Commentary on the Mahayana Vijnaptimatrata Sutra
Chapter 10: How Sentient Beings Are Born into the Heavens and Enter the Hells
Original text: 大药复白佛言。世尊。众生舍身。云何生诸天中。乃至云何。生于地狱等中。佛言大药。众生临终之时。福业资者。弃本之视。得天妙视。以天妙视。见六欲天。爰及六趣。见身摇动。见天宫殿。及欢喜园。杂花园等。又见诸天。处莲花殿。丽妓侍绕。笑谑嬉戏。众花饰耳。服憍奢耶。臂印环钏。种种庄严。花常开敷。众具备设。
Explanation: Mahāvaidya said to the Buddha again: World-Honored One, after sentient beings abandon their physical bodies, how do they ascend to the various levels of the heavens, and how do they descend into the hells? The Buddha said to Mahāvaidya: At the time of death, for those nourished by meritorious karma, they will abandon the visual function they had as humans and obtain a wondrous supernatural awareness, gaining the divine eye (celestial eye). With this wondrous celestial vision, they can see the six heavens of the desire realm, as well as the beings of the six destinies, seeing the celestial beings' physical bodies moving, and the palaces in the heavens, the Garden of Joy, the Mixed-Flower Garden, and so forth. They also see the celestial lords sitting in lotus palaces, surrounded by naturally beautiful courtesans and attendants, playing and laughing with one another, wearing many flowers on their ears, dressed in the most precious clothing, with ornaments on their arms. Their implements are adorned in various ways, fresh flowers are always in bloom, and everything is fully arranged.
Having abandoned the human seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing, they obtain the celestial beings' seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing. In fact, the human capacity of seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing is also very subtle: form does not reach the eye, and the eye does not reach form, yet seeing occurs; the six faculties do not reach the six sense objects, yet the six sense objects can be seen—this is truly strange. The celestial beings' capacity of seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing is of course even more subtle: there is nothing they do not know; they can see the hells, can see the heavenly realms, can see all beings of the six destinies, and can see other worlds—truly very subtle.
Original text: 见天天女。心便染恋。欢喜适意。姿颜舒悦。面若莲花。视不错乱。鼻不亏曲。口气不臭。目色明鲜。如青莲叶。身诸节际。无有苦痛。眼耳鼻口。又无血出。不失大小便利。不毛惊孔现。掌不死黄。甲不青黑。手足不乱。亦不卷缩。好相显现。
Explanation: When a person of merit and virtue sees the celestial lords and celestial maidens at the time of death, feelings of desire, defilement, and craving arise in his mind; his heart rejoices, his mind is at ease, his countenance relaxes, his expression is pleasant, his face is like a peach blossom, his gaze is not confused, his nose does not collapse, his breath is not foul, his eyes are bright and clear, not murky, like blue lotus leaves. None of the joints of his body suffer pain; no blood flows from his eyes, ears, nose, or mouth; there is no passing of urine or feces; he will absolutely not be so frightened that his body hair stands on end and his pores open wide. His palms do not turn yellow like a dead person's, his fingernails are not blue-black, his hands and feet do not move about chaotically, nor do they curl up—all the auspicious signs appear.
Original text: 见虚空中。有高大殿。彩柱百千。雕丽列布。垂诸铃网。和风吹拂。清音悦美。种种香花。庄严宝殿。诸天童子。众宝严身。游戏殿内。见已欢喜。微笑齿现。如君图花。目不张开。亦不合闭。语音和润。身不极冷。亦不极热。亲属围绕。亦不忧苦。日初出时。当舍其寿。所见明白。无诸黑闇。异香芬馥。四方而至。
Explanation: This person sees a tall and great palace in empty space; inside the palace there are hundreds and thousands of colored pillars, carved magnificently and solemnly; nets of bells hang from the pillars, and when a gentle breeze blows, the bell-nets emit clear, pleasing, wonderful music; various fragrant flowers adorn the jeweled palace. The celestial youths of the various heavens adorn their bodies with many kinds of jewels, playing and frolicking within the palace.
