諸經要集 13
English (machine translation) 13
- Language
- English
13.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Monastery
13.2
Section 22: Experiencing Retribution (This contains nine conditions)
13.3
Condition of Stating the Purport
Condition of Categories of Retribution
Condition of Immediate Retribution
Condition of Next-Life Retribution
Condition of Subsequent Retribution
Condition of Definite Retribution
Condition of Indefinite Retribution
Condition of Wholesome Retribution
Condition of Unwholesome Retribution
13.4
First: Condition of Stating the Purport
13.5
Now, the function of wholesome and unwholesome karma is truly the harbinger of the three retributions; it is like form and shadow depending on each other, and an evident proof across the six destinies. As for the three retributions: pleasing the ears and eyes of the queen, turning against the deep kindness of the nine-colored deer; throwing oneself down alone to preserve the entire life of the king of beasts, while mutually undergoing the severe cruelty of five severed limbs—these are immediate retribution. Troops sink down into dark ravines, yet the spirit ascends as if whirling on a wheel without change; the body suffers bitter afflictions over successive generations, unaware of the prince's blinding—this is next-life retribution. Non-Buddhists give rein to calamity in [the heaven of] Neither Conception Nor Non-conception, permanently confused about the Dharma from beginning to end; like violent wildcats that grew wings, they fly and sink, suffering distress beyond reckoning—this is subsequent retribution. With profound discernment regarding the currents of drowning and loss across the three ages, the profound serpent arrives, transforming the encumbrance of a fragile body; causing realization in the chamber of the four truths and the three knowledges, causing escape from the darkness of the three retributions and five sufferings.
13.6
Second: Condition of Categories of Retribution
13.7
As the Upāsaka-śīla-sūtra says: The Buddha said, 'Good sons, when sentient beings create karma, there are four kinds. The first is immediate retribution (creating extremely wholesome or unwholesome karma in this life and experiencing it in this very life is called immediate retribution). The second is next-life retribution (creating karma in this life and experiencing it in the immediately following life is called next-life retribution). The third is subsequent retribution (creating karma in this life, not experiencing it in the immediately following life, but experiencing it from the second or third life onward is called subsequent retribution). The fourth is non-retribution (like karma with no other consequences, etc.). This non-retributive karma also has four kinds: First, the time is definite but the retribution is indefinite (in the three times it is determined not to change, yet because the karma can be transformed, the retribution is indefinite). Second, the retribution is definite but the time is indefinite (due to the karmic force, the retribution is definite and cannot be changed, but because the time can be transformed, the time is indefinite). Third, both time and retribution are definite (because the karma is definite, the evoked time is also definite). Fourth, both time and retribution are indefinite (because the karma is not definite, both time and retribution are also indefinite). In creating karma, sentient beings may be complete or incomplete. If one first deliberates and then acts, it is called acting completely. If one does not first deliberate but acts directly, it is called acting incompletely. Furthermore, as for acting incompletely: it means the action is already definite, but the fruition and retribution are indefinite. Furthermore, as for having acted and also being complete: it means the action is already definite and will certainly receive retribution. Furthermore, as for having acted and being incomplete: although the fruition and retribution are definite, the time is indefinite. Furthermore, as for having acted and also being complete: both time and retribution are definite. Furthermore, as for having acted and being incomplete: observing the precepts and holding right view. Furthermore, as for having acted and also being complete: violating the precepts and holding wrong view. Furthermore, as for having acted and being incomplete: giving rise to regret at three times. Furthermore, as for having acted and also being complete: not regretting at three times. As it is with evil, so it is with good.'
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Third: Condition of Immediate Retribution
13.9
As the Sūtra on Experiencing Immediate Retribution by Practicing the Seven Practices says: At that time, the Bhagavat told the bhikṣus: 'There are seven kinds of persons who should be served and respected; they are the unsurpassed puṇyakṣetras of the world. What are the seven kinds of persons? The first practices benevolence (maitrī). The second practices compassion (karuṇā). The third practices joy (muditā). The fourth practices equanimity (upekṣā). The fifth practices emptiness (śūnyatā). The sixth practices signlessness (animitta). The seventh practices wishlessness (apraṇihita). If there are sentient beings who practice these seven dharmas, they obtain their fruit and retribution in the present life.' Ānanda addressed the Buddha, saying, 'Why do you not speak of srotāpannas, sakṛdāgāmins, anāgāmins, arhats, or pratyekabuddhas, but speak instead of these seven matters?' The Bhagavat told him, 'The practice of the seven persons who practice benevolence is equal to that of srotāpannas up to Buddhas, but their matters are different. Although one makes offerings to srotāpannas and the others, one does not obtain immediate retribution; however, one who makes offerings to these persons obtains retribution in the present life. Therefore, Ānanda, you should be diligent and valiant in accomplishing these seven dharmas.'
13.10
Furthermore, the Zabaozang jing says: In the past, in the country of Gandhāra, there was a butcher who had five hundred calves, all of which he intended to castrate. At that time, an eunuch redeemed the cattle with gold coins and released them as a herd. Due to this cause and condition, he obtained the full retribution of manhood in his present body. Returning to the royal palace, he sent someone to announce: 'So-and-so is outside.' The king said, 'He is a member of my household who left freely and has never sent word before. Why does he do so now?' The king then immediately summoned him and asked the reason. He answered the king, saying, 'Just before, I saw a butcher who had five hundred calves and intended to castrate them. Your servant redeemed and released them. Due to this cause and condition, my body was restored to completeness; therefore, I did not dare enter [unannounced].' Hearing this, the king was joyful and amazed, and gave rise to deep faith and reverence for the Buddha-Dharma. Now, if the flower retribution evoked is like this, how much more immeasurable must the fruit retribution be!
