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Spiritual Penetrations in the Palace
of the Trayastrimsha HeavenChapter 1
Sutra:
That elder’s son, upon observing the Buddha’s hallmarks and fine features and how the thousand blessings adorned him, asked that Buddha what practices and vows made him so magnificent. Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices Thus Come One then said to the elder’s son, ‘If you wish to have a body like mine, you must first spend a long time liberating beings who are undergoing suffering.’
Commentary:
That elder’s son, upon observing the Buddha’s hallmarks and fine features...He saw the Thus Come One Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices have 32 hallmarks and 80 subsidiary characteristics and a thousand blessings that adorn. How come he has 32 hallmarks and 80 subsidiary characteristics? It is because of a thousand blessings that adorn him. Cultivating the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds turns into one hundred blessings. Each number turns into ten, making a total of one thousand. Each blessing accumulates so that there are one thousand blessings.
And this is how the thousand blessings adorned him. He asked that Buddha what practices and vows made him so magnificent. Seeing how perfect and wonderful the Buddha’s features are, he asked Thus Come One Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices what practices did you cultivate before and what vows did you make before so that you have such features? Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices Thus Come One then said to the elder’s son, ‘If you wish to have a body like mine, let me tell you, you must first spend a long time liberating beings who are undergoing suffering. When all beings who suffer are saved, leaving behind their suffering, then your appearance will be perfect; meaning that once you save living beings so that they become Buddhas, you become Buddhas.’
Sutra:
“Manjushri, that comment caused the elder’s son to make a vow: ‘From now until the end of future time throughout uncountable eons, I will use expansive expedient means to help beings in the Six Paths who are suffering for their offenses. Only when they have all been liberated, will I myself become a Buddha.’ From the time he made that great vow in the presence of that Buddha until now, hundreds of thousands of nayutas of inexpressibly many eons have passed, yet he still is a Bodhisattva.
Commentary:
“Manjushri Bodhisattva, that comment caused the elder’s son to make a vow. When this elder’s son heard Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices Thus Come One say this that he made a vow. He said: ‘From now until the end of future time...The elder’s son refers to himself about how he went through who knows how many infinite eons until the end of future, that is why he says throughout uncountable eons. How can future eons disappear? They will not, which is why this number of eons is incalculable.
I will use expansive expedient means to help beings in the Six Paths who are suffering for their offenses, for living beings in the six realms who suffer and create offenses. Since every thought and every move of living beings in the Saha world are offenses and karma, they are the beings that offend and suffer in the six realms. The six realms are heavenly beings, humans, asuras, hell-beings, hungry ghosts and animals. I vastly established various, not just one, expedient practices.
Only when they have all been liberated, leaving suffering and acquiring blessings, realizing Buddhahood soon. Only when all beings have become Buddhas will I myself become a Buddha. If there is one being does not become a Buddha, I will not become a Buddha either. If yet a single being’s not accomplished Buddhahood, accordingly I also must renounce nirvana’s bliss.’ From the time he made that great vow in the presence of that Buddha, Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices Thus Come One, until now, a period of time that lasted hundreds of thousands of nayutas, a very large number in Sanskrit, of inexpressibly, another very large number in Sanskrit many eons have passed, yet he still is a Bodhisattva who has not realized Buddhahood.
Sutra:
“Another time, inconceivable asamkhyeya eons ago, there was a Buddha named Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. That Buddha’s life span was four hundred billion asamkhyeya eons.
Commentary:
“Another time, not just three great asamkhyeya eons, but much longer, inconceivable and unimaginable number of asamkhyeya eons ago, there was a Buddha named Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One. Enlightenment-Flower is the cause; Self-Mastery King is the effect; Enlightenment-Flower is the root; Self-Mastery King is the branch. This means that he cultivated the flower of enlightenment at the level of causes and certified to the effect of a king at ease. How do we cultivate the flower of enlightenment? With concentration? How do we realize the effect of a self-mastery king? It is also through concentration. Where the cause is concentration, the effect is concentration. Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King is the Buddha’s unique name; Thus Come One is a name common to all Buddhas.
That Buddha’s life span...there are three explanations for the Thus Come One’s lifespan according to the Dharma Flower Sutra. There are three others according to the Sixteen Contemplations Sutra.