Seeing these scenes, this dying person is extremely joyful; when he smiles, his teeth show, like the juntu flower. His eyes are neither open nor closed, half open and half closed; his voice is soft and mellow; his body is neither especially cold nor especially hot. He is surrounded by relatives, and his mind does not feel sorrow, grief, suffering, or distress. When the sun first appears, he should relinquish his lifespan; at this time everything he sees is bright, without darkness; celestial fragrance is rich all around, surging in from the four directions.
Original text: 见佛尊仪。欢喜敬重。见已亲爱。欢喜离辞。犹如暂行。便即旋返。安慰亲知。不令忧恼。有流法尔。生必当死。勿以分别。而生苦恼。
Explanation: At this time, the dying person sees the Buddha's dignified bearing adorned with major and minor marks (lakṣaṇa-vyañjana-sampad), and his mind gives rise to joy and reverence. Then, seeing the relatives and beloved ones of this life, he happily bids them farewell, as if he were going out temporarily and would soon return. He tells his relatives, kin, and neighbors: Do not be sad; such is the way of birth-and-death transmigration in this world—all is the gathering and dispersal of conditions; where there is birth there is death; it has always been so. Do not give rise to suffering because of our parting.
Original text: 大药。善业之人。命终时好乐布施。种种伽他。种种颂叹。种种明白。种种称说。正法之教。如睡不睡。安隐舍寿。将舍寿时。天父天母。同止一座。天母手中。自然花出。天母见花。顾谓天父。甚为福吉。希奇胜果。天今当知。子庆之欢。时将不久。天母遂以两手。摇弄其花。弄花之时。命便终尽。
Explanation: The Buddha said to Mahāvaidya: A person of wholesome karma, at the time of death, delights in generosity (dāna). With various gāthās and praises, in various clear languages, with various words, he proclaims the true dharma taught by the Buddha; then, as if asleep yet not asleep, he peacefully relinquishes his lifespan. When he is about to relinquish his lifespan, his celestial father and celestial mother sit together on one seat; in the celestial mother's hand, a flower naturally appears. Seeing the flower in her hand, the celestial mother turns to the celestial father and says: We are now so blessed and auspicious; a most rare and supreme retribution has appeared. Celestial lord, you should know that before long we shall celebrate the birth of our son. Having said this, the celestial mother takes the flower in both hands and plays with it, shaking it; at the moment she plays with the flower, the dying person's life comes to an end.
Original text: 无相之识。弃舍诸根。持诸境业。弃舍诸界。持诸界事。迁受异报。犹如乘马。弃一乘一。如日爱引光。如木生火。又如月影。现澄清水。
Explanation: The formless and markless Ālayavijñāna, after abandoning the faculties, carries the karmic seeds that sentient beings created within the realms of the six sense objects, abandons the eighteen dhātus, carries the seeds of the various karmic deeds created within the eighteen dhātus, and transmigrates into another retributive physical body. It is like riding a horse: dismounting from one horse and mounting another; like the sun drawing its radiance along; like wood producing fire; or like the moon's reflection appearing in clear water.
Original text: 识资善业。迁受天报。如脉风移。速托花内。天父天母。同座视之。甘露欲风。吹花七日。宝珰严身。曜动炫焕。天童朗洁。现天母手。
Explanation: The Ālayavijñāna, containing wholesome karma, transmigrates into the karmic retribution of the celestial beings; just like the movement of the wind element within the body's channels, the Ālayavijñāna swiftly deposits the celestial being's physical body upon the flower in the celestial mother's hand; the celestial father and celestial mother sit together on one seat, watching their child. After the celestial nectar and gentle breeze blow upon the flower for seven days, the celestial jeweled ornaments adorn the celestial youth's physical body, appearing dazzling and radiant; the celestial youth, handsome and pure, appears in the celestial mother's hand.
Original text: 大药白佛言。世尊。无形之识。云何假因缘力。而生有形。云何有形。止因缘内。
Explanation: The bodhisattva Mahāvaidya asked the Buddha: World-Honored One, how does the formless and colorless Ālayavijñāna, by borrowing the power of these conditions, give birth to a physical body with form? Why does the physical body with form abide within conditions?
The conditions for the birth of the physical body include the condition of the celestial father and mother, and the condition of wholesome and unwholesome karma; the Ālayavijñāna, by means of these conditions, gives birth to the celestial youth's physical body with form and marks. How does the formed five aggregates abide within these conditions? The bodhisattva Mahāvaidya asked the Buddha this question.
