Chapter VIII - Praises of Lord Yama and His Followers

Lord Yama and his followers, just the sound of this seems scary. Yama is a Sanskrit word that means ghost king. The Chinese or the Indians consider Southern Jambudvipa to consist of ten Yama lords in Asia. But this sutra is actually referring to more than the Yama lords in China, India, or Asia in general; it is referring to all the Yama lords throughout the universe. There is a lord Yama in each world, so there are infinitely many Yama lords. Some Yama lords come from other worlds; some come from certain planets; some come from the moon, and some come from other Iron Ring mountains. In short, where there are human beings, there are Yama lords; where there are no human beings, there are no Yama lords. How come? Without humans, there are no ghosts; without ghosts, there are no Buddhas. That would be a world without Buddhas. Since that world has no Buddhas, it has no Yama lords. The key lies with humans; without human beings, there is nothing. Human beings control the world, create everything, are in need of everything, and use everything. Without people, essentially there would be no Buddhas, no Bodhisattvas, no hungry ghosts, no animals, and not anything in this world. Everything is made by people. What made people? People are made from the mind! Not only does the mind create people, but the mind can also create heaven and earth, hungry ghosts and animals, and everything else. The ten Dharma Realms are made from the mind alone. The mind creates the ten Dharma Realms and destroys the ten Dharma Realms too. The Avatamsaka Sutra says, “Anyone who wishes to know, all Buddhas throughout the three periods of time, should contemplate the nature of the Dharma Realm– everything is made from the mind alone.” Our mind consists of as many miscellaneous thoughts as waves on water. These miscellaneous thoughts express all the mountains, rivers, and great earth in the world. Everything is created by people’s false thoughts. People’s false thoughts are as numerous as dust motes. There are dust motes outside because we have false thoughts inside. Without false thoughts inside, the dust motes outside are empty, even the atoms that compose the dust motes are empty. Wherever there are human beings, there are ghosts, there are Buddhas, and hence there are Yama lords. Not only are there Yama lords, but his followers too.

Praises. What does this chapter praise? It praises the great awesome might of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s inconceivable wisdom and states. This is the eighth chapter in this sutra.

 

Sutra:

At that time, from within the Iron Ring Mountain, Lord Yama and his following of infinite ghost kings came before the Buddha in the Trayastrimsha Heaven. They were: the Ghost King Evil Poison, the Ghost King Many Evils, the Ghost King Great Argument, the Ghost King White Tiger, the Ghost King Blood Tiger, the Ghost King Crimson Tiger, the Ghost King Spreading Disaster, the Ghost King Flying Body, the Ghost King Lightning Flash, the Ghost King Wolf Tooth, the Ghost King Thousand Eyes, the Ghost King Animal Eater, the Ghost King Rock Bearer, the Ghost King Lord of Bad News, the Ghost King Lord of Calamities, the Ghost King Lord of Food, the Ghost King Lord of Wealth, the Ghost King Lord of Domestic Animals, the Ghost King Lord of Birds, the Ghost King Lord of Beasts, the Ghost King Lord of Mountain Sprites, the Ghost King Lord of Birth, the Ghost King Lord of Life, the Ghost King Lord of Sickness, the Ghost King Lord of Danger, the Ghost King Three Eyes, the Ghost King Four Eyes, the Ghost King Five Eyes, the Ghost King Ch’i Li Shih, the Great Ghost King Ch’i Li Shih, the Ghost King Ch’i Li Ch’a, the Great Ghost King Ch’i Li Ch’a, the Ghost King No Ch’a, the Great Ghost King No Ch’a, and other such great ghost kings. With them were hundreds of thousands of minor ghost kings who dwelt throughout Jambudvipa, each presiding over certain jurisdictions.

Commentary:

At that time, from within the Iron Ring Mountain . . . In the Sea of Flower Treasury Worlds, human beings live in the Lotus Banner World on the 33 rd layer. There are seven gold mountains outside the Lotus Banner World; outside of the seven gold mountains there are seven fragrant seas. This Iron Ring Mountain composed of metallic matter sits outside of the seven fragrant seas. In this Iron Ring Mountain, there are Lord Yama and his following of infinite ghost kings. Lord Yama is like Jesus in saying that he is the son of god; he also calls himself the son of god. An emperor in the human realm also refers to himself as the son of god. But which son of god is greater or lesser? There is not anyone that is great or less. Who named them sons of gods? The Buddha acknowledged that a Yama lord would be a son of god; the Buddha also acknowledged that an emperor can call himself a son of god. Jesus is the only one who bestowed a title on himself, indulging in his fancies he named himself son of god. No one will object if I say am the son of god; but I do not enjoy being son of god; it is not worth it. Why does Lord Yama like this unworthy title? It is because that is his business. After Buddhist monks are ordained as Bhikshus and receive their precepts, they are teachers for gods and humans. They are the master in the heavens and human realm. Not only can they be sons of gods, they can be the grandmaster of sons of gods, which is why I say that title is not worth much. They came before the Buddha in the Trayastrimsha Heaven. Since the Buddha was speaking the Dharma for his mother in the Tryastrimsha Heaven, Lord Yama and ghost kings came here to listen to the sutra.

