The cycle of rebirth
The natural law of nature
I
will assume that your mind has been softened by what I said in the previous
chapter and that you are going to be very open-minded about this unthinkable
issue. Always bear in mind that mystery is the most significant characteristic
of the universe and that we know very little about it. There are all kinds of
possibilities out there that we haven’t yet known. So, open your mind to some
of those possibilities.
Apart
from the laws of physics which work anywhere in the universe, there are also
many other natural laws which are waiting to be discovered once the right tool
comes along. One of those natural phenomena is the law of
kamma which causes the cycle of rebirth to go on endlessly. Scientists cannot
understand the fact about this law because they don’t have the right tool to
have access to it. In the same way that scientists use mathematics as a tool or
language to unlock the fact about our natural environment, you also need the
right tool and language to reveal the ultimate truth that the Buddha told us.
In fact, the tool of the four foundations of awareness is there for anyone to
use especially for the sceptics and the non-believers but if you don’t use it,
you will not find out the answer. Therefore the law of kamma which causes the
cycle of rebirth remains a big mystery to many people, but not to the Buddha.
On the night of his enlightenment, he unlocked the secret of this universal law
of nature. To the Buddha and most Buddhists,[1]
the law of kamma is merely a fact and not some unknown mystery anymore. In the
same way that we know how the sun, the moon, rain, fire, snow and storms are
made up and come about, and we no longer treat them as mysterious events but
treat all those phenomena as facts, so the Buddha does the same, he looks at
and talks about the law of kamma and the cycle of rebirth as facts surrounding
our lives and the environment we live in. That’s why the whole of the Tripitaka
is full of the teaching relating to this universal law.
The
reason that we, most intellectuals, cannot understand is due firstly to the use
of unfamiliar language which is a thick crust surrounded Buddhism, secondly the
approach in explaining this law of nature and thirdly the absence of practice
of the four foundations of awareness. My purpose in writing this and the
following four chapters is to try to bridge those gaps so that intellectuals
can have a better understanding.
The
law of kamma is a very complicated and difficult issue to talk about. I must
admit that my knowledge is not enough to delve into small details. I can only
talk on the fundamental level and about the basic concepts which intrigue people
most. At this stage, I do think that they are what you really need to know so
that you can make up your mind whether you want to believe it or not.
You
must initially know that the law of kamma causes the cycle of rebirth to go on
and on endlessly. So, we have to deal with these two subjects together. The
Buddha calls the cycle of rebirth samsara. So, please get use to with this Pali
term as I will use it from now on.
Kamma
means action, deed. The law of kamma is the law of action which works scientifically
just like other natural laws in having a cause and an effect. The cause is the
action or kamma that you carry out whether good or bad, and the effect is that
you will reap the good and bad results according to what you have put in. The
technical term that refers to the result of action is vipaka. It means that if
you do good deeds, you receive good results; vice versa, if you do bad deeds,
you receive bad results. If we use the Buddhist technical terms, we have this:
good kamma gives good vipaka and bad kamma gives bad vipaka.
To
use a more common terminology, the law of kamma states that beings get what
they deserve. You can reap the results of your own action either in this
lifetime or future lifetimes depending on which type of kamma will bring results
first. This is the kind of detail that I cannot fully understand yet: as I
said, it is very complicated. However, the good and bad results of your actions
or kamma are the cause which generates the cycle of rebirth or samsara. In
other words, your actions and their results will carry you on to your next
life. It was indeed the kamma you have done in your previous life which caused
you to be born as a human being in this lifetime. Subsequently, what as and
where you are going to be born in your future life depends entirely on what you
have put in and will put in during this lifetime. So, if you can understand and
believe in the law of kamma, you are very fortunate in the sense that you can
choose where to go in your future life. In other words, you can build the house
exactly the way that you want it to live in. This is the general idea of how
the law of kamma and the cycle of rebirth work.
Not
every action is called kamma. The main factor which makes kamma is volition;
you must have the wish, intention or desire to do something which is either
good or bad, turning that wish into action by either the mind, speech or
action.
For
example, Mandy sees her neighbour’s cat walking past her garden. She has a kind
nature so she does not mind. She just watches the cat walking without having
much thought. In this case Mandy does not create any kamma that will give
result or vipaka. However, Mandy’s husband Tim hates the fact that the
neighbour’s cats like to use his garden as a toilet. So, Tim has no patience
with any cats. The minute he sees a cat passing through his garden, he will
rush out, pick up a stone and throw it at the cat. Now, Tim’s reaction to the
cat is an obvious kamma. It happens from the moment he sees the cat, straight away,
he links the cat with the mess he has to clean up, he then has the intention of
chasing the cat away which is by throwing a stone and hurting the cat. Tim has
created a kamma which will give result or vipaka because there are two
completed factors – intention and action.
