What Is Here And Hereafter!

Mindfulness Of Breathing
 
Anapana-sati in Pali language means mindfulness of breathing is one aspect of contemplation of the body which is the first of the four application of mindfulness.

The Buddha considered the application of mindfulness to be one way to lead to the purification of beings and the solution of all problems; it is the approach to the knowledge of the Noble Eightfold Path and effects the realization of deliverance.

The first of these four applications of mindfulness has as object the body either within oneself or externally. Thus, while contemplating the body from within, one becomes aware of one’s breathing. One is aware of breathing in, and aware of breathing out. With intensified attention one becomes aware of slight nuances breathing: when breathing in, and likewise exhaling become longer or deeper, shorter or more subtle, it is noticed as such.

In the Buddhist practice, there is no retention of breath or any other interference with it. There is just a quiet bare observation of its natural flow, with a firm and steady, but easy and buoyant attention, i.e., without strain or rigidity. The length or shortness of breathing is noticed, but not deliberately regulated.

It is in bare attention, in watchfulness, in awareness, without the introduction of any type of regulation that lies the greatest value of this application of mindfulness. For, in this passive watchfulness without anticipation or exertion, without intention or eagerness of reaching a set purpose, “a calming, equalizing and deepening of the breath will result quite naturally; and the tranquillization and deepening of the breath rhythm will lead to a tranquillization and deepening of the entire life rhythm.”

The Buddha himself recommended this application of mindfulness of breathing as follows: “If cultivated and developed it is peaceful, excellent and unique, a delighted way of living. It conquers all evil and unwholesome mental states that have risen in the mind and makes them vanish in a moment, as a shower of rain lays down all dust.”

Mindfulness of breathing, however, in more than just tranquillization of emotions; it is a quieting down of all bodily activities, which is the entrance to the states of mental absorption. Or, if one chooses, this mindfulness may lead on to the path of insight, seeing the body as a process of origination and dissolution, realizing that there is just a body, passing on without grasping. It is in such realization of no-self that deliverance is attained through mindfulness of breathing.

The method of development is explained in five stages: learning the meditation subject, questioning about the same, establishing the subject, absorption therein and ascertaining the individual characteristic of such meditation subjects.

The counting of breaths is advised as a device to settle mindfulness and to cut off the external distraction of reasoning. One should count the breaths one by one at the completion of each breath, not making a series less than five or more than ten. Counting up to less than five necessitations a too frequent repetition of the beginning of the series, and that would not allow the settling of mindfulness; counting in series of more that ten might results in attention being diverted to number rather than to breaths. A breath is considered completed when the outgoing air strikes the nostrils. This counting, however, has no connection with the tempo of breathing and it is not intended to regulate the inhalation and exhalation. It is merely a help to unify the mind and keep it in the same direction, ‘just as a boat is steadied with the help of a rudder,’ which itself does not contribute to progress and speed. It must not be forgotten, however, that counting is mere device to settle the mind and, therefore, as soon as the distractions of reasoning have ceased and mindfulness is settling itself, the counting should be dispensed with.

The next advice is that concerning the connection and the uninterrupted following of the process of breathing with mindfulness, after the counting has been given up. The attention given to breathing is at the point of contact, whereby each breath as it were is fixed in mindfulness, just as a sawyer of wood pays attention to the point where the teeth of the saw cut into the wood, without giving attention of those teeth when they approach or recede.

Once such attention of mindfulness is established, it is sometimes not long before the sign arises. It is the acquired sign, a mental image which appears as if even with the eye and which varies with the different subjects of meditation. From this stage on, attention should be fixed on this image; and it is this fixation which marks the entrance of the mental process into absorption.

The sign or mental image in this particular type of meditation has naturally no direct resemblance to the material object. And thus the mental image rather conveys the impression of a light touch of cotton or silk or a gentle breeze. In others it creates the impression of a star, a cluster of pearls; or again of a wreath of flowers, a puff of smoke, a film of cloud, etc. They all are poetic attempts to translate a mental impression of gentle peacefulness according to individual perception. Hence this sign is called the counter image or the mental reflex. As soon as this images arises, the stage of neighborhood concentration is reached which is the access to the stages of mental absorption. It is at this point that a decision has to be made either to proceed towards absorption of mind which is meditation of tranquility or to turn towards meditation of insight into the real nature of all phenomena, which alone can lead to complete deliverance.

