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Śakra

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What does it look like when one achieves the pinnacle of good karma?

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Suppose in this life you accumulate great merit,

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giving alms, building roads,

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and helping the poor.

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And you don't just do it for one lifetime;

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you do it for countless lifetimes.

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Finally, one day,

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you reach the peak of your cultivation.

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After death, you are reborn on the very summit of Mount Meru,

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living in a palace called the City of Good Views.

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You become the King of the Thirty-Three Heavens,

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with the entire human world beneath your feet.

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Your lifespan,

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converted into human years,

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is 36 million years.

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Your palace is built of seven treasures,

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surrounded by countless celestial maidens.

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Whatever you desire,

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at just a flicker of thought,

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appears before your eyes.

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You might think

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that at this stage,

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it should be enough.

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But the Buddha said,

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"It's not enough."

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Hello,

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everyone,

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I am Wang Lijie.

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Today, we're discussing a unique figure in Buddhist cosmology:

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Śakra.

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He is one of the most frequently appearing Guardian Deities in Buddhist sutras,

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holding a status similar to the Jade Emperor in Chinese folk religion.

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But his true identity is much more interesting than the Jade Emperor's.

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Because he isn't just a fictional mythological character.

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In the Buddha's teachings,

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he is a real case study,

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a living specimen used to answer the question:

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"How far can being a 'good person' actually take you?"

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First, let's look at a map.

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In Buddhist cosmology,

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there is a concept called the Six Heavens of the Desire Realm.

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From lowest to highest,

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they are Cāturmahārājika, Trāyastriṃśa, Yāma,

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Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, and Paranirmita-vaśavartin.

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These six heavens

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are like a six-story apartment building.

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The higher you live,

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the longer your life

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and the more subtle your pleasures.

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But there is one commonality:

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the residents of all six floors

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still possess desires,

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though their expressions differ.

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In the bottom two levels,

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the Four Heavenly Kings and Trāyastriṃśa,

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it is still much like the human world,

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involving physical contact.

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By the third level, Yāma,

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only a hug is needed.

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In the fourth level, Tuṣita,

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holding hands is enough.

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In the fifth level, Nirmāṇarati,

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a simple smile suffices.

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In the sixth level, Paranirmita-vaśavartin,

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they don't even need to smile;

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a single glance is enough.

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Desire goes from coarse to subtle,

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but it is always there.

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That is why it's called the Desire Realm.

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Śakra lives on the second level,

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Trāyastriṃśa,

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the summit of Mount Meru.

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Trāyastriṃśa is the transliteration of the Sanskrit word

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meaning "thirty-three."

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The Thirty-Three Heavens are not thirty-three floors,

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but rather thirty-three regions,

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like a vast horizontal kingdom

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spread across the peak of Mount Meru.

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Śakra is the king of this kingdom.

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So how did he become the king?

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This starts from his past life.

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According to the Pali Canon,

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Sakra was once a young Brahmin man named Magha,

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living in a small village in Magadha.

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Magha had a particularly simple trait:

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he loved doing good deeds.

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Not just occasional acts of kindness,

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but making good deeds a way of life.

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He built roads, pavilions, dug wells, and cared for the elderly.

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And he didn't do it alone;

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he brought thirty-two friends along with him.

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These thirty-three people formed an alliance for good,

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spending their lives accumulating merit.

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The scriptures record seven vows Magha made.

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He vowed to support his parents for life;

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vowed to respect his elders;

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vowed to use gentle speech;

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vowed never to backbite or sow discord;

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vowed to overcome greed and be generous;

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vowed to speak the truth;

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and vowed to never harbor anger.

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Look closely at these seven rules;

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none are difficult to understand,

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but each requires a lifetime of persistence.

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It's not about a single grand gesture of charity,

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or a one-time donation to make the news,

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but day after day, controlling your speech,

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your mind, and your wallet.

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This kind of goodness

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is the most basic,

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yet also the most difficult.

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After these thirty-three people passed away,

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they were all reborn at the summit of Mount Meru,

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forming the Trayastrimsha—the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

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Because Magha was the leader,

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he became the Lord of Devas,

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known as Sakra.