They were: the Ghost King Evil Poison . Among the ghost kings, there is one called Ghost King Evil Poison. This ghost king is the worst. How? He is extremely vicious, evil and venomous. He wants swallow any being he sees in one gulp. Is he not harsh? He is mean in thought and vicious in speech, which means that he deals with bad people rather than good people. Bad people are mean psychologically and mean verbally, so they can only be dealt with through viciousness and meanness. You are evil, but he is even more evil than you; you are venomous, but he is even more venomous than you. Do not think this Ghost King Evil Poison is someone we need to fear. Do not be afraid, as long as you recite the Buddha’s name, he will be respectful. If you do not recite the Buddha’s name, his hatred will rise. Once you recite the Buddha’s name, he will not be evil anymore; once you recite the sutras, he becomes good too. So, no need to be afraid of him. As long as you recite the Buddha’s name, recite the sutra, develop the resolve for Bodhi, then however evil he may be, he no longer will be, and however venous he may be, he no longer will be. He turns into a Dharma protector. Why? The Ghost King Evil Poison “appears to look like an evil and poisonous ghost king, but has the heart of a Bodhisattva’s compassion.” He uses corrupt and vicious methods to save living beings; otherwise why would he be with Son of God Yama? Son of God Yama does the same. Although this ghost king is named Evil Poison, he is not really evil and poisonous. He is respectful to Buddhists, so do not be afraid of him. If you mention my name in particular, saying, “My master is so and so, he will definitely give you face.” Why? I signed a contract with him. I said, “As long as any of my disciples come to you and mention my name, you must hand all their offenses to me.” As long as you mention me, I guarantee he will not poison you.

The Ghost King Many Evils . Although Ghost King Evil Poison is evil and poisonous, he is not evil enough and not poisonous enough. There is also the Ghost King Many Evils who incurs countless evils to counteract living beings who do countless evils. I believe all of you have now changed your faults for the better so that you will not be so evil. How is this Ghost King Many Evils evil? He does things such as murdering his father, murdering his mother, murdering arhats, wrecking the harmony of the Sangha, and shedding the blood of a Buddha.

The Ghost King Great Argument enjoys debates in particular. He can provide an argument where there is no argument to speak of. He counteracts unreasonable debaters who insist that they have a good reason. They obviously broke the precepts, but they say they did not. They lie and cheat others. This Ghost King Great Argument deals with this type of people, so be careful! Remember not to see the Ghost King Great Argument because when you do, you will lose any basis for your argument because he is great at arguing.

The Ghost King White Tiger . This ghost king has the body of ghost but a head of a white tiger.

The Ghost King Blood Tiger has a tiger head that is bleeding.

The Ghost King Crimson Tiger is red all over and has the head of a tiger.

Why do these ghost kings have tiger heads? They want to look beastly and horrifying so that anyone who has committed the Ten Evils and the Five Rebellious Acts will tremble in fear.

The Ghost King Spreading Disaster . Disasters are inauspicious events. He makes these things happen to you. Accidents, thefts, fires and others result as a part of cause and effect. Everything has its cause and effect; results occur due to some cause.

The Ghost King Flying Body . This ghost king can fly anywhere without having to buy an air ticket or a ride on a rocket. He can fly faster than a rocket. Anyone who wants to learn to fly should go and find the Ghost King Flying Body. This ghost king has such great skills.

The Ghost King Lightning Flash. His eyes are as bright as lightning flash.

The Ghost King Wolf Tooth. This ghost king has vicious wolf-like teeth grown outside of his mouth

The Ghost King Thousand Eyes does not have the same eyes as the Thousand Handed and Thousand Eyed Guanyin Bodhisattva. This type of ghost has lots of horns on them. These horns are similar to ox horns but on each tip of the horn is an eye. How is the eye grown? It is concave and grows out of the bone. There is no flesh around the eye, only an eye inset in his body, so when you look over, it is like a really bright flash of light.

The Ghost King Animal Eater . What does this ghost king eat in particular? It eats animals. What kind of animals? It may eat tigers or any animal that is vicious.

The Ghost King Rock Bearer . To show how strong he is, this type of ghost king carries a rock as heavy as several ten’s of thousands of pounds. When he sees someone who has committed offenses, he smashes the person with this large piece of rock so that this person is flattened into a real thin pancake.

The Ghost King Lord of Bad News always delivers bad news. When you are sleeping, he tells in your dream: did you know you are going to die tomorrow? You only have today left to live. He delivers a letter of bad news to you in the form of a nightmare.

The Ghost King Lord of Calamities not only delivers bad news in a letter, but actually makes some calamity happen to you: accidents such as car accidents, sunken ships, air crashes and the like.

The Ghost King Lord of Food . What you eat each day is fixed. The story I told about the supervisor over food is a true one. What dishes we eat and what they are made of are all fixed. What we eat tomorrow is fixed too. Imperceptibly, someone is assigning these portions to you.

The Ghost King Lord of Wealth . Someone made an offering to me today and it has to do with the Ghost King Lord of Wealth; he told people to donate some money to the master. Really! This is not off by a hair. There are no wrong things in the world; nothing that occurs without cause and effect. You had created the causes to become my disciples; no one can force cause and effect. It is something major to deny the law of cause and effect; we must not discredit it.

The Ghost King Lord of Domestic Animals governs all kinds of animals.

The Ghost King Lord of Birds governs over fowls.

The Ghost King Lord of Beasts. Earlier it was the Ghost King Lord of Domestic Animals, now it the Lord of wild beasts; there are no domesticated beasts really. There is a Ghost King Lord of Beasts in the Eastern Lapis Lazuli Mountain. He governs over beasts such as tigers, hares, and dragons. In the Southern Glass Mountain, there is a ghost king who governs over beasts such as snakes, horses, and goats. There is a Silver Mountain with a ghost king that governs over monkeys, chickens and dogs. In the North there is a Gold Mountain that is formed with gold. But do not try to excavate gold there like the way people did with the old Gold Mountain or new Gold Mountain. That Gold Mountain cannot be touched or reached. There is a ghost king in this Gold Mountain who governs over swine, rats, and ox. The Ghost King Lord of Beasts and the Ghost King Lord of Domestic Animals govern over different things and have their own area and turf.

The Ghost King Lord of Mountain Sprites. When there are problems with soil, woods, metal, rocks, or large trees, it is because of mountain sprites and their like. The supervisor for these ghosts is the Ghost King Lord of Mountain Sprites. In the third assembly of the Shurangama Mantra is a series of ghost kings in charge of such things: la she po ye, zhu la po ye, e qi nip o ye, wu tuo jia po ye, pi sha po ye, she sa duo la po ye, po la zhe jie la po ye, tu she cha po ye.

