From Human Debt to the Summit of the Formless Realm

Sūtra: "Furthermore, Ānanda, once such beings, having become animals, have repaid their former debt — should the one repaid receive more than what was actually owed, these same beings, in turn, become human once more, and reclaim this same excess."

Commentary: As the Precious Mirror Commentary puts it: "human" means to endure — that is, able to bear patiently whatever favorable or adverse circumstance arises in this world. Speaking broadly of this human destiny, there are, in fact, several kinds; briefly, three distinctions: first, those who take the five precepts, together with a middling grade of goodness, as their direct cause, straightforwardly bringing about this same fruit; second, those who come from some superior class, such as a sage or worthy manifesting in this form, or an immortal or deva sent down in exile; and third, those who come from some evil destiny, such as hell, ghosts, animals, or asuras. This present passage, though, speaks specifically and solely of those who return to human form from the animal realm, unpacking this in detail.

As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: the human destiny serves as the common thoroughfare for advancing in cultivation, and every destiny alike wishes to attain it, seeking this swift transformation of the body. And so it is that every buddha accomplishes buddhahood only in the human realm. As Pei Xiu's own preface to the Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment puts it: settling the mind and its every thought, advancing toward bodhi — only the human path is truly capable of this! And, further, superior and inferior differ without limit: the wealthy, honored, and compassionate resemble the heavens; the intelligent resemble immortals; the harsh and violent resemble asuras; the foolish and deluded resemble animals; the poor and lowly resemble ghosts; and the imprisoned and bound resemble hell. Since there are so many resemblances as these, one thus knows that the places beings come from must, likewise, be many. This passage, too, follows this same order, and so specifically takes up those coming from the animal realm.

This passage rather resembles the remaining text of the animal-destiny section above; examining it again and again, since the account of the prior destiny has already been concluded, this ought properly to be this same passage carrying forward what precedes, giving this warning — hence it begins with "furthermore, Ānanda." Observing, within the text, these two meanings of reclaiming an excess and demanding a life, this is exactly how animals come to nourish life and become human once more. As for this word "warning": our own Buddha wishes to warn people not to whip and drive animals, using their strength to excess, harming and needlessly killing their bodies in anger. This matter of debt properly divides into two kinds: first, owing a debt of goods, reclaimed and repaid in turn; second, owing a debt of life, killed and eaten without end. "Once such beings, having become animals, have repaid their former debt" refers to this same debt of goods: once this former debt of goods is repaid, the debt is settled, and the two parties are no longer entangled with one another at all.

"Should the one repaid receive more than what was actually owed" — "excess" means surpassing; surpassing the portion actually owed. "These same beings, in turn, become human once more, and reclaim this same excess" means that, riding upon this same cause and condition, they, in turn, become human once more, reclaiming this excess left over from a former life. As the Standard Meaning Commentary asks: once the debt is repaid in full and this life comes to its end, or is transformed into some other kind of birth, then there is nothing left to exceed. But should the debt be repaid in full, and yet that being neither dies nor is transformed, how, then, could an ordinary mind ever know when to stop? The answer: should the animal not be properly fed, forced into improper labor, or driven and whipped to excess, this will certainly exceed what is owed — and so one ought, in this matter, take the greatest care; as for death and transformation, there is certainly some hidden, unseen ruler over this, and there is no need to trouble oneself over it.

Sūtra: "Should the one so reclaiming possess strength and, further, possess merit and virtue, then, remaining human, without giving up their human body at all, they repay that same strength owed; should they lack merit, though, they become an animal once more, to repay this same remaining debt."

Commentary: This speaks of repaying a debt of goods, distinguished according to whether one is superior or inferior. The superior repay it while remaining human; the inferior repay it by becoming an animal. "Should the one so reclaiming possess strength and, further, possess merit and virtue" — "that one" refers to the person being reclaimed from; "strength" refers to the power of wholesome karma, together with merit that makes one kind, and virtue that makes one worthy — such a person need not give up their own life at all, but, remaining within the human destiny, without giving up their human body, repays that same strength once claimed from them — this same excessive strength used in some former life. This is as when one is robbed by a thief, or a friend fails to repay some debt owed, and the like — this speaks in terms of the superior. "Should they lack merit" below speaks in terms of the inferior: lacking the power of wholesome karma, and lacking merit and virtue, one is unable to preserve one's own human body, and becomes an animal once more, whether driven into labor or sold away, repaying this same remaining debt from a former life — hence, "this same remaining debt."

As the Detailed Commentary puts it: this present excess, used to one's own satisfaction, becomes, in time to come, this same repayment, to one's own dissatisfaction — may every benevolent man and gentleman throughout this world, at the very moment they find themselves satisfied, take care to guard against a time of dissatisfaction yet to come. This closes the first section, reclaiming an excess owed.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, you should know: whether repaid in money or goods, or through labor demanded of them, once the debt is repaid in full, this naturally comes to a stop."

Commentary: This further makes plain that an excess debt is easily repaid, and that this reclaiming may readily come to a stop. "Ānanda, you should know" means borrowing Ānanda as a means of warning the people of this world. "Whether repaid in money or goods" means that, should the person being reclaimed from possess the power of wholesome karma, and not give up their human body, then this reclaiming amounts to no more than the use of their money or goods. Should they lack merit, though, they become an animal, and this same person now reclaiming from them makes use of their own bodily strength — hence, "or through labor demanded of them." Either way, this debt can be repaid in full, and this reclaiming will naturally come to a stop of itself, so long as it does not exceed what is actually owed.

Sūtra: "But should one, in the meantime, kill that same being's own life, or devour its own flesh, then, in just this way, across kalpas as numerous as motes of dust, they devour one another and slaughter one another in turn, exactly like a turning wheel, rising and falling in turn, without end."

Commentary: This makes plain, directly, how difficult it is to resolve a debt of life. Should one, in the meantime, kill that being's own life, and devour its own flesh and blood, then, in this way, life after life, across kalpas as numerous as motes of dust, this habitual grudge is difficult ever to forget. Flesh repaid with flesh, and so they come, in turn, to devour one another; life repaid with life, and so they come, in turn, to slaughter one another — this retribution repaid again and again, with no end in sight at all — exactly like a turning cart-wheel, becoming, in turn, human and animal, cycling higher and lower without any rest at all.

Sūtra: "Only śamatha, or a buddha's own appearance in the world, can ever bring this to a stop."

Commentary: This grants that only the Buddha-dharma is able to bring this to a halt. Śamatha is this same samādhi inherently possessed by one's own nature — the Dharma itself; and a buddha's own appearance in the world is this same bright lamp illuminating the world — the Buddha himself. Apart from this Dharma and this Buddha, nothing else can ever bring this to a stop. Śamatha opens this understanding, illuminating it fully — this same naturally, inherently possessed samādhi, turning falseness back into accord with truth, is able to bring this suffering karma of birth and death to a stop, making plain that liberation is attained through one's own power. Encountering a buddha's own appearance in the world, expounding the Dharma for the sake of sentient beings, is able to resolve this grudge accumulated across kalpas, making plain that liberation is attained through another's power. This is the Buddha's own intent in giving this warning: that one ought not indulge freely in killing life and eating flesh. This closes the first section, carrying forward what precedes with this warning.

Sūtra: "You should know this now: those of the owl-like kind, once their debt is repaid in full, return to human form, born within the human path, mixed in among the obstinate kind."

Commentary: "You should know this now" warns Ānanda, and everyone in this world besides, that one ought to know this clearly through wisdom: now that this animal retribution is exhausted, and one is fortunate enough to become human once more, one ought to awaken to this early, and not simply continue on relying on this same remaining habit, only to gain it and lose it again just as quickly — this phrase governs every section that follows, situated here at the start. "Those of the owl-like kind" refers to those who, in the past, because of this habit of confused delusion, became the strange ghost and then the owl-like kind: now, though their debt is already repaid in full, restoring their original human form — one thus sees that they originally came from the human path, fell into the three lower destinies, and, this offense in those three destinies now settled, are born once more within the human path — still carrying this same remaining habit, mixed in among the obstinate kind. "Obstinate" means evil and, further, foolish, unable to be transformed toward even the slightest good. "Mixed in among the obstinate kind" does not mean that these alone, exclusively, are all transformed from owls — the rest should be understood the same way.

Sūtra: "Those who were once ill-omened creatures, once their debt is repaid in full, return to human form, born within the human path, mixed in among the strange kind."

Commentary: You should know this now: those who were once ill-omened creatures, because, in the past, of this habit of lust, became the drought-demon ghost and then an ill-omened creature. Now, though their debt is already repaid in full, restoring their original human form — one thus sees that they originally came from the human path, fell into the three lower destinies, and, this offense in those three destinies now settled, are born once more within the human path — still carrying this same remaining habit, mixed in among the strange kind. The strange kind refers to those of an unusual, aberrant nature, such as one possessing both sexes at once, or whose sense-faculties run contrary to the ordinary.

Sūtra: "Those of the fox-like kind, once their debt is repaid in full, return to human form, born within the human path, mixed in among the mediocre kind."

Commentary: You should know this now: those of the fox-like kind, because, in the past, of this habit of fraud, became the charm ghost and then a fox. Now, though their debt is already repaid in full, restoring their original human form — still carrying this same remaining habit, mixed in among the mediocre kind. The mediocre kind lack any spirit of rising above the ordinary, fawning upon the world to seek their own glory, content to remain among the mediocre and lowly.

Sūtra: "Those of the venomous kind, once their debt is repaid in full, return to human form, born within the human path, mixed in among the ruthless kind."

Commentary: You should know this now: those of the venomous kind, because, in the past, of this habit of anger, became the venom-gu ghost and then some venomous creature. Now, though their debt is already repaid in full, restoring their human form — still carrying this same remaining habit, mixed in among the ruthless kind. The ruthless kind are harsh, violent, and self-willed, without the slightest trace of compassionate conduct at all.

Sūtra: "Those of the tapeworm-like kind, once their debt is repaid in full, return to human form, born within the human path, mixed in among the lowly kind."

Commentary: You should know this now: those of the tapeworm-like kind, because, in the past, of this habit of grudges, became the plague ghost and then a tapeworm-like creature. Now, though their debt is already repaid in full, restoring their human form — still carrying this same remaining habit, mixed in among the lowly kind. The lowly kind are of humble, base station — actors, entertainers, servants, and menials, who, though drawing close to other people, are given no real regard by them at all.

Sūtra: "Those of the kind bred for food, once their debt is repaid in full, return to human form, born within the human path, mixed in among the weak kind."

Commentary: You should know this now: those of the kind bred for food, because, in the past, of this habit of arrogance, became the hungry ghost and then a creature bred for food. Now, though their debt is already repaid in full, restoring their human form — still carrying this same remaining habit, mixed in among the weak kind. The weak kind are soft and timid by nature, bullied and oppressed by the world, unable ever to stand firmly on their own.

Sūtra: "Those of the kind put to service, once their debt is repaid in full, return to human form, born within the human path, mixed in among the toiling kind."

Commentary: You should know this now: those of the kind put to service, because, in the past, of this habit of false accusation, became the nightmare ghost and then a creature put to service. Now, though their debt is already repaid in full, restoring their human form — still carrying this same remaining habit, mixed in among the toiling kind. The toiling kind labor without end, ceaselessly occupied in scraping together a living.

Sūtra: "Those of the seasonal, answering kind, once their debt is repaid in full, return to human form, born within the human path, mixed in among the cultured kind."

Commentary: You should know this now: those of the seasonal, answering kind, because, in the past, of this habit of wrong views, became the shade ghost and then a creature answering to the seasons. Now, though their debt is already repaid in full, restoring their human form — still carrying this same remaining habit, mixed in among the cultured kind. As the Combined Teachers Commentary puts it: the cultured kind possess some small talent, versed in letters and conforming to ritual, capable in their dealings with others, never out of proper order — yet not this greater cultivation that weaves together heaven and earth themselves.

Sūtra: "Those who were once creatures of good omen, once their debt is repaid in full, return to human form, born within the human path, mixed in among the clever kind."

Commentary: You should know this now: those who were once creatures of good omen, because, in the past, of this habit of deceit, became the servant ghost and then a creature of good omen. Now, though their debt is already repaid in full, restoring their human form — still carrying this same remaining habit, mixed in among the clever kind. The clever kind possess worldly wit and ready eloquence, fit for worldly use — yet not this greater brightness that observes the heavens above and surveys the earth below.

Sūtra: "Those of the compliant kind, once their debt is repaid in full, return to human form, born within the human path, mixed in among the worldly-wise kind."

Commentary: You should know this now: those of the compliant kind, because, in the past, of this habit of litigation, became the courier ghost and then a compliant creature. Now, though their debt is already repaid in full, restoring their human form — still carrying this same remaining habit, mixed in among the worldly-wise kind. As the Consecration Commentary puts it: the worldly-wise kind are well versed in worldly affairs, thoroughly understanding human sentiment — yet not this greater wisdom that has fully explored both the ancient and the present. This closes the second section, listing each of these ten classes in detail.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, all of these, having repaid this old debt in full, return to human form once more — yet all of this, from beginningless time onward, is nothing but this same distorted reckoning of karma, generating and destroying one another in turn. Not meeting a Tathāgata, not hearing the true Dharma, they turn, of their own accord, within this dust and toil — these beings are truly beings to be pitied."

Commentary: This warns that, having now attained a human body, one ought to remember how difficult it is to attain a human body, and how easily it is lost — one ought truly to treasure and cherish it! "All of these, having repaid this old debt in full, return to human form once more" — "all of these" refers to these ten classes of human beings described above, all of whom, having repaid this debt accumulated across former lives in full, restore their original human form. "All of this, from beginningless time onward, is nothing but this same distorted reckoning of karma, generating and destroying one another in turn" refers to how, across countless lives, from beginningless time onward, this evil karma, this false reckoning, this manifold distortion, never forgets either this debt or this life owed — becoming, for the sake of reclaiming a debt, generated by one another, as when a person dies and becomes a sheep, and that sheep dies and becomes a person once more; and becoming, for the sake of demanding a life, destroyed by one another, as when you owe me my life, and I, in turn, repay you this same debt.

Not meeting a Tathāgata's own appearance in the world, not hearing any buddha's own true Dharma, repenting one's own wrongdoing and beginning anew — there is no condition here for liberation at all. "They turn, of their own accord, within this dust and toil" — this same dust belongs to delusion; wherever there is delusion, there must be karma; and wherever there is karma, there must be suffering — exactly like the akṣa-seed cluster, these three naturally never departing from one another — hence, "they turn, of their own accord." "These beings are truly beings to be pitied" — these beings, fortunate enough to have attained a human body, nonetheless find misfortune outweighing fortune, and suffering outweighing joy; should a single thought prove careless, in the blink of an eye they fall once more — with no path left open to rise to the immortals or the heavens, and the Buddha's own path forever cut off from them thereafter — hence, truly beings to be pitied. This closes the fourth section, the destiny of humans.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, there are, further, those who, coming from the human realm, do not rely on true awakening to cultivate samādhi, but cultivate instead some separate, false notion, fixing their own form through sheer concentration alone, roaming through mountains and forests, in places beyond human reach — there are ten kinds of such immortals."

Commentary: The Sanskrit word maṛci is here translated "immortal"; an immortal is one who shifts and moves on. Hence the Buddha tells Ānanda: there are, further, those coming from the human destiny — not these same ten classes described above, but those who, upon first attaining a human body, still carry these same remaining habits of these ten habitual causes. As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: only from this destiny of immortals onward do beings have no further connection with these ten habits at all! Wishing to seek the way of the immortal, dreading impermanence, imagining the body to abide forever, they withdraw into the mountains and forests. "Not relying on true awakening to cultivate samādhi" means not relying on this original mind of awareness, giving rise to this initial wisdom of awakening, and cultivating this great Śūraṅgama samādhi, thereby realizing this ultimate, indestructible principle — but, instead, separately cultivating some false notion, manipulating one's own vital essence and spirit, fixing one's own form through sheer concentration, seeking a long life that never dies. Little do they realize that, while seeking a long life may indeed be possible, seeking never to die at all is, in truth, nothing but empty talk — even should one live a thousand or ten thousand years, this amounts to no more than dying somewhat later than others.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, these beings, firm and unceasing in their reliance on ingested elixirs, perfect this path of diet — this is named the earth-walking immortal."

