諸經要集 19
English (machine translation) 19
- Language
- English
19.1
Compiled by the śramaṇa Daoshi of Ximing Monastery
19.2
Section 29: Escorting to the End (containing nine circumstances)
19.3
Circumstance of Stating the Intent
Circumstance of Caring for the Sick
Circumstance of Medical Treatment
Circumstance of Settling
Circumstance of Collecting Thoughts
Circumstance of Relinquishing Life
Circumstance of Sending Off
Circumstance of Taking Rebirth
Circumstance of Sacrificial Offerings
19.4
1. Circumstance of Stating the Intent
19.5
Now, the three realms are vast and far-reaching, and the six destinies flourish in profusion; there are none that do not rely on the mutual support of the four great elements and the five sense faculties to constitute their physical form. When gathered, they form a body; when dispersed, they return to emptiness. Yet the natures of wind and fire are distinct, and the substances of earth and water are different. Each matches its own share, and all seek to attain equilibrium. Since the principle of seeking equilibrium is difficult, the harmony between them is easily disrupted and neglected. If one great element is out of harmony, all four great elements are impaired. For instance, if the earth element increases, the body turns sallow and dark, the flesh becomes bruised and livid, and abdominal masses and swellings coalesce like iron and stone. If the earth element decreases, the four limbs become emaciated and weak, one often loses half of one's body, becoming hemiplegic and crippled, with vision ruined and hearing lost. If the water element increases, the flesh becomes puffy and bloated, the body loses its healthy lustre, the entire form turns jaundiced and yellow, the complexion becomes haggard and distressed, the legs swell heavily, and the bladder becomes distended and strained. If the water element is deficient, one becomes gaunt and skeletal, tendons become visible, the pulse sinks, lips and tongue dry out, ears and nostrils scorch and close up, the five viscera boil internally, bodily fluids dry up externally, and the six bowels waste away so that one cannot stand on one's own. If the fire element increases, the whole body feels troubled as if in a cauldron, scorching and hot as if burning; carbuncles, boils, ulcers, and swellings form, sores ulcerate and rot, pus and blood overflow, and foul reek fills the air. If the fire element is deficient, the four limbs become frail and emaciated, the bowels and viscera grow icy cold, the diaphragm congeals with chill, the mouth feels as though holding frost, and even wearing heavy furs in the summer heat brings no warm comfort; food does not digest, and one constantly vomits and retches. If the wind element increases, qi fills and blocks the chest, the bowels and viscera become obstructed, the hands and feet grow limp and weak, and the four limbs ache and turn numb. If the wind element is deficient, the body becomes frail and emaciated, breathing is as faint as a thread, moving about is exhausting, drawing breath is like pulling rope, coughing, burping, and retching arise, the throat and tongue become strained and tight, the belly retracts, the back hunches, the heart feels like ice inside, and the tendons of the neck and the veins of the throat throb and swell. Such various conditions are all caused by the sudden increase or sudden decrease of the four great elements, leading to illness. Once one great element is enfeebled, the other three suffer as well; successively, all fall ill, and together they give rise to former vexations. The four great elements conflict, and the six bowels become difficult to regulate. This is truly due to the evil causes accumulated from previous lives, resulting in the bitter retributions met today. Shameless and ungrateful, devoid of kindness and righteousness, one constantly provides whatever is needed according to the four seasons, nurturing it day and night, yet it has never felt grateful. With the slightest lapse in care, it immediately brings on the suffering of illness. Since we know it has no gratitude, nurturing it is in vain. Even if provided with fine food and splendid clothing, it ultimately turns into feces and filth. One should only seek to sustain the physical frame to dispel hunger and thirst, and never continue as before to accumulate possessions for its sake, exhausting one's mind and neglecting the pursuit of cultivating the Path. This is truly because the body is a vessel of false suffering, and the aggregates are an unfired clay pot—easily damaged and hard to maintain, far more fragile than foam and bubbles. The four great elements are fleeting and empty, mutually clashing to the utmost; the five aggregates are conditionally conditioned and unreal, giving rise to many afflictions. Therefore, receiving a physical form in the human world and encountering this era of filth and defilement, taking on material substance as a body and dwelling in this terrifying realm, the spirits and ghosts of the unseen realms are as countless as the sands of the Ganges, their tribes exceedingly numerous. Without differentiating between blade of grass and lot, they dwell in rooms, attach themselves to shrines, or adhere to mountains and mounds; wherever there are sentient beings, they all respond with reverence. This causes the spirit to become dim and obscure, and one's thoughts to become bewildered and dazed, leading to many terrors whether waking or sleeping. May one, when facing peril, gather one's thoughts without needing to call out three times; when meeting safety amidst dangers, why would it require a thousand recitations? We pray that the divine ways may flourish, their majesty and radiance increase, benefiting living beings with goodness and causing no mutual harm or affliction. These sincere words deserve to be recorded; their truth and efficacy are attested.
19.6
Circumstance Two: Caring for the Sick
19.7
Dwelling in ordinary status, who is free from illness? Because one has a retribution body, it is constantly afflicted with sickness. Some renounce secular life to leave home, wandering alone and sleeping in solitude; others are poor, sick, old, and weak, with no one to wait upon them. If they do not look after each other, where will their lives find refuge? Therefore, in the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya, the Buddha said: 'From now on, you should look after the sick; you should become caregivers of the sick. If anyone wishes to make offerings to me, they should first make offerings to the sick.' Furthermore, if encountering sick renouncers of the fivefold assembly along the road, the Buddha instituted a rule that all of the sevenfold assembly must halt and look after them. If they abandon them without care, all incur an offense. For the mind of all Buddhas takes great compassion as its essence; to follow my words is to have the Buddha's mind.