The Ghost King Lord of Birth governs human births. He will make sure that good people enjoy safe labors while bad people suffer more during labor or cannot complete their labor at all. They are punished so that they may become enlightened, reform and renew themselves.

The Ghost King Lord of Life governs all life with breath and blood.

The Ghost King Lord of Sickness. Any sickness is governed by a ghost.

The Ghost King Lord of Danger is in charge of dangerous acts of harm.

The Ghost King Three Eyes has three eyes. How do his three eyes look? They do not look like the heavenly eye in the Five Eyes and Six Penetrations. He has one horizontal one in the middle and two on the sides. The three eyes form a triangle. Have you seen such thing?

The Ghost King Four Eyes . His four eyes form a square; they are not arranged like the Five Eyes of the Bodhisattvas. He looks especially strange so that people are afraid when he sees him.

The Ghost King Five Eyes.

The Ghost King Ch’i Li Shih is in charge of fire in the south.

The Great Ghost King Ch’i Li Shih is in charge of large fires. The Ghost King Ch’I Li Shih is in the south; while farther south, there is a mountain where the Great Ghost King Ch’I Li Shih is the ghost king.

The Ghost King No Ch’a is one of the kings of the Four Great Heavenly Kings. He is a Dharma protector, so although he belongs to the category of ghosts, he is not a ghost. That is why he is named the King No Ch’a.

The Great Ghost King No Ch’a, and other such great ghost kings as mentioned above. When we talked about small ghosts, we said that where there is a large ghost, there is a small ghost. With them were hundreds of thousands of minor ghost kings. A ghost king has these ghost offspring, including children, grandchildren, and other relatives who dwelt throughout southern Jambudvipa, each presiding over certain jurisdictions. Each ghost has a domain where they may exercise their power.

 

Sutra:

Aided by the Buddha’s awesome spiritual strength and the power of Earth Store Bodhisattva Mahasattva, all these ghost kings joined Lord Yama in the Trayastrimsha Heaven and together they stood to one side. Then Lord Yama knelt, placed his palms together, and said to the Buddha, “World Honored One, aided by the Buddha’s awesome spiritual strength and the power of Earth Store Bodhisattva, I have been able to come here with all these ghost kings to join this great assembly in the Trayastrimsha Heaven, which will be very much to our benefit. There is now a small doubt that I should like to express, and we hope the World Honored One will be compassionate and resolve explain it.”

Commentary:

Each person has his/her individual authority. These ghosts have their authority as ghosts. Aided by the Buddha’s awesome spiritual strength and the psychic power of Earth Store Bodhisattva Mahasattva, all these ghost kings joined Lord Yama in the Trayastrimsha Heaven, the Heaven of the 33 and together they stood to one side. Then Lord Yama knelt, placed his palms together, and said to the Buddha, “World Honored One, aided by the Buddha’s awesome spiritual strength and the power of Earth Store Bodhisattva, I, Son of god Yama, have been able to come here with all these ghost kings and members of our retinue to join this great assembly in the Trayastrimsha Heaven, which will be very much to our benefit. There is now a small doubt that I should like to express. May I have the privilege to ask the World Honored One? Am I qualified to ask the World Honored One? And we only hope the World Honored One will be compassionate and resolve explain it, thus resolving my problem.”

 

Sutra:

The Buddha told Lord Yama, “I will answer any question you would like to ask.”

At that time Lord Yama looked respectfully at the World Honored One, made obeisance, turned his head to acknowledge Earth Store Bodhisattva, and then said to the Buddha, “World Honored One, I observe that Earth Store Bodhisattva uses hundreds of thousands of expedient devices to rescue beings who are suffering for their offenses within the Six Paths of rebirth. I see that he does so unstintingly, without the least fatigue. Although this great Bodhisattva uses his inconceivable spiritual penetrations to do such deeds, it doesn’t take long for the beings whom he has helped in gaining release from retribution to fall into the evil paths again.

“World Honored One, since Earth Store Bodhisattva has such great inconceivable spiritual powers, why are beings not able to rely on him, to stay on the good paths, and to be freed once and for all? Please, World Honored One, explain that for us.”

Commentary:

The Buddha told Lord Yama, “I will answer any question you would like to ask. Ask whatever you would like to ask. I will definitely give you a good answer.” At that time Lord Yama looked respectfully at the World Honored One, made obeisance, turned his head to acknowledge Earth Store Bodhisattva. Since the Buddha is in front of him, he looked at the Buddha then turned his head to look a look at Earth Store Bodhisattva, a show of respect for Earth Store Bodhisattva. And then he said to the Buddha, “World Honored One, I observe that Earth Store Bodhisattva uses hundreds of thousands of expedient devices, using different methods, to rescue beings who are suffering for their offenses within the Six Paths of rebirth: the realm of gods, the realm of humans, the realm of asuras, the hells, the realm of hungry ghosts, and the realm of animals. I see that he does so unstintingly, without the least fatigue. He is not afraid of any hardship or weariness. Although this great Bodhisattva uses his inconceivable spiritual penetrations to do such deeds, it doesn’t take long for the beings whom he has helped in gaining release from retribution to fall into the evil paths again.

“World Honored One, since Earth Store Bodhisattva has such great inconceivable spiritual powers, why are beings not able to rely on him? Why do they not listen to his teachings? Why do they defy the rules? Why are they unable to cultivate by staying on the good paths? Why do they create offenses? And why are they not to be freed once and for all, instead they are entangled by karmic obstructions? Please, World Honored One, explain that for us.”

 

Sutra:

The Buddha told Lord Yama, “The beings of Jambudvipa have stubborn and obstinate natures, difficult to tame, difficult to subdue. This great Bodhisattva continually rescues such beings throughout hundreds of thousands of eons, causing them to obtain liberation quickly. For those beings undergoing retributions even in the worst destinies, the Bodhisattva applies the strength of expedients to extricate them from their own basic karmic conditions and lead them to understand the events of their past lives.