Commentary: "These beings" refers to those who separately cultivate this false basis; this phrase governs all ten sections together, situated here at the start. In the first five sections, this word "walking" is read in the level tone, referring to walking and moving on foot; in the last five sections, this same word is read in the departing tone, referring to the depth of one's own accomplished practice. "Firm and unceasing in their reliance on ingested elixirs" means fixing one's own bodily form firmly in concentration, relying on ingested medicinal elixirs — refining and preparing various substances into pills or cakes, ingesting them without cease, and thereby gaining their effect, called perfecting this path of diet. Not only does the whole body grow strong and healthy, and one's own years extended, but the body itself becomes light and one's own movement swift — hence, the earth-walking immortal, unable yet to rise into the sky. This, together with the four sections that follow, are distinguished according to how light or heavy, near or far, high or low, one's own walking becomes, thereby distinguishing superior from inferior.

Sūtra: "Firm and unceasing in their reliance on herbs and plants, they perfect this path of medicine — this is named the flying immortal."

Commentary: "Firm and unceasing in their reliance on herbs and plants" means fixing one's own bodily form firmly in concentration, relying on ingested herbs and plants. This differs from the ingested elixirs above only in whether the substance is raw or cooked; here, one does not eat cooked food at all, but ingests only the purple mushroom, the yellow essence root, pine needles, and cypress leaves, ingesting them without cease, and thereby gaining their effect, called perfecting this path of medicine. Walking as though flying, rising to great heights and crossing over ravines, the body lighter than before — hence named the flying immortal.

Sūtra: "Firm and unceasing in their reliance on metals and minerals, they perfect this path of transformation — this is named the wandering immortal."

Commentary: "Firm and unceasing in their reliance on metals and minerals" means fixing one's own bodily form firmly in concentration, relying on the boiling and refining of lead and mercury, the refining and cultivating of cinnabar, without cease. And so one is able to transform one's own form and change one's own bones, and to turn stone into gold, each attaining its own effect, called perfecting this path of transformation. Transcending the world to roam beyond it, and, through benefiting and rescuing others, roaming throughout the world besides — hence named the wandering immortal.

Sūtra: "Firm and unceasing in their reliance on movement and stillness, they perfect this path of vital energy and essence — this is named the sky-walking immortal."

Commentary: "Firm and unceasing in their reliance on movement and stillness" means fixing one's own bodily form firmly in concentration, relying on this same movement and stillness — movement to circulate the breath and regulate the body, stillness to nourish this essence and settle the spirit; moving and resting in due season, one's own daily conduct carefully observed. Through this circulation and nourishment, unceasing, one first refines this essence back into vital energy, then refines this vital energy back into spirit, and finally refines this spirit back into emptiness itself — and so both vital energy and essence are, together, transformed, form and spirit both made wondrous, called perfecting this path of vital energy and essence. Riding upon clouds and driving dragons, roaming through the empty sky — hence named the sky-walking immortal.

Sūtra: "Firm and unceasing in their reliance on bodily fluids, they perfect this path of moistening virtue — this is named the heaven-walking immortal."

Commentary: "Firm and unceasing in their reliance on bodily fluids" means fixing one's own bodily form firmly in concentration, relying on these same bodily fluids — that which rises upward is called this fluid, and that which is swallowed downward is called this liquid; that is, stirring this heavenly pool and swallowing this jade liquid, able to cause water to rise and fire to descend; continuing this without cease, water and fire come into balance, and this inner elixir is formed; inward and outward interfused, unencumbered by any external thing, called perfecting this path of moistening virtue. Riding correctly, commanding this vital energy, roaming through the heavens above — hence named the heaven-walking immortal.

As the Detailed Commentary puts it: of these five immortals above, the first two resemble, in their own tradition, the lesser vehicle, since they know only how to fix their own form firmly through concentration, entirely without any thought of benefiting others at all — distinguished from one another merely by whether cooked food is eaten or not. The latter three resemble, in their own tradition, the greater vehicle, since they, too, harbor this thought of benefiting others — yet, in their wandering, are still unable to forget the body itself, and so cannot reach far or rise to great heights. As for the sky-walking immortal, though form and spirit are both made wondrous, and one is able to rise to great heights and reach far distances, some measure of limitation still remains. But as for the heaven-walking immortal, this accords with the very virtue of heaven and earth themselves, this same function joined with the six vital forces, benefiting all things without ever ruling over them, dwelling within the very midst of the world while leaving no trace at all.

Sūtra: "Firm and unceasing in fixing the mind on refined essence, they perfect this path of absorbing this essence — this is named the communicating immortal."

Commentary: "Firm and unceasing in fixing the mind on refined essence" means fixing one's own mind firmly, seeking this refined essence — gathering the very essence of the sun and moon, ingesting the colored radiance of clouds and mist, practicing this without cease, until this pure vital energy secretly penetrates throughout — this purity being exactly this same essence of the sun, moon, clouds, and mist — called perfecting this absorption of this pure essence. Form transformed together with vital energy, spirit communicating together with all things, passing through metal and stone, treading through water and fire, moving freely without obstruction, communicating and interacting with the very process of creation itself — hence named the communicating immortal. As the Inner Biography of Emperor Wu of the Han records: when Dongfang Shuo encountered the yellow-browed elder, the elder said to him: "I abstain from grain and ingest this refined vital energy, turning once every three thousand years, reversing my own bones and washing my own marrow; turning once every three thousand years, stripping away my own skin and refining my own hair — in my own life, I have already washed my marrow three times, and refined my hair three times! And so I regard heaven and earth as but a mayfly, and see past and present as but a single morning and evening."

Sūtra: "Firm and unceasing in fixing the mind on mantras and restraints, they perfect this method of technique — this is named the way-walking immortal."

Commentary: "Firm and unceasing in fixing the mind on mantras and restraints" means fixing one's own mind firmly, holding to mantras and restraints — holding mantras, one extends one's own life and lengthens one's own years, protecting the nation and blessing its people; observing restraints, one halts one's own craving and restrains one's own desire, subduing demons and expelling evil spirits — practicing this without cease, and thereby gaining its effect, called perfecting this method of technique. Mantra refers to incantations and techniques; method refers to restraining practices — reciting mantras over dates or writing talismans to cure illness, restraining poison and driving out demons to benefit sentient beings. Taking up this path to nourish one's own body, and extending this same path to aid the world — hence named the way-walking immortal.

Sūtra: "Firm and unceasing in fixing the mind on thought and recollection, they perfect this same thought and recollection — this is named the illuminating immortal."

Commentary: "Firm and unceasing in fixing the mind on thought and recollection" means fixing one's own mind firmly, sunk in deep contemplation and still recollection, visualizing the crown of the head so that the spirit may emerge from it, and fixing the mind on the navel-wheel so as to refine the vital energy — that is, fixing the mind on the navel-wheel below, passing through the coccyx gate, rising to the double gates along the spine, all the way through to the very palace at the crown, thereby sending the spirit out through the very crown of the head; practicing this without cease, and thereby gaining its effect, called perfecting this same thought and recollection. The spirit moves freely in and out at will, this vital energy communicating both above and below, form and spirit reflecting and answering one another — hence named the illuminating immortal.

Sūtra: "Firm and unceasing in fixing the mind on sexual union, they perfect this response through it — this is named the essence-cultivating immortal."

Commentary: "Firm and unceasing in fixing the mind on sexual union" means fixing one's own mind firmly, in order to accomplish this same union. As the Book of Changes puts it: the way of Qian forms the male, and the way of Kun forms the female; male and female unite their essence, and the ten thousand things are transformed and born. As the Consecration Commentary puts it: this takes the kidney-water as the trigram Kan, the male, and the heart-fire as the trigram Li, the female, drawing out Kan to fill in Li, sending fire downward and drawing water upward, causing them to unite, in order to form this immortal embryo; practicing this without cease, and thereby gaining its effect, called perfecting this response. This same response is exactly this meaning of union — here, through Kan and Li, uniting their essence to accomplish this practice — hence named the essence-cultivating immortal.

As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: as for using a woman as one's own vessel, drawing out and aiding oneself through defiled and impure means, our own Buddhist teaching plainly condemns this as a demonic doctrine, and even the way of the immortals itself regards it with contempt, as belonging to the lowest grade. This caters to human desire, and the deluded and infatuated are, for the most part, misled by it — a true, upright gentleman ought to sever it from his own speech entirely, and keep himself far from it.

Sūtra: "Firm and unceasing in fixing the mind on transformation, they perfect this awakened understanding — this is named the transcendent immortal."

Commentary: "Firm and unceasing in fixing the mind on transformation" means fixing one's own mind firmly, exhaustively studying the principle of transformation, investigating this technique and researching deeply into this principle of transformation, practicing this without cease, and thereby gaining its effect. The mind, fixed upon this principle of transformation, over time comes to a kind of awakened understanding, and thereby communicates with the very process of creation itself, called perfecting this awakened understanding. Moving mountains and overturning seas, reversing the very seasons themselves — hence named the transcendent immortal. This closes the second section, listing each of these immortals in turn.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, all of these refine the mind through purely human means, without cultivating true awakening, but attain instead a separate principle of life, living a thousand or ten thousand years, resting deep in the mountains or upon some island in the great sea, cut off entirely from human company — yet this, too, is nothing but this same wheel of rebirth, this same false thought turning on and on. Without cultivating true samādhi, once this same reward is exhausted, they return once more, and scatter, once again, among the various destinies."

Commentary: This concludes by showing this to be false thought, and urges most earnestly toward true cultivation. "All of these" refers to these ten classes of immortals described above, all of whom, dwelling among human beings, dread the impermanence of birth and death, and so seek this long life that never dies. As the Standard Meaning Commentary asks: how could one ever call it awakening, to say merely that longer surpasses shorter, or that birth, in the end, only awaits its own extinction — never realizing this ultimate principle of the unborn, this same wondrous substance, originally constant?

"Refine the mind" means separately cultivating some false notion, not cultivating this true mind of awakening at all. "Attain instead a separate principle of life" means fixing one's own form through visualization, separately attaining this extended life — this false principle corresponding to this same false effort, and so able to live a thousand or ten thousand years; yet this is merely dying later, not truly never dying at all — like the pine and cypress, which merely wither later than other trees, not truly never withering at all. Resting the mind, dwelling deep in the mountains or upon some island in the sea, cut off from every trace of human habitation — this is exactly what is meant by Penglai and the Weak Water, which only a flying immortal can ever cross: beyond the seven golden mountains, this water is so weak that no boat or oar can ever reach it, and even feathers sink within it — this being the very dwelling-place of these divine immortals; yet this is by no means some land where one never dies at all, and this, too, remains within this same wheel of rebirth. Since even what they depend upon has never transcended the three realms, how could this same dependent self ever escape birth and death at all? Now, the Dharma-body is truly constant, while this physical form is empty and illusory; dreading a swift death and seeking a long life is itself nothing but false thought, and depending on false thought, one falls into arising and ceasing — this, precisely, is this same turning on and on.

"Without cultivating true samādhi" urges, in the most earnest terms, toward true cultivation: that is, wishing to escape this wheel of rebirth, one must sever false thought; and wishing to sever false thought, one must rely on this same samādhi. This samādhi is exactly this great Śūraṅgama samādhi itself. Within this causal stage, relying on this unborn, unceasing nature as the very root of one's own cultivation, one then perfectly accomplishes cultivation and realization at the fruit-stage; yet, should one, within this causal stage, rely instead on arising and ceasing as one's own cause, wishing thereby to attain this unborn, unceasing nature, there could be no such possibility at all. Should one fail to cultivate this Śūraṅgama samādhi with all urgency, then, once this reward of immortality is exhausted, one must, as before, change one's own head and face once more, scattering, once again, among the various destinies — how could this fail to grieve one deeply!

As the Standard Meaning Commentary asks: those who cultivate the way of the immortal falsely claim that the Buddhist teaching cultivates the nature alone, without cultivating this same life-force, and so, across ten thousand kalpas, this shadowy, numinous spirit can never enter sagehood — many are misled by this claim; may this be addressed here directly, to awaken those caught in this deep confusion. The answer: what they speak of as nature and life-force are, both alike, not truly real at all — for they take this spirit and soul within the body as this nature, and this vital energy, knotted within the body, this very root of life, as this life-force. And so they say that one who cultivates the nature alone attains merely a shadowy, ghostly immortal, without any lasting bodily form; while one who cultivates both together attains a light, wondrous, long-lived body, and so boasts of form and spirit both made wondrous. Yet how could they ever know that what the Buddha speaks of as this nature is this same true suchness, this ocean of nature, inherently possessed by every single person — the very substance underlying boundless heavens and earths, and boundless myriad things besides? Whoever realizes this nature is thereby able not only to manifest boundless, wondrous bodies, but also to manifest boundless heavens, earths, and myriad things as well. And what such a person thereby manifests is by no means limited merely to lasting a hundred thousand or ten thousand years — even across kalpas as numerous as motes of dust or grains of sand, this, too, may be sustained. And, wishing to gather it in, they gather it in, without a single mote of dust remaining; and, wishing to manifest it, they manifest it, every dharma fully displayed — attaining this great freedom, this great function — only this may truly be called the buddha-nature of true suchness itself. Should this claim still fail to be believed, let one read closely the earlier passage revealing this nature, and one will naturally awaken to how ignorant and how false that earlier slander truly was.

In the past, Lü Yan traveled to the capital three times, seeking office without success, and returned home each time despondent and gloomy. Han Zhongli, wishing to lead Lü Dongbin — that is, Lü Yan — to awakening, waited for him partway along the road, at an inn. When Lü Yan arrived, he sighed long and deep, lamenting bitterly. Han said to him: "Why does the honored gentleman carry on so? Could it be that fame and office have eluded you?" Fame and rank, he continued, are exactly like a dream: gaining them brings no true joy, and losing them ought bring no true sorrow — why, then, does this weigh so heavily on your heart? Lü Yan heard this and said nothing. Han then produced a pillow, and said to him: "You have traveled a hard road today — rest a while, and take a nap." Lü Yan accepted it and fell asleep at once.

In this dream, he found himself entering some household, taking on a new life there; born clever and handsome, his mother cherished him as a pearl held in the palm of her hand. As a boy, he studied diligently, possessed of talent surpassing others; once grown to maturity, he passed every examination with ease, entered official service, and rose steadily in his career, advancing at last to Minister of Personnel. Loyal and upright by nature, he was, in the end, framed by a treacherous official and condemned to death. His whole life had unfolded in one favorable circumstance after another, until this sudden calamity of execution befell him; bound and led to the execution ground, the sharp blade fell, his own head dropped — and he awoke with a start, drenched in a cold sweat from head to foot.

Han then said to him: "And what, in the end, of fame, rank, and riches?" Better, by far, to follow me at once in cultivating the Way. Lü Yan reflected on this, and, realizing that everything in this human world is nothing but impermanence, followed him, thereafter cultivating a separate path, and changing his own name to Dongbin. He forged a pair of twin swords, male and female, cutting down demons and driving out evil spirits, his whole intent set on benefiting living beings.

One day, passing beneath Mount Huanglong, he saw a canopy of purple clouds hovering above it, and, knowing that some exalted person must dwell there, entered the mountain to pay his respects. It happened that Chan Master Huanglong was, at that very moment, ascending the hall to expound the Dharma; Dongbin listened in from the side. Once the master had finished speaking, Chan Master Huanglong said: "Today, someone here has come to steal the Dharma." Dongbin at once stepped forward from the crowd and said: "I already carry, in my own pouch, the elixir of eternal life — what use would I have for stealing the Dharma?" Chan Master Huanglong rebuked him, saying: "You — nothing but a corpse-guarding ghost!" Dongbin at once sent his own precious sword flying, meaning to sever the Chan master's own head; yet, as the sword reached his neck, it gave a single ringing sound and fell to the ground, burying itself in the earth, and would not fly back to his hand at all. Dongbin exhausted every effort of his own mind, and still it would not return — and Huanglong's own head remained exactly as it had been.

It was then that Dongbin came to believe, in truth, how lofty this master's own attainment of the Way truly was, and, turning at once toward repentance, begged to be instructed, bowing to become his disciple. There remains a verse in testimony of this:

"I crush and cast aside this floating gourd, and lay down my own lute as well;
from this day on, I no longer play with mercury's own gold.
Ever since that day I first beheld Huanglong,
I have, at last, regretted where my own heart was so wrongly spent before."

One can thus see, in this, that the way of the immortal falls short of the way of the Buddha itself. This closes the fifth section, this destiny of immortals.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, people throughout the world, not seeking this constantly abiding mind, are yet unable to give up the deep love and affection they hold for their own wives and consorts."

