Issue 296

Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One told the worthy woman, ‘After you make your offerings, return home quickly. Sit upright and concentrate on my name. You will soon know where your mother has been reborn.’ The Brahman woman bowed to the Buddha and returned home. The memory of her mother sustained her as she sat upright recollecting Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. After doing so for a day and a night, she suddenly saw herself beside a sea whose waters seethed and bubbled. Many evil beasts with iron bodies flew swiftly back and forth above this sea. She saw billions of men and women bobbing up and down in the sea, being fought over, seized, and eaten by the evil beasts. She saw yakshas in different forms. Some had many hands, some many eyes, some many legs, some many heads. With protruded mouth and sharp fangs, they drove the offenders toward the evil beasts.

Enlightenment Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One told the worthy Brahman woman, ‘After you make your offerings, return home quickly because you have hurt yourself badly due to the fall. What should you do once you get home?  Sit upright and concentrate on my name. Even though you broke your arms and legs, nonetheless, you should sit properly upright and focus your mindfulness on my name, Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. You will soon know where your mother has been reborn.’

After the Brahman woman bowed to the Buddha, she returned home. The memory of her mother sustained her. Impelled by her true sincerity in reminiscing her mother, she sat upright recollecting Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. She sat upright perfectly, forgetting her pain and her broken limb, single-mindedly focused on the name of Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. After doing so for a day and a night… She continuously sat for 24 hours, not kneeling, and she did nothing except being mindful of the Buddha. Throughout this length of time, she did not rest; neither did she eat, drink nor relieve herself in the toilet.

Then, while being mindful of the Buddha, she suddenly saw herself beside a sea. This was not a dream. This was a result of her utmost sincerity. You can call it the spiritual nature, consciousness, or soul. In general, all these terms refer to the same thing. The spiritual nature is the Eighth Consciousness of a person. Since the Brahman woman had sat for a long time, her pain forgotten, everything came to a standstill except her single mindfulness of the Buddha. When this single mindfulness is genuinely sincere, the Eighth Consciousness leaves the physical body. Hence, she suddenly saw herself by a sea.

When a person sits in meditation continuously, after some time, he may see certain states because the Eighth Consciousness leaves the body. If your Five Eyes are open, you can see ghosts, spirits, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas; otherwise, you cannot. The spiritual nature (Eighth Consciousness) of cultivators has the Five Eyes within their body. If the spiritual nature leaves the physical body, the Five Eyes open, and they can see different states. This holy Brahman woman must have cultivated for a long time. Although the Five Eyes within her physical body did not open, when her Eighth Consciousness left her body, she could suddenly see herself by the sea, whose waters seethed and bubbled. This sea water was not cool but boiling hot, surging upwards.

How many evil beasts are in this ocean? You don’t need to be concerned about that. Just know that there are many and not few. With solid iron bodies, these evil beasts flew swiftly back and forth above this sea, chasing one another.

She saw billions of men and women bobbing up and down in the sea, being fought over, seized, and eaten by the evil beasts. What do these evil beasts do? They devour these men and women, such as swallowing one man or one woman in one mouthful. They have big mouths and big stomachs. They are the most ferocious of evil beasts.

She sawyakshas, or also known as speedy ghosts that fly and run very swiftly. The yakshas appear in different forms. What do they look like? Some had many hands, some many eyes, some many legs, some many heads. One yaksha ghost may have several dozen arms. Another one may have two arms but many eyes, extremely grotesque and vicious. Another one may have relatively few arms and eyes, but many legs and feet. Another one may have many heads. whose mouths open up like a tub that can swallow several people with one gulp. Its teeth are like swords and knives.

With protruded mouth and sharp fangs that slice as quickly as swords, they drove the offenders toward the evil beasts. What do yaksha ghosts do? They help the evil beasts find their food. Sometimes, people are smarter than beasts, and they run far away from the evil beasts. However, they run straight into yaksha ghosts who block their route of escape. Chased by the evil beasts from behind, these men and women have nowhere to flee. They cannot even go and spend a night at a friend’s house!

