Miscellaneous Discussions on Buddhism (Part One)

Chapter Thirteen: Māra Obstacles and the Blessing Power of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

I. The Truth About the Spread and Destruction of the Buddha-Dharma

When the Buddha-Dharma is about to perish, the Saṅgha will split apart and fight among themselves; arhats will be envied and first be killed alive, and finally all monastic members will be killed. From then on, there will be no more propagation of the Buddha-Dharma, and all Buddhist teachings will cease to exist. That is, once the Saṅgha Jewel perishes, the Three Jewels perish, because in the Sahā world it is the monastic Saṅgha Jewel that transmits the Buddha's Dharma lineage. Without the Saṅgha Jewel, there would be no transmitters of the Buddha Jewel and the Dharma Jewel, and Buddhism would surely perish. This is what is taught in the Sūtra on the Total Extinction of the Dharma. When we study Buddhism, we should read more sūtras; the Dharma taught in the sūtras is the most comprehensive and the most accurate. By reading more sūtras, we can better understand Buddhist history, as well as the development and direction of Buddhism, thereby increasing our wisdom and strengthening our resolve on the Path.

When the World-Honored One first came to the Sahā world to teach the Dharma, he first delivered Ājñāta Kauṇḍinya and the other five bhikṣus, establishing the monastic Saṅgha; then he delivered the monastic members of non-Buddhist paths led by Mahākāśyapa and others; finally he delivered his own relatives and family members in the secular world. Whoever could leave home, the Buddha delivered them into monastic life. Then he taught the Dharma one by one: first he taught the Hīnayāna liberation Dharma, then the Mahāyāna prajñā, and finally the vaipulya Yogācāra teachings. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, he instructed his monastic disciples to widely propagate the Buddha-Dharma, and dispatched several great arhats headed by Mahākāśyapa to retain their physical forms and remain in the world, in order to protect and sustain the transmission of the Buddha-Dharma.

Some great bodhisattvas, including bodhisattvas from other worlds, vowed to teach the Dharma in the Sahā world, but the Buddha did not consent. The Buddha said: "My Sahā world has monastics dwelling in the world to propagate the Dharma. You bodhisattvas each have your own tasks of teaching the Dharma in the worlds of the ten directions and are extremely busy. Let the Sahā world rely on my monastics as the main transmitters of the Dharma." Therefore, from the time the Buddha established the Saṅgha until the final extinction of the Buddha-Dharma, it was always the monastics who were the main propagators of the Dharma; the Buddha said that he himself was also counted among the monastics. When the monastic Saṅgha fractures and the monastics are killed, Buddhism will immediately perish, with no one left to transmit the Dharma.

The arhats of the Dharma-ending age are almost all liberated by wisdom (prajñā-vimukta); their meditative concentration is only at the level of the first dhyāna, so they have no supernatural powers. Even if they had supernatural powers, when karmic obstructions manifest, no one can escape them, and they can still be killed. Mahāmaudgalyāyana's supernatural powers were the greatest among the śrāvaka disciples, yet at the end of his life he too was beaten to death—supernatural powers cannot overcome the power of karma.

After Śākyamuni Buddha's Dharma perishes, we can only wait for Maitreya Buddha to appear in the world to deliver sentient beings; in three Dharma assemblies he will deliver nearly thirty billion sentient beings to attain realization of the fruits. At that time, we will be among the disciples left behind by Śākyamuni Buddha, and because of our deep roots of goodness and abundant merit, we will be taken over and delivered by Maitreya Buddha. Therefore, every sentient being does not belong to just one Buddha; one must study the Dharma with immeasurable Buddhas and learn Buddhism together with immeasurable bodhisattvas in order to master all the Buddha-Dharmas. Studying the Dharma with only one Buddha cannot lead to buddhahood, and practicing with only one bodhisattva or one master even less so. Therefore, every sentient being should vow to make offerings to and protect all Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the worlds of the ten directions.

II. Which Dharma Does Pāpīyas Most Want to Destroy?

Question: Between the Dharma of tathāgatagarbha and the Dharma of the manas, which is ultimately more important? If Pāpīyas wants to destroy the Dharma, which Dharma's propagation would he most want to obstruct?

