A wonderful path to
liberation
1.
The dependent
origination
enlightenment was to help all sentient beings become
enlightened too. When he saw the
sufferings of mankind,
he made up his mind to leave
home and seek the truth for liberation. When enlightenment
was
reached, the great compassion as a Buddha aroused him
to
the need of all sentient beings.
Four Noble Truth of
Suffering,
Cause, Cessation and the Way was the teaching
given then to the first five disciples in Lumbini
total of forty nine years had been spent by him
for educating others of his teaching.
Within these forty nine years, what had Sakyamuni
really given us? It is said that eighty four thousand
teachings were
given by the Buddha that make up the great Buddhist Canon.. The Canon is so vast because
different teachings correspond in
assisting different types and levels of people. We
may ask, which
teaching is best for us? Is there
one taking less time and getting the same benefit? There
must be one specifically for a
person’s need. However, how do we go
about finding for it? It is certainly
not easy. That’s the challenge I
encountered
at the very beginning of my quest for enlightenment.
In 1951, Ven.
Tze-Hang’s undecayed
body found
at Mountain Hsiu Fong in
body with gold. However, after three years in the urn, nobody dared to finish his last request. They were afraid to confront a rotten corpse which would have sullied the reputation of his practice. Another reason for the belief that the body would be severely damaged is because of the high humidity from raining in that mountain area and also because Ven. Tze-Hang was a heavy-set person. Another two years later, the chairman of his commemorative committee, Ven. Dao-Ann, decided to fulfill the request and open the urn. Amazingly, the body was found intact. The news spread fast, a large number of reporters from around the world gathered there.
Out of curiosity, I joined the crowd lining
up at the foot of the
mountain, just wanted to take a glimpse of his body.
The whole event soon inspired me to
start pursuing of Buddha’s teaching.
Later, there was another monk, Ven. Ching Yen, had
his body undecayed
after years of being deceased. I
brought my eldest and youngest child to view this amazing miracle. Only around forties when deceased, his practice
certainly had reached a high level with such a young age.
After witnessing these amazing feats, my
confidence in Buddha’s
teaching became firm. Friends and I
started going to the Buddhism lecture or class. First,
I attended the Diamond sutra
class given by Ven.
That table was where he sat on to meditate
during the night. Ven.
Dao-Ann
had me write some Buddhism articles for their monthly periodical
published by
the temple. I also wrote two
Buddhism-related
dramas for the radio station to play in the mean time.
One was called “The Wave of Love in the
Later, I came to the United States which gave
me the opportunities to introduce Buddhism
to
the Chinese study groups at two schools, the University of Texas at
Arlington
and the North Texas State University.
In order to prepare myself for the presentations, I had spent
more time
than before on Buddhism and the practice.
A Ph. D candidate
student who took a trip back to
What contained in this sutra is the teaching
for an ordinary being to
attain full enlightenment.
Expedient ways of practice were introduced by Sakyamuni. Some
people believed that the levels of
the person best fit for the teaching in this sutra are all those past
the first
stage(Srotaapanna)
in Theravaeda
tradition. However, we, as ordinary
beings, the wisdom have not yet been transformed, how do we reach the
same
level? In fact, once we generate
the aspiration for enlightenment, we are guaranteed to reach the goal
of enlightenment as
well. Surangama
sutra states:
“Having mercy on those Pratyakabuddhas
and Sravakas in the meeting, whose spirit
of
awakening is incomplete, and those born in the Dharma degenerate age
later with
absence of a Buddha, the World’s Honorable decides to point the
most wonderful
way to those seeking full
liberation.”
What was it that Buddha Sakyamuni
had pointed to which would help us in this Degeneate
times to achieve realization? It is called
“Samadhi by Contemplation of the Buddha”.
Here is a review of this particular
practice. It was introduced by the Great Strength Bodhisattva (Mahasthamaprapta) in the assembly of the
teaching and was
compiled in the fifth chapter of the Surangama
sutra. In the meeting of the Surangama teaching, Ven.
Ananda had requested Buddha Sakyamuni
for an expedient way to enter Samadhi.
Buddha turned to the great Bodhisattvas and Arhats
attending
the teaching to share their own experiences and methods for
realizing the nature of the mind, for
how they brought about Samadhi in
their meditations, and how they reached the final actualization. Twenty- five great achievers shared
their experiences.
Mahasthamaprapta was the twenty-fourth one to give his own
experience. First, the text has to be
studied to be
able to understand the practice itself. This
part of the text is entitled
“Penetration into Perfection by Contemplation of the Buddha
– Taught by Mahasthamaprapta” It
says:
“Mahasthamaprapta,
son of the Dharma Lord, together with his fifty-two spiritual peers,
stood up
and prostrated beneath the feet of the Buddha, saying:”
Here is some
background information on Mahasthamaprapta. Visualization
sutra states:
“With pervasive
luminosity from the wisdom shining through, he has helped living beings
free themselves
from the miserable state of existence and empowered them.
He was given the name “Great Strength”.”