With the appearance of the mental reflex the hindrance towards perfection are arrested the mental defilements suppressed, but only for so long as mindfulness remains established and the thought-process remains composed. The hindrances and the defilements can be completely overcome and removed only through insight into the nature of all materiality which includes breathing and mentality, as being impermanent, the cause of conflict and without abiding entity. Only in the realization of these three characteristics can the path of sainthood be entered and completed.

Of the four applications of mindfulness which include mindfulness on breathing the Buddha said “whoever should develop these for seven days for him may be expected one of two points, either insight knowledge in this life itself, or the state of non-return to this existence.”

It is, moreover, the one kind of concentration, the culture of which brings all four methods of mindfulness to completion. And as these four in their turn bring the seven factors of enlightenment to perfection, leading to comprehensive insight and deliverance, it is, therefore, rightly that the Buddha spoke of this method of mindfulness of breathing as the ariyan way of life, the divine way of life, the Tathagata’s way of life, for he himself generally spent the three months of the rainy season in the intent concentration on in-breathing and out-breathing.

Ananda

Ananda, the chief personal attendant of the Buddha, was a first cousin of the Buddha, and a son of the Sakyan Amitodana, one of the brothers of his father Suddhodana.

“Born in the Tusita heaven along with the bodhisatta, he passed away from there, and was reborn in the house of the Sakyan Amitodana. He was born on the day of the Buddha’s enlightenment in the city of Kapilavastu .”

The soothsayers had predicted that Ananda would be the chief attendant of the Buddha. Hence, in order to prevent him from meeting the Buddha, his father took him to Vaisali when the Buddha visited Kapilavastu and brought him back only after the Buddha’s departure from there. Nevertheless, the Buddha who knew his cousin’s future came back to his house and converted him. Later Amitodana gave him permission to renounce the world.
 

For twenty years after the enlightenment, the Buddha had no permanent attendant. At the age of fifty-five, he made known to his disciples his wish to have a permanent attendant. All the chief disciples, except Ananda, offered to serve him, but were rejected on one account or another. Ananda sat in silence and when requested by his colleages to come forward as the Buddha’s attendant he refused on the ground that the Buddha himself would select him if the Buddha thought him fit.

Ananda at first refused to offer his services, when requested by Sariputta and Maudgalyayana on the ground that it was difficult to serve a Buddha. Later, he accepted the post on three conditions viz…(1) he should not be asked to partake of the Buddha’s food or use his robes, (2) he should not be asked to accompany the Buddha, when he visited laymen’s houses, (3) he might at any time see and pay his respects to the Buddha. The Buddha accepted these conditions and from that day until his death at Kusinara he had the service of a faithful attendant, devoted alike to his Master and to his duty.

From the time the Buddha announced his fast approaching death, Ananda followed him, imploring him to live longer, trying to find out the Buddha’s view on many an issue or questioning him concerning the future of the Sangha. As the Buddha lay dying in the sala grove of the Mallas, it is really touching to read how this most devoted disciple, unable to bear up any more, burst into tears. To console him the Buddha had to remind him of his often repeated doctrine of the impermanency of all component things.

Ananda’s service to the Dhamma was as great as that to the Buddha. Although not an arahant during the lifetime of the Buddha he was already well known for his wisdom which even the Buddha acknowledged. His close association with the Buddha and the Buddha’s promise to repeat to him any discourse delivered in his absence made it possible for him to be an expert in the teachings of the Buddha. Often he discussed very important topics with the Buddha. Ananda had discussions on the Dhamma with other prominent disciples of the Buddha and at times they turned out to be very interesting and illuminating. His knowledge of the Dhamma was so highly respected that the Buddha is once reported to have said that one who wants to honor the Dhamma should honor Ananda.

Ananda lived up to the ripe age of a hundred and twenty years. His great age had even become proverbial.

All the achievements of Ananda, according to the Buddha, were not the work of one birth. It was the final outcome of the work of numerous past births.

It was 100,000 aeons ago, in the dispensation of Buddha Padumuttara that he made his first resolve to be the personal attendant of a Buddha. At the time, Ananda was a prince named Sumana, a step-brother of Buddha Padumuttara himself. One day he saw the Buddha’s chief attendant, the disciple most dear to the Buddha, and a desire arose in him to be one like him. With the greatest difficulty he obtained his father’s permission to entertain the Buddha for seven days. Then he went to the dwelling place and built a monastery in the park named Sobhana, bought from a householder of the same name. He also built a number of other monasteries along the road from the capital to his palace and offered all these to the Buddha. He observed the ten precepts during three rainy seasons and also offered alms to the Buddha and his disciples. At the end of all these acts he made known his resolution to be chief attendant of a Buddha. Buddha Padumuttara prophesied the fulfillment of his desire.

