Shurangama Mantra with Verses and Commentary
by Venerable Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua
421. A KỲ NI DUỆ PHẤN
阿耆尼曳泮
AGNIYE PHAT
Sắc
Cứu Cánh cập Trường Thọ Thiên
Luyện
hỏa đại thần hiển uy quyền
Văn
tụng linh văn giai củng phục
Bảo
vệ chánh pháp độ tam thiên.
色究竟及長壽天
煉火大神顯威權
聞誦靈文皆拱伏
保衛正法度三千
SẮC CỨU CÁNH VÀ TRƯỜNG THỌ THIÊN
BẢO HỘ
Nhất thiết thiện thần y triệu lệnh
Tứ phương kết giới thiên biến hóa
Long vương hộ vệ tại hậu tiền.
Bảo-LoaThủ Nhãn Ấn Pháp
[18]
Ông Ô-xô-sắt-ma
VIÊN-THÔNG VỀ HỎA-ĐẠI
Ông Ô-xô-sắt-ma, ở trước đức Như-lai, chấp tay đỉnh-lễ nơi hai chân Phật mà bạch Phật rằng: " Tôi thường nhớ trước kia, trong kiếp xa-xôi, tính có nhiều tham-dục; lúc ấy, có đức Phật ra đời hiệu là Không-vương, bảo người đa-dâm như đống lửa hồng và dạy tôi quán khắp những hơi nóng lạnh nơi trăm vóc tứ-chi; tôi nhờ quán như vậy, mà được giác-tính sáng-suốt lặng-đứng bên trong, hoá tâm đa-dâm thành lửa trí-tuệ. Từ ấy, các đức Phật đều gọi tên tôi là Hỏa-đầu. Tôi dùng sức hỏa-quang-tam-muội mà thành quả A-la-hán; trong tâm phát đại-nguyện, khi các đức Phật thành-đạo, thì làm lực-sĩ, thân ở bên Phật, uốn-dẹp bọn tà-ma quấy-phá. Phật hỏi về viên-thông, tôi dùng pháp quán các hơi-ấm nơi thân tâm đều lưu-thông không ngăn-ngại; các lậu đã tiêu, sinh ra ngọn lửa đại-trí quý-báu, lên bậc vô-thượng-giác, đó là thứ nhất."
N1 Ucchushma : the fire element.
Sutra:
Ucchushma came before the Buddha, put his palms together, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha, "I can still remember how many kalpas ago I was filled with excessive greed and desire. There was a Buddha in the world named King of Emptiness. He said that people with too much desire turn into a raging mass of fire. He taught me to contemplate the coolness and warmth throughout my entire body."
Commentary:
Ucchushma is a powerful Vajra lord. He is one of those whom this sutra refers to as Vajra Secret Traces, that is, dharma protectors. The history of these dharma protectors was as follows: limitless kalpas ago, there was a wheel-turning king whose first wife gave birth to a thousand sons. The wheel-turning king understood the Buddhadharma. He had his thousand sons draw lots; they would become Buddhas in the order of the numbers they drew. The thousand Buddhas of this kalpa, the Worthy kalpa, are the sons of that wheel-turning king.
Kanakamuni Buddha became the first Buddha, and Shakyamuni Buddha was the fourth Buddha of the Auspicious kalpa, so called because it is a time when worthies and sages appear in the world. Another of the wheel-turning king's wives had two sons. The elder son vowed that when each of his thousand brothers became a Buddha, he would go to that place and make offerings to them. The younger brother made a vow that when each of his brothers became a Buddha, he would go and protect him, he would be a Vajra-powerful lord.
Why does it say that he came before the Buddha, instead of saying that he arose from his seat? This is because Vajra-powerful lords are spirits, and spirits cannot sit in the presence of the Buddha. They stand. There is no seat available to them in the Buddha's assemblies. As for ghosts, they are not only forbidden to sit down; they aren't even given a place to stand. They must kneel. The dharma protectors must kneel to hear the dharma. In this very assembly now there are many ghosts kneeling to listen to the sutra. If you can't see them yourself, you don't have to take my word for it. You can ask my disciple who has his five eyes open. He will tell you.
Ucchushma came before the Buddha, put his palms together, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha, "I can still remember how many kalpas ago I was filled with excessive greed and desire." This person had a tremendous amount of desire. He was obsessed with women. He probably inherited it from his father, who, as a wheel-turning king, also had a lot of desire and lust.
"At that time, there was a Buddha in the world named King of Emptiness. He spoke dharma for me; He said that people with too much desire turn into a raging mass of fire. In the future they will fall into the hells and be seared by a furious fire. The Thus Come One, King of Emptiness taught me to contemplate the coolness and warmth throughout my entire body." Why do people have excessive desire? It comes from a "fire of desire" in the body. So the Buddha, King of Emptiness, had him return the light and look within at the fire in his own body. He observed the fire of his desire.
Sutra:
A spiritual light coalesced inside and transformed my thoughts of excessive lust into the fire of wisdom. After that, when any of the Buddhas summoned me, they used the name "Fire-head."
Commentary:
"I contemplated the fire in my body, and after a long time I came to abhor it and to be alarmed about it. Once I became alarmed, I no longer liked the thoughts of desire, and I gradually did away with them. Once they were gone, a spiritual light coalesced inside." He produced his own light, and transformed my thoughts of excessive lust into the fire of wisdom. A change took place in his obsessive thoughts of desire: they turned into fiery wisdom. After that, when any of the Buddhas summoned me, they used the name "Fire-head." They called him "Fire-head Vajra" ( huo tou jin gang).
