爾時，文殊師利法王子在大眾中即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「當何名是經？我及眾生云何奉持？」
At that time, the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, Prince of Dharma, stood up in the assembly and bowed at the Buddha’s feet and addressed the Buddha saying, “What shall this discourse be called? How shall we and other beings hold it in respect and rely on it in our practice?”
佛告文殊師利：「是經名『大佛頂悉怛多般怛囉無上寶印十方如來清淨海眼』；亦名『救護親因度脫阿難及此會中性比丘尼得菩提心入遍知海』；亦名『如來密因修證了義』，亦名『大方廣妙蓮華王十方佛母陀羅尼呪』；亦名『灌頂章句諸菩薩萬行首楞嚴』。汝當奉持。」
The Buddha told to Mañjuśrī, “This discourse may be called ‘The Sutra of the Supreme and Magnificent Dharma-Imprint of the Mantra of the White Canopy (sitātapatra), Which Is Spoken above the Crown of the Great Buddha’s Head, and Which Is the Serene and Pure Oceanic Eye of the Thus-Come Ones of the Ten Directions.’ It may also be called ‘The Sutra Concerning the Rescue of the Buddha’s Cousin Ānanda, the Teachings for Liberating Him, the Awakening of the Bhikṣuṇī ‘Nature’ in this Assembly, and Her Entry into the Sea of All-Knowing.’ It may also be called “The Hidden Basis of the Thus-Come Ones’ Practices and the Basis of their Verification of Ultimate Truth.’ It may also be called ‘The Sutra of the Wondrous Royal Lotus-Flower of the Expanded Teachings (vaipulya) and of the Dhāraṇī-Mantra That Is the Mother of All Buddhas Throughout the Ten Directions.’ It may also be called ‘The Sutra of the Consecrating Mantra Phrases and the Myriad Śūraṅgama Practices of the Bodhisattvas.’ In this way you may you hold it in respect and rely on it in your practice.
說是語已，即時阿難及諸大眾，得蒙如來開示密印般怛囉義，兼聞此經了義名目，頓悟禪那修進聖位，增上妙理心慮虛凝，斷除三界修心六品微細煩惱，即從座起頂禮佛足，合掌恭敬而白佛言：「大威德世尊！慈音無遮，善開眾生微細沈惑，令我今日身意快然得大饒益。世尊！若此妙明真淨妙心本來遍圓，如是乃至大地草木蠕動含靈本元真如，即是如來成佛真體。佛體真實，云何復有地獄、餓鬼、畜生、修羅、人、天等道？世尊！此道為復本來自有？為是眾生妄習生起？世尊！如寶蓮香比丘尼，持菩薩戒私行婬欲，妄言行婬非殺、非偷無有業報，發是語已，先於女根生大猛火，後於節節猛火燒然，墮無間獄。瑠璃大王、善星比丘，瑠璃為誅瞿曇族姓，善星妄說一切法空，生身陷入阿鼻地獄。此諸地獄為有定處？為復自然？彼彼發業各各私受，唯垂大慈發開童蒙，令諸一切持戒眾生聞決定義，歡喜頂戴謹潔無犯。」
This having been said, Ānanda and the others in the great assembly — having heard the Thus-Come One’s instruction concerning the meaning of the hidden Dharma-imprint of the Mantra of the White Canopy and the profoundly significant titles for this discourse — immediately understood the practices of meditation in stillness that lead to advancement through the stages of sagehood. They progressed in their mastery of the wondrous truth. Their minds became empty of all deliberation. They broke free of the six kinds of subtle affliction that, in the three realms, affect the practitioner’s mind. [Ānanda] stood up and bowed at the Buddha’s feet. Placing his palms together reverently and addressed the Buddha saying, “World-Honored One! Your great virtue inspires awe, and your compassionate voice reaches everywhere unhindered. You skillfully help beings break free of subtle and deeply buried delusions. Today you have brought me delight in body and mind. It has been of great benefit to me. World-Honored One! Granted that, at the fundamental level, this true, pure mind, with its wondrous understanding, fully pervades all things. Granted that all things, from the entire planet, with its forests and plains, to the most minute forms of wriggling life, have as their foundation and source the Suchness of Reality, which is identical to the true essence of the Buddhahood realized by all Thus-Come Ones. Given all that, why are there still the destinies of hells, ghosts, animals, asuras, humans, and gods, since the essential nature of all Buddhas is the true reality? World-Honored One, do these destinies exist of their own accord, or do they come into being based on the deluded habits of living beings? World-Honored One! There was the case of the Bhikṣuṇī Precious Lotus-Fragrance, who had been following the Bodhisattva Precepts but then indulged her lust in secret and afterward made the false claim that sexual acts involve no retribution because they do not involve killing or stealing. Immediately after she said this, her reproductive organs burst into flame, and the fire spread through all her joints as she fell into the Unrelenting Hell. There were also King Virūḍhaka and Bhikṣu Sunakṣatra. King Virūḍhaka exterminated the Gautama clan, and Sunakṣatra persisted in making false statements about the emptiness of phenomena. These two also fell alive into the Unrelenting Hell. Do hells have a fixed location? Or do they come into being naturally, such that each being creates karma and each undergoes privately the appropriate retribution? We younger disciples are uninformed about this matter, and we only hope that the Buddha, out of his great kindness, will explain it so that beings who are following the precepts will hear precisely what the teaching is, will joyfully and reverently accept it, and will take care to avoid error in order to maintain purity.”
佛告阿難：「快哉此問！令諸眾生不入邪見。汝今諦聽！當為汝說。阿難！一切眾生實本真淨，因彼妄見有妄習生，因此分開內分外分。阿難！內分即是眾生分內，因諸愛染發起妄情，情積不休能生愛水，是故眾生心憶珍羞口中水出，心憶前人或憐或恨目中淚盈，貪求財寶心發愛涎舉體光潤，心著行婬男女二根自然流液。阿難！諸愛雖別流結是同，潤濕不昇自然從墜，此名內分。
The Buddha said to Ānanda, “An excellent question! It will keep people from adopting wrong views about this matter. Listen carefully now! I will explain this matter to you. Ānanda! The fundamental nature of all beings is truly pure, but because of their erroneous views, they develop deluded habit-patterns of differentiating internal and external. Ānanda! Habit-patterns that are internal involve beings’ internal autonomic processes. When they are influenced by emotional desire, and their feelings accumulate steadily, they generate fluids associated with emotion. Thus when beings think of delicious foods, their mouths water. When they think of others who are no longer alive, whom they may have cherished or may have hated, their eyes fill with tears. When they are seeking wealth, they experience intense craving, and when they encounter someone whose body is sleek and glowing, lust takes hold of their thoughts. When they think about sexual acts, their procreative organs, whether male or female, will secrete fluid in response. Ānanda! Emotions differ, but all are alike in that they are associated with secretions, which may be exuded or may remain within the body. Moisture does not rise; its nature is to flow downward. Such is the situation with internal habit-patterns
「阿難！外分即是眾生分外，因諸渴仰發明虛想，想積不休能生勝氣，是故眾生心持禁戒舉身輕清，心持呪印顧眄雄毅，心欲生天夢想飛舉，心存佛國聖境冥現，事善知識自輕身命。阿難！諸想雖別輕舉是同，飛動不沈自然超越，此名外分。
Ānanda! Habit-patterns that are directed outward concern beings’ aspirations. When they yearn for something higher, beings have uplifting thoughts, and when these thoughts accumulate steadily, they can generate a superior energy. Thus those who follow the precepts feel that their bodies are serene, and beings who hold mantras in their minds develop an heroic and fearless air about them. If they aspire to birth in the heavens, they will dream of floating or flying. If they are mindful of the Buddha-lands, sacred visions will appear to them privately. If they serve a wise and skillful teacher, they will consider their bodies and their lives to be of little importance. Ānanda! These aspirations differ, but all are alike in that they lead beings to soar upward by conferring either lightness or upward motion. It is their nature not to sink but to take flight and to transcend. Such is the situation with habit-patterns which are directed outward.”
1. Hell Realms
「阿難！一切世間生死相續，生從順習死從變流，臨命終時未捨暖觸，一生善惡俱時頓現，死逆生順二習相交，純想即飛必生天上，若飛心中兼福兼慧及與淨願，自然心開見十方佛，一切淨土隨願往生；情少想多輕舉非遠，即為飛仙、大力鬼王、飛行夜叉、地行羅剎，遊於四天所去無礙，其中若有善願善心護持我法，或護禁戒隨持戒人，或護神呪隨持呪者，或護禪定保綏法忍，是等親住如來座下；情想均等不飛不墜生於人間，想明斯聰情幽斯鈍；情多想少流入橫生，重為毛群輕為羽族；七情三想沈下水輪，生於火際受氣猛火，身為餓鬼常被焚燒、水能害己，無食無飲經百千劫；九情一想下洞火輪，身入風火二交過地，輕生有間重生無間二種地獄；純情即沈入阿鼻獄，若沈心中有謗大乘、毀佛禁戒、誑妄說法、虛貪信施、濫膺恭敬、五逆十重，更生十方阿鼻地獄。循造惡業雖則自招，眾同分中兼有元地。
“Ānanda! All beings in all worlds are caught up in an endless succession (’continuity’ citta-santāna) of births and deaths. While beings are alive, they follow their natural inclinations, and upon their deaths, they follow the various currents of their karma. At the moment of death, while some warmth remains in their bodies, all the good and all the evil that they have done during their lifetimes suddenly appear before them. Their inclinations are to shun death and to embrace life — two habitual emotions that complement each other and are felt at the same time. If pure mental activity alone is present in their minds, they will soar upward and will be certain to be born in the heavens. While in this soaring state of mind, if they have both blessings and wisdom, and if they have vowed to be reborn in a pure land, their minds will naturally open, and they will see the Buddhas of the ten directions. They will be reborn in any one of the pure lands in accordance with their wish. If pure mental activity is dominant in their minds but some emotion is also present, they will still soar upward, but not as far. They may become flying ascetic masters or ghost-kings of great power, or flying yakṣas, or rākṣasas that travel along the ground. Such beings roam unhindered in the Heaven of Four Celestial Kings. Further, beings may have made wholesome vows, or simply have a wholesome intent, to be protective of the Dharmas I have been teaching. They may have vowed to defend the precepts and to be protective of precept-holders. Or they may have vowed to be protective of mantras and to guard beings who recite mantras. Or they may have vowed to defend the practice of meditation in stillness and to be protective of beings whose practice is to meditate in stillness, and who are likely to encounter aspects of the Dharma that are new to them. Such beings will become close disciples who will sit at the feet of the Thus-Come Ones. If their pure mental activity and their emotions are equal in strength, beings will neither soar nor fall. They will be born in the human realm. The brighter their thoughts, the greater their intelligence will be; the darker their emotions, the duller their wits will be. “If beings have more emotion than pure mental activity, they will be reborn in the realm of animals. If their emotions are of greater weight, they will become fur-bearing beasts, and if their emotions are of lesser weight, they will become winged creatures. If emotion is seventy percent of their mental activity and pure thoughts are thirty percent, they will fall beneath the disk of water and will be reborn as hungry ghosts along the rim of the disk of fire. They will be buffeted by the raging fire, and they will be constantly burned by the blaze and scalded by the steam. For hundreds of eons they will have nothing to eat or to drink. If emotion is ninety percent of their mental activity and pure thoughts are ten percent, they will fall through the disk of fire and will be reborn between the disk of fire and the disk of wind. If their emotions are less weighty, they will enter a hell where suffering is intermittent. If their emotions are of greater weight, they will enter either the Unrelenting Hell. When they are ruled entirely by emotion, they sink into the Unrelenting Hell. If, in this submerged state of mind, they have spoken ill of the Mahāyāna teachings or of the Buddhas’ precepts; if they have recklessly propounded false doctrines which they present as being in accord with Dharma; if they have greedily sought the offerings of the faithful under false pretenses; if they have shamelessly accepted undeserved reverence from others; or if they have committed the five unnatural crimes or the ten major offenses, then they will be reborn in the Unrelenting Hell in one world after another throughout the ten directions. Beings undergo these retributions exactly in accord with the evil karma that they create. But though they have brought their retributions upon themselves, they will share the same fate in the same place with other beings who have created the same karma.”
「阿難！此等皆是彼諸眾生自業所感，造十習因受六交報。云何十因？
“Ānanda! These retributions are the consequences of individual beings’ intentional acts. For this karma there are ten causes based on beings’ habits, and beings undergo in turn six kinds of retribution. What ten causes?
「阿難！一者婬習交接，發於相磨，研磨不休，如是故有大猛火光於中發動，如人以手自相磨觸暖相現前；二習相然，故有鐵床銅柱諸事。是故十方一切如來，色目行婬，同名欲火；菩薩見欲如避火坑。
“Ānanda! The first cause is the habit of sexual desire, which, when joined to physical contact, leads to intercourse. When the friction of contact is sufficiently prolonged, there is an inner feeling of a great raging fire erupting from within. It is like the warmth that arises when the hands are rubbed together. When the latent habitual energies of sexual desire erupt into the fires of habitual sexual activity, the consequence in the hells will be the experience of the iron bed and the copper pillar. Therefore, when the Thus-Come Ones of the ten directions see evidence of sexual desire and the activity that results from it, they call these things the ‘fires that arise from craving.’ Bodhisattvas view sexual desire as something to be avoided, as one would avoid a fiery pit.”
「二者貪習交計，發於相吸，吸攬不止，如是故有積寒堅氷於中凍冽，如人以口吸縮風氣有冷觸生；二習相凌，故有吒吒波波囉囉，青赤白蓮寒氷等事。是故十方一切如來，色目多求同名貪水；菩薩見貪如避瘴海。
The second cause is the habit of craving, which, when one is attracted to something, leads to plotting and planning. When the attraction and the grasping are incessant, there is an inner feeling of freezing cold and solid ice. It is like the experience of the air being cold when one inhales sharply through the mouth. When latent habitual energies of craving are compounded with habitual acts of craving, the consequence in the hells will be the experience of freezing, which causes babbling, chattering, and whimpering, and which cracks ice into shapes of blue and red and white lotuses, and other such effects. Therefore, when the Thus-Come Ones of the ten directions see evidence of excessive greed, they call them ‘the water of craving.’ Bodhisattvas view craving as something to be avoided, as one would avoid a sea of pestilent poisons.”
「三者慢習交凌，發於相恃，馳流不息，如是故有騰逸奔波積波為水，如人口舌自相綿味因而水發；二習相鼓，故有血河、灰河、熱沙、毒海、融銅灌吞諸事。是故十方一切如來，色目我慢名飲癡水；菩薩見慢如避巨溺。
“The third cause is the habit of arrogance, which, when compounded with haughty feelings of self-superiority, leads to competitiveness. When that arrogance continues unchecked, there is an inner feeling of a rushing torrent of leaping waves of water. It is like the mouth watering when a person tries to taste his own tongue. When the latent habitual energies of arrogance are expanded to include habitual arrogant acts, the consequence in the hells will be the experience of rivers of blood, rivers of ashes, burning sands, or seas of poison, or the experience of molten copper being poured over one’s body or of being forced to swallow the copper. Therefore, when the Thus-Come Ones of the ten directions see instances of arrogance and arrogant acts, they call them ‘taking a drink of stupidity.’ Bodhisattvas see arrogance as something to be avoided, as one would wish to avoid drowning at sea.”
「四者嗔習交衝，發於相忤，忤結不息，心熱發火鑄氣為金，如是故有刀山、鐵橛、劍樹、劍輪、斧鉞、鎗鋸，如人銜冤殺氣飛動；二習相擊，故有宮、割、斬、斫、剉、刺、搥、擊諸事。是故十方一切如來，色目嗔恚名利刀劍；菩薩見嗔如避誅戮。
The fourth cause is the habit of hatred, which, when joined to a predilection for defiance, leads to confrontations. When one’s entanglement in habits of defiance is unrelenting, there is an inner feeling of the heart becoming so hot that it burns, and its fiery energy becomes like metal. Then this person will feel as if he is being exposed to mountains of knives, of iron clubs, of swords standing like forests or arrayed like spokes of a wheel, and of axes, spears, and saws. It is like a harbored grievance intensifying until it explodes into an urge to kill. When the latent habitual energies of hatred recklessly incite habitual acts of hatred, the consequence in the hells will be the experience of being castrated, dismembered, beheaded, abraded, pierced, flogged, clubbed, and so forth. Therefore, when the Thus-Come Ones of the ten directions see instances of hatred and hateful acts, they call them ‘sharp swords.’ Bodhisattvas view hatred as something to be avoided, as one would wish to avoid being executed.”
「五者詐習交誘，發於相調，引起不住，如是故有繩木絞挍，如水浸田草木生長；二習相延，故有杻械、枷鎖、鞭杖、撾棒諸事。是故十方一切如來，色目姦偽同名讒賊；菩薩見詐如畏犲狼。
“The fifth cause is the habit of enticing others, which, when joined to a fondness for conniving, leads beings to the practice of entrapment. When the setting of traps becomes too much, this person will feel as if he is being bound by ropes and immobilized in wooden stocks. It is inevitable, just as it is inevitable that trees and grasses in a field will shoot up when the field is saturated. When the latent habitual energies of enticing others become prolonged, leading to acts of entrapment, the consequence in the hells will be the experience of handcuffs and fetters, along with cangues and chains attached to cangues, whips and canes, clubs and cudgels, and so forth. Therefore, when the Thus-Come Ones of the ten directions see enticement and entrapment, they call them ‘cunning thieves.’ Bodhisattvas view defrauding others as something worthy of fear, as one would fear a pack of jackals.”