Answer: Both the Dharma of tathāgatagarbha and the Dharma of the manas are important. If we must compare which is more important, it is the Dharma of tathāgatagarbha, because without tathāgatagarbha there would be no dharmas at all. Without realizing tathāgatagarbha, practicing any Dharma is useless. Without realizing tathāgatagarbha, there would be no subsequent contemplative practices (vipaśyanā-caryā), and there would be no profound discriminating wisdom (pratyavekṣaṇa-jñāna) to contemplate the various functional natures of the manas, nor would the manas's equality wisdom (samatā-jñāna) arise.

If Pāpīyas wants to destroy and obstruct the Buddha-Dharma, he will certainly first destroy the Dharma of tathāgatagarbha, and then obstruct the Dharma of the manas. Pāpīyas has great merit. When the Buddha dwelt in the world propagating the Dharma, he followed at the Buddha's side and attended many Dharma assemblies—mostly with the purpose of destroying the Dharma. On a few occasions, under the influence of the Buddha's power and the appeal of the Buddha-Dharma, and under the chastisement of bodhisattvas, he had no choice but to listen carefully to the Dharma at the assemblies, and he even protected the Buddha-Dharma. He has always known that the Buddha-Dharma is very good and very important, capable of bringing sentient beings coolness and liberation. But because of his extremely strong desire for retinue, he wishes for the retinue under his control to grow ever larger rather than smaller, so he does not want sentient beings to learn the Buddha-Dharma well, nor does he want them to gain coolness and liberation of mind and thereby escape his control.

Therefore, when Pāpīyas learned that the World-Honored One was going to teach some important Mahāyāna Dharma, he would try by every possible means to obstruct it. The Buddha clearly knew Pāpīyas's schemes but never exposed him, leaving it to the Dharma-protecting bodhisattvas to discipline him. In this way, Pāpīyas heard a great deal of the Buddha-Dharma at the Buddha's Dharma assemblies, mainly Mahāyāna teachings, and he came to know quite a lot of Mahāyāna Dharma. Because of these roots of goodness and merit, in later ages he will be able to become a true bodhisattva and eventually attain buddhahood.

But before he becomes a true bodhisattva, before he descends into hell to undergo evil retribution, he still has his demonic nature and a very strong desire for retinue. He will certainly use the Buddha-Dharma he has heard to teach sentient beings similar Mahāyāna Dharma and tathāgatagarbha Dharma that is fairly close to the Buddha-Dharma. Because he has supernatural powers, it is easy for him to learn the general purport (mystery) of tathāgatagarbha. When he teaches tathāgatagarbha, he is willing to reveal the purport to sentient beings, for he does not fear that sentient beings will merely know the result—knowing the result is useless; the process of cultivation in between is what matters most.

By doing this, Pāpīyas cleverly achieves his aims: first, making sentient beings worship him, thereby winning them over; second, preventing sentient beings from truly cultivating, so they cannot attain true liberation. Once sentient beings easily learn the purport, they can no longer apply themselves to cultivation, and they will also develop extremely heavy arrogance and commit evil karma. In this way, sentient beings can by no means escape Pāpīyas's control, and Pāpīyas achieves his goal. Therefore, Pāpīyas does not fear sentient beings learning the tathāgatagarbha Dharma—as long as they learn it contrary to the Dharma, commit more evil karma, and easily learn the purport of tathāgatagarbha, liberation becomes even harder for them. Such beings still belong to Pāpīyas's retinue, controlled by Pāpīyas.

Then we know that what Pāpīyas fears most must be genuine practice and realization. And genuine practice and realization of the Dharma are both related to meditative concentration and the manas. With meditative concentration fully developed, one can influence and train the manas, and realization of the Buddha-Dharma becomes easy—then liberation is not far off. Pāpīyas can do nothing about this, so he will obstruct and thwart in every way the Dharma of meditative concentration and the realization of the manas—openly defending it while secretly sabotaging it. Sentient beings cannot see through his tricks and think he is very protective of the Dharma, very accomplished in practice—truly a bodhisattva. Pāpīyas is very cunning: on the surface he strongly supports the Buddha-Dharma and will even personally teach and propagate the Dharma, but he will never let sentient beings truly realize the Buddha-Dharma. These covert maneuvers of his absolutely cannot be detected by the wisdom of ordinary sentient beings. Only sentient beings with deep roots of goodness and abundant merit can receive the blessing of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, avoid his bewitchment, and attain true realization. Therefore, roots of goodness and merit are extremely important.

