welcome him; Feng recognized the two Dhyāna masters He and Ci. With banners and canopies lining the road, they soared into the void and departed. Furthermore, on the night he passed away, a nun at Anpu Temple who had long been ill fell unconscious; when she revived, she said, 'I escorted Dharma Master Shao and five hundred monks as they mounted a seven-jeweled ladder and reached the lecture hall within a heavenly palace. Its ground was like crystal, the couches and mats were splendid and neat, and there were also chowry whisks, low tables, and desks, with lotuses filling the ponds. Shao took a seat and engaged in discourse, and after a short while he arose and bade farewell to those escorting him, telling them to return.' The unseen omens and perceived manifestations of his life and death were of this sort. On the third day of the seventh month of the second year of the Tianjian reign era, he died at Longyuan Temple at the age of fifty-four. (The one above is from the Liang *Biographies of Eminent Monks*.)

5.34

Section on the Human Realm (this contains eight separate parts)

5.35

Part on Setting Forth the Purport
Part on Explaining the Name
Part on Abodes
Part on Karmic Causes
Part on the Noble and Base
Part on the Poor and Rich
Part on Undergoing Suffering

5.36

Part on Setting Forth the Purport, Number One

5.37

Now, concerning the human realm, physical forms are fleeting and false, with many sinful karmas, and people take pleasure in creating flaws and blemishes. The way of benevolence and wisdom perishes, and kindness, goodness, and righteousness are severed. Hence Cui Zhu assassinated his lord, and Shangchen harmed his father; the Seven Warring States contended together, and the myriad states followed in their wake. They vied in pursuing arrogance and extravagance, and each flaunted wanton licentiousness. The pure and simple customs were ended forever, and fine transformations ceased to operate. The three poisons contend to arise, and the ten entanglements strive to burst forth; the four floods are vast and overflowing, and the five hindrances are deep and dark. Perversion and ignorance flourish all the more, so that life is like a tree on a precipice, and existence equals an endangered city. Honey on the blade is easily licked, and the well-vine is hard to maintain for long. Atop the mounds and beneath the pines, weeping sounds are broken and ruined; in broad alleys and behind layered gates, sorrowful voices choke with tears. Now, on behalf of those in the human realm, we completely repent: all those with round heads and square feet, from the highest wisdom down to the lowest folly, reaching to Aparagodānīya in the west and Pūrvavideha in the east, exhausting Uttarakuru in the north and draining Jambudvīpa in the south; even down to those in wooden houses and felt tents, tattooed and unkempt, drinking blood and eating raw meat, living in nests and dwelling in caves, with carved hooves and black teeth, living upside-down and walking sideways; those where weak waters float feathers, crossing perilous peaks by ropes; those at frontier fortresses and distant garrisons, clad in armor and carrying spears; those bound in chains and imprisoned, carrying cangues and holding wooden yokes—may they all cultivate courtesy and deference, humaneness, filial piety, and kindness; may they quell unrestrained minds and cut off wild and licentious passions; may their character equal metal and stone, their bodies resemble Mounts Song and Hua, untouched by the eight sufferings and forever rid of the nine untimely deaths.

5.38

Part on Explaining the Name, Number Two

5.39

As explained in the *Vibhāṣā-śāstra*: Humans (*ren*) are called 'those who still the mind' (*zhixi yi*); hence they are named humans. That is to say, among the six destinies, they can still the mind; hence they are named humans. This means that among the six destinies, in being able to still the mind of afflictions, evil, and confusion, none surpasses humans; therefore they are called 'those who still the mind.' Furthermore, humans (*ren*) means endurance (*ren*); that is, regarding the agreeable and contrary conditions in the world, they can peacefully endure them; hence they are named endurance. Furthermore, the *Lokasthitābhidharma-śāstra* states: Why is the human realm called *manuṣya*? It has eight meanings: first, because they are intelligent; second, because they are superior; third, because their minds are subtle; fourth, because of saṃbodhi; fifth, because their wisdom increases; sixth, because they can distinguish the real from the false; seventh, because they are proper vessels for the noble path; eighth, because they are born from intelligent karma. Therefore the human realm is called *manuṣya*. Furthermore, the *New Vibhāṣā-śāstra* asks: Why is this destiny called *manuṣya*? It answers: Long ago there was a cakravartin named Māndhātṛ, who addressed the people, saying, 'If you wish to do something, you should first ponder, deliberate, and observe.' At that time, the people followed the king's instruction: whenever they wished to do something, they all first pondered, deliberated, and observed. Thereupon they attained skillfulness in various crafts and karmic actions. Because they can use their minds to ponder and observe what they do, they are called *manuṣya*. Some say: Having formerly performed and increased subtle good deeds of body, speech, and mind, they go to be born there, causing that birth to continue; therefore it is called the human destiny. Some say: Because they have much arrogance, they are called humans; for among the five destinies, none has as much arrogance as humans. Some say: Because they can tranquilize the mind, they are called humans; for among the five destinies, none can tranquilize the mind like humans. Therefore the sūtra says: Humans surpass the devas in three matters: first, valor; second, mindfulness; third, pure conduct (brahmacarya).

5.40

Part on Abodes, Number Three

First 40 of 106 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese