The Cosmic Truth of New Buddhism:
Opening of the New Chapter of Buddhist History!!
For the First Time in the Human History, the Vulture Peak Buddhism,
the New Buddhism of the Deliverance of Humanity,
Reveals Secrets of the Creation of Man and the Universe;
Establishes the Concept of Happiness, Birth and Death
through Actual Investigation of the Posthumous World;
Reveals Buddha's Subsistence and Immeasurable as Well
as Miraculous Power.
IV. To Whither Goes from Here When One Dies?
The Idea of Birth and Death.
The substance of soul, which is the essence of human being, is the master of our life. We live much longer life as the substance of soul without the physical body than the life of about 100 years as a human being.
Therefore, we cannot talk about the true happiness if our posthumous life is not happy. We must know the subsistence of the posthumous world and its true facts clearly to establish the right view of birth and death.
The world where we go after our death is called the nether world. In Buddhism, it is called 'myeongbu (冥府)', which means the world of darkness, and the superintendent of the nether world is Ksitigarbha, or the Earth Treasury King of Great Vow Bodhisattva. The King of Hades, the fearful lord of the nether world, judges the dead spirits who are brought here. There also is a demonic messenger, the ghost which waits on the dying man to take him either to the nether world or to the Land of Bliss.
However, there is a wandering lonely spirit of the dead who is not allowed to enter the nether world, then there is a blessed saint such as the Pure Land Bodhisattva who skips the judgement of the nether world and go straight to the Land of Utmost Bliss.
Once the substance of soul is admitted to the nether world, it receives the trial of the King of Hades for 49 days, and then the realm where it should go will be decided according to the karma it has committed in the former life. Its destination will be divided largely into two: either the six realms of transmigration, or the realm of enlightenment.
1. The Realm Where the Dead Spirit That Is Not Allowed
to Enter the Nether World Live:
the Realm of Intermediate State of the Dead Spirit
between Heaven and Hell.
Those who were extremely attached to their family or to property, those who took their own life, those who died unnatural death, those who died from incurable illness, etc. are not allowed to enter the nether world and wander around in the intermediate state of the world between heaven and hell as a lonely spirit.
According to the statistical data of the ceremony for the spirit of the dead performed at Hyeonjisa Temple, about 40% of the deceased go to the intermediate state of the world between heaven and hell. The dead spirits in the intermediate state of the world between heaven and hell are always extremely cold and hungry, and to solve their problems of food, clothing, shelter, and craving, it is necessary for them to commit all kinds of sin and have to endure their pitiful life.
The intermediate state of the world between heaven and hell is mostly the abode of the substance of soul No. 4, and they arrive there with their memory and consciousness at the time of their death. Therefore, the spirits that died of great illness, continue to suffer the pain they suffered at the time of their death.
If they cling to their descendents to ease their afflictions, it brings the obstruction of the dead spirit and make their descendents unhappy. That is the reason why the ceremony for the spirit of the dead must be performed without delay so that they could go to the nether world for their trial.
2. The Realm of Transmigration of the Painful Six Realms
of Karmic Existence Where the Dead Spirit Goes When a Man Dies.
The hell is where people who committed evil deeds of killing, robbery, adultery, the false words, etc. go and suffer intolerable punishment. The hell is divided into five as follows in the order of the heaviness of punishment: a) The extremest screaming bottommost eternal hell. b) The screaming bottommost eternal hell. c) The intermediate hell. d) The lower hell. e) The standing-by hell where the dead spirit is waiting for its trial.
The hell up above the intermediate hell is where the merciless punishment is executed automatically, and the punishment is so intolerable that the substance of soul even loses its consciousness.
There are also the hell of great fire, the hell filled with boiling metal, the freezing icy cold hell, the hell of sword mountain, the hell of vampires, etc. Compared to these intolerable fearful hells, the prison in the mundane world is like the paradise.
The realm of hungry ghosts is the world where people who were stingy and voracious in the former life go. It is the hell where the dead spirits suffer from hunger and draught. When they swallow the food or drink the water, they all turn to fire.
The realm of animals is the world where people who were ignorant, have fallen into evil thought and led the lustful life go. They usually lead the cycle of life starting from the mouse to the final mode of life of a hog according to the order of the twelve zodiac signs: mouse, cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, hen, dog, and hog. Sometimes, a spirit might live many lives in a single shape of animal.
