Also See:
From https://book.bfnn.org/article/0383.htm
"In the Principle of the View, there is only the light of prajñā [wisdom], which can be observed and selected through wisdom. That emptiness is not separate from Great Compassion; prajñā and bodhi [awakening] are maintained in equal balance; therefore, the fusion of emptiness and compassion is the Right Samādhi [meditative absorption]."
The practice of Dharma places primary importance on the correctness of the View. As mentioned before, only when the cause is correct will the fruit be correct; if the cause is not correct, the fruit will inevitably be crooked. The View is the causal ground for beginning practice, so it must be upright. Especially in the current stage of the Age of Dharma Decline, where fish and dragons are mixed together and evil dharmas are prevalent, all kinds of crooked gates and heterodox paths run rampant without restraint. In our practice, we must possess the eye of selecting Dharma and recognize true teachers to avoid entering misleading paths and walking wrongful roads.
Speaking of Views, it was mentioned earlier that due to differences in the roots and knowledge of students, there are various kinds of Views. Some people are generous and bold, full of high spirits, capable of sacrificing themselves to benefit others, yet they are unwilling to learn Buddhism; they think that being upright and enjoying charitable giving is already the noblest state in the world. This is the View of the Human and Heavenly Vehicle. Some people are self-righteous and disregard the life and death of others; as the saying goes, "Each person sweeps the snow from their own door and pays no mind to the frost on another's roof tiles."
This is the Hīnayāna View biased towards emptiness. Some people see the suffering of others as their own suffering and practice the Path energetically to save others.
This is the Mahāyāna Bodhisattva View. Furthermore, some people are nurtured by Buddhist teachings and know that all sentient beings possess the same leakless wisdom nature as the Buddha, but are unaware of it because they are confused by external objects; they know that as long as they turn the light around to shine within, they can restore the radiance of their Fundamental Nature and give rise to all marvelous functions.
This is the Buddha View of the Supreme Vehicle. Others seek Dharma outside the mind and abide in attachment to supernatural powers. This is the Non-Buddhist View...
Generally speaking, regardless of the View, it is only the Right View if it departs from the heart of Great Compassion and sacrifices the self for others; otherwise, it is a Wrong View.
Because if one does not depart from the heart of Great Compassion, no matter what path one practices, one will either fall into biased emptiness or abide in attachment to supernatural powers. One will definitely not be able to realize the Right Samādhi of the fusion of emptiness and compassion. Consequently, one cannot perfectly achieve the fruit of Buddhahood.
From this, it can be seen that to choose a correct causal View for learning Buddhism, one must carefully discriminate with the Great Wisdom of prajñā to be without error. It is a pity that modern students of Buddhism do not know what is correct; they all tend towards supernatural powers, thinking that having supernatural powers is the Great Dharma. They go to learn this "Qigong" or that "Tao," not knowing that those skills and methods hanging a Buddhist signboard are all evil dharmas practiced apart from the Mind-nature. The so-called supernatural powers are all possessions by ghosts, spirits, demons, and monsters; they are not true supernatural powers emitted from the self-nature Mind. Learning them is not only unbeneficial but also carries the danger of entering the demonic. There are also some colleagues who have studied Buddhism for many years and should have known to practice from the Mind-ground—the root—as the Right Path. However, because their greed had not been extinguished and they were attached to supernatural powers, they were seemingly manipulated by ghosts to abandon the Right Dharma and followed those deceitful ox-ghosts and snake-spirits to act as accomplices. These are all the wrongful sufferings endured due to a lack of prajñā wisdom and incorrect Views.
On the road of practice and realization, there is a fork in the road that one must be aware of, otherwise one will mistakenly enter the "Absorption of Cessation" of biased emptiness. There is a type of person who, when practicing, considers suppressing thoughts from arising and sitting there motionless as the ultimate. Sitting in a pool of stagnant water, they turn into earth, wood, metal, and stone, falling once again into a heavy, withered, and silent samsāra. This is also the fault of lacking the heart of Great Compassion and not thinking of initiating function to save beings. As demonstrated by the verse of Chan Master Wolun in the Platform Sūtra: "Wolun has skills, Can cut off a hundred thoughts, Against objects the mind does not rise, Bodhi grows day by day." This means that this type of person has taken the wrong path in practice and cannot accomplish the Way.
One must know that although our Dharmakāya is empty and signless, it has boundless marvelous functions; it is not dead silence incapable of functioning. If one suppresses the Fundamental Nature to the point where not a single thought arises, not only does one fall into the Absorption of Cessation, but one also has no way to thoroughly see the entire Dharma-realm. Because the reason the Fundamental Nature is empty is that emptiness can merge with the myriad existences; it is not a signless dead emptiness or insentient emptiness. Therefore, it does not depart from the heart of Great Compassion to give rise to various marvelous functions for saving beings. Only when Essence, Appearance, and Function are all complete is it the entire Dharma-realm; otherwise, if it is dead and motionless, how can blessings and wisdom be doubly perfected to realize the fruit of Buddhahood!
For this reason, the practice of the Way must involve the fusion of emptiness and wisdom; neither can be lacking. The so-called "emptiness" is Wisdom: recognizing that everything is a reflection of one's own mind, unobtainable, ungraspable, thoroughly letting go, with the mind empty like it has been washed. "Compassion" is Blessings and Virtue: initiating the great vow to widely save sentient beings from the heart of Great Compassion, tirelessly doing all kinds of good deeds to benefit sentient beings without abiding, and accumulating blessings and virtue. Only then can one realize the fruit-ground Buddha where wisdom and blessings are both perfect and full. Otherwise, practicing wisdom without practicing blessings leads to "the Arhat with meager offerings"; practicing blessings without practicing wisdom leads to "the elephant wearing jeweled necklaces"—incomplete retributions.
