The Thinking Skandha

VOLUME 8, Chapter 4

 

K6 Giving the name, and pointing out the harm.

Sutra:

This is a poisonous ghost or an evil paralysis ghost that in its old age has become a demon. It disturbs and confuses the good person. But when it tires of doing so, it will leave the other person's body. Then both the disciples and the teacher will get in trouble with the law.

Commentary:

This is a poisonous ghost or an evil paralysis ghost, also known as a kumbhanda ghost, that in its old age has become a demon. It disturbs and confuses the good person who cultivates samadhi. But when it tires of doing so, it will leave the other person's body. Then both the disciples and the teacher will get in trouble with the law. The authorities intervene and impose restrictions upon the disciples and the teacher. They are arrested and imprisoned.

K7 Instructions to be aware and not become confused.

Sutra:

You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand, you will fall into the Relentless Hells.

Commentary:

You should be aware of this well in advance and not get caught up in the cycle of transmigration. Don't fall into the demon king's snare. If you are confused and do not understand, you certainly will fall into the Relentless Hells.

J5 Greed for spiritual responses.
K1 Samadhi leads to craving and seeking.

Sutra:

Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after the feeling skandha is gone, this good person is untroubled by any deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration. Within samadhi, his mind craves revelations from afar, so he pours all his energy into this intense investigation as he greedily seeks for imperceptible spiritual responses.

Commentary:

Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after the feeling skandha is gone, this good person who cultivates samadhi is untroubled by any deviant mental state and experiences perfect bright concentration. At that time he is no longr vulnerable to possession by demons or externalists. Within samadhi, his mind suddenly craves revelations from afar.

"Revelations from afar" refers to knowledge of what is happening, no matter how far away. For instance, he might be in San Francisco and want to know what is happening in New York. If he can know about it, he has experienced what is called a revelation from afar. So he pours all his energy into this intense investigation as he greedily seeks for imperceptible spiritual responses. He intensifies his investigation of this matter of faraway revelations, seeking for psychic responses.

For example, as soon as he sits in meditation in San Francisco, he may be able to see clearly what his relatives and friends are doing in New York, and hear clearly what they are saying. Later, he finds out that what he saw and heard is exactly what was really happening at the time. That's the kind of spiritual response he would like to attain.

K2 A demon dispatches a deviant force to possess a person.

Sutra:

At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as a mouthpiece to expound the sutras and the dharma.

Commentary:

At that time a demon from the heavens notices that your samadhi is about to be perfected, and it becomes jealous. It seizes the opportunity it has been waiting for and sends its demon descendant there to wait for an opening. As soon as it sees a chance, its spirit possesses another person and uses him as a mouthpiece to expound the sutras and the dharma.

K3 The person who is possessed causes trouble.

Sutra:

This person, completely unaware that he is possessed by a demon, claims he has reached unsurpassed nirvana. When he comes to see that good person who seeks revelations, he arranges a seat and speaks the dharma. He briefly appears to his listeners in a body that looks a hundred or a thousand years old.

They experience a defiling love for him and cannot bear to part with him. They personally act as his servants, tirelessly making the four kinds of offerings to him. Each member of the assembly believes that this person is his former teacher, his original good and wise advisor. They give rise to love for his dharma and stick to him as if glued, feeling they have obtained something unprecedented.

Commentary:

This is really dangerous. This person, completely unaware that he is possessed by a demon, claims he has reached unsurpassed nirvana. He claims he has been certified when he has not and that he has attained what he has not. He hasn't attained unsurpassed nirvana, but claims he has. When he comes to see that good person who greedily seeks revelations from afar and imperceptible spiritual responses, he arranges a seat and speaks the dharma.

He, the person possessed by the demon, briefly appears to his listeners in a body that looks a hundred or a thousand years old. You should know that this vision is temporary. When the people in the assembly see him with the white hair of an old man and the skin of a child, they think he must be an old cultivator, an old bhikshu. They experience a defiling love and cannot bear to part with him. This defiling love refers to a devotion that stains and pollutes them. Once there is love, there is defilement. With defilement, you lose purity.