19.8
As the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: 'If one meets a sick person of the fivefold monastic assembly on the road, one should immediately seek a cart or mount to carry them, and have them provided for in accordance with the Dharma; even at the time of death, one should cremate and bury them, and must not abandon the sick person. If nine conditions are fulfilled, an untimely death will surely occur: first, knowing that food is unbeneficial yet greedily eating it; second, not knowing how to moderate portions; third, eating before earlier food is digested; fourth, forcibly vomiting out food before it is digested; fifth, forcefully holding back what should be excreted after digestion; sixth, eating food not suited to the illness; seventh, eating food suited to the illness but not moderating portions; eighth, being indolent; ninth, lacking wisdom.' (As the Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra also contains the nine untimely deaths, the general sense may be known from this.)
19.9
Furthermore, the Ekottarika-āgama states: At that time, the Bhagavat told the bhikṣus: 'If a caregiver of the sick possesses five conditions, [the patient] will not recover quickly and will remain constantly bedridden. What are the five? First, the caregiver does not distinguish good medicines; second, is indolent and lacks vigorous zeal; third, is constantly prone to anger and fond of sleep; fourth, cares for the sick only out of greed for clothing and food; fifth, does not provide offerings in accordance with the Dharma and does not converse back and forth with others. This is called a caregiver of the sick possessing five conditions who causes [the patient] not to recover quickly.' (Reversing the above five conditions, the illness will quickly be cured.)
19.10
Furthermore, in the Jātaka-sūtra, the Bhagavat praised this in verse, saying:
19.11
'A person should look after illnesses, / and inquire after those in distress and peril. / Good and evil have retributions, / just as planting fruit yields fruit. / The Bhagavat is the father, / the scriptural Dharma is the mother, / fellow students are brothers; / by this means, one attains deliverance.'
19.12
Furthermore, the Dharmapada-avadāna-sūtra states: In the past there was a kingdom called Xianti. At that time there was a senior bhikṣu who had been ill for a long time, exhausted, emaciated, and filthy, lying in the Xianti monastery with no one to look after him. Leading five hundred bhikṣus, the Buddha went to his place and ordered the bhikṣus to take turns looking after him and prepare broth and porridge for him. But the bhikṣus smelled his foul odor and all despised him. The Buddha instructed Śakra, Lord of the Devas, to bring hot water, and with his own vajra-hands, the Buddha washed the sick bhikṣu's body. The earth immediately trembled and a vast light shone brightly; there was none who was not awed. Countless people—the king, ministers, citizens, devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits—went to the Buddha's presence, bowed their heads in homage, and addressed the Buddha, saying: 'The Buddha is the Bhagavat, peerless in the three realms, complete in virtue and the Path. Why humble your intention to wash a sick bhikṣu?' The Buddha told the king and the assembly: 'The reason the Tathāgata appears in the world is precisely for those in destitute distress who are without protection. Making offerings to emaciated, sick śramaṇas and practitioners of the Way, as well as the poor, lonely, and elderly, brings immeasurable merit; one's wishes will be fulfilled as desired, and one will certainly attain the Way.' The king addressed the Buddha, saying: 'What past transgression does this bhikṣu have that he has been sorely afflicted for years and cannot be cured by treatment?' The Buddha told the king: 'In the distant past, there was a king named Bad Conduct whose rule was severe and tyrannical. He ordered a strong man named Five Hundred to take charge of flogging people. Relying on the king's dread authority, Five Hundred secretly manipulated their treatment. When someone was to be flogged, if they brought payment, the one who gave valuables received light blows, while the one who did not received heavy blows; the whole country suffered from this. There was a virtuous man who was framed by someone and was due to be flogged. He spoke to Five Hundred, saying: "I am a disciple of the Buddha; I am innocent by nature and have been wronged by another. Please show a little mercy." Hearing that he was a disciple of the Buddha, Five Hundred swung the whip lightly past him without letting it touch his body. When Five Hundred's lifespan ended, he fell into hell, undergoing myriad tortures and floggings. When that retribution was exhausted, he emerged and fell into the animal realm, constantly being beaten with sticks for over five hundred lifetimes. When that retribution was finished, he was reborn as a human, but was constantly afflicted with illness that never left his body. The king at that time was what is now Devadatta; Five Hundred is this sick bhikṣu today; and the virtuous man at that time was myself. Because in a past life he spared me and did not let the whip touch my body, the Bhagavat has now washed him in person. When people do good or evil, calamity and blessing follow them; even though passing through birth and death, one cannot escape it.' Thereupon, the Bhagavat spoke a verse:
19.13
'Flogging the good and virtuous, / falsely slandering the innocent— / the calamity is tenfold, / disaster swift and unforgiving: / during life, one suffers bitter pain, / one's physical body is mutilated and broken, / afflictions and diseases arise spontaneously, / one loses one's mind in confusion, / becoming an object of ridicule to others; / or official distress befalls, / property is completely exhausted, / relatives are separated, / and whatever dwellings one has / are consumed and burned by disastrous fire; / after death, one enters hell. / Such are the ten.'
19.14
At that time, hearing this verse and his past lives from the Buddha, the sick bhikṣu reproached himself deeply in his mind, his ailment was cured, and he attained the arhat path. King Xianti devoted his life to practicing the teaching and attained the path of a srotaāpanna.
