Under What Circumstances Can One Vow to Remain in the Saha World?

Only worlds like the Saha world have the three evil paths. If one wishes to make a vow to remain in the Saha world, one must at the very least ensure that one can eradicate the karma of the three evil paths, extinguish the retributive results of the three evil paths, and avoid falling into the three evil paths in future lives. To avoid the three evil paths, one must eradicate the three fetters. The three fetters are severed when the manas realizes the fruits of the path, when the manas sees the mind, and when the manas severs them—only in this way can the fetters and bonds of afflictions be eradicated. Otherwise, one cannot escape the suffering of the three evil paths in future lives. It is not the case that merely severing the three fetters with the mind consciousness can exempt one from the karma of the three evil paths. The afflictions and three fetters of the mind consciousness exist in dependence upon the manas; if the manas does not sever them, it is useless even if the mind consciousness has severed them, for the mind consciousness is governed by the manas. 

Only after eradicating the five grades of afflictions of the desire realm and becoming one oriented toward the first fruit can one realize the first fruit and sever the three fetters. First, observe whether you have the five grades of afflictions, whether they are severe, and whether you can eradicate them; only then can you judge whether you have any hope of severing the three fetters. Then, according to your actual circumstances, make a vow so that you may attain peace and happiness in future lives. If things go wrong—if you make a vow to remain in the Saha world yet suffer for a long time in the three evil paths—you yourself become an object awaiting deliverance, so how could you deliver others? In that case, would your future lives not be full of distress?

If you cannot guarantee the severing of the three fetters, or even guarantee that the fetters of the mind consciousness can be eradicated, then the three evil paths cannot be avoided. Even if the mind consciousness no longer has the three fetters, if the manas still has them, the karma of the three evil paths cannot be avoided. Moreover, if the manas's fetters are deep and its afflictions heavy, the three fetters of the mind consciousness will arise at any time and place, beyond one's control, and one will surely tend toward the three evil paths in future lives. Such a vow would then be equivalent to vowing to remain in the three evil paths and suffer. Therefore, one must be very careful in making vows—what vow to make under what circumstances depends on one's level of cultivation and realization and one's actual circumstances. One must not act on impulse, heedless of everything. Wisdom is a good thing—one must use one's brain more, develop wisdom, and only then take action.