The Coming into Being of Worlds

Chapter Four

Sutra:

The Coming into Being of Worlds

Chapter Four

Commentary:

A world is a juncture of time and realm. “Time” refers to the three periods of time--the past, the present, and the future. “Realm” means an area, and it means a delineated area. Because it has a boundary, a demarcation, a differentiation, it is called a delineated area.  

How is there The Coming into Being of Worlds? Worlds have their creation and also their extinction. In general, worlds have a period of formation that lasts twenty small kalpas. They also go through periods of dwelling, of decay, and of extinction; each lasts for twenty small kalpas. Twenty small kalpas make a middle-sized kalpa, and four middle-sized kalpas together make a great kalpa. Each small kalpa is made up of a thousand common kalpas. These thousand kalpas are calculated thus: one increase and one decrease make one kalpa. At the point when the average human life span is eighty-four thousand years long, for every hundred years that pass, the life span is shortened by one year, and the average human height decreases by one inch.

When this decreasing has reached the point that people’s life span is only ten years, then an increase will begin again. During that increase, every one hundred years their height will increase by one inch and their life spans by one year until the life span again reaches eighty-four thousand years. That one increase and one decrease make one common kalpa. A thousand of these kalpas make one small kalpa. Twenty small kalpas make one middle-sized kalpa, and four middle-sized kalpas make one great kalpa. It takes that long for a world to come into being, dwell, decay, and become empty again. This is Chapter Four of the sutra.

I. Pervasive contemplation by means of the Buddha’s power

Sutra:

At that time Universal Worthy Bodhisattva Mahasattva, by means of the Buddhas’ spiritual power, pervasively contemplated the ocean of all worlds, the ocean of all beings, the ocean of all Buddhas, the ocean of all dharma realms, the ocean of all beings’ karma, the ocean of all beings’ roots and desires, the ocean of all Buddhas’ Dharma wheels, the ocean of all three periods of time, the ocean of all Tathagatas’ vow-power, and the ocean of all Tathagatas’ spiritual transformations.  

Commentary:

At that time was when Universal Worthy Bodhisattva Mahasattva was about to speak the fourth chapter, “The Coming into Being of Worlds.” Universal Worthy Bodhisattva is a great Bodhisattva among Bodhisattvas. He takes the Dharma Realm as his body and has accomplished all of the merit, virtue, spiritual penetrations and transformations of all Buddhas. He is exactly the same as the Buddhas in all respects. But he is still very modest, and in everything he says he relies on the great and awesome spiritual power of all Buddhas; and so by means of the Buddhas’ spiritual power he pervasively contemplated the ocean of all worlds. Contemplating everywhere, he investigated, “How do worlds come into being? How do they dwell, decay, and then become extinct?”

He contemplated the ocean of all beings. Universal Worthy Bodhisattva understands how worlds come into existence. What purpose does a world serve? A world is a place where beings can sustain their existence. Beings are not of only one kind, but of so many species that they could never all be counted, and so they are called “the ocean of beings.” Each being has its own causes and conditions, and its own retribution. For that reason, there are many principles concerning the ocean of all beings that one should know.

He contemplated the ocean of all Buddhas. If beings of the worlds develop wisdom through cultivation, they will become Buddhas. Therefore, all Buddhas are made from beings.

Universal Worthy Bodhisattva also contemplated the ocean of all dharma realms. “Realms” doesn’t refer to regions in this world only, but to the infinite worlds of the ten directions, exhausting dharma realms and pervading space. All dharma realms are like a sea, oceanic in extent. What, though, is the Dharma Realm? To put it simply, it’s just a single thought of the mind. By means of a single true, pure thought, beings gain direct entry into the sea of dharma realms.

Within the ocean of all dharma realms, there are boundless beings, and so the Bodhisattva also contemplated the ocean of all beings’ karma. The karma beings create is likened to an ocean. The karma of each kind of being is unique, and each being’s karmic obstructions are different. Good karma enables beings to ascend and bad karma causes them to fall. If they hold the five precepts and practice the ten good deeds, they can be reborn in the heavens.