19.15
Furthermore, the Sujāta-sūtra states: 'Caregivers of the sick should not give rise to disgust. If they themselves have no goods, they should go out to seek them. If they cannot obtain goods, they may borrow from the property of the Triratna; after the patient recovers, they must repay it tenfold.'
19.16
Furthermore, the Five Hundred Questions states: 'If a caregiver of the sick takes the sick person's property to supply what the patient needs without asking the patient, or asks and causes resentment, neither may be used. If it has already been taken, it must be compensated; failing to repay it constitutes a grave offense.'
19.17
Furthermore, the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya states: 'Looking after the sick brings five merits: first, knowing what the sick person may eat and may not eat, and giving it when permissible; second, not despising the sick person's urine, feces, spittle, and vomit; third, having a compassionate mind, not looking after them for the sake of clothing and food; fourth, being able to attend to broths and medicines until recovery or the end of life; fifth, being able to explain the Dharma to the sick person to gladden them, so that good dharmas increase in oneself.'
19.18
Circumstance Three: Medical Treatment
19.19
Now, a person has four limbs and five viscera. In waking and sleeping, breathing out and breathing in, the essential qi circulates; flowing, it forms nutritive and defensive qi; diffusing, it forms complexion; emitting, it forms voice. This is the regular pattern of human beings. Yang utilizes the essence, while yin utilizes the form; this is shared by all people. When it falls into disorder: steaming gives rise to heat, obstruction gives rise to cold, knotting forms tumors and wens, sinking forms carbuncles and ulcers, rushing forms agitation, and exhausting forms parching. Therefore, a skilled physician guides it with needles and stone lancets and rescues it with medicines and remedies; a sage harmonizes it through royal virtue and assists it through human affairs. Thus, in the body there are illnesses that can be cured, and in heaven and earth there are disasters that can be dispelled.
19.20
As the Ekottarika-āgama states: At that time, the Bhagavat told the bhikṣus: 'There are three great afflictions. What are the three? First, wind is a great affliction; second, phlegm is a great affliction; third, cold is a great affliction. Yet there are three good medicines to treat them. If one has an affliction of wind, clarified butter is a good medicine, as is food made with clarified butter. If one has an affliction of phlegm, honey is a good medicine, as is food made with honey. If one has an affliction of cold, oil is a good medicine, as is food and drink made with oil. These are called the three great afflictions, which have these three medicines to treat them. In this manner, bhikṣus, there are also three great afflictions: first, lustful desire; second, anger; third, delusion. Yet there are three good medicines to treat them: first, when lustful desire arises, one treats it with the contemplation of impurity and meditates on the path of impurity; second, for the great affliction of anger, one treats it with the teaching of loving-kindness and meditates on the path of loving-kindness; third, for the great affliction of delusion, one treats it with the teaching of wisdom and the path arising from causes and conditions. These are called the three great afflictions of bhikṣus, which have these three medicines to treat them.'
19.21
Furthermore, the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* states: "Prajñāpāramitā can eradicate the roots of the eighty-four thousand diseases. These eighty-four thousand all arise from four illnesses: first, greed; second, hatred; third, delusion; and fourth, an equal combination of the poisons. For each of these four illnesses, twenty-one thousand are apportioned. Through contemplation of impurity, the twenty-one thousand defilements of greedy desire are eliminated. Through contemplation of loving-kindness and compassion, the twenty-one thousand defilements of hatred are eliminated. Through contemplation of causes and conditions, the twenty-one thousand defilements of delusion are eliminated. Applying all of the above medicines together eliminates the twenty-one thousand defilements of the illness of equal combination. Just as a precious jewel can dispel darkness, prajñāpāramitā can likewise dispel the afflictions and diseases of the three poisons."
19.22
Condition Four: Settling [the Sick]
19.23
Now, it is heard that the house of the three realms is truly a vessel of the four great elements; the spheres of the six dusts are the dwelling place of the five aggregates. Truly because of illusory constructs and false imaginations, confusion and inversions arise together, causing myriad sufferings to contend in entangling us, and a hundred anxieties to gather completely. Now that karmic retribution is ripe and life faces the wind-blown candle, sentient beings nevertheless cling greedily and remain unaware until death. For fear that [the dying], remaining in their old quarters, may fondly crave material goods and become attached to family and kin, the Buddha instructed that they be moved elsewhere, to arouse aversion and detachment, recognize that impermanence is about to arrive, and inspire them to produce correct mindfulness.
19.24
As the *Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya* states: "If it is a venerable elder who is sick, they should be placed in an open, visible, and high-quality room, arranged so that monastics and laity may inquire after them and generate goodness. The caregiver attending the sick must frequently burn incense and light lamps, and smear the floor with fragrant liquid to receive guests."
19.25
According to the *Illustrations of the Jetavana Monastery in the Western Regions*: In the northwest corner of the monastery, where the sunlight sets, is the Cloister of Impermanence. If someone falls sick, they are settled within it. The hall is named Impermanence; most generate weariness and turn their backs [on this world]—those who depart are exceedingly numerous, while those who return are only one or two. Inside the hall, a standing gilded statue is installed, facing east. The patient should be placed sitting before the statue. If they lack the strength, the patient should be laid down facing west, contemplating the Buddha's marks and characteristics. In the hands of the statue, a five-colored banner is tied; the patient is made to hold the foot of the banner with their hand, forming the intention of rebirth in the Pure Land. Even though excrement and urine may soil the sitting place, the Bhagavat does not consider it defiled. Originally, this land is fundamentally an impure realm, yet his divine presence still condescends to receive the lowly multitudes of beings; how much more so when one is now surrendering one's life—how could the Buddha abandon them? According to whichever realm the patient delights in, one may also make forms of Amitābha, Maitreya, Akṣobhya, Avalokiteśvara, and so forth, settling them as before, continuously offering incense and scattering flowers to generate the patient's wholesome mind.
