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Empowerment Teachings by Master Yuan Yin in the United
States, 1997
On Tantra (1): The Stages of Tantric Practice
Among Buddhists it is common to slander one another; without
noticing it, karma is created. Pure Land practitioners who do not understand
Vajrayāna sometimes rashly say, “Tantra is a ghost-and-spirit cult; only Pure
Land is best.” In the Northeast I once heard Master XX declare that Tantra is
the worst. He is an impressive master. After hearing him, I asked, “You
cultivate Pure Land—do you recite mantras? The Great Compassion Dhāraṇī? The Rebirth Dhāraṇī? The Ten Small Mantras?” He
replied, “Yes.” I said, “Are those not tantric mantras? You yourself
cannot dispense with Tantra; to slander the Dharma incurs fault!” Even Master
Hongyi of the Vinaya school once said Tantra was a ghost-and-spirit cult;
later, after he read complete tantric materials, he realized how thorough Tantra
is—from shallow to profound, from lesser to great—and that it is not two from
Chan. He recognized his mistake and wrote a confession, included in his
collected writings.
These are the words of people who do not understand Tantra,
speaking carelessly and knowing only their own approach. Is Tantra a
ghost-and-spirit cult? At the very beginning there can indeed be a flavor of
gods and spirits; Tibetans, having coarser faculties, respond to a little
mystery and “resonance.” If they seek mystery, deity rites are quicker; if they
study Dharma, it is slower. But later Tantra has nothing to do with gods and
spirits. Tantra teaches the nine vehicles, nine steps of practice. It
begins with the outer three vehicles—the exoteric teachings of Śrāvaka,
Pratyekabuddha, and Bodhisattva—which must be understood before cultivating the
inner three vehicles. The inner three are actual cultivation: having
grasped the doctrine, one then practises mantra. There are methods to dispel
karmic obstacles, avert calamities, heal illness, and even attract wealth—the
wealth-deity practices are deity rites, so “spirit” methods exist at the
outset. But later come consummate teachings: for example, the Mahāmudrā
of the Tibetan Kagyu (White) school is entirely identical in meaning with Chan.
Mahāmudrā speaks of view, meditation, and conduct: first recognizing
one’s nature; recognizing it brings concentration—knowing all worldly things
are illusory shows there is no need to chase after them. With right view,
conduct accords with the Way and the precepts are naturally upheld. Within
concentration one cultivates the great method, purifies habitual tendencies,
and realizes sainthood—exactly what Chan teaches. The Nyingma (Red) school’s Great
Perfection (Dzogchen) is likewise so. Our body has five lights; outside are
five lights; outer lights stimulate inner lights until the whole body becomes a
body of light—yet one must not attach to that. The Red teachings state clearly:
even if one attains the rainbow-body of light, if one clings to it, one is
still but a roaming spirit in the cosmos; one has not attained the Way. One
must dissolve even the rainbow light; only then is there supreme ascent—this
matches Chan’s “the Dharma-body going beyond.” Chan speaks of breaking three
barriers; the last, the prison-barrier, is “the Dharma-body going
beyond”: great spiritual powers without dwelling in powers, no Buddha to be
made, clinging to nothing at all.
On Tantra (2): Opening the Wisdom Treasury
On the mainland nowadays, there is a tendency toward Tantra.
Many misunderstand, thinking Tantra means secrecy or the display of powers, or
a ghost-and-spirit path. This is wrong. The “secret” of Tantra is opening
the sealed treasury of wisdom to see our original face. Where is that
original face? Unknown. Scientists and physicians may dissect the heart and
brain yet never find it, for our wondrous suchness is signless; from the
standpoint of form it cannot be seen. “Speech is cut off; the path of mind and
cognition ceases”—this is truth. Hence the Consciousness-only school says
“person-emptiness and dharma-emptiness”; the twofold emptiness is called suchness,
an abstract truth. The Madhyamaka masters say “dependent origination, empty in
nature”: all things lack self-nature; compounded by causes and conditions, they
have no inherent essence. This empty nature—mind empty, the truth of
suchness, the Buddha-nature—this is exactly what Tantra points to. By means of the
three mysteries—body, speech, and mind—acting as blessings, our mind is
opened and we see our original face. To open the secret treasure—that is
Tantra. It is not secrecy for its own sake, nor a show of psychic powers. The
Buddha also said: in the degenerate age, beings’ karmic obstructions are heavy;
Tantra is most fitting—without the blessings of Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas, success in cultivation is difficult.
Amid this “Tantra fever,” a certain master published essays
in Dharma Sound (Beijing), discussing issues in cultivation within the
trend. The “Tantra fever” generally points to learning Tibetan Vajrayāna; yet
Tibetan methods are not necessarily suitable for Han Chinese, for they were
cast in the mold of Tibetan customs and cultural level. From the four or five
preliminary practices onward—one hundred thousand full prostrations; one
hundred thousand recitations of the Hundred-Syllable Mantra; one hundred
thousand maṇḍala
offerings; one hundred thousand refuge formulas—one first does preliminaries
and only then the main practices. This is like taking a long detour! The Han
tradition has its Confucian-Buddhist-Daoist inheritance and solid roots;
there is no need to learn exclusively from Tibetans.