If we who practice the Way can indeed establish the Right View, recognize that the Fundamental Nature is the root of accomplishing the Way, and start from the path of the dual operation of emptiness and compassion, working hard and diligently, it will not take much time to open up the Original and personally see the Buddha-nature. We will then know that every single thing is a manifestation of our Fundamental Nature, and that every time and place is nothing but the marvelous function of prajñā. All is one, one is all; where then is the distinction between person, self, object, and sentient beings!
If there is the slightest corner or fraction of a barrier, it is inevitable that one will be deceived by the appearance of events or the "tongue of an old monk," revealing a deficit in words and actions and failing to attain freedom.
A lay Buddhist went to visit Master Xu Yun. Master Xu asked: "What kung fu (practice) do you do?" The layman answered: "I observe the mind." Master Xu asked: "Ah, have you observed the mind yet?" The layman could not answer. Master Xu Yun said: "You still need to work hard!" Actually, it is very easy to answer. Asked if you have observed it? Answer: "I have observed it." Originally one should not answer this way, because the True Mind is signless and cannot be seen with the eyes; moreover, the Mind transcends sense organs and dusts, shining alone in solitary brightness, without a relative subject that observes and object that is observed. But in dialogue with a great monk, there is no harm in lying across the tiger's mouth to see how he bites down! Master Xu Yun would definitely not let you pass and would pursue by asking: "If you have observed it, where is the mind?" Then stick out a hand and say: "Revealed on the whole tray." This displays your True Mind on the whole tray. The True Mind is not elsewhere; it shines before you at all times—what is difficult about answering? An ancient virtue said: "The Dao is something that cannot be departed from for an instant; that which can be departed from is not the Dao."
The True Mind has no appearance of interruption, so it cannot be departed from; because it cannot be departed from, it is in Samādhi at all times without entry or exit. If this Samādhi has entry and exit, it is not Right Samādhi. The Samādhi of biased emptiness is a Samādhi without the heart of Great Compassion, so naturally, it is not Right Samādhi; similarly, a Samādhi with entry and exit is also not Right Samādhi. Right Samādhi is neither biased towards emptiness nor has entry and exit. What is Great Samādhi? Not being confused by objects; whatever circumstances appears before you, it is just as Confucianism says: "Mount Tai collapses in front of one and the countenance does not change; a moose rises on the left and the eyes do not blink"—not moving a bit. Therefore, in our practice, we must be like this at every moment, tempering ourselves amidst turmoil, and training ourselves amidst walking, standing, sitting, lying down, and interpersonal interactions. Do not learn that Samādhi of biased emptiness or that with entry and exit; one must learn the Right Samādhi of the fusion of emptiness and compassion. Practicing Right Samādhi is the essential point of practicing the Way.
"Those possessing Right View and Right Samādhi align with the sprout of the birth of all Buddhas, which is the path of Bodhisattva practice."
Once we possess the Right View and Right Samādhi of practicing the Way, when we apply our efforts, we will not go astray and will easily achieve success. Therefore, practicing the Way requires Right View and Right Samādhi; without Right View and Right Samādhi, it is all "cooking sand hoping it becomes rice"—there is no rightness in it, and one cannot accomplish the Way. "Aligning with the sprout of the birth of all Buddhas" means that once we possess Right View and Right Samādhi, the sprout of Bodhi has shot forth, and in the future, it will certainly grow strong and result in the fruit-ground Buddha. If the cause is correct, the fruit is correct; if the causal ground is not correct, the fruit will be crooked. This is the "path of Bodhisattva practice," the correct road for Bodhisattva practice ("Qu" means road). We must do this to be practicing the Bodhisattva path, and only then can we become Buddhas in the future.
"All altruistic Six Pāramitās and Myriad Practices make one a practitioner of good capacity."
The starting point of practice for us Mahāyāna people is to benefit others, not to benefit ourselves, just like a lifeguard in a swimming pool. To save those who are drowning, the lifeguard must first learn to swim and master lifesaving techniques. If one jumps into the water without first learning the skills to save people, not only will one fail to save others, but one will drown oneself first. Therefore, in learning Buddhism, we must learn the Mahāyāna; we learn Buddhism to save sentient beings, not just for ourselves. Merely seeking to exit birth and death oneself or to be born in the West to enjoy blessings is not our goal. Those seeking birth in the Western Pure Land must also practice the Great Way in the Western Pure Land and then return to save sentient beings; only this accords with the heart of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Therefore, learning Buddhism requires that we cannot depart from sentient beings for a single moment!
Turning back to speak further: if we depart from sentient beings, we cannot become Buddhas. Why? Because if you depart from sentient beings, your wisdom and blessings cannot be perfected. Do we not say we must break the four kinds of delusions: view, thought, dust-and-sand, and ignorance? Dust-and-sand delusions are the minute delusions after the two delusions of view and thought; this means our minute habit seeds of affliction are as numerous as mud and sand and as fine as dust. To break them and sweep them clean, one must temper oneself in the role of saving sentient beings. Why? Because the habits and habit energies of sentient beings are all different; to save them, you must sacrifice yourself to accord with others, follow them, and get close to them in order to lead them through the gate. To do this, you must first sweep your own habit energies clean. Otherwise, if your own habit energies are still present and you are arrogant and conceited, how can you accord with others? Therefore, one of the Four Means of Embracing of a Bodhisattva is "Colleagueship"—according with others. Only by working together with sentient beings can you pull them over. Every sentient being has a different character and temper; only when you can adapt to all of them and suit their capacities will your subjective minute habit energies be exhausted, your mind's capacity be broad, the dust-and-sand delusions be severed, and wisdom be perfected. Therefore, dust-and-sand delusions must be ended amidst saving sentient beings; wisdom cannot be perfected if not applied to saving sentient beings. What about blessings and virtue? If you do not do things for the masses, where will blessings and virtue be accumulated? You must serve the masses; you must sacrifice for the masses! Just as Śākyamuni Buddha sacrificed himself for the masses not just once. When sentient beings suffered from a famine due to heavy collective karma and had no grain to satisfy their hunger, Śākyamuni Buddha transformed into an incredibly large animal and descended from the sky for everyone to eat; after they were full, he preached the Dharma to them. Enabling everyone to receive both the giving of food and the giving of Dharma, thereby escaping the sea of suffering of starvation and birth and death—what a great model of learning Buddhism to save beings this is! Since we are learning Buddhism, we must sacrifice for sentient beings and serve sentient beings to accumulate blessings and virtue. The Buddha is the Honored One of the Two Merits; to become a Buddha, one must be fully equipped with both wisdom and blessings. Therefore, one can only become a Buddha in dependence upon sentient beings; without sentient beings, you fundamentally cannot become a Buddha; without sentient beings, you can at most become an Arhat, as the views of Dharma have not yet been removed. Because the dust-and-sand habit energies cannot be changed, wisdom is not perfect, and blessings are even less sufficient. Thus, to become a Buddha, you must still thank sentient beings; it is sentient beings who help you accomplish the Way. Without sentient beings, your habit energies cannot be changed, and blessings have no way to accumulate; you definitely cannot become a Buddha. So it is said: "All altruistic Six Pāramitās and Myriad Practices make one a practitioner of good capacity."