Sutra:
From the strength of the fire-light samadhi, I accomplished arhatship. I made a great vow that when each of the Buddhas accomplishes the Way, I will be a powerful knight and in person subdue the demons' hatred.
Commentary:
From the strength of the fire-light samadhi, I accomplished arhatship. I then made a great vow that when each of the Buddhas accomplishes the Way, I will be a powerful knight and in person subdue the demons' hatred. When each of the thousand Buddhas of the Worthy aeon accomplishes the Way, I will be a powerful and great Vajra lord, a big dharma protector, and tame all the demons and enemies.
Sutra:
The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I used attentive contemplation of the effects of heat in my body and mind, until it became unobstructed and penetrating and all my outflows were consumed. I produced a blazing brilliance and ascended to enlightenment. This is the foremost method.
Commentary:
The Buddha asks each of his disciples about perfect penetration. I used attentive contemplation of the effects of heat in my body and mind, until it became unobstructed and penetrating and all my outflows were consumed. The effects of heat were turned into the fire of wisdom, and my inherent nature within was unhindered and flowed freely. It burned away all my outflows, and I produced a blazing brilliance and ascended to enlightenment. This is the foremost method, the best dharma door.
THÀNH "CHƯ THIÊN" SẮC-GIỚI
"A-nan, tất-cả những người tu tâm trong thế-gian, không nhờ Thiền-na, thì không có trí-tuệ.
Người nào giữ được cái thân không làm việc dâm-dục, trong lúc đi, lúc ngồi, đều không nghĩ-nhớ, lòng ái-nhiễm không sinh, không còn ở trong Dục-giới, thì bản-thân liền được làm phạm-lữ; một loài như thế, gọi là Phạm-chúng-thiên.
Tập-quán ngũ-dục đã trừ rồi, tâm ly-dục hiện ra, vui-vẻ thuận theo các luật-nghi, thì người đó liền có thể thực-hành những phạm-đức; một loài như thế, gọi là Phạm-phụ-thiên.
Thân tâm hoàn-toàn thanh-tịnh, uy-nghi không thiếu, cấm-giới trong-sạch, lại có thêm trí-sáng, thì người đó liền được thống-lĩnh phạm-chúng, làm đại-phạm-vương; một loài như thế, gọi là Đại-phạm-thiên.
A-nan, ba loài-tốt đó, tất-cả khổ-não không bức-bách được; tuy không phải chân-chính tu phép Tam-ma-đề của đạo Phật, nhưng trong tâm thanh-tịnh, những lầm-lạc của Dục-giới không lay-động được, nên gọi là Sơ-thiền.
A-nan, thứ nữa, các hàng phạm-thiên khi thống-lĩnh phạm-chúng, lại tu-tập phạm-hạnh được viên-mãn, làm cho tâm đứng-lặng không lay-động, và do sự đứng-lặng ấy, sinh ra sáng-suốt; một loài như thế, gọi là Thiểu-quang-thiên.
Hào-quang sáng-suốt thêm nhiều, chói-sáng không cùng, ánh vào thập phương thế-giới đều thành trong-sáng như ngọc lưu-ly; một loài như thế, gọi là Vô-lượng-quang-thiên.
Nắm-giữ hào-quang viên-mãn, tạo thành giáo-thể, phát ra sự giáo-hóa thanh-tịnh, ứng-dụng không cùng; một loài như thế, gọi là Quang-âm-thiên.
A-nan, ba loài-tốt ấy, tất-cả lo-buồn không bức-bách được; tuy không phải chân-chính tu-hành phép Tam-ma-đề của đạo Phật, nhưng trong tâm thanh-tịnh, những lầm-lạc thô-động đã dẹp xuống, nên gọi là Nhị-thiền.
A-nan, những loài trời như thế, khi dùng hào-quang viên-mãn làm việc giáo-hóa, do sự giáo-hóa càng rõ lẽ nhiệm-mầu, phát ra hạnh tinh-tiến, thông với cái vui yên-lặng; một loài như thế, gọi là Thiểu-tịnh-thiên.
Cảnh thanh-tịnh hiện-tiền, dẫn-phát không có bờ-bến, thân tâm được khinh-an, thành cái vui yên-lặng; một loài như thế, gọi là Vô-lượng-tịnh-thiên.
Thế-giới và thân tâm, tất-cả hoàn-toàn thanh-tịnh, đức thanh-tịnh được thành-tựu, cảnh-giới thù-thắng hiện-tiền, dồn về vui yên-lặng; một loài như thế, gọi là Biến-tịnh-thiên.
A-nan, ba loài-tốt đó, đầy-đủ công-hạnh đại-tùy-thuận, thân tâm yên-lặng, được cái vui vô-lượng; tuy không phải chân-chính được phép Tam-ma-đề của đạo Phật, nhưng trong tâm yên-ẩn, hoan-hỷ được đầy-đủ, nên gọi là Tam-thiền.
A-nan, lại nữa, những loài trời đó, thân tâm không bị bức-bách, nguyên-nhân của khổ đã hết, lại xét cái vui không phải thường-trụ, lâu rồi cũng phải tiêu-tan, nên cả hai tâm khổ và vui, đồng-thời đều phóng-xả; những tướng thô-nặng đã diệt, thì phúc thanh-tịnh sinh ra; một loài như thế, gọi là Phúc-sinh-thiên.
Tâm phóng-xả được viên-mãn, sự nhận-hiểu cao-xa càng thanh-tịnh; trong cái phúc không gì trở-ngại đó, được sự tùy-thuận nhiệm-mầu cùng-tột vị-lai; một loài như vậy, gọi là Phúc-ái-thiên.
