Therefore, he concludes that for the last eighty thousand eons living beings in the ten directions of this and other worlds have come into being without any cause.

Therefore, since he cannot see the events that occurred more than eighty thousand great eons ago, he concludes that for the last eighty thousand eons living beings in the ten directions of this and other worlds have come into being without any cause. They just come into being by themselves, without any cause or conditions. They are born spontaneously.

Because of this speculation, he will lose proper and pervasive knowledge, fall into externalism, and become confused about the Bodhi nature.

Because of this speculation, this conjecture that goes off-track, he will lose proper and pervasive knowledge, fall into externalism, join an external sect, and become confused about the Bodhi nature, the nature of the Bodhi-mind.

Second, perhaps this person sees no cause for the end of life. And why? Since he perceives the origin of life, he believes that people are always born as people and birds are always born as birds; that crows have always been black and swans have always been white; that humans and gods have always stood upright and animals have always walked on four legs; that whiteness does not come from being washed and blackness does not come from being dyed; and that there have never been nor will there be any changes for eighty thousand eons.

What is the second view? Perhaps this person sees no cause for the end of life. The first is that he sees no cause for the beginning of things, and here he sees no cause for the end. And why? Since he perceives the origin of life, the beginning of all living beings, he believes that people are always born as people and birds are always born as birds. Believing that he has been enlightened and has attained great wisdom, he thinks he knows. What does he think he knows? He says, “People are people in life after life, and birds are birds in life after life.”

Crows have always been black. They are black to begin with; they don’t have to be dyed that color. And swans have always been white. They are white from birth. Humans and gods have always stood upright. Humans and celestial beings all walk erect. And animals have always walked on four legs. Animals walk horizontally, with their four legs on the ground. This is all fixed. Their whiteness does not come from being washed, and their blackness does not come from being dyed. For example, crows are black, but they weren’t dyed black. Also, swans did not have to be washed to become white. And there have never been nor will there be any changes for eighty thousand eons.

[January 1983]

Disciple: Since the person is able to see events that happened within twenty thousand, forty thousand, and even eighty thousand great eons, why is he unable to see people being reborn in other paths as they undergo transmigration?

Venerable Master: That’s an interesting question. You must realize that although the text says he can see for twenty thousand great eons, he is actually under the influence of a false state. One thought is equivalent to limitless eons, and limitless eons are just one thought. He feels it is twenty thousand eons, but it may not really be that long; he is still caught up in a false state. Controlled by false thinking, he experiences a totally unreal state in which he sees pigs being pigs and cows being cows for twenty thousand eons. Although he feels that it’s that way, his perception is not correct. If it were really twenty thousand eons, then of course pigs would undergo transmigration and would not remain as pigs during all that time! The fact that he claims that they do shows that it is totally false. Although he says that he can see for twenty thousand great eons, it’s not necessarily such a long time. That’s only what he thinks.

To be continued