All the listeners want to follow this demon day and night. Why? They are deluded by its charisma. They personally act as his slaves and servants, tirelessly making the four kinds of offerings to him. The four kinds of offerings are:

1. food and drink,
2. clothing,
3. bedding and sitting mats, and
4. medicine.

They never grow weary of making such offerings to him. Again, one wonders why. A genuine cultivator, a true disciple of the Buddha, will not have people draw near him and serve him in this way. It is only because the demon has a kind of charisma that everyone draws near him and likes to stay with him.

Each member of the assembly believes that this person is his former teacher. They get so confused that each believes the possessed person was his original good and wise advisor. They think, "Oh! He was my teacher in the past!" They give rise to love for his dharma and stick to him as if glued, feeling they have obtained something unprecedented. "It's never been like this before," they think.

[January 1983]

She does whatever he tells her to do. It's not as simple as making the four kinds of offerings of food, clothing, bedding, and medicines. She has to offer her body, mind, and life to him and engage in lust with him. The difference lies in the practice of lust. If a person has lust, then what he does is deviant. If he has no lust then he is proper.

You should never listen to a person who says, "When you are enlightened, you can do whatever you want including indulge in lust." Those are the words of a big demon king. Before you are enlightened, you may transgress the rules because you do not know any better. But if you say that you are enlightened, that you understand, and yet you deliberately transgress the rules and precepts, then what enlightenment have you obtained? It's as if you are driving in reverse.

People nowadays don't investigate true principles. All they know about is getting enlightened. They hear someone say that after he is enlightened, he doesn't have to follow the rules, so they repeat his words and say: "Oh! He doesn't have to follow any rules. Since he's enlightened, he can smoke, drink, play around with women, and do anything at all."

The most important thing is lust: if he has lust and he indulges, in impure conduct all the time, then he's a demon. If he is not greedy for money and he is free of lust, then he is genuine. In this case, he announces to those he meets, 'In a former life you were my wife," or "You were the empress," or "You were my such and such when I was the emperor," and so forth; he makes these statements in order to arouse lust in people. By doing this in public, he hopes to cheat people and exploit the situation. Again, one wonders why. A genuine cultivator, a true disciple of the Buddha, will not have people draw near him and serve him in this way. It is only because the demon has a kind of charisma that everyone draws near him and likes to stay with him.

K4 The cultivator becomes deluded and confused.

Sutra:

The good person is beguiled and fooled into thinking the other is a Bodhisattva. Attracted to the other's thinking, he breaks the Buddha's moral precepts and covertly indulges his greedy desires.

Commentary:

The good person is beguiled and fooled to the utmost into thinking that because the other person can transform himself, he is a Buddha or a Bodhisattva. Fox spirits can display transformations and so can goblins, demons, ghosts, and weird creatures. But it never occurs to him that the ability to transform does not necessarily mean someone is a Bodhisattva or a Buddha. What good roots does he have to enable him to encounter real Bodhisattvas or Buddhas? Attracted to the other's thinking, he draws near the person who is possessed by the demon. He breaks the Buddha's moral precepts. This is the important point. How do we know he is a demon? We can tell from the fact that he breaks the precepts and covertly indulges his greedy desires by engaging in lust.

K5 The types of things he says.

Sutra:

He is fond of saying, "In a past life, in a certain incarnation, I rescued a certain person who was then my wife (or my mistress, or my brother). Now I have come to rescue you again. We will stay together and go to another world to make offerings to a certain Buddha." Or he may say, "There is a Heaven of Great Brilliance where a Buddha now dwells. It is the resting place of all Tathagatas." Ignorant people believe his ravings and lose their original resolve.

Commentary:

Whenever he sees someone, he is fond of saying the same things that Liu Jintong, whom I mentioned before, used to say. She would tell her victim that he had been her son in one past life and her husband in another past life. Now this person says, "In a past life, in a certain incarnation," perhaps in his hundred-and-first life or his hundred-and-second life, "I rescued a certain person who was then my wife,' or he says, "who was then my mistress," or, "who was then my brother," and so forth. "Now I have come to rescue you again. We will always stay together and never part. We will go to another world to make offerings to a certain Buddha."