13.11
Furthermore, the New Vibhāṣā-śāstra says: In the past, there were butcher-traders of cattle who drove their cattle on a journey. The men were many and their provisions were exhausted; they were hungry, thirsty, hot, and fatigued. Resting, they deliberated, saying: 'These cattle are not our own after all. We should cut out their tongues to relieve our hunger and emptiness.' They immediately smeared the mouths of the cattle with salt. Craving the salty flavor, the cattle stuck out their tongues to lick it; [the men] immediately used sharp knives to sever them all at once, roasted them over fire, and ate them together. Having eaten, they went together to the water to wash and rinse their mouths, chewing tooth-sticks together. Having finished rubbing their teeth, they split them to scrape their tongues. Due to the force of evil karma, the tongue faculties of all the men, like rotten fruit, all fell off at once. (These are all immediate retributions, because the karma was heavy.)
13.12
Fourth: Condition of Next-Life Retribution
13.13
As the Nirvāṇa-sūtra says: 'Good sons, when a person renounces life and undergoes great suffering, surrounded by kinsmen wailing and lamenting, that person is panicked and terrified, knowing nowhere to turn for refuge or rescue. Although having the five sensory organs, there is no conscious perception; the limbs and joints tremble, unable to move themselves; the body is hollow and cold, and the warmth is about to be exhausted. One sees the signs of retribution for good and evil previously cultivated, like the sun on the verge of setting, when the shadows of mountains, hills, and mounds shift eastward, with no reason to go west. The fruit of sentient beings' karma is also like this: when this skandha ceases, that skandha arises in succession, just as when a lamp is produced, darkness is extinguished, and when darkness is extinguished, a lamp is produced. Good sons, it is like a wax seal stamping clay: when seal and clay unite, the seal is destroyed and the impression is formed. Yet that wax seal does not transform to exist in the clay, nor does it emerge from the clay, nor does it come from another place; due to the cause and condition of the seal, this impression is produced. When the present skandha ceases, the intermediate skandhas arise. This present skandha never transforms into the five intermediate skandhas; nor do the five intermediate skandhas arise of themselves, nor do they come from elsewhere. Due to the present skandhas, the intermediate skandhas arise. Just as a seal stamps clay, the seal is destroyed and the impression formed; though the names do not differ, the times are distinct. Therefore, I say that the five intermediate skandhas are not seen by the physical eye or the divine eye. In this intermediate state, there are three kinds of food: first, food of volition; second, food of contact; third, food of consciousness. Intermediate states are of two kinds: first, the fruit of wholesome karma; second, the fruit of unwholesome karma. Due to wholesome karma, one obtains wholesome conceptual thoughts; due to unwholesome karma, one obtains unwholesome conceptual thoughts. At the time when the parents unite in intercourse, one moves toward the place of taking birth in accordance with the causes and conditions of karma. One gives rise to lust toward the mother and anger toward the father; when the father's semen is discharged, one thinks it is one's own. Seeing it, one's mind rejoices and produces delight. Due to the causes and conditions of these three afflictions, the intermediate skandhas perish and the subsequent five skandhas arise, just as a seal stamps clay: the seal is destroyed and the impression formed. When born, the sense faculties may be complete or incomplete. When complete, seeing forms, one gives rise to greed; giving rise to greed, it is called craving. Giving rise to greed due to madness is called ignorance. Due to the two causes and conditions of craving and ignorance, the realms one sees are entirely inverted.'