This factor works the same for good kamma too. You may watch the news and find
out about the suffering of people in Turkey due to the massive earthquake. Many
people watch the news and do not think any further. They carry on with their lives
as normal. However, you watch the news and you are moved by the scale of
suffering of those people, then you think how you could help them. You
subsequently make up your mind that you will send some money to a charity as a
way to help those poor refugees and you actually do it by picking up the phone
and passing on your credit card details to someone working for charity. You
have the intention to do good and you literally carry out your good work. It
means you have done the good kamma and it will give a good result of vipaka.
You
may have a kind nature and do not like to hurt any animal. One morning, you
walk along your garden path and before your realise it, you have stepped on a
slug or a worm quite unintentionally. In such a case, your action is not a
complete kamma because you had no intention. You may still bear the result of
that action but it is not as severe as having the intention. A teacher compares
this event to when you go into a shop and accidentally drop a glass and break
it: you may or may not have to pay depending on the owner of the shop. The
owner may say it is an accident, so it is quite all right and you can get away
without paying for it. However, the owner may ask you to cover the cost even
though there is no real aggravation because it was an accident. Therefore in
such a case where you accidentally kill an animal, you may or may not suffer
the result because the kamma is not completed. In Buddhist cultures, you are
taught to ask for forgiveness (Ahosikamma) right away. If the animal killed
forgives you because you did not have the intention to kill, your kamma will be
defunct or void. I will talk about this later on.
The
severity of action or kamma, and result or vipaka, is due to the intention of
the doer. There is a great deal of difference between deliberately killing an
ant, a pig, a cow and a person. It is not about taking away a small life such
as an ant or a big life such as a person, because they have a life all the
same. The difference lies in the length of time that your mind has to hold on
to that intention until you finish the action. During that length of time, your
mind will constantly keep record of the event and will cast shadows of either
good or bad. This is the part of the law of kamma that is very complicated. I
don’t think you need to know the details because you have to know all the
technical terms in Pali to find out how the mind works in each moment. I myself
even find it hard to understand. So, I will not go into great detail. Instead,
I will try to make it easy for you by just saying enough for you to see the
different degrees of harshness in the kamma you carry out. My way of
explanation may not agree with the strict Buddhist scholars, especially those
who study the Abhidhamma which is known as the metaphysics of Buddhism. Please
do understand that I do not claim myself to be an expert in the issue of kamma.
I am no expert at all. I need to do this so that you can understand the basic
idea of how the law of kamma works so that you can make up your own mind
whether you want to believe it or not.
The
harshness of kamma can be compared to holding a pencil and drawing a line. If
you hold it lightly, the line you produce is weak. If you hold it firmly, the
line is clearer. If you really press the pencil hard, you leave a much stronger
mark and may dent the paper. To give an example: You see an ant, you want to
kill, and then you kill. From the moment you want to kill until the end of the
killing may last about 30 seconds or less. So, the law of kamma works and casts
a shadow or gives a result according to that length of time you put in. Killing
bigger animals like a pig or a cow needs a much longer time to complete the
full action from the moment of having the intention to the finishing touch of
killing. You have to put much more effort into it. Killing a pig or a cow by
hand, it involves fighting, stabbing, drowning and so on before the animals
reach unconsciousness. I don’t know how long it lasts. Let’s say one whole
hour. All those actions are done with full intention which is the full blown
kamma. That one hour is the length of time that the law of kamma works and will
certainly cast a deep shadow and bring a more severe result in the future. Now,
killing a person is even more difficult in the sense that your intention before
you kill lasts much longer in your mind. From the moment you have the intention
to kill someone, you have to commit that killing over and over on your mind
level first before you can actually do the killing. During that length of time
that you try to work out the perfect killing, the law of kamma is keeping
record and casting a shadow all along. This can last for days, months or even
years. Although the actual killing may last a matter of minutes by means of
shooting, many minutes by means of stabbing, days by means of torturing, the
previous length of time which brought you to that final event will all be
accounted for according to the law of kamma. Therefore all these different
degrees of harshness when you commit a kamma will affect the result that you
will deserve in the future. The result of kamma will affect you from the moment
you complete the killing. Judging from the comparison of holding a pencil and
drawing a line, mentally speaking, you suffer less by intentionally killing an
ant, you suffer much more when you kill a pig or a cow and you suffer even more
when you kill a person. Your mental suffering is your immediate result of kamma
or vipaka that you deserve due to the cause or the kamma that you carry out. The
result of kamma or vipaka will not stop there at your mental suffering right
now, it will give results after life too depending on how severe the kamma
is.
Someone
once said that eating a fish is more serious than eating meat because eating
meat is about sharing a life of one cow with many others, while eating fish,
you eat a whole life by yourself. This case, you must judge from the above
example of the time that you take to kill. Killing a fish especially by means
of netting does not require as much effort as killing a cow. Therefore, the
harshness of kamma is less than killing a pig or a cow. My mom had been a
vegetarian for over 40 years before she passed away. She knew that we could not
turn vegetarian overnight so she told us to leave the big animals out first by
stopping eating beef, then pork and then poultry. She said that she did not
mind if we ate just fish. I only understand now why she said that. This is
definitely not an apology for killing a big life or a small life because they
are lives all the same. It has everything to do with how the law of kamma
works.