「六者誑習交欺，發於相誷，誣誷不止飛心造姦，如是故有塵土、屎尿、穢污不淨，如塵隨風各無所見；二習相加，故有沒溺、騰擲、飛墜、漂淪諸事。是故十方一切如來，色目欺誑同名劫殺；菩薩見誑如踐蛇虺。
The sixth cause is the habit of falsehood, which, when joined to deviousness, leads to insinuations and insults. When these insinuations rise to the level of treachery, such a person will feel as if he is being covered with dust and dirt and with excrement and urine and all manner of filth. It is like the dust that, when stirred up by the wind, obscures people’s vision. When the latent habitual energies of lying are added to acts of deceit, the consequence in the hells will be the experience of sinking and drowning, first being hurled upward, then flying through the air, then falling, floating, and finally perishing. Therefore, when the Thus-Come Ones of the ten directions see instances of falsehood and insinuation, they call them ‘robbery and murder.’ Bodhisattvas view lying as something to avoid, as one would avoid stepping on a venomous snake.”
「七者怨習交嫌，發于銜恨，如是故有飛石、投礰、匣貯、車檻、甕盛、囊撲，如陰毒人懷抱畜惡；二習相吞，故有投擲、擒捉、擊射、挽撮諸事。是故十方一切如來，色目怨家名違害鬼；菩薩見怨如飲鴆酒。
The seventh cause is the habit of festering resentment, which, when joined to a propensity to nurse hatreds, leads to acts of vengeance. Such a person will come to feel as if he is being stoned, or being imprisoned in cells or in cages mounted on carts, or being confined in urns or in sacks that are then beaten. It is like the evil designs harbored and nurtured by venomous and secretive people. When the latent habitual energies of making false accusations merge with acts of making such accusations, the consequence in the hells will be such experiences as being hurled, seized, stabbed, and stoned. Therefore, when the Thus-Come Ones of the ten directions see instances of resentment and vengeance, they call them ‘unscrupulous and harmful ghosts.’ Bodhisattvas view making false accusations as equivalent to drinking liquor laced with a fatal poison.”
「八者見習交明，如薩迦耶見戒禁取，邪悟諸業，發於違拒出生相返，如是故有王使主吏證執文藉；如行路人來往相見，二習相交，故有勘問、權詐、考訊、推鞫、察訪、披究，照明善惡童子手執文簿辭辯諸事。是故十方一切如來，色目惡見同名見坑；菩薩見諸虛妄遍執如入毒壑。
“The eighth cause is the habit of holding wrong views, which, when joined to a temperament that automatically rejects the opinions of others, leads to such mistaken understandings as the wrong view that the self is real, wrong views concerning prohibitions, and wrong views concerning karma. Such a person will come to feel as if he has been brought before officials of the royal court to determine what views he has held. Such scrutiny will be unavoidable, just as one cannot escape being scrutinized by people whom one meets when walking in the opposite direction on a road. When the latent habitual energies of holding wrong views are joined to acts that result from holding wrong views, the consequence in the hells will be the experience of being interrogated while subjected to devious tricks and to high-pressure questioning, so that all is eventually brought out into the open. The youths who keep track of good and evil deeds consult the evidence to counter the offenders’ arguments and excuses. Therefore, when the Thus-Come Ones of the ten directions see instances of wrong views, they call them ‘pit-traps.’ Bodhisattvas consider attachment to wrong and biased views as equivalent to standing on the edge of a ditch full of pestilent water.”
「九者枉習交加，發於誣謗，如是故有合山、合石、碾磑、耕磨，如讒賊人逼枉良善；二習相排，故有押捺、搥按、蹙漉、衝度諸事。是故十方一切如來，色目怨謗同名讒虎；菩薩見枉如遭霹靂。
“The ninth cause is the habit of blaming, which, when joined to a predilection for defamation, leads to making false accusations. Such a person comes to feel that he is being crushed between mountains or between boulders, or that he is being broken on stone wheels, or being ripped by plows, or being ground up by millstones. These are like the injuries visited on good people by a slanderous villain. When the latent habitual energies of blaming lead to habitual unjust acts, the consequence in the hells will be the experience of being pressed, pummeled, bagged, squeezed, and strained, then weighed and measured, and so forth. Therefore, when the Thus-Come Ones of the ten directions see false accusations being made, they call them ‘vicious tigers.’ Bodhisattvas view unjust acts as equivalent to claps of thunder.”
「十者訟習交諠，發於藏覆，如是故有鑒見照燭，如於日中不能藏影；故有惡友、業鏡、火珠披露宿業對驗諸事。是故十方一切如來，色目覆藏同名陰賊；菩薩觀覆如戴高山履於巨海。
“The tenth cause is the habit of disputatiousness, which, when joined to a predilection for obfuscation and concealment, leads to vociferous court proceedings. Such a person will feel that in the end, everything will be revealed, as if reflected in a mirror by the light of a candle — just as no shadows can hide people when they are in full sunlight. When the latent habitual energies of disputatiousness are joined to engagement in disputes, the consequence in the hells will be the truth about one’s acts being confirmed by evil companions, as if one’s karma were illumined in a mirror. Therefore, when the Thus-Come Ones of the ten directions see instances of obfuscation and concealment, they call them ‘shadowy villains.’ Bodhisattvas view obfuscation to be as burdensome as the task of carrying a high mountain on one’s head while walking in the ocean.”
「云何六報？阿難！一切眾生六識造業，所招惡報從六根出。
“What are the six kinds of retribution? Ānanda! All beings create karma through their six consciousnesses, and they experience retribution through their six faculties.”
「云何惡報從六根出？一者見報招引惡果。此見業交，則臨終時先見猛火滿十方界，亡者神識飛墜乘煙，入無間獄發明二相：
“How is it that the various retributions are experienced through the six faculties? First, there are the retributions that are the negative consequence of intentional acts of seeing. This karma of seeing affects the other five consciousnesses as well. When a being is about to die, he may first see fire raging throughout the worlds of the ten directions. Upon his death, his spiritual awareness will ascend and then fall, riding downward on a wisp of smoke directly into the Unrelenting Hell. Then one of two things may happen:
「一者明見，則能遍見種種惡物，生無量畏；二者暗見，寂然不見，生無量恐。如是見火、燒聽能為鑊湯洋銅；燒息能為黑烟紫焰；燒味能為燋丸鐵糜；燒觸能為熱灰爐炭；燒心能生星火迸灑煽鼓空界。
“If there is light for the being to see by, he may perceive all manner of ferocious creatures, which cause him to experience the extremes of fear. Or there may only be darkness, and all will be silent; nothing can be seen. The being then feels a boundless terror. Next, that raging fire that he saw may overload his ear-consciousness so that he is overwhelmed by the sounds of liquids and molten copper boiling in cauldrons. His nose-consciousness may also be overloaded so that he is overwhelmed by the smells of black smoke and purplish fumes. His tongue-consciousness may also be overloaded so that he is overwhelmed by the scorching taste of a gruel of hot iron pellets. His body-consciousness may be overloaded so that he is overwhelmed by the sensation of hot ashes and blazing embers burning his body. His mindconsciousness may be overloaded so that he experiences the processes of cognition as overwhelming spurts of flame and showers of sparks flickering and bursting in the air.”
「二者聞報招引惡果。此聞業交，則臨終時先見波濤沒溺天地，亡者神識降注乘流，入無間獄發明二相：一者開聽，聽種種鬧精神愗亂；二者閉聽，寂無所聞幽魄沈沒。如是聞波，注聞則能為責為詰；注見則能為雷為吼，為惡毒氣；注息則能為雨為霧，灑諸毒虫周滿身體；注味則能為膿為血種種雜穢；注觸則能為畜為鬼為屎為尿；注意則能為電為雹摧碎心魄。
“Second are the retributions that are the negative consequence of intentional acts of hearing. This karma of hearing affects the other five consciousnesses as well. First, when a being is about to die, he may hear the roar of gigantic waves as they inundate earth and sky. Upon his death, the being’s spiritual awareness will sink downward, riding the waves directly into the Unrelenting Hell. Then one of two things may happen: 1. If the being can hear, he may perceive a crashing din that causes him to become dull and deranged. 2. Or, the being may be unable to hear, and the utter absence of sound causes him to sink into mental darkness. That roar of the gigantic waves that he heard may now overload his ear-consciousness so that he hears voices accusing and interrogating him. Next, his eye-consciousness may be overloaded also so that he is overwhelmed by a vision of thunderclouds composed of noxious vapors. His nose-consciousness may also be overloaded so that he is overwhelmed by the stench of marsh-water infested with venomous bugs that swarm over his body as the water drenches him. His tongue-consciousness may be overloaded so that he is overwhelmed by the tastes of pus, blood, and all kinds of filth. His body-consciousness may be overloaded so that he is overwhelmed by the feeling that his body is covered with the feces and urine of beasts and ghosts. His mind-consciousness may be overloaded so that he experiences the processes of cognition as overwhelming lightning-strikes and pounding hail.”