13.14
Furthermore, the *Xiuxing daodi jing* (Yogācārabhūmi-sūtra) states: When a person's conduct is not unmixed—being partly good and partly evil—and they are due to reach the human realm, the father and mother come together, and their semen [and blood] are not untimely. When the child comes to be born, the mother's womb is open and unobstructed, and her heart holds joy without deviant thoughts, then it is pliant and capable of receiving the child. The semen is neither too clear nor too turbid, moderate and not too thick, free of rot and decay, neither red nor black, not mixed with the various toxins of wind and cold, and separate from urine. The consciousness destined to be born then arises. Supposing it is male: if it does not unite with the woman, the five desires open up to it; the male [consciousness] conceives an affectionate thought of lust toward the woman. When the father discharges semen, the consciousness is delighted and joyful, thinking, “This is mine!” At that moment it loses the five aggregates of the intermediate state and enters the womb. The semen and blood of the father and mother unite. Once inside the womb, it experiences redoubled rejoicing—this is the aggregate of form (rūpa-skandha). The time of joy is the aggregate of feeling (vedanā-skandha). The thought directed at the semen is the aggregate of perception (saṃjñā-skandha). Entering the womb by virtue of past karma of wrongdoing and merit is the aggregate of conditioning factors (saṃskāra-skandha). The consciousness residing in the womb is the aggregate of consciousness (vijñāna-skandha). Such an assemblage is called the five aggregates. While in the womb, it immediately gains two sense faculties: the mental faculty and the bodily faculty. Up to the seventh day, it abides within without increasing or decreasing. By the second seventh day, the embryo alters slightly, like thin curd. By the third seventh day, it resembles uncurdled milk. By the fourth seventh day, the essence coagulates like ripe curd. By the fifth seventh day, the embryonic essence transforms, just like raw butter. By the sixth seventh day, it transforms to resemble a lump of flesh. By the seventh seventh day, it alters to resemble a piece of meat. By the eighth seventh day, its hardness is like unfired pottery. By the ninth seventh day, it transforms into five vesicles: the two elbows, the two thighs, and the head and neck emerge from within. By the tenth seventh day, there are five more vesicles: the two wrists, the two ankles, and the formation of the head. By the eleventh seventh day, fourteen vesicles successively develop: the five fingers, the five toes, and the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth emerge from within. By the twelfth seventh day, the forms of these various vesicles gradually mature. By the thirteenth seventh day, the outline of the belly appears. By the fourteenth seventh day, the liver, lungs, heart, spleen, and kidneys are formed. By the fifteenth seventh day, the large intestine is formed. By the sixteenth seventh day, the small intestine is formed. By the seventeenth seventh day, the stomach area develops. By the eighteenth seventh day, the receptacle of the raw (āmāśaya) and the receptacle of the cooked (pakvāśaya) arise in these two places. By the nineteenth seventh day, the thighs, shin bones, palms, insteps, and arm joints are formed, connected by sinews. By the twentieth seventh day, the forms of the genitals, navel, breasts, chin, and neck develop. By the twenty-first seventh day, the bones of the body separate in their proper places: two bones in the head; thirty-two bones attached to the mouth; seven bones attached to the neck; two bones attached to the thighs; two bones attached to the elbows; four bones attached to the arms; twelve bones attached to the chest; eighteen bones attached to the back; two bones attached to the hips; four bones attached to the knees; forty bones attached to the feet; furthermore, there are tiny bones, totaling one hundred and eight, united with the flesh of the body; complete with eighteen bones attached to the two flanks; and two bones attached to the shoulders. In this way, there are altogether three hundred bones of the body linked to one another. The bones are soft, like a newly sprouted gourd. By the twenty-second seventh day, the bones become somewhat hard, like an unripe gourd. By the twenty-third seventh day, the bones become harder, like walnuts. These three hundred bones are interconnected: foot bones attached to the feet, knee bones attached to the knees; likewise the shin bones, thigh bones, hip bones, backbone, chest bones, rib bones, shoulder bones, neck bones, chin bones, and the various bones of the wrists, arms, hands, and feet each join in turn with one another. Such a heap of bones is like a magical illusion, moved and raised according to the wind. By the twenty-fourth seventh day, one hundred sinews are formed, connected to the body. By the twenty-fifth seventh day, seven thousand vessels are formed, though not yet complete. By the twenty-sixth seventh day, all the vessels fully penetrate and become completely formed, like the pores of a lotus root. By the twenty-seventh seventh day, the three hundred and sixty-three sinews are all complete. By the twenty-eighth seventh day, the flesh begins to grow. By the twenty-ninth seventh day, the muscle and flesh become somewhat thicker. By the thirtieth seventh day, the semblance of skin just appears. By the thirty-first seventh day, the skin becomes thicker and firmer. By the thirty-second seventh day, the leather-like skin fully forms. By the thirty-third seventh day, the ears, nose, lips, fingers, and various knee joints are complete. By the thirty-fourth seventh day, nine hundred and ninety thousand hair pores are formed, though not yet complete. By the thirty-fifth seventh day, the hair pores are completely formed. By the thirty-sixth seventh day, the fingernails and toenails first form. By the thirty-seventh seventh day, several winds arise within the mother's abdomen, opening the child's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth; or a wind arises that dyes its hair, either handsome or ugly; further, a wind arises that forms the complexion of the body, either white, red, or black, attractive or ugly—all arising from past deeds. During these seven days, cold and heat winds arise, and the bowels and bladder are opened. By the thirty-eighth seventh day, natural winds arise within the mother's abdomen according to the child's original karma. For one with past good deeds, a fragrant wind arises that is agreeable to its body and mind, pliant and effortless, straightening its joints and making it well-formed, so that none will fail to love and revere it. For one whose original deeds were evil, a foul wind arises, making its body unsettled and disagreeable to its mind, blowing upon its joints and causing them to become