“But because beings of Jambudvipa are so bound up by their own heavy bad habits, they keep revolving in and out of the various paths over and over, as this Bodhisattva labors throughout many long eons to entirely effect their rescue and release.

“They are like people who, in confusion, lose their way home, and take a dangerous road by mistake. On that dangerous road are many yakshas, tigers, wolves, lions, serpents, and vipers. Those confused people are sure to be harmed very quickly on that dangerous path.

Commentary:

The Buddha Shakyamuni told Lord Yama, “The beings of southern Jambudvipa have stubborn and obstinate natures, difficult to tame, difficult to subdue. It is very difficult to make gentle these beings and subdue them so that they will observe the rules. This is not very easy. For instance, everyone nowadays says that observing rules is bad, why? It is because they do not wish to observe the rules so they say it is bad to observe the rules. Actually, “Without a ruler and t-square [(which together means rules in Chinese)], one cannot draw a square or a circle.” This great Bodhisattva continually rescues such beings throughout hundreds of thousands of eons, causing them to obtain liberation quickly. Ghost kings and Lord Yama asked as to why living beings do not listen to Earth Store Bodhisattva and follow his teachings though he has such great spiritual powers? Why do they leave the evil paths and then come back down to the evil paths again? For as long as billions of eons, this great Bodhisattva repeatedly saves living beings of this sort so that they may become liberated soon!

Due to their confusion and action, for those types of beings undergoing retributionseven in the worst destinies, the three evil realms for hell-beings, hungry ghosts and animals, the Bodhisattva applies the strength of expedients to extricate them from their own basic karmic conditions and lead them to understand the events of their past lives.

“But because beings of Jambudvipa are so bound up by their own heavy bad habits. . . The karma of their past lives is connected to this life, while the karma of this life is connected to future lives. This kind of karmic retribution is continuous throughout lifetimes like a rope in a knot. This is what it means by beings bound up by their own heavy bad habits. What kind of bad habits are these? The foremost bad habit is sexual desire. All beings are the same. Every being has a problem that is foremost, something they have the worst time eliminating, and that is lust. Eliminating lust is even more difficult then climbing up to the sky. If you can subdue your lust so that women have no lust when they see men and men have no lust when they see women, then they have tamed their tiger. Free of afflictions, you have subdued your dragon. Afflictions and ignorance are just like a dragon that transforms endlessly. It develops without you realizing it. So first of all, end lust. This is where you can tell whether you have any cultivation, moral virtue, or skill. You can test yourself and know for yourself. You have some skill if you have eliminated desire; if you have not ended your desire, then you are someone with outflow. So cultivating non-outflow refers to no lust. With lust, there is outflow; without lust, there is no outflow.

The second [leading bad habit] is greed. Why is there lust? It is because of greed, such as greed for a good feeling and greed for satisfying one’s desire. The third [leading bad habit] is arrogance. What is arrogance? Some people are not necessarily smarter than others, but they always feel that they are smarter than everyone else. They look down at everyone. They have to be number one wherever they are. The fourth [leading bad habit] is hatred towards everyone. If you are not good to me, then I will think of a way and kill you or think of other ways to seek revenge. The fifth [leading bad habit] is deceptiveness, cheating and pretending. The sixth [leading bad habit] is lying. Deception involves pretending to be a good person when one is a mean person; that way people cannot tell. Lying is false speech. The seventh [leading bad habit] is blame, blaming others for every one of their obvious wrong-doings. They say, “I would not have done that if he had not told me. I cannot be faulted for this; it is his problem, his fault.” They shove the blame on others. The eighth [leading bad habit] is about deviant views. Instead of walking down proper paths, people with this habit always walk down improper paths. The ninth is crookedness. Instead of being straightforward, people with this habit do things that accuse others wrongly and in a twisted manner. The tenth [leading bad habit] is suing. People who enjoy filing baseless suits tell the judge that certain people are wrong. I am going to sue him. They think of ways to accuse others wrongly. This is suing. These ten are in the Shurangama Sutra as the Ten Habits, which will lead to the consequence of the Six Retributions. Due to these ten kinds of habits, living beings are said to be bounded by intense bad habits.

They keep revolving in and out of the various paths over and over. They created all kinds of offenses and evil because of these ten kinds of evil karma; hence they got to transcend the Three Evil Paths then return. They revolve in and out of the Three Evil Paths because they transcended them in the present life but then enter them again in the next life. As this Bodhisattva Earth Store labors and works so hard throughout many long eons to entirely effect their rescue and release, saving all beings. For instance, “They are like people who, in confusion, lose their way home, and take a dangerous road by mistake. On that dangerous road are many yakshas, tigers, wolves, lions, serpents, and vipers. Yakshas represent skepticism in the Five Dull Servants. Skepticism means doubting everything because there is a lack of confidence. Tigers represent greed. Were we to tame our lust, then we would have tamed our tiger. Without having subdued lust, we have not subdued the tiger. What do wolves symbolize? Hatred. Wolves are mean, which applies to both wolves and hatred. Lions represent delusion and foolishness. Serpents and vipers represent arrogance. Greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, and doubt are the Five Dull Servants. Those confused people are sure to be harmed very quickly on that dangerous path full of the Five Dull Servants of greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, and doubt. They will be hurt by the Five Dull Servants in an instant in time; thereby they commit offenses that push them into the Three Evil Paths.

 

Sutra:

But then they meet a knowledgeable guide, skilled in avoiding all the potential harm, including the toxins of the yakshas and others. This mentor begins to lead the travelers off that dangerous path, saying, ‘Beware, everyone! What business has brought you onto this road? What kinds of special skills do you have to avoid all those dangers?’