The Ten Good Deeds

1. not to kill

2. not to steal

3. not to engage in sexual misconduct

One does not commit these three evil deeds involving the body.

4. not to lie

5. not to speak divisively

6. not to speak harshly

7. not to speak loosely

One does not commit these four evil deeds involving the mouth.

8. not to be greedy

9. not to be angry

10. not to be deluded

One does not commit these three evil deeds involving the mind. To refrain from the three evil deeds of the body is to maintain the three good deeds of the body. To refrain from the four evil deeds of the mouth is to maintain the four good deeds of the mouth. To refrain from the three evil deeds of the mind is to maintain the three good deeds of the mind. Maintaining the ten good deeds is requisite for rebirth in the heavens; doing the ten evil deeds will send one to the hells. The ten good deeds are the reverse of the ten evil deeds. Turn the ten evil deeds around and we are practicing the ten good deeds. If the karma that beings create had form and appearance, it would long ago have filled up space to the bursting point! Since it has no form or appearance, however, there is no need to prepare a place to store this boundless, limitless ocean of beings’ karma.

Universal Worthy Bodhisattva contemplated the ocean of all beings’ roots and desires. Among beings there are those who have deep good roots and those who have deep bad roots. People who have deep good roots want to study the Buddhadharma and are filial to their parents, teachers, the Sangha, and the Triple Jewel. Those with deep bad roots are not filial to their parents and do not respect their teachers, the Sangha, or the Triple Jewel.

“Desires” here refers to the five desires, which are the desires for wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. The first is the desire to get rich, the second is the desire for beautiful forms, the third is the desire for a good reputation, the fourth is the desire to eat good food, and the fifth is the desire for sleep. These five kinds of desires are the five roots of the hells. These roots and desires are one kind of obstruction that beings have, but if they are changed into good roots they will be very helpful in their cultivation of the Path. All these roots and desires, these faculties and inclinations, are different.

The Bodhisattva also contemplated the ocean of all Buddhas’ Dharma wheels. Beings have so many desires and so many faults! However, Buddhas have just as many dharma doors with which to teach and transform them. That is what is meant when we say they “turn the great Dharma wheel.” They proclaim 84,000 kinds of dharma doors to counter the 84,000 illnesses that afflict beings.

Universal Worthy Bodhisattva also contemplated the ocean of all the three periods of time. The ocean of worlds spoken of previously includes the worlds of the present time, but now the sutra brings up the worlds of the past, present, and future. There are limitless Buddhas in the past, in the present, and in the future. The past, present, and future together make up the ocean of the three periods of time.

He also contemplated the ocean of all Tathagatas’ vow-power. How is it that all Buddhas realize Buddhahood? It is because they make vows. When they achieve their vows, they become Buddhas.

Universal Worthy Bodhisattva further contemplated the ocean of all Tathagatas’ spiritual transformations. When they become Buddhas, they attain spiritual penetrations and the ability to create transformations according to their intent. These kinds of differentiations are incredibly numerous and beyond reckoning, and so they are called “the ocean of all Tathagatas’ spiritual transformations.”

II. Acknowledgement of questions and promise to speak

Acknowledgement of questions and brief praise

Acknowledgement of ten questions on the seas of worlds, and so forth

Sutra:

Having contemplated thus, he spoke to all the Bodhisattvas in the oceanic assemblies in all bodhimandas, saying, “Disciples of the Buddha! The pure wisdom that all Buddhas, World Honored Ones, have of knowing the formation and destruction of the oceans of all worlds is inconceivable. Their wisdom of knowing the oceans of all beings’ karma is inconceivable. Their wisdom of knowing the oceans of arrangements of all dharma realms is inconceivable. Their wisdom in speaking of the boundless oceans of all Buddhas is inconceivable.

