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Ganges Mahāmudrā By Elder Yuan Yin (Lecture Eleven)

Tuesday, December 09, 2025 Open post →
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Chinese Original From https://book.bfnn.org/article/0383.htm

English Translation:

The Ganges Mahamudra (Lecture Eleven) 

By Master Yuan Yin 

Lecture Eleven 

"However, if one does not know how to nurture the Subsequent Attainment Wisdom [*pṛṣṭhalabdha-jñāna*] and cause it to merge with conduct and rituals, then one merely uses antidotes [*pratipakṣa*] and cannot overcome other conditions. Consequently, one is dragged by the conditions of delusive thoughts into the barrier of ordinary folly. Therefore, long-term protection, nurturing, and thorough penetration of the Subsequent Attainment [Wisdom] is especially essential."

Subsequent Attainment Wisdom is spoken of in relation to Fundamental Wisdom [*mūla-jñāna*]. Having attained Fundamental Wisdom means "Seeing the Source"—apprehending Mind and seeing the Nature. After this, one must still grind and polish [one's realization] within states [of experience] to give rise to vast, marvelous functioning. Subsequent Attainment Wisdom is precisely this marvelous functioning. Nurturing Subsequent Attainment Wisdom means protecting, maintaining, and sustaining the Fundamental Wisdom uninterruptedly for a long time, constantly grinding and polishing it within states, and protecting the True Mind to give rise to immeasurable marvelous functioning. "Conduct and rituals" refers to practice and rules of propriety. For example, when we practice the Heart-of-Mind Method (*Citta-hṛdaya*), constantly observing and investigating when off the seat, not turning along with thoughts, and not being moved by states—this is practice. Sitting in practice for at least two hours daily, without scattering the *mudrā* or stopping the *mantra* while on the seat—this is the rule of propriety. "Antidotes" refers to what was discussed previously; for example, if the mind of lust is heavy, one practices the contemplation of impurity; if the mind of scattering is heavy, one enters solitary retreat to focus on practicing *dhyāna* *samādhi*, and so on.

However, if one does not know how to nurture Subsequent Attainment Wisdom and cause it to combine with our behavioral norms and practice rituals, but merely uses methods of antidotes to practice, it will be labor in vain and one will be unable to overcome the invasion of external causes and conditions. What is the reason? Because "If one does not know the Original Mind, studying the Dharma is of no benefit." Merely using methods of antidotes not only vexes the mind but makes it extremely easy to grasp at appearances. Not only will one fail to overcome the influence of external factors (environment), but one will also be entangled by internal factors (delusive thoughts), thereby falling into the "barrier of ordinary folly." The ignorance of an ordinary person is precisely the "delusion" [*moha*] within "greed, anger, and delusion"; it hinders the attainment of the Dao, hence it is called the "barrier of ordinary folly." Therefore, long-term protection, nurturing, and thorough penetration of Subsequent Attainment Wisdom, along with sustaining and polishing it within states, appears especially important. So, how does one engage in the long-term protection, nurturing, and thorough penetration of Subsequent Attainment Wisdom?

"There is no other method for this; simply do not depart from the View of the Originally Stabilized Dharmakāya. With no discrimination of 'subject and object, right and wrong,' naturally letting things move freely, maintain the state of being alert and quiescent. This is the *Śamatha-vipaśyanā* (Calm Abiding and Insight) of Non-discriminating Wisdom, the self-characteristics of the Unconditioned, Innate, and Natural state, and the heart-essence of all practice."

Recognize that the *dharmakāya* is originally stabilized; fundamentally, it does not come or go and is without movement or wavering. This correct view is called the "View of the Originally Stabilized Dharmakāya." Matching and entering into this correct view, there is no "person who practices," no "Dharma that is practiced," no right and wrong, and no discrimination. Soaring and free, moving freely and soaring; alert yet not scattered, quiescent yet in great concentration. The Great Dao has no form; the Self-nature is solitary and quiet. The *dharmakāya* is thus-and-thus immovable; this is the Essence of great concentration, and it has nothing to do with whether you believe it or not, or whether you perform the kung-fu of entering *samādhi* or not.

How does one engage in the long-term protection, nurturing, and thorough penetration of Subsequent Attainment Wisdom? There is no other method; simply do not discard or leave the "View of the Originally Stabilized Dharmakāya." Moment after moment, abide peacefully in the Fundamental Nature; grind and polish yourself within the circumstances of affairs. Do not grasp at appearances, and do not hold discriminations such as "subject and object, right and wrong," and so forth; this is the most important thing. People always have delusive thoughts flying about in confusion, discriminating everything: this is good, that is bad; this is right, that is wrong; this is true, that is false... discriminating endlessly right there. If you can leave behind discriminations such as "subject and object, right and wrong" moment after moment, not abiding in appearances and not sticking to states, so that everything is unobtainable—and even the unobtainable is unobtainable—then that is the Fundamental Nature manifesting clearly and brightly at all times; that is "not departing from the View of the Originally Stabilized Dharmakāya" moment after moment! "The Buddha Dharma has no excess"; it is very easy to say, but this is not something that counts just by listening and understanding; it must land on reality. You must work on this kung-fu moment after moment to be able to land on reality. One must "naturally let things move freely, maintaining the state of being alert and quiescent."

"Quiescent" (*jiji*) means not a single thought arises; it holds the meaning of "immovable"; immovable means concentration (*samādhi*). "Alert" (*xingxing*) means knowing clearly and distinctly; it holds the meaning of "observation/illumination" (*guānzhào*); observation means wisdom (*prajñā*). Maintaining the "numinous knowing that is where not a single thought arises yet is clear and distinct" is precisely the fusion of concentration and wisdom; within concentration there is wisdom, and within wisdom there is concentration. Wisdom without concentration is wild wisdom; concentration without wisdom is dead concentration. Therefore, for ordinary people of lower capacity and gradual paths, simply closing oneself in retreat to practice concentration will not work; after exiting retreat, one must still grind and polish within the circumstances of affairs to protect, nurture, and thoroughly penetrate Subsequent Attainment Wisdom for a long time. "Naturally letting things move freely" is simply according with conditions. "Maintaining the state of being alert and quiescent" is simply being immutable. According with conditions yet immutable, immutable yet according with conditions. If one makes a great fortune, it doesn't matter; if one is poor enough to jingle, it also doesn't matter. When there is porridge, eat porridge; when there is rice, eat rice; do not give rise to minds of discrimination, accepting and rejecting, or climbing on conditions. The ancients said: "Alert and quiescent is correct, alert and delusively thinking is wrong; quiescent and alert is correct, quiescent and oblivious is wrong." This is the exquisite oral instruction for "long-term protection, nurturing, and thorough penetration of Subsequent Attainment Wisdom"; not only does it lodge concentration within wisdom and wisdom within concentration, but it also prevents dead concentration and wild wisdom.