withered, crooked, and misshapen, and rendering it unable to function as a male, disliked by others. This is the thirty-eighth seventh day. In nine months less four days, the child's physical body and joints become fully human. The child's body has two parts: one part comes from the father, and one part comes from the mother. The hair of the body, the cheeks, eyes, tongue, throat, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, intestines, blood, and all soft parts are born from the mother. The remaining fingernails, teeth, joints, marrow, brain, sinews, vessels, and all hard parts are born from the father. The child in the mother's womb is situated below the receptacle of the raw and above the receptacle of the cooked. If it is a boy, his back faces outward and his face inward, in her left flank. If it is a girl, her back faces the mother and her face outward, in the right flank. It abides in an agonizing, foul, and filthy place; all its joints are cramped and cannot stretch; cast into a leather bag, wrapped by the membrane of the abdomen, stained with internal blood, situated in cramped confinement, reliant on feces and urine, dwelling in filth and excretion. Such it is for nine months. In the remaining four days, if it possesses past good deeds, then on the first and following days, thoughts arise in its mind: “I am in a park or pavilion, or in the heavens.” For one whose deeds are evil, it thinks it is in Avīci or an earthly prison; by the third day, it is grieved and unhappy within. When the fourth day arrives, a wind arises in the mother's abdomen, moving upward and downward, turning the child's body so that it is suspended upside down with its head toward the birth canal. For one with merit, its mind thinks at that time: “I am diving into a bathing pool, sporting in the water, or falling onto a high couch in a fragrant, floral place.” For one without merit, the thought arises: “I am falling from a mountain into tree banks, ditches, pits, and latrines, or onto the snares and thorns of hell, or amid the swords and halberds among the stones of a wilderness,” grieving and unhappy. The retributions of good and evil differ in this way. When the child is born and falls to the earth, blown upon by the external wind, touched by human hands, and washed with warm water, it suffers oppressive, virulent pain, just like a festering sore. Because of this suffering and anguish, fearing death, delusion and confusion arise; therefore, it is stupefied and unaware of where it came from or where it goes. Born amid blood, lochia, and foul stench on the ground, ghosts and demons come to harass it, epilepsy and deviant evils strike it, corpses contaminate it, and sorcery and mad spirits each lie in wait to afflict it. Just as when a piece of meat falls to the ground at a crossroads, crows, kites, eagles, and wolves each come to fight over it, so too do the evil spirits and goblin ghosts circle all around, wishing to take advantage of the child. If the child possesses past good virtues, the evils cannot gain advantage over it. Once the child has grown and is nourished by balls of food to sustain the body, as soon as it receives the essence of grain, eighty kinds of worms are born within its body. Two kinds dwell at the hair roots: one called ‘tongue-grub’ and the second called ‘double-grub’. Three kinds dwell in the head, called ‘adamantine’, ‘injurer’, and ‘destroyer’. One kind is in the brain. Two kinds are on the surface of the brain: one called ‘spider’, the second called ‘troubler’, and the third called ‘confuser’. Two kinds are on the forehead: one called ‘under-nail’ and the second called ‘decayed rot’. Two kinds are in the eyes: one called ‘tongue-grub’ and the second called ‘double-grub’. Two kinds are in the ears: one called ‘taste-perceiver’ and the second called ‘taste-manifesting-veil’. Two kinds are at the root of the ears: one called ‘red’ and the second called ‘red-again’. Two kinds are in the nose: one called ‘fat’ and the second called ‘fat-again’. Two kinds are in the mouth: one called ‘wobbler’ and the second called ‘mover-wobbler’. Two kinds are in the teeth: one called ‘evil-spite’ and the second called ‘ferocious-violent’. Three kinds are at the roots of the teeth, called ‘pant’, ‘rest’, and ‘seize-destroy’. One kind is on the tongue, called ‘sweet-delicious’. One kind is at the root of the tongue, called ‘pliant-soft’. One kind is on the upper gums, called ‘to-and-fro’. One kind is in the pharynx, called ‘throat-cougher’. Two kinds are in the pupils: one called ‘raw’ and the second called ‘unripe’. Two kinds are on the shoulders: one called ‘drooper’ and the second called ‘drooper-again’. One kind is in the arms, called ‘standing-firm’. One kind is in the hands, called ‘revolver’. Two kinds are on the chest: one called ‘forehead-pit’ and the second called ‘broad-vast’. One kind is in the heart, called ‘variegated’. One kind is on the breasts, called ‘bug-manifest’. One kind is at the navel, called ‘encircler’. Two kinds are in the flanks: one called ‘moon’ and the second called ‘moon-face’. Two kinds are in the spine: one called ‘moon-walker’ and the second called ‘moon-likeness’. One kind is between the backbone bones, called ‘peaceful-abundant’. One kind is under the skin, called ‘tiger-claw’. Two kinds are in the flesh: one called ‘skin-consumer’ and the second called ‘tree-burner’. Four kinds are in the bones: one called ‘extreme-poison’, the second called ‘habituated-poison’, the third called ‘fine-bone’, and the fourth called ‘mixed-poison’. Five kinds are in the marrow: one called ‘killer’, the second called ‘non-killer’, the third called ‘breaker’, the fourth called ‘mixed-skeletons’, and the fifth called ‘white-bones’. Two kinds are in the intestines: one called ‘dung-beetle’ and the second called ‘dung-beetle-beak’. Two kinds are in the small intestine: one called ‘child’ and the second called ‘bowel-child’. One kind is in the liver, called ‘silver-bark’. One kind is in the receptacle of the raw, called ‘branch-grazer’. One kind is in the receptacle of the cooked, called ‘great-sigh’. One kind is in the rectum, called ‘heavy-body’. Three kinds are in the feces: one called ‘sinew’, the second called ‘knot-eye’, and the third called ‘braided-hair-eye’. Two kinds are in the buttocks: one called ‘flowing-down’ and the second called ‘flowing-again’. Five kinds are in the womb: one called ‘flesh-clan’, the second called ‘evil-lineage’, the third called ‘sleeping-awake’, the fourth called ‘then-awake’, and the fifth called ‘protect-reckoner’. One kind is in the thighs, called ‘branch-striker’. One kind is in the knees, called ‘wound-manifester’. One kind is in the shins, called ‘iron-beak’. One kind is in the toes, called ‘burning-fire’. One kind is in the soles of the feet, called ‘skin-eater’. These are the eighty kinds of worms that reside within a single body, consuming the flesh day and night.