III. Why Do Sentient Beings Easily Fall into Māra but Not Easily Enter the Buddha's Way?

Brainwashing uses glib and cunning means that cater to sentient beings' greedy mental tendencies; sentient beings easily believe it and are thus imperceptibly influenced and tainted. Positive education, on the other hand, often runs counter to greed, so sentient beings do not easily accept it and are not easily influenced by it. For Māra to make sentient beings fall under demonic influence is easy; for the Buddha to bring sentient beings into the Buddha's way is quite difficult, because sentient beings heed deception but not advice.

IV. Pāpīyas's Control over Sentient Beings

Pāpīyas has great merit and a very long lifespan, reckoned in kalpas. Only when his merit is exhausted by the evil karma he commits does his lifespan end, and then he goes straight to hell. During this long period of his lifespan, he must possess the greatest number of descendants to satisfy his greed. Therefore, any sentient being who, within one or several kalpas, cannot leave the desire realm—including the three evil destinies—belongs to his descendants and retinue; after several kalpas, he can no longer control them. So Pāpīyas likes generosity and the cultivation of merit, and he also likes sentient beings to practice generosity and cultivate merit, but he does not allow sentient beings to cultivate to liberation, does not allow them to cultivate meditative concentration, and does not allow them to go to other Buddha-lands. Apart from that, sentient beings may do whatever they wish and he will not bother with them—as long as they cannot leave the desire realm. The more sentient beings love the five desires, the more delighted Pāpīyas is, because only the desire realm has the five desires; those greedy for the five desires certainly cannot leave the desire realm and will forever belong to his descendants and retinue.

Let everyone observe themselves: how many mental activities are those that Pāpīyas delights in and approves of? How many habits conform to the demonic mind and demonic nature, easily receiving the blessing of demonic power? Those who are very lax in cultivation find worldly affairs going smoothly; but as soon as they cultivate with vigor and diligence and advance a step, things start going badly and māra obstacles appear. Therefore, those who cultivate well can cultivate out their karmic obstructions, while those whose cultivation is not yet effective often sail smoothly without hindrance. For a true bodhisattva, the more Māra interferes, the firmer his resolve on the Path, the better his meditative concentration, the deeper his wisdom. Demonic disturbance is like pouring oil on fire—the more Māra disturbs, the more vigorously the flame burns. A bodhisattva does not fear Māra.

The Māra king Pāpīyas constantly receives this influence of the Buddha-Dharma, including Mahāyāna teachings—what does he not understand? He understands it all, but cannot realize it. Because his greed is blazing, he does not want to truly cultivate the Path, much less contemplate eradicating the view of self and subduing his own afflictions. Moreover, because Pāpīyas understands these principles of the greater and lesser vehicles, he has more convenient conditions for destroying the Dharma. Ordinary sentient beings do not understand as much as he does; once he teaches the Dharma, most sentient beings will worship him. Then, while teaching, he secretly mixes in dharmas that bind beings to birth and death, which no one can identify; those who follow his cultivation will fall into the māra path.

Pāpīyas can often see Śākyamuni Buddha and hear him teach the Dharma; he often comes into contact with Mahāyāna bodhisattvas and hears their instruction; he often comes into contact with arhats and hears their instruction. He has taken every advantage of the Buddha-Dharma and planted roots of goodness in the Buddha-Dharma; he ought to be grateful to the Three Jewels, yet he tries by every means to destroy the Buddha and extinguish the Dharma, leading sentient beings toward the three evil destinies—a person who repays kindness with enmity. Pāpīyas shows this attitude even face to face with the Buddha—extremely disrespectful and contemptuous; toward arhats he is even more contemptuous and dismissive; toward other sentient beings he is quite discriminatory and abusive. Whoever blocks his path, he will destroy, without mercy and beyond reason.

Pāpīyas's mind is very narrow; he begrudges every penny and lets no one off. He is displeased even that the Buddha is not within his jurisdiction; anyone who wishes to leave the desire realm causes him distress and worry. When Pāpīyas's current lifespan ends, he will go directly to hell. After emerging from hell, who knows when his roots of goodness will ripen, when he will repent and reform and begin to truly study and practice the Buddha-Dharma, walking the correct path. After he sincerely repents, his evil karma will be extinguished and his cultivation will be quite rapid—after all, the Three Jewels let him plant so many roots of goodness and so much merit.

