It is challenging for the average person to die a good death. In China only, there are over ten million cases of abortion every year, meaning that over ten million infants die in the womb annually. Many infants die before reaching adulthood, and there are individuals with short lifespans, succumbing to various conditions in their teens or twenties. Even those who live longer lives often experience painful deaths on hospital beds or operating tables. The number of people who truly die peacefully in their sleep is very small. Not to mention those who meet sudden deaths due to disasters such as floods, fires, storms, snowstorms, earthquakes, wars, and epidemics. Additionally, accidents like car crashes, plane crashes, shipwrecks, deaths in prisons, starvation, and freezing also contribute to the toll, and who has ever calculated the total number of such occurrences? How many of us have been warned by these events?
What does it mean to have a good death? In reality, among ten thousand people, only a few experience a natural end to their lives, free from illness, with a foreknowledge of their time to depart, and departing on a virtuous path. Truly, under the heavens, there are very few individuals who fit this description.
Most people believe that when a person dies, that’s the end of everything. Buddhism talks about the cycle of reincarnation through the six realms, suggesting that someone may end up in hell or be reborn as an animal in the next life. However, the majority either do not believe in this concept or dismiss it as superstition. People typically rely on what they can see with their own eyes and are reluctant to believe anything they haven’t personally experienced. Such individuals are ignorant and foolish!
In the teachings of Buddhism, the concept that is often challenging for people to accept is the cycle of six realms, known as the Six Realms of Rebirth (Deva, Human, Asura, Hell, Hungry Ghost, and Animal). Some may question, “How can there be a cycle of rebirth after death? We can’t see or touch it; perhaps it doesn’t exist.” In reality, it does exist! By following specific methods and engaging in spiritual practices, one can reach a certain level of attainment and witness the reality of the Six Realms of Rebirth. However, their forms are subtle, beyond the visibility of our naked eyes. As science advances and becomes more developed, we may gain the ability to perceive the intermediate state or “bardo” body. At that time, doubts will be dispelled, and people will believe.
The intermediate state, often referred to as the soul or consciousness, indeed exists. It undergoes various transformations based on the deeds performed in one’s lifetime. Doing good deeds for the benefit of humanity leads to rebirth in higher realms, while engaging in negative actions may result in rebirth in lower realms such as hell. Some may wonder why individuals do not remember their past lives. This is not due to a potion that erases memories but rather a consequence of the unconscious state experienced during the processes of conception, gestation, and birth.
During conception, the intermediate state is propelled into the mother’s womb at the moment of a man’s ejaculation. The environment inside the mother’s womb, with its foul smell and murky conditions, leads the intermediate state to become unconscious during the nine-and-a-half-month residence. The birthing process, with the head facing down and the feet up, involves a strenuous journey through the pelvic region. This series of events renders the being unconscious and oblivious to the memories of past lives.
While it is extremely rare for individuals to retain awareness of their past lives, there have been reported cases. Hollywood stars and children from places like Yunnan and Guizhou in China have claimed knowledge of their past lives. Such cases are attributed to a fortunate circumstance where the incoming consciousness manages to oust the previous one before the three stages of conception, gestation, and birth take place, a phenomenon known as “conscious rebirth” or “taking over a birth.” This illustrates that the cycle of rebirth is real and does not end with death.
The words spoken by the Buddha are not baseless; they are all verified through personal realization, and there is no reason for anyone to doubt them. Even during the time when Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, lived, there were no microscopes, yet he said, “When a person looks at a cup of water, the Buddha sees millions of beings.” Similarly, there were no telescopes, but the Buddha spoke of the vastness of the sky, stating, “In the sky, there are countless suns and numerous worlds.” Today, these statements can be verified: water does contain many microorganisms, and there are numerous suns and worlds in the universe.
While we now have the ability to travel to the moon with spacecraft, people might argue that there are no beings on the moon, nor on the sun. In truth, there are inhabitants on the moon and the sun, but their bodies are not like ours. Our bodies require oxygen for survival, and without it, we cannot exist. However, their bodies are not subject to burning, and they are invisible to our human eyes. Even in our earthly realm, our eyes cannot see ghosts, so how could we possibly see beings on the sun and moon?
Many people are afraid of ghosts. When I was a child in the countryside, a group of us, about a dozen kids, would often go to a nearby village to watch movies at night. On our way back in the late hours, we would pass by numerous graveyards, where we would see ghostly lights. Holding our breath, we would run in small steps, all fearing ghosts. Are ghosts real? Yes, they are! This is not a fabrication. When I was a weak and sickly child, I witnessed a ghost with my own eyes.
Around the age of five or six, in our village of Lianlong, they used to show movies at night. One night, I fell asleep midway through the film, and my father carried me back home and placed me on the bed. When I woke up, I wanted to return to the movie screening. As I tried to open the door, I saw a person standing with hands crossed, having an upper body but no lower body, blocking my way. I bumped into him, but I passed through his body. Turning around, I saw him still standing in the middle of the door. I used my head to bump into him again, and he disappeared. I realized I had seen a ghost, and I sprinted towards the movie square. Later, as I studied Buddhist teachings, I learned that what I saw was a person’s “intermediate state” or “bardo body.”
We all live in this world, where every day new lives begin, and every day some come to an end. Though the lengths of our lives vary, they all pass in the blink of an eye. So, where do we come from in this life, and where do we go after death? None of us truly knows. Therefore, the cycle of birth and death is a profound matter! The Buddha, arising in this world due to karmic conditions, came to guide us out of this perplexity.
For those without wisdom, they are unaware of where life originates and where it goes after death. They neither care nor seek to investigate this matter. They assume that being born into this world means working to earn money, clothing oneself, eating, getting married, and having children. They pass through life in a daze, without contemplating the deeper aspects of existence.
Among human beings, those who genuinely explore the truths of life and the universe are few. Most people are occupied with daily tasks, focusing on career advancement, wealth accumulation, getting married, and leading a comfortable life. They seek enjoyment and contentment without delving into the true meaning of life and the value of existence. Wise individuals are not content with ignorance; they strive to explore the origins of human existence, pondering where we come from and where we go after death. They also seek to understand the formation of the universe, aiming to arrive at accurate answers.
We should understand that there are three ways to know about future events: one is through reasoning, like a detective solving a case, analyzing how a particular action will lead to certain results; the second is through comparison, comparing one thing to another to gain knowledge; and the third is through experience, using past experiences to anticipate future outcomes. In the Lankavatara Sutra, King Prasenajit arrives at the conclusion that the body is impermanent through reasoning and comparison. We also have the experience of observing others, where someone gets better, and another person mourns the deceased, realizing that eventually, everyone will face death. It’s like, “Look, it’s going to be my turn next,” isn’t that an experience? Based on reasoning, comparison, and experience, we understand that the body is impermanent and will eventually die. However, even though the body is not permanent, there is something enduring.
So, the Buddha further teaches: “When you observe constant changes, transitions, and alterations, and understand that your body is destined to perish, amidst this continuous transformation, do you recognize that there is something within you that is unchanging?” We sentient beings are attached to life and fear death, wishing for our bodies to last longer and our lives to be extended. In reality, we possess boundless life, but people are unaware of it. When King Prasenajit heard the Buddha’s teachings and understood the concept of renouncing one life to seek another, letting go of the current body to be reborn elsewhere, he realized it was not annihilation or cessation but the cycle of rebirth. Initially, he thought it was extinction, but now he knew it was not extinction, and he felt immensely joyful.
Yingxiong Feng