The Hells
As the Buddha finished speaking those words, Ananda and the great assembly instantly received the Tathagata’s transmit of the secret seals, the precious Dharma imprints hidden in the Sutra titles, and immediately they realized Dhyana and made great advancements towards Sagehood. Now with increased understanding of the wondrous truth, their minds were sharply focused, empty of all deliberation and free of the six kinds of subtle afflictions that trouble a practitioner’s mind in the three realms.
Ananda stood up, prostrated at the Buddha’s feet, and with palms placed together, he said to the Buddha reverently, “The Almighty Bhagavan, your compassionate teachings have helped us break free of even the most subtle yet deep-seated delusions, enabling me to have such incredible bliss and delight in body and mind! World-Honored One, if this pure original Mind is all-pervading, that everything on the planet, from highlands and forests to the wriggling worms and the most minute life forms, all of them have it as their inherent reality, which is identical to the Buddha nature realized by all Tathagatas, then why are there still six paths of rebirth as hells, ghosts, animals, asuras, humans and gods? Do they exist naturally of their own accord, or do they come into existence due to living beings’ habitual delusions?
“World-Honored One, as we know that in the case of the Bhikshuni Precious Lotus-Fragrance, she indulged in lustful desire after vowing to follow the Bodhisattva Precepts, and recklessly she claimed that sexual acts cause no karmic retribution as they involve neither killing nor stealing. Right after saying that, her female organs burst into flame, and the raging fire spread through all her joints as she fell into the Unrelenting Hell.
“Also, there were the examples of King Virudhaka and Bhiksu Sunaksatra. The former exterminated the Gautama clan, while the latter falsely stated that all dharmas are empty. They both fell into the Unrelenting Hell alive.
“Do these hells have a fixed location? Or do they arise spontaneously as each individual generates their own karma and thereby suffers their private retribution? I sincerely request the Buddha to compassionately enlighten those of us who are still ignorant about this, so that all beings who observe the precepts can have the great fortune to hear the most truthful teaching and carefully avoid all errors. ”
The Buddha said to Ananda, “What an excellent question! It will indeed help all beings steer clear of wrong views. Now listen carefully as I expound on it.
“Ananda, fundamentally all beings have pure nature. However, because of their false views, they develop deluded habits, some of which are internal, others are external.
“The internal habits refer to living beings’ inner autonomic occurrences – all the false emotions triggered by desire and defilement. Such emotions accumulate and bring about fluids of craving. When one thinks of delicious food, one’s mouth waters. When one thinks of someone deceased, either with fondness or with anger, tears come to their eyes. When one longs for wealth, they feel craved and can’t wait to get rich. When one’s mind dwells on sexual conduct, their male or female organ naturally secretes fluid in response. Ananda, although the kinds of desire differ, the flows and secretions are the same. The nature of moisture is to go downward; therefore, with moisture one cannot ascend but has to fall. Such is called the Internal Aspect.
“The external habits are directed outward, such as aspirations and fantasies. When one aspires to become spiritually higher, it generates an uplifting energy. When aspirational thoughts persist, they generate transcendental energies. That is why beings who uphold the precepts in their minds are light and clear in their bodies, and those who uphold mantras and mudras exude an air of confidence and resolution. If one aspires to be born in the heavens, one will dream of flying and ascending. If one is mindful of the Buddha-lands, one will see sacred realms appear to them privately, and they will serve the wise and skillful teachers wholeheartedly and think little of their own lives. Ananda, although aspirations differ, the lightness and ascension are the same. The nature of flying is to go upward; therefore, taking flight one will not sink – rather, they will gradually transcend. Such is called the External Aspect.
“Ananda, all beings in the worlds are caught up in endless cycles of births and deaths and repeats. Birth happens as they follow their habitual inclinations, while death results from currents of change. At the moment of death, as the body still remains somewhat warm, one sees all the good and evil they have ever done appear before them, and two habitual inclinations – aversion to death and attraction to life – are intermingled and experienced at the same time.
“If the mind has pure thoughts and no emotion, one will fly upward and certainly be born in the heavens. If meanwhile one also has blessings, wisdom, and unwavering faith to be born in one of the Pure Lands, then one’s mind will open and see the Buddhas of the ten directions, and naturally one will be born in a Pure Land corresponding with his/her wish.
“If the mind has mainly thoughts but also some emotion, then one will not fly too far and may become a flying immortal, or a ghost king, or sky-traveling-yaksha, or earth-traveling-rakshasa, all of which are able to roam the Heaven of Four Celestial Kings without obstruction. Among this type there may be some who have made wholesome vows to protect and uphold the Buddha Dharma, or to protect the precepts as well as precept-upholders, or to protect the mantras as well as mantra-upholders, or to protect the practice of meditation as well as the practitioners of Dhyana Samadhi, then such beings will have the opportunity to sit at the feet of the Tathagatas and become close disciples of the Buddhas.
