English
as rebirth, that consciousness, as it arises, is established in another existence," it is said. There, "frequently, the mind-stream, inclined to the pure or defiled, predominantly flows," this shows that the sign of destiny, presented by the power of karma, arises from the death-proximate process even one, two days, or a week before, or even longer than a week. Indeed, the sign of destiny, pure or defiled, in accordance with the ripening karma, lasts for a long time, like Ariya Gala Tissa, the thief-slayer, and others. Indeed, a lay follower named Ariya Gala Tissa in the island of Sri Lanka, having done meritorious deeds such as giving, together with his wife Sumana, for as long as they lived, at the end of his life-span, as Ariya Gala Tissa lay on his deathbed, deities brought chariots from the six heavens, praising their respective heavenly realms. Having heard the words of the deities, the lay follower, having placed the chariot brought from Tusita, said to the remaining chariots, "Take them and go." Sumana, having heard her husband's words, said, "Why, Tissa, do you wail near death?" Tissa, having heard his wife's words, said... "I do not wail, deities brought six chariots from the heavens, I am talking with those deities." "I do not see where," when said, he had a garland of flowers brought and thrown into the sky. Seeing that garland of flowers hanging on the chariot's top, she entered her chamber, lay on the bed, stopped her breath, passed away, and reappeared. She sent a message to her husband: "I have arrived first, why are you so late?" Both standing in the chariot, while everyone was looking, they went to Tusita City. In this story, the wife, having become apparent due to the husband's impending destiny, was reborn in Tusita City ahead of time and sent a message to her husband, therefore it should be understood that the destiny of the venerable Gālatissa was impending for a long time. For a long time in the human world is like a moment in Tusita City. Thus, a pure destiny, corresponding to the ripening karma, continues for a long time; in this way, the stories of Dutthagāmaṇi Abhaya, Dhammika Upāsaka, and others should be expanded. For the executioner of thieves, however, in the great hell, the hellfire and the like, corresponding to the ripening karma, persist for a week. It is said that in the city of Sāvatthi, five hundred thieves were committing theft outside the city. Then one day, a villager became one of them and committed theft; then all of them were arrested by the king's men. The king, seeing them, said, "I will give life to the one among you who is capable of killing all these." The five hundred thieves, being related to each other, being friends to each other, did not want to kill each other, but the villager, saying "I will kill," killed them all. The king, pleased with him, gave him the job of executing thieves. He performed the job of executing thieves for twenty-five years. The king, saying that he was old, had the job of executing thieves given to another. Removed from the job of executing thieves, near someone, having learned to control the breath, he would release his breath on those whose hands, feet, ears, noses, etc., were to be cut off, on those who were to break thigh bones, and on those who were to be killed. He obtained a mantra to be memorized. Announcing it to the king, he spent thirty years performing the work of killing thieves with the wind from his nose. Later, becoming old, he lay on his deathbed, "He will die in seven days." At the time of death, there was great pain. As if reborn in the great hell, he made a great noise and was miserable. Frightened by his noise, people abandoned their houses on both sides and fled. On the day of his death, the Elder Sāriputta, looking at the world with his divine eye, saw him being reborn in the great hell after his death, and out of compassion for him, appeared at the door of his house. He, being angry, released the wind from his nose. Even when releasing it for the third time, unable to release it, seeing the Elder shining exceedingly, he calmed his mind and gave rice porridge to the Elder. The Elder blessed him and departed. The thief-killer, recalling the gift given to the Elder, passed away and was reborn in heaven, the flames of hell disappeared. In the future, he will become a Paccekabuddha. Thus, even a defiled or ripening bad deed, a sign of destiny appropriate to the deed, arises for a maximum of seven days. However, a thousand stories with verses should be examined in the section on verses. But for the Blessed One, due to the force of the pure, preceded by loving-kindness, associated with joy and knowledge, wholesome deed, these five signs of destiny arise for a long time according to time, island, country, family, and mother. By "long time" is meant seven days in the human world, a moment in the city of Tusita; even so, in the human world, in a period of seven days, the five preliminary signs appear