「三者嗅報招引惡果。此嗅業交，則臨終時先見毒氣充塞遠近，亡者神識從地涌出，入無間獄發明二相：一者通聞，被諸惡氣薰極心擾；二者塞聞，氣掩不通悶絕於地。如是嗅氣，衝息則能為質為履；衝見則能為火為炬；衝聽則能為沒為溺為洋為沸；衝味則能為餒為爽；衝觸則能為綻為爛，為大肉山，有百千眼無量咂食；衝思則能為灰為瘴，為飛砂礰擊碎身體。
“Third are the retributions that are the negative consequence of intentional acts of smelling. This karma of the nose-consciousness affects the other five consciousnesses as well. First, when a being is about to die, he may perceive toxic vapors thickly filling the air far and near. Upon his death, his spiritual awareness will try to rise above the vapors, but instead he will fall into the Unrelenting Hell. Then one of two things may happen. If the being’s nasal passages are open, he will inhale so much of the noxious vapors that his mind becomes deranged. Or, if his nasal passages are blocked, he will suffocate, lose consciousness, and fall to the ground. The vapors that he smelled may overload his nose-consciousness, and he will feel that he is being subjected to interrogations concerning his character and past behavior. Next, the vapors may overload his eye-consciousness so that he is overwhelmed by visions of flames and torches. The vapors may also overload his ear-consciousness so that he is overwhelmed by the cries of beings drowning in cauldrons filled with boiling liquids. The vapors may also overload his tongue-consciousness so that he is overwhelmed by the taste of rotten fish and rancid stews. The vapors may overload his body-consciousness so that he is overwhelmed by an experience of being split open and of putrefying into a great mountain of flesh with a hundred thousand open wounds like so many open eyes, and these wounds are fed upon by countless maggots. His mind-consciousness may also become overloaded so that he experiences the processes of cognition as ashes and fumes and as sand and gravel flying though the air to pound and shatter his body.”
「四者味報招引惡果。此味業交，則臨終時先見鐵網猛炎熾烈周覆世界，亡者神識下透挂網倒懸其頭，入無間獄發明二相：一者吸氣，結成寒氷凍裂身肉；二者吐氣，飛為猛火燋爛骨髓。如是嘗味，歷嘗則能為承為忍；歷見則能為然金石；歷聽則能為利兵刃；歷息則能為大鐵籠彌覆國土；歷觸則能為弓為箭為弩為射；歷思則能為飛熱鐵從空雨下。
“Fourth are the retributions that are the negative consequence of intentional acts of tasting. This karma of the tongue-consciousness affects the other sense-consciousnesses as well. First, when a being is about to die, he may perceive a net of red-hot iron that covers the whole world with intense heat. Upon his death, the being’s spiritual awareness will fall into the net and be suspended there, hanging upside down until he falls into the Unrelenting Hell. Then one or two things may happen: 1. He may breathe a vapor in through his mouth, and this vapor may cause his tongue and his whole body to freeze solid and crack. 2. Or, if he tries to spit the vapor out, he will be engulfed by a raging fire which burns him to the marrow of his bones. As his tongue-consciousness undergoes these experiences, he will feel that he is being forced to make confessions and to suffer punishments. Next, his eye-consciousness may have the experience of overwhelming visions of being burned by hot metal and hot stones. His ear-consciousness may undergo an overwhelming experience of sounds seeming to stab him with sharp blades. His nose-consciousness may undergo an overwhelming experience of his nose becoming a gigantic cage of iron that encompasses everything around him. His body-consciousness may undergo an overwhelming experience of being pierced by arrows and darts. His mind-consciousness may be overwhelmed by the experience of the contents of his mind seeming like flying bits of hot iron raining down on him from the sky.”
「五者觸報招引惡果。此觸業交，則臨終時先見大山四面來合無復出路，亡者神識見大鐵城，火蛇火狗虎狼師子，牛頭獄卒、馬頭羅剎，手執槍矟驅入城門，向無間獄發明二相：一者合觸，合山逼體骨肉血潰；二者離觸，刀劍觸身心肝屠裂。如是合觸，歷觸則能為道為觀為廳為案；歷見則能為燒為爇；歷聽則能為撞為擊為剚為射；歷息則能為括為袋為拷為縛；歷嘗則能為耕為鉗為斬為截；歷思則能為墜為飛為煎為炙。
“Fifth are the retributions that are the negative consequence of intentional acts of touching. This karma of the body-consciousness affects the five other consciousnesses as well. First, when a being is about to die, he may perceive great mountains closing in on him on all sides so that he cannot escape. Upon his death, the being’s spiritual awareness will perceive a great iron city teeming with fire-dogs and fire-snakes and with tigers, wolves, and lions. Ox-headed guards of the hells and horseheaded rākṣasas, armed with spears, drive the being through the city gates and into the Unrelenting Hell. Then one of two things may happen. If the being’s body is still capable of sensation, he will feel his body being crushed between mountains so that his blood spurts forth from his squashed flesh and bones. Or, if the being’s body is no longer capable of sensation, swords will pierce his body and slice up his heart and liver. “As his body-consciousness undergoes these experiences, it will seem to him that he is being clubbed, caned, stabbed, or pierced with arrows. Next, his eye-consciousness may have an overwhelming vision of being engulfed in flames. His ear-consciousness may undergo an overwhelming experience of hearing cries of distress on the road to the hells or in the holding cells, courtrooms, or prisoners’ docks. His nose-consciousness may undergo the overwhelming experience of suffocation due to being confined to a sack, or else by the experience of restricted breathing when he is tied up and beaten. His tongue-consciousness may undergo the overwhelming experience of his tongue being plowed up, or clamped and pulled out, or chopped up, or cut out. His mind-consciousness may undergo the overwhelming experience of the contents of his mind falling or flying, or frying or roasting.”
「六者思報招引惡果。此思業交，則臨終時先見惡風吹壞國土，亡者神識被吹上空旋落乘風，墮無間獄發明二相：一者不覺，迷極則荒奔走不息；二者不迷，覺知則苦無量煎燒痛深難忍。如是邪思，結思則能為方為所；結見則能為鑒為證；結聽則能為大合石，為氷為霜為土為霧；結息則能為大火車火船火檻；結嘗則能為大叫喚，為悔為泣；結觸則能為大為小，為一日中萬生萬死，為偃為仰。
“Sixth are the retributions that are the negative consequence of intentional acts of cognition. This karma of mind-consciousness affects the five other consciousnesses as well. First, when the being is about to die, he may encounter a violent wind that lays waste to the lands. Upon his death, the being’s spiritual awareness may be conscious of being swept high up into the air and then of plummeting down along the winds straight into the Unrelenting Hell. Then one of two things may happen. If the being lacks clear awareness, his extreme confusion may lead to panic, and he will run about ceaselessly. Or, if he is conscious and not confused, he will be fully aware of his suffering as he feels that he is being endlessly fried and burned. The excruciating pain will be beyond bearing. These perversities in his mind-consciousness may now become so overwhelming that it will seem to him that he is being confined. Next, his eye-consciousness may experience overwhelming visions of people interrogating him and confronting him with testimony. His earconsciousness may undergo an overwhelming experience of what seems to him to be the din of great rocks clashing together or else of what seem to be storms of ice or of dust that cloud his hearing. His nose-consciousness may undergo an overwhelming experience of what seems to him to be a great burning, whether of a chariot or a ship or a prison. His tongue-consciousness may undergo an overwhelming experience of sensations that are felt by the tongue when it is uttering great shouts, cries, groans of regret, and sobs. His body-consciousness may undergo an overwhelming experience of being expanded or shrunk, or of lying face-down while he undergoes ten thousand deaths and rebirths within a single day.”
「阿難！是名地獄十因六果，皆是眾生迷妄所造。若諸眾生惡業圓造，入阿鼻獄受無量苦經無量劫；六根各造，及彼所作兼境兼根，是人則入八無間獄；身口意三，作殺盜婬，是人則入十八地獄；三業不兼，中間或為一殺一盜，是人則入三十六地獄；見見一根單犯一業，是人則入一百八地獄。由是眾生別作別造，於世界中入同分地，妄想發生非本來有。
“Ānanda! These are the ten causes and six negative consequences of being reborn in the hells. All these experiences are created by beings’ confusion and delusion. If a being’s six consciousnesses all create evil karma at the same time, he will enter the Unrelenting Hell, where he will undergo an immeasurable amount of suffering for uncountable eons. However, if the negative consequences arise from intentional acts that were committed at separate times by the faculties’ engagement with their objects, the being will enter one of the Eight Cold Hells. If a being commits acts of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct with body, speech, and mind — all three — then he will enter one of the Eighteen Hells. However, if a being has committed only two of the three major offenses — for example, if he has killed and has stolen — then he will enter one of the Thirty-Six Hells. And if he has committed only one of the three major offenses with only one of the three creators of karma, then he will enter one of the One Hundred and Eight Hells. Therefore, individual beings create their own karma by their own acts, but if their karma is the same as other beings’ karma, they will all fall into the same hells in this world. These hells are created by their deluded acts of mind. Apart from those acts, the hells have no independent existence.”