19.26
Condition Five: Gathering Mindfulness
19.27
Now, the three realms are not existent, and the five aggregates are entirely void. The four inversions and the ten entanglements combine together; everything is like lightning, casting away ten thousand kalpas in an instant. The well in the wilderness is easily fallen into, encompassing a hundred years in the clapping of hands. The straying path grows ever distant; losing one's way while frail, one forgets to return. Merely a petty seven-foot body, yet none know it is illusory. Beyond the ears and eyes, all in the end is idle talk. Having none to rely on and none to save them, they neither believe nor accept. Once a living spirit perishes, returning is beyond expectation. Therefore, one must examine one's heart and assess oneself, cultivating mindfulness when facing danger.
19.28
As the *Daśādhyāya-vinaya* states: "The caregiver attending the sick should praise the sick person according to what they have previously studied and practiced, and must not reproach them and cause them to retrogress from their original wholesome mind."
19.29
The *Dharmaguptaka-vinaya* also states: "Expound the Dharma for the sick person, causing them to rejoice."
19.30
The *Vinayamātṛkā* also states: "If the patient does not heed the caregiver's words, or if the caregiver violates the patient's wishes, both incur guilt." Furthermore, the *Avataṃsaka-sūtra* speaks in verse for the sick person facing the end of life, saying:
19.31
He also emits a light named 'Seeing the Buddha';
that light awakens those whose lives are ending.
Through buddhānusmṛti-samādhi, they will surely see the Buddha;
after life ends, they are born before the Buddha.
He causes them at the end of life to be exhorted to mindful goodness,
and also shows the venerable image to prompt their reverent gaze;
he also exhorts them to take refuge in the Buddha—
because of this, they attain the light of seeing the Buddha.
19.32
The commentary states: Having given instructions as above, one should further bring sūtras and statues to the patient's place, announce the titles of the sūtras and the names of the statues, and explain and show them, causing the patient to open their eyes and behold them, thereby awakening them. Moreover, invite people of virtue and wisdom to recite the Mahāyāna and assist in raising praises and hymns. Let banners and flowers flutter and twirl before their eyes, and the fragrant scent waft abundantly to regularly bathe their organ of smell. Always speak good words to them and never convey bad words. Because at the end of life, many signs of bad karma appear and one cannot maintain one's resolve to expel them, the caregiver attending the sick must especially use skillful means to guide and encourage them, causing thought after thought to continue without halting for an instant, so that by the power of this merit they form the aspiration for rebirth in the Pure Land. Therefore the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* states: "One who did good throughout life but has an evil thought at the end of life will be born in an evil destination; one who did evil throughout life but has a good thought at the end of life will be born in the heavens." The *Vimalakīrti-sūtra* also states: "Recall the merit you have cultivated, and be mindful of pure livelihood."
19.33
The *Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra* also states: "If there is a precept-holding sentient being who, toward a sick person who has broken the precepts, seeks no favor or kindness and cares for the sick without weariness, then upon the end of life they will be born in the Heaven of Universal Vision, indulging in the five desires without knowing satiety."
19.34
The *Wang-sheng lun* also states: "If good sons and good daughters cultivate the five practices of mindfulness to perfection, they will ultimately attain rebirth in the Land of Peace and Bliss and see that Amitābha Buddha. What are the five? The first is prostration; the second is praise; the third is making vows; the fourth is contemplation; and the fifth is dedication of merit."
19.35
The *Suiyuan wangsheng jing* also states: "The Buddha told Samantavistāra Bodhisattva: 'If men and women of the four assemblies, on the day their lives end, wish to be born in the Buddha-lands of the ten directions, they should first bathe their bodies, put on clean and fresh clothes, burn various fine incenses, hang silk banners and canopies, sing praises to the Triratna, and recite the venerable sūtras. They should expound causes, conditions, and parables for the sick person, using skillful words and the subtle, wondrous meaning of the sūtras, [explaining that things are] suffering, empty, and unreal; that the four great elements are a temporary combination; that the physical form is like a plantain tree with nothing solid inside, and like a flash of lightning that cannot stay long. Hence it is said that form does not remain fresh for long and must return to decay and ruin. Sincere cultivation of the path can deliver one from suffering; in accord with whatever the mind aspires to, there is none that fails to attain its fruit.'" The commentary states: Having given instructions as above, one should further bring sūtras and statues to the patient's place, announce the titles of the sūtras and the names of the statues, and explain and show them, causing the patient to open their eyes and behold them, thereby awakening them. Moreover, invite people of virtue and wisdom to recite the Mahāyāna and assist in raising praises and hymns. Let banners and flowers flutter and twirl before their eyes, and the fragrant scent waft abundantly to regularly bathe their organ of smell. Always speak good words to them and never convey bad words. Because at the end of life, many signs of bad karma appear and one cannot maintain one's resolve to expel them, the caregiver attending the sick must especially use skillful means to guide and encourage them, causing thought after thought to continue without halting for an instant, so that by the power of this merit they form the aspiration for rebirth in the Pure Land. Therefore the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* states: "One who did good throughout life but has an evil thought at the end of life will be born in an evil destination; one who did evil throughout life but has a good thought at the end of life will be born in the heavens." The *Vimalakīrti-sūtra* also states: "Recall the merit you have cultivated, and be mindful of pure livelihood." The *Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra* also states: "If there is a precept-holding sentient being who, toward a sick person who has broken the precepts, seeks no favor or kindness and cares for the sick without weariness, then upon the end of life they will be born in the Heaven of Universal Vision, indulging in the five desires without knowing satiety."
