Destiny of Gods

VOLUME 7, Chapter 4

 

N2 Ministers of brahma heaven.

Sutra:

In those whose hearts of desire have already been cast aside, the mind apart from desire manifests. They have a fond regard for the rules of discipline and delight in being in accord with them. These people can practice the Brahma virtue at all times, and they are among those in the Heaven of the Ministers
of Brahma.

Commentary:

In those whose hearts of desire have already been cast aside, the mind apart from desire manifests. They have a fond regard for the rules of discipline and delight in being in accord with them. People by nature like food and sex. These habits are innate in them. But at this point, these beings have gotten rid of their habits of sexual desire. Since they don.t have desire, the mind apart from desire appears. They cultivate the precepts and the rules of awesome deportment. They like the precepts and follow them in their cultivation. These people can practice the Brahma virtue at all times, and they are among those in the Heaven of the
Ministers of Brahma. At all times and in all situations, they cultivate pure practices. Their conduct is virtuous and pure. .Brahma. means purity. These people are born in the second heaven of the first dhyana. As ministers, they aid the Great Brahma Heaven King.

N3 Great brahma heaven.

Sutra:

Those whose bodies and minds are wonderfully perfect, and whose awesome deportment is not in the least deficient, are pure in the prohibitive precepts and have a thorough understanding of them as well. At all times these people can govern the Brahma multitudes as great Brahma lords, and they are
among those in the Great Brahma Heaven.

Commentary:

Those whose bodies and minds are wonderfully perfect, in the matter of being without any thoughts of desire, and whose awesome deportment is not in the least deficient, are pure in the prohibitive precepts and have a thorough understanding of them as well. They are not lacking in any of the three thousand
awesome deportments or the eighty thousand minor aspects of conduct. They are perfect in them all. They uphold and are pure in all the precepts spoken by the Buddha. Not only do they hold them purely, they have a comprehensive understanding of them as well. They have enlightened to the appearance, substance, and dharma of the precepts. At all times these people can govern the Brahma
multitudes as great Brahma lords, and they are among those in the Great Brahma Heaven. When these people.s lives end, they are born in the heavens and they are able to rule the multitude in the Brahma Heavens.

M2 Concludes they are apart from suffering and their outflows are subdued.

Sutra:

Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will not be oppressed by any suffering or affliction. Although they have not developed proper samadhi, their minds are pure to the point that they are not moved by outflows. This is called the First Dhyana.

Commentary:

Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will not be oppressed by any suffering or affliction. The three superior levels are the Heaven of the Multitudes of Brahma, the Heaven of the Ministers of Brahma, and the Great Brahma Heaven. These are transcendent levels the heavens of the first dhyana in which suffering and affliction do not harass one. Although they have not developed proper samadhi although they don't understand the Buddhadharma and are not cultivating the proper concentration power their minds are pure to the point that they are not moved by outflows. They hold the precepts purely, and within the purity of their minds they are not moved by outflows. They don.t give rise to faults. They don't get involved in the endless desires of the material world such as food, clothing, and all the objects of desire. Those are all outflows. The inhabitants of
these heavens don.t have any of these weaknesses, afflictions, habits, or faults. This is called the First Dhyana. In cultivating the Way, your pulse stops if you reach the first dhyana. If you want to know whether you have any skill, check out your pulse. That's a sign of this level, which is the first step in cultivation. It is not a
lofty state.

L2 Second dhyana heavens.
M1 Explains three heavens with different characteristics.
N1 Lesser light heaven.

Sutra:

Ananda, those beyond the Brahma heavens gather in and govern the Brahma beings, for their Brahma conduct is perfect and fulfilled. Unmoving and with settled minds, they produce light in profound stillness, and they are among those in the Heaven of Lesser Light.

Commentary:

Ananda, those beyond the Brahma heavens gather in and govern the Brahma beings, for their Brahma conduct is perfect and fulfilled. Those at the next level above the Heaven of the Multitudes of Brahma, the Heaven of the Ministers of Brahma, and the Great Brahma Heaven are capable of governing and gathering in the beings in these three heavens. That.s because they have perfectly learned the pure Brahma practices. Unmoving and with settled minds, they produce light in profound stillness. Their minds are tranquil and calm they are unmoving. When there is stillness and profound tranquility, a kind of light will eventually emerge. These heavenly beings are among those in the Heaven of Lesser Light.