2. Ghost Realms
「復次，阿難！是諸眾生非破律儀，犯菩薩戒，毀佛涅槃，諸餘雜業歷劫燒然，後還罪畢受諸鬼形；若於本因貪物為罪，是人罪畢遇物成形，名為魑鬼；貪色為罪，是人罪畢遇風成形，名為魑鬼；貪惑為罪，是人罪畢遇畜成形，名為魅鬼；貪恨為罪，是人罪畢遇蟲成形，名蠱毒鬼；貪憶為罪，是人罪畢遇衰成形，名為癘鬼；貪慠為罪，是人罪畢遇氣成形，名為餓鬼；貪罔為罪，是人罪畢遇幽為形，名為魘鬼；貪明為罪，是人罪畢遇精為形，名魍魎鬼；貪成為罪，是人罪畢遇明為形，名役使鬼；貪黨為罪，是人罪畢遇人為形，名傳送鬼。阿難！是人皆以純情墜落，業火燒乾上出為鬼，此等皆是自妄想業之所招引；若悟菩提，則妙圓明，本無所有。
“Furthermore, Ānanda! After these beings have passed through eons of fire to pay the debts they incurred for committing these offenses — such offenses as violating and vilifying the precepts and the rules for deportment, violating the Bodhisattva Precepts, slandering the Buddha’s teachings about nirvana, and all the other various offenses — then these beings will become ghosts. If it was a craving for possessions that led a being to commit offenses, then once the debt incurred for committing those offenses is paid, the being will encounter some object, assume its form, and become a bizarre shape-shifting ghost. If it was craving for the opposite sex that led a being to commit offenses, then once the debt incurred for those offenses is paid, the being will encounter a wind, assume its attributes, and become a drought ghost. If it was a craving to mislead people that led a being to commit offenses, then once that debt is paid, the being will encounter an animal, assume its form, and become an animal-possessing ghost. If it was the cravings and emotions of hatred that led a being to commit offenses, then once that debt is paid, the being will encounter a venomous creature, assume its form, and become a hex-poison ghost. If it was the cravings and emotions of long-cherished enmity that led a being to commit offenses, then once that debt is paid, the being will encounter some enfeebled creature, assume its attributes, and become a plague-ghost. If it was the cravings and emotions of arrogance that led a being to commit offenses, then once that debt is paid, the being will encounter some source of vital energy, assume its attributes, and become a hungry ghost. If it was a craving to indulge in slander that led a being to commit offenses, then once that debt is paid, the being will encounter some source of dark energy, assume its attributes, and become a nightmare-ghost. If it was a craving to indulge in perverse uses of intelligence that led a being to commit offenses, then once that is paid, the being will encounter some source of intense vital energy, assume its attributes, and become a malicious shape-shifting ghost. If it was a craving for selfish advancement that led a being to commit offenses, then once that debt is paid, the being will encounter someone who has light and will assume the attributes appropriate for becoming an attendant ghost. If it was a craving to form factions that led a being to commit offenses, then once that debt is paid, the being will encounter some human, assume that person’s attributes, and become an oracle-ghost. Ānanda! Their cravings are the sole reasons for these beings’ having previously fallen into the hells. Once they have burned away their debts in the hells, they ascend to be reborn as ghosts. This too is a consequence of their own delusion. If they were to become fully awakened, then with their wondrous and perfect understanding, they would know that, fundamentally, these retributions are not real at all.”
3. Animal Realms
「復次，阿難！鬼業既盡，則情與想二俱成空，方於世間與元負人怨對相值，身為畜生酬其宿債。物怪之鬼物銷報盡，生於世間多為梟類；風魑之鬼風銷報盡，生於世間多為咎徵一切異類；畜魅之鬼畜死報盡，生於世間多為狐類；蟲蠱之鬼蟲滅報盡，生於世間多為毒類；衰癘之鬼衰窮報盡，生於世間多為蛔類；受氣之鬼氣銷報盡，生於世間多為食類；綿幽之鬼幽銷報盡，生於世間多為服類；和精之鬼和銷報盡，生於世間多為應類；明靈之鬼明滅報盡，生於世間多為休徵一切諸類；依人之鬼人亡報盡，生於世間多於循類。阿難！是等皆以業火乾枯，酬其宿債傍為畜生，此等亦皆自虛妄業之所招引；若悟菩提，則此妄緣本無所有。如汝所言寶蓮香等，及瑠璃王善星比丘，如是惡業本自發明，非從天降亦非地出亦非人與，自妄所招還自來受；菩提心中皆為浮妄虛想凝結。
“Furthermore, Ānanda! Once a being has made full payment on that part of his karmic debt which he was due to pay as a ghost, his mind will empty itself of the emotions and thoughts that brought him to the ghostly destiny. Now he must come to this world to face the enmity of his original creditors and in person repay what he owes them. Thus he is born in the body of an animal to repay his debts from his previous lives. Suppose a being has been a bizarre shape-shifting ghost and has assumed the attributes of an object. When the object disintegrates, then the being, having undergone its retribution as a ghost, is reborn into this world, usually as an owl. Suppose a being has been a drought-ghost and has assumed the attributes of a southeast wind. When the wind dies down, then the being, having undergone its retribution as a ghost, is reborn into this world, usually among the various kinds of animals that are considered to be ill omens. Suppose a being has been an animal-possessing ghost and has assumed the attributes of an animal. When the animal dies, then the being, having undergone its retribution as a ghost, is reborn into this world, usually as a kind of fox. Suppose a being has been a hex-poison ghost and has assumed the attributes of a venomous creature. When that venomous creature dies, then the being, having undergone its retribution as a ghost, is reborn into this world, usually as an animal that is venomous itself. Suppose a being has been a plague-ghost and has assumed the attributes of an enfeebled creature. When that creature dies, then the being, having undergone its retribution as a ghost, will be reborn into this world, usually as a kind of parasitic worm. Suppose a being has been a hungry ghost and has assumed the attributes of some vital energy. When that energy disperses, then the being, having undergone its retribution as a ghost, is reborn into this world, usually among the kinds of animals that are eaten by people. Suppose a being has been a nightmare-ghost and has assumed the attributes of some dark energy. When that energy disperses, then the being, having undergone its retribution as a ghost, is reborn into this world, usually among the animals that serve people or that are a source of people’s clothing. Suppose a being has been a malicious shape-shifting ghost and has assumed the attributes of some intense vital energy. When that energy is exhausted, then the being, having undergone its retribution as a ghost, is reborn into this world, usually as a migratory bird. Suppose a being has been an attendant ghost and has assumed the attributes of someone who has light. When that person’s light is extinguished, then the being, having undergone its retribution as a ghost, is reborn into this world, usually among one of the many kinds of animals that are considered to be good omens. Suppose a being has been an oracle-ghost and has assumed the attributes of a human. When that human dies, then the being, having undergone its retribution as a ghost, is reborn in the world, usually among animals who serve people as companions or as messengers. Ānanda! In this way, when the fires of their karma have caused their lives as ghosts to wither away, these beings are reborn as animals in further repayment of the debts they incurred during their previous lives. This too is the consequence of their own delusion. If they experience a full awakening, then with their wondrous and perfect understanding, they will know that, fundamentally, these retributions are not real at all. You spoke earlier of Bhikṣuṇi Lotus-Fragrance, King Virūḍhaka and Bhikṣu Sunakṣatra. They themselves created their evil karma. It did not descend upon them from the heavens, nor did it emerge from the earth. No other human being imposed it on them. Their own delusion brought their karma about, and they themselves must undergo the retribution for it. Yet all this consists merely of illusions and delusions that manifest within the fully awakened mind.”