19.36
Condition Six: Relinquishing Life
19.37
Now, the four great elements are poisonous vessels filled with foul impurities; the six thieves are frenzied masters, clinging to whatever realm they encounter. There is no longer any hope of flowing against the stream, only the momentum of revolving in the cycle. Even in plucking a single hair to benefit the world, they are stingy and will not do it; in setting aside a single meal to supplement someone else's food, they are begrudging and will not give it. Sinking into birth and death, tenaciously attached to conditioned things, the Buddhas knit their brows for them, and the bodhisattvas weep tears of blood. I observe that when worldly nobles and dignitaries suffer the death of their parents, they mostly arrange funeral rituals, extensively killing living beings, gathering kinsfolk, and entertaining guests. Blindly seeking present preeminence, they do not avoid karmic causes; or fearing external ridicule, they do not cultivate the internal scriptures. Thus, when the father dies, it results in these heavy sufferings, and when the mother passes away, it especially adds boiling broth and glowing charcoal. Consequently, they revolve in the three realms and continuously pass through the six destinies; the four bad realms are easy to return to, but escape across ten thousand kalpas is difficult to initiate. One pities the dark spirit of the kind mother, and laments the rebellious child's harmful return. However, if severe drought has lasted long, one must long for the benefit of sweet rain; if calamities and epidemics are numerous, one definitely awaits the medicine of an able physician. As these deceased parents were ordinary persons, could they be without bad karma? If the causes of sin are not eliminated, the karmic retributions are hard to dispel. If they do not rely on various superior merits, how could the fruit of bliss possibly be realized? May it be that at the end of life they make a vow to have their corpse taken to a śītavana, and that funeral furnishings and material wealth be used entirely to cultivate merit, hoping thereby to relieve the hunger of flying and walking creatures and escape future debts.
19.38
As the *Sūtra on the Twelve Grades of Birth and Death* states: "The Buddha said: 'The death of human beings has twelve grades. What are the twelve? The first is called death without remainder, which refers to the arhat who has no attachments. The second is called death having crossed over, which refers to the anāgāmin who returns no more. The third is called death with remainder, which refers to the sakṛdāgāmin who goes and returns. The fourth is called death of one learning to cross over, which refers to the srotāpanna who has seen the traces of the path. The fifth is called death without deceit, which refers to the persons of the eight stages. The sixth is called death with joy, which refers to the practitioner of single-mindedness. The seventh is called death recurring frequently, which refers to people of bad morality. The eighth is called death with remorse, which refers to ordinary beings. The ninth is called untimely death, which refers to the solitary suffering. The tenth is called death bound and attached, which refers to animals. The eleventh is called death by scorching and burning, which refers to hell. The twelfth is called death by hunger and thirst, which refers to hungry ghosts. Monks should understand this and not become negligent.'"
19.39
The *Jingtu sanmei jing* also states: "Whether a person creates good or evil, [determines whether they] are born in heaven or fall into hell. At the end of life, there are always those who come to welcome them. When one is sick and about to die, one's eyes personally see those who come to receive them. Those who should be born in heaven are welcomed by devas holding robes, instruments, and music. Those who should be born in another realm see in their eyes a venerable person speaking wondrous words to them. If one has done evil and is to fall into hell, one's eyes see soldiers holding swords, shields, spears, halberds, and ropes surrounding them. What they see differs, yet their mouths cannot speak; each receives their retribution in accordance with what they have done. Heaven is free of wrongful injustice, fair and upright without partiality; according to what has been done, the net of heaven executes judgment."
19.40
The *Avataṃsaka-sūtra* also states: "When a person is about to die, they see the signs of the intermediate existence (antarābhava). If they have practiced bad karma, they see the sufferings in the three bad destinations, or they see Yama holding various weapons to capture and lead them away, or they hear sounds of agony. If they have practiced good karma, they see heavenly palaces, adorned with celestial maidens, playing and sporting in delight, and such excellent things."
19.41
The *Dharmapada-avadāna-sūtra* also states: "Formerly, when the Buddha was at the Jetavana Monastery expounding the Dharma for gods and humans, there was an elder living by the roadside who possessed boundless wealth. He had only one son, who was twenty years old and had newly taken a wife not yet seven days prior. The husband and wife respected each other. Desiring to go to the rear garden in the third month of spring to look and play in the garden, they found a crab-apple tree, tall and large with beautiful flowers. The wife desired to have the flowers, but there was no one to fetch them for her. The husband climbed the tree for her, reaching even to the slender branches. A branch broke, and he fell to the ground and died. All members of the household, old and young, rushed to the son's side, crying out to heaven and wailing loudly, fainting and reviving again; none who heard it failed to feel heartbroken. Putting him in a coffin, they took him back home, weeping incessantly. The Bhagavat pitied their delusion and went to inquire after them. When the elder's household, old and young, saw the Buddha, they bowed down with sorrow and related the full story of their grief. The Buddha said to the elder: 'Cease and listen to the Dharma. All conditioned things are impermanent and cannot be preserved for long. Where there is birth, there is death; sins and merits follow closely behind. In three places, people are weeping, grieving, and fainting in despair for this son, which is indeed hard to endure. In the end, whose son is he, and who are his relatives?' Thereupon, the Bhagavat spoke verses, saying:"
19.42
Life is like a flower or fruit that ripens,
ever fearing that it will wither and fall.
