SAMSARIC CONDITIONS

SAMSARIC CONDITIONS

A summary

JÖRG FITZ / KUNGA DORDCHE

2000

Prefatory note

This is a short compilation of the usual existence conditions in buddhist descriptions of cyclic living. Most of the information I have recieved from Sakya Pandita’s (1182-1251) work REBIRTH, The Tibetan Game of Liberation, translated by Mark Tatz and Jody Kent, Anchor Press/New York, 1977. But also from The Surangama Sutra, translated by Charles Luk, Rider & Co, London, 1973.

Jörg Fitz / Kunga Dordche

                  June 2000

A.   INFERNAL CONDITIONS

    a. Vajra hell. The destination for those who abuse the tantric path and break their tantric vows. The most fearful hell. It´s suffering is paranoia.

     b. Interminable hell. The deepest and hottest of the hells (The Avici Hell). The karmic destination of those who have undermined the basis of civilized life: the destruction of chances for others spiritual development; the worst of crimes, and the very opposite of a bodhi-sattva’s conduct.

    c. The hot and very hot hells. The result of killing, stealing, sexual abuse, lying - but mostly the special destiny of offenders against spiritual practice: for instance, stealing from yogis, raping nuns and laywomen, seducing monks, persuading people to disbelieve in karma, give teachings about perverse doctrines.

    d. The howling and great howling hells. The result of misuse of speach, the improper use of intoxicants and lying; for instance, the sale of intoxicants for profit or it´s use for harmful manipulation. Demons fill one’s mouth with molten copper as a consequence of such actions.

    e. The black rope and crushing hells. Two hot hells created by those who have murdered in order to steal or committed improper sexual acts. The black rope hell is for thieves and the crushing hell is for malicious offenders.

     f. Reviving hell. The first of the eight hot hells. This hell is created especially by intentional killers, for instance through warfare. One neighborhood-hell contains hunters who remorslessly have killled animals for food.

     g. The cold hells. These hells are the result of hateful actions, especially crimes against the dharma from within. There are eight cold hells:

(i)     blistering

(ii)    broken blisters

(iii)   chattering teeth

(iv)   where the mouth is frozen and one can only groan

(v)    where no articulate sound at all is possible

(vi)   like the blue lotus, where one has a greenish blue color           and one’s flesh splits in six petals

(vii)  like the red ten-petaled lotus, and

(viii) like the thousand-petaled lotus.

    h. The temporary hells. These are places on earth, isolated places like, for instance, mountains or deserts. The lower hells are conditioned by collective karma. These are individualized.

B.  HUNGRY GHOSTS.

Creatures (so called ’pretas’) tortured by greed, intense hunger and thirst. They never get satisfaction. They can only be nourished by offerings made in religious ceremonies and consigned to them.

C   ANIMALS.

Animals have been shaped by stupidity: intentional ignorance. Their living is guided by instincts. They are bound to servitude or being killed. The serpent - for instance - is said to be born from anger, the lion from pride, the dog from arrogance, the monkey from greed, the crow from insolence and the horse from unpaid depts.

D.  DIVINE ANIMALS.

Mythological beasts with supernatural powers. They are ”divine”, because their birth is - like gods - miraculous. Some are pets of the gods, like swans, peacocks and cranes. They enjoy heavenly pleasures, but without any intelligence. It is said that some of them have been former sculptors and painters without spiritual motives. Others are mounts of the gods, such as nagas and garudas. Gandharvas, ”fragrance eaters”, are celestial musicians, born for their great love for flowers. Others are, often monstrous, demigods - for instance so called yaksas and kumbhandas.

E.  ASURAS

Beings - ”antigods” - who are intensively jealous of the gods (of the thirty-three). They are proud, envious, angry and warlike. They envy the gods their riches, especially the fruits of the wishgranting tree whose roots are in their realm but that flowers in the deva realms. Unable to defeat the gods in battle, they attempt to cut down the tree.