China has its own esoteric tradition. In the Tang there was Tang-Mi;
Master Huiguo transmitted to Kūkai of Japan, whence Tō-Mi (Shingon)
continues today. In the Ming under Zhu Yuanzhang, Chinese Tantra was entirely
suppressed; fearing displays of spiritual power might threaten the throne, he
forbade its transmission. What we transmit now as the Heart-Center Dharma
(Xīnzhōngxīn Fǎ)
descends from the Tang—an old transmission, not a modern invention. Its textual
basis is found in the Canon, in the section connected with the Mahāpratisarā Dhāraṇī;
it is a Chinese esoteric method that points directly to mind, enabling
one to see one’s nature and become Buddha. It lets you personally see your
original suchness, know what “mind” and “nature” are, and then protect them in
practice—saving many detours. This method is excellent.
To realize mind and see nature is not difficult.
People make it out to be extremely hard, something only sages can do. In truth all
beings possess the Tathāgata’s Buddha-nature. Alas, we fail to recognize
it, chase after external dusts, and are deluded by them. Now we are shown how
to recognize our own nature—so awakening to mind and seeing nature is not
difficult!
The advantage of tantric cultivation is relying on Buddha-power
blessings, like getting help walking the path. Self-power cultivation is
like walking on two feet; with blessings, it is like riding a car or flying—far
less effort. Thus tantric cultivation is in essence the same as Chan; it is not
about secrecy or powers. Do not misunderstand Tantra.
Tibetan methods do differ somewhat. Tibetans are attached
and full of strong habits; they expect a bit of “small spiritual response.”
Hence at the beginning there are deity rites: how to dispel disasters, how to
attract wealth. These just fit capacities at the outset. Later one cultivates
the nine vehicles: first the Kriyā (activity) division, then the generation
stage—arising appearances from the unarisen—working with winds,
channels, and bindu, visualizing three channels and five (or seven)
chakras. Methods differ, but all are ways to gather the mind, to keep it
from scattering—hence “generation-stage accomplishment.” After this one must
know it is not the true accomplishment, for Buddha-nature is signless
and unrelated to any appearance. Generation-stage is like treating a large
sore: medicine reduces the wound to a small one, but the poison remains.
Therefore one must enter the completion stage, dissolving all
generation-stage appearances into emptiness—only then is one’s nature seen.
Thus the later tantric path is entirely consonant with Chan. Generation
stage → completion stage → greater completion → Great Perfection →
unsurpassed completion: by the end it is wholly aligned with Chan.
On Chan and Tantra: Originally Interpenetrating
A single example will show that Chan and Tantra fully
interpenetrate. The Red school says: having attained the rainbow body, if one
clings to it, one remains but a roaming spirit of the universe—one must know
that even the rainbow body is ungraspable. Chan has parallel cases. A Chan
master once asked the Caodong patriarch Caoshan: “Master, what about
‘the bright moon overhead’?”—meaning a blazing lunar radiance crowning one’s
head, like the aureole on a Buddha image, shining through the body: is this not
a luminous body—most excellent? Caoshan replied, “Still a commoner at the
steps”—not yet within the hall. The monk begged, “Please, Master, pull me
up!” Caoshan said, “When the moon sets, we’ll meet.”
In cultivation there are three experiential flavors: empty,
blissful, and luminous. When subject and object both vanish—mind and
dharmas both rest—worlds fall empty; the great earth sinks, space shatters.
At that time, though “nothing whatsoever,” there is a clear, quiescent
lucency—ever-knowing, not like wood or stone. Reaching this is
awakening—true emptying. Afterwards there may be intense bliss and then
great radiance—but none of the three may be dwelt in. Dwell in
bliss and you do not exit the desire realm; dwell in light and you do
not exit the form realm; dwell in emptiness and you do not exit the formless
realm. Not dwelling in any of the three is to exit the three realms.
Now let us investigate the matter of cultivation. In
principle, Dharma is beyond words, for all beings possess the Tathāgata’s stainless
self-nature; any saying falls short. Yet people seek outwardly and lose
their nature, craving without end and reaping karma—hence Śākyamuni Buddha
appeared in the world, teaching in various ways that in truth only point us
back to our original face. All Dharma is equal; varied only because
capacities differ, medicine is given according to illness.
Chan (1): Investigating the Huatou and Merely
Reciting It
Among China’s four great schools, Chan is the most
consummate: a single blade cuts straight in, pointing directly to mind and
seeing one’s nature to become Buddha. Other schools, unavoidably, circle
outside. Today’s Chan practitioners, however, find it hard to raise the great
doubt when investigating the huatou. Thus “investigating the huatou”
has degenerated into reciting the huatou, wearing it on the
lips—“Who is mindful of the Buddha?”