"This is the *Śamatha-vipaśyanā* of Non-discriminating Wisdom, the self-characteristics of the Unconditioned, Innate, and Natural state, and the heart-essence of all practice." The "*Śamatha-vipaśyanā*" (Calm Abiding and Insight) spoken of here is not the "Great *Śamatha-vipaśyanā*" of the Tiantai School, nor some other method of calm abiding and insight, but rather "*Śamatha-vipaśyanā* of Non-discriminating Wisdom"—the calm abiding and insight performed by wisdom that lacks discrimination. Quiescent is stopping; Alert is observing. Stopping is concentration; Observing is wisdom. "Unconditioned" (*wúwéi*) means expansively open without fabrication. "Innate" (*jùshēng*) means the myriad forms and phenomena. "Natural/As-it-is" (*fǎ'ěr*) means it is fundamentally so. The three terms Unconditioned, Innate, and Natural vividly highlight the signless Real Mark (True Reality) of the *dharmakāya*. "The heart-essence of all practice" means the core of all Dharma gates of practice. All Dharma gates of practice cannot depart from being alert and quiescent, cannot depart from the mutual aid of concentration and wisdom, and cannot depart from calm abiding and insight. A person reciting the Buddha's name focuses the mind on the Buddha's name and does not give rise to other thoughts; this is stopping. Hearing the Buddha's name distinctly character by character, clearly and lucidly; this is observing. A person investigating Chan (Zen) has the sensation of doubt enveloping the whole body, with no leisure to give rise to delusive thoughts; this is stopping. Raising a *huatou* (head of speech) clearly and distinctly; this is observing. It is also like this when we practice the Heart-of-Mind Method; forming the *mudrā* and holding the *mantra* gathers in the body and mind; this is stopping. The mind recites and the ear listens, hearing clearly and lucidly, plainly and distinctly; this is observing. Mahamudra teaches us to "naturally let things move freely, maintaining the state of being alert and quiescent"; quiescent is stopping, alert is observing.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Chan Master Miyun Yuanwu presided over Tiantong Temple in Ningbo. At that time, there were many thatched huts surrounding Tiantong Temple provided for monks who were diligently investigating Chan to live in for focused practice. One year, during the Winter Solstice season, Master Miyun ordered an attendant to deliver cotton clothes to the monks in the huts. An old elder in a hut said to the attendant: "This old monk has his own mother-born coat; I do not need winter clothes." The attendant reported these words to Master Miyun. Master Miyun said: "This monk seems to have a place of realization, but I fear it is not real; go examine him further regarding his words." So he ordered the attendant to go again and ask: "Before your mother gave birth to you, what clothes did you wear?" The old elder could not answer. Master Miyun then instructed this old elder to investigate the *huatou*: "Before your mother gave birth to you, what clothes did you wear?" Three years later, this old elder passed away (entered *parinirvāṇa*); he had not broken through the *huatou* and had not uttered a single turning word. After cremation, the *śarīra* (relics) were numberless; many people exclaimed in wonder: "So many *śarīra*, this old elder practiced very well!" Master Miyun said: "Ten bushels of *śarīra* are not up to a single turning word. Try to answer on his behalf." Not only could those who praised the *śarīra* not answer, but at that time, none of the five hundred monks in Tiantong Temple could answer either. Master Miyun Yuanwu sighed and said: "Practicing the Dao are [as many as] the sands of the Ganges, yet not one has awakened." The inability to answer is due to the reason of not having merged into the "self-characteristics of the Unconditioned, Innate, and Natural state." If one has merged into such a Real Mark, one could answer without thinking. One might as well answer him: "Just as the peach and plum blossoms fade, the chrysanthemum and pear blossoms are fresh again." The tender peach blossoms and plum blossoms have just withered, and the fresh chrysanthemums and pear blossoms have opened in succession. What does this mean? This is presenting the "self-characteristics of the Unconditioned, Innate, and Natural state" in its entirety. We previously discussed insentient beings expounding the Dharma, and discussed "The ten thousand Dharmas return to the One; where does the One return?" Where does the One return? At all times and in all places, do not depart from the *dharmakāya*; at all times and in all places, do not depart from the Self-nature. These flowers and plants are all insentient, yet the insentient can also expound the Dharma; none of this has departed from my *dharmakāya*! The Self-nature is thus-and-thus immovable yet changes endlessly; thus-and-thus immovable is called the *dharmakāya*; changing endlessly is called the *sambhogakāya* and *nirmāṇakāya*; the Three Bodies are originally one body. Some people always think that only transforming into many human bodies counts as a *nirmāṇakāya* (Transformation Body); they do not know that the myriad forms and phenomena, and the phenomena and forms in their myriads, are all our *nirmāṇakāya*. The sun, moon, and stars, the mountains, rivers, and great earth, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats, tables and benches, eating and drinking and daily life, men and women, old and young—all are the "self-characteristics of the Unconditioned, Innate, and Natural state," all flow out from the One True Dharma Realm, and all are our *nirmāṇakāya*. It is only because you have delusive thoughts and attachments, and deliberately discriminate, that you give rise to the "appearance of a self, appearance of a person, appearance of a sentient being, and appearance of a lifespan" for no reason. Thereby, a perfectly fine Natural Buddha is buried within the Six Realms , illusorily manifesting the cycle of the Six Realms where there are no Six Realms, and illusorily manifesting a boundless sea of suffering where there is no suffering. Now, as long as you make a painful resolve and diligently practice the Dharma, removing the habits of attachment and discrimination formed since beginningless *kalpas*, you can achieve accomplishment right then and there and be liberated right in that place.

"If, with a discriminating mind, one enters the net of contrived activity, there is no time of liberation."

Some people take supernatural powers as the standard for attaining the Dao, thinking that only having supernatural powers counts as having attainment, and they are always there discriminating and guessing: So-and-so has powers, So-and-so doesn't have powers. Do you yourself have powers? If you don't have powers, how can you distinguish whether others have them or not? More importantly, supernatural powers cannot serve as the standard for liberation. Ghosts and spirits all have supernatural powers; have they all been liberated? If they were all liberated, why perform Buddhist rituals to deliver them? Seeking supernatural powers lands one in a net, falling into the net of contrived activity. Once one falls into the net with a discriminating mind, then there is no time for liberation.

Reciting the Buddha's name is also for the sake of protecting our originally luminous self-essence, and also for the sake of getting rid of the discriminating mind. If you are there discriminating the number of recitations, doubting back and forth—"Is my reciting three hundred times a day too little?" "I've only recited for a year, can I be born in the West?"—these are all discriminating minds. Whether the recitation of the Buddha's name is done well or not depends on quality. Master Hanshan said: "If the mouth recites Amitābha but the mind is scattered, even if one shouts until the throat is broken, it is in vain." If the quality is not good, no matter how many times you recite, it is useless. One must get rid of the discriminating mind; the discriminating mind is the worst. Once there is a discriminating mind, one falls into the net of contrived activity and cannot be born in the West. As for reciting the Buddha's name to be born in the West: although born, there is no birth; although going, there is no going. This is the Unconditioned Dharma; it is Unconditioned yet nothing is not done; no going, yet go ahead and go; no birth, yet go ahead and be born. Therefore, the great patriarchs of the Pure Land School said: "Born, then decidedly born; go, then actually not going." Having birth and extinction, having coming and going—these are all discriminating minds. The Buddha Dharma is Unconditioned Dharma; one should get rid of the discriminating mind. Reciting the Buddha's name requires deep faith, earnest vows, and vigorous practice; it does not require a discriminating mind. Furthermore, one cannot fight for dominance or slander other Dharma gates; that is an even stronger discriminating mind. Not only does one fall into the net of contrived activity and fail to be liberated, but one also invites the fault of slandering the Dharma.

"This is precisely the bare naked wisdom of the Dharmakāya's self-abiding, the awakening nature mind that has fundamentally never been confused; it must be protected and sustained with determination." (The above is the Second Secret Meaning)

The non-discriminating *Śamatha-vipaśyanā* spoken of above is precisely the wisdom of the *dharmakāya* being originally as it is, abiding without abiding. It does not come from outside, nor is it obtained from others; it is entirely the inherent merit opened and revealed by the Self-nature. It has not been covered up in the slightest; originally, it is revealed bare and naked, so it is called "the bare naked wisdom of the Dharmakāya's self-abiding." If one earnestly follows this Dharma gate of non-discriminating *Śamatha-vipaśyanā*, practicing diligently, and protects and nurtures this "bare naked wisdom of the Dharmakāya's self-abiding" for a long time, all great supernatural powers will be obtained naturally without seeking. If there is a mind that seeks supernatural powers, one falls into the net of contrived activity; not only can one not be liberated, but even the supernatural powers will not be able to issue forth. If your discriminating mind that seeks supernatural powers is ridden upon by spirits, ghosts, and demons, leading to possession, then it is even more unthinkable.