F.  JAMBU ISLAND

The human condition on earth. This is a mixed bag, with sickness, warfare and poverty. But it is the best birth among the karmic destinies, because only humans have the following three conditions: a) the motive to escape from the cycle of death and rebirth, b) the opportunity to encounter dharma, and c) the leisure to study and practice it. Jambu Island is also the only continent on which the Buddha will demonstrate the way to nirvana and enlighten- ment,”because the inhabitants of Jambu Island have a sharp intelligence”.

G.  BARBARISM

Uncivilized and materialistic society in which warfare is a legitimated mode of interaction. In particular barbarism refers to societies that destroy images, books, temples and communities of the holy dharma.

H.  THE SIX HEAVENS OF SENSE DESIRE

     a) Heaven of the four great kings. The four kings are the regents for the higher gods. Some among these gods are associated with the planatory bodies, in the astrological sense of regulaters of the world. The kings are defenders of the dharmateaching (a so called dharma-pala). Goddesses of this realm (so called apsaras) give birth in a miraculous manner, free of the burdens of menstruation, pregnancy and nursing. The child is born at five years of age. During copulation the deities of this level unite their bodies without emission of regenerative substance or loss of energy. As is the case with all the deva gods, sexuality is casual and easily repeated.

      b) Heaven of the thirty-three (Trayatrimsa). The head among these gods is Indra. These gods correspond to the greek counterparts on Olympus. This realm was once won from the asuras and must periodically be defended. Although these gods take their refuge to Buddha, their pleasure is too great to allow for spiritual practice. Their sexual interaction is satisfied by merely touching their sexual organs. They are unable to prevent rebirth in a lower state when their good karma is exhausted. There is said to be no greater suffering then that of a dying god. The approach of a divine fall has five signs:

(i)  one’s dress becomes soiled,

(ii)  flower garlands fade,

(iii) perspiration cloud the armpits,

(iv) the body emits an unpleasant smell, and

(v)  one’s seat becomes uncomfortable.

With these conditions one’s companions and lovers desert one in disgust.

c) Heaven without fighting (Yama). The Yama devas are completely beyond the strife of the world and secure in their possession of heaven. The seeds of their past moral conduct, the essence of which is self-control and avoidence of conflict, blossom into the delights of the realm of desire: gardens of lakes, swans, water lilies, and sexual enjoyment that is consummated by a mere embrace. They possess whatever one might desire.

d) The joyful heaven (Tusita). Although only the fourth of six heavens of sense desire, this is the most promising for one’s future, for it is traditionally the penultimate abode of the bodhisattva, the station before his final birth in human form. The future Buddha Maitreya, ”loving one”, is presently in residence in Tusita. Tusita is the most beautiful of the deva realms. The inhabitants are said to drink nectar, the flowers are white and grand, and everywhere there are jewels. This mansion, floating high above mount Meru like a cloud, is the favorite resort of buddhist scholars.

For the ordinary devas of this realm, still bound to sense desire, sexuality is a matter of holding hands.

e) The heaven of delighting in emanations (Nirmana-rati). These gods have no need of substantial desirable objects, because their very wish becomes reality. They enjoy the emana-tions of their own minds. They enjoy the delights of sexuality by merely laughing together, by conversation, or by inhaling each others’ fragrance.

The beings of this heaven emit a brilliant golden light. The karma giving rise to this state is a sublime moral refinement and intense generosity.

f) Ruling the emanations of others (Paranirmita-vasavartin). In this ethereal mansions dwell the the supreme deities of the class of sense desires. In generosity, self mastery and control they exceed all others. These gods do not even need - like the gods immediately below them - emanations from their own mind. These great gods rule the emanations of others. Whatever they may wish for is anticipated by the other classes of gods, who magically emanate it for their pleasure.

In this heaven sexual desire arises and is satisfied by a glance.

The king of this realm is Mara. As lord of the realm of desire, this powerful creature is extremely jealouse of those who might try to escape it. He sends all sorts of fearsome and pleasant distractions to hinder saints and yogis. The successful meditator, passing through his distraction, attains the relam of form.