Original text: 佛言大药。如木和合。相触生火。此火木中。求不可得。若除于木。亦不得火。因缘和合。而生于火。因缘不具。火即不生。木等之中。寻火色相。竟不可见。然咸见火。从木中出。
Explanation: The Buddha said to Mahāvaidya: It is like two pieces of wood coming together and rubbing against each other; after rubbing, fire is produced. There is no fire in the wood, but if the wood is removed, there is no fire either; it is the combination of the wood and the friction conditions that produces fire. By means of the conditions of the wood and human friction, fire can be produced; when the conditions are not complete, fire cannot be produced. Yet if one searches for the form and appearance of fire within the wood, it is utterly unattainable; nevertheless, everyone can see that fire comes out of the wood.
Why can fire be produced from wood? Because there is the fire element within the wood; for the fire element to manifest, it must rely on certain conditions; without conditions, fire will not be produced. For example, there is the nature of fire in natural gas, but if we do not ignite it, fire will not be produced. All dharmas must rely on certain conditions in order to manifest; without these conditions, none of these dharmas can appear. With wood, there must also be human friction for fire to be produced; when conditions combine, fire appears.
Original text: 如是大药。识假父母。因缘和合。生有形身。有形身中。求识不得。离有形身。亦无有识。大药。如火未出。火相不现。亦无暖触。诸相皆无。如是大药。若未有身。识受想行。皆悉不现。
Explanation: The Buddha said: Mahāvaidya, the Ālayavijñāna is also like this: it must borrow the conditions of the father and mother coming together in order to give birth to the five-aggregate physical body; yet if one searches for the Ālayavijñāna within this formed physical body of the five aggregates, it cannot be found. Because the Ālayavijñāna does not abide on the physical body—being formless and markless, it has no mark of abiding—but apart from this formed physical body, there is also no Ālayavijñāna to be found; apart from the physical body, the Ālayavijñāna cannot be found. Therefore, the Ālayavijñāna is not apart from the five-aggregate body, yet it is not within the five-aggregate body, while performing its various deeds and exerting its various functions.
Mahāvaidya, before fire comes out, there is not yet the form and appearance of fire; there is not even the mark of the warm touch of fire—no marks at all. Likewise, before the physical body is born, the feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness of the five aggregates do not manifest. Only when the five-aggregate body is complete do feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness appear, and their functions all become manifest.
Original text: 大药。如见日轮。光明照曜。而诸凡夫。不见日体。是黑是白。黄白黄赤。皆不能知。但以照热光明。出没环运。诸作用事。而知有日。识亦如是。以诸作用。而知有识。
Explanation: Mahāvaidya, for example, when one sees that disc of the sun, its light shining upon the earth, ordinary sentient beings can only see the light, not the sun's essence itself; whether the sun is black or white, yellowish-white or reddish-yellow, they cannot know. Although sentient beings cannot see the sun's essence, from the shining of its light, the heat and brightness of the weather, the cyclical movement of the sun's rising and setting, and the various deeds it performs, they can know that the sun exists. The Ālayavijñāna is also like this: from the various deeds He performs, one can know of the existence of the Ālayavijñāna.
To verify the sun's function, one can take a magnifying glass and focus it on a pile of dry grass; in a moment the dry grass will burn. From the function the sun manifests on the dry grass, one knows the sun exists, even though we cannot see the sun. The Ālayavijñāna is also like this: sentient beings cannot see the Ālayavijñāna, but from the functions He exerts, we know the Ālayavijñāna exists. Then what functions does the Ālayavijñāna exert? This requires us to investigate Chan in order to seek realization.
Original text: 大药白佛言。云何为识作用。佛言大药。受觉想行。思忧苦恼。此为识之作用。复有善不善业。熏习为种。作用显识。大药白佛言。云何识离于身。便速受身。识舍故身。新身未受。当尔之时。识作何相。
Explanation: The bodhisattva Mahāvaidya asked the Buddha: What exactly are the functions of the Ālayavijñāna? The Buddha said to Mahāvaidya: Feeling, perception, volitional formations, consciousness, as well as sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress (śoka-parideva-duḥkha-daurmanasyopāyāsa)—these are all functions of the Ālayavijñāna. There are also wholesome and unwholesome karmas, perfumed into seeds; when the seeds become active, the Ālayavijñāna is revealed. The functions of the true consciousness and the deluded consciousness operating in combination include the functions of the Ālayavijñāna as well as the functions of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses.