V. Why Doesn't the Buddha Destroy Pāpīyas?

Pāpīyas is also a sentient being, has buddha-nature, and will also become a Buddha in the future. The Buddha's mind is empty and compassionate, and never goes against the minds of sentient beings. When Māra asked the Buddha to enter nirvāṇa, the Buddha, having brought his disciples to maturity, resolved to enter nirvāṇa, fulfilling Māra's wish; although the Buddha could have remained in the world for a minor kalpa, he entered nirvāṇa after only eighty years. The Buddha's compassion toward Pāpīyas does not mean that the Dharma-protecting deities and disciples do not restrain Pāpīyas's evil deeds. The Buddha permits bodhisattvas, arhats, and Dharma-protecting deities to discipline and restrain Pāpīyas, to prevent him from destroying the Dharma and the teaching and misleading sentient beings. We must keep our eyes sharp, not be deceived by Pāpīyas, and not fall into his traps.

If Pāpīyas teaches the Buddha-Dharma, he is adept at grasping sentient beings' minds. Sentient beings love the five desires and six sense objects, so he covertly and tacitly tolerates greed, guiding sentient beings toward greed, and does so seamlessly, as if very reasonable—only long-cultivating bodhisattvas can see through Pāpīyas's schemes. When Pāpīyas teaches the Dharma, he also tacitly tolerates sentient beings' afflictions, cleverly indulging their afflicted minds, not wanting them to subdue and eliminate their afflictions. Because it is clever, most sentient beings cannot identify it; moreover, since Pāpīyas does not go against sentient beings' greed, he makes them joyful, attracting many sentient beings to submit to him.

VI. What Obstacles Are Encountered in Studying and Practicing Buddhism?

The obstruction of delusion is confusion in one's views and concepts, also the affliction-obstruction of delusion. The obstruction of karma is the karmic retributive obstruction produced by the countless karmic actions committed over immeasurable kalpas. The obstruction of habits is the worldly conditioning over immeasurable kalpas, long since habitual, whose inertial force is enormous. The obstruction of Māra includes obstacles set up by the interference of celestial māras, and obstacles arising from one's own mind—the māra of afflictions, the mind-māra. Those who lack the ability to leave the desire realm will not be disturbed by celestial māras; he feels there is no need. Usually it is the affliction-māra obstacles arising from each person's own mind.

These obstacles constantly follow those who study Buddhism. If one is not diligent, they are not obvious; but when one applies diligent effort, when one's Path-karma advances, these obstructions become very evident, and one feels great resistance in every direction. It is like walking on foot: even with wind blowing around, one feels only a light breeze. Riding a bicycle, one feels the wind a bit stronger, but it is no big problem. Riding a motorcycle, the wind's resistance is great—the faster the speed, the greater the resistance felt, because there is the matter of impact force between objects. Studying and practicing Buddhism is the same: there is an impact force against one's habits and inertia accumulated over immeasurable kalpas; the more diligent one is, the greater the obstruction one encounters. If one has indomitable perseverance and does not fear obstruction, one's Path-karma will continuously advance, and one's attainment will be both swift and great.

VII. Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's Blessing Power over Sentient Beings

There are many such cases: for those whose conditions for studying Buddhism have matured, before they even began studying Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, or other great bodhisattvas, or the Buddha may have blessed them through dreams, to prompt them to believe in and study Buddhism as soon as possible. After they begin studying Buddhism, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas will also bless them in dreams. Some people are gravely ill, lying in the hospital, and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva will sprinkle nectar water on the crown of their head; the next day their illness is cured. Such things are not strange, and they also involve the matter of karmic affinity.

Receiving the manifest blessing of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas comes from the roots of goodness, merit, and karmic affinity from studying Buddhism in past lives. Such a person may not necessarily be a very good practitioner; they may be a beginner who merely believes in the Buddha. Bodhisattvas deliver sentient beings using all kinds of forms and methods, and do not necessarily deliver only those with deep roots of goodness and abundant merit; they also deliver beginners, so as to make them develop faith in the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

VIII. Only with a Mind That Seeks Nothing and Dwells Nowhere Can Buddhahood Be Attained

Those who study Buddhism seeking nothing are few; those who are without contrivance (no-mind) are even fewer. Seeking means seeking in worldly dharmas. The practice of the Buddha-Dharma must reach the state of no-mind, no-desire, no-seeking in order to attain accomplishment; anyone with contrivance and seeking is not yet accomplished. Whatever one seeks, it involves contrivance—treating the sought dharma as real and clinging to it—so all such seeking is wrong. Some people seek many followers, seek prestige, seek power, seek to be the master, seek merit, seek political influence, and so on—all misdirected use of mind, not the conduct of a practitioner.