“Hearing that, the confused travelers realize that they are on a dangerous path and turn back, attempting to escape. The kind guide then tells them to join hands takes them by the hand, leads them off the dangerous path, and helps them avoid the deadly peril. When they reach a safe road, the travelers are relieved and calm down. Their guide then says to them, ‘Take care, confused ones, never to get back on that path again. Once on it, it is hard to get off; it can destroy a person’s very nature and life.’

“The travelers who had been lost confused express their deep gratitude, and as they are about to part, the mentor says to them, ‘If you see those dear to you and any other travelers, whether you know them personally or not, be they men or women, tell them that the dangers and evils on that path could destroy their very natures and lives. Do not allow them to unwittingly bring about their own deaths.’

Commentary:

But then they meet a knowledgeable guide, a good teacher. Who is he? He is Earth Store Bodhisattva. He is skilled in lots of magic because of his finely wondrous and inconceivable wisdom through spiritual powers. He is good at avoiding all the potential harm. What kind of harm? All the harms that tigers, wolves, lions, yakshas, and the like can do, including the toxins of the yakshas and others. Yakshas are speedy ghosts who are very evil. This mentor begins to lead the lost travelers off that dangerous path, saying, ‘Beware, everyone! Hey guys! What business has brought you onto this road? Why are you on this dangerous road? What kinds of special skills do you have to avoid all those dangers? Do you have any spiritual powers that can subdue all the tigers, wolves, and lions on this road?’

“Hearing that, the confused travelers are extremely shocked and realize that they are on a dangerous path and turn back, attempting to escape. Only then did they realize that they made a mistake and walked down the wrong road. They want to back up immediately and leave this path of danger. The kind guide, Earth Store Bodhisattva, then tells them to join hands takes them by the hand, leads them off or pulls them off the dangerous path, and helps them avoid the deadly peril. They get to avoid all the dangerous creatures such as tigers, wolves, and lions, yakshas, serpents, and vipers. When they leave the Three Evil Paths and reach a safe road, the travelers are relieved and calm down. Their guide then says to them, the previously lost travelers, ‘Take care, confused ones, lost individuals, never to get back on that path again, the Three Evil Paths. Once on it, it is hard to get off. People who enter the Three Evil Paths do not leave easily. It can destroy a person’s very life. Someone walking on this path of danger will lose his life.’

“The travelers who had been confused lost express their deep gratitude . Having heard such instructions from such a good teacher, Earth Store Bodhisattva, they are very grateful and think, ‘This person is really very good to me.’ And as they are about to part, the mentor says to them, ‘If you see those dear to you and any other travelers , whether you know them personally or not, be they men or women, tell them that the dangers and evils on that path that is the Three Evil Paths could destroy their very natures and lives. Do not allow them to unwittingly bring about their own deaths by walking onto the Three Evil Paths and suffer endlessly.’

 

Sutra:

In the same way, Earth Store Bodhisattva, replete with great compassion, rescues beings who are suffering for their offenses and enables them to be born among humans and gods, where they enjoy wonderful bliss.

“Once those offenders are released from the suffering they experienced on the paths where their karma took them, they must never go down those roads again. They are like the lost people who mistakenly took a dangerous path and were led to safety by a kind mentor. They know now to never take that road again. Moreover, they exhort others not to get on that road by saying, ‘We took that road ourselves when we got confused, but we escaped and now we know better than to ever get on that road again. If we were to set foot on it again, we would get confused and be unable to recognize it as the dangerous path we took before. That being the case, we might lose our lives.’ The same holds true for falling into the bad destinies. Due to the powerful expedient means of Earth Store Bodhisattva, beings can be freed and gain rebirth as humans or gods. If they were then to turn around and enter into the bad destinies again, those with heavy karmic bonds might remain in the hells forever with no chance of escape.”

Commentary:

In the same way, for these reasons, Earth Store Bodhisattva, replete with vast and boundless great kindness that bestows joy and compassion that uproots suffering, like a wise teacher rescues all beings who are suffering for their offenses and enables them to be born among humans and gods, where they leave the suffering of the Three Evil Paths and enjoy wonderful bliss in the human realm or the heavens.

“Once those offenders are released from the suffering they experienced on the Three Evil Paths where all their offense karma took them, they must never go down those roads again. They should never want to fall into the Three Evil Paths.

They are like the lost people mentioned earlier who mistakenly took a dangerous path and were led to safety by a kind and spiritually powerful mentor. They know now to never take that dangerous road again. Moreover, they exhort others not to get on that road to the three evil realms by saying, ‘We mistakenly took that dangerous road ourselves when we got confused, but we escaped, liberated from the path of danger and now we know better than to ever get on that road to the three evil realms again. If we were to set foot on it again, we would get confused, lost and not be able to get out. And we would be unable to recognize it as the dangerous path we took before. That being the case, we might lose our lives.’ The same holds true for falling into the bad destinies. Due to the powerful expedient means and magical powers of wisdom of Earth Store Bodhisattva, beings can be freed and gain rebirth as humans or gods. If they were then to turn around and enter into the bad destinies again, those with heavy karmic bonds from evil acts might remain in the hells forever with no chance of escape, unable to leave suffering and attain bliss.”

 

Sutra:

At that time, the Ghost King Evil Poison placed his palms together respectfully, addressed the Buddha, and said, “World Honored One, each of us countless ghost kings of Jambudvipa bestows benefit or inflicts harm upon beings differently. However, karmic retributions cause those in my retinue to travel the world doing to do more evil than good. Nonetheless, when we pass by a household, a city, a town, a garden, a cottage, or a hut where there are men or women who have cultivated as little as a hair’s worth of good deeds, even if they have hung up but one banner or one canopy, used a little incense or a few flowers as offerings to images of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, recited the sacred Sutras or burned incense as an offering to even one sentence or gatha in them, we ghost kings will respect such people as we would the Buddhas of the past, present, and future. We will instruct the smaller ghosts, each of whom has great power, as well as the earth spirits, to protect such people. Bad situations, accidents, severe or unexpected illnesses, and all other unwelcome events will not even come near their residences or other places where they may be, much less enter the door.”