A-nan, từ cõi trời đó, có hai đường trẽ : Nếu dùng cái tâm sáng-suốt thanh-tịnh vô-lượng trước kia, mà tu-chứng an-trụ nơi phúc-đức viên-mãn sáng-suốt, thì một loài như thế, gọi là Quảng-quả-thiên.
Nếu nơi cái tâm trước kia nhàm-chán cả cái khổ và cái vui, lại nghiền-ngẫm cái tâm phóng-xả, tiếp-tục không ngừng, đi đến cùng-tột sự phóng-xả, thân tâm đều diệt hết, ý-nghĩ bặt mất, trải qua năm trăm kiếp; song, người ấy đã lấy cái sinh-diệt làm nhân, thì không thể phát-minh tính không-sinh-diệt, nên nửa kiếp đầu thì diệt, nửa kiếp sau lại sinh; một loài như thế, gọi là Vô-tưởng-thiên.
A-nan, bốn loài-tốt ấy, tất-cả những cảnh khổ vui trong thế-gian không lay-động được; tuy không phải là chỗ bất-động chân-thật của đạo vô-vi; song, nơi cái tâm hữu-sở-đắc, công-dụng đã thuần-thục, nên gọi là Tứ-thiền.
A-nan, trong đó, lại có năm bậc Bất-hoàn-thiên, các vị này đã diệt hết tập-khí chín phẩm tư-hoặc trong cõi dưới rồi, khổ vui không còn, bên dưới không có chỗ ở, nên an-lập chỗ ở nơi chúng-đồng-phận của tâm phóng-xả.
A-nan, khổ vui cả hai đều diệt, không còn tâm-niệm ưa-ghét; một loài như thế, gọi là Vô-phiền-thiên.
Tự-tại phóng-xả, không còn năng-xả, sở-xả; một loài như thế, gọi là Vô-nhiệt-thiên.
Khéo thấy thế-giới mười phương thảy đều đứng-lặng, không còn tất-cả những cấu-nhiễm trầm-trọng của trần-cảnh; một loài như thế, gọi là Thiện-kiến-thiên.
Tri-kiến thanh-tịnh hiện-tiền, sử-dụng được không ngăn-ngại; một loài như thế, gọi là Thiện-hiện-thiên.
Quán-sát rốt-ráo các cực-vi, cùng-tột tính của sắc-pháp, vào tính không bờ-bến; một loài như thế, gọi là Sắc-cứu-kính-thiên.
A-nan, những bậc Bất-hoàn-thiên đó, chỉ riêng bốn vị thiên-vương Tứ-thiền được có kính-nghe, nhưng không thể thấy-biết; cũng như hiện nay, có các thánh-đạo-trường nơi rừng sâu đồng rộng thế-gian, đều là những nơi trụ-trì của các vị A-la-hán, nhưng những người thô-thiển thế-gian không thể thấy được.
A-nan, mười tám loài trời đó, tâm thường ở trong định, không dính-dáng với trần-cảnh, song chưa hết cái lụy của hình-hài; từ đó trở về, gọi là Sắc-giới.
N1 Heaven of the multitudes of brahma.
Sutra:
Ananda, all those in the world who cultivate their minds but do not avail themselves of dhyana and so have no wisdom, can only control their bodies so as to not engage in sexual desire. Whether walking or sitting, or in their thoughts, they are totally devoid of it. Since they do not give rise to defiling
love, they do not remain in the realm of desire. These people can, in response to their thought, take on the bodies of Brahma beings. They are among those in the Heaven of the Multitudes of Brahma.
Commentary:
Ananda, now we will talk about the form realm, the heavens of the four dhyanas. All those in the world who cultivate their minds but do not avail themselves of dhyana and so have no wisdom, can only control their bodies so as to not engage in sexual desire. They haven.t become skilled in the practice of dhyana of stilling their thoughts, and so they don.t have any genuine wisdom. What they can do is control their own bodies and refrain from engaging in lust. Whether walking or sitting, or in their thoughts, they are totally devoid of it. Walking, standing,
sitting, and lying down even in their sleep at all times and in all places they do not give rise to defiling love. No matter how beautiful an object of form they may see, they do not give rise to defiling thoughts of love, and so they do not remain in the realm of desire. These people can, in response to their thought, take on the bodies of Brahma beings. They join with other pure beings. None of them have any desire. They are among those in the Heaven of the Multitudes of Brahma. They become part of the pure beings who inhabit this heaven. Each is a part of that general heavenly multitude . one among many.
N2 Ministers of brahma heaven.
Sutra:
In those whose hearts of desire have already been cast aside, the mind apart from desire manifests. They have a fond regard for the rules of discipline and delight in being in accord with them. These people can practice the Brahma virtue at all times, and they are among those in the Heaven of the Ministers
of Brahma.
Commentary:
In those whose hearts of desire have already been cast aside, the mind apart from desire manifests. They have a fond regard for the rules of discipline and delight in being in accord with them. People by nature like food and sex. These habits are innate in them. But at this point, these beings have gotten rid of their habits of sexual desire. Since they don.t have desire, the mind apart from desire appears. They cultivate the precepts and the rules of awesome deportment. They like the precepts and follow them in their cultivation. These people can practice the Brahma virtue at all times, and they are among those in the Heaven of the
Ministers of Brahma. At all times and in all situations, they cultivate pure practices. Their conduct is virtuous and pure. .Brahma. means purity. These people are born in the second heaven of the first dhyana. As ministers, they aid the Great Brahma Heaven King.
N3 Great brahma heaven.