“If the mind has both thoughts and emotions in equal proportion, one can neither fly nor fall, and will be born in the human realm, where brighter thoughts give rise to greater intelligence, and dim emotions bring about duller brilliance.
“If the mind has more emotion than thought, one enters the animal realm, where heavier emotions lead to being born as fur-bearing beasts, and lighter emotions lead to being born as feathery creatures.
“If seventy percent of one’s mental activity is emotion and thirty percent is thought, one falls beneath the wheel of water, which is bordering on the wheel of fire, where for hundreds of thousands of eons one will be hungry ghost and suffer from the blast of raging blaze, with nothing to eat or drink, and constantly gets burned or gets scalded by the hot steam.
“If ninety percent of one’s mental activity is emotion and ten percent is thought, one falls through the wheel of fire, entering a realm where wind and fire attack from both sides in a pincer manner. With lighter emotions, one may land on a hell where suffering is intermittent; with heavier emotions, one lands on a hell where suffering is unrelenting.
“If the mind is entirely ruled by emotion, one directly sinks into the Avici Hell. Moreover, if one has ever slandered the Mahayana teachings, or has spoken ill of the Buddhas’ precepts, or has falsely preached the Dharma, or has been greedy for the offerings made by the faithful, or has shamelessly accepted undeserved reverence from others, or has committed any of the five grave crimes and ten major offenses, then one will further sink into the Avici Hell throughout all ten directions.
“To sum up, one gets retribution exactly in accord with the evil karma one has created, and all beings who have created the same karma will share the same fate in one place.”
說是語已。即時阿難及諸大眾。得蒙如來開示密印般怛囉義。兼聞此經了義名目。頓悟禪那修進聖位。增上妙理心慮虛凝。斷除三界修心六品微細煩惱。即從座起頂禮佛足。合掌恭敬而白佛言。大威德世尊慈音無遮。善開眾生微細沈惑。令我今日身意快然得大饒益。世尊若此妙明真淨妙心本來遍圓。如是乃至大地草木。蠕動含靈本元真如。即是如來成佛真體。佛體真實。云何復有地獄餓鬼畜生修羅人天等道。世尊此道為復本來自有。為是眾生妄習生起。世尊如寶蓮香比丘尼。持菩薩戒私行婬欲。妄言行婬非殺非偷無有業報。發是語已先於女根生大猛火。後於節節猛火燒然墮無間獄。瑠璃大王善星比丘。瑠璃為誅瞿曇族姓。善星妄說一切法空。生身陷入阿鼻地獄。此諸地獄為有定處為復自然。彼彼發業各各私受。唯垂大慈發開童蒙。令諸一切持戒眾生。聞決定義歡喜頂戴謹潔無犯。
佛告阿難快哉此問。令諸眾生不入邪見。汝今諦聽當為汝說。阿難一切眾生實本真淨。因彼妄見有妄習生。因此分開內分外分。阿難內分即是眾生分內。因諸愛染發起妄情。情積不休能生愛水。是故眾生心憶珍羞口中水出。心憶前人或[隣>憐]或恨目中淚盈。貪求財寶心發愛涎舉體光潤。心著行婬男女二根自然流液。阿難諸愛雖別流結是同。潤濕不昇自然從墜此名內分。
阿難外分即是眾生分外。因諸渴仰發明虛想。想積不休能生勝氣。是故眾生心持禁戒舉身輕清。心持呪印顧眄雄毅。心欲生天夢想飛舉。心存佛國聖境冥現。事善知識自輕身命。阿難諸想雖別輕舉是同。飛動不沈自然超越。此名外分。
阿難一切世間生死相續。生從順習死從變流。臨命終時未捨暖觸。一生善惡俱時頓現。死逆生順二習相交。純想即飛必生天上。若飛心中兼福兼慧及與淨願。自然心開見十方佛。一切淨土隨願往生。情少想多輕舉非遠。即為飛仙大力鬼王。飛行夜叉地行羅剎。遊於四天。所去無礙。其中若有善願善。心護持我法。或護禁戒隨持戒人。或護神呪隨持呪者。或護禪定保綏法忍。是等親住如來座下。情想均等不飛不墜生於人間。想明斯聰情幽斯鈍。情多想少流入橫生。重為毛群輕為羽族。七情三想沈下水輪。生於火際。受氣猛火身為餓鬼。常被焚燒水能害已。無食無飲經百千劫。九情一想下洞火輪。身入風火二交過地。輕生有間重生無間二種地獄。純情即沈入阿鼻獄。若沈心中有謗大乘。毀佛禁戒誑妄說法。虛貪信施濫膺恭敬五逆十重。更生十方阿鼻地獄。循造惡業雖則自招眾同分中兼有元地。
Buddha Mind 