Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 201 The Ninth Level of Rebirth

"Everyone knows about the Dao Fruit fragments, so I'm not talking about this thing."

The Pure Light Goddess looked towards the east and said softly, "The problem I'm talking about is that the Dao fruit of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in that world has undergone some subtle changes and is in a state of being released externally. A senior brother who sits in the gap between the two worlds once said that the effect of meditating and realizing the Dao there is extremely good, but it is also easy to be eroded by the other party's ideas."

"It is said that the Fanjing Sanlian lineage was influenced by foreign Buddhist teachings, so they have been forbidden to go to the gap between the two worlds to take charge in recent years. Instead, they like to wander around in the human world more and more. The strange thing is that the dynasty does not stop them."

When she said this, the Goddess of Pure Light looked in the direction of the capital, revealing an expression of disapproval.

Chu Tai did not have too many ideas about the internal affairs of Buddhism. He wanted to find out more about the affairs of the immortals and the great heaven. Most people were not aware of this kind of information. Only people like the Pure Light Goddess who had a systematic inheritance would know more about it.

He asked casually.

"But didn't the Xianxian Daohua Datian experience turmoil recently? The Brahma Pure Three Lotus Dharma Lineage doesn't sound like a short-term problem."

In response to Chu Tai's questioning, the Goddess of Pure Light did not hide anything.

“The Brahma-Pure Three Lotuses Dharma lineage is naturally not a short-term problem, but the traces of the Immortal Manifestation Dao Transformation into Great Heaven have not appeared in the past hundred years.”

The glazed Buddha light surged at the fingertips, blocking out the surrounding aura and forming a barrier. Only then did Jingguang explain the reason to Chu Tai.

"When Master Taiyi divided the world into nine levels of cultivation, although many sects did not agree, it must be said that there was actually nothing wrong with the way it was divided. Three grades and one level are a good way to distinguish between cultivators, immortals, and those who have attained the Tao."

"The top three grades are the attainment of the Tao. The third grade is considered a true immortal in the immortal path, and is also considered an extremely superior achievement in the Buddhist path, equivalent to those who have achieved the true fruit of an Arhat or have just entered the Bodhisattva realm."

"A major characteristic of this kind of existence is that it transcends the cycle of life and death. Although it is still pulled by karma, it is not harmed by it. If it is placed in the immortal path of you, it can travel to the Daluo Heaven and listen to the teachings of the immortals and Taoist masters. It can also descend and preach to sentient beings."

Having said that, the corners of the Pure Light Goddess' mouth curled up slightly, revealing a hint of a smile, as if she had thought of something good.

"Back then, when I was studying in North Putuo, I heard a Bodhisattva of the first stage preaching. At that time, I saw a golden lotus blossoming in the Seven Treasures Pond, and there were shadowy figures of five hundred Buddhas."

Hearing this, Chu Tai was stunned for a moment, and then asked in a low voice: "The Contemplation of the Infinite Life Sutra?"

"Exactly."

Upon hearing this, the Goddess of Pure Light smiled, and Chu Tai also congratulated her.

"In the Seven Treasures Pond, I saw a golden lotus blossoming. It seems that the goddess will have the hope of being reborn in the upper realm in the future."

The Goddess of Pure Light smiled and told Chu Tai some of her thoughts and chatted with him about the "Amitabha Sutra".

The full name of this sutra is "The Sutra on Contemplation of the Buddha of Infinite Life", also known as "The Sutra on Contemplation of the Buddha of Infinite Life". Together with "The Amitabha Sutra" and "The Sutra of Infinite Life", it is collectively known as the Three Pure Land Sutras and is the foundation of Pure Land Buddhism.

The upper and lower rebirth mentioned by Chu Tai is a very special Buddhist method of ascension in this sutra, called the Nine-Grade Rebirth Method. This method of ascension will determine the fruition obtained after death or ascension to the Pure Land according to the different roots, behaviors, wisdom and merits of the Buddhist learners, and the depth of fate.

Among them are the utmost sincerity, deep mind, dedication and vow mind, achieving compassion and not killing, and observing all precepts; reading and reciting Mahayana and Fangdeng sutras; those who practice the six recollections in the third place can obtain the highest level of rebirth.