First, the Buddha’s Dharma body is true and thus, inseparable from all dharmas. The true thusness of the Dharma body is not at all different from all dharmas. Noumenon as thus are life. This is difficult to explain because we accord with principles as they are. Principles as they are wisdom; wisdom is states. The Buddha’s states are wisdom; wisdom is just states. The Buddha uses wisdom to light up all states. States and wisdom correspond so that states and wisdom are non-dual. When states come, illumine it, then let it go. The Buddha recognizes and understands every state; he is not obstructed by states because he does not recognize them. Although states and wisdom are two, they become one when they have one principle as their span; wisdom as their life. This is an explanation of life span according to the Buddha’s retribution body.
In terms of the response body or transformational body, its span is 100 years in duration. A centurion lives a long span. The transformational body and the response body live out their span of life. This is an explanation of the three bodies according to the Dharma Flower Sutra.
According to the Sixteen Contemplations Sutra, it is a different set of explanations. How come? The sutras say that the response body makes appear coming into being and ceasing like everyone else. The Buddhas also appear to come into being and cease to be, that is the Buddhas come into the world, then enter nirvana. This is coming into being and ceasing. Making production and extinction appear has their beginnings and ends; as long as there is a beginning, there is an end. This explains the life span of a Buddha’s response body. And a retribution body? Once we acquire the Buddha’s retribution body, we have it forever. The life span of a Buddha’s retribution body has a beginning to it but no end.
What about the life span of a Dharma body? It is neither a long span nor a short span. Since it is impossible to say how long a Buddha’s Dharma body will last, it is neither long nor short. It has no beginning or end. This is one explanation of the Buddha’s Dharma body. I believe it is very difficult to understand this kind of terminology. This particular Buddha’s life span was four hundred billion asamkhyeya eons. This kind of life span refers to the life spans of the Buddha’s retribution body and response body.
Sutra:
During his Dharma-Image Age, there lived a Brahman woman endowed with ample blessings from previous lives who was respected by everyone. Whether she was walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, gods surrounded and protected her. Her mother, however, embraced a deviant faith and often slighted the Triple Jewel.
“The worthy daughter made use of many expedients in trying to convince her mother to hold right views, but her mother never totally believed. Before long, the mother’s life ended and her consciousness fell into the Relentless Hell.
“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 gifts. With those she performed a great offering in that Buddha’s stupas and monasteries.
Commentary:
During his Dharma-Image Age...There are three eras to the Buddhadharma: the age of Proper Dharma, the age of Image Dharma, and the age of Decline of Dharma. During the age of Proper Dharma, most Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, upasikas and upasakas all cultivate sincerely and certify to the fruition. This is the Age of the Proper Dharma. The Image Dharma? There are fewer cultivators. The focus is on the superficialities, such as repairing stupas and building temples. They are firm in building temples. People all enjoy doing merit by constructing Buddhist temples and Buddhist stupas; they enjoy pursuing blessings and not wisdom. This is the Image Dharma Age where people are solid in constructing temples.
The Proper Dharma Age lasts one thousand years; the Image Dharma Age lasts one thousand years; the Decline of Dharma Age lasts ten thousand years. We are now in the Age of Dharma on the Decline. People during the Age of Dharma on the Decline are firm in fighting. The Age of Image Dharma begins once Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One enters nirvana.
There lived a Brahman woman . Brahman is an externalist sect in India who cultivates purity. They are vegetarians, cultivate, and are celibate, so they are pure. Brahmans cultivate this kind of practice of distancing themselves but they do not have the essence, the ultimate principles. This is an ancient religion in India, and many similar religions of this sort remain in India.
Yoga, for example, is a variation of the Brahman teachings. The Brahman teachings in China is Taoism, which also practices purity. During the Image Age of Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Thus Come One there was a Brahman woman who was endowed with ample blessings from previous lives. Although he was a Brahman woman, she had done many good deeds and many meritorious deeds in lives past. That is why she is endowed with ample blessings from previous lives.