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The other thirty-two became his ministers.

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The Samyukta Agama records eight names for Sakra;

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one of them is Maghava,

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his original name from his past life.

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Even as the Heavenly King,

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his name carries the trace of that young man

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who built roads and wells in the village.

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So you see,

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the "Thirty-Three" is not an abstract number;

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it represents thirty-three people

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who earned a world through their good karma.

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The very foundation of this celestial realm

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was cast from a lifetime of good deeds.

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Hearing this,

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you might think this is just a Buddhist version of Heaven.

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Good people are rewarded;

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doing good leads to Heaven.

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It sounds similar to the stories of other religions.

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But what comes next

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is where Buddhism fundamentally differs from others.

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Does Sakra live a good life in Heaven?

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Of course.

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The City of Good Views is made of seven treasures;

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heavenly robes appear naturally;

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divine music never stops.

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But he faces a problem—

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a problem

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that you also encounter in the human world.

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He has to go to war.

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That's right;

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there is war even in Heaven.

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Sakra's main enemies are the Asuras.

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In Buddhist cosmology, Asuras have the blessings of gods

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but lack their virtue.

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In plain terms,

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they are talented but have a bad temper;

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capable but highly competitive.

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The Asuras originally lived on Mount Meru too,

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but were later driven down after various conflicts.

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Since then, they have repeatedly waged war against Sakra's realm.

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This war is mentioned many times in the Pali Canon.

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Sakra must mobilize the armies of the Four Heavenly Kings.

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unite the powers of higher heavens,

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and arrange his troops for battle.

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Sometimes the devas won,

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and sometimes the asuras won.

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They fought countless rounds,

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and eventually settled for peace through a political marriage.

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The Asura King married his daughter to Sakra,

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and Sakra gave the divine nectar in return.

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Just imagine this scene:

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a man who did good deeds all his life

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became a heavenly king after death,

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only to find that in heaven, he still has to fight wars,

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form political alliances,

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and maintain peace through marriage.

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Is that any different from human emperors?

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The difference is indeed quite slim.

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This is the deepest part of Sakra's character.

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He is not a perfect deity;

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he is a man who pushed good karma to its limit,

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was reborn in the highest place good karma could send him,

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only to find that place looks exactly like the human world.

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The walls are just more magnificent,

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and life is longer,

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but the underlying logic hasn't changed at all.

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There are enemies,

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there is jealousy,

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there is conflict,

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and there is war.

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Think about whether there are similar people around us.

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Some people spend their lives doing good deeds,

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and in their old age, they indeed live very well.

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They are surrounded by grandchildren,

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enjoy good health,

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and are respected by everyone.

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But if you observe their hearts closely,

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they still feel uneasy because a neighbor said something wrong,

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still get angry when their juniors don't listen,

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and still feel an indescribable emptiness when waking up at midnight.

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The environment has improved,

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but not a single line of their inner program has changed.

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Sakra is an amplified version of such a person.

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By pushing the environment to its extreme,

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you see the boundaries of good karma.

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Alright.

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Up to this point,

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the story is just interesting.

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The next part is what truly shocked me.

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Sakra went to seek the Buddha's teachings.

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This event is recorded in the 21st Sutta of the Digha Nikaya,

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called the Sakrapañha Sutta.

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The imagery in this Sutta is very vivid.

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The Buddha was staying in Indra's Cave in Magadha.

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Sakra descended from heaven with his musician, Pañcasikha.

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He first had the musician play a song for the Buddha.

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This song wasn't a solemn hymn,

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but a love song Pañcasikha wrote for a goddess before the Buddha's enlightenment.

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Picture the scene:

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the Heavenly King arrives,

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starts with a love song to warm up,

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and then Sakra begins to ask questions.

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His first question is very intriguing.

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He didn't ask how to become a Buddha,

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how to transcend rebirth,

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or about the ultimate truth of the universe.

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He asked:

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"Why do all living beings,

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including gods, humans, asuras, nagas, and celestial musicians,

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clearly hope for no enmity, violence, or confrontation,

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yet end up living in enmity and violence?"