So,
although you are a meat eater, as long as you don’t kill the cow yourself, you
do not commit the kamma as such. In this case, it might be the traces of kamma
that you will share along with the meat killing business, I guess. That is
because if no one ate meat, there wouldn’t be any business at all. So, I
suppose all meat eaters have to take some share of the blame. We cannot be
totally white under such circumstances. Buddhist monks who eat meat also have
rules. Buddhist monks are supposed to be easy and take what they are given. The
Buddha set down the rule that a monk must not eat meat if they know who killed
the animal. They must not drop a hint to anyone to buy meat and cook it for
them either. When they eat food whether it is meat or vegetables, they must
contemplate and view the food in front of them as the four elements of earth,
fire, water and wind. Without such contemplation whether eating meat, fish or
vegetables, monks have violated the rules and have to be punished somehow.
The
qualities of different people or beings that you do the kamma to are also
accounted for in the result of kamma or vipaka that you will receive in the
future. The Buddha said that there are five types of beings whom you can do
both good and bad to, and the result will be as follows:
Good
and bad kamma to animals give results one hundred-fold.
The
good and bad kamma to immoral people give results one thousand-fold.
The
good and bad kamma to moral people give results one hundred thousand-fold.
The
good and bad kamma to people who do not indulge in material values give results
one hundred million-fold.
The
good and bad kamma to people who practise vipassana and wish to attain the
fruit of holiness give incalculable results.
Thus,
there is no need to mention the good and bad kamma to the four levels of holy
persons – Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahant – including the individual
Buddhas and the Buddhas. The result of the kamma is so immense that there is no
word for it.
Therefore,
you can see that the bad kamma done to parents, or genuine monks who may or may
not have reached some level of holiness, are considered weighty or hideous
kamma that will give weighty and immediate results. There are five monstrous
kammas about which the Buddha warned people not to cross the line. They are:
killing
one's mother
killing
one's father
killing
an Arahant
causing
a Buddha to suffer a contusion or to bleed
causing
schism in the monkhood order.
During
the Buddha’s time, lay persons who attained the Arahantship would go into the
monkhood order right away because that is the only way of life that can really
accommodate the state of mind of such a holy person. The other reason was to
avoid having people doing anything wrong to them. As I said before, holy
persons do not walk around with a halo above their heads so that people can
distinguish them from normal people who are still saturated with defilements.
They still look normal like everyone else. The only difference is that their
minds are totally detached from all things in the case of Pra Arahants.
Nowadays, there is no Buddha around to announce and confirm to people that such
and such a person has attained some level of holiness or not. One of the
significant qualities of holy people is that they do not boast of their
spiritual achievement because their ego has been reduced to a much smaller
size, even to nothing when they reach Arahantship. There is no doubt that even
nowadays there are still many holy people from sotapanna to Pra Arahants living
in the world, especially in the Buddhist countries, and a great number of them
are lay people. Not to mention the
non-Buddhists, because even the Buddhists who are vipassana practitioners
cannot distinguish holy people who are above them. So, to avoid committing the
worst kamma, it is always safer to be good and kind to all people especially
the vipassana practitioners whether they are monks or lay people.
Vice
versa, the good kamma done to parents, moral people, or holy persons will give
immeasurable results. Thai and Burmese devout Buddhists who aim to reach
Nirvana in one of their future lives will show an amazing generosity to monks
whom they suspect may be holy, because they know that such good kamma will be
accounted for their reaching enlightenment in future lives. This is the root
cause of the well known giving spirit among the Buddhists in Thailand and
Burma.
Once
you have the general idea of how the law of kamma works, the next thing that
you ought to understand is that kamma is not moral justice. It is not a case of
having an omnipotent person or a divine God sitting in judgement over beings.
There is no one who makes judgement over the doings of beings. However,
Buddhism has words such as gods and deities.
The
terms gods, deities, devas, heavenly or celestial beings and Brahmas in
Buddhism refer to the beings in the upper realms or heavens who are still in
the same predicament as us humans. Nevertheless, celestial beings are still
subject to rebirth once their good kamma has finished giving the result and the
bad kamma catches up with them. They too can fall from heaven and be reborn as
a human or in one of the four lower states of the animal world, hungry ghost
world, demon world and hell. I will go into details later about the beings of
different realms.
Therefore,
you must understand that the law of kamma is ‘a moral law’ which nonetheless
operates naturally like many other laws in the universe such as the laws of
physics. If you do good, you receive good results; if you do bad, you receive
bad results, which seems to me the fairest system. You must understand that
both the good and bad results are not given as reward or punishment by someone
who has invincible power. This moral law of justice operates naturally on its
own and it governs the whole of the universe wherever there are
sentient-beings. The Buddha does not make up the law; he has nothing to do with
this law. His role was merely to find out for us how the law of kamma works.
Once he had found out, he then told us about it so that we can do right by the
law. If we don’t know how the law of kamma works, we will definitely keep on
violating the law of nature without knowing. This is indeed the fact that keeps
on feeding the cycle of rebirth to go on and on indefinitely.