This "bare naked wisdom of the Dharmakāya's self-abiding" is precisely the "numinous knowing that is where not a single thought arises yet is clear and distinct"; it is the awakening nature mind that originally has no confusion or awakening. "Opening, showing, awakening, and entering exit the Ten Realms; the myriad forms are naturally innocent without confusion or awakening." The sun, moon, and stars, the mountains, rivers, and great earth, men and women, old and young, and all things and events are innocent and natural; they all possess Buddha-nature; the Dharma is naturally so; there is no confusion and no awakening. Therefore, it is called the "awakening nature mind that has fundamentally never been confused." The nature of awakening has fundamentally never been confused, nor does any awakening exist; entering the Buddha realm, it does not increase; passing through hell, it does not decrease. But because of the covering of ignorance and delusive grasping and taking, the Buddha-nature cannot be opened and revealed; this is falsely named "confusion." As long as one strives to practice the Dao, smashes ignorance, and trains upon events to remove the habits of giving rise to mind in response to states and delusively grasping and taking, one can restore the innocence of the Self-nature; this is falsely named "awakening." Confusion and awakening are both false names; as long as we smash ignorance, then confusion is unobtainable, and awakening is also unobtainable. Buddha-nature does not belong to confusion or awakening; even if wrapped in ignorance, the luminosity of the Fundamental Nature still exists and has not increased or decreased by a single hair. "Learning adds day by day, the Dao decreases day by day"; what a practitioner of the Dao decreases is merely the habits of ignorance; the innocent Buddha-nature has never been confused or awakened, and has never increased or decreased.

If practice is unsuccessful, it is because one has not protected and sustained this innocent Buddha-nature well. Therefore, it says "it must be protected and sustained with determination"; this is extremely important. "Determination" means painfully generating a great vow and making a great resolve. "Protection and sustaining" means not turning along with thoughts and not being moved by states; walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, do not depart from this; do not depart from the Self-nature for a second. "Continuity" means it cannot be interrupted moment after moment. If one practices intermittently—fishing for three days and drying nets for two, taking one step forward and two steps back—and cannot maintain continuity without interruption, one cannot attain the Dao. For example, when we practice the Heart-of-Mind Method, if we sit for one session daily, that is only two hours; there are still twenty-two hours. If you let the wild horses run for twenty-two hours and only practice concentration for two hours—the ratio of time is not even one-tenth—how can you attain the Dao? Furthermore, if you practice today and stop tomorrow, then you definitely cannot attain the Dao. Therefore, we say that observation (*guānzhào*) is the main practice, and sitting meditation is the supporting practice. Observation means not turning along with thoughts and not being moved by states, causing the Self-nature not to depart for a second; this is for the sake of protection, sustaining, and continuity! Cultivating Pure Land is also like this; Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta taught us the method of reciting the Buddha's name: "Gather in all six senses, let pure thoughts continue." "Continue" means continuity. "Pure thoughts" refers to when the kung-fu of reciting the Buddha's name is mature, and the mind that can recite and the Buddha that is recited fall away at once; there is no subject and no object, no purity and no defilement, and the innocent Buddha-nature manifests clearly and brightly—only this can be called "pure thought." Some people get it wrong, thinking that being able to recite "Namo Amitābha" continuously without interruption is pure thoughts continuing; actually, that is far off. You must know: "If the mouth recites Amitābha but the mind is scattered, even if one shouts until the throat is broken, it is in vain"! The Pure Land School does not have low requirements; rather, the requirements are very high. Nowadays, some people are lazy and unwilling to work hard; they carelessly recite a few phrases of the Buddha's name without "utmost sincerity," which amounts to not reciting, yet they fantasize about birth in the West. If they cannot be born there, [they think] it is Amitābha Buddha's fault. They even instruct others that "One Mind Undisturbed" is not needed. Alas, a perfectly fine Pure Land School that extends vertically through the three times, spans horizontally across the ten directions, covers the three roots universally, and gathers in both the sharp and the dull, has been misunderstood by them like this; how can it not make one's heart ache to the extreme?

"Decided protection and continuity"—this is the essence of the Second Secret Meaning. So, what is the essence of the First Secret Meaning? It is the "Seeing the Source" discussed earlier. Mahamudra is precisely the One True Dharma Realm. The One True Dharma Realm is precisely our innocent Buddha-nature; it is absent at no time and absent in no place; the myriad forms and phenomena, and the phenomena and forms in their myriads, are all its transformations and manifestations. One must first see the Nature before one can protect and sustain it; if you do not see the innocent Buddha-nature, then what are you protecting and sustaining? To speak simply: the first is Apprehending Mind and Seeing Nature; the second is dense and continuous protection and maintenance; these are the essence of the First Secret Meaning and the essence of the Second Secret Meaning.

"Concentration (*samādhi*) is the essential of supreme conduct. If one lacks the Dao-power of Wisdom of Liberation and only abides in the practice of resting, one still cannot transcend the Form Realm and Formless Realm. Because one has not been able to overcome the arising of conditions for greed and anger, and the flow of various karmic activities."

"The essential of supreme conduct" means the most critically important practice. The "Concentration" within "View, Concentration, and Conduct" is the most critically important practice. "Wisdom of Liberation" refers to the "Seeing the Source" and "Protection" discussed previously. "The Dao-power of Wisdom of Liberation" refers to the power to give rise to immeasurable marvelous functioning from the View of Essence; this is the "Great Potential and Great Function" spoken of in the Chan School. Here, "resting" refers to resting the mind and stopping thoughts. "The practice of resting" is the kung-fu of suppressing thoughts from arising—"moving a stone to press down the grass." "Only abiding in the practice of resting" means only stopping at the stage of suppressing thoughts from arising. We previously mentioned the three realms of "Desire Realm, Form Realm, and Formless Realm [*ārūpyadhātu*]"; the "Form Realm and Formless Realm" here refer to the "Four Dhyāna Heavens" (Form Realm) and "Four Empty Heavens" (Formless Realm). The meaning of this passage is: Although practicing concentration, or even closing oneself in retreat to focus on practicing the power of concentration, is a critically important practice, if one only rests the mind and stops thoughts without the power to realize the Essence and give rise to functioning, then it is still mundane *dhyāna* *samādhi*. Even though one transcends the Desire Realm, one has not yet transcended the Form Realm and Empty Realm, and is still within the Heaven Realm of the Six Realms.

What is the reason for this? "Because one has not been able to overcome the arising of conditions for greed and anger, and the flow of various karmic activities." He can rest the mind and stop thoughts, and "greed and anger" can be temporarily subdued, but the conditions for the arising of greed and anger are still there. "Yuan" means conditions. "Arising of conditions for greed and anger" refers to the conditions that give rise to greed and anger. Why can't resting the mind and stopping thoughts overcome the arising of conditions for greed and anger? Because he does not recognize the Fundamental Nature, and the habit of giving rise to mind in response to states is still there. When a state comes, he cannot be free and is turned by the state. For example, when a beautiful woman appears, you view her as a skeleton or a skin bag of pus and blood in order to overcome the mind of lust; this is still a method of antidotes. Speaking from the root, "Whatever appearances there are are illusory"; all appearances are reflections manifested by the True Mind. If the True Mind manifests clearly and brightly, seeking the appearance of male and female is entirely unobtainable. The True Mind manifesting clearly and brightly, not being lost when facing states—this is the "Dao-power of Wisdom of Liberation." If one lacks this Dao-power, one will be deluded by states and turn along with states. Creating karma due to delusion, receiving retribution due to karma; causes and effects, effects and causes, traversing the Six Realms without a time of exit—this is the "flow of various karmic activities." Abiding in the "concentration" of resting the mind and stopping thoughts can only temporarily subdue greed and anger, but cannot overcome the arising of conditions for greed and anger. In the Chan School, this is called "soaking a stone in cold water" or "dead water does not hide a dragon." Once the power of concentration fades, habits float up, and greed and anger become even more severe; it is like a stone pressing down grass—when the stone is removed, the grass grows. Naturally, one cannot overcome the flow of various karmic activities.