13.15
In a person's body, illnesses arising from wind amount to one hundred and one kinds; [those arising from] cold and heat combined each amount to one hundred and one kinds. In all, they total four hundred and four illnesses. Residing within the human body, just as fire arises from wood and burns it back, illnesses are also like this: just as [fire] arises dependent on the substance of the wood and turns back to endanger the person, so too the worms within the body stir and create unrest. Thirty-six components are nominally termed 'a person.' Covered by deception, they delude the foolish and ordinary, who falsely give rise to attachments and become intimate with one another. When the wise view it as empty, how could they approach it? It is like an earthenware vessel, which will eventually break; this body is false and deceptive, bound to face premature death or old age. The noble and the lowly are equally bewildered, not knowing it until death. It is like the four gates of a great city catching fire, burning in succession until reaching the eastern gate, reducing everything to ashes; birth, aging, illness, and death are also like this.
13.16
Furthermore, the *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra* says: 'Furthermore, in the womb, thirty-eight periods of seven days elapse, and this fetus becomes fully endowed with all limbs and parts. From this point onward, after another four days have passed, it is then born. This describes the most complete development. Some take nine months, or even exceed this. If it takes only eight months, this is termed complete. If it takes seven months or six months, it is not termed complete, or it may be deficient.' Therefore, a verse of the *Lotus Sūtra* says:
13.17
"The subtle form conceived in the womb / Constantly grows life after life; / People of slight virtue and little merit / Are oppressed by manifold sufferings."
13.18
Furthermore, the *Samādhi Sūtra* says: It is said that within the body, the fire element gradually increases and the water element gradually diminishes; therefore, the *kalala* gradually thickens and solidifies, up to becoming a lump of flesh. Sentient beings, due to their slight merit, suffer from youth to maturity. Furthermore, the *Chan miyao jing* says: 'The human body has three divisions: the navel is the central plain, the head is the palace hall, and the forehead is the celestial gate.'
13.19
Furthermore, the *Chutai jing* says: 'When a human conceives in the womb, during the first seven days the four great elements are present. During the second seven days, shifting wind blows toward the flanks, up to the thirty-eighth period of seven days, when a wind named Flower directs it toward the birth canal.'
13.20
Furthermore, the *Piyu jing* says: 'Wind overpowers water, water overpowers earth, and earth overpowers fire. The stronger becomes male, the weaker becomes female. Wind and water overpowering each other results in a male; earth and water overpowering each other results in a female.'
13.21
Furthermore, the *Vimuttimagga* says: 'If the earth element of a human body is crushed into dust, it amounts to one *hu* and two *sheng*.'
13.22
Furthermore, the *Ekottarika-āgama* says: 'In a single human body, there are 320 bones, 99,000 pores, 500 sinews and 500 vessels, and eighty families of body-parasites.'
13.23
Furthermore, the *Wudao shousheng jing* says: 'When an infant is born up to three years of age, it drinks a total of one hundred and eighty *hu* of milk, not counting the nourishment in the womb, which is also a share of it. A person of Pūrvavideha drinks one thousand eight hundred *hu* of milk. A person of Aparagodānīya drinks ten thousand eight hundred *hu* of milk. A person of Uttarakuru completes the body in seven days; on the day of birth, they are placed at a crossroads where passersby offer a finger to suckle. Therefore, they do not drink milk.' (These bushels and pecks are ancient small bushels; three bushels equal one modern bushel. Ancient people's bodies were exceptionally large and unlike modern infants; for fear that people would find the large quantity of milk strange, this separate note is made.)
13.24
5. Circumstances of Subsequent Retribution
13.25
As the *Mahāvibhāṣā* says: There was a butcher who for seven lifetimes had consistently engaged in butchery without falling into the three bad destinations, but rather transmigrated back and forth between the human and heavenly realms. This was because, prior to those seven lifetimes, he had once made an offering of a single meal to a pratyekabuddha; by the power of that merit, he was prevented from falling into the evil paths for seven lifetimes. However, the sinful karma of butchery that this person committed over these seven lifetimes was experienced in succession after the seven lifetimes had passed, with no possibility of escape. Good and evil are both like this. (This is subsequent retribution.)