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Consider the weight of this question.

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It was asked by a heavenly king who just finished a war.

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He wasn't asking about theory;

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he was asking about his own personal predicament.

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"I did good all my life,

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cultivated my way to heaven,

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yet I still have to face conflict.

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Why?"

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This "why"

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is not an abstract debate in a philosophy class;

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it is from someone who has truly experienced the rewards of good karma.

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It's the questioning that arises when one finds problems remain unsolved.

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The Buddha's answer consisted of only two words:

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Jealousy and avarice.

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All sentient beings live in hostility

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because of jealousy and avarice.

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Śakra followed up,

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"Where do jealousy and avarice come from?"

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The Buddha said,

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"They come from like and dislike."

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"Where do like and dislike come from?"

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"From desire."

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"Where does desire come from?"

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"From thinking."

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"Where does thinking come from?"

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"From conceptual proliferation (Papañca)."

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From the proliferation of scattered, unsubstantial concepts.

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With a chain of causality,

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the Buddha deconstructed surface conflicts down to the base level of consciousness.

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Did you notice the logical direction of this chain?

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Śakra asked an external question:

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"Why is there conflict in the world?"

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But the Buddha gradually pulled the answer inward.

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Conflict comes from jealousy;

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jealousy comes from preference;

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preference comes from desire;

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desire comes from thinking;

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00:09:16,307 --> 00:09:18,111
thinking comes from conceptual proliferation.

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Every step moves from outside to inside,

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from phenomenon to origin.

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00:09:22,746 --> 00:09:25,631
The end point is not an external enemy,

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00:09:25,787 --> 00:09:29,672
but the non-stop machine of discrimination deep in your own consciousness.

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00:09:30,067 --> 00:09:33,072
This is the most subtle point of Śakra's inquiry.

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00:09:33,346 --> 00:09:35,432
He thought he was asking a political question:

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00:09:35,586 --> 00:09:36,951
"How do we eliminate conflict?"

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00:09:37,267 --> 00:09:38,091
The Buddha told him,

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00:09:38,427 --> 00:09:39,751
"This is a question of consciousness."

277
00:09:40,187 --> 00:09:42,432
The root of conflict isn't a lack of resources,

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00:09:42,547 --> 00:09:43,951
or the evil of others,

279
00:09:44,106 --> 00:09:47,091
but your own consciousness constantly creating discrimination,

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00:09:47,466 --> 00:09:50,631
creating preferences, wants, and atwants.

281
00:09:50,907 --> 00:09:54,032
This process doesn't stop just because you are in heaven.

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00:09:54,267 --> 00:09:56,711
The walls in heaven are made of seven jewels,

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00:09:56,787 --> 00:09:59,672
but the way your consciousness works hasn't changed at all.

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00:10:00,067 --> 00:10:00,932
The scriptures record that

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00:10:01,307 --> 00:10:02,426
during this dialogue,

286
00:10:02,427 --> 00:10:04,392
Śakra attained the "Stainless Dharma Eye."

287
00:10:04,667 --> 00:10:05,611
What is the Dharma Eye?

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00:10:06,147 --> 00:10:08,192
It is seeing the truth with one's own eyes:

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00:10:08,547 --> 00:10:09,826
whatever has the nature to arise

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00:10:09,826 --> 00:10:10,951
has the nature to cease.

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00:10:11,187 --> 00:10:12,491
This is the first step on the path to liberation—

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00:10:12,947 --> 00:10:14,192
the realization of a Stream-enterer.

293
00:10:14,466 --> 00:10:15,226
Meanwhile,

294
00:10:15,226 --> 00:10:18,351
80,000 heavenly beings present also attained the same insight.

295
00:10:18,706 --> 00:10:20,951
But there is a very subtle detail here.

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00:10:21,346 --> 00:10:23,312
After Śakra attained the Dharma Eye,

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00:10:23,547 --> 00:10:25,312
he didn't immediately transcend Samsara.