Sutra:
Those whose bodies and minds are wonderfully perfect, and whose awesome deportment is not in the least deficient, are pure in the prohibitive precepts and have a thorough understanding of them as well. At all times these people can govern the Brahma multitudes as great Brahma lords, and they are
among those in the Great Brahma Heaven.
Commentary:
Those whose bodies and minds are wonderfully perfect, in the matter of being without any thoughts of desire, and whose awesome deportment is not in the least deficient, are pure in the prohibitive precepts and have a thorough understanding of them as well. They are not lacking in any of the three thousand
awesome deportments or the eighty thousand minor aspects of conduct. They are perfect in them all. They uphold and are pure in all the precepts spoken by the Buddha. Not only do they hold them purely, they have a comprehensive understanding of them as well. They have enlightened to the appearance, substance, and dharma of the precepts. At all times these people can govern the Brahma
multitudes as great Brahma lords, and they are among those in the Great Brahma Heaven. When these people.s lives end, they are born in the heavens and they are able to rule the multitude in the Brahma Heavens.
M2 Concludes they are apart from suffering and their outflows are subdued.
Sutra:
Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will not be oppressed by any suffering or affliction. Although they have not developed proper samadhi, their minds are pure to the point that they are not moved by outflows. This is called the First Dhyana.
Commentary:
Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will not be oppressed by any suffering or affliction. The three superior levels are the Heaven of the Multitudes of Brahma, the Heaven of the Ministers of Brahma, and the Great Brahma Heaven. These are transcendent levels the heavens of the first dhyana in which suffering and affliction do not harass one. Although they have not developed proper samadhi although they don't understand the Buddhadharma and are not cultivating the proper concentration power their minds are pure to the point that they are not moved by outflows. They hold the precepts purely, and within the purity of their minds they are not moved by outflows. They don.t give rise to faults. They don't get involved in the endless desires of the material world such as food, clothing, and all the objects of desire. Those are all outflows. The inhabitants of
these heavens don.t have any of these weaknesses, afflictions, habits, or faults. This is called the First Dhyana. In cultivating the Way, your pulse stops if you reach the first dhyana. If you want to know whether you have any skill, check out your pulse. That's a sign of this level, which is the first step in cultivation. It is not a
lofty state.
L2 Second dhyana heavens.
M1 Explains three heavens with different characteristics.
N1 Lesser light heaven.
Sutra:
Ananda, those beyond the Brahma heavens gather in and govern the Brahma beings, for their Brahma conduct is perfect and fulfilled. Unmoving and with settled minds, they produce light in profound stillness, and they are among those in the Heaven of Lesser Light.
Commentary:
Ananda, those beyond the Brahma heavens gather in and govern the Brahma beings, for their Brahma conduct is perfect and fulfilled. Those at the next level above the Heaven of the Multitudes of Brahma, the Heaven of the Ministers of Brahma, and the Great Brahma Heaven are capable of governing and gathering in the beings in these three heavens. That.s because they have perfectly learned the pure Brahma practices. Unmoving and with settled minds, they produce light in profound stillness. Their minds are tranquil and calm they are unmoving. When there is stillness and profound tranquility, a kind of light will eventually emerge. These heavenly beings are among those in the Heaven of Lesser Light.
N2 Limitless light heaven.
Sutra:
Those whose lights illumine each other in an endless dazzling blaze shine throughout the realms of the ten directions so that everything becomes like crystal. They are among those in the Heaven of Limitless Light.
Commentary:
Those whose lights illumine each other in an endless dazzling blaze shine throughout the realms of the ten directions so that everything becomes like crystal. Their lights shine on one another. They illumine each other. Have you ever noticed how compatible lights are? There aren't any that won't unite. If you have light and someone else has light, the two lights will not contend. They will not fight with each other. Really. Lights don't fight. It's never the case that a big light will bully a smaller light. There's no fuss among lights. That's what's being described here by
the phrase, the lights illumine each other. The combined illumination of these lights is infinite. It reaches throughout the ten directions, and everything seems to turn into crystal. These heavenly beings are among those in the Heaven of Limitless
Light.
N3 Light sound heaven.
Sutra:
Those who take in and hold the light to perfection accomplish the substance of the teaching. Creating and transforming the purity into endless responses and functions, they are among those in the Light-Sound Heaven.
Commentary:
Those who take in and hold the light to perfection accomplish the substance of the teaching. Together they obtain and uphold these lights and in this way perfect the substance of the teaching. In the Light-Sound Heaven, the beings do not have to
speak out loud to communicate with one another. They use light for their voices. They communicate by means of their lights. They don.t speak with their mouths; they don't use language. Thus, light is the substance of teaching in that heaven. That's really a case of this:
The mind understands without a word being said.
When they shine on each other in that heaven, each knows what the other is communicating. Their ideas are transmitted by means of the light. Creating and transforming the purity into endless responses and functions, they are among those in the Light- Sound Heaven. The function of their light is infinite.
M2 Concludes they are apart from worries and their outflows are subdued.
Sutra:
Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will not be oppressed by worries or vexations. Although they have not developed proper samadhi, their minds are pure to the point that they have subdued their coarser outflows. This is called the Second Dhyana.