Commentary:

At that time, the Ghost King Evil Poison, a most vicious and mean ghost king who specializes in dealing with evil and vicious people arrived before the Buddha, which leaves him no longer evil or vicious. He placed his palms together respectfully, addressed the Buddha, and said, “World Honored One, each of us countless ghost kings of southern Jambudvipa bestows benefit or inflicts harm upon beings differently. There are countless ghost kings in one world; not to mention that there are countless worlds, thus rendering the number of ghost kings countless. Each ghost king governs over different things. Some govern over those who hurt people , while some govern over those who plan to benefit people. How come there are ghost kings who hurt people and ghost kings who help people? Those who hurt people subdue bad people; those who benefit others help good people. However, karmic retributions cause those in my retinue to travel the world do ing more evil than good. Why are ghost kings in the occupation they are in? It is because of their past karma. The retinues of us ghosts who go about different parts of the world are mostly evil , ; more are evil and fewer are good.

Although they are more evil than good, nonetheless, when we pass by a household, a big city, a small town or a tiny village, a garden, a cottage, or a hut where there are men or women who have cultivated as little as a hair’s worth of good deeds, even if they have hung up but one banner or one jeweled canopy, used a little incense or a few flowers as offerings to images of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, recited the sacred Sutras such as the Shurangama Sutra, the Dharma Flower Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Vajra Sutra and other Mahayana sutras. Or burned incense as an offering to even one sentence in a sutra or a gatha, i.e., a verse, in them.

We ghost kings , every one of us, will respect such people as we would the Buddhas of the past, present, and future. We will instruct the smaller ghosts, though considered “small”, each of whom has great power, as well as the earth spirits, to protect such people. Bad situations are situations that go against our wishes such as a house caught on fire or some accident without reason, accidents that occur unexpectedly such as plane crashes or train derailments, severe or unexpected illnesses that never quite cures and sudden onset of illness that leads to death in possibly less than an hour, and all other unwelcome, unpleasing, or inauspicious events will not even come near their residences or other places where they may be, much less enter the door. How could these bad situations, accidents, severe illnesses, and sudden onsets of death reach a certain individual’s home? The ghosts are there to protect, ensuring that everything is auspicious. Why is everything auspicious for them? By making offerings to the Triple Jewel, cultivating, and doing goods, adverse events to not reach their houses.”

 

Sutra:

The Buddha praised the ghost king s, “Excellent, excellent, that all of you ghost kings join Lord Yama in protecting good men and women in that way. I shall tell Lord Brahma and Lord Shakra to make sure that you are protected as well.”

When that was said, a ghost king in the assembly named Lord of Life said to the Buddha, “World Honored One, my karmic conditions are such that I have jurisdiction over the life spans of people in Jambudvipa, governing the time of both their births and their deaths. My fundamental vows are based on a great desire to benefit them, but people do not understand my intent and go through birth and death in distress. Why is that?

“When women in Jambudvipa have just given birth to children, be they boys or girls, or when they are just about to give birth, good deeds should be done to increase the benefits of the household, thus causing the local earth spirits to be immeasurably pleased. The spirits will then protect the mother and child so that they experience peace and happiness, and will bring benefit to the entire family. After the birth, all killing and injuring for the purpose of offering fresh meat to the mother should be carefully avoided, as should parties that include drinking alcohol, eating meat, singing, and playing musical instruments. All those things can keep the mother and child from being peaceful and happy.

Commentary:

The Buddha praised the ghost king s Evil Poison, “Excellent, excellent, that all of you ghost kings join Lord Yama in protecting good men and women in that way. I shall tell Great Lord Brahma and Lord Shakra of the Heaven of Thirty-Three to make sure that you are protected as well.”

When that was said by Shakyamuni, another ghost king in the assembly named Lord of Life who controls human lifespans said to the Buddha, “World Honored One, my karmic conditions are such that I have jurisdiction over the life spans of people in Jambudvipa, governing the time of both their births and their deaths. I am in charge of lengths of life. My fundamental vows are based on a great desire to benefit them, but people do not understand my intent and go through birth and death in distress. Why is that?

“When women in southern Jambudvipa have just given birth to children, be they boys or girls, or when they are just about to give birth, good deeds that benefit people should be done to increase the benefits of the household. Doing good deeds brings about an auspicious light, which protects you. Having created good deeds and benefits that help the household; thus, causing the local earth spirits to be immeasurably pleased. The spirits will then protect the mother and child so that they experience peace and happiness, and will bring benefit to the entire family. After the birth, remember not to kill any being! All killing and injuring for the purpose of offering fresh meat, such as chicken, duck, or fish or bring some delicious food to the mother who just gave birth should be carefully avoided, as should parties that include drinking alcohol, eating meat, singing, and playing musical instruments such as violins or flutes. All those things can keep the mother and child from being peaceful and happy.

 

Sutra:

Why is that? At the difficult time of birth, uncountable evil ghosts, including mountain sprites, goblins, and certain spirits, desire to eat the strong-smelling blood. I quickly order the local earth spirits of that household to protect the mother and child, allowing them to be peaceful and happy and to receive other benefits. When people in such households witness those benefits, they should do meritorious deeds to express their gratitude to the earth spirits. If instead, they harm and kill, and have large gatherings involving feasting and entertainment, then the retributions that result from such offenses will be borne by them and will bring harm to the mother and child as well.

“Moreover, when people of Jambudvipa are on the verge of death, I wish to keep them from falling into the Evil Paths, regardless of whether they have done good or evil. But how much is this power of mine to help them increased when they have personally cultivated good roots! When those who do good in Jambudvipa are about to die, hundreds of thousands of ghosts and spirits from the Evil Paths transform themselves and appear as their parents or other relatives in an attempt to lead such people to fall into the Evil Paths. How much more is that the case for those who have done evil deeds!