Mahāvaidya said to the Buddha: How does the Ālayavijñāna leave the original physical body and then swiftly give birth to the next physical body? When the Ālayavijñāna abandons the original physical body and the new physical body has not yet arisen, what appearance does the Ālayavijñāna have at that time? Between relinquishing a body and receiving a body there is an intermediate state; in this intermediate state, what appearance does the Ālayavijñāna have?
Original text: 佛言大药。如有丈夫。长臂勇健。着坚甲胄。马疾如风。乘以入阵。干戈既交。心乱坠马。武艺捷习。还即跳上。识弃于身。速即受身。亦复如是。又如怯人。见敌怖惧。乘马退走。识资善业。见天父母。同座而坐。速托生彼。亦复如是。
Explanation: The Buddha said: Mahāvaidya, for example, there is a warrior who is extremely brave, with two arms that are long, strong, and powerful, wearing hard armor, riding a warhorse swift as the wind, charging into the enemy's formation; then, when weapons clash, this warrior, his mind in confusion, falls from the horse; but because he is well trained and highly skilled in the martial arts, he swiftly leaps back onto the horse. It is the same with the Ālayavijñāna abandoning the original physical body and swiftly receiving a new physical body: coming out of this body and swiftly taking up and holding another physical body. It is also like a very timid person who, seeing the enemy, feels fear inside and retreats on horseback. When the Ālayavijñāna is nourished by wholesome karma, this person sees the celestial father and celestial mother sitting together on one seat, and swiftly takes rebirth on the flower in the celestial mother's hand; the principle of the two is the same.
Original text: 大药。如汝所问。识弃故身。新身未受。当尔之时。识作何相。大药。譬如人影。现于水中。无质可取。手足面目。及诸形状。与人不异。体质事业。影中皆无。
Explanation: The Buddha said: Mahāvaidya, just as you asked—when the Ālayavijñāna has abandoned the original physical body and the new physical body has not yet appeared, what appearance does the Ālayavijñāna have; between the present physical body and the next life's physical body, what state is the Ālayavijñāna in? Mahāvaidya, it is like a person's reflection appearing in water: there is no material, obstructing form; if you reach into the water to scoop it up, you cannot catch the reflection. The hands, feet, face, and shape in the water are exactly the same as the person's, but there is no real body or essence of the person, and it cannot perform the deeds a person performs.
Original text: 无冷无热。及与诸触。亦无疲乏。肉段诸大。无言声身声。苦乐之声。识弃故身。新身未受。相亦如是。大药。是资善业。生诸天者。
Explanation: That reflection has no heat and no cold, nor any kind of tactile sensation; it does not feel fatigue, thirst, hunger, or cold—it cannot feel any of these. It also has no flesh-body and none of the four great elements of earth, water, fire, and wind; it emits no sound of any kind: the mouth does not speak, and there is no movement or stillness of the body; there is neither the sound of pain nor the sound of pleasure. The reflection has no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no eye-consciousness, and so on up to no mind-consciousness; no five aggregates—the five aggregates and eighteen dhātus are all absent; it is only a reflection. The essence of the Ālayavijñāna is also like a reflection: it is a mind of emptiness (śūnyatā), formless and markless, without the eighteen dhātus, without the five aggregates, without any dharma. In the intermediate state of having abandoned the old body and not yet received the new body, such is the appearance of the Ālayavijñāna. This is wholesome karma supporting the Ālayavijñāna to give birth to the celestial being's physical body.
Original text: 大药白佛言。云何识生地狱。佛言大药。行恶业者。入于地狱。汝当谛听。大药。此中众生。积不善根。命终之时。作如是念。我今于此身死。弃舍父母。亲知所爱。甚大忧苦。
Explanation: Mahāvaidya said to the Buddha: How does the Ālayavijñāna give birth to a hell body? The Buddha said: Mahāvaidya, those who commit evil karma—such as killing people or grave killing of living beings—will fall into the hells; there are also those who commit the karma of destroying the harmonious Saṅgha or the karma of destroying the Three Jewels; they will all fall into the hells. Mahāvaidya, listen carefully: these sentient beings who commit evil karma have accumulated unwholesome karma and unwholesome roots; at the time of death, such thoughts arise in their minds: "Now I am dying here, abandoning my parents, relatives, friends, and all those I love; I feel especially sorrowful, grieving, suffering, and distressed."
