Today, it is a pleasure to present selections from Chapter 7, “The Six Planes of Existence Caused by Unenlightenment,” in the Surangama Sutra translated by Upasaka Lu K’uan Yu.
The Six Planes of Existence Caused by Unenlightenment The Six States of Living Beings in Samsàra
“After hearing the Buddha’s disclosure of the Sitataprata’s esoteric Seal, and of the Whole Truth, as the titles of this sutra, Ananda and the assembly instantly awakened to (the state of) dhyana, the practice of which could lead to the holy stages and increase their understanding of the profound doctrine, so that they could wipe out all the troubles derived from (the first) six classes of delusion in the three realms of existence.
Ananda then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha, brought his palms together and said: ‘O August and World Honored One, Your compassionate voice has revealed so skillfully to us the subtle delusions of all living beings for my great benefit, thereby bringing great comfort to my body and mind. World Honored One, if this Bright and pure Absolute Mind were essentially perfect, then even the great Earth, plants and trees (namely inanimate things) as well as wriggling worms and all beings possessing life (namely sentient beings) would be the fundamental Bhutatathata [the unchanging essence of all things] which is but the Tathagata’s real substance in the state of Buddhahood. If the Buddha’s substance were true and real, how could there also be the world of hells, hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, men and devas? World Honored One, are these worlds fundamentally self-existent or do they arise because of living beings’ vicious habit of dwelling in falsehood?
World Honored One, let me illustrate what I mean. The Bhiksuni “Fragrance of the Precious Lotus,” after receiving the rules of Bodhisattva discipline, fornicated and pretended that it was neither killing nor stealing and was, therefore, not subject to karmic retribution. As a result, after her genital organ had been slowly scorched by the flame (of passion), she fell into the unintermittent hell. King Crystal massacred men of the Gautama clan, and Bhiksu Sanaksatra wrongly preached the annihilation of all things (and so implied that the law of causality was invalid). Both, as a result of their (evil) acts, fell into the avici hell. Are these hells really somewhere, or are they self-existing for every sinner to suffer in them? Will you be compassionate enough to enlighten us so that those who observe the precepts know what they imply and do not break them?’
The Buddha said: ‘It is good that you ask this question for the benefit of all living beings so that they cease to hold wrong views. Listen attentively to what I now tell you.
Ananda, all living beings are fundamentally pure, but because of their wrong views, they have formed vicious habits, hence their inner and outer affections.
Ananda, inner affection concerns their inwardnesses. Because of the taint of desire, they give rise to wrong passions, the accumulation of which produces the water of craving. This is why the thought of good food makes the mouth water; the thought of a predecessor whom one pities or hates fills one’s eyes with tears; the craving for wealth stirs one’s heart and makes saliva flow and the body sleek. When the mind gives rise to sexual desire, the generative fluid flows from the male and female organs. Ananda, although these desires differ, their manifestations are all characterized by the secretion of water which, by nature, flows down hill instead of up. This is inner affection.
Ananda, outer affection concerns living beings externally. Their keen desires produce illusory thoughts which, by continuous pursuit, become overwhelming. Thus the mind bent on strict observance of the precepts makes the body light; the mind concentrated on incantations (mantra) and mystic gestures (mudra) gives a virile and resolute air; the mind set on rebirth in the Heaven of gods brings dreams in which the practioner seems to fly upwards; the mind concentrated on the Buddha-land causes holy realms to appear; and real devotion to a religious counselor (kalyanamitra) leads to the willing sacrifice of even one’s own life. Ananda, although these thoughts differ, all these manifestations are, by nature, characterized by a lightness of body which soars up instead of sinking down so that they leap over their (present) states. This is outer affection.
Ananda, in the round of births and deaths in Samsara, birth is caused by the habits (of passions) and death by the flow of (retributive) transformation. (This is why) at the moment of death and before the heat completely leaves the body, all good and evil deeds of a lifetime suddenly reappear to someone who is dead but on the point of being reborn.
The realm of devas
“If his mind is wholly thoughtful, it will fly in the air, and he will be reborn in Heaven. If in this flight it is filled with blessedness and wisdom strongly sustained by his pure vow, it will open to let him behold the pure lands of all Buddhas in the ten directions; he will be reborn there as a result of his vow.”
The realm of seers (rsi) and spirits
“If his mind is more thoughtful than passionate, it will not be light enough for him to fly to distant places; he will be reborn as a flying rsi, a powerful king of ghosts, a flying yaksa or an earthbound raksasa. He will be able to roam freely in the Heavens of the four deva kings. If he is good-natured and has taken a vow to protect my Dharma and those who observe the precepts, repeat the mantras, meditate and realize patient endurance, he will dwell beneath the throne of the Tathagata.”
The realm of human beings
“If his thoughts and passions are in equal proportions, he will neither rise nor sink, but will be reborn in the realm of human beings where his intelligence comes from the clearness of his thoughts and his stupidity from the dullness of his passions.”
The realm of animals
“If his passions exceed his thoughts, he will be reborn in the realm of animals where great passions create creatures with hair and fur and mild passions produce winged and feathered creatures.”
The realm of hungry ghosts
“If his passions and thoughts are in the proportion of seven to three, he will sink into the wheel of water close to the region of fire, will endure intense heat and be reborn as a hungry ghost whose body is constantly scorched by heat and drowned in water, so that he will suffer from hunger and thirst for hundreds and thousands of aeons.”’”
