Purple Lotus Publisher > Journal > Volumn NO. 12

Do Hells Exist?

A Discourse by His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng at Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Redmond on October 16th, 1999

Translated by Janny Chow from the transcript published in issue 245 of True Buddha News, October 28th, 1999

Masters, fa-shi's, and fellow cultivators, good evening. [audience applause]

This evening, we heard both Master Lian-miao and Lian-ch'ing Fashi talk about their experiences. Master Lian-miao talked about her last Dharma trip, and Lian-ch'ing Fashi talked about how one should do practice when things are not going one's way.

Master Lian-miao said she was very emotional when she went to visit the hospitals for the disabled, and saw the residents with various physical and mental disabilities. The residents were, of course, aware of the visitors, but were they also aware of the altruism or loving care coming from the visitors? Actually, sometimes they might not know.

Lian-ch'ing Fashi talked about how a practitioner can transform situations that go against one's wishes into positive experiences. He also said that negative situations are karmic hindrances that one must eradicate through cultivation. What kind of cultivation? He enumerated the following methods: lower one's desires, take refuge, repent, pay homage, make offerings, and chant mantras and Buddha epithets.

Based on my knowledge, people with physical or mental disabilities have, in previous lives, sometimes been heads of states, generals, or judges. You must find this statement strange, but think it over.

Other groups of people will frequently turn up in later lives with physical or mental disabilites: hoodlums, murderers, and butchers. There is a Taiwanese saying, "One life of being a government official results in nine lives of being an ox." When you think this over, you will understand.

In reality, what are hospitals for the physically and mentally disabled? They are "hells." Many people have claimed that the hells described in Buddhist sutras and by Taoists and Christians are just figments of imagination to instill fear in people. This is not to scare you --- one doesn't even have to go to the realm of the dead to find hells; there are plenty of them here in the living world.

Hospitals for the disabled are housing units of hell, as are many other hospitals. Take a look at the activities going on there: gouging out of eyes, opening up of brains, cutting up of hearts, skinning, and there are broken limbs, transplanting of kidneys, and the pulling of teeth. Aren't hospitals "hells" in that sense? The physicians are officers in charge of the execution of punishment. In an obscure way, that is what they are doing. To open one more hospital is to have one more hell. Who goes there? Anyone who has committed karmic transgressions. Do not think that generals or judges don't have to go; one erroneous decision or order will result in a karmic transgression.

Do hells exist after all? To some people, they do; to others, they don't. Let me illustrate this by asking Master Lian-ning, "Do you have a wife?" He will reply, "I am a monk, and I don't have a wife." I can ask Master Lian-hsin the same question, and he will reply, "I have a wife because I had been married before I became a monk."

Do hells exist then? To some people, hells don't exist because they do not have hell realm karmic hindrances. Like having a wife, both Master Lian-ning and Master Lian-hsin are monks, but one has a wife and one doesn't. By the same token, we are all human beings, but hells exist for some but not for others.

After last falls earthquake struck Taiwan, Master Lian-miao telephoned us to report that they were safe. She called just in time, as I was getting ready to do a bardo deliverance, so we took their names off the bardo list. [audience laughter] She returned safely to tell us about the situation over there. She had to walk in the dark from the thirteenth floor of the San De Hotel down to the first floor, and had broken her high heels along the way. Today Master Lian-chieh also called from Los Angeles to tell us that he was safe. He said there was also an earthquake in the Los Angeles area and he was awakened by it in the middle of the night. He called to say that he was fine. Actually, whether he was fine or not, I do not care. [audience laughter]

Since Seattle is also situated above a fault, we dare not say that Seattle won't have any earthquakes. Our future depends on Master De-hui and Master Lian-ning; they have great merits and I hope while they are occupying the posts of the chairman of the board of the temple and secretary of the True Buddha Foundation, they will be able to suppress the tremors here. I am retired, so disasters don't have anything to do with me anymore. They are now Master Lian-ning and Master De-hui's problems.

The most important goal in doing cultivation is to arrive at a state of pure awareness. All hindrances are created by karma, and only by abiding in pure awareness can one avoid creating karma. Buddhism has many ways to help us purify our thoughts. Tantrayana urges one to constantly be mindful of one's Three Roots (Root Guru, Root Personal Deity, and Root Dharma Protector). When one focuses one's mind on them, one's thoughts are pure. Dwell constantly on refuge-taking and chant the Refuge Mantra of "Namo Guru-bei, Namo Buddha-ye, Namo Dharma-ye, Namo Sangha-ye." Think of this refuge all the time. It is easy for one to take the vows one day and forget them the next. Dwelling constantly on the Three Roots will purify one's mind.

One also has to repent all the time. Why? Do not think that you are not making any transgressions now. What about all the karmic transgressions committed in your many past lives? Therefore, we must repent often. Constant repentance can wash away some karmic hindrances created in the past and also remind one not to repeat the same mistakes.

Also, one has to often pay homage to all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and deities. Do visualization while paying homage, so that both one's mind and body will be in a pure state. One also has to often make offerings to the Three Roots, deities, root guru, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Prostrations, offerings, praying, mantra and epithet chanting are ways to keep the body and speech pure.

There is also meditation to help us to know the wisdom and Buddha-nature of the Tathagatas. Using various methods, one can enter into the deepest state of cultivation and realize what is the wisdom of the Tathagatas and what is Buddha-nature. At this moment, you will be liberated from life and death. What is life? What is death? You will achieve that understanding and will also have mastery over life and death. You will not be subjected to transmigrations within the six realms. You can avoid the three lower realms including the realm, including the realm of hells and eradicate all karmic hindrances. Only through cultivation can one achieve mastery over life and death and eradicate all karmic hindrances and afflictions.

Shakyamuni Buddha taught us that, to uproot the karmic hindrances, we have to sever all emotional afflictions, world attachments, lust, wrath, and ignorance. When these are eradicated, one will attain True Purity, Being, Liberation, and Transcendence over life and death. One will launch into the state of Unborn and Undying and Eternal Freedom. This is the true meaning of human existence.

Om Mani Padme Hum.