I.   THE REALM OF FORM (RUPA-DHATU).

There are seventeen levels of this realm, which correspond to subtleties of progress in meditation. With the successful practice of samatha, comes the possession of an ethereal translucent body, to which neither physical nor mental suffering can adhere.

There are four main categories of gods of the realm of form. They correspond to the four stages of trance in samatha-meditation.

1) The Brahma gods. These gods correspond to the first stage of meditative trance. These gods have the notion that Brahma is the great god, the creator of all. There are three dhyana heavens of this category.

(i)   The retinue of Brahma (Brahma-kayika),

(ii)  The ministers of Brahma (Brahma-purohitas), and

(iii) The Mahabrahma heaven (Mahabrahma-deva-raja).

2) The gods of light (Abha). The physical pleasure of meditation fades and gives way to happiness and equanimity. This correspond to the second trance.

(i)   The heaven of minor light (Parittabha),

(ii)  the heaven of infinite light (Apramanabha), and

(iii) the heaven of pure light (Abhasvara), where the inhabitants converse by light instead of words.

3) The gods of splendor (Subha). These gods come into being as a result of the third trance. Their minds are at rest. There are three levels: weak, middling and strong degrees of immersion in this trance.

 (i)   The heaven of minor purity (Parittasubha),

(ii)   the heaven of infinite purity (Apramanasubha), and

(iii)  the heaven of universal purity (Subhakrtsna).

4) The gods of the fourth trance. These gods are characterized by equanimity alone. Two subgroups: four belonging to ”ordinary” Rupa-dhatu, and four (sometimes five) belonging to the Pure Abodes (Suddhavasa) from which there is no return. The latter is here classified as a separate main category.

(i)   The heaven of cloudless felicity (Anabhraka),

(ii)  the heaven of felicitous birth (Punyaprasava),

(iii) the heaven of abundant fruit (Brhatphala), and

(iv) the heaven of thoughtless devas (Asanjnisattva). These devas mistake their state for nirvana. It is however only a trance without true knowledge of the world. In due time - after 500 eons - it will be possible for them to realize their true non-cyclic natur.They, however, first have to be reborn in the realm of sense desire. This happens when a thought finally occurs.

J.   PURE ABODES ( SUDDHAVASA)

Five levels of gods abide here. They will not return (to the realm of desire or the four first dhyanaheavens of the realm of form). These devas are virtues, mighty, long-lived, beautiful and enjoying great well-being. They are self-luminous, travel through the air, have pleasent food, live happily, and go wherever they whish. They are free from passion. No ordinary person attain to this station, but only aryas, those committed to Dharma. Lower devas cannot percieve these secret abodes.

(i)   The heaven free from trouble (Avrha),

(ii)  the heaven free from minor troubles (Atapa),

(iii) the heaven of excellent perception (Sudarsana) - all the worlds in the ten         directions are percieved as perfectly still and pure,

(iv)  the heaven of excellent manifestations (Sudarsa), and

(v)  the highest heaven (Akanistha). This is the supreme heaven and the most exalted Buddha-field. Here are tenth-stage bodhisattvas, who are given final instruction by the Buddhas in Sambhogakaya-form. A distinction is sometimes made between Akanistha and Mahakanistha, thereby distinguishing these high-level dharmapractionars by this latter designation.

K.   THE FORMLESS REALM  (ARUPA-DHATU)

The meditator has now passed beyond sense desires and form. One’s awareness encompass endless vistas of space. Finally one transcends consciousness itself.

There are four meditative ”equalizations” (samapatti) that condition rebirth in the formless realm. These realms have no location. Rebirth in them is effected by karma that has no connection with ”good” or ”bad”. The location of these realms is the same as the meditator’s last position on earth. The four formless realms are:

       a) Infinite space,

       b) infinite consciousness,

       c) nothing-at-all, and

       d) neither-ideas-nor-lack-of-ideas. This is called the ’peak of existence’. From this point nonideation can be accomplished, and then the equalization called cessation, in which the stream of mental events are halted for a period of time. This last stage is sometimes confused with nirvana. But, attachement to existence still remains. After some time past karma becomes operative and one is born in a lower destiny.