N2 Limitless light heaven.

Sutra:

Those whose lights illumine each other in an endless dazzling blaze shine throughout the realms of the ten directions so that everything becomes like crystal. They are among those in the Heaven of Limitless Light.

Commentary:

Those whose lights illumine each other in an endless dazzling blaze shine throughout the realms of the ten directions so that everything becomes like crystal. Their lights shine on one another. They illumine each other. Have you ever noticed how compatible lights are? There aren't any that won't unite. If you have light and someone else has light, the two lights will not contend. They will not fight with each other. Really. Lights don't fight. It's never the case that a big light will bully a smaller light. There's no fuss among lights. That's what's being described here by
the phrase, the lights illumine each other. The combined illumination of these lights is infinite. It reaches throughout the ten directions, and everything seems to turn into crystal. These heavenly beings are among those in the Heaven of Limitless
Light.

N3 Light sound heaven.

Sutra:

Those who take in and hold the light to perfection accomplish the substance of the teaching. Creating and transforming the purity into endless responses and functions, they are among those in the Light-Sound Heaven.

Commentary:

Those who take in and hold the light to perfection accomplish the substance of the teaching. Together they obtain and uphold these lights and in this way perfect the substance of the teaching. In the Light-Sound Heaven, the beings do not have to
speak out loud to communicate with one another. They use light for their voices. They communicate by means of their lights. They don.t speak with their mouths; they don't use language. Thus, light is the substance of teaching in that heaven. That's really a case of this:

The mind understands without a word being said.

When they shine on each other in that heaven, each knows what the other is communicating. Their ideas are transmitted by means of the light. Creating and transforming the purity into endless responses and functions, they are among those in the Light- Sound Heaven. The function of their light is infinite.

M2 Concludes they are apart from worries and their outflows are subdued.

Sutra:

Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will not be oppressed by worries or vexations. Although they have not developed proper samadhi, their minds are pure to the point that they have subdued their coarser outflows. This is called the Second Dhyana.

Commentary:

Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will not be oppressed by worries or vexations. In the heavens of the first dhyana, they were not oppressed by suffering or affliction. However, they still were subject to worry. If something came up, they had a bit of a hard time putting it all down. They got hung up in things. But now, in the second dhyana heavens, there is no worry, and there aren't any hang-ups. Not to be oppressed. means that they don't give rise to worry within. They don't even have any internal hang-ups. They are a far cry from ordinary people, who get hung up on everything that comes along and spend all day from
morning to night worrying about something or other. Hang-ups are otherwise known as .impeding obstructions. Although they have not developed proper samadhi, their minds are pure to the point that they have subdued their coarser outflows. These heavenly beings have not been intent upon cultivating proper samadhi. But they do have a certain level of attainment when it comes to the purity of their minds. Their coarse outflows are under control. But they still haven.t been able to deal with the subtler outflows. On the surface of things, then, the gods in the second dhyana heavens appear to be without any worry and hang-ups.

When people who cultivate the Way sit in meditation and enter the second dhyana, their breath will cease. In the first dhyana, the pulse stops. In the second, the breath stops. Now although it is said that they cease, do you remember what I just told you about the young boy and girl? The skill which the Taoists develop and that which Buddhists develop have certain basic similarities. They are largely the same, with minor differences. If someone.s pulse stops, doesn.t that just means he or she is dead? No, not in this case, because, although the external evidence of a pulse is gone, the pulse of the self-nature within is active. The same applies to the breath.
The true breath and pulse of the self-nature awaken and take over, so the coarse, physical pulse can stop. In the same way, when the external evidence of breath ceases in the second dhyana, it does not mean that the cultivator has died. He's entered the samadhi of the second dhyana and has obtained a certain purity and bliss. Still, it's only his coarser outflows which are under control. It.s not the case that all outflows are extinguished at this level. This is called the Second Dhyana.

L3 Third dhyana heavens.
M1 Explains three heavens.
N1 Lesser purity heaven.

Sutra:

Ananda, heavenly beings for whom the perfection of light has become sound and who further open out the sound to disclose its wonder discover a subtler level of practice. They penetrate to the bliss of still extinction and are among those in the Heaven of Lesser Purity.