In the time of Buddha Kassapa he presented a bowl-rest to a monk going on his alm-round. In another birth as the king of Baranasi he made eight cells for eight paccekabuddhas in his royal park and attended upon them for ten thousand years. In these he helped the boddhisatta to fulfill his ten perfections, while he himself accumulated much good kamma. While roaming in the endless sea of births and deaths as an ordinary being still not immune from evil thoughts, he was guilty of evil deeds as well. One such instance is recorded when as a blacksmith he committed adultery and suffered for a long time in purgatory.

Arahantship is only a stage on the path to complete deliverance. It is only by becoming a supreme Buddha that one ends life in samara. Hence, Ananda, too, will have to go on till he attains supreme Buddhahood. Ananda himself requested the Buddha to predict his future destiny to supreme enlightenment. The Buddha is then said to have predicted that after having respected and honoured sixty-two kotis of supreme Buddhas, kept in memory their doctrines and received their messages, he will become a Tathagata by the name Sagara-vara-dhara-buddhi-vikridistabhijna. His Buddha-field will be prosperous and it will be of lapis lazuli. His world system will be named Anavanamita-vaijayanti and the aeon will be named Manojna-sabdabbigarjita. This Buddha will bring to enlightenment twenty times hundred thousand myriads of kotis of bodhisattvas, comparable to the sands of twenty rivers of the size of the Ganges . His life-span will be incalculable in aeons. After his parinirvana his dharma will last twice as long as his life-span and twice as long as his teaching will the counterfeit of his dharma stand.

 

Anagarika in Pali language means one who has walked forth from home to the state of homelessness in order to put an end to the mass of suffering and thereby put an end to reiterated existence.

Life is commonly conceived as being full of suffering by most Indian religious men and an end of life is most desired by all of them. But death is not regarded as the end of life, for reiterated existence takes place so long as the force that brings about rebirth is present. This process in which life and death play their role is the ‘faring on’ (samara). Once this force is stopped, the mass of suffering present in life and death ceases to be.

Great diversity of opinion exists regarding the means of ending this suffering and the state achieved by doing so, because of the various interpretation given regarding the nature of man and the world.

It was considered an honorable thing to enlist oneself for the pursuit of this ideal of being an anagarika. Such a life is called a noble living. Young men from respectable families left the household and enlisted as anagarikas under some reputed religious teacher and followed his teachings. They are described as living with a following, being leaders of groups, and respected by the people.

Siddhattha Gotama, himself, left the homelife in order to find a solution to the riddle of life, and went to several of these teachers who had a wide reputation for spiritual achievements. The first was Ajara Kalama and the next Uddaka Ramaputta. Disappointed with both of them, he joined five other anagarikas who were striving to attain emancipation by means of rigorous, ascetic practices. Later he forsook them, too, and attained supreme enlightenment by following the middle path between self-mortification and self-indulgence.

Each group of these homeless recluses had their own separate teaching and code of discipline. They sometimes criticized the teachings of other groups and disputed in open assemblies, but sometimes they called on one another in their dwelling places and had friendly discussions. Generally speaking, there was rivalry among these groups.

As these groups depended on the generosity of the public for their sustenance, each group took special care to organize its activities in such a way as to attract the public more and more. Sometimes the growing popularity of one group was observed by another group with a sense of jealousy.

A group, enraged by the growing popularity of the Buddhist monks, schemed to discredit them by means of a subtle plan. They employed a beautiful young paribbajika named Sundari, and persuaded her to pretend that she frequented the arama of the Buddhist monks, and give the impression to the public that she spent the nights with the samanas. Later, the paribbajakas hired some men to kill her and hid the body near the monks’ dwelling place. A few days later the body was recovered and the rumour spread far that the samanas were up to mischief with the woman and that they were guilty of the murder. People started insulting and censuring the Buddhist monks including the Buddha himself. But subsequently the plot was revealed as the criminals began to quarrel among themselves

Heaven

At death, the spirit will then be free from the bodily form and escape to be reborn into one of the six realms of existence. Heaven is one of the six realms of existence. It is the realms of the gods.

Devaloka: In the Pali language, deva means ‘god’ and loka means ‘world’. So devaloka means heavenly worlds or literally ‘worlds or realms of the gods.

In Buddhism, devaloka are referred to as possible planes of existence in which beings of the human world would be reborn after death as a reward for the good deeds done or the virtuous lives led by them.

