Issue 289

How many is “all” if associated with many? It is innumerable, which is problematic, so I refer to it as “one.” All is one and one is all; many is one and one is many. This is how I differ from others in explaining the sutras. All the great ghost kings, in my explanation, comes down to one ghost king. Which one? The ghost king that I am talking about now. There is the Ghost King Evil Eyes, the Ghost King Gathering-in Poisons, the Ghost King Kindhearted, and so forth. I do not combine them all together. In Chinese, the character 諸”all” can also be an auxiliary word to mean “all those” or “that one”. This is my unreasonable explanation of the Chinese character zhu ( 諸 ) as “one”. I am explaining this to you because if I do not, you remain in disagreement and think that I lectured the sutras wrong. So now I’ve explained it to you.

Where did “many” come from? Look for its source. ‘Many’ comes from one or even none. Since “many” comes from one, you might as well start counting from one. After you remember one, you will know about two, then three. Deducing along this fashion, you will end up with one as infinity and infinity as one. “One disperses into infinity; infinity returns to one”. In cultivation, we must return to one. What are we cultivating? We are cultivating the mind. What should the mind be? The mind should be focused. As it is said, “Reach a singleness of focus and everything is achieved.” When you arrived at the ‘one’, everything is done. Cultivation is about cultivating the ‘one’. You need to cultivate single-mindedness. Once you reach single-mindedness, wisdom will manifest. If you are not single-minded, then you are chasing for answers outside. If you are able to not have a single thought arise, that is even more wonderful.

“Without a single thought arising, the entire substance manifests; with the six senses suddenly stirring, everything is shrouded by the clouds.” Although the sutra text mentioned so many ghosts, if you do not have even one thought arising, then there is not even one ghost. Not only will there be no ghost, there will not even be one spirit, one Buddha or one Bodhisattva. There is nothing. Yet, it is when there is nothing that everything manifests. At this time, the Buddhas come, the Bodhisattvas come, Sound Hearers, Those Enlightened to Conditions, Pratyekabuddhas, etc. all show up. Why? Because you have reached ‘nothing’; otherwise, they would not come. This is an inconceivable phenomenon, and it is here in the 諸 zhu.

Now, do not take zhu as merely ‘one’. Not even one came. There is not even one ghost king, all these great ghost kings are gone. This world is gone. With this world gone, what is there to worry? With no worries and impediments, It is the so-called “Nature ends, hearing silent, one is the universe.” Nature refers to the human nature, the self-nature, and the nature of objects. By this time, you are heaven-and-earth; heaven-and-earth is you. You are all Buddhas; all Buddhas are you. There is no difference; it’s not two but one. There’s no you, I or he. How could there be so many marks of the self, marks of people, marks of living beings, and marks of lifespan? None at all. Since everything is gone, what worries do you have? All worries are cleaned up; by that time, it is purity without residue. “Without a single thought arising, the entire substance manifests; with the six senses suddenly stirring, everything is shrouded by the clouds.” See, such states are really wonderful beyond words.

Since it is wonderful beyond words, does it mean let’s not talk about it. No! I like to talk so I will keep talking. Unspeakable, unspeakable. Who knows what is unspeakable? What are we talking about? We are talking about all the great ghost kings. All these great ghost kings are very fierce. Ghosts are all fierce. Talking about ghosts, there is one saying. Ghosts have very long legs. How long? I don’t know how long, they must be several yards. In general, even some professors in China do not recognize ghosts because their legs are so long that most people do not see where they are actually.

This word “ghost” in Chinese is a homonym for “returning”. The Chinese have a saying that dying is like coming home, returning to a place of offenses. Ghosts return to the hells, thinking that the hells are their home. Why do they believe so? It is because they are confused. Let me try an English homonym for ghosts: “go”. They go to the hells. Why? Because they think that place is fun, the best. They run to the mountain of knives, trees of swords, cauldrons of oil! From morning to night, they keep at ‘Go! Go! Go!’ They go to the hells, to the realm of hungry ghosts, to the realm of animals. So, according to Chinese explanation, it is returning; according to English explanation, it is going. This is my simple explanation. Now, where did this big ghost go? It did not go anywhere, it is in the hells.

There is the Ghost King Evil Eyes. This ghost has real long legs and mean-looking eyes. When you see how ferocious his eyes are, you tremble. This is what’s meant by Evil Eyes.

The Ghost King Blood Drinker. He specializes in drinking living beings’ blood. Wherever there is blood, he will go drink.

The Ghost King Essence and Energy Eater is ‘Pisaca’ in Sanskrit. In the Shurangama Mantra, the line ‘pi sa she’ refers to this Ghost King Essence and Energy Eater. He enjoys consuming the essence and energy of people and the five grains. For instance, why do our essence and energy dissipate? It is because this ghost sucks our essence and energy.

The Ghost King Fetus and Egg Eater eats undeveloped fetuses. This type of ghost eats the placentas that fall off of premature newborns. He also eats eggs, such as the eggs of chickens. Why did he become this type of ghost? It is because when he was alive, he was fond of killing. Whatever flesh and blood he got from killing, he would not share with others, not even his own wife. He ate and drank the spoils of his killings by himself, absolutely not willing to share with anyone else. This shows his stinginess, and when he died, he became a ghost king fetus and egg eater who eats such nasty things.

The Ghost King Spreader of Sickness goes around spreading infectious diseases and epidemic. Diseases occur because some ghost king spreader of sickness is spreading them.

The Ghost King Gathering-in Poisons is a good ghost, not a bad ghost. He will suck away any venom you contracted and save you. This type of ghost is a transformation of Bodhisattvas who come to save living beings. He does not give out poison. On the contrary, he will suck out your poisons, regardless of who you are. This is a good-intention ghost king.

The Ghost King Kindhearted is kind and compassionate. Although a ghost, his intention is to be with the ghosts in order to save them and to let them develop the Bodhi resolve.

The Ghost King Blessings and Benefits is the wealth and fortune spirit who bestows and increases blessings.

The Ghost King Great Regard and Respect. There is such a Ghost King Great Regard and Respect.

And others. All so many ghost kings as described earlier came to the Tryastrimsha Heaven to listen to Shakyamuni Buddha explain the Earth Store Sutra.

At that time, Shakyamuni Buddha said to Dharma Prince Manjushri Bodhisattva Mahasattva, “As you regard these Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, gods, dragons, ghosts, and spirits from this land and other lands who are now gathered in the Trayastrimsha Heaven, do you know how many of them there are?”

At that time. When was that? It was when every ghost king went to Tryastrimsha Heaven to listen to the Dharma. What are ghost kings? They are leaders among ghosts. Whether these ghosts are good or bad, they are transformations of Bodhisattvas. Do not simply regard ghost kings as ghosts. In their past lives, these ghost kings made vows to teach and transform living beings by various means. Some gather in living beings through kindness and compassion; some regulate living beings through ferociousness. These are the two methods of teaching and transforming living beings, namely: gathering-in and regulating.

Some beings bring forth the resolve for Bodhi when they meet a kind and compassionate ghost king. This is teaching and transforming living beings by the method of gathering-in. Some beings bring forth the resolve for Bodhi upon encountering ferocious-looking ghost kings. This is the method of regulating. Since we understand that all ghost kings are transformations of Bodhisattvas, then among the ghost kings, basically there’s neither good nor evil.