The "Six Pāramitās and Myriad Practices" are Generosity, Precepts, Patience, Diligence, Dhyāna, and Wisdom. First, Generosity. Giving to the masses includes the giving of wealth, the giving of Dharma, and the giving of fearlessness. Second, Holding Precepts. This means keeping the precepts established by the Buddha; the most basic are the Five Precepts: no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, and no drinking alcohol. The purpose of holding precepts is to make the mind pure. Third, Patience. Everyone misunderstands patience, thinking it means holding back and not moving when someone scolds or beats me; this will not do. If this goes on for a long time, one will get sick. What is patience? No insult to be borne. Patience is not endurance, but recognition and acceptance; it means the heart is truly submissive. The Diamond Sūtra says: "No sign of self, no sign of person." No sign of self—who is scolding whom? No sign of person—who is scolding me? Who scolds whom, who scolds me—both are unobtainable; both are empty. If he insults me in such and such a way, I accept it. Without self, his scolding is like wind blowing through the trees; once past, it is over. No sign of person, no sign of self, empty and unobtainable—this is the Patience of the Non-Arising of Dharmas! The Patience of the Non-Arising of Dharmas is truly recognizing the truth of the universe and life, understanding that the so-called great chiliocosm is all false appearance, and fundamentally there is no arising and no ceasing! All things are manifestations of the marvelous function of our self-nature; everything is born of causes and conditions. "Dharmas born of causes and conditions, I say they are empty." Empty, not a single dharma obtainable—where is there arising? Without arising, where is there ceasing? Everything is nothing; what are you bearing? Say it again: Patience is not endurance. Patience means one has recognized it, the mind is truly empty, truly submissive, without dispute—this is the practice of Patience! Fourth, Diligence. To save sentient beings, one must accomplish the Way; without accomplishing the Way, how can one save sentient beings? To accomplish the Way, one must be diligent. Diligence without slackening is for the sake of saving sentient beings, not for oneself. Fifth, Dhyāna Meditation. Practicing Dhyāna meditation at all times; the mind does not waver against objects and does not flow with false thoughts. Sixth, Great Wisdom. Only with Great Wisdom can one use skillful means to save sentient beings according to different opportunities and conditions. All these altruistic good deeds are Bodhisattva practices; otherwise, one is not a Bodhisattva. Ganges Mahāmudrā is the Great Dharma of the Esoteric School; it does not speak of those lesser dharmas, so it speaks directly to the main point at once.
"If one can further put down all affair-conditions in a quiescent place and be single-mindedly diligent, one will be born in the originally pure Mind-essence, and will certainly attain Right Liberation and ascend to Marvelous Awakening."
A person who works hard and recognizes the self-nature can adapt even in a noisy environment and be fully self-sufficient; they do not need to practice any specific method, but simply turn amidst dusts and objects, polishing their own habit energies—that is enough.
However, some people cannot adapt and have relatively poor roots; what should be done? There is a way: one can "further put down all affair-conditions in a quiescent place." Finding a pure place, such as a pure mountain forest or a relatively pure home environment, is very good. But having a good place, one must put down all affair-conditions. If you have a pure place but the body is in a pure place while the mind is not pure, it is also futile! Practicing to accomplish the Way depends on the mind; if your mind is in a mess and thinking wildly, it is equivalent to being in a busy market, so it will not work! To accomplish the Way, one must put down all affair-conditions; all matters must be put down when sitting on the seat to work hard, only then can practice get on the road. Therefore, I often advise everyone that when sitting on the seat, one must be like one has died, caring about nothing, and must not think blindly anymore. Never think about how to do this matter, how to arrange that matter, how to discipline sons and daughters, etc.; if one always thinks about these things when sitting on the seat, that is terrible! We must not care about anything; the worst is sitting on the seat and still worrying about children: "Alas! Amao, Agou, it's time, if you don't get up you'll be late, get up quickly, get up." Alas! With the mind divided like this and mental power scattered, how can one sit well? I have seen many such things; they are not fabricated out of thin air but are actually heard and seen! Alas—! Can one sit well in meditation like this? Therefore, when we sit on the seat, we cannot care about any matter; just treat yourself as if you have died, unable to care about so much. I emphasize again: Put down all affair-conditions when sitting on the seat, remain motionless as if you were dead; only by doing this can you receive the benefits and attain Right Samādhi. Otherwise, how can you attain Samādhi? You cannot be stabilized! Therefore, practicing the Dharma requires putting down all affair-conditions. If you cannot put them down, even if there is a quiet place to go, you should not go; going is useless. If your mind is messy, staying in a quiet place is just as lively as being on Nanjing Road. Therefore, the key to practicing the Dharma lies in truly being able to put things down; only by putting things down can one be single-mindedly diligent.
