The four different groups of people are basically 1] A person who comes from darkness and goes into darkness, 2] A person who comes from darkness and goes into brightness, 3] A person who comes from brightness and goes into darkness and 4] A person who comes from brightness and goes into brighter brightness.

1] A person who has come from darkness and is going into darkness means that one has died from a realm lower than the human realm such as animal realm and born as human. After he died, he will go back and born into a lower realm again.

How do we know that a person has come from lower realm than human? Such people are beggars or lowly families, blind, with hunchback, broken leg, bow-legged, curve hand, have deformities or handicapped, very unhealthy, hunters, fishermen and very poor people. This type of person has come from the woeful states of darkness.

How do we know that they will go back to the woeful states again after death? In this present life, they would kill, steal, have sexual misconduct, tell lies, cause disharmony among others and commit all kinds of unwholesome actions and sins. This type of people will definitely go back to the woeful realm or hell.

In the woeful states there are no light of wisdom but only darkness. There is no opportunity to do meritorious deed therefore, there is no happiness. There will be constant unhappiness in mind and but only anger and grief.

2] A person who comes from darkness but will go into brightness means that a person who has died in the woeful states of darkness and being reborn in the human plane. After death he will be reborn into a happier human which has brightness.

How do we know that he had come from darkness but will go into brightness? He is that of an individual being born in a lowly family, ugly, full of sickness, poor or destitute but he becomes remorseful and does a lot of wholesome deeds, gives donations, observing the right principle of life with good conduct. This type of person who has come from darkness will definitely go into brightness.

3] A person who has come from brightness but will go into darkness means that a certain individual is born into the royal family, wealthy parents or noble family, has good appearance, is free from diseases, is healthy, and also has lots of properties. This type of person is deemed to have come from good spiritual world higher than human realm or a very good human in his previous life.

How do we know that he is going to the realm of darkness after death? It is because he does not do any meritorious deeds, does unwholesome deeds such as killing, stealing or cheating, committing sexual misconduct, speaking falsely, taking intoxicants and enjoying all kinds of sensual pleasures. This type of person will surely go into darkness after death.

4] A person who has come from brightness and going into brighter brightness means that after death in the human world, he will be reborn as an even better or brighter human or in the good spiritual world as deity.

How do we know that he had come from brightness and will go into brighter brightness? He is that of a certain individual born in a royal or noble family, is good looking, free from diseases, enjoys good health and owns a lot of properties. Due to his richness he gives away easily, has a charitable and golden heart, loves doing wholesome deeds and observes and lives a highly principled life. He will surely be born into a realm higher and brighter than the human realm such as the spiritual world.

This is the advice from Heaven:

1] To purify ones mouth can cause the karma from ones previous births to cease and enable one to be a freed Buddha.

2] To ferry or guide people to the way of Heaven can help remove the sentient beings from the bitterness of life and enable one to be a lenient Buddha.

3] To be a Tao preacher can help others cease doubting about Tao and make them have faith in Tao, and enable one to be a wise Buddha.

4] To set up a sanctuary can form good affinity with all sentient beings and enable one to be an auspicious Buddha.

5] To be a pioneer for Tao can disseminate Tao to different places in the world and enable one to be a Buddha of meritorious virtues.

6] To work and serve people in the sanctuary can make one modest and humble, work with ones full effort, and enable one to be a vivacious Buddha.

Author: T.A Chew