That’s
why I kept on for you to bear in mind about the laws of physics. In the same
way that you cannot defy gravity, you cannot defy the law of kamma either. It
means that you cannot wipe away the result of your action whether it is good or
bad. If you have done something good, the good result is waiting to take effect
and vice versa. What has been done has been done. There is no going back to
alter the result as far as the law of kamma is concerned.
It
is like you have dropped a glass on the floor and broken it; you can pick the
pieces up and superglue them together but no matter how well you have done it,
you cannot conceal the damage. You might think that you have mistreated your
parents when you were a teenager, now that your hormones have calmed down and
you can see that you have done something so terribly wrong to them, so you
treat them very well with the hope that your good deeds can pay off the bad
deeds you have done in the past. Most people think so. But according to the law
of kamma, your bad kamma towards your parents during your teenage years has
been recorded and will definitely give bad results and so will the good kamma
that you do later on.
I
talk in a very definite way because at this point, I want you to see that the
law of kamma is a clear cut and straightforward matter and that you cannot
alter anything whatsoever because you are dealing with the law of nature which
governs the whole of the universe. In the same way that apple seeds yield apple
fruits, mango seeds yield mango fruits, good and bad actions yield good and bad
results accordingly.
As
a matter of fact, the Buddha does explain and give an analogy regarding the law
of kamma in the most scientific way. The Buddha once was staying at a village
near Nalanda when the head of the village named Asipanthakabuttra came to pay
respect to the Worthy One and asked a question.
“My
Lord, I have heard that the Brahmans from Pajchapoom by carrying water jars on
their heads, putting seaweed around their necks as decoration, bathing
themselves morning and night and worshipping fire, could resurrect the dead and
lead them into heaven. Therefore, I would like to know whether you might have
the same ability as those Brahmans.”
The
Buddha carefully listened to the question, nodded his head and said:
“I will answer your question by asking you a question instead. Suppose a
man likes to kill, lie, steal, commit adultery, use malicious, spiteful and
rude language, backbite, talk nonsense and have ill will, hatred and wrong
views. Then you go to gather all the people from your village and surround this
nasty man. Then you all dance and pray for this unworthy man. You all walk
around this bad man with your hands palm at your chests and say ‘please let
this man go to heaven.’ Now, do you think that this man who has sinned can go
to heaven just by your praying or not.”
The
man answered, “No, of course not.”
The
Buddha then said: “It is the same as when a man throws a huge stone into water
where there is some depth, after that he gathers all the people around the pond
to pray for the stone to float and come to the surface. Do you think the big
stone can be surfaced by doing so?”
“Of
course not, my worthy one. It is impossible,” the head of the village replied.
“In
the same way that praying cannot surface the huge stone, neither can it help a
man who has sinned go to heaven,” the Buddha explained.
Vice
versa, the Buddha also said that in the same way that praying could not sink
oil into water, neither could it make a good man go to hell.
You
can see that the Buddha did not make the law of kamma and the cycle of rebirth
up by himself. Praying cannot alter the kamma that one has done either. What is
done is done. It has to go according to the law of nature as in the analogy
that the Buddha has given - stone sinks and oil floats.
Having
said all the above, I might not have given you much hope at all if you happen
to have a long list of bad deeds in your personal database. And no matter how
good we are, we all make mistakes one way or another at some time in our lives.
I do not believe that there is anyone who can be totally good or totally bad.
Everyone has a different combination of goodness and badness in them. I might
have frightened some of you terribly. Please don’t be scared especially if you
really want to undo what you have done wrong to others. That’s why I have to
talk about this issue. Of course, there is a way that you can get round it.
Also if you are a Christian and believe in repenting of sin, how can you
reconcile this fixed law with repenting sin? I will talk about it later on
under the topic of adding more water to salt.
The
Buddha said that beings are the owners of their deeds, heirs of their deeds,
have deeds as their parents, their kin, their refuge; kamma alone is our
property; deeds divide beings into lowness and excellence. The Buddha said that
life is being thrown around by the law of kamma. It is our karmic properties
that make us travel to the different realms of rebirth or samsara.
If
we talk from our present state as human beings, there are seven different ways
that we can choose to act and subsequently our actions will send us to the
different states accordingly. As I said,
kamma is a very complicated issue. In reality, there are people who do
both good and bad deeds in different combinations and degrees. At this stage I
would like you to understand that the different actions I am about to talk
about are based on habitual acts.
These are actions that have become one’s habit and that we regularly do. I will begin from the lowest state to
the highest one. They are as follows:
1) The
way to hell (Niraya) is by having anger (dosa) which leads to all kinds of
related unwholesome acts including violence and killing.
2) The
way to the hungry ghost world, the demon world (Peta)[2]
is by having greed (lobha), craving and desire which lead to all kinds of
related unwholesome acts.
3) The
way to the animal world (Tiracchana) is by having ignorance (moha) or wrong
views about life and its ultimate purpose. Ignorance is the root cause of all
bad deeds.