Who was respected by everyone. Most people respect her. Why do most people admire her and respect her? It is because she did a lot of merit in past lives and accumulated blessings. Whether someone is good looking depending on his or her merit in past lives. One is perfect looking if one created merit in past lives. Without merit, one’s features are imperfect, or ugly. The Buddha has 32 features and 80 secondary characteristics. He is adorned with a hundred blessings.
What makes one hundred blessings? One thousand good deeds makes one blessing; 10,000 good deeds makes ten blessings; and 100,000 good deeds make 100 blessings. Shakyamuni accumulated 100 blessings so he enjoys his 32 features and 80 secondary characteristics. People’s looks develop according to causes and conditions in the past. Whether someone is beautiful or not depends on his or her past lives. This Brahman woman was respected by everyone; most people like to listen to what she says; and most people agree with the things she does.
Whether she was walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, gods surrounded and protected her. As I said earlier, now that we have tied the boundaries, even if anyone experiences any karmic obstructions such as being possessed, that obstruction will quit and not disturb one. Since the boundaries are locked down and you are here listening to the sutra, all the accounts temporarily quit. No one is allowed to come here to bother anyone or hassle anyone. You have to concentrate on listening to the sutra. The Dharma-protecting good spirits, the Eightfold Divisions of gods, dragons and others all protect her. Although she is protected, her mother, however, embraced a deviant faith and often slighted the Triple Jewel. He mother does not believe in the proper Dharma but believes in deviant dharmas instead.
What does it mean by believing in deviant dharmas? This is not necessarily about believing in heretics or cults. Actually, she half believes and half questions, believing in Buddhism today and question it tomorrow. She says she believes in the Triple Jewel, but “I have not seen any Buddha of the Triple Jewel, or the Dharma. Although there are sutras, it is no big idea. Sangha members, they are people too! Why should I respect some monastic? She is skeptical, which is faith in the deviant. She does not maintain any proper mindfulness, which is a deviant thought.
Without proper faith, your faith is in the deviant. For instance, some externalists say, “Give me one million dollars and I will sell you the role of an emperor in a future life.” You think about being an emperor in a future life, so you give them a million dollars. Actually, how can the role of an emperor be sold? How can you buy the role of an emperor? Perhaps you can buy the presidency in a modern democracy. “You are a woman in this lifetime and not a president, but I can guarantee that you become a president in a future life if you give me one million dollars.” Whether you become a president or not in the future, you will not be able to find him and get your one million dollars back. These externalists did not start an insurance company guaranteeing any of this. This is faith in the deviant. How can you buy a presidency with one million dollars? That does not make any sense.
Buying a presidency with one million dollars may be possible. How? I can lobby people to vote for me with that one million dollars. But you have to be an American citizen, not a foreign citizen [to do that in the United States]. Explanations based on deviant faith do not make sense. Give me one hundred dollars, one thousand dollars or ten thousand dollars and I will guarantee that you become a man instead of a woman in your future lives. You hear this and you think this is not bad, one million dollars buys a future life as a man is not too expensive. Since this is quite economical, you give some externalist teacher a million dollars. He puts the money in his pocket and goes off to drink, eat meat and play women. When he has done everything, you cannot get of your money back. I guarantee you that I will be a man in the future. This is no guarantee either; this is deviant. These are one or two tactics that swindlers use.
She often slighted the Triple Jewel. Since she believes in deviant dharma all the time, she did not believe in the proper Dharma. Deviant dharma consists of, “Why believe in the Buddha? You are a Buddha. Just give me 65 dollars and it will be fine.” Sixty-five dollars buys Buddhahood, that is a deviant dharma, deviant path. How can Buddha be purchased with money? You can become a Buddha, but you do not buy Buddhahood with money. You may use money to create merit; when you accumulate enough merit, then you realize Buddhahood.
Create merit while you cultivate, such as meditating. You should not refuse to cultivate. For instance, if Shakyamuni Buddha could have bought Buddhahood, he does not need to sit in the Himalayas for six years, sit underneath the Bodhi tree, see a bright start and become enlightened. When he was a prince, he had so rich, he could have very well bought Buddhahood. Buddhahood is not purchased with money. Slighting the Triple Jewel means looking down on the Triple Jewel, slandering and sabotaging monastics. Some Cantonese people slight the Triple Jewel because they cannot stand Bhikshus and Bhikshunis.