If one can truly put things down and practice with a single mind and intent, no matter what Dharma one practices, one can see results instantly ("set up a pole and see the shadow") and correspond with one's own mind. I often hear people say: "Alas! So-and-so is very fast! He didn't sit much, yet he witnessed the Original Face! How come I have sat for so long and still don't have this state?" Haha! His mind could put things down and became pure, so he could witness it quickly; your mind cannot put things down, is in a mess, and cannot be pure, so how can there be a state of personal realization? Of course there isn't. Therefore, the time of practice does not lie in length, but in whether your mind is pure or not, whether the mind has died or not. To speak honestly: If your mind has truly died, not long after sitting down, you will peacefully enter Samādhi; naturally, there will be the Chan states of light peace and serene joy, and naturally, light will shine forth greatly. If your mind is not pure, from where do you want the realized state to come? Of course there is none. Thus, regarding practicing the Dharma, do not discuss whether the time is long or short, but look at whether your mind is pure or not, whether the mind has died or not; this is where the key lies.
If one can truly put down the myriad conditions and be single-mindedly diligent, "one will be born in the originally pure Mind-essence, and will certainly attain Right Liberation and ascend to Marvelous Awakening." "Born in this life" refers to this very life. The Esoteric School speaks of becoming a Buddha in this very life, which means becoming a Buddha in this lifetime. Some people also turn it into the "body" of the physical body, meaning this body is to become a Buddha; there is such a saying in the Esoteric School. Last time we discussed the Great Perfection (Dzogchen) and Great Round Victorious Wisdom; these dharmas speak of the body being able to achieve accomplishment. This Mahāmudrā is the precursor to the Great Perfection. The Great Perfection is divided into two parts: one is Trekchö, and one is Tögal; one is Cutting Through, and one is Crossing Over (Leap-over). Cutting Through means deciding strictly according to the opportunity; instantly cutting off all afflictions, false thoughts, and attachments, the Fundamental Nature appears brightly and clearly. Crossing Over means instantly transcending the Three Realms and becoming a Buddha. This Mahāmudrā is the Dharma of Trekchö; it points directly to the fact that you do not need to use any method to practice, but instantly cut off false thoughts and see the Nature. Later it also speaks of the correspondence of the Three Emptinesses; we will discuss that later, not for now. Therefore, Mahāmudrā is a very profound and deep Esoteric Dharma that directly instructs you to accomplish the Way. If we can put things down in this life, we will definitely be able to attain true Great Liberation upon the originally pure Nature-essence. The originally pure Nature-essence refers to our inherent Marvelous Nature, which is originally pure and without pollution. What is the reason for the pollution now? It is the reason of grasping at appearances and pursuing objects, being confused by external objects and not knowing the Original exists. In the past, the ancients had thick roots and light attachments; with a single pointer from the master, they understood. They could instantly undertake it, no longer be confused, put down objects, and thereby protect and maintain the self-nature, removing false habits, and accomplishing the Way very quickly. What about people nowadays? Their roots are dull and obstructions are heavy; even if you shout until your throat breaks, they cannot recognize it and still grasp at objects, so they have to walk many wrongful roads.
My master, Mr. Wang Xianglu, once said: "People practicing the Chan School investigate this sentence 'Who is reciting the Buddha?' for thirty years without getting anywhere before they open up the Original and personally see the Buddha-nature. We who practice Esoteric Dharma can open up and see the Nature in three years." In terms of time, it has already reduced the time by ten times compared to the Chan School, which is already very rapid. But in terms of the Fundamental Nature, there is no need to investigate Chan either. Whether three years or thirty years, both are walking a wrongful road! Because everyone is originally a Buddha; there is no need to investigate Chan here, nor is there a need to recite any "ong bala..." Meditating and working hard here—is this not wearing a cangue and lock, looking for trouble where there is none, and trapping oneself in vain? You put everything down and restore the self-nature Original True Buddha; if you want to sleep, you sleep; if you want to sit, you sit—how good is lively innocence! Just as Layman Pang's daughter Lingzhao said: "Neither difficult nor easy, When hungry, I eat; when tired, I sleep." The Fundamental Nature is just this free and peaceful; why suffer by digging out flesh to patch a sore, seeking trouble for oneself! However, we must know that what Lingzhao spoke of is penetrating the final prison barrier; it cannot be done without first penetrating the first two barriers spoken of by Layman Pang and Pang's wife. Because although we possess the Tathāgata Buddha-nature, our habit energies from many lives are deep and thick; without undergoing a period of arduous tempering, the habit energies cannot be removed, and real benefits cannot be obtained. Therefore, one still needs to investigate Chan, sit in meditation, and walk a stretch of wrongful road to penetrate the first two barriers. Layman Pang said: "Difficult, difficult, difficult, Spreading ten loads of sesame oil on a tree." Breaking the first barrier is the most difficult; when we first work hard, false thoughts fly in confusion and cannot settle down, making it difficult to see the Fundamental Nature, just as difficult as spreading sesame oil on a tree. Pang's wife said: "Easy, easy, easy, The intention of the West is on the tips of a hundred grasses." This speaks of breaking the heavy barrier; that is, once we have recognized the Original Face through working hard, then it is easy, easy, very easy—the Original Face is entirely on the tips of a hundred grasses! The tips of a hundred grasses refers to the tips of all events and things; is there anything on the tips? On the tips of a hundred grasses, everything is nonexistent! Isn't this all empty and pure? There are many such kōans!