Commentary:

Why is that? What are the reasons that make the mother and child ill at ease? At the difficult time of birth, uncountable evil ghosts, including many kinds of mountain sprites, water goblins, and certain spirits, desire to eat the strong-smelling blood that is let out during labor. I, ghost king the Lord of Life, quickly give orders to the local earth spirits of that household. Whenever something like this happens, I command those earth spirits living there and take care of the residence and land there to protect the mother and child, allowing them to be peaceful and happy and to receive other benefits. When people in such households, including adults and children witness those benefits, they should do meritorious deeds to express their gratitude to the earth spirits.

If instead of being grateful, they harm and kill living beings, and have large gatherings involving feasting and entertainment, then the retributions that result from such offenses will be borne by them. They must bear the consequences of the offenses that they committed. And they will bring harm to the mother and child as well. Both children and adults will be hurt.

“Moreover, when people of the southern continent of Jambudvipa are on the verge of death, I wish to keep them from falling into the three Evil Paths, regardless of whether they have done good or evil, or whether they are good or evil. But how much is this power of mine to help them increased when they have personally cultivated good roots! I do not need to expend too much effort to protect them because they have cultivated good roots. When those who do good in the southern continent of Jambudvipa are about to die, hundreds of thousands of ghosts and spirits from the Evil Paths transform themselves and appear as their parents or other relatives in an attempt to lead such people to fall into the Evil Paths. Even people who did good deeds will have evil ghosts that come and entice them at the time of their death. Wishing to make them fall into the Evil Paths, they may change into the way your parents, relatives, or friends look. They will come to receive you too, making you fall into the Evil Paths. How much more is that the case for those who have done evil deeds! Even people who did good deeds have evil ghosts come to fool them into falling into the Evil Paths, not to mention people who did evil deeds—evil ghosts are all the more likely to come and entice them into the Evil Paths.

 

Sutra:

“World Honored One, when men or women in Jambudvipa are on the verge of death, their consciousnesses and spirits become confused and dark. They are unable to discriminate between good and evil, and their eyes and ears are unable to see or hear. That is why relatives of those deceased people should make generous offerings, recite the sacred Sutras, and recite the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Such good conditions can cause the deceased to leave the Evil Paths, and all the demons, ghosts, and spirits will withdraw and disperse.

“World Honored One, if at the time of death beings of any kind have an opportunity to hear the name of one Buddha or Bodhisattva or to hear a sentence or gatha of a Mahayana Sutra, I observe that such beings can quickly be freed from the pull of their accumulated minor bad deeds that would otherwise send them to the Evil Paths. The exception to that is crimes involving killing that warrant Fivefold Relentless Retribution.”

The Buddha told the Ghost King Lord of Life, “Because of your great compassion, you are able to make such great vows and protect all beings in the midst of life and death. When men or women in the future undergo birth and death, do not retreat from your vow, but liberate them all so that they can experience eternal peace.”

Commentary:

Ghost King Lord of Life called out, “World Honored One, when men or women in Jambudvipa are on the verge of death, their warmth, breath, and eighth consciousness leave their bodies, rendering an end to their life. Their consciousnesses and spirits become confused and dark. When people are newly dead, their spiritual consciousness, which is their body between skandhas, is unclear and does not yet understand that they just left their body and that they are dead. They are unable to discriminate between good and evil, and their eyes and ears are unable to see or hear. Their ability to see, to smell, to be aware, and to know are all gone. That is why relatives of those deceased people should make generous offerings. Create substantial merit for them by having monastics recite or by personally reciting this sutra. This is why in China, monks are invited to recite sutras for one, two, three, and on up to seven weeks in reciting the sutras. After Elder Master Hsu Yun passed away, the Buddhist Lecture Hall created merit by reciting the Mahaprajna Sutra for more than 160 days. This is unprecedented. No patriarch in their passing, from the time of Shakyamuni Buddha until now, has had such a huge Dharma Assembly where the Mahaprajna Sutra is recited. This is a great offering.

Recite the sacred Sutras such as this, and recite the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Such good conditions for creating merit and doing good deeds can help the deceased and cause the deceased to leave the Evil Paths, and all the demons, ghosts, and spirits will withdraw and disperse. By creating merit for them so that as their virtues become great, resentment against them and disasters on them vanish. With merit and virtue, offenses and problems decrease, hence all the demons and evil spirits withdraw and disperse, running away.

“World Honored One, if at the time of death beings of any kind in the southern continent of Jambudvipa have an opportunity to hear the name of one Buddha or Bodhisattva alone, no need for many, or to hear a sentence or gatha of a Mahayana Sutra, I, the Ghost King Lord of Life, observe that such beings can eliminate the five offenses of killing and harming that warrant being in the Relentless hells and minor bad deeds that warrant being in the evil destinies. They will quickly be freed quickly. from the pull of their accumulated minor bad deeds that would otherwise send them to the Evil Paths. The exception to that is crimes involving killing that warrant Fivefold Relentless Retribution. As long as people of this sort hear or encounter the name of one Buddha or Bodhisattva, or a line or a verse in a Mahayana sutra before or at the time of their death, they can get rid of the five offenses that would warrant them being in the Relentless Hells. They may also get rid of offenses from having killed or harmed others. There was not supposed to be any way to eliminate the offenses of the Five Rebellious Acts, killing and harming. Originally they deserved to fall into the evil destinies from minor offenses, but I will make them become liberated soon so that they do not need to undergo offenses.”

The Buddha told the Ghost King Lord of Life, “Because of your great compassion, you are able to make such great vows and protect all beings in the midst of life and death. When men or women in the future undergo birth and death, do not retreat from your vow, but liberate them all so that they can experience eternal peace.”