Original text: 见诸地狱。及见己身。应合入者。见足在上。头倒向下。又见一处。地纯是血。见此血已。心有味着。缘味着心。便生地狱。
Explanation: After these thoughts arise, this dying person sees the scenes of the hells and also sees his own physical body that is about to enter the hells. If his karma dictates that he should fall into the hells, he can see himself with his feet above and his head upside down. At the same time, he sees that somewhere in the hells the ground is entirely fresh blood; after seeing the blood, driven by karmic power, his mind craves and clings to this blood color; because of this craving mind, he is bound by the hell realms, and thus is born in the hells, unable to escape.
Original text: 腐败恶水。臭秽因力。识托其中。譬如粪秽臭处。臭酪臭酒。诸臭因力。虫生其中。入地狱者。托臭物生。亦复如是。
Explanation: Because of the karmic power of his evil karma, at the time of death this person's mind suddenly craves the rotten, foul-smelling bloody water and filthy evil water; the Ālayavijñāna is then confined within these foul and filthy things, and the hell body is born. For example, in places foul with excrement and filth, or places reeking of rotten cheese and foul wine, because of the power of the stench, worms whose karma corresponds to it take rebirth within them; if they come out of the excrement and filth, they will die. Likewise, sentient beings about to enter the hells, because of karmic power, must also take rebirth in these foul and filthy places, unable to escape; coming out of the hells means death, and only then are they freed from the hell body.
The thoughts at the time of death are very important. For a person who has done wholesome karma all his life, the thoughts at death are all wholesome, and what he recites in his mind are all the wholesome deeds he has done; for a person who has committed evil karma, the thoughts at death are all evil, and what he thinks of are all the evil deeds he has done. Thus, following his own thoughts, wholesome or unwholesome realms appear; because of craving and clinging to these wholesome or unwholesome realms, he is confined by them, and birth-and-death transmigration continues without end.
Sentient beings enter the hells mainly due to the craving of the manas. At the time of death, the manas has a choice and could avoid the three evil destinies such as the hells; but because the manas has not been cultivated in ordinary times and is completely in accord with karmic power, at this time it craves the evil, filthy places, is confined by the evil places, and has no choice but to take rebirth in the three evil destinies. In fact, transmigrating in the three evil destinies is still the result of the manas's choice. At this time the manas is completely controlled by karmic power, obeying the command of karma; it should not crave blood water, foul filth, and such things, yet at this moment it insists on craving them, without any vigilance; the mind consciousness at the side also fails to exert its due controlling function, so the manas chooses the places of the three evil destinies and is confined into the three evil destinies.
Original text: 贤护胜上童真。合掌白佛言。地狱众生。作何色相。身复云何。佛言贤护。其爱血地。生地狱者。遍身血光。身如血色。生汤隍者。身如黑云。生乳汤河者。身点斑杂。作种种色。体极软脆。犹如贵乐婴孩之身。
Explanation: Bhadrapāla, the supreme kumārabhūta, put his palms together and said to the Buddha: World-Honored One, what do the beings in the hells look like? What are their bodies like? The Buddha said: Bhadrapāla, those beings who love blood—when they are born in the hells, what are their physical bodies like? Their whole bodies radiate a bloody light; their entire bodies are blood-colored; because their karmic power corresponds to defiled blood, they are born into the Blood-Light Hell, their whole bodies covered in bloody light, their bodies the color of blood. There are many kinds of hells, depending on what karma sentient beings have created. Beings born in the foul-smelling, pitch-black hell have bodies like black clouds, pitch black. Beings born in the River of Milk-Broth have bodies speckled with mixed stains, various colors blended together, every kind of color; their bodies are extremely soft and fragile, like the body of an infant without sinews and bones, soft and brittle.