298
00:10:25,506 --> 00:10:26,772
He was still Śakra,

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00:10:27,226 --> 00:10:28,591
still living in the Trayastrimsa Heaven,

300
00:10:28,746 --> 00:10:30,152
still facing the Asuras,

301
00:10:30,346 --> 00:10:32,152
and still managing the Thirty-three Heavens.

302
00:10:32,667 --> 00:10:33,951
He simply "saw."

303
00:10:34,226 --> 00:10:35,892
Seeing and walking out

304
00:10:36,226 --> 00:10:37,312
are two different things.

305
00:10:37,547 --> 00:10:40,312
It's like living in a luxury room for a long time

306
00:10:40,586 --> 00:10:43,672
and suddenly realizing the door was never locked.

307
00:10:43,947 --> 00:10:45,152
The door has always been open,

308
00:10:45,427 --> 00:10:47,751
but you haven't stood up to leave yet,

309
00:10:48,106 --> 00:10:49,871
because the room is too comfortable,

310
00:10:50,027 --> 00:10:52,511
and you aren't ready for the road outside.

311
00:10:52,907 --> 00:10:55,751
But this "seeing" itself is a qualitative change.

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00:10:56,147 --> 00:10:57,591
Before attaining the Dharma Eye,

313
00:10:57,706 --> 00:11:00,072
Śakra thought heaven was the destination.

314
00:11:00,267 --> 00:11:01,706
After attaining it,

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00:11:01,706 --> 00:11:03,792
he knew heaven was just part of the journey.

316
00:11:03,866 --> 00:11:05,792
He still lived in the City of Sudarsana,

317
00:11:05,866 --> 00:11:07,471
still held the title of Heavenly King,

318
00:11:07,547 --> 00:11:10,385
but his internal map had completely changed.

319
00:11:10,386 --> 00:11:12,025
He knew where he was,

320
00:11:12,027 --> 00:11:14,192
and he knew which way to find the exit.

321
00:11:14,427 --> 00:11:17,985
Compared to those devas still indulging in heavenly pleasures,

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00:11:17,986 --> 00:11:20,032
he is already an entire dimension ahead.

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Now,

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I want to ask you a question.

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00:11:22,427 --> 00:11:25,272
Where does the daily pursuit of 'being a good person'

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00:11:25,346 --> 00:11:27,692
fit into the Buddha's coordinate system?

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00:11:28,027 --> 00:11:32,066
Doing good deeds, accumulating merit, charity, or being filial to parents—

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00:11:32,067 --> 00:11:33,412
is this spiritual practice?

329
00:11:33,749 --> 00:11:34,548
Yes.

330
00:11:34,787 --> 00:11:37,192
The Buddha never denied the value of good karma.

331
00:11:37,506 --> 00:11:38,572
Good karma is necessary;

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00:11:38,746 --> 00:11:39,751
it is the foundation

333
00:11:39,787 --> 00:11:41,792
and the first step on any path of cultivation.

334
00:11:42,067 --> 00:11:44,631
But Shakra's story tells you one thing:

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00:11:44,947 --> 00:11:46,351
good karma has a ceiling.

336
00:11:46,787 --> 00:11:48,792
Good karma can improve your circumstances—

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00:11:48,907 --> 00:11:49,971
from hell to the human realm,

338
00:11:50,427 --> 00:11:51,871
from humanity to the heavens,

339
00:11:51,907 --> 00:11:52,991
and from suffering to joy.

340
00:11:53,226 --> 00:11:56,111
But good karma cannot change how your consciousness operates.

341
00:11:56,307 --> 00:11:57,745
No matter how many good deeds you do,

342
00:11:57,746 --> 00:12:00,192
your consciousness will still distinguish between 'self' and 'other'.

343
00:12:00,466 --> 00:12:02,672
It will still generate likes and dislikes,

344
00:12:02,947 --> 00:12:06,111
and still feel joy from gaining or pain from losing.

345
00:12:06,386 --> 00:12:09,552
This is a core distinction in the Buddha's teaching.

346
00:12:10,226 --> 00:12:11,991
Good karma belongs to 'conditioned phenomena' (Sankhara).

347
00:12:12,466 --> 00:12:13,371
What are conditioned phenomena?