Please
note that anger is the main cause for going to hell, greed is the main cause
for going to the hungry ghost world and ignorance is the main reason for going
to the animal world. In greater details, the Buddha also put down the ten
unwholesome courses of action which send beings to the three lower realms
described above. They are called Akusala-kammapatha:
1) killing, hurting and taking away lives
2) taking what is not given or stealing
3) sexual misconduct
4) using false speech or lies
5) using malicious speech, tale-bearing,
slandering, back-biting
6) using harsh speech, swearing
7) talking nonsense, gossiping
8) avarice, covetousness, wanting other
people’s property
9) ill will, revenge
10) having false views, wrong views
4)
The way to the human world (manusa) is by taking the five
precepts or following the ten wholesome courses of action (kusala-kammapatha)
which can be separated into three groups. They are as follows:
4.1)
to avoid the destruction of life and be anxious for the welfare of all lives;
4.2)
to avoid stealing, not violating the right to private property of others;
4.3)
to avoid sexual misconduct, not transgressing sex morals;
4.4)
to avoid lying, not knowingly speaking a lie for the sake of any advantage;
4.5)
to avoid malicious speech, slandering, and backbiting, unite the discordant,
encourage the united and utter speech that makes for harmony;
4.6)
to avoid harsh language, words of abuse, and speak gentle, loving, courteous,
dear and agreeable words;
4.7)
to avoid frivolous or fruitless talk that has no meaning, to speak at the right
time in accordance with facts, what is useful, moderate and full of sense;
4.8) to be without covetousness or envy, not
wanting to possess another person’s belongings or property;
4.9 to be free from ill will, malice and
animosity, not wanting to cause injury to others and to have good wishes for
people by thinking ‘Oh, that these beings were free from hatred and ill will
and would lead a happy life, free from trouble’;
4.10)
to have right views such as that gifts, donations and offerings are not
fruitless and that there are results of wholesome and unwholesome actions and
that there is heaven and hell, there is Nirvana and the path that leads to it.
5)
The way to heaven (the world of the
Devas) is by taking the greater meritorious actions (punnakiriya-vatthu)
5.1)
by practising generosity and giving;
5.2)
by observing the moral behaviours;
5.3)
by practising mental development or doing meditation;
5.4)
by practising humility, respect or reverence;
5.5)
by giving service, helping out the needy, doing something good for someone,
giving service to the Buddha, dhamma and sangha by cleaning or supporting a
monastery, printing dhamma books, etc.;
5.6)
by sharing of merit;[3] Sharing of merit is merit in itself and
makes you gain more merit. It is like sharing your lighted candle with another
person, you gain more light and not less.
5.7)
by rejoicing at another’s merit; - Being glad that other people have done good
deeds. The Buddhists say “sadhu, sadhu, sadhu” which means well done when
others do meritorious deeds. By rejoicing at their merit, you get merit
yourself.
5.8)
by listening to the right teaching such as the dhamma of the Buddha; - When you
come to know the dhamma, you can avoid the unwholesome acts and do the
wholesome acts instead.
5.9)
by teaching the right doctrine or showing people the right path to ultimate
truth. That is to speak or give
talks on the dhamma.
5.10)
by straightening or forming the right view about the ultimate purpose of life
and the path that leads to it, by believing in the law of kamma and the cycle
of rebirth.
6) The
way to the higher sphere of heaven (Brahma world) is by practising
samatha meditation until achieving the different levels of higher consciousness
or jhana. This is the type of meditation that existed all over India before the
enlightenment of the Buddha. It can send you to the higher spheres of heaven.
Beings who live here have a very long span of life so that they can miss the
birth of a Buddha along with all his work. This is still not the ideal world to
live in because brahmas are still subject to rebirth. Once the good kamma
finishes giving results and the bad they have done in previous lives catches up
with them, they can still be reborn in the woeful states.
7) The
way to Nirvana is by practising vipassana or the four foundations of
awareness which is the best kind of deed. Although this is the state that is
not within the cycle of rebirth, it is still a type of action that will give
consequences. It is however a very unique type of action that I call non-action
which can lead you out of samsara and achieve the best thing that life can ever
attain – Nirvana.
If
this is the first time that you have heard something like the above, you must
find it very difficult to take it all in. How can this be possible? You must
think that such concepts only exist in fiction. Obviously, you can’t help
thinking this. Indeed, there is no way that you can prove it scientifically in
the conventional way that scientists are happy with. That’s why I felt the need
to prepare you in my previous chapter. As I told you, you need to have the
right tool for the right job. You need to have a mirror to reflect your face,
you also need wisdom to reflect the law of kamma and the cycle of rebirth. To
gain that wisdom, you must practise the four foundations of awareness. While
you don’t have it, you just have to take the Buddha’s word for it. I also told
you that any good and honourable person will find it extremely difficult to
lie, let alone talking about the Buddha.