Without the doubt-mass, you cannot cut off inner and
outer; discursive thoughts will not cease. When the doubt-mass arises and envelops
the whole body, inner cannot exit and outer cannot enter; then good “news”
appears and the original face is opened. Nowadays people merely recite, “Who is
mindful of the Buddha?”—without raising doubt; thus they cannot cut off
inner-outer, and for all their years of reciting, they do not gain the Buddhas’
blessings. In that case, better to recite “Amitābha” itself. To recite
“Who is mindful of the Buddha?” without doubt neither cuts off delusion nor
reveals suchness, turning Chan into lineage by household scroll. No
wonder Master Taixu lamented: “Today’s Chan descendants transmit by
dharma affinity, not by having awakened and then transmitted… who ever realized
the mind?” Teachers unawakened, students unawakened—the Dharma is dragged
through the dust. Heartbreaking! Under such circumstances, people turn to
tantric methods—this is the main reason for “Tantra fever.”
Chan (2): The Origin of the Huatou
Originally, Chan masters gave direct pointing; they
did not tell people to investigate the huatou. Before the Sixth
Patriarch, teacher after teacher directly indicated; even the Sixth Patriarch’s
transmission to Hueiming was a direct instruction: “Do not think good, do
not think evil.” That is, put everything down; do not stir the mind. When
Hueiming stood for a time without thought, the Sixth Patriarch directly
pointed: “Just at this very moment”—that is your original face.
“That” is crisp and limpid; it bids you be without a single thought—not
groping at a rock saying “I don’t know,” for it still has awareness and spirit.
“That”—no thought, no limit, no knowing, no feeling—yet not wood or stone: that
is your original face. This is direct pointing; this is seeing nature.
Later generations failed to understand direct pointing and
claimed it was not pointing but questioning—as if the Sixth Patriarch
asked, “Which is your original face?” In Chinese, “that” in “that one” can be
read variously; people stretched it either to “That!” (指示) or “What?” (问话). In the mainland, much ink was
spilled over this lawsuit of “question” vs “pointing.” But we need not
litigate: look at later patriarchs. Lingxun asked Guizong, “What is Buddha?”
Guizong said, “You yourself are.” The official Yuxiu asked Ziyu, “What
is Buddha?” The master called, “Official!”—when he responded, the master said,
“Just thus, nothing else.” Damei asked Mazu, “What is Buddha?” Mazu
said, “Mind itself is Buddha.” All are direct indications, not huatou
investigation.
By the Song, human capacities had declined; the Buddha had
already entered nirvāṇa
five hundred years, and the age of semblance followed the age of true
Dharma. Before, direct pointing required little effort—as if inheriting
a family fortune without labor; precisely because there was no blood and sweat,
people did not value it and squandered it. “Ah, so this is it?” “It is.” “Then
why do I not manifest spiritual powers?” Especially today, if told “one thought
not arising, lucidly aware—that is the original face,” people expect powers;
when none appear, they refuse to accept and seek outside, chasing marvels.
Therefore the patriarchs, helpless, ceased direct pointing and adopted
the huatou: using a meaningless phrase stuck to the mind to raise
a great doubt so that the whole body plunges into it; when conditions
ripen, the bottom of the bucket drops—thus huatou investigation
arose in the Song.
Even then, huatou was never one-size-fits-all;
masters tailored it to the pupil’s capacity. Later, with few true teachers,
everyone was given the single huatou “Who is mindful of the Buddha?”—which
is also fine, if one exerts effort on the “who,” truly investigating
“Who, exactly, recites?” Is it “I”? Is the body “I”? Obviously not—the breath
stops, the body remains, but cannot recite. So who says “Amitābha, Amitābha”?
Let doubt arise and thereby cut off inner and outer. Without
doubt, mere recitation is useless. Thus the Dharma has gradually waned.
Mahāmudrā
Consider the Kagyu’s deepest method, Mahāmudrā. This
is not about making or holding a physical “seal” mudrā. Why the name “great
seal”? Because the one dharmadhātu, our stainless self-nature,
pervades space and the dharmadhātu like a single hand. In Journey to the
West, Sun Wukong somersaults for leagues; the Buddha says, “Try
somersaulting out of my palm.” He flips repeatedly yet never leaves that
palm. The true dharmadhātu, exhausting space and pervading the realm of
phenomena, is one hand—hence a mudrā without any mudrā, the Great
Seal.
Dzogchen (Great Perfection)
The Red school’s Great Perfection accords entirely
with Chan. It has two divisions: Trekchö (“direct cutting”)—cutting
thoughts the moment they arise, not following them, letting mind appear—and
Tögal (“leap-over”), in which the Dharma-body goes beyond. Chan
speaks of breaking three barriers—the first, the second (the “heavy”
barrier), and the last, the prison-barrier—and then the Dharma-body
going beyond: here the teachings are entirely consonant. Even if the flesh dissolves
into rainbow light, if one harbors that notion, it is still a stain—just
as Chan says, “The moment you alight upon something, you fall into a pit.”