The bhikṣu Vajragotra practiced the great prajñā with no contrived application of mind, his mind dwelling nowhere. The Māra king Pāpīyas spied on him for a kalpa but could find no opening to harass him, and returned in frustration. As for those with blazing greed who seek much, they cannot leave the desire realm—they are already Māra's retinue; Pāpīyas not only does not disturb them, he vigorously blesses and incites them, letting them continue to be greedy, greatly greedy, madly greedy. Only true practitioners frequently encounter māra obstacles and are disturbed by Pāpīyas. The indulgent are controlled by Māra and are Māra's retinue; Māra hopes all sentient beings enjoy the pleasures of the five desires, indulging the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, not subduing their own minds—the more indulgent, the more delighted Māra is. The Māra king Pāpīyas is also adept at striking at sentient beings' resolve to cultivate the Path; when they lose faith in cultivation, Māra rejoices, and sentient beings are deceived.

For a practitioner, having right knowledge and right view is very important, and having profound meditative concentration is also extremely important—only then can one skillfully discern demonic disturbance, not follow Māra's will, and not enter the māra's den. Meditative concentration can accomplish all the enterprises of the Buddha-Dharma; without meditative concentration, all enterprises come to naught. Those who prevent others from cultivating concentration are Māra's retinue; those with wisdom should be adept at discerning Māra. Reciting more mantras and cultivating more meditative concentration can subdue Māra. Without meditative concentration, cleverness and intelligence alone are useless and cannot withstand the temptations of afflictions. When one's true cultivation gets on track, one subdues the māra of the five desires even in dreams; dreams become increasingly pure, and the mind increasingly clear. Lacking meditative concentration, one always remains at the level of the mind consciousness; whatever one does is of no avail—it is not true cultivation.

When the Buddha was in the world, Pāpīyas was extremely rampant. Fortunately, the practitioners of that time had eradicated afflictions such as craving and attachment, their minds free of knots and bonds, endowed with supernatural powers and power of the Path, able to avoid, subdue, and eliminate Māra. Now, in the Dharma-ending age, sentient beings have scant roots of goodness and merit, no meditative concentration, no power of the Path, and no wisdom to discern Māra. Those with a little root of goodness and merit, on the verge of accomplishment, face even greater demonic disturbance. Yet sentient beings are unaware, lacking any wisdom to discern Māra, not awakening to the demonic disturbance, completely following Māra's will.

Nowadays, so-called Mahāyāna practitioners look down on the Hīnayāna, considering themselves Mahāyāna practitioners superior to the Hīnayāna, disdaining the Hīnayāna's precepts, concentration, and wisdom, striking out on their own path and bypassing precepts, concentration, and wisdom, thinking themselves highly capable—yet they are but clay bodhisattvas that cannot touch water or cross the river. How could they discern, identify, avoid, and expel Māra? They can only be captured without a fight.

IX. Pāpīyas Disguised as a Good Teacher Misleading Sentient Beings

For a monastic master or a teacher, do not use the term "bad teacher" (kalyāṇa-mitra's opposite). True evil should be like Pāpīyas's intentions—deliberately misleading sentient beings, not letting them walk the correct path and attain liberation. Most people who teach the Dharma do so only because their wisdom is insufficient and their level of realization limited; they do not deliberately lead sentient beings astray, and have no evil intent. Only the Māra king Pāpīyas has evil intent—he fears and hates those who rescue sentient beings and those who have hope of liberation. Some people lack wisdom yet love to teach the Dharma because of their own inner afflictions, wanting to prove themselves capable and make sentient beings envy and worship them. But quite a few people, seeing sentient beings' suffering, resolve to help them liberate themselves from afflictions; yet because their wisdom is limited and they themselves lack realization, they have no way to lead sentient beings to practice in accordance with reality.