Original text: 其身长大。过八肘量。须发身毛。并长垂曳。手足面目。亏曲不全。阎浮提人。遥见便死。
Explanation: Their bodies are tall and large, their height exceeding about four meters; their hair and body hair are of the same length, hanging all the way down. They are either missing hands or missing feet, missing noses or missing eyes; their faces are incomplete, their entire countenance not full and rounded, but shriveled, distorted, and emaciated. Such appearances are all because of the evil karma they created, that they were born with such evil marks and marks of meager merit. When a person of Jambudvīpa at the point of death sees these hell scenes appear from afar, he breathes his last and dies.
Original text: 大药白佛言。地狱众生。以何为食。佛言大药。地狱众生。食无少乐。惶惧驰走。遥见镕铜赤汁。意谓是血。众奔趣之。又有声呼。诸有饥者。可速来食。便走向彼。至已而住。以手承口。狱卒以热铜汁。写手掬中。逼之令饮。铜汁入腹。骨节爆裂。举身火起。
Explanation: The bodhisattva Mahāvaidya asked the Buddha: World-Honored One, what food do the beings in the hells eat? The Buddha said to Mahāvaidya: When the beings in the hells eat, there is not the slightest pleasure; when they are hungry, they run about in panic and fear, moving very fast, just to search for food. These hell beings who drink blood and feed on blood, seeing from afar the red liquid of molten copper, take it to be blood; they all run toward it, shouting loudly as they run: "All who are hungry, come quickly and eat!"
At this time these beings still have a bit of good mind, calling out to their companions to come eat too; they shout: "Whoever is hungry, here is blood, come quickly and eat!" Then they walk to the molten copper liquid; after arriving and stopping, they hold the copper liquid in their cupped hands and bring it to their mouths. The hell wardens are there specifically to punish the hell beings; seeing these beings actually come looking for food and drink, they pour the hot copper liquid into their hands, forcing them to drink it into their bellies. After the copper liquid enters their bellies, their bones and joints are burned until they burst, and their entire bodies catch fire.
Original text: 大药。地狱众生。所食之物。唯增苦痛。无少安乐。地狱众生。苦痛如是。识不舍之。亦不毁坏。身如骨聚。识止不离。非业报尽。苦身不舍。
Explanation: Mahāvaidya, the food the hell beings eat only increases their suffering, without the slightest peace and comfort; such is their suffering. Even so, the Ālayavijñāna does not leave the physical body to let them die, nor does He let their physical bodies be destroyed; after their bodies have been burned to a crisp, they immediately become intact as before, and they go on searching everywhere for food again, suffering again. These sufferings keep repeating; their bodies are so emaciated they are like a heap of gathered bones, yet the Ālayavijñāna still abides within them, unwilling to abandon their bodies. If the beings' karmic retribution has not yet been exhausted, the Ālayavijñāna will accompany them throughout, never abandoning the body of bitter retribution.
Original text: 饥渴苦逼。便见园林。花果敷荣。广博翠茂。见已喜笑。互相谓言。此园翠茂。清风凉美。众急入园。须臾暂乐。树叶花果。咸成刀剑。斩截罪者。或中破身。分为两段。或大叫呼。四面驰走。狱卒群起。执金刚棒。或执铁棒。铁斧铁杖。啮唇嗔怒。身出火焰。斫棒罪者。遮不令出。
Explanation: These hell beings, hungry and thirsty, pressed by suffering, see a garden grove with flowers and fruits in lush bloom; the grove is vast, verdant, and dense. Seeing it, they laugh with joy and console one another, saying: "This grove is so verdant and lush, and the cool breeze is so pleasantly refreshing." Then they all hurriedly enter the grove to enjoy temporary pleasure. But in an instant, the leaves, flowers, and fruits all turn into swords and blades, slashing and cutting these sinners; some of their bodies are cut through the middle, split into two segments, some cry out loudly in pain and flee in all directions. Bands of hell wardens rise up together, wielding vajra clubs, or iron rods, iron axes, and iron staves; their lips drawn back in angry expressions, flames bursting from their bodies, they desperately beat and kill these sinners, blocking and preventing them from escaping the grove.
Original text: 斯皆己业。见如是事。狱卒随罪者后。语罪者云。汝何处去。汝可住此。勿复东西。欲何逃窜。今此园者。汝业庄严。可得离不。
Explanation: These scenes are all evoked by the hell beings' own karmic power; only with evil karma can one see such cruel things. The hell wardens follow closely behind the sinners and say to them: Where are you going? Stay right here in this grove; do not run east and west anymore. Where do you think you can flee? This grove now is conjured up by the sinful karma you created—can you escape it?