Commentary: This marks out the very cause of rebirth in the heavens. People throughout the world, wishing to leave suffering behind and attain happiness, yet not seeking this same constant, unborn, unceasing, perfectly still mind, rely instead on conditioned marks and phenomena, seeking only some fruit of retribution still subject to outflow. This is relying on a false root, not a true one, in their cultivation — and this serves as the total cause of all three realms. "Yet unable to give up the deep love and affection they hold for their own wives and consorts" specifically gives the cause of these six heavens of desire, since the desire realm has not yet departed from these three desires — sexual desire, the desire for food, and the desire for sleep, all still present — and so is named the desire realm. Since lust stands foremost among every craving, such a person is unable to give up this deep love and profound affection for their own wives and consorts, and so cultivate this unconditioned karma of precepts and samādhi that transcends the world, thereby realizing this fruit free of outflow.

The Sanskrit word deva is here translated "heaven." As the Consecration Commentary, citing a treatise, puts it: a heavenly being is pure, bright, and radiant, most excellent and most honored of all; or, some say, a heavenly being is one who is naturally at ease, foremost among all created things. Taking the superior grade of the ten wholesome deeds, together with worldly meditative concentration, as its cause. As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: the destiny of the heavens differs from the destiny of the immortals — yet people of this world often fail to distinguish immortal from heavenly being, and those who study the way of the immortal wrongly attach themselves to the heavens, even claiming that every heavenly being is, in fact, their own ancestral immortal. Let this now be briefly disputed: an immortal, retaining a human body, clings to long life, most fearing to give up this body and take on another; every heavenly being, though, gives up this former body entirely, and receives, instead, a heavenly body — how, then, could these ever be the same kind of being? And, further, immortals dwell upon the sea or in the mountains, such as Penglai or Kunlun, none of them truly in the heavens above at all. Even the Four Heavenly Kings and the Trāyastriṃśa heaven have no such dwelling-place at all — how much less, then, the realms above them? One thus knows that this destiny of the heavens is the most honored, most excellent class within these bounds, utterly unlike the class of immortals, ghosts, or spirits at all.

Sūtra: "One whose mind, amid deviant sexual union, does not stream outward and indulge freely, this mind settling clear and radiant, bright — such a person, at the end of life, dwells close to the sun and moon. This class is named the heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings."

Commentary: Union with one's own spouse is called proper union; union with anyone else is called deviant union. Such a person upholds the five precepts, and, amid deviant sexual union, not only commits no transgression with the body, but gives rise to not a single thought of it within the mind either; that is, though proper union may still occur, deviant union is already absent, and so one no longer streams outward, indulging freely, and this water of love becomes settled, clear, and pure, the ground of mind bright. Here, this speaks specifically in terms of this one matter of sexual desire alone, since this is the very root of birth and death, and so distinguishes superior from inferior in these terms alone. Such a person, at the end of life, gives up this human body and receives a heavenly body, born at the very waist of Mount Sumeru, dwelling close to the palaces of the sun and moon. This class is named the heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings, ministers under Śakra's own command: to the east, the Heavenly King who Upholds the Nation, dwelling upon a golden mound; to the south, the Heavenly King of Growth, dwelling upon a lapis-lazuli mound; to the west, the Heavenly King of Broad Eyes, dwelling upon a silver mound; and to the north, the Heavenly King of Wide Learning, dwelling upon a crystal mound. These four heavens are forty-two thousand yojanas removed from the human realm, their bodies a quarter of a krośa in length — that is, seventy-five zhang by this land's own measure — with a lifespan of five hundred years, fifty years of the human realm counting as a single day and night there, amounting, altogether, to nine million years.

Sūtra: "For those whose desire toward their own spouse has grown faint, not fully present even in a time set aside for it — at death, they rise beyond the light of sun and moon, dwelling at the very summit of the human realm. This class is named the Trāyastriṃśa heaven."

Commentary: This is a further step beyond what precedes: not only is deviant union absent, but even toward one's own proper spouse, within the private chamber, this love of sexual union has grown faint and diminished, occurring, as it were, only at fitting times and seasons. Yet, even in these times of pure solitude, some thought of desire still occasionally arises, and so this pure savor is not yet complete. At the end of life, such a person rises beyond the very brightness of the sun and moon, born at the very summit of Mount Sumeru — that is, the very summit of the human realm. Rising higher still, one enters the heavens dwelling in the empty sky, no longer connected to the human realm at all. This class is named the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. The Sanskrit word trāyastriṃśa is here translated "thirty-three": at the very summit of Mount Sumeru, eight heavens stand in each of the four directions, and, at the center, one further heaven, the City of Excellent View, where Śakra himself dwells. This heaven is eighty-four thousand yojanas removed from the earth; its beings' bodies measure half a krośa in length — one hundred and fifty zhang by this land's own measure; and Śakra's own body measures a full krośa in length, owing to his own past cultivation of the karma of reverence throughout every former life. A hundred years of the human realm count as a single day and night there, with a lifespan of a thousand years, amounting, when reckoned against the human realm's own count, to three hundred and sixty thousand years.

These two heavens above are named the earth-dwelling heavens, since they have not yet departed from the earth. Yet, in these two heavens, physical union still produces desire, exactly as in the human realm; only, once the very breath of this union is released, this same desire is at once dispelled, without any impure discharge flowing forth at all. As the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom puts it: in the past, there was a brāhmaṇa surnamed Kauśika, who, together with thirty-two companions, resolved to build a stūpa; through this same merit, all, at the end of life, were born at the very summit of Mount Sumeru. Kauśika became the lord of that heaven, and the other thirty-two became his ministers. As the Pure Light Commentary puts it: in the past, after the buddha Kāśyapa's own passing, a certain woman resolved to build a stūpa, and was, in reward, reborn as this lord of heaven; thirty-two others assisted her in this same work, and were, in reward, reborn as her ministers. These two accounts of the causal condition differ from one another because, being still within this cycle of rebirth, earlier and later circumstances shift and change, each drawing upon a different condition of its own.

Sūtra: "For those who meet desire only briefly, with no lingering thought once it passes, their waking life more often still than stirred — at death, they abide luminously within empty space itself, their own light no longer needing the sun and moon, which cannot reach that high. This class is named the Yāma heaven."

Commentary: When some occasion for desire presents itself, such a person unites only briefly, and, once it has passed, gives rise to no further thought or recollection of it at all; throughout human life, there is no deep attachment to it at all — hence, "stillness more often than stirring." Attaining, in this way, this same pure savor complete within this pure solitude, one draws gradually near to this same pure emptiness; and so, at the end of life, one dwells luminously, at ease, within the empty sky itself.

As the Standard Meaning Commentary asks: for these heavens dwelling in the empty sky, upon what, then, do their palaces, ponds, and trees rest? The answer: these are, alike, of the seven precious substances and lapis lazuli, no different from the great earth itself — only that, when descending toward the desire realm below, this same emptiness offers no obstruction whatsoever, exactly as, in the human realm, the great earth itself allows sages, worthies, devas, immortals, ghosts, and spirits alike to pass freely in and out. One should know that every dharma is, at root, empty, transformed only through the power of karma, emptiness and solidity both alike manifest together — it is only the deluded who fail to penetrate this.

"Their own light no longer needing the sun and moon, which cannot reach that high" means that, though the prior heaven had already risen beyond the sun and moon, their light could still reach it; this heaven, rising higher still, finds that this same light of the sun and moon can no longer reach it at all. "These beings possess their own light" means that, through both dependent and direct retribution together, the body and the palace mutually illuminate one another, and so require no sun or moon at all. This class is named the Yāma heaven — here translated "skillful in dividing time," since, the light of the sun and moon being unable to reach it, there is no distinguishing day from night there at all; instead, this heaven, through the opening and closing of a lotus flower, skillfully knows the passage of time, receiving its pleasures accordingly, each in its proper measure. Most sūtras refer to this heaven by the name Yāma, and so this present section follows that same name. Here, only the clasping of hands constitutes sexual union — there is no bodily union at all. This heaven lies one hundred and sixty thousand yojanas removed from the earth, resting upon a ground like cloud, dwelling there at ease. Its beings' bodies measure, by this land's own measure, two hundred and twenty-five zhang. Two hundred years of the human realm count as a single day and night there, with a lifespan of two thousand years.

Sūtra: "For those at rest at every moment, who cannot yet fully refuse desire when it presents itself — at death, they rise to a subtle, refined realm entirely disconnected from the lower heavens and the human world, untouched even by the three calamities that destroy a world-cycle. This class is named the Tuṣita heaven."

Commentary: Such a person, at every moment, is able to remain still, unmoved; yet, should some occasion for contact present itself, forcing this upon them, they are not yet able to refuse or resist it, and so still go along with it — this being somewhat superior to what precedes. At the end of life, such a person rises to this fine and subtle realm, no longer connected to the human or heavenly realms below. Yet this heaven possesses both an inner court and an outer court: the outer court belongs to ordinary heavenly beings, and contains a lesser maṇi-jewel palace; the inner court is where bodhisattvas dwell, with Maitreya Bodhisattva as its own lord, and contains a great maṇi-jewel palace, where he constantly abides, expounding the Dharma and teaching beings. At times, this bodhisattva goes to the outer court's own lesser maṇi-jewel palace, expounding the Dharma to teach ordinary beings there; and should their own capacity prove ripe enough to awaken, he draws them onward, leading them into the inner court. And this inner court is a place the outer court itself cannot even know of — hence, "no longer connected to the lower heavens and the human world below" — hence, "refined." And, extending even through the destruction of the third dhyāna heaven at the end of a kalpa, this bodhisattva's own dwelling-place remains untouched by any of the three calamities of water, fire, or wind — hence, "subtle." This is exactly what the Lotus Sūtra means in saying: "this land of mine is never destroyed, though all perceive it consumed by the fire at the end of the kalpa." Examining this passage's own wording closely, the first four clauses give the cause belonging to the outer court, lacking their own fruit; and "rises to this subtle, refined realm" onward gives the fruit belonging to the inner court, lacking its own cause — the translator, it would seem, having abbreviated the text somewhat here. This class is named the Tuṣita heaven, here translated "the heaven of contentment," since it is able, toward the objects of desire, to give rise to contentment — here, only a smile constitutes sexual union, with no need even for the clasping of hands at all. This heaven lies three hundred and twenty thousand yojanas removed from the earth, resting upon a ground like cloud above. Its beings' bodies measure, by this land's own measure, three hundred zhang. Four hundred years of the human realm count as a single day and night there, with a lifespan of four thousand years.

Sūtra: "For those with no desiring mind of their own, who merely go along with the world's ways when the occasion arises, finding it as tasteless as chewing wax — at death, they are born into a realm beyond the transformed. This class is named the Heaven of Bliss through Transformation."

Commentary: "I myself hold no thought of desire at all, but go along with your own wish, carrying out this matter" — this shows, indeed, a deep resistance to it. Yet, unable to resist it entirely, and pressed by this great matter — that is, the continuation of the family's own line — one, in the end, reluctantly goes along with this wish. Yet, encountering the object of desire, laid bare before them, this tastes to them exactly as tasteless as chewing on wax. "Laid bare" — as Sima Xiangru's own rhapsody puts it: her flowery countenance offered of itself, her jade-like body laid bare — meaning that the body itself is laid out, offered before another. At the end of life, such a person is born into a realm beyond the transformed — "beyond" means surpassing the heaven below; "transformed" means transforming the five desired objects at will, for one's own use and enjoyment. This class is named the Heaven of Bliss through Transformation. Other sūtras call it, simply, the heaven of transformed bliss, meaning that it transforms these five sense-objects for itself, and enjoys this bliss on its own — this present section follows that same name. Here, only a fixed gaze constitutes sexual union, with no need even for a smile at all. This heaven lies six hundred and forty thousand yojanas removed from the earth, resting upon a ground like cloud above. Its beings' bodies measure, by this land's own measure, three hundred and seventy-five zhang. Eight hundred years of the human realm count as a single day and night there, with a lifespan of eight thousand years.

Sūtra: "For those with no thought of the world at all, yet who outwardly go along with worldly affairs, transcending them completely even in the moment of doing so — at death, they are able to pass entirely beyond both the transformed and the untransformed realms alike. This class is named the Heaven of Mastery over Others' Transformations."

Commentary: "With no thought of the world at all, yet who outwardly go along with worldly affairs" means that such a person, wearied of the world, finds this same impurity of sexual desire entirely without any attachment or pleasure at all, the mind aspiring toward the higher realms, only outwardly, provisionally, going along with worldly ways. Carrying out this matter between husband and wife, at the very moment of this same union, not only finds it without the slightest savor at all, but, further, transcends it entirely, clearly and completely, the spirit roaming beyond this realm altogether, without the slightest thought of desire remaining. At the end of life, such a person surpasses both the transformed realm and the untransformed realm below it: "transformed" refers to the fifth heaven above; "untransformed" refers to the four heavens below it. This class is named the Heaven of Mastery over Others' Transformations: since every object of the five sense-desires, without troubling to transform them oneself, is transformed instead by another heaven, and one enjoys them freely, at one's own ease. Here, only a single glance constitutes this matter of sexual desire. As the Standard Meaning Commentary cites in verse: "the Four Heavenly Kings and Trāyastriṃśa embrace in desire; Yāma clasps hands, and Tuṣita smiles; the Heaven of Transformed Bliss gazes fixedly, and this heaven glances but once — these are the true pleasures of these six heavens." This heaven lies one million two hundred and eighty thousand yojanas removed from the earth, resting upon a ground like cloud above. Its beings' bodies measure, by this land's own measure, four hundred and fifty zhang. One thousand six hundred years of the human realm count as a single day and night there, with a lifespan of sixteen thousand years.

One might ask: is the very summit of the desire realm the heaven of the demon-king? The answer: as the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra puts it: above this sixth heaven, there is, further, a separate Māra, whose own heavenly palace belongs to this same Heaven of Mastery over Others' Transformations. One thus knows that this heaven of Māra is a separate class of its own; to say that it is included within this heaven may perhaps be said, but to say that it is identical with it cannot be said at all. This closes the second section, distinguishing these degrees of desire.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, in all six of these heavens, though the body has left coarse activity behind, traces of the mind still intermingle with it. From this point downward, all is called the desire realm."

Commentary: This concludes, establishing this name of the desire realm. This nature of desire is restless and agitated, and people of this world hold no restraint over it at all; when it stirs, it is like a cascading torrent, or a wildfire on the plain, impossible to suppress. These six heavens, though, are gradually able to restrain it, turning toward stillness — since, within this same causal stage, this mind of desire grows gradually lighter, the heavens attained rise, layer upon layer, ever higher. "Though the body has left coarse activity behind, traces of the mind still intermingle with it": in the first heaven, only outward activity ceases; in the second heaven, even inward activity grows faint; in the third heaven, it stirs only upon encountering some occasion; in the fourth heaven, though pressed by circumstance, it does not resist; in the fifth heaven, though united, there is no savor in it; and in the sixth heaven, though the body still unites, the mind transcends it entirely. Yet, though the body still unites in this way, the mind transcends it, seeming to stand apart from this activity — yet these very traces of mind still intermingle with it nonetheless. As in the first four heavens, not only do bodily traces intermingle, but the mind, too, still intermingles with it, since some savor of it still remains. In the latter two heavens, though the mind no longer intermingles with it, bodily traces still intermingle with it nonetheless, since some occasion must still be answered. Though desire here differs in weight, none of these six heavens has yet departed from this same attached love between male and female. From this point on — extending all the way down to the Avīci hell itself — every one is included within this same desire realm. Since, though these destinies differ from one another, this same desire runs common to them all, this whole span is named the ground where these five destinies dwell mixed together.

One might ask: Tiantai holds that the fruit of retribution in these six heavens takes the ten wholesome deeds as its root, joined, further, with protecting the Dharma to be born among the Four Heavenly Kings; joined with compassionate transformation to be born in Trāyastriṃśa; joined with not troubling sentient beings, and skillful means brought to full maturity, to be born in Yāma; joined with the cultivation of coarse and subtle meditative concentration to be born in Tuṣita; joined with concentration belonging to the desire realm to be born in the Heaven of Transformed Bliss; and joined with concentration not yet reaching the very ground of dhyāna to be born in the Heaven of Mastery over Others' Transformations. One thus knows that these six heavens, in general, take the ten wholesome deeds as their cause — the first three heavens each joined with their own particular conduct, and the latter three each joined with their own particular meditative concentration. Why, then, does this present passage distinguish these six heavens solely in terms of the weight of desire alone? The answer: conduct and meditative concentration serve as the condition, while the general cultivation of the ten wholesome deeds serves as the cause — yet, among these ten wholesome deeds, severing desire is the essential point; and, should desire not be severed, how could these ten wholesome deeds ever be accomplished at all? The Tathāgata, addressing people according to what is essential, distinguishes superior from inferior solely in terms of desire, whether light or heavy.