All
these glorious details are not placed there just to glorify Buddhism. Nor are
they some sort of metaphor or personification as most people think and interpret
them. I used to think so too but not now. There is no need for the Buddha to do
so in such graphic detail, should they not be the facts and the truth. If you
have never seen the grand palace in Thailand, how can you possibly describe it
in great detail? You cannot do it, can you? Indeed, the Buddha simply talked
about those facts in the most direct and innocent way. It is us who have not
enough wisdom to understand him.
When
I come to look at all the seven different realms in samsara, it does make a lot
of sense to me. While Jesus merely refers to heaven and hell as two opposite
states, and most people, even the Buddhists who do not study Buddhism think so
too, the Buddha talks about the different realms in samsara in much more
specific detail, including the courses of action that lead you to them. I have
told you only the main grouping of seven places but in fact there are many more
greater details within the different states. There are different places in hell
which accommodate inhabitants with different bad deeds. There are also many
different levels of heavens which accommodate inhabitants who have done
different types of good kamma. I
am not surprised at all that even the human world is not just us who are the
inhabitants of this planet earth, there are also other worlds in this sphere of
the universe which accommodate sentient beings similar to humans. As long as
they are beings who have senses or sentient beings, the dhamma is for them too.
If there were indeed other worlds, it might be the answer to the mystery of the
cornfield patterns which have become apparent only in the past two decades.
The
way that the Buddha described the different realms of samsara is very much like
telling us all the different countries in the cycle of rebirth that we can go
to as well as pinpointing all the different provinces, towns, districts and
villages so that we know precisely where to go.
If
you think carefully, in the same way that you cannot prove the existence of
heaven or hell, you cannot prove their non-existence either, can you? You
cannot say that there is no heaven or hell only because you cannot see it and
prove it in your conventional way.
The point is that there is no way for you to know, not until you die and
find out for yourself, which might be too late if you happen to go to hell. So,
it isn’t fair to say 'show me or prove to me heaven and hell now.' We cannot
even see our own face without relying on a mirror. How on earth can you prove
things as significant as heaven and hell and samsara? You know that the human
and the animal worlds exist because you are in them and you can see them.
Heaven and hell are in a different dimension, you can know their existence only
when you are actually in them. There is no other way round it. That’s why we
need to rely on the wisdom of the Buddha to reflect these unthinkable facts for
us because it is something beyond human ability. We must admit this fact,
otherwise we will be trapped in our own little tiny tube of knowledge, or to be
more precise trapped in our little box of brain!
In
fact, there are a great number of people who have actually had such paranormal
experiences but they were quickly dismissed by those who have scientific minds.
Scientists do not know how to handle experiences that they cannot methodically
explain. Therefore, in trying to deal with paranormal experience, they have to
come up with the classic excuse of the functioning of the brain and its
hallucination, which I find rather boring. This shows how intellectuals dictate
and patronise the ‘non-intellectuals’ and give very little respect to their
individual experience. Such arrogant attitudes must change among the
intellectuals, otherwise they will get absolutely nowhere as far as chasing
after intellectual knowledge is concerned. Please read the story of the Buffalo
thief again.
Now
you can see that, according to Buddhism, no one can send us to hell or heaven.
We send ourselves to the different places by carrying out the different deeds.
By keeping on doing the deeds regularly, we are choosing the realm (country)
that we want to go to. In other words, we slowly build the house (realm or
country) for ourselves to live in after this life-time. In this case, we must
count ourselves extremely lucky in having the Buddha come along and tell us all
about this piece of good news. If the Buddha did not tell us the seven
different countries we could go to after death, we would still be very stupid
and go off to do something that might send us straight to hell. I am telling
you all these things with good intention and not to patronise. I hope you can
see it.
Now
that you have some general idea of what kind of actions lead you to what kind
of rebirth, they still haven’t yet clarified other facts like why some people
have a short or long life, are rich or poor, pretty or ugly, stupid or
intelligent, etc. Once, when the Buddha was staying at Jetavan monastery, he
answered the question of a young man named Subha. The following is the way the Buddha elaborates upon the law
of kamma.
Some
beings like to kill other beings and get in the habit of killing. After death,
these people are reborn in the four lower, woeful states (the animal world,
ghost world, demon world and hell)[4].
However, if they are reborn as human beings, their lives are short. Those who
do not kill beings, who have compassion for them, may be reborn in the deva
world or as celestial beings. If they are reborn as human beings, they have
long lives.
Some
people cause injury to other beings; they like to inflict injury on others. On
account of that, they are reborn in the four woeful states. However, if they
are reborn as human beings, they are sickly and prone to disease. Those who do
not cause injury to others are reborn as devas, or if they are reborn as human
beings, they are endowed with good health.
Some
people become angry very easily, and owing to this anger, they are reborn in
the four woeful states. However, if they are reborn as human beings, they are
ugly and have a dull complexion. (We can even see it now that anger makes one
look ugly although that person is pretty by looks.) However, some people have
no anger, do not become angry easily and have thoughts of loving-kindness or
metta towards people. These people are reborn as devas, or if they are reborn
as human beings, they are beautiful and have a fair complexion. (So if you want
to be beautiful, at least in your next life, check your anger – don’t be
angry!)