The hell beings all undergo punishment and suffer in this way. For example, in the Avīci Hell, the beings' physical bodies are extremely vast—as large as the hell itself, so large is the body; all the instruments of torture are applied to the physical body, and then the wardens use these instruments to punish these sinful beings, and the hell beings suffer until they faint and die. But when the karmic wind blows, they come back to life, and continue to suffer their torments; no matter what, they simply do not die—wanting to die, they cannot. No matter how deeply they faint, the Ālayavijñāna does not abandon the physical body, still remaining on their bodies without leaving; the beings can only suffer endlessly—this is the retribution of hell beings. When their karmic retribution is exhausted, the Ālayavijñāna will leave the hell body and give birth to another five-aggregate body in another destiny, to undergo other karmic retributions.
The hells are filled everywhere with instruments of torture for punishing sinners; so how do the wardens appear? They are manifested by the sinners' Ālayavijñāna; there are no real wardens. If a person without sinful karma takes a trip through the hells, he may not see any wardens, or if he sees them, he will not be punished by them. The wardens and instruments of torture are all illusory appearances and false appearances manifested through the evocation of sinful karma; even King Yama in the hungry ghost destiny is a false appearance manifested by sentient beings' Ālayavijñāna, including the judges; everything is manifested by one's own mind, all illusory appearances and illusory realms.
After seeing the mind and seeing the nature, one knows that all realms are manifested by the Ālayavijñāna; what sinful karma and bitter karma is there? It is all false and illusory. If one realizes this principle, the karma of the three evil destinies is dissolved, and heavy sins receive light retribution. If one killed a person in the past and was originally destined for the hells, this time one need not go to the hells to receive retribution; in the future, when he meets in the human realm the very person he killed and is killed by him once to repay the debt, the karma is dissolved.
The World-Honored One said in the Diamond Sutra: 若为人轻贱，是人先世罪业应堕恶道，以今世人轻贱故，先世罪业即为消灭。 Therefore, if someone insults you or slanders you, it is helping you dissolve karmic obstructions; the more diligent you are in studying Buddhism, the more people come to dissolve your karma; if you can simply endure it all without reacting, who knows how much karma has been dissolved. Originally you should have fallen into the three evil destinies, but when someone comes to insult you, despise you, and says a few slanderous words, the sinful karma is dissolved—it is well worth it; therefore, being despised by others is actually a good thing. If someone always flatters, reveres, exalts, and praises you, it is depleting your blessings. Ordinary people all like to be praised and dislike being despised, holding their heads high and chests out all day long, with "I, I, I" always on their lips—their conceit (māna) is very heavy.
Sentient beings always feel that they themselves are very important, that their families are important, that their small groups and large groups are all important, that everything related to themselves is important and the best—in fact, this is just a heavy sense of self. They all take the five-aggregate body as the self, competing and comparing with others—wisdom, talent, looks, money, power, family—all taking pride in these, comparing on false dharmas, still taking false dharmas as real and imperishable dharmas; this is ignorance (avidyā), and because of ignorance, conceit constantly grows. These dharmas all exist depending on the five-aggregate body; when the five aggregates perish, these dharmas perish along with them. The five-aggregate body is so false and unreal; the power, status, property, appearance, and family that exist depending on the five-aggregate body are even more false and unreal.
In fact, all sentient beings are equal; the essence of sentient beings is the Ālayavijñāna tathāgatagarbha; all tathāgatagarbhas are equal in every aspect; only the false appearances that manifest are unequal. Nobility and lowliness are false appearances of the five aggregates; these false appearances are subject to arising and ceasing and will not last long; in the end, sentient beings are even more equal—every one is a Buddha. Therefore, Buddhist practitioners should no longer cling to false appearances, but should look at the essence of sentient beings; the essence is all tathāgatagarbha, each a future Buddha.