"Because one has not attained the Dao-power of Decided Mind, one gives rise to greedy love towards favorable conditions of joyful desires, and gives rise to angry hatred towards conflicting conditions of adversity, just like giving rise to the thought of suffering regarding pain and illness, etc."

"Not having attained the Dao-power of Decided Mind" means not recognizing the Fundamental Nature. If you recognize the Fundamental Nature, knowing that things are all false and knowing that things are all reflections of the True Mind, absolutely without doubt, then you will not move your mind or grasp at appearances when facing states. Therefore, we must truly realize the Fundamental Nature. Mahamudra instructs us to see the Nature and teaches us to be diligent in protection, training within states, and truly realizing within training. We must transform the body, mind, and world into emptiness within training and truly see the Fundamental Nature; only then will there be "Dao-power of Decided Mind." If you do not train, there will be no power. You listen to the lecture here, and at this moment it seems there is much power, but as soon as you go out the door, you forget it immediately; what use is that? One must still do kung-fu with feet firmly on the ground. Two methods of doing kung-fu are now introduced: One is that after hearing the teaching and recognizing the Fundamental Nature, one protects it moment after moment—"In the morning be with this, in the evening be with this, in wandering be with this, in stumbling be with this"—protecting it moment after moment so it does not move; if a thought arises, turn it around immediately and do not run after it; persist in doing this for a long time. The other is to practice a concrete Dharma gate, either reciting the Buddha's name, investigating Chan, or practicing the Heart-of-Mind Method. Not only doing kung-fu on the seat but also doing kung-fu off the seat; one must observe constantly and protect and sustain densely; only then will there be results. Otherwise, seeing beautiful things, you will still be moved; encountering contrary circumstances, you will still be angry and resentful. This is "giving rise to greedy love towards favorable conditions of joyful desires, and giving rise to angry hatred towards conflicting conditions of adversity."

"Just like giving rise to the thought of suffering regarding pain and illness, etc." I will now cite a few examples of sickness conditions manifesting to see how the ancients dealt with sickness conditions. Chan Master Mazu Daoyi was a remarkable great patriarch of the Chan School, known to the world as "Great Master Ma"; he taught over a hundred disciples who attained the Great Dao, who then went to various places to teach and transform the world. Great Master Ma fell ill in his later years, and the temple manager went to ask after his health: "How is the Venerable Monk's health these days?" Great Master Ma said: "Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha." What does this mean? Sun Face is daytime, comparing it to when healthy; Moon Face is nighttime, comparing it to when sick. Buddha means Awakening. Daytime is in awakening, and nighttime is also in awakening; when healthy it is like this, and when sick it is also like this. Although the words are only six characters, they simply and clearly express Great Master Ma's "Dao-power of Decided Mind." Chan Master Ciming Chuyuan of the Song Dynasty was also a remarkable great patriarch of the Chan School; in his later years, he suddenly suffered a stroke, and his mouth became skewed. His attendant stomped his feet in anxiety: "What can be done! All your life you scolded Buddhas and reviled Patriarchs, and now you are like this." What is to be done! Usually you scolded Buddhas and reviled Patriarchs, now the retribution has come. Master Ciming said: "Do not worry. I will straighten it for you." You don't need to be anxious; I'll just straighten it out for you. Speaking thus, he used his hand to move his mouth, and that skewed mouth immediately became normal. Pain and illness are also karmic obstructions; "If realized, karmic obstructions are originally empty; if not realized, one must pay back past debts." As for karmic debts, on the body of a great patriarch who has realized the Dao, if he wants to accept them, he accepts them; if he wants to not accept them, he does not accept them. The body is like a house; there is always a time when it breaks down; if one can live in it, one lives in it; if one cannot live in it, one just discards it. If it breaks down and you still crave and cling to it unwilling to let go, suffering will come; this suffering is what you sought yourself. When Chan Master Chongyun Zhihui was about to enter *parinirvāṇa*, he wrote a verse for everyone to see: "I have a hut, my parents built it for me. I have lived in it for eighty years, and recently I feel it is damaged. I intended to move elsewhere early on, but the matter involves hate and love. When it is destroyed, there is no hindrance between us." After writing, he sat in lotus position and passed away. It is not necessarily always like this; let us cite another example: When Chan Master Cuiyan Kezhen was about to enter Nirvana, he manifested the appearance of extreme pain and illness, tossing and turning incessantly on the mat spread on the ground. His attendant cried and said: "All your life you scolded Buddhas and reviled Patriarchs, why are you like this now?" If it weren't for you scolding Buddhas and reviling Patriarchs usually, how could it be like this now? Master Cuiyan stared at the attendant for a while and scolded him: "Do you also hold this view?" You also have this kind of view! Thereupon, Master Cuiyan sat in lotus position and ordered the attendant to burn incense. As soon as the smoke rose, the Chan Master entered *parinirvāṇa*. Everyone, since Master Cuiyan had the assurance to sit and depart or stand and die [at will], why did he still manifest such a painful appearance of illness? He was using his body to expound the Dharma: Pain is liberation, affliction is Bodhi, and birth-and-death is Nirvana. When did he ever "give rise to the thought of suffering regarding pain and illness"?

If you "give rise to the thought of suffering regarding pain and illness," then it is terrible; the demon of illness will torment you energetically. If the mind does not abide in the pain and illness—"If it hurts, let it hurt; it doesn't matter, it's of no concern"—then you won't feel the pain instead. Just like when practicing the Heart-of-Mind Method, when the fingers hurt very much while forming the *mudrā*, if the mind does not think of the hands and attention is concentrated on the *mantra*, forgetting the hands, then one does not feel the hands hurting. But as soon as you give rise to a mind of delight—"Hey, the hands don't hurt anymore"—thinking like this, the hands immediately start hurting again. Therefore, the feeling of pain ultimately comes down to the question of whether the brain accepts it or not. As long as our mind is empty and non-abiding, illness will get better, and even if there is pain, one will not feel suffering. The Pure Land School speaks like this: "At the end of life, the body has no suffering, the mind is not inverted, and the consciousness is not scattered." "The body has no suffering" means not being caused to suffer by illness; it does not necessarily mean not getting sick at all. Being able to not think about the illness when sick, but only caring about reciting the Buddha's name—"Amitābha, Amitābha, Amitābha..."—with attention concentrated on the Buddha's name and not feeling the pain, that is the body having no suffering of illness. If your mind is scattered and you think about the pain—"Ouch, ouch!"—then it will hurt to death. If you are very diligent usually and have very deep kung-fu power, then there is no such thing as being sick or not, hurting or not. "If the mind can turn things, it is the Tathāgata"; if one truly achieves mind-emptiness and non-abiding, illness can also be turned; just like Master Ciming, moving it with his hand, the mouth that was skewed due to a stroke immediately became normal. If the kung-fu is slightly shallower, one can also not be caused to suffer by illness. Therefore, we must cause the mind to be empty and pure at all times. If our minds are not empty and pure, and we are pressed by illness at the end of life, suffering and feeling miserable, the mind will be uneasy. I have seen many people who cultivate Pure Land; at the end of their lives, I instructed them: "You must strive to recite the Buddha's name now; this is the critical moment, you are about to be born in the West. The critical moment has arrived, hurry up and recite the Buddha's name." Guess what he said? He said: "Ouch! What Buddha is there to recite! I'm about to die of pain, it's unbearably miserable, I can't recite it." He just wouldn't recite because his mind was scattered. Our diligent recitation of the Buddha's name now is preparation for use in that split second at the end of life. Being able to have the mind not scattered at the end of life, still going "Amitābha, Amitābha..." like this, then being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is absolutely assured. Everyone, please work hard on your kung-fu! Examples of this are truly too many.