Human beings lead the diverse lives from the sentient beings in hell to the life of Buddha. Some say that there are aerial beings living in the stars in heaven. There are many obstructions of Mara on earth, yet if we can overcome them all and practice earnestly, it is, in a sense, a good place to practice to go to the realm of happiness.
The realm of asura is a separate heaven similar to the low level of the first of the six heavenly realms where the people who have contributed many virtues yet who also had frequent quarrels with other people go. There are constant conflicts, yet, at the same time, it is a well-off and blissful place to live.
In the heavenly realm, there are six heavenly realms of desire with 54 stages and the heavenly realm of arhat with 27 stages. One will be released of transmigration who is living up above the fifth stage of the heavenly realm of arhat.
Therefore, transmigration in the heavenly realm of arhat means the stages from six to twenty-two. It is the pleasant heavenly realm where the people who have performed many virtuous deeds without committing any evil things go.
If you wish to go to the heavenly realm of arhat, you must be able to enter samadhi, and this is much more pleasant place than the six heavenly realms of desire. The heavenly realm is where the substance of soul No. 3 goes, and the heavenly realm of arhat is where the substance of soul No. 2 goes.
3. The Realm of Enlightenment Where
One Enjoys Eternal Happiness.
The realm of enlightenment is where the saint who is released of transmigration goes. To achieve enlightenment, you must see your self-nature, which is, in fact, none other than realization of emptiness and breaking the Hwadu, or the 'key-word' meditation, and then through strict observation of precepts, you must practice selflessness and the Bodhisattva way for complete renunciation of the obsession of ego-self.
The steps of enlightenment are: arhat→ the consummate 'non-leaking' great arhat→ the heavenly angel→ the candidate Bodhisattva→ the Pure Land Bodhisattva→ the unsurpassed Bodhisattva-Buddha→ and the World-honored Buddha.
The realm of enlightenment of arhat is from one to five stages of the first heaven of arhat where the saint (arhat) who is released of transmigration goes. It has to be the substance of soul No. 2 to go to the realm of enlightenment of arhat, and in this case the substance of soul illuminates like the full moon.
The most wonderful thing is that here the arhat is able to enjoy the unsurpassed happiness forever without end. However, if the arhat receives the human body and return by his own will to reach the higher realm of enlightenment, we cannot remove the possibility that he might fall to the world of transmigration.
The realm of the Pure Land is the domain of calm extinction of enlightenment where the Bodhisattva goes and enjoys the utmost bliss. There also is the world of optimal bliss of Amitabha Buddha, and in the up above is the Pure Land of Medicine Buddha. If we see it from the point of view of the established doctrine, it applies to the higher stage of eighth ground of Bodhisattva.
As Bodhisattva retains his other self in the Pure Land, it is the stage of non-retrogression never falling into transmigration. If anyone wish to become a Pure Land Bodhisattva, one must fulfill the following conditions: 1) Extinction of four grave sins (killing, stealing, carnality, and lying). 2) Complete separation of four substances of soul. 3) Retaining one's other self in the Pure Land. 4) Woman must transform her gender to that of a male. 5) Changing one's blood to the pure blood of the Medicine Buddha. 6) Deliverance of the close relatives from the evil way.
However, as all these works are not easy to accomplish, one must rely on the empowerment of Buddha to go to the Pure Land. When you go to the Pure Land in the form of the substance of soul No. 1, your substance of soul will shine like the morning sun.
The realm of ultimate reality is the highest stage and the happiest paradise in the dharma-dhatu of the universe. It is the domain of the blissful land of eternal quietude and the world of lotus treasury. It is the domain where only the unsurpassed cosmic saint of the Buddha may go. One must be unified 100% with the essence of the universe to go such a place. It was the domain that our Lord Buddha was the first to go. It is the ultimate realm of enlightenment where one is always in the optimal quietude of samadhi and enjoys the unexpressible joy. It must be the ultimate objective of every practitioner to achieve. If you sincerely wish to be a Buddha, you need Buddha's favor, guide, and seal of approval.
If you become a Buddha, you will be fully provided with Trikaya, or the Triple Body: Dharmakaya, or the Dharma-body; Sambhogakaya, or the body of the manifestation of the universal Buddha-essence in symbolic form; and Nirmanakaya, or the bodies of transformation. The four substances of soul will become a ball of light and become one with the Buddha-body. Only Buddha can accommodate all the four substances of soul.
