Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume 10 (The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination)

(37) Original text: 复次。若生欲界。依欲界身。引发上地若眼若耳。由此见闻。下地自地所有色声。又依此身。起三界意。及不系意。而现在前。若生色无色界。除其下地。一切现前。如在欲界。 

Explanation: Furthermore, if one is born in the desire realm, relying on the desire-realm physical body, one brings forth the functions of the eye and ear faculties of the higher planes; through these higher-plane eye and ear faculties, one sees and hears the material forms and sounds of both the lower planes and one's own present plane. Moreover, relying on this desire-realm body, the mind consciousness of the three realms arises, as well as a mind consciousness not bound to the three realms, and these manifest in the present. If one is born in the form realm or the formless realm, then except for the lower planes, all the realms of the other planes manifest in the present, just as in the desire realm. 

Original text: 复次。此三种杂染。谓烦恼杂染。业杂染。生杂染。为欲断故。修六种现观。应知何等为六。谓思现观。信现观。戒现观。现观智谛现观。现观边智谛现观。究竟现观。 

Explanation: Furthermore, there are the three kinds of defilement: the defilement of afflictions, the defilement of karma, and the defilement of birth. In order to eliminate these three kinds of defilement, one must cultivate six kinds of direct realization. What are these six? They are: the direct realization of deliberation, the direct realization of faith, the direct realization of precepts, direct realization the truths through direct-realization wisdom (abhisamaya-jñāna-satyābhisamaya), direct realization the truths through the wisdom adjacent to direct realization (abhisamayāntika-jñāna-satyābhisamaya), and ultimate direct realization (niṣṭhābhisamaya). 

The defilement of afflictions refers to the mental activities of greed, aversion, and delusion. Because of the defilement of greed, aversion, and delusion, one creates karmic activities defiled by greed, aversion, and delusion; and having created karmic activities defiled by greed, aversion, and delusion, this leads to a defiled body of birth in future lives. To eliminate these defiled dharmas, one must cultivate the six kinds of direct realization. The several kinds of direct realization are introduced below. 

The direct realization of deliberation means having truthful, careful, and decisive deliberation regarding the principles of the Four Noble Truths, being able to decisively understand and realize the principles that all dharmas are suffering, empty, impermanent, and non-self. Non-Buddhist teachings cannot influence this decisive deliberation, and one no longer regresses from the principles of the Four Noble Truths. When the direct realization of deliberation is accomplished, there is right conduct, the mind-ground is pure, the mind gives rise to joy, all doubts are severed, one forever abides in wholesome destinies and does not proceed to evil destinies. This is the deliberation of the mind consciousness and the manas. Deliberation by the mind consciousness alone cannot change mental activities, sever doubts, purify the mind-ground, or permanently end the evil destinies. Of course, the direct realization of deliberation also includes deliberation on the Mahāyāna dharma. Since it is called direct realization, it must accord with reality and accord with truth, and there is wisdom of realization within it. The direct realization of faith refers to having decisive faith and pure faith in the Three Jewels, without hesitation or half-heartedness, and of course one will no longer create karma of slander. Decisive faith represents wisdom; only with wisdom can there be direct realization; otherwise there can be no direct realization, only false discrimination. 

A person who has the direct realization of faith will no longer create karmic activities that slander the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. Slandering the Buddha includes saying that the Buddha was merely at the level of an arhat or pratyekabuddha, having only the realization of the Four Noble Truths and the twelve links of dependent origination and no other realization; slandering the Buddha by saying he had no great supernatural powers and no immeasurable supernatural powers, that the Buddha was about the same as worldly people and very ordinary; slandering the Buddha by saying he was a layperson who also engaged in laypeople's affairs, or slandering the Buddha's flesh as being worldly people's hair, and so on without end. These kinds of statements are neither pure faith nor decisive faith, and therefore at the end of life they will all proceed to the three evil destinies to receive retribution. A person who has the direct realization of faith can truthfully understand the immeasurable merits, virtues, wisdom, and supernatural powers of all the Buddhas of the three times without giving rise to misunderstanding; they have determination (adhimokṣa) regarding the Three Jewels, are not superstitious, have right conduct, and have wholesome karma. 

The phenomenon of slandering the Dharma is widespread in the Dharma-ending age; having seen much of it, it is no longer surprising. The most serious is the claim that the Mahāyāna was not spoken by the Buddha. These people cannot understand at all whether the Mahāyāna dharma principles are correct and true, whether they accord with reason, or whether they are supreme; with a severely deluded mind, they blindly and baselessly conclude that it was not spoken by the Buddha. There are also those who speak the Dharma as non-Dharma and non-Dharma as Dharma—various kinds of inversions. These are all very serious acts of slandering the Dharma, and at the end of life they will inevitably invoke hellish retribution.

The phenomenon of slandering the Saṅgha is also very widespread. Declaring a member of the Saṅgha to be not a member of the Saṅgha, or declaring a non-member to be a member of the Saṅgha, is slandering the Saṅgha. Criticizing and publicizing the various bodily, verbal, and mental actions of monastics—whether or not such things actually occurred—constitutes slandering the Saṅgha. It damages the image of monastics in the minds of sentient beings, creates negative influence, causes sentient beings to lose faith in the Saṅgha Jewel and no longer accept the Three Jewels, and destroys sentient beings' faculty of faith. These karmic offenses are extremely grave; most are hellish offenses, with retribution in hell.