348
00:12:13,907 --> 00:12:15,772
Things that arise from a convergence of conditions

349
00:12:16,226 --> 00:12:18,991
and must change as those conditions change.

350
00:12:19,586 --> 00:12:20,491
You do good,

351
00:12:20,907 --> 00:12:21,991
accumulate merit,

352
00:12:22,187 --> 00:12:23,392
and are reborn in heaven.

353
00:12:23,746 --> 00:12:25,511
But good karma eventually runs out.

354
00:12:25,866 --> 00:12:28,432
A lifespan in the Trayastrimsha Heaven is 36 million years.

355
00:12:28,466 --> 00:12:29,591
It sounds long,

356
00:12:29,706 --> 00:12:31,831
but compared to eternity, it is finite.

357
00:12:32,226 --> 00:12:34,432
The day Shakra's good karma is exhausted,

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00:12:34,506 --> 00:12:36,672
he must face his next rebirth.

359
00:12:36,986 --> 00:12:37,532
Where he goes

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00:12:37,866 --> 00:12:39,871
depends on what seeds remain in him.

361
00:12:40,267 --> 00:12:41,412
Good karma is a painkiller,

362
00:12:41,746 --> 00:12:42,831
not a scalpel.

363
00:12:43,067 --> 00:12:44,131
It can relieve symptoms,

364
00:12:44,427 --> 00:12:46,032
but it cannot remove the root of the disease.

365
00:12:46,386 --> 00:12:48,231
You can perform a thought experiment.

366
00:12:48,427 --> 00:12:50,951
Suppose you possess everything Shakra has:

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00:12:51,226 --> 00:12:51,892
a palace of seven treasures,

368
00:12:52,267 --> 00:12:54,025
a lifespan of 36 million years,

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00:12:54,027 --> 00:12:55,272
and anything you desire.

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00:12:55,586 --> 00:12:56,971
Do you think you would be happy?

371
00:12:57,787 --> 00:12:59,511
You might be happy for a while,

372
00:12:59,947 --> 00:13:01,851
but can you guarantee you won't feel envy?

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00:13:02,307 --> 00:13:03,251
Or stop making comparisons?

374
00:13:03,826 --> 00:13:05,785
Won't you, in some silent moment,

375
00:13:05,787 --> 00:13:07,331
feel an inexplicable emptiness?

376
00:13:07,826 --> 00:13:09,871
If your answer is that you can't guarantee it,

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00:13:10,027 --> 00:13:12,152
then you have encountered Shakra's dilemma.

378
00:13:12,547 --> 00:13:13,871
It's not that heaven is bad;

379
00:13:13,986 --> 00:13:16,552
it's that the 'operating system' you brought with you hasn't changed.

380
00:13:16,907 --> 00:13:17,731
What is the root cause?

381
00:13:18,267 --> 00:13:21,312
It is found in the answer to the question Shakra asked the Buddha.

382
00:13:21,667 --> 00:13:26,631
Envy, stinginess, likes, dislikes, desire, obsession, and mental proliferation—

383
00:13:26,947 --> 00:13:29,451
these don't disappear just because your residence changes,

384
00:13:29,667 --> 00:13:32,552
or because your income or social status increases.

385
00:13:32,826 --> 00:13:34,426
They are not in your environment;

386
00:13:34,427 --> 00:13:35,951
they are in your consciousness.

387
00:13:36,226 --> 00:13:38,066
You move to a bigger house,

388
00:13:38,067 --> 00:13:39,912
but anxiety doesn't move out because of it.

389
00:13:40,027 --> 00:13:41,706
You are promoted to a higher position,

390
00:13:41,706 --> 00:13:43,831
but insecurity doesn't resign because of it.

391
00:13:44,106 --> 00:13:45,751
You do good deeds your whole life,

392
00:13:45,787 --> 00:13:48,745
but the sense of satisfaction and identity that comes from doing good

393
00:13:48,746 --> 00:13:50,552
is itself a subtle form of attachment.

394
00:13:50,866 --> 00:13:53,631
Shakra's story holds a particularly cruel metaphor.