13.26
Furthermore, the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: Although Śāriputra was intelligent, he was not omniscient; within the Buddha's wisdom, he was like an infant. As related in the *Avadāna Sūtra*, the Buddha was dwelling in the Jetavana. In the late afternoon, he was pacing back and forth, and Śāriputra followed the Buddha in pacing. At that time, a hawk was pursuing a pigeon. The pigeon flew over and alighted beside the Buddha. When the Buddha passed it while pacing, his shadow covered the pigeon; the pigeon's body found peace and security, its fear was instantly dispelled, and it made no further sound. Later, when Śāriputra's shadow fell upon it, the pigeon immediately cried out and trembled in fear as before. Śāriputra said to the Buddha: 'Both the Buddha and I are free from the three poisons. For what reason did the pigeon make no sound and no longer fear when the Buddha's shadow covered it, yet when my shadow fell upon it, the pigeon cried out and trembled as before?' The Buddha said: 'Your residual habit-energies of the three poisons are not yet exhausted; for this reason, when your shadow fell upon it, its fear was not dispelled.' The Buddha said to Śāriputra: 'Examine this pigeon's past-life causes and conditions: for how many lifetimes has it been a pigeon?' Śāriputra immediately entered the samādhi of the wisdom of past lives, and examining it, he saw this pigeon coming from pigeon [rebirths] for as many as eighty thousand great eons, constantly having the body of a pigeon; beyond that, he could see no further. Emerging from samādhi, Śāriputra said to the Buddha: 'This pigeon has constantly been a pigeon through eighty thousand great eons; prior to that, I cannot know.' The Buddha said: 'If you cannot fully know its past lives, try examining its future lives: when will this pigeon be freed?' Śāriputra immediately entered samādhi, and examining it up to eighty thousand great eons, it had still not escaped the body of a pigeon; beyond that, he could know no further, and did not understand when this pigeon would be freed. The Buddha told Śāriputra: 'Beyond the limit of what can be known by śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, for further great eons equal in number to the sands of the Ganges, it will constantly have the body of a pigeon. When its transgression is exhausted, it will be able to emerge, transmigrating through the five paths. Later, it will obtain human rebirth, and after passing through five hundred lifetimes, it will then attain keen faculties. At that time there will be a Buddha who will cross over immeasurable asaṃkhyeya sentient beings and then enter parinirvāṇa with no residue. While his bequeathed Dharma remains in the world, this person will become an upāsaka keeping the five precepts, hear a monk praising the Buddha's virtues, and thereupon first give rise to an aspiration, vowing to meet a Buddha. Thereafter, through three asaṃkhyeya eons, practicing the six pāramitās and fulfilling the ten stages, when he is able to become a Buddha, he will cross over immeasurable sentient beings and then enter nirvāṇa.' At that time, Śāriputra repented before the Buddha, saying: 'Regarding a single bird, I am still unable to know its beginning and end, how much less manifold conditions! If I know the Buddha's wisdom to be like this, for the sake of the Buddha's wisdom, I would rather enter Avīci Hell and suffer torment for immeasurable eons without regarding it as difficult.'
13.27
6. Circumstances of Fixed Retribution
13.28
As the *Arthavargīya Sūtra* spoken by the Buddha says: The Buddha told the brāhmaṇa: 'There are five things in the world that cannot be avoided, and from which none can escape. What are the five? 1. The condition of being subject to depletion; 2. The condition of being subject to loss and abandonment; 3. The condition of being subject to illness and emaciation; 4. The condition of being subject to aging and decay; 5. The condition of being subject to death. Regarding these five conditions, to wish that depletion should not occur is impossible.'
13.29
Furthermore, the *Si bukedeqing jing* spoken by the Buddha says: The Buddha, together with the monks and bodhisattvas, held their bowls at dawn and entered Śrāvastī to beg for food. The four assemblies all followed, while the devas, nāgas, and spirits each carried flowers, perfumes, and music, following along above. At that time, with his Dharma-eye, the Buddha beheld four brothers born of the same mother who had renounced their family and abandoned their livelihood to dwell in the seclusion of the mountains; having attained the five supernatural powers, they were all called rṣis. Their past retribution arrived, and knowing their lifespans were exhausted, they all wished to avoid death. Each considered: 'Our supernatural powers allow us to fly freely, reaching wherever we wish without hindrance. Now, conversely, we are about to be overcome by impermanence and lose our lives. We must devise an expedient to avoid this calamity; it must not be undergone.' Thereupon, one leaped into the air and concealed his form, thinking: 'How could the retribution of impermanence know my whereabouts?' One entered a crowded, bustling marketplace, vast and boundless, to hide his life therein, thinking: 'If the retribution of impermanence merely seizes anyone at all, why must it seek me?' One retreated into the great ocean, three million three hundred and sixty thousand *li* wide, neither reaching the bottom below nor the surface above, staying in between, thinking: 'What would the retribution of impermanence seek here?' One calculated and secretly went to an uninhabited great mountain, split the mountain into two, entered within, and closed it back up, thinking: 'How could the retribution of impermanence know my whereabouts?' At that time, each of the four attempted to avoid death, but in the end none could escape. The one concealed in the air fell to the ground like ripe fruit falling; the one in the mountain perished there and was eaten by birds and beasts; the one in the ocean met an early death and was eaten by fish and turtles; the one who entered the marketplace passed away amidst the crowd. Thereupon, the World-Honoured One, seeing them like this, regarded these four men as ignorant and unenlightened, wishing to discard past retribution without eradicating the three poisons, failing to reach the boundless wisdom of the three masteries. From ancient times to the present, who has escaped this calamity? The Buddha then spoke in verse:
13.30
"Though wishing to hide in the air, / Or dwell well within the great ocean, / Even if entering the mountains / In order to conceal one's form, / Desiring to seek a land of no death, / It can never be attained. / Therefore, vigorously train: / Only having no body brings peace."
13.31
The Buddha told the monks: 'There are four things in the world that cannot be obtained. What are the four? First: being young, with a radiant complexion, black hair, white teeth, a glossy appearance, strong vitality, walking and behaving with ease, entering and leaving at will, mounting carriages and riding horses, looked up to and supported by the multitude, with none who does not love and respect him. Suddenly one day he becomes aged: head white, teeth fallen out, face wrinkled, skin slack, body heavy, leaning on a staff, short of breath, and groaning. To wish to remain constantly young and not reach old age is utterly impossible.