If hell beings knew that the five-aggregate world is false and illusory, they would come out of the hells; because they do not know, and still cling to it as truly existent, the hell karma cannot be dissolved. Therefore, although Buddhist practitioners may fall into the hells, they at least understand the principles better than those in the hells who do not believe in the Buddha, and it is easier for them to leave the hells. If a single thought arises in the mind realizing that the hells are false and illusory, one leaves the hells; realizing that sinful karma is false and illusory, the sinful karma is also dissolved. A person who has eradicated the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) no longer has hell karma; although he created much hell karma in the past, having realized that the five aggregates are without self and the eighteen dhātus are without self, having eliminated the three fetters, the hell karma can no longer bind him. That bodhisattvas and arhats have suffering feelings in this world is because they created much evil karma in the past, yet they need not go to the three evil destinies to suffer, only undergoing some slight suffering in the human realm—this is also well worth it.
Therefore, Buddhist practitioners should eradicate the view of self as soon as possible, in order to be free from the suffering of the three evil destinies. Because the seeds of the karmic deeds of the three evil destinies hidden in our Ālayavijñāna are too many to count; of the evil karma created since beginningless kalpas, the vast majority has not yet received retribution; when conditions are complete, evil retribution cannot be avoided, and only after receiving the evil retribution can the seeds of evil karma be eliminated. If one can attain realization of the fruits, the karmic seeds of the three evil destinies wither, the three evil destinies are avoided, and one only undergoes a little suffering in the human world—heavy sins lightly retributed—and it is concluded.
Original text: 如是贤护。地狱众生。受种种苦。七日而死。还生地狱。以业力故。
Explanation: It is like this, Bhadrapāla: these hell beings, having undergone all sufferings, die once every seven days, and after dying are born again into the hells, then die again and are reborn—all because of karmic power.
Just like the beings in the Avīci Hell who die from pain and, blown by the karmic wind, come back to life—when the wardens shout for them to revive, they immediately come back to life; they are not allowed to remain unconscious for long; if they could stay unconscious, that would be a blessing for them. Human beings are all unwilling to be unconscious, while hell beings all hope for unconsciousness and death, because when unconscious there are no six consciousnesses and no pain is felt. If human beings become unconscious, they likewise do not know the realms of the six sense objects, but the manas is unwilling to be so, and thus finds a way to wake up. In the hells, it is the wardens who find ways to make the sinners wake up—this too is brought about by karmic power; after waking up, they can continue to endure the torment of suffering. Hell beings, having undergone all kinds of suffering, wish to die as soon as possible, but because of karmic power they must continue to endure suffering, cannot die, and after death must come back to life again.
Original text: 如游蜂采花。还归本处。罪业众生。应入地狱。初死之时。见死使来。系项驱逼。身心大苦。入大黑闇。如被劫贼。执捉将去。
Explanation: Those sinful beings are like bees: bees roam everywhere, gathering flowers from various places, and after gathering the flowers return to their home place to brew honey; sinful beings, after death, likewise return to their home place. Sinful beings who should fall into the hells after death, at the moment of dying, see the messenger of death appear before them, fastening ropes and shackles around their necks, then driving and forcing them, with body and mind in great suffering, into the dark hells, as if robbed by bandits, their bodies forcibly driven into the hells. That messenger of death is like the black-and-white Impermanence ghosts of the ghost destiny, seizing this dying sinner and driving him into the great dark hell.
Original text: 作如是言。诃诃。祸哉苦哉。我今弃阎浮提。种种爱好。亲属知友。入于地狱。我今不见天路。但见苦事。如蚕作丝。自缠取死。我自作罪。为业缠缚。罥索系项。牵曳驱逼。将入地狱。贤护。罪业众生, 生地狱者, 苦相如是。
Explanation: Then the sinner says: Alas! How bitter! Disaster has come; I am now abandoning all that I loved in Jambudvīpa, all my relatives and friends, and entering the hells. I can no longer see the road to the heavens, only seeing painful things; like a silkworm spitting silk, entangling itself and bringing about its own destruction. I myself created sinful karma and am bound by sin; shackles fastened around my neck, dragged along by the messenger of death, I am about to enter the hells. The Buddha said: Bhadrapāla, such is the appearance of suffering for sinful beings born into the hells.
This passage returns to the scene before the dying person breathes his last; the previous passage described the scenes inside the hells. When a person is about to breathe his last, he sees the messenger of death arrive, like the hell wardens and the like, who takes him into the great darkness, as if seized by bandits. At that time he had not yet breathed his last, yet he was already speaking of the sinful karma he had created in this life, already feeling the suffering of that sinful karma.
