Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Slandering the Dharma Leads to Unremitting Suffering (謗法墮無間)
Date:November.18. 2015
“Avici means unremitting; this refers to extreme suffering. Because sentient beings, in the past, created negative causes of the [five] offenses, they experience the effect of being in hell, falling into extreme negative retributions. We should have deep faith in the law of karma. Our circumstantial and direct retributions depend upon our karma.”
We have often mentioned Avici Hell. What does “Avici” mean? It means “unremitting,” without any interruption. It can also refer to a space that is filled completely, densely and without any gap, filled with suffering and hardship. So, it is called “unremitting”. Over such a long period of time, in such a large space, the suffering experienced is extreme suffering. What is the cause of such [extreme] suffering? It is due to the negative karmic causes that people accumulate during past lives. Because of this, their collective karma leads them to experience the effect of being in hell. All the beings in hell share collective karma, so they suffer in that place. In that space, at the same time and in the same place, they experience suffering. So, the Buddha came to the world for the purpose of helping us clearly understand the karmic law of cause and effect.
Living in the same world, [He explained] how we can turn this space into a pure land or how we can create collective karma to [turn this space] into hell. This all depends on a single thought! If the world could be peaceful, and people could live together happily, wouldn’t this be a pure land filled with joy? If there is discord between people, if they feel a mutual sense of aversion or if they harbor negative thoughts and so on, these kinds of mindsets will give rise to a space filled with unhappiness and extreme suffering. Such a hell created by people’s minds is truly extreme suffering.
Outside of these mental hells, in the actual world around us, some people say, “We do not see hell. Where is this suffering?” Actually, in this world, one can see hells that are filled with tremendous suffering. In the Africa nation of Sudan, there is truly extreme suffering.
For a long time, it has experienced a [civil] war. Moreover, people there are very impoverished, and many are starving. In addition to that, they face natural disasters. Seeing the TV news coverage is truly heartbreaking. We saw a large group of emaciated children who have no place to live. Because of the wars, they became homeless. During the recent spate of rainfall, we saw some children hiding under a large vehicle. They shrunk down and squeezed tightly to each other, a large number of children huddled together. They were all skin and bones.
When we see these images, we ask ourselves, “Isn’t that hell?” During their lifetime, in the space they have lived in, since birth they have constantly faced tremendous suffering. How long will they have to live like this? Their days pass like years. Every day, they live in hardship; their lives are filled with extreme suffering. So we may “experience the effect of being in hell.” This “experience” comes from the influence of karma. The influence of the karma we create leads to these circumstantial and direct retributions.
If our retributions lead us to a place with unremitting extreme suffering, like the effect of being in hell, then we are in hell, we have fallen into a place of extreme suffering and negative retributions. Then even if people want to save us, they will be unable to get close. Is the human realm really that far away from hell? Actually, they are both found on this planet! Though we cannot bear it, we are unable to help them.
This is because our affinities are insufficient; we lack sufficient positive causes and conditions.
So, we have to wait for the right time.Though we really want to help them, we have to wait until the roads are unobstructed and the fighting has ceased in order to provide the resources [we have gathered] out of love.I really feel for them.
So, we must have “deep faith in the law of karma”.We need to believe in the karmic law of cause and effect; so many things are beyond our control.We create karma in the space of a thought.A single thought can create heaven; a singly thought can turn the world to hell.All this is decided in the space of a thought.
So, if we can be mindful of and have deep faith in the karmic law of cause and effect, since we have already been born human and are able to listen to the Buddha-Dharma at this spiritual practice center, we should engage in spiritual practice with a peaceful mind.We must earnestly aspire to practice the Dharma, to engage in spiritual practice for the sake of all sentient beings and to become role models in the world.Then we will be able to teach and transform people and bring purity to everyone’s minds.
So, we must have deep faith in the karmic law of cause and effect.I hope everyone will mindfully comprehend this.
Now, let us look at the passage we discussed yesterday, “When they see those who read, recite, copy or uphold this sutra, the disparage, loath, envy and thus bear hatred toward them. Now listen again to the retributions they will suffer for these transgressions.”
When some people see others practicing diligently, reading, reciting and copying sutras, they become unhappy.They refuse to have faith; they refuse to diligently practice and cannot accomplish the same things.While others practice diligently, a sense of disrespect arises in their minds, and loathing and envy keep accumulating.Out of this unhappiness, resentment will arise and eventually become hatred.
For people like this, we must “listen aging to the retributions they will suffer for these transgressions.”So, we need to listen carefully.
The next sutra passage states, “When their lives end, they will enter Avici hell. They will pass an entire kalpa there, and at the end of the kalpa, they will be reborn. They will then continue on in this way for a period of countless kalpas.”