Or he may say, "There is a Heaven of Great Brilliance that we are going to." Actually the heaven he refers to is the place where the demon king resides. He says, "It is the place where a true Buddha now dwells, and all the Buddhas you presently believe in are phony. It is the resting place of all Tathagatas. When they are tired from teaching and rescuing beings in the world, they go to the Heaven of Great Brilliance to rest." When those ignorant people hear him they believe his ravings, and as a result they lose their original resolve, which had been based on proper faith.

K6 Giving the name and pointing out the harm.

Sutra:

This is a pestilence ghost that in its old age has become a demon. It disturbs and confuses the good person. But when it tires of doing so, it will leave the other person's body. Then both the disciples and the teacher will get in trouble with the law.

Commentary:

This is a pestilence ghost that, after some three thousand or five thousand years, in its old age has become a demon. It disturbs and confuses the good person, attempting to destroy his samadhi power. But after a while, when it has played all its tricks and the game isn't new anymore, it tires of doing so. It becomes bored and will leave the other person's body. Then both the disciples and the teacher will get in trouble with the law. Once the demon goes, the person will lose all his awesomeness and charisma. Then people will start to doubt him. Eventually he will be taken to court and put in jail.

K7 Instructions to be aware and not become confused.

Sutra:

You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand, you will fall into the Relentless Hells.

Commentary:

You should be aware of this in advance. You should awaken to this principle beforehand and not get caught up in the cycle of transmigration. Don't fall into the demons' snare. Don't enter the demonic cycle of birth and death. If you are confused and do not understand this principle, you will fall into the Relentless Hells for sure.

J6 Greed for peace and quiet.
K1 Samadhi leads to craving and seeking.

Sutra:

Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after the feeling skandha is gone, this good person is untroubled by any deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration. Within samadhi, his mind craves deep absorption, so he restrains himself with energetic diligence and likes to dwell in secluded places as he greedily seeks for peace and quiet.

Commentary:

Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after the feeling skandha is gone, this good person who is cultivating samadhi is untroubled by any deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration. Within samadhi, his mind develops a craving. He craves deep absorption in that principle. So he restrains himself with energetic diligence and likes to dwell in secluded places as he greedily seeks for peace and quiet.

He maintains firm self-control and is very strict with himself. He puts great effort into cultivation. He likes to reside in places that are yin, lacking in sunlight. He prefers places where there aren't any people, perhaps a cave somewhere deep in the mountains or in some isolated valley. He picks a secluded spot, for he likes still and quiet places. Because he is too greedy for peace and quiet, demons will come.

In cultivation, people should not be greedy. Don't be greedy for good things, and don't be greedy for bad things. The ordinary mind is the Way. Just act ordinary, and don't be greedy. No matter what you may be greedy for, it's not right.

K2 A demon dispatches a deviant force to possess a person.

Sutra:

At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as a mouthpiece to expound the sutras and the dharma.

Commentary:

This is the same situation as before. At that time a demon king from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has been waiting for. When the chance comes, its spirit possesses another person and uses him as a mouthpiece to expound the sutras and the dharma. It sends a member of its demonic retinue to possess another person who then comes and speaks the sutras and the dharma for him.

K3 The demon?s words and deeds that mislead others.

Sutra:

This person, unaware that he is possessed by a demon, claims he has reached unsurpassed nirvana. When he comes to see that good person who seeks seclusion, he arranges a seat and speaks the dharma. He causes all of his listeners to think they know their karma from the past.

Or he may say to someone there, "You haven't died yet, but you have already become an animal." Then he instructs another person to step on the first person's 'tail' and suddenly the first person cannot stand up. At that point, all in the assembly pour out their hearts in respect and admiration for him. If someone has a thought, the demon detects it immediately.

He establishes intense ascetic practices that exceed the Buddha's moral precepts. He slanders bhikshus, scolds his assembly of disciples, and exposes people's private affairs without fear of ridicule or rejection. He is fond of foretelling calamities and auspicious events, and when they come to pass, he is not wrong in the slightest.