This sūtra cultivates this great Śūraṅgama samādhi, taking sexual desire as the very enemy of birth and death, and so this passage speaks solely in terms of desire alone. These six heavens rise through diminished desire; the four dhyānas ascend through desire entirely severed. One thus knows that, without severing sexual desire, even these higher realms remain beyond hope — how much less, then, the realization of unsurpassed bodhi itself? And so whoever wishes to cultivate samādhi, and thereby emerge from this sea of birth and death, must first cut through this one barrier before anything else. This closes the first section, the six heavens of desire.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, people throughout the world who cultivate the mind, without relying on true dhyāna, possess no wisdom at all. Yet, should such a person be able to hold the body itself in check, never engaging in sexual conduct, whether walking or sitting, with no thought or notion of it arising at all, no love or defilement given rise to, so that nothing binds them to the desire realm — such a person, the very moment life ends, becomes a companion of Brahmā. This class is named the Retinue of Brahmā."

Commentary: The prior passage made plain these six heavens: though seeking to leave desire behind, they were not yet able to eliminate it entirely, since, though the body had left coarse activity behind, traces of the mind still intermingled with it — hence named the desire realm. These eighteen heavens above it, though free of the defilement of desire, still possess material substance — their appearance like that of a child, their bodies the color of white silver, clothed in garments of gold, male alone, without any female at all, entirely transformation-born, their form-bodies superior — hence named the form realm. Also called the Brahmā-world: Brahmā means pure — having already departed from the defilement of desire, and attained this same purity — generally named the four dhyānas, having already departed from the scattered activity of the desire realm.

Not only free of desire, but free, further, of both food and sleep, all three desires entirely gone; when even slightly hungry or weary, one enters samādhi at once, and, upon emerging from samādhi, the spirit is full and satisfied — taking the joy of dhyāna itself as both food and rest, having departed somewhat from this coarse, heavy body and mind. Briefly divided, this makes four levels; in detail, eighteen — yet there is some question as to whether beings dwelling in the same place, distinguished only by superior or inferior class, must necessarily correspond exactly to these eighteen, level by level, in strict order.

This makes plain the form realm's first dhyāna, its first three heavens. Beginning with the word "world" shows that this is not yet transcending the world; and speaking of "all people who cultivate the mind" means those who do not know that this same still, constant nature of mind is inherently already possessed, and so cultivate it in confused disorder. Dhyāna is here translated "stillness and reflection"; "without relying on true dhyāna, possess no wisdom at all" means that, without cultivating this great Śūraṅgama samādhi, this stillness and reflection free of outflow, there is no transcendent, true, correct wisdom at all — showing that such people possess only this stillness and reflection still subject to outflow, this practice of the six activities alone. These six activities are: regarding the desire realm as suffering, as coarse, as an obstruction; and delighting in the form realm as pure, as wondrous, as freedom. This is exactly how an ordinary being subdues affliction, transcending the path of the desire realm — not this same true samādhi, free of outflow, this wondrous, perfect penetration at all! This is spoken in general terms here, applicable to everything that follows below.

"Yet, should such a person be able to hold the body itself in check, never engaging in sexual conduct" only then does one enter this heaven proper; this heaven displays the virtue of the precepts alone, not yet manifesting samādhi or wisdom. Speaking first of holding the body in check shows this to differ from the six desire-heavens, which could not avoid some bodily transgression. Yet this heaven not only holds the body in check, never transgressing; even walking or sitting, this mind of thought and notion, too, is entirely absent. And so, body and mind both alike attaining purity, no love or defilement is given rise to — hence, nowhere to dwell within the desire realm; at the very moment of death, such a person is transformed at once, ascending to this same form realm above, becoming a companion of this Brahmā-world. This class, then, are the very citizens of this Brahmā heaven — hence named the Retinue of Brahmā. Their lifespan is twenty small kalpas, their bodies half a yojana in length.

Sūtra: "Once this habit of desire is already removed, this mind free of desire manifests; toward every rule of monastic conduct, such a person delights in it and readily accords with it. This person, at the fitting time, is thereby able to carry out this same virtue of Brahmā. This class is named the Ministers of Brahmā."

Commentary: This habit of lust belonging to the desire realm, already subdued and removed, this pure mind free of desire has already come to manifest. The first two clauses point to the prior heaven, displaying only the virtue of the precepts; what follows refers to this present heaven, where precepts and samādhi are both present together. "Toward every rule of monastic conduct, such a person delights in it and readily accords with it" means that, toward every precept belonging to this pure conduct, delighting in it brings joy, and according with it brings ease — this being exactly the mark of samādhi accompanying it; free of the suffering of forced practice, one instead enjoys the happiness of practice at ease, spontaneously so, without ever intending it. "This person, at the fitting time, is thereby able to carry out this same virtue of Brahmā" shows that this is properly this same heaven's own advancement — hence, "at the fitting time," unlike the prior heaven, which, departing from what is below to be born above, still had to wait for some other time. This heaven, not only pure in body and mind, but, further, spreading and proclaiming this same transformative virtue, already surpasses the Retinue of Brahmā. This class is named the Ministers of Brahmā. As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: already assisting in this transformation, this is exactly a minister of heaven. Their lifespan is forty small kalpas, their bodies a full yojana in length.

Sūtra: "Body and mind wondrously complete, dignity of bearing unbroken, these pure precepts joined, further, with clear understanding; this person, at the fitting time, is thereby able to govern this same retinue of Brahmā, becoming Great Brahmā himself. This class is named Great Brahmā."

Commentary: This heaven displays precepts and wisdom both present together. In the first heaven, one holds the body in check, thereby gathering in the mind; in the next heaven, this mind manifests, thereby carrying out this virtue; in this present heaven, body and mind attain this same wondrous state, without any duality remaining, this measure fulfilled completely and entirely. Throughout walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, these four postures, nothing at all is lacking; possessed of a dignity that inspires awe, and a bearing worthy of reverence, these precepts naturally pure. Not only pure, but, further, joined with clear understanding — this being exactly precepts and wisdom both present together. "This person, at the fitting time, is thereby able to govern this same retinue of Brahmā" — exactly as embodying benevolence is sufficient to lead others, this being the very way of a true ruler. This class is named Great Brahmā, this position surpassing the Ministers of Brahmā — hence called "great." Their lifespan is sixty small kalpas, their bodies a yojana and a half in length. This closes the first section, showing the distinct marks of these three heavens.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, these three superior classes cannot be pressed upon by any suffering or affliction at all. Though this is not yet this true, direct cultivation, this true samādhi, still, within this pure mind, no outflow stirs at all. This is named the first dhyāna."

Commentary: These three heavens above are called superior classes because their bodies are superior and their joy is superior, able to surpass every destiny of the lower realms. "Cannot be pressed upon by any suffering or affliction at all" refers to how the eight sufferings of the desire realm cannot press upon them at all; though this is not yet relying on this true root, giving rise to this direct cultivation and thereby realizing this true samādhi, still, within this same pure mind of upheld precepts, every outflow of the desire realm is unable to stir them at all — this is named the first dhyāna. Among the nine grounds, this is the second, named the ground of joy and bliss arisen from departure — departing from birth among the evil destinies of the desire realm, and thereby attaining this same pure joy and bliss. This heaven is reached by the fire-calamity that destroys a kalpa, since it still harbors within it this same fire of coarse and subtle mental activity. This closes the first dhyāna heaven.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, next, from Brahmā's own heaven, governing these people of Brahmā, this same conduct of Brahmā brought to perfect fulfillment — this mind, settled and unmoving, gives rise, in its own stillness, to light. This class is named Lesser Light."

Commentary: This makes plain the form realm's second dhyāna, its three heavens. In the prior heaven, this power of samādhi still relied on the precepts for support; here, though, no longer relying on the precepts for support, one is, of oneself, unmoving; samādhi grows deep and gives rise to light, and these heavens are ordered according to whether this light is superior or inferior. "Ānanda, next, from Brahmā's own heaven, governing these people of Brahmā" seems to describe what Great Brahmā himself has done: the Retinue of Brahmā display the virtue of the precepts; the Ministers of Brahmā are precepts and samādhi both present together; and Great Brahmā is precepts and wisdom both present together — complete with precepts, samādhi, and wisdom all at once, hence, "this same conduct of Brahmā brought to perfect fulfillment," and so rising to this present heaven. As the Standard Meaning Commentary likewise holds, this carries forward Great Brahmā's own conduct, advancing further still. Having governed for so long, the merit of transforming others grows deep, and one's own practice becomes ever more pure. "This mind" onward now enters this present heaven proper: this mind, settled and unmoving, this mind's own water settled and congealed, unmoving, gives rise, in its own stillness, to function, and, in its own clarity, to light — yet this light of mind remains inferior still, not yet reaching its own fullest measure. This class is named Lesser Light. Their lifespan is two great kalpas, their bodies two yojanas in length.

Sūtra: "This light kindles further light in turn, illuminating without end, casting its reflection throughout the ten directions, until everything becomes, entirely, like lapis lazuli. This class is named Boundless Light."

Commentary: As Wenling puts it: the power of samādhi grows ever brighter, this wondrous light arising in turn, this realm arising according with this light, becoming, entirely, like lapis lazuli. As the power of samādhi turns ever brighter still, the body's own light and the mind's own light kindle one another in turn, exactly as fire is passed from one torch to the next, light after light arising in succession, illuminating without end. Every outer realm belonging to this same dependent retribution follows this light and arises as well, just as this same direct retribution of body and mind, inward and outward alike, becomes thoroughly bright, becoming, entirely, like lapis lazuli. "Casting its reflection throughout the ten directions" speaks in terms of this same light of samādhi, according with whatever is received and made use of throughout these ten directions — not pervading literally every direction there is. According to tradition, this second dhyāna covers a small-thousand world, and so this light pervades the ten directions of this small-thousand world alone. This class is named Boundless Light. Their lifespan is four great kalpas, their bodies four yojanas in length.

Sūtra: "Drawing in and holding fast to this perfect light, this becomes the very substance of this teaching, proclaiming this transformation, pure, its function inexhaustible. This class is named Light-Sound."

Commentary: "Drawing" means to take up; "holding" means to grasp and sustain; "perfect light" refers to the prior heaven's own dependent and direct retribution, this light mutually reflecting one another — reaching this point, this samādhi grows deep, arriving at this same perfection, hence, "perfect light accomplished." "The very substance of this teaching" — as the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: this same light substitutes for this same speech and sound, thereby proclaiming this pure conduct, this teaching and transformation — exactly as, in this world, written words substitute for speech and sound, likewise proclaiming every teaching and transformation, no different from making use of light itself to carry out the Buddha's own work.

Some hold that, above the second dhyāna, there is no spoken language at all — yet this may not necessarily be so. As the Lotus Sūtra puts it: the Light-Sound heaven, and the Universal Purity heaven, all the way up to the very summit of existence, every sound and voice there is heard there in full — this may serve as proof. "Proclaiming this transformation, pure, its function inexhaustible" means proclaiming and expounding this pure conduct, this teaching and transformation, pure and unattached, its function never coming to an end. This class is named Light-Sound. Their lifespan is eight great kalpas, their bodies eight yojanas in length. This closes the first section, showing the distinct marks of these three heavens.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, these three superior classes cannot be pressed upon by any anxious apprehension at all. Though this is not yet this true, direct cultivation, this true samādhi, still, within this pure mind, every coarse outflow is already subdued. This is named the second dhyāna."

Commentary: These three superior classes surpass not only the desire realm, but the first dhyāna as well, since each later stage surpasses the one before it. "Cannot be pressed upon by any anxious apprehension at all": in the first dhyāna, having only just left the suffering of desire behind, fearing to fall back into it once more, every anxious apprehension still hung heavy, an unsettled appearance still present, constantly resisted through discursive thought and reflection. Reaching this second dhyāna now, one has departed ever further from desire, no longer fearing to fall, and so no anxious apprehension can press upon it at all, entering this state free of both discursive thought and reflection. Yet, though free of discursive thought and reflection, this still belongs to outflow, not yet relying on this same constant, true mind to cultivate and genuinely realize this true samādhi. The first dhyāna attains only this unmoving mind subject to outflow, not yet able to subdue it; this heaven, within this pure mind of this Brahmā-conduct, has already subdued this coarse outflow. This coarse outflow refers to the attachment of the first dhyāna, having nowhere left to arise from — hence, "already subdued." Through the power of samādhi, one is able to subdue these first five consciousnesses, so that they no longer manifest in present activity — hence named the second dhyāna. Among the nine grounds, this is the third, named the ground of joy and bliss born of samādhi, since this merit and virtue of samādhi's own power gives rise to this joy and bliss. This heaven is not reached by the fire-calamity, yet is reached by the water-calamity, since this inward mind still harbors this same water of joy within it. This closes the second dhyāna heaven.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, such heavenly beings — this same perfect light having already become sound — unfold this sound to reveal this wondrous principle; giving rise, thereby, to this refined conduct, they penetrate through to this bliss of quiescent cessation. This class is named Lesser Purity."

Commentary: This makes plain the form realm's third dhyāna, its three heavens. The Treatise on the Stages calls this third dhyāna the dhyāna of bliss accompanying, since this merit of samādhi arises together with a bliss that pervades the entire body. In the first two dhyānas, though a factor of bliss was present, it remained obstructed by the factor of joy; only here, with joy extinguished and bliss alone remaining pure, does this heaven receive its name. "Ānanda, such heavenly beings" carries forward the prior Light-Sound heaven, where this perfect, full light had already become accomplished as sound, serving as the very substance of the teaching; unfolding and giving voice to sound, this wondrous principle is thereby revealed. This heaven, relying on this same wondrous principle, gives rise to this refined conduct, departing from the prior heaven's agitation of joy, and giving rise instead to this pure bliss, calm and tranquil, at ease, penetrating through to this bliss of quiescent cessation. This bliss of quiescent cessation, too, is only what this settled, pure mind of samādhi gives rise to — not to be confused with the quiescent substance of the true nature itself; the name is shared, though the substance differs. Since this is only the first entry into this state, the text says "penetrate through," not yet "accomplish." This is named Lesser Purity — only the sixth consciousness has, as yet, been subdued here; this is not yet true quiescent cessation at all. Their lifespan is sixteen great kalpas, their bodies sixteen yojanas in length.

Sūtra: "This pure emptiness manifests before them, drawn forth and extended without limit; body and mind become light and at ease, accomplishing this bliss of quiescent cessation. This class is named Boundless Purity."

Commentary: "This pure emptiness manifests before them": the prior heaven's bliss of quiescent cessation still had not let go of this notion of purity itself; reaching this point, the power of samādhi grows deeper still, and even this purity, too, becomes empty — hence, "this pure emptiness manifests before them." "Drawn forth and extended without limit": emptiness draws forth purity, and purity, together with emptiness, unfolds; just as empty space itself has no boundary or limit, so too this realm of purity has no boundary or limit. One becomes aware, of oneself, that this body and mind of direct retribution are, themselves, like the great void — free of any burden, free of any obstruction — hence, "light and at ease, accomplishing this bliss of quiescent cessation." This class is named Boundless Purity, since this purity and emptiness, without limit, are therefore without any measure at all. Their lifespan is thirty-two great kalpas, their bodies thirty-two yojanas in length.

Sūtra: "This world, and this body and mind, become, all alike, perfectly pure; this virtue of purity, fully accomplished, appears before them as this same superior refuge, and they return to this bliss of quiescent cessation. This class is named Universal Purity."

Commentary: In the prior heaven, this state of purity pervaded only body and mind; reaching this point, the power of samādhi grows deeper still, and even this outer world of dependent retribution, together with this body and mind of direct retribution, dissolve into one and the same substance, both alike attaining this same emptiness and stillness — hence, "become, all alike, perfectly pure." As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: this is only what the power of samādhi itself brings about — this realm changing according to samādhi, so to speak — not brought about through the power of mind-only contemplation. "This virtue of purity, fully accomplished" continues the prior clause: since everything has, alike, become perfectly pure, this virtue of pure purity is thereby accomplished, this wondrous bliss inexhaustible; this bliss subject to outflow reaches, at this point, its very utmost. One becomes aware, of oneself, that this supreme place of refuge appears before them, taking it to be the true place where one may settle body and life, the pure, blissful home-country itself. Not realizing that this still belongs to outflow, one simply returns, thereupon, to take refuge in it — hence, "returns to this bliss of quiescent cessation." This class is named Universal Purity, since, wherever one turns, all becomes this same pure bliss — hence the name. Their lifespan is sixty-four great kalpas, their bodies sixty-four yojanas in length. This closes the first section, showing the distinct marks of these three heavens.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, these three superior classes are endowed with this great accord; body and mind at peace and secure, they attain boundless bliss. Though this is not yet the true attainment of this true samādhi, still, within this mind at peace and secure, joy is present here in full completion. This is named the third dhyāna."