In ancient times, Chan Master Chuanzi (Boatman), along with Yunyan and Daowu, studied together under Chan Master Yaoshan and verified their enlightenment. When he left Yaoshan, he said to his two senior brothers Daowu and Yunyan: "You two should each occupy a region in the future to establish the doctrine of Yaoshan. My nature is sparse and wild; I only like mountains and water and enjoying myself in ease. I cannot bear the great responsibility of teaching sentient beings. Later, if you know my dwelling place and encounter a spiritually sharp host of a seat (monk), point one my way; I will transmit what I have gained in my life to him to repay the master's grace." So he went to the bank of Huating in Xiuzhou, floated a small boat, ferried passing travelers to pass his days according to conditions, waiting for the visit of one with the capacity; thus people called him "Monk Chuanzi" (Boatman). Once, Daowu went to Jingkou and encountered Jiashan ascending the hall to preach the Dharma. A monk asked: "What is the Dharmakāya?" Jiashan said: "The Dharmakāya is signless." Asked again: "What is the Dharma eye?" Jiashan said: "The Dharma eye has no blemish." Hearing this, Daowu could not help but chuckle. Jiashan then descended from the seat and bowed to ask for instruction. Look at how serious the ancients were; if it were nowadays, the stick would be waiting, and you would definitely be beaten out. He humbly asked Daowu: "Great Master, my answer just now must have had some fault to make you chuckle. Where did I speak wrong? Please be compassionate and reveal it." Daowu said: "I will not say, but you can go to Huating to find Monk Chuanzi." Jiashan asked: "How is this person?" Daowu said: "This person has not a fragment of tile above, nor a point of an awl below. If you go, it is best to change your clothes." Jiashan then dismissed the assembly, changed his attire, and went to Huating to visit Chuanzi. As soon as Chuanzi saw him, he asked: "What temple does the Seat-host dwell in?" Jiashan replied: "If I dwell, it is not like; if it is like, I do not dwell!" Chuanzi asked: "If not like, what is it like?" Jiashan said: "Before the eyes, there is no resemblance." Chuanzi asked: "Where did you learn it from?" Jiashan said: "It is not where ears and eyes reach." Chuanzi said: "One sentence that fits the situation, A donkey-tethering stake for ten thousand kalpas." Then he asked again: "The hanging line is a thousand feet long, the intent is deep in the pool. Three inches away from the hook, why do you not speak?" Just as Jiashan was about to open his mouth, Pa! He was knocked into the water by Chuanzi with a pole. Just as Jiashan climbed onto the boat, Chuanzi said again: "Speak! Speak!" Just as Jiashan was about to open his mouth, Pa! He was beaten down into the water again. At this moment, Jiashan was suddenly greatly enlightened, so he nodded three times. Chuanzi said: "Good, good, good, come up!" Why? At this time, there was nothing in Jiashan's mind; everything was empty and pure. Empty and pure is empty and pure, but it is not insentient emptiness; rather, it is spiritually bright and unclouded, clearly distinct, so he could only nod his head. Therefore, Pang's wife said: "The intention of the West is on the tips of a hundred grasses"—it is very easy; you just see it apart from appearances! If you do not attach to appearances, it is very easy! So we say realizing the Nature and enlightening to the Way is not difficult, not difficult! Do not grasp at appearances, do not grasp at great supernatural powers!
However, I often hear people say: "If this is enlightening to the Way, why don't I emit great supernatural powers? One who enlightens to the Way should have supernatural powers; one without supernatural powers is not it." Alas! In practicing the Dharma, we must know the sequence of priority. First, one must recognize the Fundamental Nature, affirm it, and protect it; protect it until it is dense and seamless, the skin sheds off completely, not dwelling on a single point, unwavering no matter what circumstances comes, and naturally, light will shine forth greatly. That light is not just like the brightness of one or two suns, but like the brightness of a hundred thousand suns; at that time, of course, the Heavenly Eye, Heavenly Ear, His-Mind, Past-Lives, and Spiritual Foot cognitions will all be open. Actually, the Great Light is inherent in everyone, just as the Amitābha Sūtra says: "That Buddha's light is measureless, illuminating the lands of the ten directions without obstruction." The two words "That Buddha" have a very broad scope; do not narrow them down, thinking that "That Buddha" is only Amitābha Buddha. Amitābha Buddha's light is measureless and illuminates the lands of the ten directions; the scope of "That Buddha" is not so small. "That Buddha" is the entire great assembly. "That Buddha" is that Buddha—not our body; the body is not the Buddha, do not make a mistake! Having a Buddha inside the body is like having a person living inside a house. That Buddha is "That Buddha," which is the great assembly. The Fundamental Nature Light of all sentient beings is incomparable and measureless, brightly illuminating the lands of the ten directions without obstruction. Don't believe it? Try working hard yourselves!
You are now listening to the lecture on Ganges Mahāmudrā; you must recognize that the spiritual knowing at the place where this thought is cut off is the Buddha-nature. Only this is true; all other appearances are false, they are all reflections of the True Nature. Put everything down, recite the Buddha, hold mantras, and work hard with a dead heart [determined mind]; when the mind is truly empty, it will emit great light, and one can attain true liberation in this life and ascend to the two awakenings of Equal Awakening and Marvelous Awakening. The Esoteric School speaks of becoming a Buddha in this life and ascending to the positions of Equal Awakening and Marvelous Awakening. To reach the positions of Equal and Marvelous Awakening depends on how we work hard. If we apply our kung fu deeply and densely, we can achieve it in this life. If we apply our kung fu without depth or density, lazily and loosely, pushing today to tomorrow and tomorrow to the day after, pushing on like this, we will not accomplish the Way even when Maitreya Buddha descends to be born. Even if we borrow the power of Amitābha Buddha, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva to be reborn in the Western World of Ultimate Bliss, we still must work hard! If you want to be reborn in the Western World of Ultimate Bliss but your heart is always attached to the wife, wealth, children, and status of the Sahā World, the ancients called this "holding the stake while rocking the oar"—action is impossible; how then can you interact with Amitābha through resonance, become of one piece, and be reborn in the Western Pure Land? Therefore, first you must put everything down; how can it work if you don't put it down? Imperial Preceptor Yulin once said: "People who want to be born in the Western World of Ultimate Bliss but cannot put things down cannot be born there." If you are attached to the Sahā World and cannot put it down, you should not recite the Amitābha Sūtra; it is better to recite the Medicine Buddha Sūtra and make offerings to Medicine Buddha! Medicine Buddha made great vows to bless people with everything going smoothly and to satisfy people's selfish desires. In this world, those who hope for treasures are given treasures; those who hope for children are given children; those who hope for high office are given high office—satisfying all of people's desires. When your private wishes are satisfied, you will spontaneously give rise to the Bodhi mind: "Oh, all that I have gained is the blessing of the Buddha; the Buddha Dharma is truly inconceivable." When deeply thanking the Buddha, one will aspire to learn Buddhism and practice Dharma to accomplish the Way. Therefore, the benefits of reciting Medicine Buddha and making offerings to Medicine Buddha are great!