Why
do some people have no friends and some people have many friends? Some people
are jealous, and on account of that jealousy, they are reborn in the four
woeful states. However, if they are reborn as human beings, they have few or no
friends. Those who are not jealous, are reborn as devas, or if they are reborn
as human beings, they have many good friends. We can say that those who cannot
have friends were jealous in a past life according to the law of kamma.
Some
people are stingy; they do not want to give anything. By being stingy, by not
being generous, they may be reborn in the four woeful states. However, if they
are reborn as human beings, they are poor. Those who are giving and generous
become rich people. So, if you want to become rich, give!
Some
people are very proud, look down on other people, and have little respect for
others. On account of this false pride, such people are reborn in the four
woeful states, but if they are reborn as human beings, they are born into
unfortunate circumstances. Those who have no false pride, who have humility,
are reborn as devas, unless they are reborn as human beings, in which case they
are born in favourable circumstances.
Some
people have no desire for knowledge, no desire to ask questions, no desire to
know about the nature of things. With no knowledge of right conduct, these
unknowing people do wrong actions and thus may be reborn in the four woeful
states. If they are reborn as human beings, they are dull-witted. Those who
want knowledge, who ask questions about the nature of things, are reborn in the
devas world. However, if they are reborn as human beings, they are intelligent.
(So, if you want to be intelligent in your next life, don’t hesitate to ask
questions.)
I
have introduced to you the different realms in samsara. The following article I
received through my email may give you more idea of what the world of the Peta
or hungry ghosts is like. Amitabha Buddha was one of the Buddhas long before
our Buddha Gotama in India. He built a place in the west (somewhere in this
samsara) which has been known as the Pure Land so that all sentient beings can
go there to practise the dhamma until they reach Nirvana. The Pure Land
practice is supposed to make it very easy for people especially those who
cannot handle complicated and difficult practices such as vipassana. What
people need to do exactly is simply to chant the name of Amitabha Buddha as
often as they can, either loudly or in their minds. The name of Amitabha Buddha
has been pronounced in so many Chinese and Japanese dialects according to what
type of language area you are in. No matter what it sounds like, they all refer
to the same Buddha Amitabha. Of course, it was the Buddha Gotama again who told
us about this ancient Buddha. This tradition has been widely practised among
many millions in China and Japan. The chanting will also go along with the
beating of a small gong in front of a shrine and goes on for hours on end. This
practice is purely based on faith and effort. It is believed that the Buddha
Amitabha will come for those who have been calling his name and take them to
the Pure Land when they die so that they can continue with their practices
until they reach Nirvana. So, I will leave you with the email I received from
Singapore:
"In
Buddhism, ghosts usually refer to hungry ghosts. Hungry ghosts belong to a
realm of being who are constantly tormented by their insatiable craving. But in
common language, ghosts are taken to mean wandering ghosts that are spirits of
the dead who are still attached to their previous life such that they have yet
to take on a proper rebirth. These ghosts are actually in an unfortunate state
and should be treated more with compassion than fear and hatred. Chanting
should be done for them to transfer merit to them, not so much to chase them
away. The easiest way to help ghosts help themselves is to explain Amitabha
Buddha's Pureland to them and encourage them to have faith in His vow, and to
chant His name single-mindedly till they see the golden light of the Buddha,
before advancing towards it, aspiring birth in the Western Pureland.
1.
It is said sometimes that ghosts can actually feel your fear; they can even
breathe it in and grow larger from it. If you are in a fearful situation with a
ghost, say a mantra or a Buddha or Bodhisattva's name that will help you feel
at peace and protected. If you feel something close to your face taking your breath
away, tell it to back off NOW. Remember, you are more powerful than any entity.
When they are breathing in your breath or the energy from your fear, it's just
an indication that they are not feeling very powerful and are trying to draw on
your power.
2.
When there are children ghosts in a house, it works well to ask one of the
adult ghosts to persuade the children to leave together.
3.
Children and animals can see ghosts easily. Their intellect isn't getting in
the way, telling them it's not possible. If your dog growls or your cat hisses
at nothing, or your children talk to "nothing," chances are you have
a ghost around.
4.
Many times there are ghosts so filled with remorse, guilt or shame about
something it did during its lifetime that it is completely stuck. It won't
allow itself to go on. Many feel they must stay in this state of
"limbo" and be punished. The truth is, they are the ones who condemn
themselves to limbo, but they can take the next rebirth whenever they're ready
to.
5.
Ghosts will sometimes stick around if they are older and genuinely concerned
for people on this side, or younger but using that as an excuse. We can always
tell if the concern is genuine or not, but in either case, we reassure the
ghost that there are many people on this side who can help these people out.
The ghost needs to learn to let go and trust that people will take care of
themselves or find others to help them.
6.
Ghosts who had a drug or alcohol problem when they were alive may choose to
hang out with people who have a similar addiction and may actually take over
their bodies from time to time to still feel that high.