As long as one's resolve is not evil, one cannot be labeled a bad teacher. Most people who teach the Dharma can still benefit sentient beings in various respects; even though they have not seen the mind or attained enlightenment, the foundational Buddha-Dharma still depends on such people for transmission. The Sahā world does not have that many true bodhisattvas who have seen the mind and realized enlightenment to teach sentient beings step by step from the foundations; bodhisattvas of great wisdom do not have such energy and patience—they want to deliver sentient beings of considerable attainment. Bodhisattvas of different levels of realization deliver sentient beings of different capacities; the number of bodhisattvas is already very small, and it is impossible to insist on using great talent for petty purposes, wasting the bodhisattvas' resources.

Since we have already studied and practiced the Buddha-Dharma, we should learn from the Buddha, not speak offensively, and respect all Dharma teachers and teachers. As for their teaching the Buddha-Dharma incorrectly, this is unavoidable—only the Buddha alone taught the Dharma without error; all bodhisattvas may teach the Buddha-Dharma incorrectly. A bodhisattva's wisdom continuously increases; the very fact that it is called "increasing" means that one's former wisdom was certainly insufficient, so errors and omissions will appear in teaching the Dharma. If a bodhisattva is a good teacher after their wisdom has increased, then previously they were a bad teacher—does that mean all bodhisattvas, including bodhisattvas of the equal-enlightenment stage, are bad teachers?

In fact, the only truly evil one is Pāpīyas. Pāpīyas has already vowed before the Buddha that in the Dharma-ending age he will infiltrate Buddhism to destroy the Buddha-Dharma, so that no sentient being can attain liberation. Now Pāpīyas has come, disguised as a good teacher, and moreover making people feel he is especially good. Who can open the eye to see through Pāpīyas's true face? Apparently no one. Since we cannot see through Pāpīyas, how do we judge whether a person is truly a good teacher or a bad one?

Sentient beings have fallen for beginningless kalpas into the abyss of afflictions, unable to extricate themselves, all relying on the majestic virtue of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas to be rescued. If a so-called good teacher not only does not help sentient beings eliminate afflictions, but deliberately adds afflictions to them—making them continually crave the worldly, continually grasp at worldly dharmas, continually increase their hatred, continually engage in vicious strife—then the result is that sentient beings become even more unable to extricate themselves, sinking in birth and death; not only can they not distance themselves from the afflictions of the three realms, they cannot even eliminate or reduce the afflictions of the desire realm.

If someone has hope of leaving the desire realm, Pāpīyas feels most troubled and can no longer sit still in his māra palace; he must find ways to hold back and obstruct this person, making them give rise to greed, give rise to hatred, and commit various sinful karmas; such a person will remain in the desire realm or even the three evil destinies, under Pāpīyas's control. Therefore, one criterion for judging whether a person is a good teacher or a bad one is whether he deliberately instills the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion into sentient beings, making them widely form evil karmic bonds, entangled by evil karma, so that they cannot possibly leave the desire realm and the three evil destinies, and Pāpīyas's descendants grow ever more numerous, never fewer.

Bad teachers often want to destroy the Three Jewels at the root, wrecking Buddhism, uprooting the Three Jewels entirely, not letting sentient beings take refuge in the true Three Jewels. Pāpīyas will cleverly destroy the image of the Three Jewels in sentient beings' minds, cleverly denigrate the image of the Buddha and the image of the Saṅgha. Then he will find ways to prevent sentient beings from studying and practicing the true Buddha-Dharma, prevent them from genuine practice and realization. He will cleverly prevent sentient beings from studying the bodhisattva's six perfections and cultivating precepts, concentration, and wisdom, so that all sentient beings cannot attain realization, cannot truly eradicate the view of self, cannot truly see the mind. Moreover, he will deliberately make sentient beings commit the karma of great false speech, so that each one feels himself a true bodhisattva while others are all māra's sons and grandsons. In this way, every sentient being will sink into evil karma, unable to attain liberation, and Pāpīyas will be satisfied and pleased. For specifics, compare the section on the fifty māras of the aggregates in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra.

X. How Great Are the Māra King's Powers, Really?

Why, when the Buddha taught the Dharma, did so many followers of non-Buddhist paths and demonic retinues come to make trouble? The fifty kinds of māras of the aggregates described later in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra—which one of them does not have vast supernatural powers beyond sentient beings' reach, arousing great envy? But those are all māra realms; ordinary, mediocre people cannot enter the māra realm, and Māra looks down on them. Those whom Māra takes a liking to and uses and blesses will have vast supernatural powers, almost reaching the Buddha's realm. Sentient beings do not know this and are extremely greedy and attached, thinking that extraordinary, exceptional states must be good states—with meditative concentration, so-called wisdom, and supernatural powers. But this is precisely the māra realm, the result of the māra's blessing. The result is that these people of vast supernatural power cannot separate from Māra and become Māra's retinue.