All that is born has suffering;
who can bring about deathlessness?
From the outset delighting in love and desire,
one may expect to enter the shadow of the womb.
Taking on form, life is like lightning,
flowing day and night, difficult to halt.
This body is a dead thing;
the conscious spirit has no physical form.
Creating life, one dies and is born again;
guilt and merit do not perish.
End and beginning span more than a single lifetime;
enduring long on account of folly and attachment.
From these, one experiences suffering and joy;
though the body dies, the spirit is not lost.
19.43
When the elder heard this, his mind was opened and he forgot his grief. Kneeling upright, he addressed the Buddha: 'What crime or fault did this son commit in a past life that in the flower of his prime he should meet with a premature death? We only pray that you will explain the crimes he previously committed.'
The Buddha told the elder: 'In ancient times there was a young boy who carried a bow and arrows and entered among sacred trees to play. Beside him were three men, also looking on. There was a sparrow in a tree, and the boy wanted to shoot it. The three men encouraged him, saying, "If you can hit the sparrow, you will be a brave fellow in the world!" Flattered by their fine words, the boy drew his bow and shot it. It struck the sparrow and it died at once. The three men laughed together, joined in his joy, and then each departed. Traversing samsara for several kalpas, wherever they met, they suffered the punishment for this crime. Among the three men, one possessed merit and is now in heaven; one was born in the ocean as a magically born dragon king; and one is your present person, the elder. As for the boy, he was previously born in heaven as the son of a deity, but fell from a tree at the end of that life and died. He was immediately born in the ocean as the son of the dragon king; and on the very day of his birth, the king of the garuḍas seized and ate him. Today in three places there is anguish and weeping—how could words express it? Because in their past lives they abetted his joy, these three people receive such retribution.' Thereupon the Bhagavat spoke this verse:
19.44
'The conscious spirit fashions the three realms,
good and non-good in three places.
Secret actions arrive in silence;
what is born responds like an echo.
Form, desire, and the formless existences—
all stem from past actions.
As the seed accords with its primal likeness,
naturally retribution follows like a shadow.'
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When the Buddha had spoken the verse, the elder's mind was opened. Young and old rejoiced, and all attained the stage of srotāpanna.
19.46
Furthermore, the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya states: At that time, for the benefit of sentient beings whose lives had ended, the Bhagavat spoke a verse, saying:
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'All things must end in exhaustion;
what is high will surely fall.
Among the living, none do not die;
all who have life are impermanent.
Sentient beings fall into finite existence;
all things are conditioned.
In all the worlds,
there is nothing that does not age and die.
This is the constant rule for sentient beings:
birth after birth, all return to death.
In accordance with the karma they have created,
guilt and merit bring their retribution.
Evil karma falls into the hells;
good karma is born in heaven.
Exalted practice is born in the good realms,
and attains untainted nirvāṇa.'
19.48
Section 7: Circumstances of Sending off [the Dead]
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The commentary states: The chain of birth and death does not depart from conventional truth. Although one may leave home with the aspiration to seek the superior Path, [the body of] segmented mortality is difficult to relinquish, and [the body of] transformative mortality has not yet been eliminated. One still relies on the three realms and drifts along with worldly customs. As for surviving and perishing, both rely on internal and external factors. On the day of approaching the end, settling [the deceased] in an appropriate manner and the decorum of burial and funeral will be fully presented below. First, as for discussing the corpse of the deceased, its placement toward north or south, and the hun and po souls being different, we briefly narrate it here. The 'Liyun' chapter of the Liji says: 'The corporeal soul (po) descends, while the conscious breath (qi) is above. The dead have their heads to the north; the living face south.'
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The 'Jiaotesheng' chapter says: 'The hun-breath returns to heaven, while the bodily po returns to earth. Therefore, sacrifice seeks the meanings of yin and yang.' The 'Jiyi' chapter says: 'Breath is the flourishing of the spirit (shen); hun is the flourishing of the ghost (gui).'
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In the Zuozhuan, during the second year of Duke Zhao, Zichan replied to Zhao Jingzi, saying: 'When a human being is born, transformation [begins] with what is called the po. Once the po is born, its yang aspect is called the hun. When one uses things of fine quality abundantly, the hun and po become strong. Because of this, one has essence and brilliance extending to divine clarity. Even an ordinary man or woman who dies a violent death may have their hun and po attach themselves to human beings to act as an unbridled demon; how much more so Liangxiao!'
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The Huainanzi says: 'The breath of heaven becomes the hun; the breath of earth becomes the po.' The po asked the hun, saying, 'What does the Dao take as its body?' The hun said, 'Is it by having no form?' The po said, 'It has form. If it had none, how could you ask about it?' The hun said, 'I merely had an encounter with it. When looked at, it has no form; when listened to, it has no sound. This is called the dark and obscure. The dark and obscure is that by which the Dao is illustrated, but it is not the Dao itself.'