It is rumored that those who have such merits and achievements will enter the Pure Land, where they will be accompanied by Amitabha Tathagata, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, leading countless transformed Buddhas, hundreds of thousands of monks and the great assembly of the Arhats, and countless gods. In the palace of seven treasures, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will hold the Vajra Platform, and Amitabha Buddha will emit great light to illuminate the bodies of the deceased. When the flowers bloom, they will see the Buddha, attain the nirvana of no birth, and be granted the fruition of the first bodhisattva.

Those who are reborn in the middle of the upper grade do not need to uphold and recite the Fangdeng Sutras. They understand the meaning well, are not disturbed by the ultimate truth, have deep faith in cause and effect, and do not slander the Mahayana.

These deceased persons will ascend to paradise, where they will be surrounded by Amitabha Tathagata, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, accompanied by countless people. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will hold a purple gold platform and grant them the fruit position. However, it is still a little less perfect than the highest level of rebirth. It will take a small kalpa before they can attain the state of non-rebirth and realize the first level of bodhisattva fruit.

Further down is the highest level of rebirth that the Goddess of Pure Light may attain in the future. If one wishes to obtain this result, one must believe in cause and effect, not slander the Mahayana, and develop the supreme heart of the Tao.

When you are reborn in the Pure Land, Amitabha Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva will come to receive you. Among them, the Bodhisattvas will hold golden lotus flowers and grant you Buddhahood.

This is also the reason why Chu Tai said that the Goddess of Pure Light will have the hope of being reborn in the upper grade in the future. The so-called Seven Treasures Pond is the lotus pond in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and it is also the foundation of the future lotus throne.

When the celestial maiden sees the golden lotus blossoming in the lotus pond, it means that she will have a good position in the future and will hopefully achieve the supreme Buddhahood.

According to the records in the "Amitabha Sutra", the upper grade of the lower rebirth is also the foundation of the Mahayana. Although the fruition is not complete, the Bodhicitta has been awakened. It only takes three small kalpas to stay in the Joyful Land and achieve the first level of Bodhisattva.

To put it more clearly, the Goddess of Pure Light has left her name in the eyes of the great powers of Buddhism and Taoism, and there is a great possibility that she will achieve the third level realm in the future, or even go further to the second level realm.

Although this is only a possibility, compared to cultivators like Bai Zhu who are struggling desperately at the fifth level and have no possibility of making any further progress, the scene that the Pure Light Goddess saw is undoubtedly a very exciting thing.

That is why the Goddess of Pure Light knows more things, can see more secrets from Beiputuo, and what she says is more trustworthy.

After Chu Tai discussed the "Amitabha Sutra" with him for a while, he asked about the relationship between Mahadeva and Mahadeva.

Seeing this, the Pure Light Goddess smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, you still don't understand? Daluotian is not the Daluotian of our Dongji Chenguang Great Heaven and Fangtian Great Heaven. There are cultivators in other great heavens who can sense the existence of Daluotian, but some of them are too far away from Daluotian. No, it seems that we should not say distance..."

The Pure Light Goddess thought for a moment, but couldn't think of a suitable explanation, so she said to Chu Tai: "You just understand that those cultivators in the Great Heaven cannot clearly sense the existence of the Great Luo Heaven, nor can they, like us Great Heavens, travel to the Great Luo Heaven and listen to the teachings of the immortals after reaching the third level. Most of them entered the Great Luo Heaven after reaching the second level, and some even realized the existence of the Great Luo Heaven after reaching the first level."

Hearing this, Chu Tai instantly understood what the Goddess of Pure Light meant.

"So the founder of the Brahma-Pure Three Lotuses Dharma Lineage knew the mysteries of the Dharma in the Great Heaven of Immortal Manifestation in Daluo Heaven, which left hidden dangers for the subsequent changes in the Brahma-Pure Three Lotuses Dharma Lineage?"

“Actually, it can’t be called a hidden danger.”

The Goddess of Pure Light seemed to want to save some face for the Brahma-Pure Three Lotus Lineage, but Chu Tai had already initially figured out the relationship and some of the core concepts, and felt more clearly the power of the upper three grades.

(End of this chapter)