Whatever method one takes at the start—Pure Land with
Buddha-recitation; Chan with huatou; Tantra with mantra and mudrā—all
converge in the end on Chan, entering meditative equipoise, and
ultimately all converge on Pure Land. Our mind is the land;
when the mind is pure, that is truly a pure land; with anything
remaining in mind, it is not pure land.
After Seeing Nature, Birth-and-Death Is Not Yet Ended
In Chan, opening one’s original mind and seeing one’s nature
does not yet end birth-and-death. Seeing nature is merely breaking
the first barrier: views are severed, but afflictive thought
remains. Though vision is correct, thinking that follows conditions
persists; seeds in the eighth consciousness arise when stimulated—hence
birth-and-death is not over. Because of this, Pure Land followers frequently
criticize Chan: “Chan is inferior; seeing nature, yet birth-and-death remains!
Better to be reborn in the West and, seeing Amitābha, all is resolved.” This
misunderstands Chan’s stance. Chan itself acknowledges that seeing nature
does not finish the job. Master Linji said it plainly: “In the first phrase
one cannot save oneself.” He said, “Look at the puppets on the stage—the
strings are all held by the man behind”; likewise, our speaking and moving are
drawn by Buddha-nature. Recognizing Buddha-nature’s subtle function
still cannot save oneself, because the eighth-consciousness seeds remain and mind
moves with conditions.
The Consciousness-only school is even clearer:
“At arousing the first joy on the path (the first bhūmi),
the coemergent afflictions still lie coiled in sleep. Only after the
Far-going Bhūmi (the seventh) does the stream become purely stainless;
at that time observing wisdom illumines the great thousandfold world.”
That is: from first to seventh bhūmi one cultivates; the eighth
is Immovable; only there does one enter leak-exhaustion, and only
then does spiritual penetration become genuine. Otherwise there is still
retrogression. At that point, the seeds of the eighth consciousness
are exhausted, transforming into amalavijñāna (the ninth, white-pure
consciousness). Even then one is not yet home, for while the coemergent
self-grasping is gone, coemergent dharma-grasping remains; one must temper
in events and remove the dust-like ignorance to transform the ninth
and arrive at the tenth—then it is truly seeing nature and becoming
Buddha. Thus Chan requires long effort; it cannot be finished in an
instant. The “three incalculable eons” are divided into seeing the path,
cultivating the path, and realizing the path—the duration depends
on diligence. Śākyamuni, given prediction by Dīpaṃkara,
strove heroically and shortened the time by seven eons—so the
length is not fixed.
Ānanda and the Buddha were cousins and began
together; when the Buddha realized Buddhahood, Ānanda had not yet awakened—showing
practice depends on oneself. The vigorous advance quickly; the lax proceed
slowly. Therefore in this degenerate age, relying only on self-power is hard;
one should borrow Buddha-power for support.
China’s Indigenous Esoteric Method: The Heart-Center
Dharma
The Heart-Center Dharma is neither learned from Japan
nor Tibet; it belongs neither to Tō-Mi nor to Tibetan Vajrayāna. It is a native
Chinese esoteric method from the Tang. Since no one transmitted it
for ages, even my teacher’s teacher did not know of it until he left home and
travelled to Donglin Monastery on Mount Lu (the Pure Land patriarchal
seat). There Master Huiyuan established Pure Land practice. There are two
samādhis: Buddha-mindfulness samādhi and Pratyutpanna Samādhi.
The former is easier: cross-legged, forming the dharmadhātu concentration
mudrā, reciting “Amitābha,” one attains Buddha-mindfulness samādhi. The Pratyutpanna
is difficult: one walks continuously in a room—no sitting, no lying.
When matured, the Buddha appears before you to lay a hand on your crown.
My teacher’s teacher made a great vow to choose the harder
path. He walked night and day without sleep; the body could hardly bear it; his
legs swelled until he could not walk, yet having vowed, he did not stop—he
crawled on the floor; when his palms swelled and crawling failed, he rolled.
After such suffering and training, mind died through and great samādhi
opened; in samādhi Samantabhadra appeared, placed a hand on his crown,
and said: “In this degenerate age, to undertake such austerity is rare and
precious; yet within the esoteric corpus there is a Heart-Center method
by which you may rely on Buddha-power—no need to suffer so. Cultivate
the Heart-Center Dharma; with blessings, you gain twice the result with half
the effort. Practise it well; when accomplished, descend the mountain and transmit
it widely.”