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Ganges Mahāmudrā By Elder Yuan Yin (Lecture Ten)

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Chinese Original From https://book.bfnn.org/article/0383.htm

English Translation:

Ganges Mahāmudrā 

By Elder Yuan Yin

Lecture 10

“This is the great practice of non-practice, the wisdom of equal pervasiveness abiding in itself. Like the yoga of a river, there is no hair's breadth of correction, yet also no moment of distraction.”

The practice method of Ganges Mahāmudrā is the “great practice of non-practice.” True practice has no image of practice. You look at him and it seems he is not practicing; in reality, he is practicing at all times; this is the great practice of non-practice. Because he is contemplating at all times, protecting his own spirit at all times.

Having no image of practice is called “non-practice”; everything is entirely unobtainable, even “emptiness, bliss, and clarity” are unobtainable, which is called “non-attainment”; oneself is originally Buddha, one only needs to extinguish delusive thinking and grasping, without needing to add anything more, as one is originally complete with all wondrous functions, which is called “non-realization.” This is the so-called “non-practice, non-attainment, non-realization.” As for non-practice, it is originally without arising or ceasing; as for non-attainment, it is originally empty and quiescent; as for non-realization, one is originally Buddha. This is the “wisdom of equal pervasiveness abiding in itself”! “Equal” means equality; “pervasiveness” means universality; that is, naturally and spontaneously abiding in the great wisdom that is level, equal, and pervading everything. Equal pervasiveness means that all times, all places, and all people are equal; there is no person higher and me lower, no me higher and person lower, and no my dharma is higher and your dharma is lower. People just like to dispute, each clinging to their own view, thinking that what they say is the truth while slandering others, standing on their own standpoint speaking of right and wrong, good and bad. To give an example: there is a type of automatic umbrella that is very convenient to use, but not durable; it breaks after not much use, and people call it a “short-lived umbrella.” In the eyes of consumers in our country, this kind of umbrella is bad. Because we like things to be durable. But in the eyes of foreigners, this kind of umbrella is very good! Because it is easy to use, the price is cheap, it is excellent quality at low cost, and it is just right to use for a while and then throw away. We are not accustomed to throwing things away, so we say this umbrella is bad; they are accustomed to throwing things away, so they say this umbrella is very good. Actually, an umbrella is just an umbrella; the umbrella itself has no good or bad; saying good or bad is all the delusive mind of people distinguishing; as it is said, “Ten thousand things are originally idle; foolish people disturb themselves.” If the “wisdom of equal pervasiveness abiding in itself” brightly manifests before you, and you do not give rise to a mind of distinguishing and grasping or rejecting, you can hear the “short-lived umbrella expounding the Dharma.”

We spoke earlier of “insentient objects expounding the Dharma”; how do insentient objects expound the Dharma? That you do not hear insentient objects expounding the Dharma is because ignorance has covered your True Mind, and your differentiating mind exists vividly; therefore, your nature of perception can only pervade your body. If I hit your head, the head hurts; if I hit your foot, the foot hurts. If I hit this chair, you have no perception. If you break through ignorance, remove the habit energy of “giving rise to mind in response to objects,” and sweep away the mind of distinguishing and grasping or rejecting, the nature of awareness will be able to pervade all things; the capacity of the mind will be like empty space, with nothing outside your mind; then you will span the ten directions and extend through the three times, knowing everything and understanding everything. The sun, moon, and stars, the boundless universe, the mountains, rivers, and great earth, flowers, birds, insects, and fish, all sentient and insentient beings are within your mind. Like the pearls of Indra's Net, light reflecting light, each reflection completing the other; he is within your mind, and you are also within his mind; within you there is me, and within me there is you. Pick up one, and it is the whole body. Just like a modern “laser holographic photograph”; any small part of it contains the information of the entire photograph. This is “equal pervasiveness.” If one desires to be like this, one must start the practice; how to practice? “Like the yoga of a river, there is no hair's breadth of correction, yet also no moment of distraction.”

Yoga means correspondence. Like the yoga of a river means corresponding just like a river. Look at that river water; if the riverbed curves, it flows curved; if the riverbed is straight, it flows straight. It corresponds with the environment everywhere; it is not that it can only go straight and cannot curve, nor is it that it can only curve and cannot go straight. Our True Mind is originally just like a river, corresponding with all states. Haven't we already said before: “Delusive thoughts and afflictions are all the wisdom appearance of the Dharmakaya's fundamental awakening.” The Dharmakaya is our True Mind, which is the Self-nature.

It has always been neither coming nor going, neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing; it has never had a “hair's breadth of correction,” nor a “moment of distraction”; only this is the root of all things. When we work on our practice, starting from the root, we should also be like a river, corresponding with all states, without success or failure, gain or loss, without love or hate, grasping or rejecting. Whatever needs to be done, just do it; when doing it, be orderly and logical; after doing it, it is equal to not having done it, leaving no trace in the mind. Doing things this way, wisdom and skill arise in response to the situation; one is busy but not chaotic, managing many things but not jumbled, and efficiency is very high. If beforehand one has expectations or fears, carrying a mental burden, one will not be adept when doing the task. Furthermore, if afterwards one is complacent due to success, or dejected and angry due to failure— “The wind of joy blows down the Bodhi tree; the fire of anger burns up the forest of merit.” That has long since ceased to be “yoga.”

We must be like a river: if it curves, let it curve; if it is straight, let it be straight; if the wind comes and waves rise, it does not matter. Laughter and scolding are all the wondrous function of the Buddha-nature; losing one's temper once in a while does not matter either. Why? If you are too compliant with him, he will think you are weak and easily bullied, his desires will rise even higher, and he may harm many people at once; how can that be allowed? At this time, one needs a “Bodhisattva's heart and a Rakshasa's face,” getting angry to teach him a lesson, or even beating him, to make him turn back quickly; this is education! Therefore, we who learn Buddhism cannot always be soft and weak; when we see bad things, we should get angry if anger is needed. Is it truly getting angry? Getting angry is the external appearance, a means to educate people; it is not that one has lost control in the mind, nor that a mind of hatred has arisen.

In the past, there was a garden master (one who manages the vegetable garden and grows vegetables for the assembly to eat) under the seat of Zen Master Liangshan Yuanguan; he asked Liangshan: “What about when the house thief is hard to guard against?” The house thief is a metaphor for delusive thoughts; running after delusive thoughts obscures the luminosity of the Self-nature; it is equivalent to the “house thief” of delusive thoughts stealing the Dharma-wealth. When delusive thoughts come, what should be done? Liangshan said: “Recognizing it makes it not an enemy.” If you can see it and recognize that it is a delusive thought, and just not follow it, then it is not an injustice. If you run after it (clinging to it or suppressing it are both running after it), then you have practiced in vain; wouldn't that be an injustice! But the garden master was an enlightened person; he did not just let it go after speaking and listening like this; he wanted to “present it face to face,” hold the strategic pass, and not let the huatou pass by. After several questions and answers, he suddenly asked: “What about when suddenly a lake is overturned and mountains are toppled?” Suddenly a great temper erupts, like a mountain flash flood, washing down the mountains; what then? Zen Master Liangshan walked down from the Dharma seat, grabbed the garden master, and said: “Acharya, do not wet the corner of this old monk's kāsāya!” Not even a corner of the kāsāya can be made wet; this is a metaphor for the mind being unmoved. It means that even though you lose your temper, the mind must be held firm and cannot move a bit!