395
00:13:54,106 --> 00:13:57,471
He is the one in the universe who has reached the pinnacle of 'being good'.

396
00:13:57,907 --> 00:13:59,991
If being a good person could solve the fundamental problem,

397
00:14:00,147 --> 00:14:01,831
he would have solved it already.

398
00:14:01,947 --> 00:14:02,912
But he hasn't.

399
00:14:03,147 --> 00:14:04,011
He is still at war,

400
00:14:04,386 --> 00:14:05,392
and he is still suffering.

401
00:14:05,626 --> 00:14:07,871
He even ran to the Buddha to ask why.

402
00:14:08,027 --> 00:14:09,792
This isn't denouncing being a good person.

403
00:14:09,986 --> 00:14:10,951
Quite the opposite,

404
00:14:11,267 --> 00:14:12,432
it is telling you

405
00:14:12,506 --> 00:14:14,591
that being good is a necessary direction,

406
00:14:14,667 --> 00:14:15,831
but not the end goal.

407
00:14:16,147 --> 00:14:18,991
The destination isn't anywhere that good karma can deliver you.

408
00:14:19,267 --> 00:14:23,231
The end is the moment you see that good karma itself is conditioned.

409
00:14:23,746 --> 00:14:26,351
Just like when Sakra gained the Eye of Dharma,

410
00:14:26,826 --> 00:14:27,532
he saw that

411
00:14:27,826 --> 00:14:29,272
whatever has the nature to arise

412
00:14:29,427 --> 00:14:30,392
is also destined to pass away—

413
00:14:30,667 --> 00:14:31,892
including heavenly joys,

414
00:14:32,267 --> 00:14:33,751
the fruits of good karma,

415
00:14:33,947 --> 00:14:35,631
and even his throne as a celestial king.

416
00:14:35,907 --> 00:14:36,951
This isn't pessimism.

417
00:14:37,386 --> 00:14:38,546
Seeing the ceiling

418
00:14:38,547 --> 00:14:40,831
means you finally know where the exit is.

419
00:14:41,106 --> 00:14:44,631
But Sakra is only the king of the second level of the Desire Realm.

420
00:14:44,907 --> 00:14:46,951
He represents the pinnacle of good karma.

421
00:14:47,506 --> 00:14:49,172
On the highest of the six heavens of the Desire Realm—

422
00:14:49,466 --> 00:14:50,631
the Heaven of Controlling Others' Emanations—

423
00:14:50,706 --> 00:14:52,591
dwells a completely different character.

424
00:14:53,187 --> 00:14:56,072
If Sakra is the "best person" in the Desire Realm,

425
00:14:56,386 --> 00:14:59,152
then this individual is its cleverest controller.

426
00:14:59,667 --> 00:15:01,392
His name is Papiyan (Mara).

427
00:15:01,746 --> 00:15:02,572
He doesn't do good deeds.

428
00:15:02,947 --> 00:15:04,631
He does something far more terrifying:

429
00:15:05,106 --> 00:15:07,032
He makes you feel that doing good is enough.

430
00:15:07,346 --> 00:15:08,471
He doesn't block your path;

431
00:15:08,826 --> 00:15:11,312
he makes you think the path has already reached its end.

432
00:15:11,706 --> 00:15:14,231
Sakra's story is about the ceiling of good karma.

433
00:15:14,667 --> 00:15:15,792
Papiyan's story

434
00:15:15,866 --> 00:15:17,951
is about the one who prevents you from seeing that ceiling.

435
00:15:18,706 --> 00:15:20,432
But that's for the next episode.

436
00:15:20,667 --> 00:15:23,491
What inspiration do you take from Sakra's story?

437
00:15:24,147 --> 00:15:25,985
Have you ever thought about this concept

438
00:15:25,986 --> 00:15:27,091
of a "ceiling for good karma"?

439
00:15:27,626 --> 00:15:29,672
The good things you pursue in daily life—

440
00:15:29,746 --> 00:15:32,491
what level of problem are they truly solving in your heart?

441
00:15:33,386 --> 00:15:34,091
I am Leo Wang.

442
00:15:34,386 --> 00:15:35,432
See you next time.