Today in Japan and Tibet there is also such a method, but it
is not easily transmitted. Often after decades of cultivation, it is
given. The Tibetan master Nona Rinpoche came to Shanghai and transmitted
it to only one person. Others asked; he said: “You lack the
qualification; this is signless esotericism—upon first entry one sees
nature; this is not easy. You should cultivate generation stage
first—winds, channels, bindu.” In Japan likewise it is not lightly given. A
Taiwanese novice studied six years at Mount Kōya; he saw the Heart-Center
manual and begged for transmission. The teacher said, “You are still a junior;
when you attain the rank of ācārya, I will transmit it.” He asked, “Even
after six years I cannot learn it?” Denied, he went to Tibet; except for the
Red school, other sects had no Heart-Center Dharma. A Red teacher said, “You
may learn it—after ten more years. First learn other tantric methods.”
Hence Tibet and Japan possess it but do not lightly transmit it; it
belongs to the heart-essence of esotericism. Therefore Samantabhadra
told my teacher’s teacher: “Cultivate it well, then transmit it broadly to supplement
the deficiencies of Chan and Pure Land.” He cultivated eight years on the
mountain and then descended to propagate it.
When he prepared to transmit, people were unfamiliar with
“Heart-Center Dharma”; none wished to study. He therefore displayed a bit of
spiritual power to attract attention. The Dharma is upright; one should not
traffic in powers. For this he was criticized by Masters Taixu and Yinguang,
who said demonstrations aid “ghost-and-spirit cults” and do not promote the
light of Dharma. He replied, “I, too, would prefer not to show powers; but
transmission is difficult in China since esotericism has been cut off so
long!”
To cultivate the Heart-Center Dharma, one must first arouse ten
vows and practices; only then is one qualified. When these are fulfilled,
the method accords.
- Trust
in all Buddhas; doubt no Dharma. Regard the pure Saṅgha as your teachers.
- Keep
the precepts intact; the mind steadily concentrated; understand all
dharmas as empty—equal, without attachment.
- Be
compassionate to beings; uphold non-killing; regard all beings as
oneself; do not bear to eat their flesh.
- When
people ask, give impartially; be gentle and humble; let no
arrogance arise.
- Do
not betray your fundamental vows; always benefit self and others; do
not self-praise or fault others.
- Rich
or poor, noble or base— their nature is non-dual; let the mouth
be soft and pleasing, generating joy; keep the mind upright, far from
flattery; accord with human feelings and skillfully turn conventional
truth.
- Revere
the Buddha’s teachings; embody and practice them; protect the
Dharma as your life; rescue beings without seeking reward; do not
retreat even when beings are proud and rude.
- Do
not belittle the true Dharma, nor let others belittle it. Do not
slander the Three Jewels, nor let others slander them. When there is
belittling, skillfully clarify so that faith arises and none fall
into wrong nets.
- Guard
right mindfulness; do not do wrong in secret. Be steadfast in superior
practice, unwearied in toil. Make vast vows; collect the mind without
retreat; ever abide in the Mahāyāna and shatter wrong views.
- Whatever
method you cultivate, recite and seal each completely. Keep the pure
secret mudrās from being tainted. Practise for self-benefit and the
benefit of others, not for fame or gain.
The Heart-Center Dharma belongs to the uppermost
teachings within the inner secret three vehicles—the pinnacle consonant
with the Great Perfection of the Red school. You may wonder: if Great
Perfection is the Nyingma’s highest teaching, how can the Heart-Center—which is
not Nyingma—accord with it? Explanation: Great Perfection has two
aspects: Trekchö (“direct cutting”), where thoughts are cut the moment
they arise so the mind-ground appears; and Tögal (“leap-over”),
whereby one leaps beyond the three realms and brings birth-and-death
to an end. The Heart-Center Dharma cultivates precisely direct cutting
and leap-over; as signless esotericism, with one mantra and
six mudrās, one directly sees nature without relying on transitional
appearances. With appearance-based methods one must first cultivate
appearances and then empty them to see nature—many detours. This method cuts
directly.
Our nature is signless (without marks)—nothing to see,
touch, or smell. Thus people do not know how to enter. Tibetan
Vajrayāna, to give a handhold, takes many detours: the four
preliminaries and so on; then, in Great Perfection Trekchö one still
begins with winds-channels-bindu—three channels and seven
wheels—establishing the image and then emptying it; these are the preliminaries
of Trekchö. We, with six mudrās and one mantra, do not visualize
channels; we focus the deluded mind on the mantra so that mind
recites and the ear hears—the mind recites, the ear clearly hears the sound
one recites; in this way one seizes the wandering sixth consciousness,
so that discursive thought does not arise, and right then one can enter
samādhi. This is the Ear-Faculty Perfect Penetration of
Avalokiteśvara.
The Śūraṅgama Sūtra explains this very clearly. Twenty-five great bodhisattvas each described their method of practice; Avalokiteśvara spoke of entering through the ear faculty. In the end the Buddha asked Mañjuśrī to choose which single faculty is most fitting and swift for beings of the Saha world, and Mañjuśrī chose Avalokiteśvara’s ear-faculty gateway. Because the ear faculty is so keen, we now use the ear to listen to the sound of our own mantra-recitation, seize the mind-root, and make the sixth consciousness cease its stirring. Practising in this way is even more direct, more “cutting on the spot,” than Great Perfection.