4. Human Realm
「復次，阿難！從是畜生酬償先債，若彼酬者分越所酬，此等眾生還復為人返徵其剩，如彼有力兼有福德，則於人中不捨人身酬還彼力；若無福者，還為畜生償彼餘直。阿難！當知若用錢物或役其力，償足自停，如於中間殺彼身命或食其肉，如是乃至經微塵劫，相食相誅猶如轉輪，互為高下無有休息；除奢摩他及佛出世，不可停寢。汝今應知，彼梟倫者酬足復形，生人道中參合頑類；彼咎徵者酬足復形，生人道中參合愚類；彼狐倫者酬足復形，生人道中參於佷類；彼毒倫者酬足復形，生人道中參合庸類；彼蛔倫者酬足復形，生人道中參合微類；彼食倫者酬足復形，生人道中參合柔類；彼服倫者酬足復形，生人道中參合勞類；彼應倫者酬足復形，生人道中參於文類；彼休徵者酬足復形，生人道中參合明類；彼諸循倫酬足復形，生人道中參於達類。阿難！是等皆以宿債畢酬復形人道，皆無始來業計顛倒相生相殺，不遇如來不聞正法，於塵勞中法爾輪轉，此輩名為可憐愍者。
“Furthermore, Ānanda, suppose these beings, having been born as animals to pay the debts they incurred in previous lives, live longer as animals than their debts have required. On that basis, these beings can now return to their original status as humans, and provided that their strength, their blessings, and their merit are sufficient, they can retain their human bodies as compensation for their overpayment of their karmic debt. But if their blessings are not sufficient, they will fall back into the realm of animals in order to make a direct payment of any other debts they owe. Ānanda! Beings should realize that they should settle their debts, whether with money, goods, or labor, so that their indebtedness can naturally come to an end. But if, during this process, beings take each other’s lives or eat each other’s flesh, then they may well continue through countless eons killing each other and eating each other as if they were turning ceaselessly on a wheel, now on top, now beneath. The wheel may never stop unless they undertake the practice of calming the mind or unless a Buddha appears in the world. Now you should understand that when beings who have been owls have paid their debts, they will regain their human form and will be born among people who are pig-headed and stubborn. When beings who have been animals that are considered to be ill omens have paid back their debts, they will regain their human form and be reborn among people who are deformed. When beings who have been foxes have paid back their debts, they will regain their human form and will be reborn among people who are of lowly status and low intelligence. When beings who have been venomous animals have paid back their debts, they will regain their human form and will be reborn among people who are vicious. When beings who have been parasitic worms have paid back their debts, they will regain their human form and will be reborn among people who are menial workers. When beings who have been animals of the kind that are eaten by people have paid back their debts, they will regain their human form and will be reborn among people who are weak-willed and dependent. When beings who have been animals of the kind that serve people or of the kind that are a source of people’s clothing, have paid back their debts, they will regain their human form and will be reborn among manual laborers. When beings who have been migratory birds have paid back their debts, they will regain their human form and will be reborn among people of refinement. When beings who have been animals serving as good omens have paid back their debts, they will regain their human form and will be reborn among people who are intelligent. When beings who have been domesticated animals have paid back their debts, they will regain their human form and will be reborn among people who are accomplished. Ānanda! All these people have paid their debts from previous lives and have regained their human form. Since time without beginning, they had been creating the karma that results from deluded scheming, and they had been taking turns killing and being killed. If they do not encounter a Thus-Come One or if they do not hear the true Dharma, then in the midst of the stress of entanglement with perceived objects, they will repeat this cycle of karma indefinitely, as the Dharma explains. These people are to be deeply pitied.”
「阿難！復有從人不依正覺修三摩地，別修妄念存想固形，遊於山林人不及處，有十仙種。阿難！彼諸眾生，堅固服餌而不休息，食道圓成，名地行仙；堅固草木而不休息，藥道圓成，名飛行仙；堅固金石而不休息，化道圓成，名遊行仙；堅固動止而不休息，氣精圓成，名空行仙；堅固津液而不休息，潤德圓成，名天行仙；堅固精色而不休息，吸粹圓成，名通行仙；堅固呪禁而不休息，術法圓成，名道行仙；堅固思念而不休息，思憶圓成，名照行仙；堅固交遘而不休息，感應圓成，名精行仙；堅固變化而不休息，覺悟圓成，名絕行仙。阿難！是等皆於人中鍊心，不循正覺，別得生理壽千萬歲，休止深山或大海島絕於人境，斯亦輪迴妄想流轉，不修三昧，報盡還來散入諸趣。
5. Realm of Immortals
Ānanda! There are also people who practice kinds of samādhi that do not follow the path that leads to true awakening. Instead, their practices are based on a mistaken intent to fortify the physical body. They seclude themselves in mountain forests beyond the reach of people. These are the ascetic masters, of which there are ten kinds. Ānanda! Some of these beings, in their effort to fortify themselves, tirelessly devote themselves to a diet of medicinal potions. When they have perfected this dietary practice, they become ascetic masters who are earth-bound. Some of them, in order to fortify themselves, tirelessly devote themselves to a diet of medicinal herbs. When they have perfected this practice, they become ascetic masters who can fly. Some of them, in order to fortify themselves, tirelessly devote themselves to ingesting precious metals and minerals. When they have perfected their alchemical practice, they become ascetic masters who are adept at roaming freely. Some of them, in order to fortify themselves, tirelessly devote themselves, whether they are moving or still, to bringing their spirit and their vital energies to perfection. When they have perfected this practice, they become ascetic masters who are adept at astral travel (空行仙). Some of them, in order to fortify themselves, tirelessly devote themselves to transforming their saliva. When they have perfected this practice, they become ascetic masters who can travel to the heavens. Some of them, in order to fortify themselves, tirelessly devote themselves to absorbing the essences of celestial bodies. When they have perfected this practice, they become ascetic masters who can travel everywhere freely. Some of them, in order to fortify themselves, tirelessly devote themselves to reciting mantras and observing prohibitions. When they have perfected their skill in these practices, they become ascetic masters who adhere to a specific path. Some of them, in order to fortify themselves, tirelessly devote themselves to mental control of their vital energies. When they have perfected this practice so that they can bring it to mind at will, they become ascetic masters who practice by means of contemplative illumination. Some of them, in order to fortify themselves, tirelessly devote themselves to an internal union of energies. When they have perfected this practice, they become ascetic masters who are adept at a practice that is based on their inner essences. Some of them, in order to fortify themselves, tirelessly devote themselves to following the principles of internal change. When they have perfected their understanding of this practice, they become ascetic masters who are without peer. Ānanda! All these are people who, in training their minds, do not follow a path that leads to a correct awakening. Instead, they seek to know the secrets of living a long life, and they may live for thousands of years. They retire deep into the mountains or onto an island in the ocean, cutting themselves off from human contact. However, because of their deluded thinking, they too are bound to the cycle of death and rebirth. They do not practice the correct samādhi, and therefore, although they have lived long lives as a result of their practices, they too must die and enter one of the various destinies.”
「阿難！諸世間人不求常住，未能捨諸妻妾恩愛，於邪婬中心不流逸澄瑩生明，命終之後隣於日月，如是一類名四天王天；於己妻房婬愛微薄，於淨居時不得全味，命終之後超日月明居人間頂，如是一類名忉利天；逢欲暫交去無思憶，於人間世動少靜多，命終之後於虛空中朗然安住，日月光明上照不及，是諸人等自有光明，如是一類名須焰摩天；一切時靜，有應觸來未能違戾，命終之後上昇精微，不接下界諸人天境，乃至劫壞三災不及，如是一類名兜率陀天；我無欲心應汝行事，於橫陳時味如嚼蠟，命終之後生越化地，如是一類名樂變化天；無世間心同世行事，於行事交了然超越，命終之後遍能出超化無化境，如是一類名他化自在天。阿難！如是六天，形雖出動心跡尚交，自此已還名為欲界。
6. Realm of the Gods
“Ānanda! Some people in this world do not seek what is everlasting and cannot yet renounce their love and affection for their spouses. But if their minds do not turn to thoughts of sexual misconduct, they will develop a certain purity and radiance. After their lives have ended, they will ascend to the vicinity of the sun and moon. Such people become gods in the Heaven of the Four Kings. Some others have only a small amount of desire for their spouses, but they do not manage to live in complete purity. After their lives have ended, they will ascend beyond the sun and moon to dwell at the summit of Mount Sumeru. Such people become gods of the Heaven of the ThirtyThree. Some others will succumb to desire when an occasion arises, but after an indulgence they give the matter no further thought. While they are in the human realm, their desire is quiescent more than it is active. After their lives have ended, they abide peacefully, shining with their own radiance, in a realm of space that is so far above the sun and the moon as to be beyond the reach of sunlight and moonlight. Such people become gods in the Heaven of Self-Restraint. Some others are always still, except when they are unable to resist the stimulus of contact. After their lives have ended, they ascend to a refined place that is isolated from the lower heavens and from the human realm. Here they are untouched even by the three great disasters that come at the end of an eon. Such people become gods of the Tuṣita Heaven. Some others have no desire themselves but will respond to the actions of their spouses. For them the act itself has no more flavor than wax. After their lives are ended, they ascend still higher to a realm of creativity. Such people become gods in the Heaven of Delight in Creating. Yet others have no mundane thoughts. Although their actions seem no different than the actions of ordinary people, their minds transcend the acts that they engage in. After their lives are ended, they ascend beyond all the lower heavens, including the Heaven of Delight in Creating. Such people are born in the Paranirmita-vaśavartin Heaven. Ānanda! These six kinds of gods have transcended the physical act of mating, but their minds are not free of it. Because of this, they have had to return to these heavens, which belong to the realm of desire.”