Commentary:
Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will not be oppressed by worries or vexations. In the heavens of the first dhyana, they were not oppressed by suffering or affliction. However, they still were subject to worry. If something came up, they had a bit of a hard time putting it all down. They got hung up in things. But now, in the second dhyana heavens, there is no worry, and there aren't any hang-ups. Not to be oppressed. means that they don't give rise to worry within. They don't even have any internal hang-ups. They are a far cry from ordinary people, who get hung up on everything that comes along and spend all day from
morning to night worrying about something or other. Hang-ups are otherwise known as .impeding obstructions. Although they have not developed proper samadhi, their minds are pure to the point that they have subdued their coarser outflows. These heavenly beings have not been intent upon cultivating proper samadhi. But they do have a certain level of attainment when it comes to the purity of their minds. Their coarse outflows are under control. But they still haven.t been able to deal with the subtler outflows. On the surface of things, then, the gods in the second dhyana heavens appear to be without any worry and hang-ups.
When people who cultivate the Way sit in meditation and enter the second dhyana, their breath will cease. In the first dhyana, the pulse stops. In the second, the breath stops. Now although it is said that they cease, do you remember what I just told you about the young boy and girl? The skill which the Taoists develop and that which Buddhists develop have certain basic similarities. They are largely the same, with minor differences. If someone.s pulse stops, doesn.t that just means he or she is dead? No, not in this case, because, although the external evidence of a pulse is gone, the pulse of the self-nature within is active. The same applies to the breath.
The true breath and pulse of the self-nature awaken and take over, so the coarse, physical pulse can stop. In the same way, when the external evidence of breath ceases in the second dhyana, it does not mean that the cultivator has died. He's entered the samadhi of the second dhyana and has obtained a certain purity and bliss. Still, it's only his coarser outflows which are under control. It.s not the case that all outflows are extinguished at this level. This is called the Second Dhyana.
L3 Third dhyana heavens.
M1 Explains three heavens.
N1 Lesser purity heaven.
Sutra:
Ananda, heavenly beings for whom the perfection of light has become sound and who further open out the sound to disclose its wonder discover a subtler level of practice. They penetrate to the bliss of still extinction and are among those in the Heaven of Lesser Purity.
Commentary:
Ananda, heavenly beings for whom the perfection of light has become sound and who further open out the sound to disclose its wonder discover a subtler level of practice. For them, perfect light has become sound, and when they distinguish this sound more clearly, it reveals a subtle and wonderful level of practice. They penetrate to the bliss of still extinction by means of this subtle and wonderful practice. Still extinction is the absence of thought. Their minds and natures are in still extinction, and they are among those in the Heaven of Lesser Purity. These gods are in the Heaven of Lesser Purity. They have obtained a small amount
of genuine purity. It's not total purity.
N2 Limitless purity heaven.
Sutra:
Those in whom the emptiness of purity manifests are led to discover its boundlessness. Their bodies and minds experience light ease, and they accomplish the bliss of still extinction. They are among those in the Heaven of Limitless Purity.
Commentary:
Those in whom the emptiness of purity manifests are led to discover its boundlessness. They obtain genuine purity and afterward can discover the principle of emptiness. Knowing about emptiness, they are led to discover the boundlessness of purity. The purity has no end. Their bodies and minds experience light ease,
and they accomplish the bliss of still extinction. At that time they are truly free; they have self-mastery. They have truly arrived at the wonderful existence within true emptiness and the true emptiness within wonderful existence. Something takes place then that most people do not know can happen. Most people are greedy for external forms, and so they flow out.
Their nature flows out into emotion;
Their emotions flow out into desires.
The thought of sexual desire is produced. They become fixed in the notion that they must find a partner. Then they let the fire of their desire catch hold and become spent in external seeking. That's sex. But is it really necessary for there to be an external form in order to have this experience? No. Within true emptiness there is true form. If you understand, then true form is just true emptiness. You can
perceive true emptiness and wonderful existence right within this.
The Heart Sutra says:
Form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does
not differ from form. Form is just emptiness; emptiness is
just form.
The bliss of still extinction the principle of emptiness is tens of millions of times more intense than the bliss derived from seeking external forms. If you want that experience, though, you must first stop your involvement with external forms. If you don't stop your involvement with external forms, the true emptiness within you
cannot manifest. Here, these heavenly beings have been led to discover the
endlessness of purity and their bodies and minds experience light ease. This is to reach the level where, Form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does
not differ from form. Form is just emptiness; emptiness is
just form.
You cannot fake this. You can't say you.ve reached this level if you haven.t. It can't be experienced through mere words; it only counts if you are really there, just as only the person who drinks a glass of water knows if the water is cold or warm. These beings who have accomplished the bliss of still extinction are among those in the
Heaven of Limitless Purity.
N3 Pervasive purity heaven.
Sutra:
Those for whom the world, the body, and the mind are all perfectly pure have accomplished the virtue of purity, and a superior level emerges. They return to the bliss of still extinction, and they are among those in the Heaven of Pervasive Purity.
Commentary:
Those for whom the world, the body, and the mind are all perfectly pure have accomplished the virtue of purity. In the heaven discussed previously, only the body and mind experienced total purity. The beings in the heaven now discussed have accomplished their skill to the point that they can change the world itself. This world is basically impure, but they can transform it into a pure one. The principle here is the same one expressed in the saying:
The mind is itself the Pure Land;
The self-nature is Amitabha Buddha.
If your mind is pure, the Buddhalands are pure. If your mind is not pure, you do not perceive the purity of the Buddhalands, either. If you.re in the Land of Ultimate Bliss itself but do nothing but cry all day long, then there's no bliss. If you're in the Saha world and you are happy from morning to night, then you're like the Bodhisattvas
of the ground of happiness. The principle here is that .everything is made from the mind alone. It just remains to be seen if you can see through it all and put it down. If you can, you obtain comfort selfmastery. If you can't see through everything and put it down, you won.t experience comfort. When these gods reach the point that they can purify the world, their bodies, and their minds, the purity and light of the virtuous
nature is brought to perfection. Then a superior level emerges. How is this superior level to be described? This is something experienced in the mind. They return to the bliss of still extinction, and they are among those in the Heaven of Pervasive Purity. There isn't any place that isn.t true. They can purify
everything in the entire dharma-realm.
