英語訳
middle, and upper. Following this, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings are listed. Thus the six realms have this order.
Question: Which realm does the asura belong to?
Answer: Sometimes it belongs to the god realm, sometimes to the animal realm, sometimes to the ghost realm, or sometimes to a separate realm. This is because we speak of six realms.
Question: Why do they belong to different places?
Answer: King Vimalacitra Asura is the son of a goddess, so he belongs to the god realm. King Rāhu Asura is the son of a lion, so he belongs to the animal realm. However, asuras are actually of the god realm. They receive pleasure like gods, but lack divine conduct and have much deceit and falsehood, so they are called "non-gods." It is like humans lacking benevolence being called "non-humans." Because those asura bodies cannot attain the fruition of sages, their dwelling place is below the human realm.
Generally Revealing the Gate of Distinctions among the Four Types of Birth
Among the three realms and five destinies, the four types of birth can be obtained, so they are described next. First is egg-birth, second is womb-birth, third is moisture-birth, fourth is transformation-birth. These are called the four births.
Question: What is called egg-birth?
Answer: "Egg" refers to eggshell. Because it leaves the birth passage and breaks the egg to emerge, it is called egg-birth.
Question: What constitutes womb-birth?
Answer: "Womb" refers to the womb chamber. Being wrapped by the embryonic membrane and tearing the womb to emerge, it is called womb-birth.
Question: What constitutes moisture-birth?
Answer: "Moisture" refers to dampness. Being born through receiving moisture, it is called moisture-birth.
Question: What constitutes transformation-birth?
Answer: "Transformation" refers to manifest transformation. Because there is nothing which suddenly becomes something, it is called transformation-birth. The first three births are nominative compound names. The latter birth is an attributive compound name. To clarify the meaning: being born depending on eggs, being born depending on wombs, being born depending on moisture—therefore they are nominative compounds. The latter birth is transformation that is birth itself—therefore it is an attributive compound.
Question: Among all sentient beings in the world, which are egg-born?
Answer: Birds such as geese, swans, peacocks, and śārī are types of egg-birth.
Question: Which are womb-born?
Answer: Elephants, horses, cattle, donkeys, etc. are types of womb-birth.
Question: What are moisture-born?
Answer: Insects, scorpions, moths, flies, etc. are types of moisture-birth.
Question: What constitutes transformation-birth?
Answer: Gods, hell beings, ghosts, etc. are types of transformation-birth.
Question: Among the five realms, which sentient beings partake of four births, three births, or two births?
Answer: Humans partake of four births. Gods are only transformation-birth. Animals partake of three births. Ghosts partake of two births. Hell beings are only transformation-birth.
Question: How do humans partake of four births?
Answer: Long ago there were two people: one named Śaila, the other named Upaśaila. These two people were egg-born. Long ago, south of Rājagṛha city, beside a small mountain, there was a small pond. Two cranes lived there. Someone killed a crane with a bow. Only a female crane remained. Someone went there and violated that female crane. The female crane immediately became pregnant. When the time came, she immediately gave birth to two eggs. When those eggs broke, there were two male children. The first to break was named Śaila, meaning "mountain." The second to break was named Upaśaila, meaning "small mountain." They had great power and strength. They left home to practice the Way and attained arhatship. This is human egg-birth. Present-day humans are all womb-born, as can be clearly known.
Question: What about moisture-born humans?
Answer: King Mūrdhagata is that case. At the end of the formation kalpa, there was a king named King Supratiṣṭhita. A sore grew on his head. That sore gradually became hot and finally broke, releasing pus. In the pus there suddenly appeared a handsome child. King Supratiṣṭhita was delighted and immediately took and raised him. His karmic result was handsome, intelligent, and wise. The father king loved him extremely. After the father's death, he inherited the great royal position. He immediately climbed a high tower and burned priceless incense. Holding a jeweled incense burner, facing east, he made a vow: "If I have the portion of a wheel-turning king, may the wheel treasure come and respond." At that time, from the eastern sky, a golden wheel came in response. He received it with his left hand and polished it with his right. From then on, the seven treasures all responded completely, and he became a golden wheel-turning king, ruling the four great continents. Because of developing malicious rebellious thoughts toward Indra, he immediately perished. This is human moisture-birth. Humans at the beginning of the kalpa were all solely transformation-birth. Therefore humans partake of four births.
Question: Why do animals partake of three births?
Answer: Birds are egg-born, horses etc. are womb-born, insects etc. are moisture-born. Therefore they partake of three births. This is speaking generally.
Question: Why do ghost spirits partake of two births?
Answer: Hārītī and others give birth to many children—this is womb-birth. Or many are solely transformation-birth.
Question: Why is transformation-birth "nothing suddenly becoming something"?
Answer: Because karma is swift.
Question: Do all these five realms and four births have intermediate existence?
Answer: Some do, some don't. Not all necessarily have it. Extremely swift evil karma producing a body that enters hell has no intermediate existence. Or being born from the desire and form realms into the formless realm has no intermediate existence. Being born from the formless realm into the desire and form realms necessarily has intermediate existence.
Question: Why does intermediate existence last only seven days?
Answer: Intermediate existence is a means toward birth and has no separate karmic action. If born on jiǎ-yǐ days, the intermediate existence dies on gēng-xīn days. If born on gēng-xīn days, it dies on bǐng-dīng days. Therefore it is only seven days, not six or eight days.
Question: Why is this so?
Answer: Jiǎ-yǐ represents wood. Gēng-xīn represents metal. Metal is the controlling ghost of wood. Therefore those born on jiǎ-yǐ die when reaching gēng-xīn. Bǐng-dīng is the ghost of gēng-xīn. Therefore those born on gēng-xīn die when reaching bǐng-dīng. All others follow this pattern. Thus jiǎ-yǐ and gēng-xīn mutually overcome each other, bǐng-dīng and rén-guǐ mutually overcome each other, wù-jǐ and jiǎ-yǐ mutually overcome each other, gēng-xīn and bǐng-dīng mutually overcome each other, rén-guǐ and wù-jǐ mutually overcome each other. Due to such circumstances, the lifespan of intermediate existence is only seven days.
Question: Birth-existence and main existence are not like this. Why must intermediate existence necessarily be like this?
Answer: Because it lacks its own karma and is a means toward birth-existence.
Gate of Briefly Revealing Good and Evil Cause and Effect
Good refers to the ten virtues; evil refers to the ten non-virtues. Each has different cause-and-effect distinctions. When the Buddha had not appeared in the world, there were no Three Refuges. Only wise people sought the bodhi path and cultivated the ten virtuous dharmas. Regarding these ten virtuous dharmas, except for the Buddha, no one can distinguish and explain them. The teachings of past Buddhas have circulated down to the present. Wise ones receive and practice them without any loss. Having been close to ancient Buddhas, they practiced these ten virtues. Otherwise they would not be capable. Therefore, when the Tathāgata first achieved enlightenment, he immediately taught this dharma.
Question: What constitutes the ten virtues?
Answer: Permanently abandoning killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct (these are the three virtues of body). Permanently abandoning false speech, harsh speech, divisive speech, and frivolous speech (these are the four virtues of speech). Permanently abandoning miserliness, hatred, and wrong views (these are the three virtues of mind). These constitute the ten virtues.
Question: Why...