There are twenty six deva worlds of existence namely:

1. Catummaharajika
2. Tavatimsa
3. Yama
4. Tusita
5. Nimmanarati
6. Paranimmitavasavatti
7. Brahmakayika
8. Abha
9. Parittabha
10. Appamanabha
11. Abhassara
12. Subha
13. Parittasubha
14. Appamanasubha
15. Subhakinna
16. Vehapphala
17. Aviha
18. Atappa
19. Sudassa
20. Sudassi
21. Akanittha
22. Akasanancayatana
23. Vinnanancayatana
24. Akincannayatana
25. Nevasannasannayatana
26. Asannabhava

The Buddha was from Tusita when he was a bodhisattva.

 

To the Cave of Xintou Shan ( Heart Mountain )

8^th Moon 16^th Day (9^th September 1976)

Jigong took a medium of Sheng Xian Tang named Yang Sheng to visit the Cave of Xintou Shan .

Jigong: Because of your good and charitable works in Sheng Xian Tang, the Jade

           Emperor in Heaven, Yu Huang has chosen you to tour Hell so that when you

           return to Earth you can write a book on what you have seen, for distribution to

           human beings so that they can do good deeds.

Sheng: I understand that souls of the dead visiting Hell ride on heavenly horses or

           sit on platforms of lotus flowers.

Jigong: Yang Sheng, you are very naïve. The road to Hell is not so pleasant and easy

           as you imagine. There is no gateway to Hell and so the souls will have to

           encounter and overcome many obstacles and hardships before they can

           reach there.

Sheng: I see a high mountain and at the side are three shining golden letters:

           “Xintou Shan”.

Jigong: If you climb up to the top you will reach the gate of Tian Tang. However, you

           can also see that on the side of this mountain there is a cave which is very

           dark and it is bottomless. This is the Cave of Hell , Diyu Dong. In the olden

           days, the Saints said that the heart controls a person, i.e. your heart can tell

           you to do good or to do evil. If one does good, the soul will go to Heaven, but

           if one does evil the soul will surely be sent to Hell. It all depends upon

           yourself to do good or to do evil.

 

Yu Huang Da Tian Zhun has instructed that this Directive is about to be issued. He has commanded the God of City to travel 5 miles to wait, and the God of Luck to travel 10 miles also to wait for his arrival. All of you must line up quietly to wait for his arrival.

Jin Que Nei Xiang descends from Heaven.

• “Tonight I will read the Directive to all of you. All Saints and human beings must pay respect.”

Yu Huang Da Tian Zhun’s Directive states:

• “I, in Heaven, have the intention of helping and saving human beings; and from my place in Heaven, looking towards Earth, the space appears to be filled with yellow dust.

• The moral obligations of human beings have been lost or thrown away – males do not possess the sense of loyalty and filial piety, while females have lost integrity, chastity and purity. All seem to think and say that there are no Buddhas and Saints. They do not believe in the existence of spirits and devils.

• That is why, nowadays, the morals of society have eroded; so human sympathy and justice have been ruined. Looking at the prevailing decadence of humanity, I am greatly distressed, and seeing that the souls of most of the dead have been sent to Hades to undergo more sufferings, I am most eager to give whatever assistance I can to save human beings.

• My investigations reveal that the organization, Sheng Xian Tang is very active in trying to save human beings. It devotes a great deal of effort and time for deities as well as its members in an effort to be of service to human beings. This organization has published a magazine known as “Sheng Xian Zazhi” which has helped many readers’ hearts to follow the correct path. Its planchettd writing sessions have progressed immensely. All these actions and intentions have helped very much in the furtherance of the sacred doctrine which have now gained great brilliance.

• That is why I have chosen to give the Edict to Sheng Xian Tang to write the book entitled ‘Diyu Youji’ by commissioning Jigong to guide Yang Sheng to tour the Ten Tribunals of Hades in order to observe and gather the happenings there so as to disclose to human beings, through the Book so that they can realize the extent of punishment and sufferings of sinful souls in Hades. These should make those living, to endeavor to lead a better and meaningful life.

• This Book will be a most unusual kind of book; and believing that Sheng Xian Tang and its members are very sincere in their attempt towards human salvation, I have chosen them for this assignment to try and save humanity.

• I have already directed the Heads of the Ten Tribunals that when Jigong and Yang Sheng come to their respective Tribunals, the gates must be opened for them and they should be given every facility and assistance. Should any Tribunal disobey or refuse to co-operate, I will not hesitate to punish, much less to forgive the offending Tribunal.