Realm of Form / Brahma Realms (The Four dhyānas)
「阿難！世間一切所修心人，不假禪那無有智慧，但能執身不行婬慾，若行若坐想念俱無，愛染不生無留欲界，是人應念身為梵侶，如是一類名梵眾天；欲習既除離欲心現，於諸律儀愛樂隨順，是人應時能行梵德，如是一類名梵輔天；身心妙圓威儀不缺，清淨禁戒加以明悟，是人應時能統梵眾為大梵王，如是一類名大梵天。阿難！此三勝流，一切苦惱所不能逼，雖非正修真三摩地，清淨心中諸漏不動，名為初禪。
Ānanda! Some people in this world, in refining their minds, do not avail themselves of the practice of meditation in stillness, and so they do not develop wisdom. Nevertheless, if they can refrain from sexual activity and if their minds are free at all times of any thought of sexual desire such that they are undefiled by sexual passion, they will not remain in the realm of desire. These people, if they wish, may be reborn as one of the companions of Brahma in the Heaven of Brahma’s Retinue. These people have cast out their habits of desire, and with their minds free of desire, they delight in following the precepts and the rules of deportment. At all times, they are able to practice the virtue of purity, and so they become gods in the Heaven of the Ministers of Brahma. When in body and mind these people have attained a wondrous perfection such that their flawless deportment inspires awe, they will not only follow the prohibitory precepts in complete purity but will gain a clarity of understanding as well. They become great Brahman kings in the Heaven of the Great Brahma, and at all times they are able to govern their retinues of gods. Ānanda! The gods at these three levels are free of the burdens of suffering and affliction. Although their samādhi is not the genuine samādhi that results from correct practice, their minds are nevertheless pure, and their outflows are not active. These are the gods of the heavens of the first dhyāna.
「阿難！其次梵天統攝梵人圓滿梵行，澄心不動寂湛生光，如是一類名少光天；光光相然照耀無盡，映十方界遍成瑠璃，如是一類名無量光天；吸持圓光成就教體，發化清淨應用無盡，如是一類名光音天。阿難！此三勝流，一切憂愁所不能逼，雖非正修真三摩地，清淨心中麁漏已伏，名為二禪。
“Ānanda! Next, above the gods of the Brahma Heavens are gods who govern them and who have perfected the practice of purity. The minds of these higher gods are lucid and still. From their deep tranquility, light comes forth. They abide in the Heaven of Lesser Light. Next are gods who emit light and who — as they shine upon one another with an inexhaustible brilliance — illumine their realm throughout the ten directions, turning it all to crystal. They abide in the Heaven of All-Permeating Light. Next are gods who take full control of their light, having mastered the essence of the teaching about it. They are able to emit and to respond to many kinds of pure light, and they use this light to convey countless meanings. They abide in the Heaven of Speech by Means of Light. The gods of these three heavens, which are higher than the heavens of the first dhyāna, are freed from the burdens of worry and anxiety. Although their samādhi is not the genuine samādhi that results from correct practice, their minds are nevertheless pure, and their coarse outflows have been subdued. They are the gods of the heavens of the second dhyāna.
「阿難！如是天人圓光成音披音露妙，發成精行通寂滅樂，如是一類名少淨天；淨空現前引發無際，身心輕安成寂滅樂，如是一類名無量淨天；世界身心一切圓淨，淨德成就勝託現前歸寂滅樂，如是一類名遍淨天。阿難！此三勝流具大隨順，身心安隱得無量樂，雖非正得真三摩地，安隱心中歡喜畢具，名為三禪。
“Ānanda! To the gods who have perfected light as a medium of communication, the wondrous secrets of this medium are now revealed. They refine their practice until they succeed in opening their minds to the bliss of stillness. These are the gods of the Heaven of Lesser Purity. Next they experience a state of purity and emptiness which expands until it becomes boundless. Their bodies and minds are serene and are filled with tranquil bliss. These are the gods of the Heaven of All-Permeating Purity. After their bodies and minds have become completely pure, the world itself is purified due to the virtue of their perfected purity. This purified state becomes a superior place of refuge in which they can rest in the bliss of tranquility. These are the gods of the Heaven of Universal Purity. Ānanda! In these three heavens, which are above the heavens of the second dhyāna, the gods experience perfect harmony, and their bodies and minds are peaceful and secure. They enjoy all-permeating bliss. Their samādhi is not the genuine samādhi that results from correct practice, but because their minds are peaceful and secure, they are filled with bliss. These are the gods of the Heavens of the third dhyāna.
「阿難！次復天人不逼身心苦因已盡，樂非常住久必壞生，苦樂二心俱時頓捨，麁重相滅淨福性生，如是一類名福生天；捨心圓融勝解清淨，福無遮中得妙隨順窮未來際，如是一類名福愛天。阿難！從是天中有二岐路，若於先心無量淨光，福德圓明修證而住，如是一類名廣果天；若於先心雙厭苦樂，精研捨心相續不斷，圓窮捨道身心俱滅，心慮灰凝經五百劫，是人既以生滅為因，不能發明不生滅性，初半劫滅後半劫生，如是一類名無想天。阿難！此四勝流，一切世間諸苦樂境所不能動，雖非無為真不動地，有所得心功用純熟，名為四禪。
“Ānanda! Moreover, there are gods whose bodies and minds are no longer creating the causes for future suffering. They realize that the bliss of the heavens is impermanent and must eventually decay, and they thereupon renounce both suffering and bliss. Because they have put an end to all coarse and burdensome mental attributes, the essence of pure blessing is created. These are the gods of the Heaven of the Creation of Blessings. Once they have wholly renounced those mental states, they gain a superior understanding and purity. In their state of unlimited merit, they experience a wondrous harmony that is everlasting. These are the gods of the Heaven of Cherished Blessings. Ānanda! From that heaven, the path divides. On one path, some gods of the Heaven of Cherished Blessings are able to shine with a pure and infinite radiance such that the light of their blessings and their merit is perfected. They will be secure in the results of their practice and will become gods of the Heaven of Great Fruition. On the other path are gods who, while dwelling in the Heaven of Cherished Blessings, reject both suffering and bliss and intensely and unrelentingly investigate the practice of renunciation. When they have thoroughly understood that practice and have completely mastered it, their bodies disintegrate, and for five hundred kalpas their minds are utterly still, like cold and compacted ashes. But because they have based their practice on the mind that comes into being and ceases to be, they are unable to discover the true nature that neither comes into being nor ceases to be. Their cognitive processes cease but then revive during the last half of the final kalpa. These are the gods of the Heaven of the Cessation of Cognition. Ānanda! The gods of these four heavens, which are above the heavens of the third dhyāna, can no longer be influenced by any worldly states of suffering or bliss. However, they do not base their practice on the unmoving and unconditioned mind, and they still harbor intentions to attain something. Yet their spiritual skill is pure and perfected. These are the gods of the heavens of the fourth dhyāna.
「阿難！此中復有五不還天，於下界中九品習氣俱時滅盡，苦樂雙亡下無卜居，故於捨心眾同分中安立居處。阿難！苦樂兩滅鬪心不交，如是一類名無煩天；機括獨行研交無地，如是一類名無熱天；十方世界妙見圓澄，更無塵象一切沈垢，如是一類名善見天；精見現前陶鑄無礙，如是一類名善現天；究竟群幾窮色性性入無邊際，如是一類名色究竟天。
“Ānanda! Also within this dhyāna there are the five Heavens of Pure Abode. The gods in these heavens have by this time completely eliminated the nine stages of habitual delusion. Here both suffering and bliss have been forgotten. These gods will never again live at any lesser celestial level. They dwell together in a place of peace, each of them at an equal level of renunciation. Ānanda! First, are gods for whom both suffering and bliss have ended so that they no longer have to struggle with contrasting experiences. These beings are the gods of the Heaven Beyond Affliction. Next are the gods who, having focused their practice exclusively on renunciation, no longer harbor any basis for even the thought of suffering and bliss. These are the gods of the Heaven Beyond Heat. Next, throughout the worlds in the ten directions, their wondrous vision becomes so flawlessly clear that no perceived object can defile it. These are the gods of the Heaven of Refined Vision. Next, their skill in envisioning becomes yet more refined, like the skills of a master potter. These are the gods of the Heaven of Clear Envisioning. When their contemplation of the myriad subtleties of the nature of form and the nature of space reaches its ultimate point, they enter a state of boundlessness and become gods of the Highest Heaven of Form.”