Commentary: Ānanda, these three heavens surpass, again, the flow of the second dhyāna. In the first dhyāna, suffering and affliction do not press upon them, yet accord has not yet been attained; in the second dhyāna, anxious apprehension does not press upon them, the five consciousnesses already subdued, yet only accord alone has been attained; reaching this third dhyāna now, quiescent cessation has already been attained, the sixth consciousness already subdued — this is named being endowed with great accord. "Body and mind at peace and secure, they attain boundless bliss": in the prior two dhyānas, this mind of joy still stirred with thought, and so body and mind could not attain peace and security; now, this mind of joy having already departed, body and mind are at peace and secure, enjoying this bliss freely and spontaneously. This bliss is called boundless because this wondrous bliss they possess pervades everywhere, without limit. Within the three realms, the third dhyāna is held to be the very place of utmost bliss. Though this is not yet the true attainment, through genuine cultivation and genuine realization, of this true samādhi, still, within this mind at peace and secure, joy is present here in full completion. This mind at peace and secure is exactly the mind of the third dhyāna. In the first and second dhyānas, obstructions are departed from and superiority increases — hence called the pure mind. In the third dhyāna, bliss is attained and superiority increases — hence called the mind at peace and secure. As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: the text still speaks of "joy present here in full completion" — the four words "within this mind at peace and secure" distinguish this from mere agitation; joy, properly, is what an agitated mind gives rise to, while bliss is what a settled mind dissolves into. If joy belongs to an agitated mind, then, even called bliss, it remains, in fact, a factor of joy; if it belongs to a settled mind, then, even called joy, it remains, in fact, a factor of bliss — hence this is named, together, the third dhyāna. Among the nine grounds, this is the fourth, named the ground of wondrous bliss free of joy, since this joy of the first and second dhyānas has been departed from, and this wondrous bliss of the third dhyāna attained instead. Neither the water-calamity nor the fire-calamity reaches here, yet the wind-calamity reaches here still, since the in-breath and out-breath have not yet been departed from. This closes the third dhyāna heaven.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, next, these heavenly beings — body and mind no longer pressed upon at all, the very cause of suffering already exhausted — recognize that bliss, too, is not a permanent abode, and must, in time, decay and give rise to suffering once more. And so, both minds of suffering and of bliss are, at once, entirely let go of together; this coarse, heavy quality is thereby extinguished, and the nature of pure merit is given rise to. This class is named Birth of Merit."

Commentary: This covers the fourth dhyāna's nine heavens. As Wenling puts it: the fourth dhyāna's own retribution-realm comprises only three heavens; the fourth, No-Thought, is a further branch opened out from the third, Vast Fruit. Beyond these, there are, further, five non-returner heavens, cultivated separately by noble sages through their own stillness and reflection, differing from the ordinary practice — yet, since all alike enter this same letting-go dhyāna, they are established, together, within this same shared class of the letting-go mind. "Ānanda, next, these heavenly beings" refers to one coming from within the third dhyāna: the first dhyāna departs from suffering and affliction, the second dhyāna exhausts anxious apprehension — hence, "body and mind no longer pressed upon." Suffering and affliction, anxious apprehension, are the very cause of suffering; since neither presses upon them any longer, suffering has already been exhausted, and so bliss is given rise to. The third dhyāna, body and mind at peace and secure, attains boundless bliss; this heaven, though, makes plain that even this bliss ought not to be accepted either — why so? Because bliss, too, is not a permanent thing; when the merit that sustains it is exhausted, it must, in time, decay and give rise to suffering once more. And so, one gives rise to this practice of letting go of both suffering and bliss together; both minds of suffering and of bliss are, alike, already let go of and removed — hence, "at once, entirely let go of together." Precisely because both minds are let go of together, this is named "this coarse, heavy quality extinguished" — since decay gives rise to suffering, and now both suffering and its decay are, together, transcended, this letting-go mind unmoving is exactly this nature of pure merit. Once this samādhi has already arisen, this is named birth — hence, "this class is named Birth of Merit." Their lifespan is one hundred twenty-five great kalpas, their bodies one hundred twenty-five yojanas in length.

Sūtra: "This letting-go mind becomes perfectly fused, this superior understanding pure; within this merit free of any hindrance, they attain this wondrous accord, extending to the very furthest bounds of the future. This class is named Beloved Merit."

Commentary: In the prior heaven, both minds of suffering and bliss were, at once, entirely let go of together — yet not yet perfectly fused; reaching this point, this letting-go samādhi grows deeper still, this merit and practice ripened and mature — hence, "this letting-go mind becomes perfectly fused." "This superior understanding pure" refers to this determined, superior understanding, sustaining and upholding this letting-go samādhi, subject and object both forgotten, not turned aside by any differing condition — this is what is meant by pure. And so, this letting-go mind being perfectly fused, without any hindrance or limit, the pure merit it gives rise to, too, ought to be without hindrance; within this merit free of hindrance, they attain this wondrous accord, extending to the very furthest bounds of the future. This wondrous accord means great sovereign freedom; whatever is wished for or sought is, likewise, without hindrance or limit — attaining this great sovereign freedom, extending to the furthest bounds of the future, delighting in and readily according with it throughout. This class is named Beloved Merit, since the merit of this heaven, within the entire conditioned realm, is the most beloved of all. Their lifespan is two hundred fifty great kalpas, their bodies two hundred fifty yojanas in length.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, from within this heaven, there are two forking paths. Should one, building upon this prior mind, take this boundless, pure light, this merit and virtue perfectly bright, and cultivate and realize it, thereby dwelling in it — this class is named Vast Fruit."

Commentary: "Ānanda, from within this heaven" — that is, from within the Beloved Merit heaven — there are two forking paths: one, the direct path, leads onward to the Vast Fruit heaven; the other, a deviant, roundabout path, leads onward to the No-Thought heaven — the very thought and karmic activity of each differing entirely. "Should one, building upon this prior mind" — that is, building upon this same wondrous, according mind of the Beloved Merit heaven, able to grant whatever one seeks according to one's wish — take, now, this boundless, pure light — that is, this same letting-go dhyāna, samādhi grown deep and giving rise to light. Within this light, using the four boundless minds to further cultivate and enrich the merit and virtue of this dhyāna, causing it to increase and become perfectly bright, departing from every defilement of the lower grounds, cultivating and realizing it, thereby dwelling in it — this class is named Vast Fruit, meaning the fruit brought about by this vast, great merit and virtue. Their lifespan is five hundred great kalpas, their bodies five hundred yojanas in length; none of the three calamities of water, fire, or wind can reach here. Among the nine grounds, this is named the ground of letting go of thought, purity — meaning that both thoughts of suffering and bliss are, together, let go of, and purity thereby attained.

Sūtra: "Should one, though, building upon this prior mind, reject both suffering and bliss together, refining and researching this letting-go mind without ever ceasing, thoroughly exhausting this path of letting-go until body and mind alike are extinguished, this thinking mind congealed like cold ash — and remain so for five hundred kalpas: such a person, since they have taken arising-and-ceasing itself as their very cause, is unable to bring to light this nature that neither arises nor ceases; for the first half-kalpa there is cessation, and for the latter half-kalpa there is arising once more. This class is named No-Thought."

Commentary: This "prior mind" refers, again, to this mind, within the Beloved Merit heaven, rejecting both suffering and bliss together; reaching the Vast Fruit heaven, one further cultivates merit, causing it to become perfectly bright; reaching the No-Thought heaven, one further cultivates this letting-go samādhi, seeking it to its very utmost — this is exactly where these two heavens fork apart. "Refining and researching this letting-go mind," the three clauses that follow, refer to this further cultivation of letting-go samādhi, searching deeply and finely, continuing without a single interruption. "Thoroughly exhausting" means exhausting it completely, to its very utmost, seeking its final consummation; "this path of letting-go" means taking this letting-go samādhi itself to be the path of nirvāṇa. "Body and mind alike extinguished, this thinking mind congealed like cold ash" means that, through this letting-go samādhi, one extinguishes this letting-go mind itself, this samādhi collapsing everything into a single undifferentiated emptiness — hence, body and mind alike dissolve away, and this thinking, reflecting mind becomes, as it were, cold ash, congealed and unmoving, like a fish trapped within ice. The fish here is a metaphor for the sixth consciousness, this mind and its mental factors; the ice is a metaphor for this letting-go samādhi — just as, in winter, water freezes into ice, and a fish trapped within the ice cannot move at all. This samādhi, too, is exactly the same: it merely subdues the present activity of the sixth consciousness, and, through the sustaining power of this samādhi, for five hundred great kalpas, this retribution-body remains unimpaired. After these five hundred kalpas, though, it disperses once more, scattering back into the cycle of rebirth. And, once the retribution of No-Thought is exhausted, such beings mostly fall into hell — since, while still in this samādhi, not having genuinely realized it, they took it to be realization, believing themselves to have attained arhatship and already left birth-and-death behind. Later, emerging from this samādhi, they slander the Three Jewels, calling the Buddha's teaching a mad deception, for having taught that the arhat's work is done, with no further existence to be received — and, on this account, they fall into hell. "Such a person, since they have taken arising-and-ceasing itself as their very cause, is unable to bring to light this nature that neither arises nor ceases" — as the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: this explains the reason for its impermanence, precisely because they have, in confused disorder, cultivated according to those two mistaken roots spoken of earlier. The first two clauses make plain that they have mistakenly relied on the sixth consciousness, this root of birth-and-death, taking it to be the very basis of their cultivation, forcibly congealing it into this ash-like state; the latter two clauses make plain that they have, in turn, been confused about this essential, bright purity of consciousness itself, this perfect, all-pervading nature that neither arises nor ceases, entirely failing to make any use of it at all. "For the first half-kalpa there is cessation" means that, at the very beginning of birth into this heaven, cultivating this samādhi for half a kalpa, thought first comes to cessation, and the samādhi of no-thought is thereby accomplished. "For the latter half-kalpa there is arising once more" means that, in the four-hundred-ninety-ninth and a half kalpa, this thinking mind arises once again, and this samādhi, too, thereby collapses. Having both an arising and a collapse, this can never, in the end, be any true consummation at all. This class is named No-Thought. This heaven relies on this letting-go dhyāna to extinguish the sixth consciousness, this mind and its mental factors, causing them not to arise in present activity — hence named the No-Thought heaven. Yet, since it is cultivated by means of this same letting-go dhyāna shared with the Vast Fruit heaven, the two dwell, together, in the very same place; it is only because this is a non-Buddhist practice that it receives a separate name of its own. This closes the first section, showing the distinct marks of these four heavens.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, these four superior classes cannot be moved at all by any realm of suffering or bliss found throughout the entire world. Though this is not yet the true, unconditioned ground of true unmovability, still, this mind that has attained something has, in its function, grown fully ripened and mature. This is named the fourth dhyāna."

Commentary: "Ānanda, these four superior classes" — because they all alike surpass the grounds below them. "The entire world" refers, generally, to everything from the desire realm up through the third dhyāna: the desire realm is moved by suffering and bliss both; the first dhyāna, suffering and affliction do not press upon it, the second dhyāna, anxious apprehension does not press upon it — neither is moved by suffering; the third dhyāna attains boundless bliss, and though not moved by suffering, is still moved by bliss. Reaching this fourth dhyāna now, both suffering and bliss are, together, gone, dwelling instead in this letting-go samādhi — hence, "cannot be moved at all by any realm of suffering or bliss." As Wenling puts it: the fourth dhyāna is not moved by any of the three calamities — hence named the ground of unmovability. Yet its vessel-world is not truly constant, and sentient beings there still undergo arising and ceasing; though this is not yet the true, unconditioned, truly constant ground — such as the eighth ground of immovability among the ten grounds of the bodhisattva path — still, this conditioned function has, by this point, grown fully ripened and mature. Question: if it is not moved by the three calamities, how can it be said that the vessel is not truly constant, and sentient beings there undergo arising and ceasing both? Answer: other sūtras explain that, for the beings of this heaven, when they are born, their palaces and gardens and groves are born together with them; and when they die, these, too, perish together with them. "Vessel" refers to the vessel-world itself, the palaces and gardens and groves — and this is not a truly constant realm; "sentient" refers to the world of sentient beings, arising and ceasing together with it. "This mind that has attained something" refers to cultivating this letting-go samādhi, taking it to be nirvāṇa itself, expecting with certainty to attain it — this is named the mind that has attained something. This makes plain, precisely, that this conditioned function has, by this point, grown ripened and mature, no longer requiring any forced effort, operating spontaneously, unmoving of itself. This is named the fourth dhyāna. As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: the first dhyāna is joined with the precepts, the virtue of the precepts predominating; the second dhyāna is joined with joy, this brightness of light predominating; the third dhyāna is joined with bliss, this pure bliss predominating; the fourth dhyāna is joined with letting-go — in the first three of its heavens, merit and virtue predominate, and in its last heaven, this letting-go samādhi predominates; this is the distinction between them. This closes the first section, the four superior-class heavens.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, within this same fourth dhyāna, there are, further, five non-returner heavens. For beings there, the nine grades of habitual tendency belonging to the lower realms have, all at once, been utterly extinguished; both suffering and bliss are, together, gone, and so there is nowhere left below for them to dwell. And so, within this same shared class of the letting-go mind, a dwelling-place is established for them."

Commentary: "Within this" refers to within this fourth dhyāna heaven; there are, further, these five kinds of non-returner heavens. The Sanskrit anāgāmin is translated "non-returner" — this is the dwelling-place of third-fruit noble ones. Because, within the lower realms — that is, within the desire realm — the nine grades of the habitual tendency of thought-delusion have already been cut off entirely, they have realized this third-fruit noble stage, and never again return to the desire realm to take birth there. "Habitual tendency" refers to the seeds of thought-delusion — that is, greed, anger, delusion, and pride, arising spontaneously, this subtle, fine delusion born together with life itself, not the same as the coarser delusion cut off through discrimination. Because this delusion is so difficult to remove, it is divided into eighty-one grades: throughout the nine grounds of the three realms, each ground is, in turn, divided into nine grades. Here, one cuts off the nine grades belonging to the ground of the five destinies mingled together — that is, the desire realm — each of the upper, middle, and lower divided, again, into three further grades, requiring seven cycles of birth and death, back and forth between the heavens and the human realm, to cut them off completely — at which point both the seeds and the present activity of this delusion are extinguished together — hence, "all at once, been utterly extinguished," realizing this third fruit. This makes plain, then, the matter of a noble one cutting off delusion — differing from the mere subduing, without cutting off, found in the fourth dhyāna. "Both suffering and bliss are, together, gone, and so there is nowhere left below for them to dwell": having cut off entirely the delusion belonging to the nine grades of the desire-realm ground, suffering is thereby gone, and there is nowhere within the desire realm left for them to dwell; and, no longer accepting the bliss of the first, second, or third dhyānas either, bliss, too, is thereby gone, and there is nowhere within the third dhyāna of the form realm left for them to dwell either — since they no longer share the same class as those there. And the samādhi they enter is exactly this letting-go samādhi in which both suffering and bliss are gone together; and so, within this same shared class of the letting-go mind belonging to the fourth dhyāna, a dwelling-place is established for them, where they dwell in order to cut off the remaining seventy-two grades of thought-delusion, and seek to realize the fruit of arhatship. Yet, though this dwelling-place is established within this same shared class, this mingled cultivation of stillness and reflection follows its own separate course of karmic activity. As the Abhidharmakośa puts it: this mingled cultivation of stillness and reflection comes in five distinct grades, and so gives rise to birth among these five pure-dwelling heavens. "Mingled" means that one first gives rise to an outflow-free contemplation, then gives rise to an outflow-subject contemplation, and afterward gives rise, once more, to an outflow-free contemplation — cultivating outflow-free and outflow-subject contemplation alternately, mingled together. "Stillness and reflection" refers to samādhi and wisdom held in equal balance; the five grades are: lower, middle, upper, superior-upper, and utmost-upper. Question: why are these called the pure dwellings? Answer: these third-fruit noble ones have, within the lower realms, already utterly extinguished the nine grades of thought-delusion all at once — hence named pure; and the place where they dwell is, accordingly, named the pure dwellings.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, both suffering and bliss extinguished, this contending mind no longer clashes. This class is named No Vexation."

