How to Cultivate to Obtain a Human Body and Not Fall into the Three Evil Paths?

Eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa), attaining the fruits of realization, and seeing the mind and seeing one's nature can exempt one from the karma of the three evil destinies, resonate with the human realm, allow one to obtain a human body in future lives, and avoid falling into the three evil destinies. The Buddhist sūtras say that those who fully observe the five precepts can obtain a human body; if one can observe the five precepts completely without violation, and no major unwholesome karma manifests at the time of death, one is also assured of obtaining a human body. But what counts as properly upholding the five precepts without violation? The transformation of one's mental disposition is a key factor; the elimination of karmic obstructions is a key factor; the fullness of merit is a key factor; subduing afflictions is a key factor; possessing the wisdom of emptiness is a key factor; and having meditative concentration (samādhi) is a key factor. Precepts, concentration, and wisdom (śīla-samādhi-prajñā) can not only subdue and eradicate afflictions, transform one's mental disposition, and eliminate karmic obstructions, but also increase merit. When these factors are combined, obtaining a human body is assured.

Beyond this, if only one's merit and mental disposition resonate with the human realm, even without having realized the Path, one can still obtain a human body. According to the historical records of the Chan school, in the past there were some Chan practitioners who, although they had not realized the Path, possessed meditative concentration; at the time of death, by the power of their meditative concentration and the power of their merit, they could directly take rebirth in the household of a certain layperson, and those with great merit could even seize a womb and be born before full term. Those with even deeper meditative concentration could relinquish their lives and depart at any time; even without having seen the Path, they could achieve direct rebirth in the human or heavenly destinies, and after seeing the Path, they could even more surely be reborn in the human and heavenly destinies, sparing themselves the suffering of the three evil destinies.

As long as one strictly upholds the precepts without violation, attains meditative concentration reaching the preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) and the first dhyāna, is at the stage of investigating Chan, and has fairly good wisdom, then through the practice of precepts, concentration, and wisdom, one will have great merit and very light karmic obstructions. Those with heavy karmic obstructions cannot cultivate to this stage, and those with little merit also cannot cultivate to this stage. In this way, one can be assured of rebirth in the human destiny and not go to the three evil destinies. What stage is this? It is the stage just before seeing the Path, equivalent to the stage of one oriented toward the srotāpanna fruit, with cultivation approaching the stage of the first fruit. The conditions for obtaining a human body are that one's merit matches that of humans, one's virtue, mental disposition, and power of wisdom (prajñā-bala) also match those of humans, there is no obstruction from major karmic obstructions, and the karmic seeds of major unwholesome karma have been eliminated or can no longer manifest. Only then can one be reborn as a human.

Whether there are people in our community currently at the stage of Mahāyāna Chan investigation is not known at present, but there are people at the stage of the preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) engaged in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) to eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa), and these people are roughly at the stage of being oriented toward the srotāpanna fruit. At this stage, one can already be assured of rebirth as a human in the next life and continue the cultivation begun in this life; the cultivation can be said to be continuous, uninterrupted by the three evil destinies.

For example, Wei Ru in our community has meditative absorption (samādhi), has the contemplation of the white bones, is fully endowed with precepts, concentration, and wisdom, has eliminated major karmic obstructions so they do not manifest, has transformed her mental disposition, and has only slight afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) and afflictions; in the next life she can avoid the three evil destinies and be reborn as a human to continue cultivation. Bai Xuexiang is even more so: her meditative concentration and wisdom of the Small Vehicle's emptiness (śūnyatā) are very deep, she is fully endowed with precepts, concentration, and wisdom, her mental disposition is purely wholesome and does not resonate with the three evil destinies, so it is impossible for her to go to the three evil destinies to undergo retribution in future lives. There is also Lan Tian in the group, whose contemplative practice of the four foundations of mindfulness is quite excellent, whose mental disposition is kind and good, who has meditative concentration and deep wisdom, is fully endowed with precepts, concentration, and wisdom, has no obstruction from major karmic obstructions, has profound merit, possesses the bodhisattva lineage-nature, and whose mental disposition does not resonate with the three evil destinies; in future lives she too can be spared the suffering of the three evil destinies, and among humans continue to deeply plant wholesome roots and sow the foundations of virtue. This virtue is very important; it is the watershed between the three good destinies and the three evil destinies. A person without virtue cannot be a human. With these cultivators as precedents and models, everyone should have confidence in their own cultivation. As long as one cultivates along the correct track, attaining the orientation toward the srotāpanna fruit is not too difficult, and the probability of obtaining a human body in future lives is still quite high.