「阿難！此不還天，彼諸四禪四位天王，獨有欽聞不能知見，如今世間曠野深山聖道場地，皆阿羅漢所住持故，世間麁人所不能見。阿難！是十八天獨行無交未盡形累，自此已還，名為色界。
“Ānanda! The gods of the lower heavens of the fourth dhāyna — and even their kings — cannot see the gods of these five higher heavens. They only hear about them with admiration, just as ordinary dull-witted people in the world cannot see Arhats dwelling in the wilderness or deep in the mountains, where they keep up their practices in their sacred places for awakening. Ānanda! The gods of these eighteen heavens practice in solitude, free of entanglements. But they have not yet set down the burden of their bodies. Thus all these heavens comprise the Realm of Form.
Formless Realms
「復次，阿難！從是有頂色邊際中，其間復有二種岐路。若於捨心發明智慧，慧光圓通便出塵界，成阿羅漢入菩薩乘，如是一類名為迴心大阿羅漢。若在捨心捨厭成就，覺身為礙銷礙入空，如是一類名為空處；諸礙既銷無礙無滅，其中唯留阿賴耶識，全於末那半分微細，如是一類名為識處；空色既亡識心都滅，十方寂然逈無攸往，如是一類名無所有處；識性不動以滅窮研，於無盡中發宣盡性，如存不存若盡非盡，如是一類名為非想非非想處；此等窮空不盡空理，從不還天聖道窮者，如是一類名不迴心鈍阿羅漢。若從無想諸外道天窮空不歸，迷漏無聞，便入輪轉。
“Ānanda! Moreover, at the very summit of the Realm of Form, the path again divides. On one path are those who in their practice of renunciation develop to perfection the full light of their wisdom. These gods will transcend all three realms and will become Arhats who will board the Vehicle of the Bodhisattvas. On the second path are gods who, having been successful in their practice of renunciation, realize that their bodies are an obstacle to further progress. They cause their bodies to vanish and to become like space. Then they become gods on the Plane of Boundless Space. Next are gods who, having caused the obstacle of their bodies to vanish, now find that there are no further obstacles of form for them to put an end to. Only their storehouse-consciousness and half of the subtle functions of the individuating consciousness remain. These are the gods on the Plane of Boundless Consciousness. When both form and space have come to an end for these gods, and when their conscious minds have disappeared entirely, then there is stillness throughout the ten directions. Nothing remains, and there is no place to go. These are the gods on the Plane on Which One Has Nothing. When their storehouse-consciousness is completely inactive, these gods can make use of this cessation of activity to contemplate deeply, so that within the endlessness of that consciousness, the nature that lies at its ending nevertheless becomes known to them. That consciousness now seems to exist and yet not to exist; it seems to have disappeared and yet has not. These are the gods on the Plane of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception. The gods in these heavens have deeply contemplated their emptied consciousness and yet have failed to understand its true nature. This is the end of the sages’ path that led from the Heavens of Pure Abode. These gods now become Arhats of inferior ability who turn away from the Vehicle of the Bodhisattvas. Other gods, who have come from the Heaven of Cessation of Cognition and from other heavens that are not on the right path, never return from their deep contemplation of their emptied consciousnesses. Because they lack the knowledge they need, they become lost in these heavens. As gods who have outflows, they eventually will fall back into the cycle of death and rebirth.”
「阿難！是諸天上各各天人，則是凡夫業果酬答，答盡入輪。彼之天王即是菩薩遊三摩提漸次增進，迴向聖倫所修行路。阿難！是四空天身心滅盡，定性現前無業果色，從此逮終，名無色界。此皆不了妙覺明心，積妄發生妄有三界，中間妄隨七趣沈溺，補特伽羅各從其類。
“Ānanda! The gods of these heavens are not enlightened. Having enjoyed the rewards that were the results of their good karma, they must again be bound to the cycle of death and rebirth. But the kings of these heavens are Bodhisattvas. They play this role while in samādhi, and thereby they gradually progress in their practice towards the level of the Sages. Ānanda! With regard to the gods on these four planes of formlessness, the activities of their bodies disappear and their mental activities cease so that they abide in samādhi. They are no longer burdened by any form that is the result of karma. These four heavens comprise the realm of formlessness. “None of the gods of these heavens fully comprehend the wondrous enlightened mind that understands. Such accumulated delusions as theirs bring about the illusory existence of the three realms. In the midst of these realms, each individual in his delusion sinks into the seven destinies to join other beings whose karmas are similar.”
7. Realm of Asuras
「復次，阿難！是三界中復有四種阿修羅類。若於鬼道，以護法力成通入空，此阿修羅從卵而生，鬼趣所攝；若於天中降德貶墜，其所卜居隣於日月，此阿修羅從胎而出。人趣所攝；有修羅王執持世界力洞無畏，能與梵王及天帝釋、四天爭權，此阿修羅因變化有，天趣所攝；阿難！別有一分下劣修羅，生大海心沈水穴口，旦遊虛空暮歸水宿，此阿修羅因濕氣有，畜生趣攝。
“Furthermore, Ānanda! In the Three Realms there are also the asuras, who are of four kinds. Asuras who take the path of ghosts, devoting their strength to protecting the Dharma, have the spiritual power to live in the air. These asuras are born from eggs, and are included in the destiny of ghosts. Some asuras, because their merit is insufficient, fall from the heavens and are fated to dwell beneath the sun and the moon. These asuras are born from wombs and are included in the destiny of people. Some asuras are world-commanding kings, both powerful and fearless. They contend for mastery with King Brahma, with Śakra, Lord of the Heavens, and with the Four Celestial Kings. These asuras are born by metamorphosis and are included in the destiny of gods. Some asuras — a baser kind, Ānanda — are born in deepwater caves in the middle of the ocean. By day they emerge to fly about in the air, and at night they return to their watery abodes. These asuras are born in the presence of moisture and are included in the destiny of animals.”
「阿難！如是地獄、餓鬼、畜生、人及神仙、天洎修羅精研七趣，皆是昏沈諸有為想，妄想受生妄想隨業，於妙圓明無作本心，皆如空花元無所有，但一虛妄更無根緒。阿難！此等眾生，不識本心受此輪迴，經無量劫不得真淨，皆由隨順殺盜婬故，反此三種又則出生無殺盜婬，有名鬼倫，無名天趣，有無相傾起輪迴性；若得妙發三摩提者則妙常寂，有無二無、無二亦滅，尚無不殺不偷不婬，云何更隨殺盜婬事？阿難！不斷三業各各有私，因各各私眾私同分，非無定處自妄發生，生妄無因無可尋究，汝勗修行欲得菩提要除三惑，不盡三惑縱得神通皆是世間有為功用，習氣不滅落於魔道，雖欲除妄倍加虛偽，如來說為可哀憐者。汝妄自造非菩提咎，作是說者名為正說；若他說者即魔王說。」
“Ānanda! Such is a detailed explanation of the seven destinies — of beings in the hells and of ghosts, animals, humans, ascetic masters, gods, and asuras. In their confusion, all are submerged in the attributes of the conditioned world. Their deluded mental activity leads them into rebirth in accordance with their karma. Within the wondrous perfect understanding that is the fundamental unconditioned mind, these destinies are like mirages of flowers seen in the sky. These destinies do not actually occupy any location; they are simply illusions. Even less do they signify anything real. Ānanda! These various beings fail to recognize the fundamental mind, and so they are bound to the cycle of death and rebirth. They pass through countless eons without ever attaining genuine purity, all because they indulge in killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. If they break the precepts against these three, they will be born into the destiny of the ghosts and the other inauspicious destinies. If they avoid these offenses, they will enter the destinies of the gods and the other auspicious places of rebirth. Because these beings are constantly torn between their tendency to commit offenses and their tendency to refrain from committing offenses, they continue to be bound to the cycle of death and rebirth. When beings are able to enter this wondrous samādhi, they abide in a wondrous and everlasting stillness. That stillness is beyond the duality of existence and nonexistence, and that negating of duality is also ended. Since they have gone beyond the state in which there is killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, how could they possibly commit those offenses? Ānanda! Each being who has not put an end to these three intentional acts creates his own individual karma. Although each being’s retribution is his own, beings may undergo a common retribution together in a definite place. Their intentional acts arise from delusion, which itself has no cause. No matter how exhaustively you search for a cause, you will not find one. You should advise practitioners that if they wish to realize full awakening through their spiritual practice, they must no longer engage in these three deluded acts. If they do not cease engaging in them, then even if they should develop spiritual powers, their skills will be limited to the circumstances of the conditioned world. If they cannot put an end to their habits of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, they will take the path that leads to existence as a demon. Even if they want to cease committing these offenses, they will end up engaging in falsehood and making the offenses worse. The Thus-Come One says that such beings are pathetic and greatly to be pitied. You all should understand that you are responsible for your own deluded actions. Your true nature that is capable of full awakening is not to blame. What has been spoken here is the right teaching. To teach otherwise is the work of the Mara King.”