 

Sutra:

The Ghost King told the Buddha, “Please do not be concerned. Until the end of my life, in every thought I shall protect beings of Jambudvipa, at the time both of birth and of death, so that they all find tranquility. I only wish that at the time of birth and death they would believe what I say, so that they could all be liberated and gain many benefits.”

At that time the Buddha told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “This great Ghost King Lord of Life has already passed through hundreds of thousands of lives as a great ghost king, protecting beings during both birth and death. Only because of this great being’s compassionate vows does he appear thus in the body of a great ghost king, for in reality he is not a ghost. After one hundred seventy eons have passed, he will become a Buddha named No Appearance Thus Come One. His eon will be called Happiness, and his world will be named Pure Dwelling. That Buddha’s lifespan will continue for incalculable eons. Earth Store, the circumstances surrounding this great Ghost King are thus. They are inconceivable, and the people and gods whom he rescues are countless.”

Commentary:

The Ghost King is very much at ease. It is not bad being a ghost king. He can make anyone he wants live; he can make anyone he wants die. Everyone’s lives are in the hands of this ghost king. If he were greedy, such as an official who accepts bribes, he would certainly receive many because he controls everyone’s length of life. One ghost during the time of Dharma Master Daosheng went to listen to the Dharma Master lecture on the sutras frequently. When Dharma Master Daosheng told the ghost to become reborn as a human beings, he said, “I have been a ghost for 3,000 years, I have no troubles and worries. Lord Sheng tells me to become a human being, I am afraid that I will not reach the end of that life.” The ghost says that he is afraid that before he finishes being a human, he will create offenses, so he might as well be a ghost. See, ghosts think it is not bad being a ghost. There is a Chinese aphorism that says, “Offer the position of an emperor to a beggar who has done so for three years and the beggar will refuse.” The ghost experiences so much freedom. A ghost who has been a ghost for 3,000 years will refuse to be human because he feels that ghosts have no troubles or worries. Lord Sheng, as the ghost calls Dharma Master Daosheng, is an honorific that you (those of you who are going to Taiwan to receive the precepts may use) can use when you encounter senior masters. For instance, you may call Dharma Master Yingshun, Lord Ying. Actually you could use either one of the characters in his name, whichever one rolls off the tongue. There are no rules for using a particular one. For example, you may refer to Dharma Master Daoyuan as Lord Dao or Lord Yuan. However, now that you are going to receive the precepts, he is your Precept Master, so you cannot refer to him as Lord Dao or Lord Yuan. What should you call him? Call him Precept Master. You would be disrespectful if you were to call your Precept Master Lord Yuan or Lord Dao. It is most respectful to call him Precept Master. He is your Precept Master because you received the precepts with him. As for other senior masters? Refer to them using one character in their name and not two.

Also, when you see most monastics, you should put your palms together when you speak. Do not stare at people the way you do. Lower your eyes when you talk to anybody. This is the way to pull in your body and mind. Now that you are going to receive the precepts there, I am going to pass on Buddhist vinaya to you westerns, so pay special attention. If you uphold them well and are good representatives for Westerns, they will say, “Ah, Westerns also observe the rules so well!” If you do not observe the rules when you go over there, “Ah, that does not work. They cannot cultivate.” You lose face for all westerners. Even if there are people willing to leave home in the future, no one will be willing to accept them: “They cannot cultivate! We cannot accept them!” As Bhikshus and Bhikshunis, wherever you go, you must be good role models who keep the rules. Do not go against the rules.

Now that the five of you are leaving for Taiwan, it would be best if you ask for recordings. Since some of you understand Chinese and some of you do not, you may bring a tape recorder and a video recorder so that you may record anything important. You may record any Dharma Master during the precept training. With the five of you together, the ones who understand Chinese will translate for those who do not, every time. When other people are resting, you do not rest. Help yourself by telling those among you who do not understand Chinese what happened during the day. You will be united this way. Do not finish your studies there and end up not knowing anything still. This can be said to be the first time that so many westerners go to receive the precepts; it is unprecedented. Study all the rules and etiquette there as you receive the precepts so that you may return and pass them on to Americans. After you receive the precepts this year, perhaps next year or the year after, we can also transmit the precepts at our place in Minnesota so that America can also have a precept training period with ten monks. It will be even better if we have more than three masters and seven certifiers. You are the essential people for blazing the Buddhist trail in America, so this is a very important trip.

Ghost King Lord of Life told the Buddha, “Please do not be concerned or worried, World Honored One. Until the end of my life as a ghost, in every thought I shall protect beings of Jambudvipa, at the time both of birth and of death, so that they all find tranquility. They will live well and die well, never experiencing anything that goes against their wishes. I only wish that at the time of birth and death they would believe what I say. One vow of mine is for all beings to obey me at the time of birth and death, the way you obey me as my disciples. If you do not listen to your master, then you are not good disciples. So that they could all be liberated and gain many benefits. If they do not listen to the ghost king, then they would not be good beings; the ghost king would not protect them.”

At that time the Buddha told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “This great Ghost King Lord of Life has already passed through hundreds of thousands of lives as a great ghost king, protecting beings during both birth and death. Only because of this great being’s compassionate vows does he appear thus in the body of a great ghost king, for in reality he is not a ghost. He is a real great Bodhisattva. Although he is a ghost king, he is great Bodhisattva who vowed to become a ghost king based on his vows of compassion. He appears in the form of a great ghost king, but he is not actually a ghost. After one hundred seventy eons have passed, he will become a Buddha named No Appearance Thus Come One. No appearance is the true appearance; true appearance is without any appearance. His eon will be called Happiness, and his world will be named Pure Dwelling. We are here in the Saha World during the Worthy Eon, while his eon is the Eon of Happiness and world named Pure Dwelling. That Buddha’s lifespan will continue for incalculable eons. His life is extremely long. Earth Store, you should know that the past and present circumstances surrounding this great Ghost King are thus. They are inconceivable, unimaginable, and unspeakable, and the people and gods whom he rescues are countless.”