Mind Recites; Ear Hears—Practise in Accord with Dharma
Take heed: in cultivation, you must let the mind
recite and the ear hear; you must practise according to Dharma. Do not
let the mouth chant while the mind thinks of other things—mouth without mind is
useless. This applies equally to Buddha-recitation. If you mouth “Amitābha”
while the mind is scattered and thoughts ramble, you cannot be reborn in the
Pure Land—the mind is too chaotic. When the mind is impure, even if the
Buddha appears, you will not see him. Great Master Yongming Shou
(a great patriarch of both Chan and Pure Land) said: “Mouth reciting
Amitābha while the mind is scattered—cry yourself hoarse to no avail.” Why?
The mind is like water. When water is clear, the moon’s
reflection appears; Amitābha is like the moon; our mind is like water.
If water is unclear, the moon does not appear; when the mind is impure,
Amitābha does not appear in your mind—you will not see him come to welcome you
and thus cannot be reborn. Mahāsthāmaprāpta teaches: “Gather in the
six faculties; let pure mindfulness continue.” With the single sacred name
you seize eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, reciting “Amitābha”
clearly and quietly until one-pointedness without confusion; then
rebirth is assured.
Of the six faculties, mind is the hardest to seize.
The instant you are still, thoughts arise. We are accustomed to
movement; when we do not quiet down, we may not notice; once still, it is
evident—like water settling and mud sinking so that you can see it. Thus
one must use mind reciting, ear hearing to seize all six faculties, cut
off discursive thought, let body and mind fall away, and then the
original Buddha-nature appears. Proper method is crucial; without it, one
cannot see one’s nature. Many of you have practised long—there should be
result. Why not? Because you have not been according to Dharma.
First kind of not according to Dharma: on-and-off
practice. Today you sit, tomorrow you say the body is unwell or you are busy,
and practice is delayed. This does not work. Like cooking rice—take it
off before done, let it cool, then put it back: the rice turns hard and ruined.
Cultivation is like rowing upstream; do not exert and the boat is swept
back. Broken-up practice is poor.
Second: mind recites, ear does not hear. You
recite the mantra while thinking, “How will I handle that matter? How do I
solve this?”—not according to Dharma. The deluded mind is not severed;
how then open the original and see nature?
Third: after rising from the seat, you do not
observe. On the cushion you work diligently; off the cushion you follow
delusion and chase conditions—ten days of cold for one day of warmth. In
this restless era—everyone trading stocks—minds run to prices rising and
falling, profit and loss. Without observation you are pulled about. You
must constantly watch: as soon as a thought arises, see it; do
not follow it; remain lucid that what can speak, see, and hear is your
nature, not turned by circumstances. Without correcting these faults, you
cannot see the Way.
The Mind-Ground Approach
While seated, use vajra recitation: lips move
slightly but no sound. Out-loud chanting damages qi; entirely
silent recitation taxes blood. We must protect the body; do not ruin it.
But if seeds surge and the mind is agitated so you cannot sit still,
or if you grow drowsy and dream wildly, then do recite audibly
to dispel turbulence and sleep; only then enter samādhi. Otherwise, still use vajra
recitation.
Recite ten to twelve times per minute. As you recite,
let mind recite and ear hear: each syllable passes through the heart;
not lip-service without mind. Let the ear clearly listen to the sound
issuing from the heart; hearing clean and fresh, discursive thought is
seized and still, and gradually samādhi is entered.
Of the six faculties, mind and ear are hardest
to seize. Eyes can be closed; tongue is seized by recitation; nose by avoiding
smells; body by avoiding contact. But the ear is keen—distant sounds,
even beyond a mountain, intrude; and the mind is harder yet: unbidden,
thoughts leap forth—habit energy of countless lives. In the scriptures
this is manasikāra, the first of the five universal mental factors—ever
flowing like a stream, subtle and unseen.
Some say, “When I don’t cultivate, I have no thoughts; when
I sit, thoughts arise—did cultivation spoil me?” No. In ordinary bustle
you don’t see the movement; once quiet, you do. What to do? Only one
way: use the ear to seize the mind. Because the mind cannot do two
things at once: listening single-mindedly to the mantra or Buddha-name,
thoughts naturally cease. Therefore, recite “Namo Amitābha” or “Amitābha,” listening
to each syllable clearly; then thought stops. Likewise with mantra: each
syllable from the heart, each clearly heard—that is according
to Dharma. The gist of sitting is mind recites, ear hears: seize
thought and enter samādhi. If you mouth the words while the brain thinks seven
this and eight that, you will not enter samādhi. You must die-to-self on
the cushion.
Most important of all is mind-emptiness. Cultivation
is to leap beyond the three realms and the five phases; everything must
be put down. Household life adds obstacles—family, affairs upon affairs.