“The worthy daughter, the Brahman woman, made use of many expedients. Expedients are for provisional explanations for people who only have a rough understanding of the Dharma. In trying to convince her mother...Encouraging and enticing someone. For instance, children like candy, so you tell them, “I have a piece of candy. Follow me and I will give you the candy.” This is an enticement. This Brahman woman tells her mother something similar, “Follow me and study the Buddhadharma. The Buddhadharma is the best, it is number one.” But her mother does not believe her, encouraging and enticing her mother to hold right views, so that her mother will develop proper knowledge and proper views. But her mother never totally believed. The Brahman woman’s mother half believe and half doubt the principles she heard. Perhaps what you say contain some principle but may be not completely. Some of my refuge disciples, for example, do not believe certain principles entirely. Before long, the mother’s life ended soon.
Some think, it is best if someone is dead because he does not know anything; he does not want to eat, dress, sleep or work; he does not need to do anything. Although it is the best, it is also the worst. What is the worst thing? Death. If you do good deeds, you will become born in the three good destinies; whereas if you do evil deeds, you will become born in the three evil destinies, either hell, hungry ghosts or animals.
Yesterday a few visitors came to the Buddha hall and I told them about the responsibilities of soldiers. What responsibilities? I told them that there are Bodhisattvas and asuras in the military. Bodhisattvas in the army teach and transform living beings so that living beings do not kill too many people; whereas asuras in the army encourage living beings to kill more and more. They feel that the more they kill, the mightier they appear and earn the highest achievements. Bodhisattvas, in contrast, tell people not to kill but to help two countries to coexist peacefully by resolving their problems. They tell military men that they earn the highest achievements and highest ranking offices if they do that.
I told [these visitors] that they must emulate Bodhisattvas and not asuras. What are asuras? What are Bodhisattvas? There were two generals in China: one was Guan Yu. He killed lots of people, but he became a Bodhisattva after death. On the other hand, General Bai Qi of the Qin reign killed lots of people too, but he turned into an ox, a pig and a horse after death. Why? It is because he buried alive 200,000 soldiers who surrendered. He had the heart of an asura. Guan Yu killed bad people and not good people; he eliminated the violent and brought peace to the kind. In the end, one became a Bodhisattva and the other became an ox, a horse, a pig, and a sheep.
We have an American friend who is in the navy. He asked me, “Do you believe people will become animals after death?” At the time I said, “It is fine whether you believe people become animals after death or otherwise. Believe and you will become an animal if you deserve it; doubt it and you will become an animal if you deserve it. You will become an animal if that is what you should be after death; that cannot be changed. Do the deeds of Buddhas, you are a Buddha; do the deeds of Bodhisattvas, you are a Bodhisattva; do the deeds of humans, you are a human being; do the deeds of ghosts, you are a ghost; do the deeds of animals, you are an animal. You are what you do. This is not about doing what you believe but not doing what you do not believe. Whether you believe it or not, you will do what you must do. You will definitely not do what you should not do. This is not a matter of faith. One Chinese is thinking, “This idea is very lofty and profound. I will be coming to learn the Buddhadharma.”
Speaking of dying soon, each of us should think about our own deaths. Before long, the Brahman woman’s mother died and what about me? When will I die? Where will I go after death? Will I end up in the hells like the Brahaman woman’s mother? We listen to the sutras and for each part we hear, we must reflect instead of letting it go in one ear and out the other. That would be meaningless. Everyone will die. Do not believe what I said earlier about death being the best thing; do not believe that death is the worst thing either. People will die in the future, whether death is good or bad. Do good and it will be good; do bad and it will be bad. Earlier I said, “Plant good causes and reap good fruits; plant evil causes and reap evil fruits.”
The ancients had this to say, “Seeing the death of others, my heart burns like fire. It burns not for others, but I wonder when it’ll be me.” When I see someone pass away, my heart is blazing hot like it is on fire. I am not sad for the death of others, but I wonder how come he died? Soon it will be my turn. A few days ago, I talked about how there are more births than deaths, but deaths do come to each one of us in turn. “Seeing the death of others, my heart burns like fire. It burns not for others, but I wonder when it’ll be me.” Since you are not afraid of death, you may die soon, or now. Why do you not? This has nothing to do with being afraid or not, but whether the death is peaceful or unexpected. Unexpected deaths are accidents such as car crashes or plane problems, boat drownings and train crashes. These are all unexpected, accidental deaths. Die when you would like is a peaceful death. What if you do not want to die? You can cultivate for immortality.
