How Does the Intermediate State Arise and Enter the Womb?

Question: In the event of sudden incidents like explosions causing the physical body to be shattered to pieces or instantly vaporized, leaving no remains, does the intermediate existence (antarābhava) manifest suddenly or gradually? How does the intermediate existence grasp the fertilized egg to enter the womb?

Answer: Each time the intermediate existence arises, it is because the previous physical body has deteriorated and become unusable. The manas (the thinking mind) requires another physical body for its use, and there can be no gap in between. Therefore, the intermediate existence arises swiftly. Manas requires the activities of the five aggregates (skandhas) to interact with all phenomena of the world. This is because manas is not empty; it possesses the view of self (ātma-dṛṣṭi) and attachment to self (ātma-grāha), as well as the view of phenomena (dharma-dṛṣṭi) and attachment to phenomena (dharma-grāha). Due to this attachment, it is unwilling to abandon the world and unwilling to relinquish the five aggregates. During life, one accumulates karmic seeds (bīja) for future lifetimes. Because these seeds exist, after death, there will be future lifetimes; annihilation does not occur. In the sudden event of a major explosion, when the physical body is blown apart and rendered unusable, the karmic seeds provide support. Manas desires another physical body for its use, and the Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature), responding to this wish of manas, manifests a temporary physical body according to the karmic seeds accumulated during life. This temporary body is called the intermediate existence, which temporarily satisfies the needs of manas.

To produce a substantial physical body requires a long time for the four great elements (mahābhūta) to gradually gather. However, manas cannot wait; it can only manifest a temporary, insubstantial physical body composed of the four elements. This distinguishes it from a human body. Because it is not formed by the aggregation of substantial seeds of the four elements, it lacks the obstructive quality characteristic of a physical body formed by such aggregation. Consequently, the intermediate existence possesses minor psychic powers (abhijñā). Because manas urgently needs it, the intermediate existence cannot arise slowly but manifests rapidly.

It is said that if one dies in a sudden accident without psychological preparation, such a death prevents rebirth, and one can only exist in a spiritual form, drifting around like a ghost in the air without a substantial physical body to rely on, causing great distress. To be reborn, one must catch another deceased spirit to act as a substitute, enabling oneself to be reborn. Therefore, such a person will linger at the scene of their death, waiting for an opportunity to cause the same kind of accident, causing another's death, so that they can then be reborn. Hence, in the world, we observe that locations where accidents have occurred often witness repeated similar accidents over several years. This is the explanation behind the notion of "catching a substitute."

In the case of a natural death, the intermediate existence lasts at most seven times seven days, forty-nine days. Generally, rebirth occurs by the third seven-day period (21 days). The more distinct the good and evil deeds performed during life, the more certain the result, and the sooner rebirth occurs. If good and evil are difficult to distinguish clearly, rebirth still occurs within the forty-nine-day limit. When the conditions for rebirth arise, the intermediate existence rushes to the future parents and enters the womb with the fertilized egg, instantly disappearing. Without manas, the intermediate existence disperses. Wherever manas is, there will be a physical body.

How does manas within the intermediate existence grasp the fertilized egg for rebirth? Because manas has not severed desire, when it encounters the conditions involving the parents within the intermediate existence, it is attracted by their sexual desire and participates in it. If the karmic force (karma) dictates a male rebirth, manas develops lust for the mother; if it dictates a female rebirth, manas develops lust for the father. Mistaking the parents' sexual union as its own union with them, at the moment the parents' sperm and egg combine to form the fertilized egg, manas enters the mother's womb along with it. A being destined for a male body faces the mother in the womb, while one destined for a female body faces away from the mother in the womb. Thus, when the fetus grows, a female fetus becomes visibly prominent (shows a pregnancy bump), while a male fetus does not.

In a sudden accident, not only is the physical body shattered, but the mind-consciousness (vijñāna) also suffers extreme fright, causing the "soul to scatter" – specifically, the first six consciousnesses scatter. Without the physical body to support them, the first six consciousnesses cease and disappear. Only manas flies out of the physical body, separating from it and becoming isolated. Following behind is the Tathāgatagarbha, which contains all its treasures, yet manas remains unaware of it. At this point, manas, helpless, desires another physical body with its five aggregates for its use, seeking worldly phenomena once more, while ignoring the wish-fulfilling jewel (maṇi) behind it. In studying Buddhism, mastering manas means mastering all dharmas. Not knowing about Tathāgatagarbha is temporarily acceptable. From this, isn't it clear that attaining fruition (phala) or realizing the mind (cittotpāda) through the sixth consciousness alone is rather naive and laughable? Isn't it foolish to place hope on a phenomenon (the sixth consciousness) that can vanish in an instant? What wise person would store their treasure in an illusory city or a castle in the air?

Rebirth in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss (Sukhāvatī) also occurs from within the intermediate existence. Without great psychic powers, who could see the intermediate existence sitting on a lotus flower flying to the Pure Land? What worldly people call "rebirth" is mere speculation and imagination, not direct perception (pratyakṣa).

The intermediate existence also has gender distinctions. Gender difference is also karmic. Manas, regardless of when or at what stage, always corresponds to karma, karmic seeds, and karmic force. As long as there is karma for male or female, there will be male or female gender. The gender of future lifetimes is not fixed; it is determined by karmic seeds. Whether one engages in actions characteristic of a man or a woman in this life determines the gender of future lives. These actions include mental activities and mental nature; actions correspond to mental nature and change closely following it. Therefore, a person with a masculine mental nature will manifest a male body in the future, while one with a feminine mental nature will manifest a female body, except for those with strong vows (praṇidhāna). In our monastic precepts for bhikṣuṇīs (nuns), there are many strict constraints aimed at restraining feminine habits and tendencies, gradually moving away from feminine traits and approaching masculine ones, preparing for a transformation to a male body. In real life, we also observe that some women are very forthright, magnanimous, and possess a masculine demeanor; such a woman was a man in a past life and may become a man again in a future life. Conversely, some men are naturally inclined towards feminine habits; such a man was a woman in a past life and may become a woman again in a future life.

Gender is also determined by merit (puṇya). In the form realm (rūpadhātu) heavens and above, there is no gender distinction; male and female do not exist. This is supported and determined by the merit of the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis (meditative attainments). The merit of concentration (samādhi-puṇya) is immense, enabling beings to temporarily escape the three lower realms (apāya), human existence, and the desire realm heavens. The state of the form realm heavens is supremely blissful, far surpassing the heavens of the desire realm. When I attained the first dhyāna, I experienced joy like that of a celestial being every day – a bliss beyond description, inexpressible in words, a joy unimaginable to ordinary people. The bliss of dhyāna far exceeds worldly pleasures. Before I studied Buddhism, my mood was heavy every day, my heart felt like it was weighed down by a large stone. From the age of thirteen, I constantly thought about death. After attaining the first dhyāna, it felt like moving from hell to heaven.

In the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, there are also no distinctions of male and female. This too is supported and determined by great merit. Therefore, in studying Buddhism and reciting the Buddha's name, if one does not cultivate merit, obstacles will be encountered everywhere. How then can one be reborn in the Pure Land and gather with all the superior good beings?