M2 Concludes they are tranquil and happy.
Sutra:
Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will be replete with great compliance. Their bodies and minds are at peace, and they obtain limitless bliss. Although they have not obtained proper samadhi, the joy within the tranquility of their minds is total. This is called the Third Dhyana.
Commentary:
Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will be replete with great compliance. That means they can comply with the minds of living beings. They can make living beings happy. Their bodies and minds are at peace, and they obtain limitless bliss. They do not have any false thoughts in their minds, and so they do not act out false thoughts with their bodies. They experience no unrest in either body or mind. Those in the first two dhyana heavens got rid of their sufferings and afflictions, their worries and hang-ups. The beings in these heavens have no such
experiences. Their bodies and minds are quiet and peaceful. They are also dependable. How are they dependable? They have no thoughts of desire. They don't have to go through trying to find someone of the opposite sex in every thought they have and in every move they make, the way ordinary people do. When your body and mind are not at peace, then a new thought arises as soon as the last one ceases. Ah, that person is beautiful. Or, so-and-so is really handsome. All day long you think about that kind of stuff. But if one's body and mind are at peace the kind of peace described in this passage . then those kinds of thoughts simply do not arise any more. It all boils down to this one problem. I keep talking and talking, but in the last analysis, what leads you to create offenses is just this one problem. It's that first thought of ignorance that stirs up so many calamities as a consequence. Emotional love and desire come from that ignorance. So the first thing mentioned in the twelve links of conditioned causation is ignorance. From ignorance comes activity, and from activity comes consciousness. Once there is consciousness, there is name and form. It all starts right there. Although the beings described here have not broken through
ignorance, nonetheless they obtain limitless bliss. Although they have not obtained proper samadhi, the joy within the tranquility of their minds is total. They don't have genuine concentration, but in the peace and quiet of their minds there is a kind of joy. This is called the Third Dhyana. When you reach the third dhyana, your thoughts do not arise. You obtain the genuine bliss of still extinction.
It is said:
When no thought arises,
The entire substance appears.
When the six sense organs suddenly move,
One is covered as if by clouds.
That moment without any thought arising is the original substance of the Buddha; thus it says that the entire substance appears. Your eyes taking a look and your ears listening is the movement by which you are obscured. You're in the clouds. You cover your self nature over. Before the stage now being discussed, one's thoughts were still active. For instance, when one's pulse stopped one would think. How is it my pulse has stopped? With that one thought the pulse would begin to pump again. When one.s breath stopped one thought, I'm not breathing...and as soon as one had that thought the breath started up again. That's what happened before the thoughts stopped. Now, in the third dhyana, there isn't any of that. If the pulse stops or the breath ceases, no matter what happens, one pays no attention. Such thoughts do not arise any more. One has no thoughts at all. They can't be found. That's what's meant by the lines, When no thought arises, the entire substance appears. These lines describe the state of the third dhyana.
L4 Fourth dhyana heavens.
M1 Four heavens of conquering the flow.
N1 Their particular characteristics.
O1 Heaven of the birth of blessings.
Sutra:
Moreover, Ananda, heavenly beings whose bodies and minds are not oppressed put an end to the cause of suffering and realize that bliss is not permanent that sooner or later it will come to an end. Suddenly they simultaneously renounce both thoughts of suffering and thoughts of bliss. Their coarse and heavy thoughts are extinguished, and they give rise to the
nature of purity and blessings. They are among those in the Heaven of the Birth of Blessings.
Commentary:
Moreover, Ananda, heavenly beings whose bodies and minds are not oppressed put an end to the cause of suffering and realize that bliss is not permanent that sooner or later it will come to an end. At this point, suffering, difficulty, worry, and hang-ups no longer oppress these beings physically or mentally.
They don't plant the causes for suffering, but they can't count on the bliss being eternal. Eventually it will go bad. Suddenly they simultaneously renounce both thoughts of suffering and thoughts of bliss. If they reach the Heaven of Pervasive Purity and become attached to the bliss they're experiencing there, they've
made a mistake. They should put both bliss and suffering down, so there is neither a perception of suffering nor a perception of bliss. If they do that, they will have genuine bliss. Their coarse and heavy thoughts are extinguished, and they give rise to the nature of purity and blessings. The pure nature of blessings and virtue
arises. This purity of blessings is just the absence of thoughts of suffering and bliss. They have a pure reward of blessings. These beings are among those in the Heaven of the Birth of Blessings.
O2 Blessed love heaven.
Sutra:
Those whose renunciation of these thoughts is in perfect fusion gain a purity of superior understanding. Within these unimpeded blessings they obtain a wonderful compliance that extends to the bounds of the future. They are among those in the Blessed Love Heaven.
Commentary:
Those whose renunciation of these thoughts of suffering and bliss is in perfect fusion gain a purity of superior understanding. When they renounce the two kinds of thoughts mentioned above, the purity of blessings arises. Now they gain a
superior understanding of this purity, that is, their wisdom has greatly increased. They gain the purity of wisdom. Within these unimpeded blessings they obtain a wonderful compliance that extends to the bounds of the future. There is nothing that can hinder this reward of blessings; its magnitude is too great. Out of these blessings arises the ability to constantly accord with living beings. This kind of compliance is such that,
If channeled to the east, it flows east,
If channeled to the west, it flows west, just like a river.