If you truly want to be born in the Western World of Ultimate Bliss, you must put everything down; to practice while attached to this Sahā World is to run in the opposite direction, having no merit. However, merely talking about putting down with the mouth while the mind cannot put down, and being unwilling to practice diligently, being lazy and loose yet wanting to be born in the Western World of Ultimate Bliss, is like wanting to row a boat to the opposite shore but refusing to use strength to rock the oar—it is completely useless. Therefore, no matter what Dharma we practice, we still have to work hard; without working hard, relying solely on the Buddha's power to receive and guide is not enough. Actually, to be reborn in the West, it is not only reciting the Buddha that leads to rebirth; investigating Chan, holding mantras, and chanting sūtras with the vow to be reborn can also get one there. Because Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are not narrow-minded like the worldly people of the Sahā World—thinking that if you didn't recite the Buddha, he won't receive you; rather, they initiate Unconditional Great Compassion, receiving everyone and saving every life. Regardless of what sentient being it is, at the end of their life, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas treat them all equally, emitting light to shine universally and receiving them to be born in the West. It is just that sentient beings have heavy obstructions and cannot connect; some even flee in fear because the Buddha's light is strong, scurrying into evil paths—is this not lamentable and pitiable! If one does not exert effort oneself, relying solely on the Buddha's power to receive and guide cannot lead to rebirth, because the Buddha cannot pull us to the West. If he could, the Buddha would have pulled us all away long ago; why would we still be here in this World of Five Turbidities suffering in samsāra now! The Buddha has Three Inabilities: he cannot turn karma for others, he cannot become a Buddha for others, and he cannot save sentient beings without affinity. You want to be born in the West and want to accomplish the Way, yet you do not want to work hard; that truly leaves one speechless. So the ancient virtues said: "Grabbing his arm to pull him, he cannot go; it is necessary for oneself to be willing for there to be correspondence." Everyone, you must be willing to work hard yourselves!
"But what is especially important is to make the body abide like Mount Sumeru, to make the mind quiescent and clear, not dragged by external objects, able to practice everywhere" (meaning to penetrate through upon all events and things).
This emphasizes that among the three of View, Meditation, and Action, the most important is to make the body abide like Mount Sumeru, unmoving. If you can sit still, the mind will settle; if the mind is not settled, you cannot sit still. If the mind is not settled, jumping around like a monkey, you definitely cannot sit still. If your mind is truly settled, the body abides like Mount Sumeru, unmoving; this is the most important move in sitting meditation. So we often ask: When sitting in meditation, can you not move? Still can't! Then you must pay attention; you must train slowly and not be impatient; as long as you sit with perseverance, slowly you will not move. Therefore, we emphasize again and again: the mudrā must not be scattered! Only when the legs are truly so numb that you cannot endure it do you move slightly, but you cannot move chaotically; this is for the initial sitting. Gradually, the legs should also not move; once seated, one does not move a bit—only by not moving is it easy to enter Samādhi. If one moves back and forth on the seat, how can one enter Samādhi? Therefore, those people holding prayer beads in their hands reciting the Buddha, no matter how they recite, they will not attain Samādhi. He recites "Amitābha Buddha" with his mouth while his hand pinches the beads; moving back and forth like this, no matter how much you recite, you cannot settle in. Adding to that, reciting the Buddha while discussing others' rights and wrongs—that makes it even more impossible to attain the Samādhi of Buddha Recitation! Can reciting the Buddha like this also lead to birth in the Western World of Ultimate Bliss? That would be too convenient! Therefore, Great Master Lianchi sighed saying: "Those who recite the Buddha are many, those born in the West are few; why? Because the mind of reciting the Buddha is not pained and earnest; although the mouth recites the Buddha, the mind thinks wildly; due to this, one does not attain rebirth." Patriarch Hanshan also said: "Reciting Amitābha with the mouth while the mind is scattered, even if the throat is shouted broken, it is in vain."
"Make the mind quiescent and clear, not dragged by external objects, able to practice everywhere." The body abides like Mount Sumeru, unmoving; make the mind quiescent and clear like a cup of clear water without a speck of mud or sand; in this way, one is not dragged or disturbed by external objects. When the mind is truly quiescent and clear, all external phenomena cannot shake you, and you can work hard practicing at any time and place. One who has truly attained Great Samādhi, whose mind is truly quiescent and clear, can practice on Nanjing Road; despite the heavy traffic, the mind does not shake a bit. But beginners cannot do this, so they must find a pure place to work hard. So it was said above to find a relatively pure place and put down the myriad conditions to work hard; when done to the later stages, one can then practice at any time and place. This skill of being able to practice everywhere requires time; it is not asking everyone to do it immediately. Now, everyone is asked to be in a quiescent place and to be able to put the mind down immediately. If the mind cannot be put down in a quiescent place, what to do in a noisy place?
Regardless of what Dharma you practice—Chan School, Esoteric School, or Pure Land School—the mind must be put down. Without doing this, how can one accomplish the Way? Never be like some people practicing the Pure Land Dharma Door nowadays; they say, "I don't need this, I am borrowing Amitābha Buddha's other-power to receive and guide anyway, I don't need self-power; we just need 'Amitābha Buddha, Amitābha Buddha,' recite it for ten breaths, and Amitābha Buddha will pull me up to the Western World of Ultimate Bliss." Alas! This is mistaking the Ten-Recitation Method. The Ten-Recitation Method uses breath to gather the mind; inhale one breath and recite "Amitābha Buddha, Amitābha Buddha...", inhale another breath without the mind moving and recite "Amitābha Buddha, Amitābha Buddha..."; recite ten times like this to train, gathering the mind to be unmoving, removing emotion and love to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. They do not know that the Ten-Recitation Method is established specifically for people busy with worldly affairs who have no time (kung fu) to sit in meditation, to use breath to gather the mind. After gathering the mind to be unmoving, one must maintain this state, shine upon it, and train amidst affairs so that one does not move no matter what happens, and not just forget it as soon as one walks out the door. Therefore, one must work hard; without working hard, the Pure Land is hard to be born in! It is not that one can be born in the West by being sloppy, lazy, and loose!