Commentary:

This person is unaware that he is possessed by a demon. He claims, as demon kings do, that he has reached unsurpassed nirvana. What proof is there that someone is a demon? For the most part, demons praise themselves.

They say, "Do you know me? I've already obtained nirvana." Or it may be, "I've realized the first fruition of Arhatship," or, "I've reached the fourth fruition of Arhatship;" or, 'I'm a Bodhisattva now. Do you recognize me?"

As soon as someone talks like that you don't have to ask to know he is a demon. A Buddha would never say, "I'm a Buddha. Hurry up and bow to me. If you don't bow now, you'll miss your chance. Since I'm a Buddha, you're really stupid if you don't bow to me." Anyone who claims to be a Buddha, a Bodhisattva, or an Arhat is nothing but a demon. You can know immediately, without question, that it is a demon talking.

A Buddha would never say he was a Buddha. A Bodhisattva who has come into the world would never say he was a Bodhisattva. Even if other people said he was a Bodhisattva, he would not admit it. Even if he were a Buddha, and someone said, "Yes, I know you are a Buddha," he would not acknowledge it. One who is truly enlightened would not admit to that either. If someone says, "I'm enlightened," don't be taken in by him, he doesn't even measure up to a dog. Don't listen to his bluster and self-aggrandizing.

Listen to sutras so that you can have a demon-spotting mirror. Then when demons, ghosts, and weird beings show themselves, you will recognize them. But if you don't understand the Buddhadharma. you will not know what they are saying, and you will be cheated by them. When he, the person who has been possessed by the demon, comes to see that good person who seeks seclusion, he arranges a seat and speaks the dharma.

[January 1983]

This "person" is referring to the cultivator, not to another person. He has been possessed by a demon, but he doesn't realize it. He thinks that he has really become enlightened and realized the fruition. He thinks, "What great spiritual skill I have now!" He is not aware of his own mistake. "When people come to see that good person." This phrase is referring to good men and women from outside, who come in quest of the dharma. They want to hear him speak the dharma because they know that he has spiritual powers. When they come, he arranges a seat and speaks the dharma to teach and transform them.

Now we are bringing up each person's opinion for everyone to look into, and we don't have to say which opinion is right and which one is wrong. We are studying true principles; true principles are real gold. Whatever does not agree with true principle is wrong. Why do I say that the Shurangama Sutra is real? Because it explains the principles so clearly and honestly that it exposes the demons from the heavens and those of external ways for what they are. It exposes those who pretend to be good and wise advisors, so they have no recourse but to claim that the Shurangama Sutra is false. They try to pass off fish eyes as pearls; they stir up confusion and then exploit the situation.

[January 1983, another day]

In this case, people from outside come and invite him. He doesn't go to them first. "When people come to see that good person" means people from outside approach the cultivator who seeks seclusion. They invite him to go explain the sutras and speak dharma, and then he goes. Do you understand? It is absolutely impermissible to alter the sutra text. This is the only meaning and there is no other explanation.

Any other explanation would not make sense; it would be a forced and artificial interpretation. He causes all of his listeners to think they know their karma from the past. Each person feels he knows, as if in a dream, what he was in his previous lives. One says, "Oh, in my last life I was a watchdog." Another person says, "In my previous life I was a cat." Someone else says, "In my past life I was a chicken." Another person says, "In my past life I was a cow." None of them were human beings.

Or he, the demon, may say to someone there, "You haven't died yet but you have already become an animal." What does he say? He says, "You were a dog in your past life, and even though you haven't died yet, you've become a dog again. Don't you believe me?" Then he instructs another person to step on the first person's 'tail.' He says to someone else, "He doesn't believe what I'm telling him. Go behind him and stand on his tail and then see if he can get up." Then that person stamps his foot on the ground and says he is standing the first person's tail, and suddenly the first person cannot stand up.

Wouldn't you say those were great spiritual powers? After the demon said the person had a tail and told someone to step on it, the person could not get up. The person has no choice but to believe. "He says I'm an animal, and now I really do have a tail. Otherwise, how could he step on it and prevent me from standing up?"

