Issue 295

Cultivators are liberated from birth and death. If they want to live, they may live forever. If they don’t want to live, they may sit down and enter nirvana right now. With that kind of mastery, life and death is up to me rather than fate. No one governs me; I am in charge of myself. If I want to die, I may die now. If I do not want to die, I may live forever. When we cultivate, we are cultivating this ability. When you have attained this ability, however, you may not want to remain in this world because this world is too turbid; this World of Five Turbidities is unclean.

Before long, her life ended, her soul and her consciousness fell into the Relentless Hell. Soul and consciousness refer to the Eighth Consciousness. After the Brahman woman’s mother died, her soul and consciousness fell into the Relentless Hell. What is the Relentless Hell? There, time is relentless, life is relentless, body is relentless. This refers to how this hell is fully filled with one person in it or many people in it. We will explain the Relentless Hell in more details later. What does it mean by “relentless”? Relentless means that it is non-stop and continuous. When you are in this hell, you undergo a lot of suffering and yet your life doesn’t end –you die and are born again; after being born, you die. This is due to the function of consciousness, which is unchanging.

When her mother’s life ended, the Brahman woman, knowing that her mother had not believed in cause and effect while alive, feared that her karma would certainly pull her into the Evil Paths. For that reason, she sold the family house and acquired many kinds of incense, flowers, and other items of offering. With those she performed a great offering in that Buddha’s stupas and monasteries.

When her mother’s life ended, the Brahman woman, knowing that her mother had not believed in cause and effect while alive. Her mother did not believe that good causes will result in good effects and evil causes result in evil results. She did not believe that impure causes will end in impure results. She did not believe that when the cause is wrong, the effect will be wrong too. Feared that her karma would certainly pull her into the Evil Paths. Taking into account the various evil karma her mother had created, she figured that her mother would definitely be reborn in the evil paths. For that reason, she sold the family house and acquired many kinds of excellent and high-quality incense, flowers, and other items of offering. With those incenses, flowers, lamps, candles, fruits, banners, canopies and many items of offering, she performed a great offering to the Buddha,  in that Thus Come One, Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Buddha’s stupas and monasteries.

She saw an exquisitely fine image of the Thus Come One Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King in one of the monasteries. As the Brahman woman beheld the honored countenance, she became doubly respectful while thinking to herself, ‘Buddhas are called Greatly Enlightened Ones who have attained All-Wisdom. If this Buddha were in the world, I could ask him where my mother went after she died. He would certainly know.’

She, the Brahman woman, saw an exquisitely fine image of the Thus Come One Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King in one of the monasteries. The image was sculpted from clay, then lacquered with the adorned features. As the Brahman woman beheld the honored countenance, the look of awesome virtue replete with the 32 hallmarks and the 80 secondary characteristics, she became doubly respectful while thinking to herself, ‘Buddhas are called Greatly Enlightened Ones who have attained All-Wisdom, which consists of three types: the wisdom of the varieties of ways, the wisdom of all dharmas and the wisdom of all modes. If this Buddha were in the world, I could ask him where my mother went after she died. He would certainly know where my mother went.’

I have a question for everyone to ponder. Although we should not engage in thinking while cultivating, I want everyone to ponder on this question: When we come to this world, do we eat to live, or do we live to eat?

The Brahman woman then wept for a long time as she gazed longingly upon the Thus Come One. Suddenly a voice in the air said, ‘O weeping worthy woman, do not be so sorrowful. I shall now show you where your mother has gone.’ The Brahman woman placed her palms together as she addressed space, saying, ‘Which virtuous divinity is comforting me in my grief? Ever since the day I lost my mother, I have held her in memory day and night, but there is nowhere I can go to ask about the realm of her rebirth.’ The voice in the air spoke to the woman again, ‘I am the one whom you behold and worship, the former Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. Because I have seen that your regard for your mother is double that of ordinary beings, I have come to show you where she is.’

The Brahman women was thinking, “The Buddha is the wisest, enlightened being. Unfortunately, the Buddha has entered nirvana. If the Buddha were in the world when my mother passed away, I would ask the Buddha where my mother become reborn. He would definitely know.” The Brahman woman then lowered her head and wept for a long time, the duration of time is not necessarily fixed, as she gazed longingly upon the Thus Come One. She could not leave her gaze of the Buddha. It seemed like there was a rope binding her to the Buddha image, although in reality there was none. This, is a longing. She did not want to take her gaze away from the image of Thus Come One Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King.