There is a total ease in all that one does. Everything one does is correct. One does not make any mistakes. Everything is in accord with one.s intent. Everything one does is totally in accord with the wishes of others. However one goes about doing something, it is appropriate. There are no problems that arise. No matter what one does, no trouble comes from it. All the problems are resolved. That's what's meant
by obtaining a wonderful compliance that extends to the bounds of the future. This continues forever to the ends of the bounds of the future. What are the bounds of the future? They are just that: the bounds of the future. What else is there to say? These heavenly beings are among those in the Blessed Love Heaven.
O3 Abundant fruit heaven.
Sutra:
Ananda, from that heaven there are two ways to go. Those who extend the previous thought into limitless pure light, and who perfect and clarify their blessings and virtue, cultivate and are certified to one of these dwellings. They are among those in the Abundant Fruit Heaven.
Commentary:
Ananda, from that heaven . that is, from the second heaven of the fourth dhyana, the Blessed Love Heaventhere are two ways to go. One way leads to the Heaven of Abundant Results and the other way leads to the No-thought Heaven. There's a fork in the road at this point. Those who extend the previous thought the state of the Blessed Love Heaveninto limitless pure light, and who perfect and clarify their blessings and virtue, cultivate and are certified to one of these dwellings. That is, they are among those in the Abundant Fruit Heaven. Their virtuous nature is abundant and vast and their fruition is large, so they can dwell in
this heaven.
O4 No thought heaven.
Sutra:
Those who extend the previous thought into a dislike of both suffering and bliss, so that the intensity of their thought to renounce them continues without cease, will end up by totally renouncing the Way. Their bodies and minds will become extinct; their thoughts will become like dead ashes. For five
hundred aeons these beings will perpetuate the cause for production and extinction, being unable to discover the nature which is neither produced nor extinguished. During the first half of these aeons they will undergo extinction; during the second half they will experience production. They are among
those in the Heaven of No Thought.
Commentary:
Those who extend the previous thought into a dislike of both suffering and bliss, so that the intensity of their thought to renounce them continues without cease, will lend up totally renouncing the Way. If heavenly beings in the Blessed Love Heaven previously described develop a distaste for both suffering
and bliss, they will do away with them both. Their investigation of the extinction of these two suffering and bliss continues on and on until they end up by totally renouncing the Way. Their bodies and minds will become extinct; their thoughts will become like dead ashes. At this point they are cultivating the Samadhi of No Thought. For five hundred aeons these beings will perpetuate
the cause for production and extinction, being unable to discover the nature which is neither produced nor extinguished. They have a lifespan of five hundred aeons, but the cause they are creating is based on production and extinction. During the first half of these aeons they will undergo extinction. This refers to their renunciation of both suffering and bliss. When they realize the perfection of that renunciation, such thoughts do not arise. But after two hundred and fifty aeons, they once again give rise to false thinking.
During the second half they will experience production. The reward of their Samadhi of No Thought is coming to an end. When the extinction ceases, they have a thought that slanders the Triple Jewel. When the production begins, marking the decline of their lifespan, when their samadhi is destroyed, they slander the Triple Jewel. What do they say? The Buddha said that a fourth-stage Arhat has ended birth and death and will not undergo any further becoming. Now, I.ve already been certified to the fourth fruition, so why am I on my way to undergoing birth and death again? The Buddha must have told a lie. That's how they slander the Triple Jewel . Actually, the fourth dhyana heaven they are in is certainly not the fourth fruition of Arhatship. It.s not even at the level of the first fruition. They make the mistake of thinking that they have become fourth-stage Arhats. They get to the fourth dhyana and think it.s the fourth stage of Arhatship. But they are wrong. The unlearned bhikshu made this mistake. Those who go this road are among those in the Heaven of No Thought.
N2 Concludes they are unmoving and have pure heat.
Sutra:
Ananda, those who flow to these four superior levels will not be moved by any suffering or bliss in any world. Although this is not the unconditioned or the true ground of non-moving, because they still have the thought of obtaining something, their functioning is nonetheless quite advanced. This is called the Fourth Dhyana.
Commentary:
Ananda, those who flow to these four superior levels will not be moved by any suffering or bliss in any world. Whether they experience suffering or bliss, their minds do not move. Although this is not the genuine unconditioned or the true ground of nonmoving, they are still able to control their minds and keep them
from moving. But it's a forced control; they have not been certified to the higher level. That is because they still have the thought of obtaining something. In the fourth dhyana they still harbor the thought of having gained something. For instance the unlearned bhikshu thought he had reached the fourth fruition of Arhatship. Their functioning is nonetheless quite advanced. They have reached the maximum in their application of effort, given the level they are on. This is called the Fourth Dhyana. These are the heavens of the fourth dhyana.
M2 The five heavens of no return.
N1 Reveals the dwelling in the sagely fruit.
Sutra:
Beyond these, Ananda, are the Five Heavens of No Return. For those who have completely cut off the nine categories of habits in the lower realms, neither suffering nor bliss exist, and there is no regression to the lower levels. All whose minds have achieved this renunciation dwell in these heavens together.
Commentary:
Beyond these, Ananda, are the Five Heavens of No Return. These upper five heavens are sometimes considered to be among the heavens of the fourth dhyana. However, these five are the dwelling places of sages, and thus differ from the heavens of the first, second, third, and fourth dhyanas. Beings who have been
certified to the fruition of Arhatship reside in the five heavens of no return. For those who have completely cut off the nine categories of habits in the lower realms, neither suffering nor bliss exist, and there is no regression to the lower levels. The nine categories of habits refer to the first nine categories of the eighty-one
categories of delusion of thoughts. We will not go into them in detail here. These beings do not have to return anywhere at this point. They will not regress to the lower levels. All whose minds have achieved this renunciation dwell in these heavens together. A multitude of beings reach this level of renunciation and dwell
together in emptiness on a cloud that shelters the earth. Those who dwell there are sages who have reached the level of the five heavens of no return.