Commentary: According to the five grades, this belongs to the lower grade. "Both suffering and bliss extinguished" carries the very same meaning as "both suffering and bliss, together, gone." "Contending mind" refers to these two minds of longing and aversion: while suffering and bliss have not yet been extinguished, this mind, wearied of suffering and longing for bliss, contends and battles within the breast, each in turn gaining the upper hand — hence called a contending mind. Now that both have, together, been extinguished, this contention, accordingly, no longer clashes. This class is named No Vexation. As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: intense heat is called vexation, likewise describing the appearance of an inner mind burning and agitated within — something a contending mind can never avoid. Here, this contention no longer clashes, and one first attains this coolness and clarity — hence named No Vexation. Their lifespan is one thousand great kalpas, their bodies one thousand yojanas in length.

Sūtra: "This trigger-mechanism operates alone; researching where this clash might occur, there is no ground for it left at all. This class is named No Heat."

Commentary: This belongs to the middle grade. "Trigger-mechanism" refers to this mechanism of arousal, describing this thought as it releases; "held-in" describes this same thought as it is drawn back and restrained. "Operates alone" means that only this single letting-go thought, whether released or restrained, has, with it, no further thought intermingled at all. "Researching where this clash might occur, there is no ground for it left" means that, were even a single thought still present, one could not call it entirely absent; here, though, one researches this same single thought further still, through this mingled cultivation of stillness and reflection, and finds it, in the end, utterly unobtainable — so that not only does no clash occur, but were one even to wish for a clash to occur, there would be no ground left for it at all. This class is named No Heat. Slight vexation is called heat; here, even this slightness is gone — hence named No Heat. Their lifespan is two thousand great kalpas, their bodies two thousand yojanas in length.

Sūtra: "The worlds of the ten directions, this wondrous seeing perfectly clear and still, no longer harbor any trace of dust, any settled defilement at all. This class is named Good Views."

Commentary: This belongs to the upper grade. Through this cultivation of stillness and reflection, the heavenly eye is given rise to; and, sharing this same class as the fourth dhyāna, one likewise sees the great-thousand world entire. "The worlds of the ten directions" refers to the ten directions of this great-thousand world; "wondrous seeing" refers to the heavenly eye — cultivated and attained here, not received merely as retribution, and so surpassing even the fourth dhyāna itself. "Perfectly" means encompassing this great-thousand world in full; "clear" means limpid and thoroughly transparent — no dust or trace obstructing it from outside, hence perfect; no settled defilement of thought lingering within, hence clear. Inward and outward, empty and fused, this wondrous seeing is free of any obstruction at all. This class is named Good Views — the very substance pure, its function pervading everywhere, so that whatever is seen is entirely good. Their lifespan is four thousand great kalpas, their bodies four thousand yojanas in length.

Sūtra: "This refined seeing manifests before them, molding and casting without any obstruction at all. This class is named Good Manifestation."

Commentary: This belongs to the superior-upper grade. This refined, wondrous seeing has already manifested before them — this clause refers to the prior heaven, this substance of seeing pure, this function of seeing pervading everywhere; this heaven, further cultivating this stillness and reflection, has both substance and function superior together. "Molding and casting without any obstruction" is like a potter molding clay into a vessel, or a founder casting metal into an image — through the power of samādhi and wisdom, accomplishing spontaneously, freely, according to the mind, manifesting and transforming without any obstruction at all. This class is named Good Manifestation. Their lifespan is eight thousand great kalpas, their bodies eight thousand yojanas in length.

Sūtra: "Thoroughly exhausting every subtlety of movement, they arrive at the very nature of the nature of form itself, entering into boundlessness without limit. This class is named the Summit of Form."

Commentary: This belongs to the utmost-upper grade. "Thoroughly exhausting" carries the meaning of researching to the very utmost; "the subtlety of movement" refers to the subtlest trace of movement within the crowd of thoughts. As the Standard Meaning Commentary holds: researching many thoughts down to a single thought — hence, "thoroughly exhausting the subtlety of movement." Through this mingled cultivation across the five grades, one begins by using many thoughts free of outflow to permeate many thoughts subject to outflow, until, at the very last, a single thought free of outflow permeates a single thought subject to outflow — this is named the utmost-upper grade. "Arrive at the very nature of the nature of form itself": "nature" here means substantial nature; the first "nature" refers to the substance of form, the second "nature" refers to the substance of emptiness — meaning that one exhausts the nature of every form, arriving, at last, at the nature of emptiness itself. And form, too, depends on emptiness to manifest — this nature of emptiness being, precisely, the nature of the nature of form itself; that is to say, as the mind is permeated down from many thoughts to few, form, too, is exhausted down from coarse to subtle. At this point, though the body still remains, this bounded realm has become, entirely, empty — hence, "entering into boundlessness without limit." Boundlessness refers to empty space itself; limit refers to the very boundary of a realm — entering into the boundary of the realm of the base of boundless space. This class is named the Summit of Form — the form realm, reaching this point, comes to its very utmost peak; hence called the Summit of Form. Their lifespan is sixteen thousand great kalpas, their bodies sixteen thousand yojanas in length. This closes the second section, showing the distinct marks of these five heavens.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, these non-returner heavens are known, among the four kings of the fourth dhyāna itself, only by report, revered from afar — they are unable to truly know or see them at all. It is exactly as in this present world, where the wilderness and deep mountains hold sites of sacred practice, sustained entirely by arhats dwelling there unseen — such places remain invisible to coarse, ordinary people of the world."

Commentary: This closes by showing why these four kings cannot see them. "Ānanda, these five non-returner heavens" — among the four kings of that same fourth dhyāna — refers to three true kings, together with one heterodox king, making four in all; this cannot refer to the kings of the first, second, or third dhyānas, since these are separated by intervening grounds. According to Consciousness-Only teaching, from the second dhyāna upward there are, properly speaking, no kings or ministers spoken of at all; this reference to "four kings" here, then, is perhaps only an honorific term for whoever stands foremost there, loosely resembling a king. "Known only by report, revered from afar, unable to truly know or see them" — because the fourth dhyāna heaven remains an ordinary being subject to outflow, able only to subdue delusion, while these five non-returner heavens are outflow-free noble ones, able to cut delusion off entirely; noble and ordinary differ, subduing and cutting off are worlds apart, and so these kings can only look up with reverence at their exalted name, without knowing what they enjoy there, or seeing their dependent and direct retribution at all. Question: if those heavenly kings are bodhisattvas roaming in samādhi, why can they not know or see them? Answer: precisely because these bodhisattvas manifest traces as ordinary beings, they share, together with ordinary beings, the very same knowledge and views. "It is exactly as in this present world" onward draws an illustration to make this plain: the wilderness and deep mountains are, all of them, places entirely empty of human habitation, and yet are exactly the private domain of arhats, called sites of sacred practice — and yet coarse people of the world are unable to see them, since they have not cultivated the outflow-free path themselves. This closes the second section, the five non-returner heavens.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, these eighteen heavens proceed each alone, without any intermingling among them; they have not yet exhausted the burden of form. From here downward, all of this is named the form realm."

Commentary: As Guhshan puts it: "proceed each alone, without any intermingling" means that all alike are free of sexual desire; "not yet exhausted the burden of form" means that material substance still remains. Above, these are the eighteen Brahmā heavens, pure and without companionship — hence, "proceed each alone, without any intermingling." Though free of desire, they still possess a transformation-born body, and have not yet exhausted the burden of form. From this Summit of Form heaven downward, all the way to the Retinue of Brahmā heaven, belong, together, to this same form realm. This closes the fourth dhyāna.

Sūtra: "Further, Ānanda: from this Summit of Existence, at the very edge of form, there are, again, two forking paths within it. Should one, within this letting-go mind, bring forth wisdom, this light of wisdom perfectly penetrating, they thereby transcend this realm of dust altogether, become an arhat, and enter the bodhisattva vehicle. This class is named a great arhat who has turned their mind around."

Commentary: As Wenling puts it: from this point upward, this makes plain the four formless heavens — possessing no form born of karma, yet possessing a form born of samādhi, both dependent and direct retribution alike being so. All four heavens rely on a one-sided emptiness for their advancement: the first rejects form and relies on emptiness; the second rejects emptiness and relies on consciousness; the third, form, emptiness, and consciousness all three extinguished, relies on the very nature of consciousness itself; the fourth, relying on this nature of consciousness, exhausts it through further research, yet never attains any true cessation at all. All of these are, alike, conditioned, superior-good fruits, not yet transcending the wheel of rebirth, not yet accomplishing the noble path. This is about to make plain the four formless heavens; first, though, it distinguishes the case of one who turns their mind around and transcends altogether. Ānanda, from this Summit of Form heaven, dwelling at the very summit of the form realm, this is named the Summit of Existence; and, bordering upon the formless realm, this is named the very edge of form. Advancing further from here, there are, again, two forking paths. Because among third-fruit noble ones, faculties differ between the sharp and the dull: those of sharp faculties, right within this letting-go samādhi at the Summit of Form, bring forth this outflow-free wisdom of the emptiness of self, this light of wisdom perfectly complete, cutting off entirely the delusion of thought, and thereby transcend this realm of dust altogether, departing from fragmentary birth-and-death, realizing the truth of one-sided emptiness, and becoming an arhat; yet, not content to rest in this lesser fruit, they advance further to cultivate this great cause — hence, "enter the bodhisattva vehicle." Those of dull faculties, remaining within the Summit of Form heaven, rely, once more, upon this same samādhi-mind, delighting in what lies above and wearied of what lies below, extinguishing form and returning to emptiness, and are thereby born into the formless realm — this being the very point where the two paths diverge. This class refers to the class of sharp faculties. "Turned their mind around" means turning around this very mind that delighted in what lies above and wearied of what lies below, transcending the three realms all at once. "Great arhat" means turning around this mind that grasped at the lesser and cast aside the great, swiftly entering the great vehicle — yet, since their outward trace still remains among the śrāvakas, they are still called arhat, distinguished only by the word "great." This closes the first section, distinguishing the case of the noble one who transcends.

Sūtra: "Should one, though, remain within this letting-go mind, this rejection and this weariness both brought to completion, becoming aware that this very body itself is an obstruction, and dissolving this obstruction to enter into emptiness — this class is named the Base of Emptiness."

Commentary: This now properly shows the four formless heavens. "Should one remain within this letting-go mind" — Changshui says: this letting-go mind is of two kinds. One: should this be at the Summit of Form, using the outflow-free path to cut off delusion and enter emptiness — this is the non-returner who delights in samādhi. Two: should this be at the Vast Fruit heaven, using the outflow-subject path to subdue delusion and enter samādhi — this is the ordinary, non-Buddhist practitioner. "This rejection and this weariness both brought to completion" means being wearied of existence and delighting in emptiness. Becoming aware that even having a body remains itself an obstruction, one thereupon dissolves this bodily obstruction, entering into emptiness instead. As Wenling puts it: wearied of the very obstruction of one's own form, one firmly cultivates the contemplation of emptiness; extinguishing the body and returning to nothingness — this is exactly rejecting form and relying on emptiness. This is named the samādhi of the Base of Emptiness, and so one's retribution is birth into the Base of Emptiness. This class is named the Base of Emptiness. Their lifespan is twenty thousand great kalpas. The four formless heavens possess no form born of karma, and so their bodily height is not spoken of at all.

Sūtra: "Every obstruction having already been dissolved, this freedom from obstruction, too, is extinguished; within this, only the ālaya-consciousness alone remains, together with a subtle half-portion still remaining of the entirety of manas. This class is named the Base of Consciousness."

Commentary: As Wenling puts it: every obstruction having already been dissolved and become empty, one no longer relies upon form; and this joy in this very freedom from obstruction, too, is extinguished, one no longer relying upon emptiness either. Not relying upon form carries forward this prior heaven's fruit-characteristic; not relying upon emptiness makes plain this heaven's own cultivated practice as against this same fruit-characteristic — that is, rejecting both form and emptiness together, relying only upon consciousness instead. "Within this, only the ālaya-consciousness alone remains, together with a subtle half-portion still remaining of the entirety of manas" means that, among the consciousnesses that still remain, only the eighth consciousness, the ālaya, remains; and, of the entirety of the seventh consciousness, manas, only a subtle half-portion still remains — this is exactly wearied of emptiness and relying upon consciousness instead. Ālaya is translated "storehouse consciousness" — this is only its common name; the intent here is to point to manas itself, since manas takes the ālaya as its very substance. Manas is precisely the seventh consciousness, translated "the defiled support," being the very root upon which the sixth consciousness, mano-vijñāna, depends. Manas relies upon the sixth consciousness, taking hold of the six kinds of sense-object, its activity coarse and evident, appearing to exist by clinging to these objects, yet, apart from these objects, having no real existence at all; now that form and emptiness alike have both been extinguished, this consciousness has nothing left to cling to at all. Its coarse, evident outward conditioning — this half-portion has already ceased; its subtle, fine quality — this remaining half-portion still persists alone. This class is named the samādhi of the Base of Consciousness, and so one's retribution is birth into the Base of Consciousness — manas being the mind that takes hold of the object, and the ālaya being the very object it takes hold of. Their lifespan is forty thousand great kalpas.

Sūtra: "Form and emptiness both already gone, this discriminating mind of consciousness, too, is entirely extinguished; the ten directions become utterly still, with nowhere left at all to turn toward or go. This class is named the Base of Nothing-at-All."

Commentary: The first heaven extinguishes form and returns to emptiness; the next heaven extinguishes emptiness and returns to consciousness — hence, "form and emptiness both already gone." "This discriminating mind" refers to this subtle half-portion of manas still remaining. This heaven regards this very conditioning by this discriminating mind as itself able to disrupt samādhi; relying on the deep power of this samādhi, this fine, subtle half-portion, too, is subdued and kept from operating — hence called "entirely extinguished." One should understand that this cessation is not the same as an arhat's cessation, where both seed and present activity are cut off together. What follows describes the realm realized within this samādhi: this subtle half-portion having now come to its end, only the ālaya remains, alone. The ālaya is without discrimination at all; it perceives only the ten directions, still and remote, with nowhere at all left to turn toward — "toward" here meaning "a place to go." One no longer advances any further at all. This is precisely the place where non-Buddhist practitioners mistake this for the "primal principle," shrouded in darkness. This class is named the Base of Nothing-at-All, since form, emptiness, and consciousness — all three — are, alike, nowhere to be found at all. Their lifespan is sixty thousand great kalpas.

Sūtra: "This very nature of consciousness remains unmoved; and yet, through this power of cessation, one researches it to its very utmost, striving, within this boundless nature, to bring forth and proclaim its exhaustion — so that it seems to exist, yet does not exist; seems exhausted, yet is not exhausted. This class is named the Base of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception."

Commentary: The ālaya remaining alone is called the nature of consciousness. This nature of consciousness is exactly the nature of the treasury itself; the nature of the treasury has, from the very beginning, never been moved at all — as this sūtra itself puts it: constantly abiding, wondrously bright, unmoving, perfect and complete. It is only that these ordinary heavenly beings, failing to penetrate this principle, and seeing only that this ālaya is firm and unshakable, use, instead, the power of this samādhi of cessation to research and study it deeply, striving, within this boundless nature, to forcibly bring it forth and proclaim it, wishing to exhaust this very nature. Yet this nature of consciousness cannot, in fact, be exhausted, for two reasons: first, this nature of consciousness is exactly the nature of the treasury itself, and there is, for noble and ordinary alike, no principle by which it could ever be exhausted at all. Second, considered in terms of its seeds, then, for any ordinary being or non-Buddhist practitioner who has not yet taken hold of the Tathāgata's own method for cutting off these seeds, it can, in the end, never be exhausted at all — and the non-returner, being, moreover, of dull faculties, is likewise not yet at the time for its exhaustion. This heaven, wishing, nonetheless, to exhaust this very nature, is, through the pressure of the power of samādhi, brought to a state where, though the nature of consciousness still exists, it no longer manifests in present activity — hence, "it seems to exist, yet does not exist," resembling a lamp half-extinguished. Though it appears that this nature of consciousness has been exhausted, it has not, in fact, been exhausted at all — hence, "seems exhausted, yet is not exhausted," resembling a lamp half-lit still. This class is named the Base of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception. As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: at the very end, Master Huan, taking up "seems to exist, yet does not exist," concludes with "neither perception"; and taking up "seems exhausted, yet is not exhausted," concludes with "nor non-perception" — this captures precisely the thread of the text. That is to say: "neither perception" means it is not that perception exists; "nor non-perception" means it is not that perception is entirely absent either. Their lifespan is eighty thousand great kalpas. This closes the second section, listing in full these four heavens.