Suddenly a voice in the air said… During this time, the Brahman woman was fully focused in body and mind, without other false thoughts, other than gazing longingly at the Buddha and recollecting the Buddha nature. At that moment in time, her mind could be said to be pure. At this time, a voice emerged from nowhere, ‘O weeping worthy woman…’. Although her mother committed offenses, the Brahman woman had good roots. This is why she was called a worthy woman. Do not be so sorrowful. Do not cry so hard! Do not be too grief-stricken! I shall now show you where your mother has gone. Let me tell you where your mother went. Do not cry.

The Brahman woman placed her palms together, facing empty space, as she addressed space, saying, ‘Which virtuous divinity is comforting me in my grief? Which Bodhisattva is this? Which immortal is this? You are so kind and compassionate to come and calm my worries and to comfort me in my grief! This is a virtuous conduct of kindness and compassion. Ever since the day I lost my mother, when she died, I have held her in memory day and night. I’ve thought about my mother day and night. But there is nowhere I can go to ask…Why do I miss my mother? My mother gave birth to this body of mine, so I should be filial to her. However, my mother passed away before I fulfilled my filial obligations. This is why I am especially sorrowful.

There is a saying: “The trees wish to be still but the wind keeps blowing; the children wish to care for their parents, but they are gone.” The trees want to stop swaying for a while, but wind blows them back and forth. The children wish to care their parents, but they are gone. Just when I want to take care of my mother and be filial, repaying the kindness of my parents, they are gone. So, it is said, “Father! Mother! Your kindness is extremely great, spanning higher than the sky and deeper than the depth of the earth.” But since I did not fulfill my filial obligations, I now feel very remorseful and sad. I have nowhere to ask about the realm of her rebirth.” I do not know whether my mother ascended to the heavens or fell into the hells.

Strangely enough, when she spoke to space, The voice in the air spoke to the Brahman woman again, ‘I am the one whom you behold and worship. You asked who is the spiritual being who relieved you of your sadness and worries. It is me, the former Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. Because I have seen that your regard for your mother, how much you miss your mother, is double that of ordinary beings. Why is the Brahman woman able to move the former Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One to speak to her from space? This line of text makes it clear that it is because ‘I see that you miss your mother more than ordinary people.’ For instance, other people miss their father or mother 100%, while you miss your mother 200%, double the average. You are so sincere that the way you think about your parent is different than most living beings. Even though I have entered Nirvana, I have come to show you where she is. I was moved by your utmost sincerity so much so that I have come to tell you.’

The Brahman woman suddenly lunged toward the voice she was hearing and then fell, injuring herself severely. Those around her supported and attended to her, and after a long time she was revived. Then she addressed the air, saying, ‘I hope the Buddha will be compassionate and quickly tell me into what realm my mother has been reborn. I am now near death myself.’

When the Brahman woman heard the voice in the air tell her that he is the former Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One, she suddenly lunged toward the voice she was hearing. Her nerves were on edge. She seemed to lose her sanity as she jumped toward space, with total disregard for anything else. She heard the voice in the sky and wanted to get there to see the former Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. She lunged into the air and hurt herself. I believe this Brahman woman does not know kung fu or other martial arts. And she then fell, injuring herself severely. She broke her arms and legs. The four limbs were in segments; the arms were in two or three segments while the legs were in a few segments. Her limbs were hurt, either broken or paralyzed.

Those around her supported and attended to her. Perhaps at that time she had relatives and friends with her who went with her to make offerings to Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. Perhaps these were monastics at the temple, such as Bhikshunis who saw this woman fall. Those next to her helped her up. And after a long time, she was revived. It was a bad fall and, she lost consciousness. She was revived after a while, waking up as if from a sleep. When her head cleared, she still remembered how she lunged into the air.

Then she addressed the air, saying, ‘I hope the Buddha will be compassionate. My only wish now is for the Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One to be compassionate and pity me. And quickly tell me into what realm my mother has been reborn. Where did my mother become reborn? Why did she need to be told so quickly? I am now near death myself. Having fell like this, my body and mind are about to die soon.’