N2 The particular characteristics of the five heavens.
O1 The no affliction heaven.
Sutra:
Ananda, those who have put an end to suffering and bliss and who do not get involved in the contention between such thoughts are among those in the Heaven of No Affliction.
Commentary:
They do not have thoughts of suffering and they do not have thoughts of bliss, and so there is no involvement in the struggle between the two. Those who don't experience this battle between suffering and bliss are .among those in the Heaven of No Affliction. The beings in this heaven don.t have any afflictions at all.
O2 The no heat heaven.
Sutra:
Those who isolate their practice, whether in movement or in restraint, investigating the baselessness of that involvement, are among those in the Heaven of No Heat.
Commentary:
Those who isolate their practice, whether in movement or in restraint, investigating the baselessness of that involvement, are beings from the previous heaven who have progressed in their cultivation. In the first of the five heavens of no return, they did not get involved in contention between thoughts of suffering and bliss.
This means that they were basically devoid of such thoughts, although occasionally a little of that kind of thinking might arise. They might still get a little bit involved sometimes. But at this level, in the Heaven of No Heat, they look into the fact that such involvement lacks any foundation whatsoever, until they reach the point where they simply cannot give rise to that kind of thought or have it in mind. For those beings, such thoughts never arise. They are among those in the Heaven of No Heat. They are cool and refreshed at all times.
O3 The good view heaven.
Sutra:
Those whose vision is wonderfully perfect and clear, view the realms of the ten directions as free of defiling appearances The Seven Destinies and devoid of all dirt and filth. They are among those in the Heaven of Good View.
Commentary:
Those whose vision is wonderfully perfect and clear, view the realms of the ten directions as free of defiling appearances and devoid of all dirt and filth. Their vision is subtle and wonderful as well as being absolutely clear not turbid or
confused. Their view contains no defiling opinions. Their vision is said to be perfect and clear because it contains no defilement. All defiling dharmas are extinguished. Ignorance and delusions as many as dust and sand have been cleared away. These heavenly beings are among those in the Heaven of Good View.
O4 The good manifestation heaven.
Sutra:
Those whose subtle vision manifests as all their obstructions are refined away are among those in the Heaven of Good Manifestation.
Commentary:
Everything the beings in the previous heaven see is good. Now, with the manifestation of this subtle vision, everything they see is far superior to anything they have ever seen before. This heaven is a lot purer than the heavens already described. The word refined refers to the process of smelting, molding, and fashioning. It's like the firing done in a kiln or the shaping done on an anvil . What is
refined here is the mind and nature of a sage so that it becomes unobstructed and comfortable in every way. These are the beings who dwell In the Heaven of Good Manifestation.
O5 The ultimate form heaven.
Sutra:
Those who reach the ultimately subtle level come to the end of the nature of form and emptiness and enter into a boundless realm. They are among those in the Heaven of Ultimate Form.
Commentary:
Those who reach the ultimately subtle level come to the end of the nature of form and emptiness. .Ultimate. has the meaning of epitome or perfection. The subtle level. refers to the detachment from desires. They reach the end of the nature of emptiness and the nature of form and enter into a boundless realm. They are among those in the Heaven of Ultimate Form. They reach the ultimate extreme of the nature of form.
N3 Concludes that those in the four dhyana heavens cannot see these gods.
Sutra:
Ananda, those in the four dhyanas, and even the rulers of the gods at those four levels, can only pay their respects through having heard of the beings in the heavens of no return; they cannot know them or see them, just as the coarse people of the world cannot see the places where the Arhats abide in holy Way-places deep in the wild and mountainous areas.
Commentary:
Ananda, those in the four dhyanas, and even the rulers of the gods at those four levels, can only pay their respects through having heard of the beings in the heavens of no return. The leaders of the gods in the heavens of the four dhyanas know about the sages dwelling in the five heavens of no return only through
having heard about them. They cannot know them or see them themselves. In the same way the coarse people of the world cannot see the places where the Arhats abide in holy Wayplaces deep in the wild and mountainous areas. The
Bodhimandas of the sages are in places where people do not go. Those who dwell in such places are great Arhats and great Bodhisattvas. Their presence is a supporting influence on the areas where they dwell. Ordinary people never see these holy beings. Although they all live in the same world, people cannot see the sages. So the
text likens the five heavens of no return to the sages in the remote Way-places. The gods in the heavens of the four dhyanas don't know where the sages reside.
Sutra:
Ananda, in these eighteen heavens are those who practice only non-involvement, and have not yet gotten rid of their shapes, as well as those who have reached the level of no return. This is called the Form Realm.
Commentary:
Ananda, in these eighteen heavens are those who practice only non-involvement, and have not yet gotten rid of their shapes. The eighteen heavens are the three each of the first, second, and third dhyanas; the four of the fourth dhyana; and the five heavens of no return. Together they comprise the heavens of the form realm. As to the .practice of non-involvement,. the beings in each of these heavens have their own particular causes and effects regarding cultivation. They have eliminated the coarser desires and transcended that realm, but they still have their own forms. The form realm also includes those who have reached the level of no return. However, because these heavens are inhabited by sages, they are really in a class by themselves. The text likens them to Arhats whose dwellings in the wilds are unknown to the average person. This is called the Form Realm.
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