to the deities, and that appears only to the meritorious, not to all. In the human world, it is like the great deities seeing it among the meritorious, such as kings, great ministers, etc., not those of little power, like the brahmin scholars of omens. The great deities, seeing that preliminary sign, take him to the Nandana Grove, "It is time, O gods!" Thus they request with "ti" and so on. Mahāsakka, right there in Nandavana Park, having surveyed the five aspects regarding time, island, region, family, and mother, and having passed away, taking that as the object, took rebirth in Mahāmāyā's womb. This conclusion should be understood. Here, "time" means he surveyed the time, "In the twenty-ninth year from now, on the Vesākha full moon day, I will become a Buddha" "Island" means he surveyed the island, "I will be born only in Jambudīpa, not in other islands." "Region" means he surveyed the region, "Only in the middle country, and indeed at the Great Bodhi-mandala, not in another region." "Family" means two families, royal family and brahmin family. There, at whatever time the royal family is regarded as the best in the world, "This one is foremost in the world," at that time Buddhas arise only in royal families. But at whatever time the brahmin family is regarded as foremost in the world, at that time Buddhas arise only in brahmin families. Now, however, the royal family is regarded as foremost. Even in the royal family, only the Sakyan king is supreme in the world, because of his unmixed royal lineage. Therefore, he surveyed the family, "I will be born only in the Sakyan royal family." "Mother" means he also surveyed the mother, "My mother will live for ten months and seven days, and in this interval my mother will be free from illness." The Bodhisatta's mother, however, is established in her final age. Thus, both by reasoning and by tradition, the object taken by the rebirth consciousness is indeed the same as the sign of the Blessed One's passing away consciousness. This should be understood. The object of the all-knowing Victor's passing away consciousness is auspicious; The sign of destination should be understood, without contradiction to the texts. The dissolution of the relics will also occur at the Bodhi-mandala. This has been stated in the Upper Fifty, "The dissolution of the relics will occur in the future, at the time of the decline of the Dispensation. In this Tambapaṇṇi Island, the relics will gather together from the Great Cetiya to the Rājāyatana Cetiya in Nāgadīpa, then they will go to the Great Bodhi-pallaṅka. From the Nāga world and the deva world, the relics will go only to the Great Bodhi-pallaṅka, like mustard seeds..." Even the relics inside will not perish. All the relics will gather on the Great Bodhi seat, becoming a single mass like a golden trunk, emitting six-colored rays that will spread throughout the ten thousand world systems. Then, deities will gather in the ten thousand world-systems, lamenting, "Today the Teacher attains final Nibbāna, today the Dispensation declines, this is our last sight." They will show greater compassion than on the day of the Ten-Powered One's final Nibbāna. Except for non-returners and arahants, the rest will be unable to bear it. A flame element will rise from the relic body, ascending to the Brahma realm. Even if a relic the size of a mustard seed remains, there will be a single flame. When the relics have completely disappeared, it will cease. Having shown such great power, when the relics disappear, it is said that the Dispensation disappears. As long as it does not disappear in this way, the Dispensation is truly undiminished. From the time of final Nibbāna until a relic the size of a mustard seed remains, it should not be considered after the Buddha's time. For while the relics remain, the Buddhas remain. Therefore, the arising of another Buddha is prevented in the meantime. Thus we say: From the time of final Nibbāna, the relics endure; The Buddha is as if not extinguished, another Buddha is prevented. Whether the Buddha is living, or the Tathāgata is extinguished; Whoever offers equal worship, their reward will be equal. Thus, in the Sīmāvisodhana, as contemplated by Sāgarabuddhi Thera, in the discourse on the Dhamma, The third chapter, Nibbāna-kaṇḍa, is complete. 4. Samasīsikaṇḍa Now, the order of exposition has arrived for the phrase "and the Sangha is rare in the world." Therein, the Sangha is twofold, in terms of ultimate reality and conventional reality. Among them, the Sangha in terms of ultimate reality is four pairs of individuals, eight types of individuals, forty-four types of individuals, and eight hundred types of individuals. Therein, in brief, the one standing in the path of stream-entry and the one standing in the fruition are one pair, the one standing in One is the path-attainer to stream-entry, the fruit-attainer to stream-entry; One is the path-attainer to once-returning, the fruit-attainer to once-returning;