Cultivators are liberated from birth and death. They may live forever if they want to; they may sit right down and enter nirvana right now if they do not want to live. With that kind of mastery, life and death is up to me rather than fate. No one is in charge of 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 this ability, however, you do not want to remain in this world sometimes because this world is too turbid; this World of Five Turbidities is unclean.
Before long, her life ended and her consciousness fell into the Relentless Hell. Her consciousness is her 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, and bodies are relentless. This refers to how this hell is full when one person is in it or many people are in it. We will explain the Relentless Hell in more detail later. What does it mean by “relentless”? Relentless means that it is uninterrupted and continuous. When you are in this hell, you suffer and yet your life continues, dying then becoming born, becoming born then dying. This is one function of this unchanging consciousness.
“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. Her lack of faith is an impure cause that will end in impure results. When the cause is wrong, the effect will be wrong too. Feared that her karma would certainly pull her into the Evil Paths. She considered the various evil karma her mother created and figured that her mother will definitely become reborn in an evil destiny. For that reason, she sold the family house and acquired many kinds of expensive and famous incense, flowers, and other gifts. With those she performed a great offering to the Buddha with incenses, flowers, lamps, candles, fruits, banners, canopies and many articles in that Thus Come One, Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King Buddha’s stupas and monasteries.
Sutra:
She saw an especially 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.’
Commentary:
She the Brahman woman, saw an especially 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, the look of awesome virtue replete with the 32 hallmarks and the 80 secondary characteristics, of this clay statue, 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 think while cultivating, but everybody, consider this question: Did people come to this world to eat so that we live or do we live to eat?
Sutra:
“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.’
Commentary:
The Brahman women thought: the Buddha is the wisest, enlightened being; unfortunately the Buddha has entered nirvana now. If the Buddha were in the world and 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 or just a certain period of time that is not necessarily fixed, as she gazed longingly upon the Thus Come One. She could not bear to leave the Buddha. For instance, there is no rope but now it seems as if there is a rope that tied her to the image, which is a longing. She did not want to leave the image of Thus Come One Enlightenment-Flower Samadhi Self-Mastery King.
Suddenly a voice in the air said...This is a time when the Brahman woman is concentrated in body and mind, without other false thoughts, other than the longing for Buddha and the thought of missing the Buddha nature. Her mind could be said to be pure at this time. At this time, a voice came out of nowhere. What kind of sound was it? ‘O weeping worthy woman, although your mother committed offenses, you have your 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 sad! 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, faced the sky 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! You relieve me of sadness with such compassion; you comfort me so that I am not sad or worried. Virtue is a kind of compassionate virtue. Ever since the day I lost my mother, when she died, I have held her in memory day and night. I 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 me this body, so I should be filial to her. My mother passed away before I fulfilled my filial obligations. This is why I am especially sad.
Actually, “The trees wish to be still but the wind does not stop; the children wish to care for their parents, but they are gone.” The trees want to stop swinging for a while, but wind blows them back and forth. The trees wish to be still but the wind does not stop. The children wish to care their parent, 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 so extremely great, it is higher than the heavens.” The grace of our parents is higher than the heavens and thicker than earth. “I am very ashamed and sad that I was not filial to my mother. I do not have a place to ask about the realm of her rebirth.” I do not know whether my mother went 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, the spiritual being who relieved you of your sadness and worries, 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. I have come to show you where she is even though I have entered nirvana. You have moved me so much that I have come to tell you.’
Sutra:
“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.’
Commentary:
“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. She was very nervous. She seemed insane as she jumped toward the sky without regard 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 hit herself.
This Brahman woman must not know any kungfu or other martial arts. And she then fell, injuring herself severely. She broke her arms and legs. The four limbs are in segments; the arms are in two or three segments while the legs are 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. Since she fell so hard, she lost consciousness. She was revived after a while, waking up as if from a sleep. When her head cleared, she still remembers 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.’
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