At this point, there is “no hair's breadth of correction, yet also no moment of distraction.” There is neither samādhi nor disturbance; both samādhi and disturbance are unobtainable; equality is one-suchness, one-suchness is equality. You say: I have entered samādhi here! Then you still have “samādhi” present; if there is “samādhi,” there must be disturbance, because “samādhi” is spoken of in relation to “disturbance”; if there is no disturbance, what samādhi is there to speak of! If speaking of true, there must be false; if speaking of good, there must be evil; if speaking of beautiful, there must be ugly; if there were no “false, evil, and ugly,” would there still be a need to speak of “truth, goodness, and beauty”? Our minds must be truly equal, having neither disturbance nor samādhi, neither correction nor distraction. The practice must reach this degree to be acceptable.

“The Verse says: Never cultivated, never separated, also not separating from the meaning of non-cultivation.”

This verse is divided into three parts: 1. Never cultivated; 2. Never separated; 3. Also not separating from the meaning of non-cultivation. “Never cultivated” is the great practice of non-practice just discussed, no hair's breadth of correction, yet also no moment of distraction. This does not mean not doing the practice; the practice still needs to be done, so it says “never separated”—one has also not departed from doing the practice, but one cannot dwell on doing the practice; doing it is the same as not doing it; this is “also not separating from the meaning of non-cultivation.” Although the practice is done, one does not give rise to a view of doing practice; doing is unobtainable, and separating is also unobtainable. Practice is like taking a boat across a river; when the boat is still in mid-stream, one cannot leave the boat; if one leaves the boat at this time, wouldn't one fall into the current (a metaphor for the stream of birth and death) and drown! When the boat reaches the opposite shore, one must leave the boat; if one does not leave the boat, how can one reach the shore of Nirvana which is without birth and death! When practice truly arrives home, one has neither cultivated nor separated; there is neither this shore nor the other shore; there are neither six realms to fall into, nor a Buddha Way to accomplish; there is neither birth and death to resolve, nor Nirvana to realize. “No birth and death to resolve” is the true resolution of birth and death; “no Nirvana to realize” is then called the true realization of Nirvana. This is not something that counts just by saying it; only by realization can it be known. Just as it is said, “Like a person drinking water, he knows for himself whether it is cold or warm.”

“In this Self-nature Great Perfection Fundamental Path, there are those who achieve like the ‘Swastika’ (understanding the perfect Dharma according to capacity), or suddenly obtain liberation, then it is the wondrous function of the all-Dharmakaya manifested by the Essence of Great Separation of Form and Mind, with no subject capable of practicing nor object to be practiced.”

In the Great Perfection (Dzogchen) Dharma, there are several kinds of practice methods; the most main ones are “Trekchö” and “Tögal.” “Trekchö” means cutting through; it is to cut off delusive thoughts, delusive mind, and delusive habits immediately. “Tögal” means direct crossing; it is to suddenly transcend the sea of suffering of birth and death. The sequence is to first practice “Trekchö,” and afterwards practice “Tögal.” One must first cut through, which means one must first see the Self-nature; seeing the Self-nature is seeing the root. The Ganges Mahāmudrā points out for us at every moment to see the Self-nature; therefore, Mahāmudrā is the forerunner of the Great Perfection, the root of the Great Perfection, and one can even say that Mahāmudrā is the Great Perfection; thus it is called the “Self-nature Great Perfection Fundamental Path.”

There is a “Swastika” (卍) on the Buddha's chest. “卍” is originally not read as “Wan.” Because it signifies the adornment of ten thousand virtues and purity without defilement, everyone reads it as “Wan.” The adornment of ten thousand virtues, purity without defilement, is “understanding the perfect Dharma according to capacity.” The character “卍” turns to the right as written. Some people say that if the “Swastika” on the chest turns right, it is a true Buddha, and if it turns left, it is a false Buddha; discriminating the truth and falsehood of Buddhas in this way. But the Demon King can also manifest the appearance of a Buddha; how will you distinguish then? Others say that if the “Swastika” on the Buddha's chest radiates light and makes people's minds cool and refreshing, it is a true Buddha; if it makes people's minds hot and vexed, it is a false Buddha. These are all making articles on appearances and have not spoken to the root. We say that the signless is the true Buddha; those with signs are all false Buddhas. Because “The Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya are not the true Buddha, nor are they the ones who expound the Dharma”! The Sambhogakāya manifests the appearance of luminosity; the Nirmāṇakāya manifests the appearance of a physical body. The Diamond Sutra says: “If one sees me by form, or seeks me by sound, this person walks a deviant path and cannot see the Tathāgata.” The Buddha's Nirmāṇakāya has thirty-two characteristics and eighty subsidiary marks, but that is a false body; if you identify with this false body, you cannot see the Tathāgata. The Dharmakāya is the true Buddha, and the Dharmakāya is without characteristics. The Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya both have signs, so neither is the true Buddha. If speaking from the ultimate, false is true, and true is false; the totally false is true, and the totally true is false. If there were no Dharmakāya, from where would the Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya manifest? Can the Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya manifest apart from the Dharmakāya? Just as waves cannot appear apart from water, and reflections cannot appear apart from a mirror, the Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya also cannot appear apart from the Dharmakāya. Where is the Dharmakāya? The Dharmakāya is the myriad phenomena before your eyes! If the myriad phenomena were apart from the Dharmakāya, they would have no way to manifest; we see the Nature through appearances; Nature is appearance, and appearance is Nature. Distinguishing true and distinguishing false is all the distinguishing of our own delusive minds; the Dharmakāya is without characteristics, yet nothing is not its appearance; the Dharmakāya is originally just so. “There are those who achieve like the ‘Swastika’” means achieving the adornment of ten thousand signs, purity without defilement, which is “understanding the perfect Dharma according to capacity”!

“Or suddenly obtain liberation.” Whether we recite the Buddha's name, investigate Chan, or practice Esoterism, we should be working on the practice at all times and places; we cannot be separated from it for a moment. It is so when walking, so when sitting, so when sleeping, so when eating, and so when doing things; after a long time, the practice matures, and upon touching a condition or meeting a circumstance— “Pa!”—it suddenly breaks off. The delusive habit of clinging to form appearances has been cultivated over many lives and kalpas; it is precisely because of it that there is the cycle of the six realms; it binds you like a rope so that your Buddha-nature cannot manifest. Now that you work hard on practice, it is to grind this rope until it breaks; grinding it thinner and thinner, thinner and thinner, until finally it is as thin as a hair, and “Pa!”—it breaks apart; this is called “suddenly obtaining liberation.” If you do not work hard on the practice, you will not be suddenly liberated. The instant of sudden liberation is not necessarily on the seat. I have told you all again and again, practicing the Mind-Center Dharma (Xin Zhong Xin) does not necessarily mean opening the Original upon the seat; it could be while walking, it could be while sleeping or dreaming, it could be while doing things; suddenly inside one does not see body and mind, outside one does not see the world, and “Pa!”—it opens up. But you must work on the practice densely and closely! If you do it today and stop tomorrow, fishing for three days and drying the nets for two, or work on the practice on the seat but let the wild horses loose off the seat, that will not do. Because you have not ground the rope of delusive thinking and grasping thin, it will not break. We should apply effort at all times, abiding in the “Great Perfection Fundamental Path”; when the practice matures, one will “suddenly obtain liberation.”