Why does Māra have such great supernatural power? First, he has immense merit, meditative concentration, and supernatural powers. Second, he understands the Buddha-Dharma—only understands it, does not realize it. Even this understanding is extraordinary, enough to destroy the Buddha-Dharma and Buddhism. The sūtras record that every time the Buddha was to teach, Pāpīyas knew which sūtra the Buddha would teach, knew the importance of that sūtra, and also knew the karmic retribution sentient beings would receive after listening. Because he deeply does not want sentient beings to attain liberation and escape his control, he transforms into various identities and forms to secretly interfere at Dharma assemblies. Pāpīyas also manifests supernatural powers to attract sentient beings and teaches them the Buddha-Dharma, seemingly delivering them, but actually luring them into various afflictions and greed, so they cannot attain liberation.

One hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, the fourth patriarch of the Chan school, the Venerable Upagupta, appeared in the world to propagate the Dharma. Every time the Venerable reached a crucial point in his teaching at a Dharma assembly—when sentient beings were about to eradicate the view of self and realize the fruits—the Māra king would secretly make trouble, causing rains of gold, silver, and other jewels to fall from the sky, drawing sentient beings' attention. Under such great interference, sentient beings could not eradicate the view of self and realize the fruits. When the Venerable entered meditative concentration, the Māra king, in order to destroy his concentration, manifested all kinds of deformed and strange creatures to harass and entangle him, but all were seen through by the Venerable, who broke the Māra king's demonic power. The Māra king also repeatedly made trouble for the arhats, but was each time dealt with by arhats with supernatural powers and slunk away in defeat.

Now, in the Dharma-ending age, whatever identity or form the Māra king manifests, sentient beings lack the eye to see through it; most will be deceived, and it is hard to stop. When demonic power arrives, sentient beings have almost no capacity to resist; they meekly submit, prostrate themselves, and worship to the utmost. When the Māra king wants to disturb practitioners, he certainly speaks some relatively profound Dharma that appears correct but is actually not. Only practitioners who have attained realization can discern the māra's teaching; ordinary people may all be attracted by the māra's words, thinking his teaching is profound.

Most people assume that since the Māra king is a māra, brawling and unreasonable, he must not understand the Buddha-Dharma and must be an evil person who does no good deeds. In fact, one who does not understand the Buddha-Dharma can absolutely never become a māra, and one who does no good deeds can also absolutely never become a māra. A māra who does not understand the Buddha-Dharma could never disturb practitioners or destroy the Buddha-Dharma by any means; a māra who does no good deeds is of meager merit (alpa-puṇya) and has no merit at all to support him in doing evil, nor could he gather sentient beings as māra's sons and grandsons. The reason the Māra king can come to disturb and destroy Buddhism and gather sentient beings is precisely by virtue of his great merit. To satisfy his desire for retinue, he does not let sentient beings study and practice Buddhism and leave the desire realm, escaping his control. And only by cultivating concentration can sentient beings leave the desire realm; only by realizing the fruits and seeing the Path can they leave the desire realm. Therefore, the Māra king directs his interference at these two kinds of people, leading them toward wrong paths. Other sentient beings the Māra king will not bother with, knowing they all belong to him, are his retinue—including sentient beings who cultivate wholesome dharmas; the Māra king will not disturb them.

Therefore, in the initial stages of studying Buddhism, the Māra king will not bother with one, and one will not encounter demonic disturbance. Low and shallow Buddha-Dharmas the Māra king will also not bother to sabotage; only the Dharma and the people at the boundary of leaving the desire realm will the Māra king try to disturb and destroy, infiltrating some wrong views at crucial points, adding some errors, so that sentient beings cannot attain realization—then he achieves his goal.

Therefore, the Māra king also teaches the Dharma, and he will not teach low and shallow Buddha-Dharmas; he must teach Buddha-Dharmas close to liberation, mixed with plausible errors, sprinkling some fog to confuse the eyes of the masses. Although the masses receive his teaching, they cannot attain realization, cannot attain liberation, cannot leave the desire realm. When the masses want to go to the land of bliss (sukhāvatī), demonic karma does not permit it; he devises strategies to confuse people's minds, so that sentient beings cannot be reborn in the land of bliss and can only transmigrate through birth and death in the human realm of the desire realm in the Sahā world or in the three evil destinies, controlled by the Māra king. And sentient beings, ignorant, without the eye, without Sun Wukong's fiery golden eyes, cannot see clearly; most will be deceived, and will even feel boundless gratitude, obstinately unrepentant.