People like this are afraid of hard work and are not diligent.When they see people who are diligent instead of praising them they slander and become envious of them, and gradually develop hatred.With people like this, when their lives end, they will certainly enter Avici Hell, a place of extreme suffering.How long will they remain there?“An entire kalpa” at least!And at the end of that kalpa?
“They will be reborn. They will then continue on in this way.”This will become an endless cycle.
Suffering for a kalpa is a very long time.After this period of time ends, when they come back, they will still remain in that place of suffering.
Take Sudan as an example.The suffering that people there face in this life is from the karma they brought from past lives.Since they face so much suffering in this life, even if we hope they can come to hear principles, they have no opportunities to encounter them.Even if we want them to do good deeds, they do not have the opportunity to do them.
These people constantly face extreme suffering and the time they spend suffering just keeps adding up; they do not even have enough time to suffer.So, how would they be able to encounter the true principles of life?
How would they be able to help other people?
In that kind of space and time, this is definitely not possible.So, in a place of extreme suffering, people will be unable to create positive karmic causes and blessed conditions; they can only experience suffering.After that time, since they have not exhausted their suffering, this will still continue.Because they have not created positive causes and conditions, they will continue to suffer.
This explains what happens when we hear about and observe people who diligently practice, those who read, recite, copy and uphold sutras.When we observe this but still refuse to believe in the teachings, that results in karmic retributions; that karma comes from disrespect and lack of faith.
This explains that people who see and hear those who diligently read, recite, copy and uphold and not only do not believe, respect or accept this sutra, but instead slander it, will thus incur negative retributions, and they will face the extreme suffering of the retribution of Unremitting Hell.
These people refuse to accept teachings and refuse to diligently practice; “loathing, envy and hate” arise in their minds.Thus, they slander the people who diligently negate in spiritual practice and slander the people who have the faith to accept the teachings of the sutra.
Because of this, they sill “incur negative retributions.”When they stir up negative karmic causes, they will ultimately incur negative retributions. The karma they bring will result in circumstantial and direct retributions and take them to their next place of birth. When they arrive at that place, “They will face the extreme suffering of the retribution of Unremitting Hell”. This refers to people who slander the sutras and the Right Dharma; they will fall into hell in the future. “When their lives end, they will enter Avici Hell”. What does it mean to be in Avici? It means to face the negative retribution of the hell known as Unremitting.
Avici: a retribution of hell. It means “unremitting”, without rest. The suffering there is the worst of all hells. In the Three Evil Realms, it is the place of the worst and longest suffering. Due to the negative karmic causes of not believing, slandering and so on, they face this negative karmic effect of extreme suffering.
As a result, [people who slander the sutra] will fall into a place of extreme suffering, which is hell. Hell is like a prison that removes one’s freedom; a place of mental and physical torment is called hell. In hell there is no light of day, just unbearable suffering. In particular, they suffer for a long time and suffer unremittingly; the suffering is interminable. It is like being sentenced to life without parole. Those people will be there forever. This is also the meaning of unremitting, without rest.
They face suffering without any respite. The suffering there is the worst of all hells. Among the Three Evil Realms, the place of the greatest suffering is hell.
The Three Evil Realms are the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. In hell, there is more suffering than in the hungry ghost realm. This is because people face all kinds of torture in hell.
When we discussed the Earth Treasury Sutra, we talked about how the suffering in hell is truly unspeakable. Some people do not believe in [the law of karma], so they commit all kinds of wrongdoings. Not only do they not believe, they keep erring in their behavior. By doing this, they constantly give rise to the evil karma of slander. Because of this type of negative cause, they all into this place of painful retributions. Thus, those who end up in Unremitting Hell have committed [one of] the five offenses.
Unremitting Hell: Those who committed one of the five offenses will fall into this hell for a period of one kalpa and will face unremitting suffering.
What are the “five offenses”? if one has committed one of the “five offenses”, one will suffer for a long time. Being in that place interminably is being in a state of extreme suffering.
“Unremitting” has five meanings: The first is unremitting retribution. Upon death one’s body will descend there and remain there interminably.
The second is unremitting suffering. One will face suffering without rest.
The third is unremitting time. For a period of one kalpa, this will go on without end.
The fourth is unremitting life. One will pass an entire kalpa there, and at the end of the kalpa, one will be reborn.
The fifth is unremitting physical torment.
The length and breadth of this hell is 84,000 yojanas, and one’s body will fill it completely without any gaps or space.