At that, all in the assembly pour out their hearts in respect and admiration for him. "It's magic," they say. "He knows the person is going to be an animal even before the person has died. He must be a Buddha or a living Bodhisattva." Actually, they've been duped by a ghost and don't even realize it. They see a ghost or a demon king, and mistake it for a Bodhisattva. Living beings are really upside down.

If someone has a doubt, the demon detects it immediately. Someone in the assembly may be skeptical and think, "How can that be? It isn't reasonable." As soon as he starts to doubt, the demon knows it and says, "So you don't believe me?" These people take one look, "Oh! He's really a Bodhisattva! I didn't say what was on my mind, and he knew about it He exposed my doubt. That's incredible." After that he doesn't dare to disbelieve.

He establishes intense ascetic practices that exceed the Buddha's moral precepts. He says, "The Buddha's vinaya is not enough. I'm establishing a new vinaya for you. I want you to be new Buddhas, and I am creating a new Buddhism. The previous one is obsolete and inapplicable. This is the scientific era, the nuclear age, and everything must be modernized and improved. The old way of thinking is no longer useful. The old Buddhism cannot be applied either." That is how he changes Buddhism, He says that people can be elders or bhikshus or anything they want.

[January 1983]

There are old-fashioned religions and trendy religions. No one believes in religions they consider old-fashioned, but everyone chases madly after trendy things. Of all the dharma spoken by the Buddha, the most important part is precepts. Nowadays, people consider the Buddha really old fashioned, and they want to find something more up-to-date. Their search takes them fight into the demon king's lair. None of the external sects are free from greed and desire. They are insatiable, and they desire to benefit themselves at the expense of others.

I cannot say that we at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas are definitely in accord with the proper dharma. Nevertheless, I ask each of you who has followed me for so many years: Have I ever asked you to hand your wealth and property over to the temple?

Why have I never done this? Because I'm very old-fashioned. I want to uphold and honor the precepts. The precepts tell us to give to others, not to demand that others give to us while we don't give anything to them.

At the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, our revenue comes very naturally. We don't scheme for contributions. We receive enough income as it is. If we were to try to cheat people of their money, how would we be any different from demons?

People who tell others to donate their personal and family wealth and their own lives and their families' lives to the Way-place are totally misguided. I'm not like them. I do not want anyone's wealth, nor do I desire any beautiful women. I want neither fame nor a good reputation. In fact, I have quite a notorious reputation, not a good one. The very mention of my name gives some people a headache, especially those goblins, demons, ghosts, and freaks.

He slanders bhikshus, saying, "Bhikshu? What's a bhikshu?" He makes fun of the name. He says, "You say he's a bhikshu? I say he's a bach!"

He also scolds his assembly of disciples. He scolds his disciples however he pleases. He may tell them, "You're a dog," or "You are a cat," or "You're a rat," or "You're a pig." The disciples hear his scolding and accept whatever he says, thinking he is a Bodhisattva. "You say I'm a pig, so I'm a pig." "You say I'm a dog, so I'm a dog." "You say I'm a cat, so I'm a cat." They don' dare talk back. This demon king has such tremendous power that he manages to delude people into believing everything he says.

And he exposes people's private affairs. For instance, a man and a woman may have done something indecent, and he will say to the woman, "You did such and such with a certain man in a certain place."

The woman thinks to herself, "How did he know?"

Or he may expose them in public, saying, "These two are despicable. They did something improper, something unspeakable, in such-and-such a place. Ask her about it, she wouldn't dare deny it." It turns out that they have in fact done it, and they don't dare to deny it. He does this to show people that he has spiritual powers and that he knows everything that is going on. He exposes their private matters without fear of ridicule or rejection. He divulges people's secrets and is not afraid that they will scorn him.

He is always fond of foretelling calamities and auspicious events. He likes to say things such as, "You'd better be careful. Tomorrow is going to be an unlucky day for you. Someone might try to poison you, so watch what you eat or you may die of poisoning." He foretells both unlucky and lucky events, and when they come to pass, he is not wrong in the slightest. When the events happen, they turn out to be exactly as he predicted. So how could people not believe in him? Such demon kings are far more efficacious than Bodhisattvas.

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