Sūtra: "All of these beings, exhausting emptiness itself, have not yet exhausted the very principle of emptiness. Should one, from the non-returner heavens, exhaust this same noble path all the way through — this class is named a dull arhat who has not turned their mind around. Should one, though, from the No-Thought heaven, or from any of the various non-Buddhist heavens, exhaust emptiness itself without ever truly returning — deluded by outflow, without any real learning — such a one falls, instead, straight back into the turning wheel of rebirth."

Commentary: This distinguishes how the noble one and the ordinary being, alike, emerge or fall — each by an entirely different path. "All of these" refers to these four formless bases; "exhausting emptiness" — as the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: in the first heaven, form is exhausted and made to vanish; in the second heaven, emptiness is exhausted and made nonexistent; in the third heaven, consciousness is exhausted and made to cease; in the fourth heaven, this very nature is exhausted and made complete. The first two exhaust the outer realm, the latter two exhaust the mind itself; wishing to make both mind and realm, together, empty, this is called, generally, exhausting emptiness. "Have not yet exhausted the principle of emptiness" means that ordinary and non-Buddhist practitioners have not yet understood the principle of the emptiness of self, and lesser noble ones have not yet penetrated the principle of the emptiness of phenomena — let alone the perfect, sudden teaching, where mind and realm are, originally, already empty of themselves, with no need for any dissolving or extinguishing at all! And so all are, together, judged as failing to understand. What follows now makes plain how the noble one and the ordinary being, alike, emerge from or fall back into the three realms. First, this makes plain how the noble one transcends the three realms: that is, one dwelling within the Base of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception who, coming from among the five non-returner heavens, cultivates the noble path, exhausting emptiness along the way — through the power of exhausting emptiness, passing through these four heavens, cutting off the delusion belonging to these four grounds, all thirty-six grades entirely, realizing the truth of the emptiness of self, and thereby transcending the three realms. This class is named a dull arhat who has not turned their mind around. To say "not turned their mind around" carries two meanings: first, at the very summit of the form realm, not turning around early enough this mind wearied of existence and delighting in emptiness, to swiftly become an arhat. Second, sinking into and clinging to this quiescent emptiness, not turning around early enough this mind that grasped at the lesser and cast aside the great, toward the bodhisattva vehicle. Hence named a dull arhat — spoken of here in contrast to the sharp-faculty one spoken of earlier. The sharp-faculty one, without passing through these four heavens at all, needs only a little more than two hundred thousand great kalpas of cultivation. Next, this makes plain how the ordinary being falls back into the cycle of rebirth: that is, one dwelling within the Base of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception who, coming from the No-Thought heaven, or from any of the various non-Buddhist heavens, having cultivated only outflow-subject dhyāna, exhausts emptiness without ever truly returning: mistaking this outflow-subject heaven for something unconditioned, harboring the notion that it is unconditioned; lacking any real learning at all, not knowing that, within the three realms, there is, nowhere, any place at all where body and life can truly settle. And so, once these eighty thousand kalpas are exhausted, with nowhere left to turn to or rely upon, they fall, then and there, straight down, into the turning wheel of rebirth — following, once more, according to their prior karma, drifting on through the various destinies just as before; exactly as it is said: though one may pass through eighty thousand kalpas, in the end, one still falls back into emptiness and is lost. Question: a later passage states that the being of the No-Thought heaven, falsely clinging to it as nirvāṇa, slanders the teaching at the moment of death and falls into hell — how, then, can it be said that such beings enter these four heavens instead? Answer: slandering the teaching and falling into hell does, indeed, occur from time to time — yet, among those who share this same class of No-Thought, their underlying faculties differ in countless ways, and it need not be that every single one of them follows the very same course. Within the No-Thought heaven, the lifespan is five hundred great kalpas: cessation for the first half-kalpa, arising once more for the latter half-kalpa — at the moment of cessation, thought seems entirely absent, yet, at the moment of arising, it is present once more; and, precisely because thought is present once more, one becomes wearied of existence and delights in emptiness instead, and so cultivates these four formless samādhis — there is nothing at all strange in this.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, throughout all these heavens, each and every heavenly being there is simply an ordinary being, receiving the fruit of karma in due repayment; once this repayment is exhausted, they, too, enter the turning wheel of rebirth once more. Yet the very kings of these heavens are themselves bodhisattvas, roaming freely within samādhi, advancing gradually, step by step, turning their practice toward the very ranks of the noble ones — this being precisely the path along which they cultivate."

Commentary: This makes plain how the kings and the common people of these heavens differ from one another. "Throughout all these heavens" refers, generally, to the six desire-heavens, the four dhyānas, and the four formless heavens — excepting only the five non-returner heavens, since these belong to noble ones alone. Apart from the non-returner heavens, each and every heavenly being elsewhere is simply an ordinary being, receiving the fruit of karma in due repayment. "Once this repayment is exhausted, they enter the turning wheel of rebirth once more" — "fruit of karma," spoken in relation to "cause of karma," means that these heavenly beings, throughout their causal stage, cultivated only outflow-subject wholesome karma — the ten wholesome deeds, the eight dhyānas, and so forth — taking these as their genuine merit and practice; and the fruits of the six desire-heavens, the four dhyānas, and the four formless heavens repay them accordingly. Even should they attain superior blessings, this is nothing more than repayment for their prior causes. Once the blessings of heaven are exhausted, they scatter back down into the various destinies once more — just as, in the case of the heavenly being Udraka Rāmaputra, who, while cultivating samādhi deep in the mountains during his causal stage, was disturbed by a flock of contending, noisy birds, and, resenting the disturbance, gave rise to a single thought of anger, wishing that a flying fox might devour them all. Having given rise to this single thought during his causal stage, he later cultivated samādhi and was born into heaven, reaching the very Base of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception; and when this heavenly retribution came to its end, he fell, accordingly, into the body of a flying fox. Question: the upper realms are free of evil — how, then, could such a being fall into the three evil destinies? Answer: the seeds stored within consciousness are never lost, however many kalpas may pass; and, following whatever seed has ripened, one falls accordingly, without regard for whether this leads to the three evil destinies or not — how could this not be a matter for the deepest regret! This is exactly why the Tathāgata so earnestly urges: recite the Buddha's name in all sincerity, be born, carrying karma still unresolved, into the Pure Land, and transcend the three realms directly, swiftly leaving birth-and-death behind altogether. "Yet the very kings of these heavens are themselves bodhisattvas, roaming freely within samādhi" means that the kings of these heavens are not, in fact, ordinary beings at all, but great-vehicle bodhisattvas, abiding within samādhi, roaming freely through spiritual powers, taking temporary residence in the rank of a heavenly king, to bring benefit and salvation to beings there, while accomplishing their own virtue at the same time. "Advancing gradually, step by step, turning their practice toward the very ranks of the noble ones — this being precisely the path along which they cultivate" means that their practice advances by gradual stages, and their rank, too, advances by gradual stages, using this heavenly rank as nothing more than a temporary support, all alike turning toward the very fruit of unsurpassed bodhi; this being precisely the cultivation that follows enlightenment, every single practice, alike, turned from phenomena toward principle, thereby entering into the very ranks of the noble ones. What they cultivate is precisely this great Śūraṅgama samādhi — that is, exactly this same wondrous path of cultivation spoken of throughout this sūtra. And so they never fall back into the turning wheel of rebirth at all.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, in these four formless heavens, body and mind alike have been extinguished; the very nature of samādhi manifests before them, with no form born of karmic fruit remaining at all. From here all the way to their very end, this is named the formless realm."

Commentary: This closes by naming these four formless heavens. Ānanda, in these four formless heavens: in the first two heavens, both body and its outer realm are entirely empty — this is body extinguished; in the latter two heavens, consciousness, too, no longer arises — this is mind extinguished. Body and mind alike having already been extinguished, the very nature of samādhi manifests before them; and so, while within samādhi, whatever form arises through samādhi — the dependent and direct retribution freely manifested and enjoyed while within samādhi, transformed at will — is precisely what the Elucidation Treatise calls form produced by the sovereign freedom of samādhi. "No form born of karmic fruit" means that, upon emerging from samādhi, there remains no form born as the karmic fruit of the desire or form realms, dependent or direct. As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: body and mind both utterly still, dependent and direct retribution both alike empty — in the eyes of a noble one, this is like a mere three-inch spark of consciousness, resembling the intermediate state between death and rebirth. "From here all the way to their very end" — "reaching" means arriving; from the very first, the Base of Emptiness, all the way to arriving at the Base of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception, this is said to be where the three realms come to their utmost end — this is named the formless realm. Yet this is only through the power of samādhi that, for a time, there is no dependent or direct retribution at all — this is not a truly emptying-out of the aggregates in reality, nor a permanent severing of all karmic fruit whatsoever. This closes the first section, listing in full all of these heavens.

Sūtra: "All of this comes about simply because beings fail to understand this wondrous, enlightened, bright mind of theirs; falseness accumulates upon falseness and gives rise to all of this, so that these three realms come to exist falsely, and, in the midst of them, beings falsely follow along, sinking down into these seven destinies — each such being, each such person, following, accordingly, their own particular kind."

Commentary: This closes by summing up that the three realms, altogether, are simply false. From the Four Heavenly Kings all the way up to the Base of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception, all of this comes about simply because beings fail to understand their own wondrous, enlightened nature, this originally bright, true mind. This nature is, from the very outset, inherently wondrous, without a single thread attached to it at all; this mind is, from the very outset, inherently bright, its spiritual light shining alone, perfectly round and utterly luminous, pure and unconditioned from the very beginning — and, seeking within it for any dependent or direct retribution of the three realms, none whatsoever can, in truth, ever be found. Simply because beings fail to understand this, confusion accumulates upon confusion, falseness arises from falseness, and so the three subtle marks — karmic activity, the perceiving subject, and the perceived realm — come to arise; and from these three subtle marks there come, in turn, the six coarse marks; delusion, karma, and suffering, all three, are thereupon present in full — hence, these three realms come to exist falsely. "In the midst of them, beings falsely follow along, sinking down into these seven destinies": "in the midst" refers to the very midst of these three realms; beings, following, further, their own false karma, sink down into these seven destinies, there to undergo their retribution. Within the field of the eighth consciousness lie stored the karmic seeds of countless kalpas; whichever karma happens to ripen, that same destiny is entered, to receive its corresponding retribution there. "Pudgala" is translated "sentient being," also rendered "one who repeatedly takes hold of a destiny" — meaning that every sentient being, giving rise to delusion and creating karma, repeatedly clings and attaches, again and again, within these three realms, taking birth, over and over, among these various destinies. "Each such being, each such person, following, accordingly, their own particular kind" means that each being follows their own particular karmic cause, and receives, accordingly, the corresponding karmic fruit belonging to that same kind — hence why the text, throughout, so often says, "this class." This closes the sixth destiny, the heavens.

Sūtra: "Further, Ānanda: within these three realms there are, again, four kinds of asura."

Commentary: Sanskrit asura, also transliterated asūra, these being merely regional variants of the same Sanskrit pronunciation. The Yogācārabhūmi translates this "not-heaven," the ancients explaining: possessing the good fortune of the heavens, without the very virtue of the heavens. Older translations render it "without proper form" — the Dīrgha Āgama states that, when the asuras give birth to daughters, they are beautiful, but when they give birth to sons, they are mostly ugly, and so the name is drawn from the male. According to the order in which the Buddha first set out the seven destinies, each proceeds from the inferior toward the superior; the asuras are placed here, at this point, precisely because they, alone, possess all four modes of birth at once. "Further, Ānanda: within these three realms" — according to the various sūtras and treatises, the dwelling-place of the asuras would seem confined to the desire realm alone; yet the text here says "within these three realms" because, according to the earlier section, these three realms exist only falsely, and beings, in their midst, falsely follow along, sinking down into these seven destinies — hence, "within these three realms." "There are, again, four kinds" means that, divided by lineage, there are four: egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born — and, receiving birth accordingly, they are divided among the heavens, humans, ghosts, and animals. Though their lineages differ in these four ways, their nature is, alike, given to great anger, and their conduct, alike, given to great jealousy — nature and conduct, in this, closely resembling one another throughout.

Sūtra: "One who, dwelling among the ghosts, gains spiritual penetration into emptiness through the power of protecting the Dharma is an asura born from an egg, classified under the destiny of ghosts."

Commentary: "Dwelling among the ghosts" refers to this class's own prior cause — that is to say, they came originally from the destiny of ghosts, and, through a good vow and a good mind, upheld and protected the Buddhadharma — whether protecting the sūtras, protecting mantras, protecting the precepts, protecting meditative practice, or protecting those who cultivate in accordance with the Dharma — all such beings may be called protectors of the Dharma. Through the power of this wholesome karma, they leave behind that destiny of ghosts and enter into this one instead; with protecting the Dharma as their cause, their fruit is, accordingly, superior still, and so they are able to gain spiritual penetration and dwell within the realm of emptiness. This asura is born from an egg; egg-born, they fly through the open sky, their cause and fruit both resembling that of ghosts — hence classified under the destiny of ghosts.

Sūtra: "One who, having fallen from virtue among the gods and been demoted, comes to dwell close to the sun and moon is an asura born from a womb, classified under the destiny of humans."

Commentary: "Having fallen from virtue among the gods and been demoted" refers to this class's own prior cause: as the Zhizhang Commentary puts it, the heavens of form sustain themselves through pure conduct, while the heavens of desire take having few desires as their very virtue; should one's pure conduct grow the least bit deficient, or one's desire grow the least bit heavier, this is, in every case, called a falling from virtue. Demoted from their heavenly rank, they fall into the asura realm, their blessed reward resembling that of the gods still, their dwelling-place, too, much the same. Where they come to dwell is close by the palaces of the sun and moon, bordering below upon the human realm. As the Sūtra of the Right Recollection of the True Dharma states: there are asuras dwelling at the flank of Mount Sumeru, able, within the desire realm, to transform their bodies large or small, entirely as they wish — this is exactly this same class. This asura emerges from a womb, classified under the destiny of humans; their desire being heavy, they are, accordingly, demoted, and so come to be born from a womb, since a womb comes about through desire. And, since their desire resembles that of humans, they are classified, accordingly, under the destiny of humans.

Sūtra: "There are also asura kings who hold whole worlds in their grasp, their power penetrating and utterly fearless, contesting authority with Brahmā, with Śakra, and with the Four Heavenly Kings — such an asura exists through transformation, classified under the destiny of the heavens."

Commentary: "There are asura kings" — this distinguishes them from the ordinary multitude of asuras. This class's own prior cause is not stated in the text; reasoning from its fruit, though, it must come from the human realm — among humans, some establish great deeds and accomplishments, others scheme after kingship and hegemony, and, when such things do not turn out as their hearts desired, anger and jealousy arise accordingly; and so they come to be reborn as asura kings, their blessed reward resembling that of the heavenly beings. "Hold whole worlds in their grasp": as the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it, they are able, further, to command spirits and ghosts, bringing fortune or misfortune upon the human world — as the Peacock Sūtra speaks of certain punishments meted out by asuras — this much may be seen from it. "Their power penetrating and utterly fearless": "power" here refers to the power of spiritual penetration; "penetrating" means thoroughly reaching — able to thoroughly reach every heaven, without any fear at all. And so they are able to contend for authority with Brahmā, with Śakra the lord of the gods, and with the Four Heavenly Kings. As the Guanding Commentary puts it: Brahmā is lord of a small-thousand world; Śakra is the most revered among the thirty-three heavens; the Four Kings together govern the four continents, each with their own particular charge — the asuras, not being counted among them, give rise to jealousy and contention, wishing to seize their authority, and come, from time to time, to make war upon them. Originally contesting authority with Śakra, with the Four Kings serving as the vanguard; when the Four Kings could not prevail, they would report to Śakra, and when Śakra, too, could not prevail, they would, in turn, beg for aid from the other heavens, even from Brahmā himself, who would then lend his strength to the battle; this asura exists through transformation. "Classified under the destiny of the heavens": this asura, their power of merit and virtue vast, does not undergo birth through the womb at all, but exists through transformation instead, able to transform their body large or small — at its largest, transforming to a hundred sixty-eight thousand yojanas, so that, when it shakes Mount Sumeru with its hand, the mountain itself is truly moved, and Śakra's own palace, at the very summit of Sumeru, is shaken and unsettled, giving rise to fear in his heart. Afterward, when Śakra's troops went out to do battle, he had each of them recite the name of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā, and thereby won a great victory; and the asura, then, transformed into a tiny body, and hid within the hollow of a single lotus fiber. This makes plain, then, this matter of transformation, and so this asura is classified under the destiny of the heavens.