13.32
Second: having a strong and robust body, full and vigorous marrow, matchless walking, eating and drinking at will, adorning head and face, regarding oneself as without equal; drawing bows and nocking arrows, grasping weapons, inflicting harm without examining right or wrong, hurling curses from the mouth, regarding oneself as mighty, calculating that one's self is free from decline. Suddenly illness arrives, laying him low in bed, unable to move, his body aching as if beaten; ears, nose, mouth, and eyes do not perceive sounds, scents, fine flavors, or smooth textures; sitting and rising require assistance; impurities flow out on their own, and his body lies upon them, his manifold afflictions beyond description. Even if one wishes to be exempt, remaining constantly secure and free from illness, it is utterly impossible.
13.33
Third: desiring to seek longevity and dwell in the world without end, yet encountering illness and death. Life being very short, one harbors concerns for ten thousand years; with little life and many worries, one fails to perceive impermanence. Giving free rein to the five desires, letting the mind wander in indulgence, killing, stealing, debauchery, duplicity, harsh speech, false speech, frivolous speech, greed, jealousy, and wrong views; being unfilial to parents, disobedient to teachers and friends, slighting elders, acting rebelliously and immorally, longing for power and wealth and thinking one can endure forever; deriding and slandering the noble path, peerless in wickedness, sighing at heaven and walking alone, yearning for worldly glory, not understanding the origin of heaven and earth, interior and exterior, not distinguishing the compound of the four great elements and conditions—like an illusionist, failing to comprehend the world that has arisen from past to present, refusing guidance, not knowing where birth comes from and where death returns to, keeping heaven and earth in mind and thinking, "This is my possession." When the retribution of impermanence arrives like wind blowing clouds, while hoping and thinking of long life, one's life suddenly ends, devoid of autonomy. To wish it were not so is utterly impossible.'
13.34
Fourth is considering one's parents and siblings, household and kinsmen, friends and acquaintances, affection and pleasures, wealth and high station, official ranks and stipends, riding in processions and sightseeing, wives, concubines, and children, thereby indulging in arrogance, eating and drinking to one's heart's content, with young sons and attendants trotting about in fine raiment, admiring their own shadows as they walk, despising the multitude, and reckoning oneself without peer. Slaves, retainers, fine horses, and assorted beasts go in and out at will without measure or limit; one does not examine before and after, but thinks that one's retinue and servants can be retained forever at will. When past retributions suddenly arrive, like hot water melting snow, fear enters the heart, and one begs to be rescued from calamity. How could one's wishes be granted? With an inhalation, life is cut off, and the consciousness departs alone. Parents and siblings, wives, children, and kinsmen, friends and acquaintances, cherished loved ones and family members—all are left behind alone. Official rank, wealth, goods, and servants scatter in every direction, fleeting like shooting stars. If one wishes to seek freedom from death, it can never be attained. The Buddha addressed the bhikṣus: 'From antiquity to the present, since heaven and earth were established, none have escaped the suffering of these four calamities. It is on account of these four sufferings that a Buddha appears in the world.'
13.35
Conditions of Indeterminate Retribution, Part Seven
13.36
As stated in the Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā: 'One who understands indeterminate dharmas well knows that before dharmas arise, they cannot be differentiated.' As the Buddha said in the Karmavibhaṅga-sūtra, the Buddha addressed Ānanda: 'There are persons who perform good deeds with the body, perform good deeds with speech, and perform good deeds with the mind, yet when their lives end they fall into hell. There are persons who perform evil deeds with the body, perform evil deeds with speech, and perform evil deeds with the mind, yet when their lives end they are born in heaven.' Ānanda said to the Buddha: 'For what reason is it so?' The Buddha said: 'The causes and conditions of such a person's sins or merits from past lives have already ripened, while the causes and conditions of their sins or merits from this life have not yet ripened. Or, when approaching the end of life, right view or wrong view, a wholesome or unwholesome mind arises, and because the mind at the verge of death has great power.' Furthermore, the Ekottarika-āgama says: At that time, the Bhagavat addressed the bhikṣus: 'There are four types of persons who now appear in the world. What are the four? There is a person who suffers first and is happy later; there is a person who is happy first and suffers later; there is a person who suffers first and suffers later; there is a person who is happy first and is happy later. What is a person who suffers first and is happy later? Suppose there is a person born into a low and base family, lacking sufficient food and clothing, yet without wrong views. Because they know the retribution of the virtue of giving in former days, by which one obtains birth in a wealthy and noble family, and that by failing to practice the virtue of giving one constantly encounters poverty, baseness, and lack of food and clothing, they then repent and alter their past deeds, sharing whatever remainder they have equally with others. If born among humans, they will have abundant wealth and plentiful treasures with no deficiency. This is called a person who suffers first and is happy later. What kind of person is happy first and suffers later? Suppose there is a person born into a noble family with abundant food and clothing, yet that person constantly harbors wrong views, which correspond with extreme views. Later they are born into hell; if they manage to become human, they are born into an impoverished family without food or clothing. This is called a person who is happy first and suffers later. What kind of person suffers first and suffers later? Suppose there is a person born first into a low and base family, lacking sufficient food and clothing, yet they harbor wrong views, which correspond with extreme views. Later they are born into hell; if born among humans, they are exceedingly poor and base, lacking sufficient food and clothing. This is called suffering first and suffering later. What kind of person is happy first and is happy later? Suppose there is a person born first into a wealthy and noble family, with abundant wealth and plentiful treasures, who reveres the Three Honored Ones and constantly practices giving. Later they are born among humans or gods, constantly experiencing wealth, nobility, and an abundance of wealth and treasures. This is called a person who is happy first and is happy later.'
