Q: Master, are there extraterrestrial aliens in this world?
A: Our world not only has extraterrestrial aliens but also intraterrestrial aliens as well. Extraterrestrial aliens are also part of inherent causes and effects! Our world does not only limit to this planet earth but is also a part of Sakya Buddha’s Great Chiliocosmos
[1]that will take you forever to count. Needless to say, its range is very immense; its sentient beings are vast and various. A buddha realm does not restrict to homo-sapiens but also includes humanoids and non-humanoids. Sakya Buddha’s Pure Land has wide range of rewards, inherent causes and effects, environments and locations. Therefore, it can be argued that extraterrestrial aliens are caused by inherent causes and effects; they will born and die. Even at the wonderful place like the Utmost Joy Realm has its share of births and deaths. There, lotuses give birth to people who incarnate through their buds. Here in this sahā realm, we can call mother as lotus. The Utmost Joy Realm is the Lotus of the West. In sahā realm, mother is lotus, which is the same! It’s all depending on how you think about it. This is the inherent causes and effects. You can’t escape from it. You are what you thought.
Master, on page 146 of your new book, Utmost Hearing, can you please explain the term: enters the flow of non-dwelling.
A: Guanyin Bodhisattva initially focused on using the ability of Her ears to inwardly observe Her listening nature. When we chanted mantra, we quietly listened to the pronunciation of each word. We put our body and mind in midst of our dharma listening nature. This is the term: enters the flow. Non-dwelling describes the oblivion to external sounds, when we use the ability of our ear to hear all kinds of sound. The phrase, begin in midst of the hearing nature, enter the flow of non-dwelling, describes how focus on listening can forget about the sounds you are listening to. Therefore, everything you hear is the complete stillness.
[1] One great chiliocosmos is a Buddha-World. Mt. Sumeru, and its even surrounding continents, eight seas and ring of iron mountains form one small world; 1,000 of these worlds form one small chiliocosmos; 1,000 of these small chiliocosmos form one medium chiliocosmos; 1,000 of these medium chiliocosmos form one great chiliocosmos; which thus consists of 1,000,000,000 small worlds
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