XI. Which Is More Effective in Leading Sentient Beings Upward: Promoting Goodness or Suppressing Evil?

Question: For the masses with such capacities in the present era, if we want to guide them upward and change the overall developmental trend of society, should we choose to report wholesome deeds to guide the masses toward goodness, or report evil deeds to alert the masses and cut off all evil? Some will say both methods should be used—of course that is good, and used appropriately, it will produce good results. But if we must choose one, and if using both methods produces no good results, then which should be chosen? Should promoting goodness be primary, or suppressing evil?

Answer: Promoting goodness should be primary, guiding the masses toward goodness. That is to say, positive information can more effectively influence the masses toward goodness; negative information does not necessarily alert the masses and suppress evil. Television, movies, and news media have propagated so much negative information—originally to suppress evil—but what has been the result? Some people, having learned the methods and means of doing evil, go on to commit evil. Whose fault is that? Society has propagated that negative information, yet the masses' evil deeds have not decreased, and the evil deeds in society have not been stopped. Sentient beings' minds are heavily tainted with karma and resonate with evil karma; propagating further negative information about evil karma, the masses will not easily be alerted, but will instead be influenced and tainted, and may imitate the evil deeds. Therefore, those propaganda methods in today's society, to a certain extent, play a role in leading toward evil.

The phenomenon of refuting evil dharmas and thereby reducing them is not common; on the contrary, promoting goodness better enables the masses to recognize goodness, and thus learn goodness and turn toward goodness. So letting the masses be steeped in wholesome karma has a better effect. Buddhism and religions take promoting goodness as primary; national laws, policies, and folk customs take suppressing evil as primary. Which one ultimately leads sentient beings onto the path to buddhahood, so that they ultimately become Buddhas? It is still Buddhism. The guiding power of religions' goodness far exceeds the worldly power of suppression and punishment.

Therefore, in delivering sentient beings, we must vigorously propagate wholesome dharmas and the true Dharma, and not spend great effort resisting so-called evil dharmas and false dharmas—resistance can never succeed, given the disparity in strength. Guidance is the correct principle, the correct expedient method. In Buddhism, the Buddha also established some precepts to prevent Buddhists' unreasonable and extreme behaviors, such as: not speaking of the Saṅgha's faults, not engaging in gossip and disputes, and so on. But the wholesome karma of all people, the Buddha never forbade proclaiming; he even encouraged the masses to widely proclaim and praise others' wholesome deeds and wholesome karma, to inspire the masses toward goodness. The Buddha is the one with the greatest wisdom.

XII. Is the Consciousness Mind Inside the Body?

Neither the exhaustion of the aggregate of form nor the exhaustion of the aggregate of feeling has been realized, but theoretically we can explain the state of the exhaustion of the aggregate of feeling. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra says that when the aggregate of feeling is exhausted, the mind leaves the body, meaning that there is no mind consciousness in the body, and the body has no sensations of feeling—no pain and no pleasant lightness and comfort. At that time, being killed, flayed, or spared, at the mercy of others, there is no pain; being dismembered—hands, feet, head, eyes—there is no sensation of pain; the body is like a piece of wood. So, is the consciousness mind inside the body?

If the consciousness mind were inside the material body, then by cutting the body open bit by bit, one could find the consciousness mind; but no matter what, it cannot be found, so the consciousness mind is not inside the material body. If the consciousness mind were outside the material body, it would have nothing to do with the body, and the body would have no functions of the five aggregates; therefore, the consciousness mind is not outside the material body either. If the consciousness mind were in between, there is fundamentally no concept or location of "in between." If we call the surface of the body "in between," that is incorrect, for the body's surface belongs to the material body; if we call the location just outside the body's surface, adjacent to the body, "in between," that belongs to outside the material body. Therefore, the consciousness mind is not in between the material body either.

Then where is the consciousness mind? Whatever the six consciousnesses discern, they discern only shadows/reflections, not the original appearance of the external six sense objects; the original appearance is discerned by the eighth consciousness and is called the essential realm (the underlying object).