“Then it is the wondrous function of the all-Dharmakaya manifested by the Essence of Great Separation of Form and Mind.” Achieving like the “Swastika” or suddenly obtaining liberation is the wondrous function of the Dharmakāya, and this wondrous function is manifested by the Essence of Great Separation of Form and Mind. “Form” refers to the physical body, which is this shell of ours; “Mind” refers to the delusive mind of delusive thinking and grasping. Our minds always dwell on this shell, clinging to it as “me”; this is “body-view,” and body-view ranks first among the five kinds of “view-afflictions.” Affliction means confusion; therefore, this shell is the “shell of ignorance.” The Essence of Great Separation of Form and Mind means no longer clinging to this shell as oneself. Once the “shell of ignorance” is broken, the wondrous function of the Dharmakāya manifests.

Among us who learn Buddhism, there are quite a few who pursue supernatural powers. Seeking supernatural powers is the worst; once there is seeking, one cannot “understand the perfect Dharma according to capacity” and cannot “suddenly obtain liberation.” That is to say, seeking supernatural powers obstructs seeing the Nature. Seeing the Nature is the root; if the root is obtained, do not worry about the branches. You only need to abide in the fundamental Nature, working on the practice at every moment, reducing your delusive mind and delusive habits day by day, diminishing them again and again, diminishing them again and again... Pa! It breaks open, and the wondrous function of supernatural powers naturally manifests; this is not obtained by seeking. Supernatural powers obtained by seeking are useless; anything obtained by seeking is a conditioned dharma and cannot be relied upon. Some people claim to have supernatural powers and can foresee the future; actually, that is “dependent power”; he is relying on an “ear-report god.” What is an ear-report god? It is the “spirit ghost” we spoke of earlier! Because of heavy greed in past lives, it created great evil karma and fell into hell to suffer great suffering. After the suffering retribution was exhausted, it left hell; because the habit of greed remained, it was born again into the path of hungry ghosts, often attaching itself to human bodies to suck human vital essence and blood. If a person's mind is empty and non-abiding, it cannot attach; if a person pursues supernatural powers, he is exactly taken advantage of by it. Ghosts have “ghost powers”; if you are taken advantage of by him, he will tell you in your ear: some person will come tomorrow, some matter will happen, and the next day it is indeed so. If you mistakenly think you have supernatural powers, you have been deceived by it; actually, this has nothing to do with supernatural powers. You cannot listen to it, cannot pay attention to it, cannot rely on it. If you rely on it, you will be entangled by it and cannot accomplish the Way.

We cannot pursue supernatural powers; we must use effort densely and closely at all times and places, paying no attention to any state. Proceeding diligently like this for a long time, one will suddenly open the Original; subject and object will both be forgotten, sense organs and dusts will fall away, and one will be suddenly liberated. Sense organs and dusts falling away is the “Essence of Great Separation of Form and Mind”; subject and object both forgotten means there is no person capable of practice and no Dharma to be practiced. At this time, it is “no subject capable of practicing nor object to be practiced.” The Buddha-nature is originally perfect and complete with everything; its wondrous function is boundless, capable of manifesting the ten thousand existences. We only need to persist in working hard on the practice, and there will always be a day when we can suddenly break open, and the state of “no subject capable of practicing nor object to be practiced” will brightly manifest; at that time, all supernatural powers and wondrous functions will be obtained naturally without seeking. We must have a firm mind, persevere, keep the mind empty and non-abiding at all times, and return everything to the Self-nature in all matters; only then will we achieve perfect accomplishment.

“If not yet firm, one is a lower capacity gradual path ordinary person who gives rise to delusive thoughts and is turned by other forces. One must still abandon bustling, distracted places, and diligently practice to gather complete Dhyāna concentration. Otherwise, even if practicing for a long time, signs of the Way will not arise.”

Not yet firm means not having a firm mind and being unable to persevere. The practice method mentioned earlier—the great practice of non-practice—is spoken for those of higher capacity; their roots are very good, and they can listen to the teaching of Mahāmudrā and work hard on the upward practice; this is being able to obtain firmness. If one is not such a person and cannot persist in working hard, that is not yet firm. A person who is not yet firm is always lazy and procrastinating, always having excuses for not practicing: either recently the body is unwell, catching a cold or coughing, or today there are too many things to do and no time, or the environment is noisy, too bustling... In short, today is not possible, let's talk about it tomorrow. Just like this, “Tomorrow follows tomorrow, how many tomorrows are there?”—when will one be able to accomplish the practice! This kind of person is definitely one who “gives rise to delusive thoughts and is turned by other forces,” running after delusive thinking, moving along with states; then he is a “lower capacity gradual path ordinary person.” His root capacity is lower, suitable for walking the gradual practice path of three great Asankhya kalpas; in this life, he just plants some good roots, and it is not easy to accomplish the Way in this lifetime.

However, a person who is not yet firm is not without even a glimmer of hope for accomplishing the Way in this life. “One must still abandon bustling, distracted places, and diligently practice to gather complete Dhyāna concentration.” Inside not turning with delusive thoughts, outside not moving for states; one needs to have complete power of concentration; this kind of concentration power is called “gathering Dhyāna concentration.” One needs to abandon flourishing and bustling places, because such places will cause his mood to be confused. One needs to find a peaceful, clean place, and diligently practice Dhyāna meditation to obtain the necessary power of concentration. If he persists in using effort like this, there is still hope for successful practice in this life. Otherwise, “even if practicing for a long time, signs of the Way will not arise.” In a noisy market, because of a lack of concentration power, the mind turns with the environment, and if one is unwilling to leave the noisy market to go to a clean place to practice Dhyāna meditation, then, even if one practices a certain Dharma door for a long time, “signs of the Way” will not arise.

The “signs of the Way” spoken of here are the “emptiness, bliss, and clarity” we discussed earlier. Isn't it said that one must discard “emptiness, bliss, and clarity,” and urgently shout the syllable “Phat” to peel off the skin-shell of “emptiness, bliss, and clarity”? Yes. That is wanting you to directly verify the “Principle of the View”; you cannot cling to “emptiness, bliss, and clarity,” and even more so cannot think that obtaining “emptiness, bliss, and clarity” is accomplishing the Way. It does not say that “emptiness, bliss, and clarity” are bad; good is good, but a good thing is not as good as nothing. If one gives rise to a mind of seeking and abiding in “emptiness, bliss, and clarity,” one cannot thoroughly understand the “Self-nature Great Perfection Fundamental Path”; therefore, we do not speak of “emptiness, bliss, and clarity” in detail. But now, since we have mentioned the issue of “signs of the Way,” let us speak a little about the gradual methods:

Sitting in meditation to practice concentration involves these eight stages: coarse dwelling, fine dwelling, desire realm concentration, not-yet-arrived concentration, first Dhyāna, second Dhyāna, third Dhyāna, and fourth Dhyāna. The so-called “signs of the Way” are verifying which stage the practice has reached. For example, reciting the Buddha's name: if one can tie the mind to the Buddha's name without scattering, this is “coarse dwelling,” having only subdued the coarse delusions. Going a step further, the mind is pasted tight and unmoving, becoming one piece with the Buddha's name; outside the mind there is no Buddha, outside the Buddha there is no mind; this is “fine dwelling,” having further subdued the fine delusions. Going a step further, the mind becomes suddenly expansive and bright, and the body feels like a cloud or like a reflection soaring into the sky, feeling as if it has left the seat; this is “desire realm concentration.” The so-called “three realms” are the desire realm, form realm, and formless realm. Hells, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, and also six layers of heavens, all belong to the desire realm; going further up, the first Dhyāna, second Dhyāna, third Dhyāna, and fourth Dhyāna, these four layers of heavens belong to the form realm; going even further up belongs to the heavens of the empty realm (formless realm), divided into “limitless empty space, limitless consciousness, nothingness, and neither thought nor non-thought,” four layers.