First, this means that suffering will continue throughout an entire life without any gap. This is Unremitting Hell. The five offenses include patricide and matricide. Do these things happen in this world? Hearing today’s news, in today’s society, some kill their father or mother for the sake of their inheritance. There are many cases like this Killing one’s father or mother creates severe karma.
Another offense is “killing an Arhat”. Instead of respecting spiritual practitioners, some people try to sabotage or hurt them. The [fourth] offense is “injuring a Buddha”. During the Buddha’s lifetime thee was Devadatta, who was not content with his place engaging in spiritual practice in the Sangha. He wanted to establish himself as a new Buddha. He wished to destroy the Sangha led by Sakyamuni Buddha and eliminate the Arhats or “injure the Buddha”. Things like this happened. Another offense is “destroying the harmony of the Sangha”. Not only do some people become afflicted in the Sangha, they want to cause alienation in the Sangha. This “destroys the harmony of the Sangha”. These are the principles revealed in the sutras, the teachings the Buddha wanted to share with us.
When we engage in spiritual practice, we must be focused. We cannot become unfocused; that may lead us to disrupt the harmony here. We cannot become unfocused, that may lead us to disrupt the harmony here. If we disrupt the harmony and unity in the Sangha, our spiritual practice has been in vain, and this leads us to create severe karma.
There are five kinds of offenses that are in extreme opposition to the principles: Killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an Arhat, injuring a Buddha and destroying the harmony of the Sangha. These five kinds of offenses are extremely evil actions. If one commits any of these transgressions, one will descend into Unremitting Hell. Thus this is unremitting karma “These five kinds of offenses are extremely evil actions.”
These are extremely evil forms of behavior. This kind of mindset is most frightening. In order to spread the Buddha-Dharma in the world, there must be spiritual practitioners and spiritual practice centers. If we physically hurt spiritual practitioners or destroy the harmony of the Sangha, that will prevent the Buddha-Dharma from being properly shared. This type of karma is very severe. Because of this, if we commit any of these five extremely evil actions, we will fall into hell.
Among these five, if we commit even one, we will fall into hell. The second is “unremitting suffering.” The sufferings they face in this space are piled on top of each other.
We may end up in a place like Sudan. How long would we have to wait for someone to open the door to our minds so we can recognize our spiritual wealth?When would good karma manifest in our lives? We do not know.
In this way, there is “unremitting suffering.” For a long period of time, we will face the suffering of transmigration. Next, the third is unremitting time. For a period of one kalpa, this will continue without end. Within this same period of time, suffering will befall them continuously. Before one suffering ends, another will come. This is also happening in the world right now, not to mention in hell.
The fourth is “unremitting life”. In terms of their lifespan, “They will pass an entire kalpa there, and at the end of the kalpa, they will reborn.” They will spend a kalpa in that place of suffering. They will pass an entire kalpa there What is a “kalpa”? Every 100 years, the average human lifespan grows one year until the lifespan is 84,000 years. Then, every 100 years, it decreases by one year until the average human lifespan is ten years. Think about it, this is called one increasing and decreasing kalpa.
So, for a lifetime of this length they will spend all of it suffering. That is not all, “At the end of the kalpa, they will be reborn”. After that time has passed, they will be reborn. Because they do not have positive causes and conditions, they will continue to face suffering until they have the karmic conditions necessary for things to change.
The fifth is “unremitting physical torment.” They are physically in this hell, which is 84,000 yojanas in length and breadth. This is a very vast area, and their body will fill it completely with no space. I often say, “When we are sick, we are unaware of the people around us.” “We feel that we are in the most pain and that we face the most extreme suffering.” In a similar way, their entire body is suffering. All they can feel is their own suffering occupying the entire space.
So, “At the end of the kalpa, the will be reborn” That is what happens after this kalpa passes. As it states in the Earth Treasury Sutra, “When this realm is destroyed, one will be sent to another place, and when that place is destroyed, one will be sent yet again to another place.” “When this realm comes into being [again], one will return again.” This transgression of slandering the Right Dharma is worse than the offense of harming the Sangha. Thus it says that at the end of the kalpa, [they] will be reborn to repeat this. This is what happens if we are not careful enough and fall into hell. Due to the causes and conditions of slandering, committing the five offenses or all kinds of other [transgressions], people may suffer the retributions of hell. “When this realm is destroyed they will be reborn in another place.”“Again and again they will be reborn without end.” For one hundred thousand kalpas, they will not see the light of day. For one hundred thousand kalpas, a very long time they will not be able to see the light of day.
Everyone, as Buddhist practitioners, we should have deep faith in the law of karma. Otherwise, we may fall into Avici Hell, where there is unremitting extreme suffering. So, we must constantly remind ourselves to be vigilant and always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