"Or if one cannot be like this, but single-mindedly tends towards these three doors, even if one should not generate the clinging hindrances of the karmas of greed, anger, and ignorance, one can also turn from suffering to joy in future lives."
If a practitioner's roots are poor and they cannot achieve single-mindedly abiding in the three doors of View, Meditation, and Action to work hard, they should also not give rise to greed, anger, and ignorance, creating various evil karmas. Greed, anger, and ignorance are the Three Poisons; the evil karmas we create all come from greed, anger, and ignorance. If there is no greed, you are content and always happy, and will not do bad things. If you are not content and are insatiably greedy, wanting more when you have much, wanting better when you have good, your mind will never be pure, and it is impossible not to create evil karma. Because you are always insatiably greedy, single-mindedly wanting to take others' things as your own. To achieve the goal, you will stop at nothing, plotting for wealth and harming lives. Anger is the mind of hatred; when people or events do not accord with one's wishes or intent, one hates others, and affliction comes. And this greed and anger both originate from ignorance. Because there is no wisdom, not recognizing the Essence of True Nature, only recognizing the reflections of false appearance, it is called ignorance. Due to ignorance, one does not know that everything in the world is false, does not know that all events and things are empty and unobtainable, are all born of causes and conditions, and are without a self-body. Therefore, he has greed and has anger; thus ignorance is the root. Without wisdom, there is ignorance; ignorance is having no wisdom and no light, being dark and obscure.
The Three Poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance are the worst things; they are the toxins and evil karma in our minds. The three evil karmas of the body are killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. The evil karmas of the mouth are double-tongued speech, abusive speech, flowery speech, and lying. Among the Ten Evil Karmas, greed, anger, and ignorance are the worst; they are the roots of our suffering. Once these greed, anger, and ignorance are knocked down, it will be fine; the latter seven will not be important and will naturally be corrected. Therefore, if we cannot achieve single-mindedness in the three doors of View, Meditation, and Action as mentioned before, we should also not give rise to thoughts of greed, anger, and ignorance.
Greed, anger, and ignorance are great toxins and are great obstructions to becoming a Buddha. If we want to end birth and death and become Buddhas to save sentient beings, we absolutely must remove them. If these three evil things are not removed, you are finished and cannot become a Buddha. If we can remove the Three Poisons—neither greedy nor angry nor ignorant—even if we cannot achieve single-mindedness in View, Meditation, and Action to accomplish the Great Way, we can still turn from suffering to joy in future lives and will not go to bad places. That is to say, in the future, we can be born in the Three Good Realms and will not fall into the Three Evil Realms. Those practicing the Chan School must make a great vow to maintain the human body, definitely to become a Buddha to save sentient beings, and definitely to achieve accomplishment. With this vow made great, protecting oneself, never losing the human body, being a human life after life, and with deep and thick roots, one can continue the practice immediately upon reincarnation, realizing a thousand things upon hearing one; practicing the Chan School has such benefits. This Mahāmudrā is also the same as the Chan School; that is, if our hearts tend towards the three doors, but we do not perform well in the three doors of View, Meditation, and Action, yet we do not give rise to greed, anger, and ignorance or create various evil karmas, then we can also turn suffering into joy in the next life and will not go to the lower three paths.
"These three essentials (View, Meditation, Action) are the life-root for cutting off delusions and falsity, and the Dharma door pointing directly to the reality of one's own mind."
The three elements of View, Meditation, and Action are the life-root for cutting off delusions and falsity. We ordinary beings have delusions such as view delusions, thought delusions, and dust-and-sand delusions. View delusions are being confused by external appearances due to lacking Right Knowledge and Right View. Nowadays, many people learning Buddhism are very confused in their Views; they do not recognize what the Buddha-nature is and cannot stand firm on their heels. For example, a person who has already aspired to learn the Buddha Dharma hears that a "Qigong" practitioner of a non-Buddhist path has great supernatural capabilities, and he thinks: "Alas, I better go practice Qigong!" He no longer practices Buddhism and goes to learn non-Buddhist paths. I will tell you a real example: there was a young monk on a certain mountain acting as a deacon in the Buddhist academy established on the mountain. He heard that a certain Qigong master had supernatural powers, so he stopped practicing Buddhism and switched to learning Qigong, seeking to obtain special functions, and left with the non-Buddhists; this is being confused by supernatural powers. The so-called "confused" is caused by our mind to learn Buddhism not being pained and earnest, and our View, Meditation, and Action not being correct. The View is the most important matter in practicing Dharma and learning the Way; if the View is not correct, the practice will inevitably be confused and take a crooked road.