13.37
'At that time, the Buddha addressed the bhikṣus: 'There are sentient beings who suffer first and are happy later; there are those who are happy first and suffer later; there are those who suffer first and also suffer later; there are those who are happy first and also happy later. If a person's lifespan is a hundred years, it is just ten decades. In those hundred years, they may perform various merits, or in those hundred years, they may commit various evil deeds. At different times, they may experience happiness in winter and suffering in summer; or they may create merit for a short time and commit sins for a long time. In a subsequent rebirth, they will experience blessings for a short time and experience retribution for sins for a long time. If, on the other hand, they commit sins for a short time and create merit for a long time, in a subsequent rebirth they will suffer retribution for sins for a short time and experience happiness for a long time. Or, if they first commit sins for a long time and later continue to commit sins for a long time, in their subsequent rebirth they will suffer first and also suffer later. If, on the other hand, they create merit for a short time and continue to create merit for a long time, in their subsequent rebirth they will be happy first and also happy later.' At that time, the Bhagavat addressed the bhikṣus: 'There are four kinds of persons who appear in the world. What are the four? There is a person whose body is happy while the mind is not; there is a person whose mind is happy while the body is not; there is a person whose body and mind are both happy; there is a person whose body and mind are both unhappy. What kind of person's body is happy while the mind is not? This is an ordinary person who creates merit: in the four requisites of robes, food and drink, bedding, and medicine, they lack nothing, yet they do not escape the suffering of the three evil destinies. This is called the body being happy while the mind is not. What kind of person's mind is happy while the body is not? This refers to an arhat who did not cultivate merit: regarding the four requisites, they cannot provide for themselves, yet they escape the suffering of the three evil destinies. This is called the mind being happy while the body is not. What kind of person has neither body nor mind happy? This refers to an ordinary person who does not create merit, does not obtain the four requisites, and furthermore does not escape the suffering of the three evil destinies. This is called neither body nor mind being happy. What kind of person has both body and mind happy? This refers to one who cultivates merit: an arhat who does not lack any of the four requisites, and furthermore escapes the suffering of the three evil destinies. This is called both body and mind being happy.'
13.38
Conditions of Wholesome Retribution, Part Eight
13.39
As stated in the Commentary on the Maitreyaparipṛcchā: 'Question: What are the fruits of giving? Answer: Briefly stated, giving has one kind of fruit, namely the fruit of enjoyment. The fruit of enjoyment furthermore has two kinds of fruits, namely the fruit of present enjoyment and the fruit of future enjoyment. There are furthermore three kinds of fruits: these two kinds, with the addition of prajñā. There are furthermore four kinds of fruits. What are the four? First, having a fruit but no enjoyment; second, having enjoyment but no fruit; third, having both a fruit and enjoyment; fourth, having neither a fruit nor enjoyment. The first, having a fruit but no enjoyment, refers to giving without a sincere mind, not giving with one's own hand, and giving with a contemptuous mind. Giving in this manner, although one obtains immeasurable varieties of fruitional retribution, one cannot enjoy them. Like the Lord of Śrāvastī, who, although obtaining immeasurable varieties of precious treasures, could not enjoy them. The second, having enjoyment but no fruit, refers to not giving oneself, but seeing another practice giving and giving rise to a mind of sympathetic joy. On this account, although one obtains enjoyment, one has no fruit oneself. Like the property of a devaputra: all śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and the like, although they obtain food, clothing, and enjoyment, do not obtain the fruit themselves. It is also like the four armies of a wheel-turning sage king: although they obtain food and clothing, they do not obtain the fruit. The third, having both a fruit and enjoyment, refers to giving with a sincere mind and not giving with a contemptuous mind, as in the case of the householder Jyotika and others. The fourth, having neither a fruit nor enjoyment, refers to the cause perishing immediately after the gift is given, or because it creates an obstacle to the supramundane noble path, just like the noble ones who are far removed from defilements. There are furthermore five kinds of fruits, namely obtaining life, bodily form, strength, happiness, and eloquence. Because life is obtained through food, giving food is giving life; through this cause and condition, one later obtains long life. Giving bodily form, giving strength, giving happiness, giving eloquence, and the like are all also like this.'
13.40
'There are furthermore five kinds of superior fruits: giving to one's parents, to the sick, to a Dharma master, and to a bodhisattva results in superior retributions. Parents care for one with benevolence, nurturing one's physical body and life; therefore, the giver obtains a superior retribution. Furthermore, the sick are solitary and pitiful; on this account, giving to the sick with a compassionate mind brings a superior retribution. Furthermore, an expounder of the Dharma can give birth to the dharmakāya and cause the dharmakāya to grow, eternally discerning good and evil, the straight and the crooked, the inverted and the non-inverted; therefore, the giver obtains a superior retribution. Furthermore, all bodhisattvas are able to gather and benefit sentient beings, giving rise to compassion, and serve as the cause for the Triratna to be gathered without interruption; on this account, giving to a bodhisattva brings a superior retribution. Because a bodhisattva generates a valiant mind with great power of compassionate vows, it is unlike other merit whose mind is narrow and inferior.'
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- 諸經要集 — Classical Chinese