Sūtra: "And, Ānanda, there is a further, lesser kind of asura, born at the very heart of the great ocean, sinking down to dwell at the mouth of some watery cavern, roaming the sky by day and returning to sleep in the water by night — such an asura exists through moisture, classified under the destiny of animals."

Commentary: "Ānanda, there is a further, lesser kind of asura" refers to a further portion, that is, those whose power of blessed reward does not prevail, belonging to this lesser, inferior class, spoken of here in contrast to those above: those born through transformation resemble a king; those born through the womb resemble a minister; those born from an egg resemble the common people; and those born through moisture resemble servants and slaves. They are born at the very heart of the great ocean, sinking down beneath the mouth of some watery cavern — this watery cavern perhaps referring to Weilü, said to lie east of the deep blue sea, where there is a rock forty thousand li across, lying beneath the tail-end of every river and stream, and so called Weilü, "tail-gathering" — this being, precisely, a cavern of the sea, a mouth through which its waters drain away. "Roaming the sky by day" means roaming through the open sky during daylight hours, there to be put to use in service; "returning to sleep in the water by night" means returning to the water by night, there to rest from their labors. This asura exists through moisture, classified under the destiny of animals: born at the very heart of the great ocean, at the mouth where its waters drain away, and so existing through moisture; their blessed reward being of the lowest kind, though they may think of food and, indeed, obtain it, at first it tastes fine, yet, by the very last mouthful, it turns, of a sudden, to the taste of blue mud — and so this class is classified under the destiny of animals. This closes the second section, setting out these destinies in full.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, examined closely, hell, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, immortals, the heavens, and asuras — all seven destinies together — are nothing but confused, conditioned appearances. Beings are born through false thought and follow karma through false thought; against this wondrous, perfect, bright, effortless original mind, all of this is exactly like flowers conjured in empty space, with nowhere at all that they are truly attached. It is nothing but a single falseness, with no root or thread to it beyond that."

Commentary: This sums up, in general, that these seven destinies are, throughout, false in both cause and fruit. "Examined closely" refers to closely researching everything spoken of above — hell, ghosts, animals, humans, immortals, the heavens, and asuras — examined closely, whether in their rising or their falling, coming or going, whether as cause or as fruit, none of it ever departs from false feeling and false thought at all. "All of this is nothing but" points, precisely, to this false cause and this false fruit: confusion is delusion; conditioned activity is karma; none of it is anything but being born through false thought, and undergoing retribution and suffering through false karma — that is to say, precisely delusion, karma, and suffering, these three, clinging together like the fruit of the akṣa tree.

"Against this wondrous, perfect, bright" onward: wishing to make plain this falseness, the text first raises up what is true, in order to set it against this falseness by way of contrast. Free of both emptiness and existence, and yet not bound by either, this is called wondrous; originally pervading everywhere, this is called perfect; free of all obstruction and covering, this is called bright; without any conditioned activity or contrivance at all, this is one's own original, true mind. This seven destinies is, throughout, exactly like flowers conjured in empty space: emptiness itself is taken as a metaphor for the true mind, and these wildly conjured flowers as a metaphor for these seven destinies; space, in itself, never truly holds any flower at all — it is only a diseased eye that falsely perceives one there. The three clauses that follow — "with nowhere at all that they are truly attached" — mean, precisely, that, exactly at the moment such a flower appears, it arises from out of nowhere in particular, and, wherever it appears, it likewise vanishes there again — how could there be any real place where it is truly attached at all? And so one knows that these seven destinies are nothing more than a single false name and appearance — there is no true root or thread to them at all, worth any further research. As the Zhizhang Commentary puts it: Ānanda asked earlier — is this path something originally, inherently possessed of itself, or is it something that arises through the false habitual tendencies of sentient beings? The text here answers that it is born through false thought, and follows karma through false thought — this is the answer that it arises through false habitual tendencies. And it further says: it is nothing but a single falseness, with no root or thread to it beyond that — this is the answer that it was never, truly, originally there at all.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, these beings fail to recognize this original mind of theirs, and so undergo this same wheel of rebirth, throughout countless kalpas, never attaining any true purity at all — and this is entirely because they follow along after killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. Turning against these same three, on the other hand, gives rise, in turn, to a further kind of existence: the presence of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct is named the class of ghosts; their absence is named the destiny of the heavens. And so presence and absence tilt back and forth against each other, giving rise to the very nature of this turning wheel itself."

Commentary: As Wenling puts it: the earlier question asked how, if this wondrous mind pervades everywhere, there could still be such things as hell, ghosts, humans, and heavens at all — and so this passage now makes plain, in closing, that killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, these three, are precisely the very root of it. As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: earlier it was said that there is no root or thread to be found at all — and yet here, once more, the very root of this disease is pointed to; for although this falseness has no true substance of its own, and its arising is, in the end, without any true cause, still, as a matter of false principle corresponding to false effect, this continuation is never truly without any basis at all — hence it is pointed to once again here.

"Ānanda, these seven destinies, all sentient beings" — this refers back to Ānanda's earlier doubt: if the Buddha's own body is true and real, how can there still be such destinies as hell, hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, humans, and heavens? The Tathāgata now answers this by explaining that it is because beings fail to recognize this original mind. "Original mind" refers to this wondrous, bright, true mind, originally possessed by all — which is, precisely, the very body of the Buddha, true and real. Precisely because beings fail to recognize this true and real body of the Buddha, they undergo this wheel of rebirth through these seven destinies, throughout countless kalpas; the evil destinies, certainly, are impure, yet even the good destinies, though called pure, are not truly pure either, since the seeds of thought-delusion still lie dormant, hidden within the storehouse-consciousness, subdued but never cut off — and so, too, this can never be called true purity. And, again, precisely because they fail to recognize this, they undergo the path of delusion, and thereby undergo this same wheel of rebirth, which is precisely the path of karma and of suffering.

"Entirely because" that follows makes plain how this follows upon karma: that is to say, the very reason true purity is never attained is entirely because beings follow along after killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, and so come to form these three evil paths; turning against these same three shows that these are recognized as the very cause of the evil destinies, and one wishes, accordingly, to turn against them. "Gives rise, in turn, to a further kind of existence: without killing, stealing, or sexual misconduct" forms, accordingly, these four kinds of good — yet these three evils, certainly, are not to be followed, while these four goods, too, ought to be relinquished as well, since both alike serve equally as the very root binding one to these three realms. "The presence of these is named the class of ghosts; their absence is named the destiny of the heavens": their presence forms these three evils, and one falls, accordingly, into the three evil paths — hell, too, being simply a class within the very lineage of ghosts. Their absence forms these four goods, and one is able, accordingly, to be born into these four good destinies — here named, generally, the destiny of the heavens, since the destiny of the heavens includes, within it, both immortals and asuras as well.

"Presence and absence tilt back and forth against each other, giving rise to the very nature of this turning wheel itself": to tilt means to overturn — overturning presence into absence, rising from below to what lies above, forms, accordingly, these four good destinies; overturning absence into presence, falling from above to what lies below, forms, accordingly, these three evil destinies. And so, through this ceaseless mutual overturning, this upside-down turning wheel goes on and on — resembling, precisely, the ceaseless rising and falling of a well-wheel, never once coming to rest — and so this is called the very nature of the turning wheel, this being, precisely, a conditioned nature of arising and ceasing.

Sūtra: "But for one who has genuinely brought forth this wondrous samādhi, this wondrous nature is constantly still — existence and nonexistence, both gone; and even 'both gone' itself dissolves away. At that point there is not even a 'not killing,' a 'not stealing,' or a 'not engaging in sexual misconduct' left to speak of at all — how, then, could one still follow after killing, stealing, or sexual misconduct at all?"

Commentary: This urges the cultivation of the great samādhi, since the medicine of samādhi alone is able to remove this deep root of disease. "Should one genuinely bring forth this wondrous samādhi" refers to this wondrous gateway of the ear, this perfect penetration: bringing forth this wondrous wisdom from this wondrous principle, and, relying on this wondrous wisdom, illuminating this wondrous principle in turn — precisely turning the hearing inward to hear one's own nature, turning away from the dust of the senses to unite with awakened enlightenment. This samādhi is exactly what the Buddha himself told Ānanda earlier in this sūtra: there is a samādhi named the Great Buddha's Crown Śūraṅgama King, complete with ten thousand practices, the single gateway through which every Tathāgata of the ten directions alike transcends, this wondrous, adorned path — this, precisely, is what urges the cultivation of this great samādhi.

"This wondrous nature is constantly still": among the three virtuous marks of this hearing-nature, free of the bondage of these seven destinies, this is called wondrous; free of the arising and ceasing of these seven destinies, this is called constant; free of the drifting flow of these seven destinies, this is called still. Simply by turning the hearing to hear this very nature of hearing in this way, then these three evils that exist, and these four goods that do not exist, both alike become nonexistent — hence, "existence and nonexistence, both gone." At this point, one transcends, once and for all, the fragmentary birth-and-death of both the ordinary being and the non-Buddhist practitioner alike, first attaining the emptiness of self, and realizing the nirvāṇa with residue still remaining, thereby departing from the three realms altogether. And should one, further, be able to dissolve away even this very nature of "both gone" itself — precisely what is meant by "even the nature of cessation itself is gone" — hence, "even 'both gone' itself dissolves away." At this point, one transcends, once and for all, the transformational birth-and-death of both the provisional and the lesser vehicle alike; the very nature of emptiness now perfectly bright, one accomplishes liberation through phenomena, arriving, at last, at a state where even emptiness itself no longer arises, realizing the nirvāṇa without residue remaining, abiding securely within this great Śūraṅgama samādhi. At such a time as this, there is not even a "not killing," a "not stealing," or a "not engaging in sexual misconduct" — belonging to the provisional or lesser vehicle — left to speak of at all; how, then, could one still follow after the ordinary being's or the non-Buddhist practitioner's own killing, stealing, or sexual misconduct at all? That is to say: the right path itself is not even worth clinging to — how much less, then, would one ever be willing to follow the wrong path at all! This closes the first section, raising up together both the disease and its remedy.

Sūtra: "Ānanda, so long as these three karmic acts are not severed, each being has their own private share of them; and, because of these countless private shares, this shared class held commonly in common is, itself, not without its own fixed place. All of this arises simply from falseness, and falseness, once arisen, has no real cause behind it at all — nothing further to be traced or investigated."

Commentary: This answers, directly, the earlier question of whether hell has a fixed location, or occurs entirely of its own accord, each and every being's own karma bringing about their own particular, private retribution. Earlier, Ānanda asked only whether the fruit of hell is received in common, or received privately by each; this passage now closes the matter for all seven destinies together. These three karmic acts are killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; because these three evil karmic acts are not severed, each being creates their own separate, particular karma accordingly; and, because each being has their own separate, particular karma, then, within this shared class held commonly among these many private karmas, this is, itself, not without its own fixed place — this being precisely the principle that separate karma nonetheless yields a common retribution-ground. The first two clauses close the matter of how karma is created, each privately, by the Buddha's own answer; the next three clauses close the matter of how retribution is received, in this same shared ground; and the last three clauses sum up, altogether, that all of this is, in the end, simply false. And so it is said that the fruits of retribution belonging to these seven destinies arise from nothing more than a single deluded thought, and are, in no way, anything apart from the mind itself. This word "falseness" points, precisely, to this very first thought, this arising of subtle ignorance itself; ignorance is, originally, empty of itself — as was said earlier, this false nature has no substance of its own, is not something truly relied upon at all — hence, it is said that this falseness arises without any real cause, nothing further to be traced back or investigated at all, exactly like a flower conjured in empty space, originally possessing nothing at all.

Sūtra: "I urge you: should you wish to attain bodhi through this cultivation, you must remove these three delusions entirely. Without exhausting these three delusions, even should you attain spiritual powers, all of it remains nothing more than a conditioned, worldly function; the underlying habitual tendencies are not extinguished, and one falls, instead, onto the path of demons. Even wishing to remove this falseness, one only compounds falseness upon falseness all the more — the Tathāgata calls such a person truly pitiable indeed. You yourself create this falseness; it is no fault of bodhi itself."

Commentary: This urges, directly, that these three delusions must be removed. "Urge" means to exhort with effort — I exhort you to genuine, true cultivation. Should you wish to attain unsurpassed bodhi, you must, by gradual stages, subdue and cut off these three delusions — that is, killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct — since, through confusion and failure to understand, these become the very root of the wheel of rebirth, and are, accordingly, named delusions. And it is not only these three evils, which exist, that must be removed, but, further, these four goods, which do not exist, must likewise be removed as well — this being, precisely, what was meant by "existence and nonexistence, both gone." And it does not stop even there: even this very nature of "both gone" must, in the end, be dissolved away as well — this being, precisely, "even the nature of cessation itself is gone."

Should these three delusions not be exhausted — removing only the worldly evil, while not removing the worldly good — then this opposition between the two is never brought to an end; and, even should both good and evil alike be removed, while the very nature of cessation itself still remains, the seeds of these three delusions have still not been exhausted at all. Even should one, through the power of samādhi, bring forth something resembling spiritual powers, one is still unable to transcend the world, or accomplish this wondrous, uncontrived power — in the end, all of it remains nothing more than a worldly, conditioned function, subject to outflow after all. The underlying habitual tendency is not extinguished, and, when conditions arise once more, it manifests again; and, though such a one may, for a time, ascend, in the end, they must fall back, inevitably, onto the path of heavenly demons and non-Buddhist practitioners.

Though wishing, still, to remove this falseness, one only compounds falseness upon falseness all the more. As the Precious Mirror Commentary puts it: an ordinary being or a heavenly person, failing to reach genuine cultivation, seeking the mind outward instead, is already false to begin with — how much more so a non-Buddhist practitioner or a heavenly demon, entirely lacking any right mindfulness at all, and yet wishing, still, to remove falseness! This is precisely using violence to replace violence, using falseness to remove falseness — and so, within this very falseness, a further falseness is compounded upon it, doubled over again. And so the Tathāgata declares that these seven destinies are, truly, a thing to be pitied, and to be grieved over, indeed. As the Standard Meaning Commentary puts it: "compounds falseness upon falseness all the more" — for each, in their own way, claims to have attained the unsurpassed path, when, in truth, they merely borrow worldly cleverness to falsely investigate it, and make use of spiritual powers to create karma instead, straying ever further from perfect penetration, turning their backs on the very city of nirvāṇa, wasting their effort entirely in vain, and turning it, instead, into the very cause of evil — and this is precisely why the Tathāgata grieves for them so deeply.

And, further, recall that you asked earlier: the Buddha's own body is true and real — how, then, can there still be such destinies as humans and heavens? And so the answer given here is: you yourself create this falseness; it is no fault of bodhi itself. This makes plain that every kind of falseness now appearing before you is created entirely by your own mind, and is, in truth, no fault whatsoever of bodhi itself — bodhi being, precisely, the very body of the Buddha. This closes the third section, urging that this falseness be removed.

Sūtra: "Whoever explains it in this way is giving a correct explanation; whoever explains it in any other way is giving Māra's own explanation instead."

Commentary: Should one be able to explain it in just this way, urging others to seek bodhi by removing these three delusions entirely, such a person is speaking on the Buddha's own behalf, proclaiming the teaching — this is named a correct explanation. Should one, instead, praise killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct as no obstacle to genuine cultivation, requiring no severing at all, such a person's words are, precisely, the deviant teaching of Māra the king himself — and this must, most urgently, be seen clearly and discerned, lest one be misled by it. As an ancient worthy has said: to practice meditation without upholding the precepts is exactly Māra's own karma — cultivating falseness by means of falseness, a thing, indeed, most truly to be pitied. And so we know that, now that this sūtra's own explanation is finished, and the seven destinies have been spoken of once more, it is not only these three evils that must be cut off, but even these four goods, too, must be relinquished as well — this being simply a matter of the precepts assisting samādhi, nothing more. This closes the great section expounding the seven destinies, urging that they be relinquished, as a warning against lingering long within them.