Be ever alert: these appearances are false, ungraspable; do not harbor
them; only then will coarse delusions not arise. As you work diligently, subtler
delusions will attack—the old habit of countless lives does not stop at
once. Do not fear it. When a thought jumps out and you see it, ignore
it; it naturally dissolves.
If a thought arises and you do not see it, you are carried
by it and cannot enter samādhi. The essential point of sitting is put
everything down. Let the mind be crisp and clear; when a thought
comes, see it; do not dislike or suppress—aversion is
itself delusion; suppression fails (press grass with a rock: remove the rock
and grass rises; suppress too hard and you turn into wood or stone—useless).
Use a lively transformation: do not suppress; simply do not heed;
raise the mantra—delusion naturally transforms and falls away.
Practise thus with vigor. When you reach one-pointedness
without confusion, even the mantra naturally falls away—why? Because
mantra-recitation is still deluded mind, with subject-object: a
mind that recites and a mantra recited; the two are relative
and therefore false. The true mind is absolute and signless;
whatever has form is illusory. When one truly reaches one-pointedness, all
relative, illusory things drop away. Body, mind, and world fall
empty; space shatters; the innate true nature appears in its
entirety.
After empowerment and cultivation of the Heart-Center
Dharma, there is often a spell of diarrhea—do not fear it. This is the power
of the Dharma: a great purification expelling filth, stains, and
habitual obstructions. A good sign.
Conceptual Understanding Still Must Be Personally
Realized
Studying Chan texts and “getting the idea” is doctrinal
awakening—mere verbal understanding is of little use. Without personal
realization, concentration is insufficient; when matters arrive, you cannot
withstand them. Understanding does not end birth-and-death; you must
realize, personally seeing your nature. “Seeing” is not with the eye—it
is the mind-ground Dharma-eye realizing nature. Nature is formless;
the eye sees only forms. At realization, even the person is gone—what
“eye” remains to “see”? The Dharma-body has no form, yet it is not nihilistic
nothingness; it is great function and great energy, all worldly
appearances being its display—like electricity: unseen, yet
without it the world will not run; or like salt in the sea—the sea is
visible, the salt-taste unseen yet undeniably there.
As effort deepens to the conditioned mind, the world falls
empty; in the spiritual knowing, one intuits and sees the
Way—hence it is the mind-ground that sees. Is this success? Many
think so—not yet; far from it. You have just opened the treasury and
glimpsed a shadow—still peripheral to the Dharma-body.
Birth-and-death is not ended; you must protect it diligently, temper
the mind in conditions, eradicate habits from countless kalpas, and
truly accord with the Diamond Sūtra: “Whatever has
characteristics is all illusory”; in favorable conditions no joy,
in adverse no anger—utterly unmoved. Then thought-afflictions end
and segmentary birth-and-death is finished. The Diamond Sūtra
says, “Past, present, and future mind are all ungraspable.” If mind is
ungraspable, what moves? One who truly sees nature has only this
awareness; all else is ungraspable. Yet it is only in accord with truth
when even awareness and ungraspability are not grasped; if encountering
conditions you stir, you are not one who has seen nature. The four
fruits of Arhatship are distinguished by whether mind stirs. A
first-fruit Arhat is pure in the forest but, entering the city, thoughts
rise—evidence that thought-afflictions remain.
During sitting many visions may arise—Buddha and
Bodhisattva lights, or ugly nightmares—do not heed them; all that has form
is false; grasping them invites possession. Passing from form
to formless, various transformations occur: body gone; limbs gone;
breath seemingly to stop; head about to explode—do not fear this; it is the prelude
to body-mind release. The slightest fear and you are thrown out of
samādhi. When the fire reaches the point, a great explosion—inside,
body and mind vanish; outside, world dissolves; space shatters—and
nature appears. But do not seek an explosion; the very seeking is
delusion; then you cannot even enter emptiness. Tantra has advantage: often
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas bless, an outer explosion triggers the inner—yet
never anticipate it; do not wait or welcome it. In
samādhi, whatever appears—do not heed. Remember the Diamond Sūtra:
all forms are false. Ignore them and nothing happens; attend to them and
possession is near.
A second-fruit Arhat notices a thought arise and
immediately awakes; although he does not dwell on appearances and, after
awakening, returns home and sits securely, there is still arising and ceasing.
One still undergoes three more births in heaven and fallings to earth
before ending segmentary birth-and-death. Thus opening the original is not
the end; you must diligently extirpate habits. Advancing to the third
fruit, unmoved in events, and higher to the unconditioned, one
reaches avaivartika—the stage of non-retrogression—then one has initially
finished. Any thoughts, emotions, fabrications are conditioned.
From first to seventh bhūmi there is the presence [of afflictive conditions]; only when entering the eighth is there the absence [of afflictive conditions]. Even at the seventh one has realized the unconditioned,
yet a shadow of the unconditioned remains—still unclean; only at the eighth
is even that shadow gone. Measure yourself: do you remain unmoved by
conditions? If thoughts still surge, it will not do; if you cling to states,
still worse. Only everywhere and always, the mind empty as swept,
functioning according to conditions without attachment—true
emptiness, wondrous existence; wondrous existence, true emptiness—is the
awakening we speak of.
