The Delusion of the Intermediate State and Advancement in the Path of Cultivation

Answer: As long as one has not attained the recollection of past lives (pūrvanivāsānusmṛti), even if one attains enlightenment in this life, one will not know it in future lives. At the beginning of a future life, one may not necessarily believe in the Buddha or understand the Buddha-Dharma, but relying on the wholesome roots and the power of merit (puṇya-bala) cultivated in this life, when the conditions mature in a future life, one can once again enter the gate of Buddhism and cultivate. Moreover, one's cultivation in that future life will be faster than in this life. After cultivating for a period of time, one can likewise awaken to the true mind and attain enlightenment, thereby connecting with the cultivation of this life. Such a person may not even need guidance from others in studying and practicing Buddhism; he can, on his own, follow the manner of cultivation from this life and re-attain enlightenment by himself. Even without the guidance of a good teacher (kalyāṇamitra), he will not go astray, and not only can his level of cultivation connect with that of the previous life, it can even surpass the level of realization attained in the previous life.

When we see some people whose cultivation in this life progresses very rapidly and whose spiritual faculties are very sharp, we need not doubt that their foundation of cultivation in past lives was deep and their groundwork solid—only thus could they achieve such deep and sharp wisdom in their cultivation in this life. Those whose cultivation is very slow in this life must have failed to lay a solid foundation for studying Buddhism in past lives; their immersion in the Buddha-Dharma was not deep enough, so that they have cultivated for a long time without results, and may even have gone down wrong paths, immersing themselves in mistaken views without knowing it themselves. Some people, in past lives, studied Buddhism in the wrong way and took the wrong path, and in this life they still follow the inertia of their past lives and cultivate the Dharma wrongly in the same manner, without knowing repentance or correction. Therefore, as long as one cultivates the Buddha-Dharma correctly, and as long as one has attained realization and enlightenment, there is no need to fear the mystery of the intermediate state. In this life, one should plant many wholesome roots and accumulate much merit, and then one's progress on the Path in future lives will advance rapidly.