Having arrived at “desire realm concentration,” if one continues to practice, if the body and world suddenly transform into emptiness, this is “not-yet-arrived concentration”; one has left the desire realm but has not yet arrived at the form realm, not yet arrived at the first Dhyāna. When the practice goes a step further, inside one does not see body and mind, outside one does not see the world, and one arrives at the first Dhyāna. The first Dhyāna possesses “eight touches and ten virtues.” The “eight touches” are “movement, itchiness, lightness, heaviness, cold, warmth, smoothness, and roughness.” One feels the body is gone, but these eight kinds of sensations are produced. The eight kinds of sensations do not necessarily appear at the same time, but it goes no further than these eight kinds. Movement involves moving until one feels floating and airy, surpassing worldly wild joy; itchiness involves itching until one feels joyful, surpassing worldly desire-pleasure... In short, the eight touches are all very comfortable and happy sensations. Leaving desire and generating joy, so the first Dhyāna is called the “ground of joy and bliss born of separation.” The “ten virtues” are “emptiness, clarity, concentration, wisdom, good mind, softness, joy, bliss, liberation, and correspondence”; “emptiness, bliss, and clarity” are already included within this. Concentration means not disordered, wisdom means not foolish, joy means not worried; there are also good mind, softness, liberation, and correspondence, which are all extremely good states, so they are called “ten virtues.” Only by discarding the sensations of the eight touches and ten virtues of the first Dhyāna can one enter the second Dhyāna. The second Dhyāna is called the “ground of joy and bliss born of concentration”; joy and bliss arise within concentration. Only by discarding the “joy” of the second Dhyāna can one enter the third Dhyāna. The third Dhyāna is called the “ground of wondrous bliss of leaving joy”; it produces subtle happiness that transcends joy. Only by discarding all sensations can one enter the fourth Dhyāna. The fourth Dhyāna is called the “ground of purity of casting off thought.” At this time, there is purity and equality, and all sensations such as “emptiness, bliss, and clarity” are gone.

What we practice is Mahāyāna Chan, the Sudden and Round Chan, not the gradual Chan described above; of course, we do not speak of these layers of kung-fu, but we have also not departed from them. No matter what state we encounter, we pay absolutely no attention to it, and these feelings pass before long. We take seeing the Nature as the principle, and do not care about these things. Not caring does not equal not existing; these processes still exist, it is just that they flash by and are gone. Ganges Mahāmudrā is Mahāyāna Buddhadharma; it regards “emptiness, bliss, and clarity” as a skin-shell, and one must peel off this skin-shell for the appearance of the Self-nature to manifest nakedly. If one is a lower capacity gradual path ordinary person, his mind is unsteady and always runs after states. A person fond of lust sees a young and beautiful girl and his mind runs after her; a person greedy for food sees delicious food before him and his mind becomes agitated and uneasy. He always lets the wild horses loose on and off the seat; let alone directly according with the “Principle of the View,” even “emptiness, bliss, and clarity” will not manifest. Therefore, for this kind of person, “even if practicing for a long time, signs of the Way will not arise.”

“Therefore, closing retreat to practice avoids the pollution of habit nature in conduct and rituals, and only then can the wisdom of the signs of the Way of the self-ground of fundamental concentration (i.e., the wisdom of verifying power of the Way) merge with post-attainment wisdom (or the wisdom obtained after leaving concentration).”

Leaving bustling and distracted places and finding a peaceful, clean place to close retreat and practice can avoid “conduct and rituals” being polluted by habit nature. “Conduct and rituals” are practice conduct and ritual rules. For example, when we practice the Mind-Center Dharma: forgetting to contemplate off the seat and having the mind turned by external objects pollutes the practice conduct; being unable to bring up the mantra on the seat and having the mind flow with delusive thoughts pollutes the ritual rules. The so-called “habit nature” is “habit becomes nature”; habits become natural. The greatest habit nature of ordinary people is giving rise to mind in response to objects and always clinging to signs. For example, a person who loves wealth sees an opportunity to get rich, his heart pounds wildly, and he cannot sleep well at night. Layman Pang said back then: “Much gold disturbs people's minds”; when money is plentiful, the mind is disturbed, so he sank his myriad family wealth into the bottom of the river. He only wanted to understand the Mind and see the Nature, and did not want gold, silver, and treasures that obstruct the practice of the Way. This is a true practitioner of the Way, leading to great accomplishment later. Are there still such people now? Of course, we cannot say there is not a single one, but indeed they are very few.

For a lower capacity gradual path ordinary person, conduct and rituals are easily polluted by habit nature; if he can close retreat and practice, “only then can the wisdom of the signs of the Way of the self-ground of fundamental concentration (i.e., the wisdom of verifying power of the Way) merge with post-attainment wisdom (or the wisdom obtained after leaving concentration).” The wisdom of the signs of the Way of the self-ground of fundamental concentration is Fundamental Wisdom. Fundamental Wisdom merging with Post-attainment Wisdom is the “meeting of Mother and Child Luminosities” spoken of earlier. This means that if a lower capacity gradual path ordinary person can close retreat and practice, he can also achieve accomplishment in this life. This passage adds parentheses after “wisdom of the signs of the Way of the self-ground of fundamental concentration” to annotate it: i.e., wisdom of verifying power of the Way. Verification means verifying; verifying what? A practitioner of the Way naturally verifies the power of the Way; this is the wisdom that verifies the power of the Way. What do you use to verify the power of the Way? Apart from the “numinous knowing that is unborn in a thought and clearly distinct,” what else is there! This is the “Nature” of understanding the Mind and seeing the Nature! This is Fundamental Wisdom. “Post-attainment Wisdom” also has an annotation: or wisdom obtained after leaving concentration. The “leaving” here has the meaning of “transcending”; transcending concentration and non-concentration. This is the wondrous function! Post-attainment Wisdom is the wondrous function.

“Closing retreat practice, although there is protection, relies on the practice of the Fundamental Samadhi Essence.”

Closing retreat requires someone to protect/support it. There are two kinds of retreat protectors: one is external protection, and one is internal protection. External protection is responsible for your daily life; you work on the practice inside the retreat room and cannot go out to buy vegetables, nor do you have time to cook, so someone must support you; this is external protection. Internal protection guides your practice, preventing you from entering demonic obstacles and pointing you to verify and complete the Great Way. Closing retreat practice, although there is someone to support it, mainly “relies on the practice of the Fundamental Samadhi Essence.” The Fundamental Samadhi Essence is the Self-nature. The Self-nature is originally unborn and undying, undefiled and impure, unincreasing and undecreasing; only because of beginningless kalpas of ignorance moving blindly and giving rise to mind in response to objects, one has sunk into the six realms. To untie the bell, the person who tied it is needed; one still must rely on oneself to practice diligently and break through ignorance; one cannot rely on others. If the person protecting the retreat could accomplish the Way on our behalf, then Shakyamuni Buddha and Amitabha Buddha would have long ago saved us all completely; where would there still be so many ordinary beings! Being born into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is also not that easy; Amitabha Buddha cannot drag you there; he still requires you to recite the Buddha's name diligently and cut off the root of love before you can be born in the West. Great Master Yinguang said that being born in the West requires “The Sahā seal is broken, the Pure Land text is established.” If your root of love is not cut, greedily attached to gold, silver, and treasures, and yearning for wife and children, it is clear that the “Sahā seal” is not broken; then how can you be born in the West?

Therefore, even if closing retreat to practice, one cannot rely on the person protecting the retreat; one still relies on oneself to work hard on the practice, opening up the Fundamental Wisdom inherent in our own bodies, and then merging it with Post-attainment Wisdom, before one can accomplish the Way.

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