When a Thought Arises, Do Not Follow
Beyond sitting, the most important is daily application.
Constantly watch yourself: as soon as a thought arises, see it
and do not follow. If you fail to see it and are carried far before
noticing, it will not do. Chan says: “Do not fear thoughts arising; only
fear awakening late.” If a thought arises and you immediately awaken, you
will gain freedom in birth—not yet ending birth-and-death, but mastering
it: rebirths occur by choice, not dragged by karma.
Degrees of Practice
First step: When a thought arises, do not follow.
Achieve this and, within birth-and-death, you master yourself—karma does
not drag you, and you gain great ease.
Second step: Personally realize the unconditioned.
Let events come as they may; the mind does not move—not suppression, but
genuine accord. Engage all affairs, accord with all conditions—no
preference for good or bad; joy does not swell, aversion does not arise—thus
the mind becomes peaceful, reaching equality and the unconditioned.
At this point one gains freedom of transformation; segmentary
birth-and-death is ended. One reaches the level of the eighth bhūmi,
able to manifest three kinds of mind-made bodies.
Third step: Extinguish the subtle streaming current.
This is that manasikāra, the subtle flow in the eighth
consciousness. Only by entering adamantine Potalaka great samādhi can
one perceive and extinguish it. When this flow is entirely gone,
one can manifest hundreds of thousands of millions of transformation-bodies
to liberate beings—truly home. Awakening at the start is far from
this; hence diligent practice is required.
Without bodhicitta there is no Buddhahood. Bodhicitta
is “seeking above and transforming below”—seeking Buddhahood and
transforming beings. We cultivate for the sake of beings, not
self-liberation.
Today, obtaining this method is supreme fortune. Chan
often requires decades of earnest investigation to open the original;
but people are busy—time does not permit. With the Heart-Center Dharma,
relying on Buddha-power, it is convenient and swift: Chan’s
self-power is two feet; Heart-Center with blessings is vehicle or
plane—the speed differs. Treasure this method; be cautious and
protective; above all, practise without interruption. Not two hours of
sitting and then letting the wild horse run. In walking, standing,
sitting, lying, maintain unbroken observation—only then will you
accord with the Great Way.
The Heart-Center Dharma is yet more marvelous in that it fuses the myriad dharmas into a single furnace. Śākyamuni taught that cultivating the Heart-Center and forming the fourth seal can lead to rebirth in the Western Pure Land, and further, to rebirth in the pure lands of the ten directions according to one’s vows—this is the Pure Land school. Opening the original and seeing one’s nature—this is Chan. Brought to completion, the mind pervades the worlds of the ten directions: the ten directions are perfectly rounded within my mind; the Buddhas are within my mind, and I am within the Buddhas’ minds; light interpenetrates light, layer upon layer without end, mutually interfusing without obstruction—this is the Huayan teaching.
Six Key Points of Practice
- Put
everything down; die-to-self on the seat.
All worldly things are confluences of causes and conditions, insubstantial—like clouds passing, unreal, ungraspable. Even your body is provisional; you cannot keep it. To clutch at reflections is foolish. The great work of Buddhahood is for great persons; not for the faint-hearted. First, see through; on the seat be like a corpse—otherwise scattered thoughts will ruin the session. - Sit
reciting mantra; let mind recite and ear hear.
This is the essence of Heart-Esotericism and decisive for entering samādhi and awakening. The mind is used to movement; only by heart-born sound and ear-borne clarity can the mind-root be seized; otherwise one cannot settle. - When
thoughts arise, at once awaken; neither suppress nor follow.
See the thought as it comes; if not seen, you will be carried along. Do not suppress; do not drift. Ignore it; raise right mindfulness and recite single-mindedly; delusion transforms and samādhi is entered. - Sit
on schedule; neither hurried nor lax.
Set times daily; habit makes entry easier. Morning is best; predawn better still. Do not strain to enter samādhi; sit with ordinary mind, calmly reciting—seek neither samādhi, awakening, nor powers. The very thought of seeking is delusion and blocks the gate. - After
rising, maintain observation—fine, continuous.
Extend the stillness of the seat into daily activity. In all postures, coolly self-use, delicately observing non-dwelling—not dragged by states, not let loose among thoughts. - Make
your heart vast; contain all.
Do not be narrow. Even when others mistreat you, treat them better—no trace of love/hate, like/dislike. According to conditions, do good everywhere; ever carefree, without fear of gain/loss, praise/blame—this is the greatest spiritual power.
Remember these six points and practise accordingly: you will
surely open the original and personally realize Buddha-nature. Fulfil
them without the slightest slackening and you are guaranteed to
consummate bodhi and achieve great realization.