Or the yakshas themselves seized the offenders and twisted their heads and feet together into shapes so horrible that no one would dare even look at them for long. During that time the Brahman woman was naturally without fear, due to the power of recollecting the Buddha. A ghost king named Poisonless bowed his head in greeting and said to the worthy woman, ‘Welcome, O Bodhisattva. What conditions bring you here?’
The Brahman woman asked the ghost king, ‘What is this place?’
Poisonless replied, ‘We are on the western side of the Great Iron Ring Mountain and this is the first of the seas that encircle it.’
The worthy woman said, ‘I have heard that the hells are within the Iron Ring. Is that actually so?’
Poisonless answered, ‘Yes, the hells are actually here.’
The worthy woman asked, ‘How have I now come to the hells?’
Poisonless answered, ‘If it wasn’t awesome spiritual strength that brought you here, then it was the power of karma. Those are the only two ways that anyone gets here.’
The worthy woman asked, ‘Why is this water seething and bubbling, and why are there so many offenders and evil beasts?’
Poisonless replied, ‘These are beings of Jambudvipa who did evil deeds. They have just died and passed through forty-nine days without any surviving relatives doing any meritorious deeds on their behalf to rescue them from their distress. Besides that, during their lives they themselves didn’t plant any good causes. Now their own karma calls forth these hells. Their first task is to cross this sea.

Or all the yakshas and evil beasts themselves seized the offenders. They beat and seize them like eagles capturing chickens with their claws. The evil beasts and yakshas work together in capturing the offenders. And twisted their heads and feet together. The yakshas and evil beasts may do this to the offenders. Or the yakshas may do this to the evil beasts. Or the evil beasts may do this to the yakshas. Or the evil beasts and yakshas may jointly do this to the men and women. Generally, all of them can be twisted to hideous forms, into millions of different forms so horrible that typically no one would dare even look at them for long.

During that time the Brahman woman was naturally without fear, due to the power of recollecting the Buddha Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. A ghost king, one of the leaders among the ghosts, named Poisonless bowed his head in greeting to the Brahman woman and said to the worthy woman, ‘Welcome, O kindhearted Bodhisattva. What conditions bring you here?’

The Brahman woman asked the ghost king, ‘What is this place?’ I don’t know how I got here either. Poisonless replied, ‘We are on the western side of the Great Iron Ring Mountain and this is the first of the seas on the west side that encircle it.’

The worthy woman said to the ghost king, ‘I have heard that the hells are within the Iron Ring. Is that actually so? Is there really the hells? How come some people do not believe there are the hells?’ Poisonless answered, ‘Yes, the hells are actually here. The hells really do exist, it is not imagined.’

The worthy woman asked, ‘How have I now come to the hells?’ The ghost king, Poisonless, answered, ‘If it wasn’t awesome spiritual strength that brought you here, then it was the power of karma.

There are two kinds of causes to come here. First is by virtue of your awesomeness, spiritual power, and virtuous conduct. Second, you fall into the hells because of the power of your offense karmas.

Those are the only two ways that anyone gets here. If it was not for either one of these two causes, one’s awesomeness or one’s karma, one will not come to the hells.’ The worthy Brahman woman asked, ‘Why is this water seething and bubbling, and why are there so many offenders being cooked in this boiling water and so many evil beasts?’

Poisonless replied to the Brahman woman, ‘These are beings of Jambudvipa who did evil deeds. Translated into Chinese, Jambudvipa means supreme gold because when the leaves on the Jambunadasuvarna trees fall into the river, they turn into gold. This kind of gold is most supreme and most special, so it is called supreme gold. Our world is in southern Jambudvipa. Beings in southern Jambudvipa, in every thought they make, create offenses and karma. They have just died and passed through forty-nine days, seven weeks.

If we want to help cross-over a deceased person, we must do some merit for him within 49 days after his death so that he may receive the benefit. Within the period of 49 days, the offense karma of the deceased has not been set. After 49 days, their karma is determined, just like how court decisions are made, and cannot be changed anymore.

Hence, if we were to recite sutras or mantras for the deceased within 49 days of their passing, we can save them so that they reap the benefits. After 49 days, the offense of the deceased has been ruled. There is still merit from recitation of sutras, but they get very little merit, the impact of which is tiny though not completely nil. Therefore, if you want to create merit for the deceased, do it before 49 days after his passing.