7.
Some people think of their ghosts as pets, and what's sad is that these ghosts
often think of themselves as pets. They're grateful to be loved, no matter how
it comes. These ghosts have very little self-esteem, so we are gentle and
loving toward them. But it is also important to be firm about the fact that
they need to set themselves free, e.g. by chanting the NamoAmituofo to aspire
birth in Amitabha Buddha's Pureland. Ghosts are people, not pets.
8.
Sometimes if a person doesn't believe in life after death, he will not move on
when he dies, because he won't understand what is going on. He will simply hang
out in a place most familiar to him. The good news is most people do believe in
some kind of afterlife, so this doesn't happen that often. When you are dealing
with ghosts who don't believe they are dead, it's important to be honest and
direct and tell them that their physical body is dead. We can tell them to
chant the Buddha's name and head for the golden light of Amitabha.
9.
Sometimes it's better that the owner or resident of a house tell the ghost to
leave, first because it is empowering to the resident to know he can make this
happen, and also because it is a message loud and clear to the ghost that it is
not wanted.
10.
The more fuss that's made about a ghost, the more ghosts you'll attract. A good
example is the Chinese celebration of the 7th lunar month's hungry ghost
festival. In Buddhism, contrary to the popular Chinese cultural superstition,
hell's gates do not open- and the hell beings are not the same as the hungry
ghost beings as they exist in different realms. Giving offerings in mass to the
ghosts and fearing them thus attracts the hungry ghosts, who are already
around, in masses, along with wandering ghosts. (Please reread the header above
if you are unsure of the differences between hungry ghosts and ghosts as in
wandering spirits.) Many traditional superstitious Chinese do not see the
difference between wandering ghosts, hungry ghosts and hell-beings. While the
first is not really a realm by itself ("limbo"), the other two are
realms in themselves. The so-called ghosts that we encounter as humans are
either wandering ghosts or hungry ghosts - as hell beings do not wander in
other realms. Portals are openings from our world into the spirit world. The
most common way to create one of these is to use an Ouija board ("plate
fairy" in Chinese; Die2 Xian1), because it's inviting communication. The
problem with opening ourselves up to the spirit world without knowing what we
are doing is that we attract all kinds of ghosts to us that may not be so
favourable. If you suspect you have a portal in your home, it's time to have
some psychic protection. This is nothing to mess about.
11.
Ghosts in general have no concept of time. They can remain in the same room or
area for years and years, never giving any thought to how long they've been
dead or how much life is changing around them. They are literally stuck at a
point in time in their consciousness. Honesty is the best way to handle a
situation like this. We tell the ghost, "This is the year 2000; it's
important for you to move on to a better place."
12.
Ghosts can be very self-serving. They do what they want, without consideration
of what it's doing to others. Don't ever let a ghost "have its way with
you," no matter what that means. If you suspect that you've been taken
over by a ghost, do not under any circumstances put up with it. They need to
honour boundaries just like the rest of us.
What
to Do if Your Child is Frightened by a Ghost?
If
your child complains that a ghost is trying to frighten him or her, don't be
too quick to judge him or her as crazy or imagining things. Listen and ask
questions. She may become too frightened to sleep in the room. If something
like this happens, try this-
Get
the child a can of (ozone-friendly!) air-freshener. Show him how to spray at
the ghost with the can, while telling it to chant the name of Amitabha Buddha
and go to the golden light. Just keep spraying until the ghost goes away. This
helps to empower the child with confidence, to feel that he is not powerless.
At the same time, the spray does not really harm anyone- not even the ghost.
Remember to keep it simple- tell the child ghosts are lost dead people who need
their guidance as to where to go and that he is doing a good thing by sending
them to the light. Kids don't need any big heavy explanations- just keep it
simple."
The
12 points above are summarised from a book, "Relax, It's Only a Ghost," by Echo Bodine.
"Even
as the light of a lamp can break up darkness which has been there for 1000
years, so a spark of Wisdom can do away with ignorance which has lasted for
ages."
By
the 6th Chinese Zen Patriach Master Hui Neng (638-713)
[1] I use the term most Buddhists because
there are indeed some Buddhists who are still very sceptical about the law of
kamma and the cycle of rebirth. They are mainly intellectuals who have gone
through modern education and adopt the scientific way of thinking.
[2] _ In some groupings, the ghost world and
the demon world are separated into two worlds instead of one. It is however the
greed or lobha which sends beings to these worlds. The ghost and demon worlds
are quite close to the human world and sometimes people can have experience of
them. So is the immediate celestial world.
[3] According to the Theravadin tradition,
merit or meritorious act can be shared with other beings. By thinking and
setting the mind for the right cause, the good deeds you have done can be
shared and spread to other beings especially those in the lower realms. This
sharing of the merits can literally help those in the hungry ghost world to
simultaneously be reborn in a better realm.
[4] The ghost world and the demon world are separated in this
case which makes four woeful states instead of three. However, it is greed
which leads beings to be born in these two worlds and therefore they are
grouped together sometimes.