Translated By Tony Qin
In the Buddha Mother Great Peacock Wisdom King Sutra, in addition to reciting the sacred names of various Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the Four Heavenly Kings, there are also over a hundred Dragon Kings and more than two hundred names of various large and small Yaksha deities, many of which have appeared in other Buddhist scriptures. The text also dedicates significant portions to reciting the names of various Rakshasas, Asuras, and the Eight Legions of Heavenly Beings and Spirits. As noted in the Anthology of World Buddhist Classics: “The names of the deities mentioned are truly a grand mobilization within Buddhism; even the Seven Buddhas of Compassion descend to joyfully chant mantras.” Some may wonder: why does the sutra invoke so many deities of the Eight Legions of Heavenly Beings and protective gods and spirits? What is the purpose behind this?
In the Dharma realm, all beings of the six paths coexist, and the various celestial deities and spirits, whether dwelling on the earth, in the sky, or in the water, share a common attachment to desires, which are closely related to humans. There is a sort of interaction between them and us. Among the twenty-eight groups of deities, the powerful demon gods possess the ability to shake the heavens and the earth, with great destructive and harmful power. The sutra calls upon all of these deities from the Eight Legions of Heavenly Beings and other spirits to gather. Throughout the ceremony, various rituals are performed, from praising and offering to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to encouraging self-reflection on past harmful actions. By hearing the teachings of the sutra, they are reminded of their original vows and the transformative power of the Dharma, which dissolves their negative intentions to harm others. This leads them to abandon their violent tendencies and awaken to great compassion.
From the appearance of various spirits and deities in the Buddha Mother Great Peacock Wisdom King Sutra, we come to understand the suffering inherent in the cycle of birth and death across the three realms. In Buddhist teachings, beings in the three realms experience suffering through the physical processes of birth, aging, illness, and death, as well as the mental cycle of arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing. This continual flow of existence, repeating life after life, is known as Samsara. Buddhism teaches that the determining factor of Samsara is our own karma. As stated in the Lotus Sutra: “There is no peace in the three realms, much like a burning house.” Sentient beings generate karma, causing them to cycle through birth and death, trapped in the three realms for countless lifetimes, enduring indescribable suffering.
Although the Eight Legions of Heavenly Beings possess great supernatural powers, and the Dragon Kings have immeasurable treasures, they too are trapped in the three realms of Samsara due to their karmic obstacles of greed, anger, and ignorance, unable to transcend their afflictions. This is why they too admire the Buddhas, who emerge from the human realm, for humans have the opportunity to renounce worldly life and practice to transcend the cycle of birth and death. Therefore, the Buddha said, “A single lifetime as a human cannot be regained for countless eons,” and “The number of those who attain a human body is as small as a handful of soil, while the number of those who lost it is as vast as the earth.” Since the human world is where Buddhas arise, it holds three unique advantages over the other realms: sharp memory, diligent striving, and pure, virtuous conduct.
From the perspective of spiritual practice, beings in the deva path are often consumed by pleasure and become distracted from continuing their spiritual cultivation. Although beings in the asura path enjoy celestial blessings, they are plagued by jealousy, anger, and arrogance. The suffering in the three lower realms—where hell beings endure ceaseless torment, hungry ghosts suffer from perpetual hunger and thirst, and animals are caught in a cycle of mutual violence—reveals the pain and ignorance inherent in those paths. Therefore, all five paths are unsuitable for spiritual cultivation.
Only in the human path, where joy and suffering coexist in equal measure, can beings cultivate wisdom. Those destined by karma to hear the Buddha’s teachings can realize the importance of practicing virtue and accumulating merits, which can lead to elevated rebirths and, ultimately, to the attainment of enlightenment. This is why the human path is the most suitable for practicing the Dharma.
Master Sheng Yan gave us this teaching: Many people believe that the cycle of Samsara is like a wheel, continuously turning and eventually returning to its starting point. For example, one may think that after being born as a human, they will pass through the other five paths and eventually return to human form. In reality, this is an incorrect view. The Master emphasized that, for most beings, returning to a human life is unlikely. Instead, they are more likely to continue cycling through other realms, such as the hell or animal paths, without end.
Although celestial beings enjoy long lives and great blessings, they are still trapped in the painful cycle of Samsara. While their enjoyment in the heavens is the result of the good deeds they performed in the human world, once their accumulated blessings are exhausted, the likelihood of returning to human form becomes even smaller. Master Sheng Yan pointed out that, for most beings, they are more likely to fall into the realms of animals, hungry ghosts, or hell. Only the state of non-birth, free from Samsara, offers the ultimate, eternal bliss of a pure existence—this is true liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
We should cherish the rare opportunity of having a human life. First, it is because being human gives us the chance to encounter, understand, and practice the Buddha’s teachings—something that is much harder in the deva path, and even more so in the other paths. Furthermore, all Buddhas have attained Buddhahood while in human form. Lastly, after leaving this human life, the hope of being reborn as a human again may not be realized for countless eons to come.
[1]The Eight Legions of Dharma Protectors in Buddhism are: 1) The Deva (Divine) beings, 2) The Dragon beings, 3) The Yakṣas, 4) The Gandharvas (fragrance deities and music deities), 5) The Asuras (hostile deities), 6) The Garuḍas (golden-winged birds), 7) The Kinnaras (song deities), and 8) The Nāgas (great serpent deities).
