法苑珠林 97.38

97.38

Furthermore, the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra says: How does self-love arise? Because [self-love] has arisen uninterruptedly; because the cause of beginningless delight in and attachment to conceptual proliferation has been habituated; and because the cause of pure and impure karma has been habituated. Due to the predominant power of those two kinds of causes, from the seeds of that bodily support, right at that place the intermediate-existence ripening immediately arises without interruption, at the time of death like the rising and falling of the two ends of a balance scale. And this intermediate existence must possess all faculties. For those who perform evil karma, the intermediate existence obtained is like the light of black fleece or a dark, overcast night. For those who perform good karma, it is like the light of white cloth or a clear, bright night. The Kośa-śāstra says: This intermediate existence is fully endowed with the five faculties; diamond and the like cannot obstruct it. Under Mount Sumeru, in the midst of diamond, there are toads that take rebirth therein; the intermediate existence has subtle form, which diamond cannot obstruct. Those with the divine eye can see this matter. To re-cite an event heard as evidence: I once heard someone say that when iron was heated until red-hot and broken open, an insect was seen inside.