• The moment I issue this Edict, your planchette sessions will commence and will stop only when all material for the Book has been gathered from Hades. All of you have worked hard for Heaven, and after the Book has been completed, published, distributed and circulated, I will assess the results and then dish out the awards and rewards. All of you must follow my instructions and must in no way deviate from them.

Dated: 15^th Day of 8^th Moon (8^th September 1976)

 

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Introduction Last week I visited my regular Thai Buddhist temple and found this 345-pages book titled “Journey To The Underworld” for free distribution. The original version was in the Chinese language and now translated into the English language to enable English-educated people, especially of Chinese origin, to understand what happens to one’s soul (spirit) after death. This book was translated by Li Dezhong in 1982 and completed in 1985. Chen Yingde, lecturer at the Chinese Studies Department, University Of Malaya , Kuala Lumpur , edited the English translation twice. Finally, this book was printed in February 1987. This book, in Chinese ‘Diyu Youji’ was the result of the deity Jigong bringing the soul of Yang Sheng, a leading planchette handler of Sheng Xian Tang, Taiwan , to visit Hades on instructions of the Jade Emperor (Yu Huang Da Tian Zhun). The Jade Edict was issued on the 15th day in 8th moon (8th September, 1976) with the express intention of helping and saving human beings. The visits were completed in 62 journeys, the first being made on the 16th day of the 8th moon (9th September, 1976) and the last on the 26th of the 8th moon (30th July, 1978). The details and conversations of each journey were written in Chinese characters on the planchette board during each planchette session held in Sheng Xian Tang – the words were read aloud and recorded on paper for compilation – a very tedious and time-consuming process. The visits were generally made at night time. I will summarize and post all the 62 journeys here.   导言 上周我访问了我经常泰国的佛教寺庙，并发现这345页书题为“行程，向黑社会” ，免费派发给。 原始版本是在中文和现在翻译成英语语言，使英语教育人民，特别是中国血统，以了解发生什么事，以一个人的灵魂（精神）后死亡。 这本书被翻译李德忠在1982年和1985年完成。陈英德，讲师在中国的研究部门，马来亚大学，吉隆坡，编辑，英文翻译的两倍。最后，这本书是印在1987年2月。 这本书，在中国’ diyu youji ‘的结果，神鸡公带来的灵魂，杨胜，领导planchette处理的生先唐，台湾，访问对哈迪斯的指示，玉帝（玉黄达田谆） 。该玉器的法令发出了第15天在第八月球（1976年9月8日）与表达的意图，帮助和挽救人类。 访问的完成，在62个行程，首先是取得了第16天的第八月球（1976年9月9日）和最后于26日的第八月球（1978年7月30日） 。 详情及会话的每个旅程写在中文字符就planchette董事会在每个planchette日举行的会议在西安圣唐-的话，朗读，并记录在纸上，以便汇编-一个非常繁琐和费时的过程。访问的，一般在晚上的时间。 我将总结和邮政的所有62个行程，在这里。

Agantuka, a banker of Savatthi who gained great wealth as a result of an offering of alms he made to a paccekabuddha in a previous birth. However, he made no use of his wealth whatsoever, as he had repented of his offering afterwards.

It is said that Agantuka, in spite of his riches, neither spent on himself nor on others, lived very frugally and went about in a broken-down old chariot, refusing any form of luxury. After death he was born in Roruva Niraya. He died without an heir and the king’s men took seven days and seven nights to remove his wealth to the palace.

On being questioned by king Pasenadi as to the cause of the miser’s wealth and his inability to enjoy it, the Buddha narrated his previous birth. Agantuka had then been born a merchant in Baranasi. On his way to the king’s court he saw the paccekabuddha Tagarasikhi begging for alms and he ordered his own meal to be offered to him. But, on his way back, seeing the choice food that was his meal in the paccekabuddha’s alms bowl, he regretted that he had not distributed it among his servants who would have done some hard work in return. The Buddha explained that as a result of his offering to the paccekabuddha, Agantuka gained much wealth, but, because he could not make his after thought pure, he was unable to enjoy it. The Buddha added that for a perfect gift, the three thoughts – before giving, while giving and after giving – should be pure.

Added for the reason why Agantuka had no son, the Buddha traced the cause to another previous birth. Agantuka had been born as younger brother to the buddhisatta in a merchant’s family. The boddhisatta led a charitable life and, seeing the futility of worldly pleasures, went to the Himalayas to lead the life of an ascetic, leaving everything including his wife and young son, to his younger brother. The latter, overcome with greed for his brother’s wealth, drowned the son in the river one day, so that he could become the sole heir. By reason of this misdeed, Agantuka had no son or daughter in way of the subsequent birth up to that time.