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Question: Since we know the difference between the hun and the po, why is it that in current secular deaths people use clothing to call back the hun, but do not speak of calling back the po?
Answer: The hun is the spirit, while the po is the corpse. Therefore, according to the rites, at the moment of first dying, one takes the clothes worn by oneself and carries them over the corpse and po. Because the hun goes outside, one takes the clothes to summon the hun. The hun recognizes its own clothes and follows the clothes back to the po. If the hun returns to the po, then the wad of silk floss over the corpse's mouth moves. If the hun does not return to the po, then the silk floss over the mouth does not move. In terms of principle, one therefore speaks of summoning the hun and does not speak of calling the po. Thus, Xiao's Sangfu yaoji says: 'Duke Ai of Lu buried his father. Confucius asked, "Would you prepare a hun-garment?" Duke Ai said, "The hun-garment began with Botaos. At the foot of Mount Jing, Botao encountered his friend Yangjiao, who had frozen to death on the road. Grieving, he went to fetch his corpse; pitying the coldness of his hun-spirit, he therefore made a hun-garment for him. My father wore brocade and embroidery in life, and was wrapped in clothes and quilts in death; what need is there for garments?"'
Question: Why is it necessary to write the name on the banner?
Answer: The banner summons the hun to be placed on its dry ground. Because the hun recognizes its name, it follows the name into the dark chamber, and also casts itself into the po; or it enters the spirit tablet (zhong) chamber. Zhong (pronounced zhí-lóng) means double (tú-yòng). Within the zhong, sacrificial food is fully arranged. Because the living and the dead are distinct, and light and darkness differ, ghosts and spirits eat in darkness, while living people eat in light. Therefore, for the zhong, coarse mats are used to wrap the eating utensils, so as to set them within the zhong and place them on the spirit ground.
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According to the Western Regions, there are four methods of burial: first, floating in water; second, cremation by fire; third, burying in the earth; fourth, offering [the corpse] to the forest. The Mahīśāsaka-vinaya says: 'When burning with fire, place [the body] on stones; it must not be on grass or soil, for fear of harming insects.' The Dharmaguptaka-vinaya says: 'The Tathāgata and the wheel-turning king are both cremated with fire; for other people, the previous [methods] are permissible.' The Mahīśāsaka-vinaya says: 'A corpse should be buried.' (This refers to where the king's law does not allow casting away the body, and moreover in summer one fears burning and killing insects, and so orders it buried. Apart from this, where there are no difficulties, water and forest burials are also permissible.) According to the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya and the Five Hundred Inquiries: If one sees a Tathāgata stūpa or temple, or sees the burial stūpas of the five assemblies of renunciants who are senior to oneself, one must successively pay homage according to their seniority in age and monastic ordination during life. If ordinary white-robed laity see the burial stūpas of renunciants, without distinguishing seniority, all must pay reverent homage.
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The commentary states: Once one knows this, when various monastics and laity see the funeral bier of a master, monk, or parent, and outsiders come to offer condolences, if they are junior to the deceased, after arriving at the place of the corpse and performing the ordinary rites, they should first go to the grieving son and offer quiet condolences, and afterwards go to the Venerable, fully expressing their mournful sentiments and bowing in condolence. One also sees ignorant white-robed laity falsely practicing religious teachings, successively teaching others not to allow paying respects to the deceased spirits of parents, uncles, and venerable kin, claiming: 'Since I have received the precepts, and they are ghosts and spirits, it is not fitting to pay homage to them, lest the precepts be broken.' This does not accord with the sage's intention, and instead incurs the sin of ignorance. I humbly consider that masters and monks nurture our dharmakāya, while parents and uncles nurture our physical body. Relying on their nursing, we grow up to become adults; contemplating this kindness and virtue, it is difficult to repay even as vast as the boundless heavens. Repaying this kindness across kalpas, how could a single lifetime suffice to show gratitude? If one does not maintain reverence and gratitude, but instead gives rise to pride and laxity, following in the footsteps of vulgar persons, how could one be an obedient child? Thus, the Bhagavat, the supreme sage, still personally helped carry the corpse of his deceased father to send him off; how much less should low and ignorant ordinary mortals casually give rise to negligence and disrespect? Therefore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'Knowing kindness is the root of great compassion; not knowing kindness makes one worse than a beast.'