Commentary:

Ananda, heavenly beings for whom the perfection of light has become sound and who further open out the sound to disclose its wonder discover a subtler level of practice. For them, perfect light has become sound, and when they distinguish this sound more clearly, it reveals a subtle and wonderful level of practice. They penetrate to the bliss of still extinction by means of this subtle and wonderful practice. Still extinction is the absence of thought. Their minds and natures are in still extinction, and they are among those in the Heaven of Lesser Purity. These gods are in the Heaven of Lesser Purity. They have obtained a small amount
of genuine purity. It's not total purity.

N2 Limitless purity heaven.

Sutra:

Those in whom the emptiness of purity manifests are led to discover its boundlessness. Their bodies and minds experience light ease, and they accomplish the bliss of still extinction. They are among those in the Heaven of Limitless Purity.

Commentary:

Those in whom the emptiness of purity manifests are led to discover its boundlessness. They obtain genuine purity and afterward can discover the principle of emptiness. Knowing about emptiness, they are led to discover the boundlessness of purity. The purity has no end. Their bodies and minds experience light ease,
and they accomplish the bliss of still extinction. At that time they are truly free; they have self-mastery. They have truly arrived at the wonderful existence within true emptiness and the true emptiness within wonderful existence. Something takes place then that most people do not know can happen. Most people are greedy for external forms, and so they flow out.

Their nature flows out into emotion;
Their emotions flow out into desires.

The thought of sexual desire is produced. They become fixed in the notion that they must find a partner. Then they let the fire of their desire catch hold and become spent in external seeking. That's sex. But is it really necessary for there to be an external form in order to have this experience? No. Within true emptiness there is true form. If you understand, then true form is just true emptiness. You can
perceive true emptiness and wonderful existence right within this.

The Heart Sutra says:

Form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does
not differ from form. Form is just emptiness; emptiness is
just form.

The bliss of still extinction the principle of emptiness is tens of millions of times more intense than the bliss derived from seeking external forms. If you want that experience, though, you must first stop your involvement with external forms. If you don't stop your involvement with external forms, the true emptiness within you
cannot manifest. Here, these heavenly beings have been led to discover the
endlessness of purity and their bodies and minds experience light ease. This is to reach the level where, Form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does
not differ from form. Form is just emptiness; emptiness is
just form.

You cannot fake this. You can't say you.ve reached this level if you haven.t. It can't be experienced through mere words; it only counts if you are really there, just as only the person who drinks a glass of water knows if the water is cold or warm. These beings who have accomplished the bliss of still extinction are among those in the
Heaven of Limitless Purity.

N3 Pervasive purity heaven.

Sutra:

Those for whom the world, the body, and the mind are all perfectly pure have accomplished the virtue of purity, and a superior level emerges. They return to the bliss of still extinction, and they are among those in the Heaven of Pervasive Purity.

Commentary:

Those for whom the world, the body, and the mind are all perfectly pure have accomplished the virtue of purity. In the heaven discussed previously, only the body and mind experienced total purity. The beings in the heaven now discussed have accomplished their skill to the point that they can change the world itself. This world is basically impure, but they can transform it into a pure one. The principle here is the same one expressed in the saying:

The mind is itself the Pure Land;
The self-nature is Amitabha Buddha.

If your mind is pure, the Buddhalands are pure. If your mind is not pure, you do not perceive the purity of the Buddhalands, either. If you.re in the Land of Ultimate Bliss itself but do nothing but cry all day long, then there's no bliss. If you're in the Saha world and you are happy from morning to night, then you're like the Bodhisattvas
of the ground of happiness. The principle here is that .everything is made from the mind alone. It just remains to be seen if you can see through it all and put it down. If you can, you obtain comfort selfmastery. If you can't see through everything and put it down, you won.t experience comfort. When these gods reach the point that they can purify the world, their bodies, and their minds, the purity and light of the virtuous
nature is brought to perfection. Then a superior level emerges. How is this superior level to be described? This is something experienced in the mind. They return to the bliss of still extinction, and they are among those in the Heaven of Pervasive Purity. There isn't any place that isn.t true. They can purify
everything in the entire dharma-realm.

previous    next    Contents

Volume 7 pages:  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10    11    12    13    14    15  

16    17    18    19    20    21    22    23    24    25    26    27  

return to top