Confusion of View is the great enemy of practice, so learning Buddhism requires the View to be correct first, breaking view delusions, and then breaking thought delusions. What are thought delusions? They are giving rise to mind against objects and generating various sticky thoughts. The reason we have various confusions is caused by incorrect Views. When the View is correct, view delusions are cut off; only then can thought delusions be cut off, can one stand firm on one's heels, and not follow non-Buddhist paths. No matter how great your non-Buddhist supernatural powers are, if you do not attain the Leakless Comprehension and do not recognize the Buddha-nature, you decidedly cannot end birth and death. Ours is the Dharma Door of the Mind-ground; recognizing what is called Buddha-nature enables ending birth and death. Like when Patriarch Lü Chunyang met Patriarch Huanglong; at that time, Lü Chunyang had already achieved the Yang Spirit, but Huanglong said: "You corpse-guarding ghost." Lü Chunyang said: "Haha, I have the elixir of immortality in my bag." This elixir in the bag has two interpretations: one is the external medicine, which is the refined golden elixir pill in the pocket, an external elixir; one is the stinking skin bag, the body, refining the golden elixir successfully within the body. Successful refining of the golden elixir is the drug of immortality, not guarding this bodily shell. Patriarch Huanglong said: "Hey! 'Even after eighty thousand kalpas, it ultimately falls into empty destruction.'" Even if you can live for eighty thousand great kalpas, in the end, you will still fall into emptiness. Because you do not recognize what the Buddha-nature is, what use is having supernatural powers? You grasp at appearances, thinking this Yang Spirit is real; actually, this Yang Spirit is also false, also a dream, illusion, bubble, and reflection, merely a phantom body displayed by the marvelous function of our True Mind. For example, the Western World of Ultimate Bliss and the body manifested by Amitābha Buddha are all Amitābha Buddha's mind-made body. The so-called mind-made body is not only the body; all realms and things are mind-made bodies. Therefore, mountains, rivers, and the great earth are also our mind-made bodies; it is just that we do not recognize them and cut them off, only recognizing this body as "me" and mountains, rivers, and the great earth as not "me." Mountains, rivers, and the great earth are composed of earth, water, fire, and wind; our bodies are also composed of earth, water, fire, and wind. Yet our Buddha-nature can be large or small: "So large it has no exterior, so small it has no interior," "released it fills the six directions, gathered it retreats into the hidden." It is just that ignorance has shrunk it, confining it inside your body cavity, not recognizing that mountains, rivers, and the great earth are also our mind-made bodies.
However, this mind-made body is also false; Amitābha Buddha also has to abdicate, and the World of Ultimate Bliss has to change. At the time when Amitābha Buddha abdicates, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva will come to succeed the position. Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's world is not called the World of Ultimate Bliss; it is another world, even more beautiful and solemn than Amitābha Buddha's current world. Why? Because Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva reversed the boat of compassion; he is an ancient Buddha come again, becoming a Buddha again. This is performing a trick for you to see; do not take it as real; once taken as real, all is wrong. One real, all real; one false, all false. You say this Sahā World is false, then the Western World of Ultimate Bliss is also false; you say the World of Ultimate Bliss is true, the Sahā World is also true. Actually, it is neither true nor false, both true and false, precisely true and precisely false. Distinguishing true and distinguishing false is your discriminating mind, your false mind; actually, there is no discrimination. Therefore, after understanding this principle, your mind will not abide in appearances. If you do not understand this principle, you will always abide in appearances, always discriminating there: "The Western World is beautiful, it is true; the Sahā World is ugly, it is false." Actually, this is all the fault of not having Right View and being confused by objects!
We ordinary beings are all confused by objects. Therefore, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, when Śākyamuni Buddha saw the bright star at night and realized the Way, he said: All sentient beings possess the wisdom and virtuous characteristics of the Tathāgata; why do they not know it themselves? Because they are covered by false thoughts, inversion, and attachment, they do not know and are confused. So if we want to accomplish the Way, we must cut off the root of confusion. To cut off the life-root of confusion, first the View must be correct; this is the first priority. After the View is correct, use kung fu to practice Right Samādhi, training at all times, with the body like Mount Sumeru moving not, and the mind quiescent like sunken water not drumming, entering deeply into Dhyāna meditation, opening up wisdom, and realizing and seeing the Fundamental Nature. After recognizing the Fundamental Nature, one must be diligent in observation, densely protecting and maintaining it, externally not being dragged by objects, internally not turning with thoughts, not grasping at appearances or abiding in circumstances, tempering the mind through circumstances, and exhausting habit energies. The True Mind will then emit great light, illuminating the ten directions; all false minds, false thoughts, and false notions will transform into the marvelous function of the Buddha-nature. Every place and every time is the manifestation of our Buddha-nature, the operation of our Buddha-nature. At all times and in all places, all actions are for the masses, not for oneself; this is the Marvelous Action of prajñā.
Therefore, it is said that the three elements of View, Meditation, and Action are the three secrets of Mahāmudrā, and also the essential method of practice for all Dharma gates; they are the life-root for cutting off delusions and falsity, and the Dharma door pointing directly to the reality of one's own mind. The method of practice of Ganges Mahāmudrā is the Direct Pointing Method within the Round and Sudden; it directly instructs us to instantly see the Marvelous Bright Essence (Marvelous Bright True Mind) of non-practice, non-arrangement, and non-scattering, which is the fundamental actual Dharma door for accomplishing the Great Way. In our practice of the Mind-Center Dharma, we still have to form mudrās and single-mindedly hold mantras; investigating Chan still requires raising a great sensation of doubt; reciting the Buddha also requires gathering all six senses and having pure thoughts succeed one another to accomplish the Way. Speaking in this way, we all have to undergo a process of practice and realization to accomplish the Way, not as high and marvelous as Mahāmudrā. One must know that although the fundamental explanation of Mahāmudrā is that there is nothing to practice—instructing you to recognize your own Marvelous Bright True Mind is enough—because the Buddha-nature is unborn and undying, neither coming nor going, neither moving nor shaking, neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing, what do you practice? The Buddha-nature has no scattering; what do you arrange? So it is non-practice, non-arrangement, non-scattering. Therefore, working hard is all walking a wrongful road!
However, without working hard, can you recognize that the spiritual knowing which is apart from thought is the person's Fundamental Nature and accomplish the Way? You must know that Mahāmudrā is the final finishing method of the White Sect (Kagyu); in the beginning, one must also undergo a period of arduous training before one can enter the functional state of Mahāmudrā. Therefore, if we want to open up the Original and realize and see the Fundamental Nature to accomplish the Great Way, we still must single-mindedly recite the Buddha, greatly raise the sensation of doubt, and densely hold mantras to do kung fu; we cannot slacken in the slightest!
Posts