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Furthermore, the Sūtra on King Śuddhodana's Nirvāṇa states: King Śuddhodana was in the country of Kapilavastu. Critically ill and nearing his end, he longed to see the Bhagavat, Nanda, and the others. The Bhagavat was in the city of Rājagṛha on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, fifty yojanas away from there. On Vulture Peak, the Bhagavat heard with the divine ear from afar the sound of his father's longing thoughts, and immediately together with Ānanda and others arrived by flying through the air. Stroking the king's forehead with his hand, having comforted the king, he preached for him the Mahāpāla Jātaka. Hearing it, the king attained the fruit of anāgāmin. The king took the Buddha's hand and held it against his heart. The Buddha again preached the Dharma, and he attained the fruit of arhat. Impermanence having arrived, his life ended, his breath ceased, and he suddenly passed to the next world. When it came time for the cremation (jhāpita), the Buddha together with Nanda and others stood respectfully at the head of the bier. Ānanda and Rāhula stood behind the feet of the bier. Ānandada knelt upright and addressed the Buddha, saying: 'We only pray that you will permit me to carry my uncle's coffin.' Rāhula also said: 'We only pray that you will permit me to carry my royal grandfather's coffin.' The Bhagavat comforted them, saying: 'People of future generations will all be fierce and cruel, failing to repay the kindness of their parents' upbringing. For the sake of these unfilial sentient beings, I establish a method of transformation; therefore, the Tathāgata personally wishes to carry the coffin of his royal father.' At that moment, the trichiliocosm quaked in six ways, and all the mountains rose and sank as though ships on water. At that time, all the devas, dragons, and spirits all came to attend the funeral, raising their voices in weeping. The Four Heavenly Kings, leading hundreds of thousands of millions of ghosts and spirits, all came to bear the bier. They addressed the Buddha, saying: 'For the sake of all who in future generations are unfilial to their parents, the Buddha with great compassion personally wishes to carry the coffin of his royal father. The Four Heavenly Kings all addressed the Buddha, saying: "We are disciples of the Buddha; hearing the Dharma from the Buddha, we attained srotāpanna. For this reason, it is fitting that we carry the coffin of the royal father."' The Buddha permitted the Four Kings to carry his royal father's coffin. They immediately transformed into human beings, and among all the people none did not weep. The Bhagavat personally held an incense burner in his own hand, walking ahead to proceed to the cemetery. He ordered a thousand arhats to go to the islands of the great ocean to fetch gośīrṣa-candana and various kinds of fragrant wood to burn him with fire. The Buddha said: 'Suffering, emptiness, and impermanence are just like an illusion, the moon in the water, or an image in a mirror.' When the burning of the body was completed, at that time the kings each held five hundred vases of milk to extinguish the fire. After extinguishing the fire, they vied with one another to collect the bones, placed them in a vajra casket, and immediately built a stūpa over them, hanging silk banners and canopies to make offerings to the stūpa and temple. The Buddha told the great assembly: 'My royal father Śuddhodana was a pure man; he is born in the Śuddhāvāsa heaven.'
19.57
Furthermore, the Sūtra on the Buddha's Mother's Nirvāṇa states: The nun Mahāprajāpatī was the Buddha's maternal aunt. Unable to bear seeing the Buddha enter parinirvāṇa later, she wished to pass into extinction first, together with five hundred hunger-dispelling women (which means bhikṣuṇīs; Kang Senghui's commentary on the Fajing jing says that ordinary people are greedily attached to the six dusts just as starving people crave food and know no satiety, and since the sage causes them to sever greed and eliminate the hunger of the six senses, renunciant nuns are called 'hunger-dispellers'). Stroking the Buddha's feet with their hands, they circumambulated the Buddha three times, bowed their heads, and departed. Manifesting the power of miraculous abilities, vanishing from their own seats, they came from the eastern direction, performing eighteen transformations in the open sky; so too in the eight directions, above, and below. They emitted great light to illuminate the dark places and shine upward upon the heavens. The five hundred hunger-dispellers all performed transformations in the same manner, and passed into nirvāṇa together in front of him. The Buddha encouraged householders to make five hundred bier-beds, sesame oil, fragrant flowers, and various kinds of catalpa timber—five hundred of each—and with pure instrumental music and proper tones to make offerings. When all the ordinary and sage persons beheld it, none did not weep with grief. The cremation (jhāpita) being finished, they carried the relics and proceeded to the Buddha's place. Thereupon, from the four directions, two hundred and fifty arhats (yingzhen) with miraculous abilities flew from each direction, bowed their heads at the Buddha's feet, and arrived at the place of the relics. The thousand bhikṣus all took their seats. The Buddha told Ānanda: 'Take the relics, put them in a bowl, and place them in my hand.' Ānanda did as ordered. The Buddha told the bhikṣus: 'These relics were originally an impure body—ferocious, foolish, evil, and violent, with jealousy and hidden schemes, ruining the Path and destroying virtue. Now this mother was able to pull herself out, practice the conduct of a noble man, attain the arhat path, and transfer her spirit to the ultimate void. How valiant indeed!' He ordered that stūpas be erected to make offerings.
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Furthermore, the Ekottarika-āgama says: The Buddha addressed Ānanda and Rāhula, "You should carry the body of Mahāprajāpatī; I shall personally make offerings." At that time, Śakra Devānām Indra, the Four Heavenly Kings, and others came forward and addressed the Buddha, saying, "We only pray that you will not exhaust yourself. We ourselves shall make the offerings." The Buddha said, "Stop, stop! Why is this? Parents bring great benefit in giving birth to children; their kindness in nurturing is weighty, suckling and cradling them in their laps. One must repay their kindness; it cannot be left unrepaid. When the mothers of all the Buddhas of the past and future enter extinction first, all the Buddhas personally make offerings and cremate their relics." At that time, the Heavenly King Vaiśravaṇa sent various ghosts and spirits to the sandalwood forest to gather sandalwood firewood and bring it to the wilderness. The Buddha personally lifted one leg of the bier, Nanda lifted one leg, Rāhula lifted one leg, and Ānanda lifted one leg. Flying into the air, they went to the cemetery. At that time, the Buddha personally took sandalwood and laid it upon the body of Mahāprajāpatī. The Buddha said, "There are four kinds of persons for whom stūpas ought to be erected and offerings made: first, a Buddha; second, a pratyekabuddha; third, an arhat who has exhausted all out-flows; fourth, a wheel-turning sage king. All of them transform beings by means of the ten good deeds." Thereupon, the people took the relics, and each erected a stūpa to make offerings.
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- 諸經要集 — Classical Chinese