The Feeling Skandha

VOLUME 8, Chapter 3

 

J10 Becoming attached to existence and indulging in lust.
K1 The characteristics of its beginning.

Sutra:

Further, in this state of samadhi, the good person sees the disintegration of the form skandha and understands the feeling skandha. He savors the state of illusory clarity, and it deeply enters his mind and bones. Boundless love may suddenly well forth from his mind. When that love becomes extreme, he goes insane with greed and lust.

K2 Giving its name and instructions to awaken.

This is called 'when an agreeable state of samadhi enters one's mind, lacking the wisdom to control oneself and mistakenly engaging in lustful behavior.' If he understands, then there is no error. This experience does not indicate sagehood.

Commentary:

Further, in this state of samadhi, when the cultivator has attained the samadhi of the feeling skandha, the good person sees the disintegration of the form skandha, the form skandha is gone, and he understands the feeling skandha, being clear about it. He savors the state of illusory clarity which he has already attained, and now it deeply enters his mind and bones. A mental transformation may suddenly occur. What transformation? A boundless, immeasurable love may suddenly well forth from his mind.

This is like a certain person who says he loves everyone. He has the kind of temperament being discussed. When that love and desire in his mind build up and become extreme, he goes insane with greed and lust. He cannot control his emotions. When he goes crazy, he is just like the woman Liu Jintong I mentioned earlier. Seeing a man, she would hug him, and cry, and make all sorts of seductive gestures. She was an example of this type of demon. How could the average man remain unmoved by such tricks?

After she had confused him, she would tell him, "Take this amount of money and buy me that piece of jewelry," and he would say, "Okay, okay." Then she would say, "Take that amount of money and buy me that other thing," and he would agree to do it. Why? Simply because she engaged in lust with the man, and he was taken in by her demonic power. Here, when the love becomes extreme, the person goes insane with greed and lust. Lust arises from greed.

This is called "when an agreeable state of samadhi enters one's mind, lacking the wisdom to control oneself and mistakenly engaging in lustful behavior." A state of samadhi, with light ease and compliance, comes into his mind, but he lacks the wisdom to control his emotions and desire, and ends up indulging in all manner of lust. If he understands, then there is no error.

This is only a temporary and occasional state. He should understand that this experience is a demonic state and does not indicate sagehood. If you understand, then it's all right. It is just to be feared that you do not recognize the state when you are in it, and you fall into an inescapable maze of confusion.

K3 Showing how confusion will certainly bring a fall.

Sutra:

But if he considers himself a sage, then a demon of desire will enter his mind. He will become an outspoken advocate of lust, calling it the Way to Bodhi. He will teach his lay followers to indiscriminately engage in acts of lust, calling those who commit acts of lust his dharma heirs.

The power of spirits and ghosts in the Ending Age will enable him to attract a following of ordinary, naive people numbering one hundred, two hundred, five or six hundred, or as many as one thousand or ten thousand.

When the demon becomes bored, it will leave the person's body. Once the person's charisma is gone, he will run afoul of the law. He will mislead living beings, so that they fall into the Relentless Hells. Lacking proper samadhi, he will certainly fall.

Commentary:

But if he considers himself a sage, if he views this as the realization of sagehood, then because his views are mistaken, a demon of lust and desire will enter his mind and possess him. He will become an outspoken advocate of lust, calling it the Way to Bodhi. He will talk of nothing but lust. It is like a certain religion in America that promotes polygamy. They say, "The more wives you have, the better." They are just like this demon, who promotes lust and appeals to people's desires by saying, "It's all right to have more wives; it doesn't matter. That's the way of Bodhi, so the more wives you have the better!"

He will teach his lay followers to indiscriminately engage in acts of lust. He says, "Don't discriminate between one another. Let's all get together and have an orgy!" Not caring whether it is their own wife or someone else's, they just do as they please. In America, there's a wife-swapping fad where everybody exchanges wives. This is similar to the kind of activity that this type of demon engages in, calling those who commit acts of lust his dharma heirs.

These people who engage in lustful conduct with him will be his "dharma heirs" who carry on his dharma; they will receive his dharma transmission. The power of demonic ghosts, deviant spirits and deviant ghosts in the time of the Dharma-ending Age, will enable him to attract and confuse a following of ordinary, naive, ignorant people, numbering one hundred, two hundred, five or six hundred, or as many as one thousand or ten thousand. Eventually, when the demon king becomes bore, what happens? It will leave the person's body. What do you suppose happens when it leaves his body? He will no longer have spiritual powers.

Once the person's charisma is gone, he will run afoul of the law. His charisma came from his spiritual powers. The demon king had spiritual powers, but now the demon king has left, so he no longer has spiritual powers. What do you suppose happens? He will violate the laws of the country. Before, when he had spiritual powers, the demon could help him escape the authorities.

But when the demon leaves, and this ordinary person carries on as before, he will immediately break the law. People will find out that he is a crooked teacher who has been duping his followers and deluding them with strange incantations. Since he has broken the law, he will be arrested and executed. He will mislead living beings, so that they will not find the proper path and will fall into the Relentless Hells. Lacking proper samadhi, he will certainly fall in the Avichi Hell as well.

I3 Conclusion on the harm, and command to offer protection.
J1 Showing how this happens due to interaction.

Sutra:

Ananda, all ten of these states may occur in dhyana as one's mental effort interacts with the feeling skandha.

J2 Confusion will bring harm.

Dull and confused living beings do not evaluate themselves. Encountering such situations, in their confusion they fail to recognize them and say that they have become sages, thereby uttering a great lie. They will fall into the Relentless Hells.

Commentary:

Ananda, all ten of these states may occur in dhyana as one's mental effort interacts with the feeling skandha. Ananda! States like these which manifest in dhyana, "the stilling of thought," are all within the feeling skandha, interacting with one's mental effort. These events are a result of the various interactions that happen as one works hard at his cultivation.

Dull and confused living beings do not evaluate themselves. They do not reflect within and take stock of themselves. Encountering such situations, in their confusion they fail to recognize them. They do not recognize who they are, and they say that they have already become sages. They say that they have attained what they have not attained and have been certified to what they have not been certified to. They claim they have already attained the Way and become certified as sages when they have not, thereby uttering a great lie. They will certainly fall into the Relentless Hells.

J3 Command to offer protection.

Sutra:

In the Dharma-ending Age, after my nirvana, all of you should pass on the Tathagata's teachings, so that all living beings can awaken to their meaning. Do not let the demons of the heavens have their way. Offer protection so that all can realize the Unsurpassed Way.

Commentary:

Ananda, in the Dharma-ending Age, after my nirvana, all of you should pass on the Tathagata's teachings. Take these words which the Buddha has spoken, and pass them on, so that all living beings can awaken to their meaning. Let them all hear these principles, understand them, and awaken to them. Do not let the demons of the heavens have their way. Do not give them an opportunity to disturb those people. Offer protection so that all these living beings can realize the Unsurpassed Way.

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