Commentary:

Having contemplated thus, after Universal Worthy Bodhisattva finished contemplating all the previously-described oceans of worlds, he spoke to all the Bodhisattvas in the oceanic assemblies in all bodhimandas, saying, “Disciples of the Buddhas! The pure wisdom that all Buddhas, World Honored Ones, have of knowing the formation and destruction of the oceans of all worlds is inconceivable. All Buddhas, the World Honored Ones, of the ten directions and three periods of time, have the wisdom of knowing how all the worlds come into being and how they are destroyed. This kind of pure and clear wisdom is inconceivable; you can’t use your mind to think of it or words to describe it. All of you Bodhisattvas should further progress in your investigation of the Buddhadharma.

Their wisdom of knowing the oceans of beings’ karma is inconceivable. All Buddhas possess the wisdom of knowing the karma of beings; knowing their causes and conditions and their retributions; knowing the retribution that results from each kind of karma. It is said, “As you sow, so shall you reap.” If you plant melons, you get melons; and if you plant beans, you get beans. Beings reap the retribution corresponding to the karma they create; that is the “oceans of beings’ karma.” All World Honored Ones have this kind of wisdom. They know how confused beings are, how they leave home and then want to return to lay-life; they return to lay-life and then want to leave home. They know beings don’t want to die, but still have to die because that’s part of their karma. Yet beings continue to be confused, pursuing fame and profit every day. Such confused thinking is really inconceivable!

Their wisdom of knowing the oceans of arrangements of all dharma realms is inconceivable. Buddhas also have the wisdom to know how all the dharma realms are successively arranged and come into being.

Their wisdom in speaking of the boundless oceans of all Buddhas is inconceivable. They are also able to speak of each Buddha in the ocean of limitless Buddhas. Such wisdom is also inconceivable. Universal Worthy tells the great assembly about those various kinds of wisdom of a Buddha.

Sutra:

Their wisdom of entering the oceans of all desires, understandings, and roots is inconceivable. Their wisdom of universally knowing in a single thought all the three periods of time is inconceivable. Their wisdom of revealing the oceans of all Tathagatas’ limitless vows is inconceivable. Their wisdom of manifesting the oceans of all Buddhas’ spiritual transformations is inconceivable. Their wisdom of turning the Dharma wheel is inconceivable. Their wisdom of establishing the oceans of promulgation is inconceivable.  

Commentary :

Their, all Buddhas’, World Honored Ones’, wisdom of entering the oceans of all desires, understandings, and roots of beings is inconceivable. “Entering” means fathom ing ; penetrat ing and comprehend ing . They understand all the various kinds of desires, understandings, and dispositions that beings have. Their wisdom of universally knowing in a single thought all the three periods of time is inconceivable. Within a single thought they have the wisdom of knowing all the events of the past, present, and future, and their causes and conditions. Such wisdom is also inconceivable.

Their wisdom of revealing the oceans of all Tathagatas’ limitless vows is inconceivable. They are able to display the oceans of countless vows made by all Tathagatas throughout the ten directions and three periods of time. The innumerable vows made by all Buddhas resemble a great ocean and are inconceivable. Their wisdom of manifesting the oceans of all Buddhas’ spiritual transformations is inconceivable. All Buddhas’ spiritual powers and transformations are also inconceivable. Their wisdom of turning the Dharma wheel is inconceivable. All Buddhas, World Honored Ones, use this inconceivable kind of wisdom to turn the wonderful Dharma wheel. Their wisdom of establishing the oceans of promulgation is inconceivable. In establishing the banner of Dharma, all Buddhas set up bodhimandas everywhere and speak all Buddhadharma, which is also inconceivable.

II. A. 2. Acknowledgement of ten questions on the six sense faculties and three karmas

Sutra:

The purification of their Buddha-body is inconceivable. The pervasive and illuminating brightness of the ocean of their boundless forms and characteristics is inconceivable. The purity of their hallmarks and subtle chara