Merit from Contemplation
sutra says:
“When he stepped down with his
feet, the shock vibrated through the universe and also to the
Lotus of Great compassion sutra
says:
“The cause in the past was
that when Amitabha was a cakravartin,
Avalokitesvara was his oldest son, and Mahasthamaprapta was his second son. In Sukavati
now, Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta
become Amitabha’s left and right
arms to help assist in
the Buddha’s activities. They are
the Buddha candidates next to Amitabha in
the
future.”
The meaning of Amitabha
is “Infinite Life”. The
adjective “Infinite” in His name is
virtually finite to us of being too large to be mathematically
calculated by us
in this world. Amitabha
will enter into Nirvana state in the future.
Dharma will end at the earlier
We have some background
information already on the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta. Let’s review the text of his teaching in the “Penetration
into Perfection”:
“I recall in the past, as
many eons as the number of sands in the Gange
river
before, a Buddha called “Infinite Light “ manifested
in the world. Later, twelve others would follow him
consecutively to achieve Buddhahood in one
aeon. The last
Buddha
was called ‘Surpassing the Light of the Sun and the Moon’. I was taught ‘the Samadhi by
Contemplation
of the Buddha’ by this Buddha.”
This excerpt is where the
practice method came from. “Contemplation
of the Buddha” is the name of the practice, the Samadhi is a
state achieved
through meditation. There’re 4
types of ‘Contemplation of the Buddha’ practices
:
1.
Recitation
of
Buddha’s name from Amitabha
sutra.
2.
Visualization
of the Buddha’s image from Visualization sutra.
3.
Using
discerning meditation from Surangama
sutra.
4.
Being
present in reality from Surangama
sutra.
These 4 practices begin from less difficult to
most difficult
accordingly.
It
is said in the Surangama sutra that
:
“Buddha
told Ananda that the use of metaphors in
the teaching
was necessary to help the wise attain enlightenment.”
One
who does not discern one thing from
another or cannot understand a metaphor will not gain insight and
realization
becomes a much more difficult goal to attain. In
the second chapter of Surangama
sutra, Buddha told Ananda that:
“You are a person of vast knowledge
and excellent recitation
through your listening, but you are lacking the awareness of the
cultivation of
Samantha(quiescence) and insight.”
Samantha is the method used to bring about the innate stability
found within
mind-itself. While in Samantha, insight
arouses the decisive understanding which is different from distinction
of
consciousness. The cultivation of both
Samantha(quiescence) and insight is the
first
expedient method among three taught in the Surangama
sutra. This method falls into the
third practice of “discerning meditation” as above. Sutra says:
“You
are all still on the path not reaching
pure reality yet, I shall teach you all now, so be prepared to
listen
and think carefully without becoming tired and lax in your
learning.”
And
“This
teaching is also beneficial to future
Mahayana practitioners
striving to reach pure reality as
well.”
Reality in this
instance means
the immaculate and pristine state of our mind. And
that is the source of everything in
the universe(Tathagatagarbha). We are told to listen and think carefully because
this is the method for achieving discerning meditation.
After discerning
meditation is achieved without
being tired and lax, realization is then to be achieved, and that is
the fourth
practice being present in reality
of “ Contemplation of the Buddha”.
The
following text of “Penetration into Perfection” says:
“For
instance, if two people meet, one
mindful and the other forgetful, it
would be no different than before
when they were still separate people.”
Sentient
beings are caught in reincarnation because of obscuration, karma and
suffering. Their pristine,
pure nature of the mind is seemingly lost through forgetfulness
though has never disappeared
from them. The text continues:
“When
two people imprint themselves upon each other
from life to life, they
would be born closely together like a person and his shadow and therefore would
never be separated.”
The
metaphor here is as opposed to the one above.
Realization of the nature of the
mind and the aspiration for enlightenment both form a momentum which
will break
up the hindrance along the path to reaching unity for oneself and
one’s Buddha
nature. The text says:
“Tathagata in ten
directions have mercy on
sentient beings like all mothers have for their child.
If the son runs away, a mother can not do
anything no matter how much she cares for her child.
However, if the son and mother
both remember each other then they shall be reunited in their
lifetimes.”
All the Buddhas
from ten directions care for sentient beings much
like a mother cares for her
son. If a confused child leaves
home and wanders to the world outside, the mother can do nothing to
help them. Only when both the mother and
child
begin to miss each other will this same feeling bring their hearts
together to
reunite them again.
“If
sentient beings always have the Buddha in their mind through
contemplation then
they are eventually bound to meet the Buddha.”
To contemplate the
Buddha,
approach can be taken in two different ways. The
first approach is to phenomenologically
pay attention and solely focus on the thought
of only the Buddha’s name. One must
meditate on Buddha’s name very clearly and steadily.
Meditative stability will be attained
through this method. The second
approach is to ontologically acquaint oneself with insight and to
observe the
nature of one’s mind. Observe that
the subject is the meditator and the
object of
meditation is the thought of Buddha’s name which are all present
in one’s
mind. Observe closely whether or
not this subject and the object own the same ground in the mind. Can you distinguish the subject from the
object? Or is the object the subject itself? Ascertainment
of an understanding that
the nature of one’s mind and the mind of the Buddha are one and
the same will
be developed in this second method.
To meet the Buddha is to see the nature of reality in
one’s mind also
called the Dharmakaya.
Self awareness is like childlike
awareness which will be liberated into its ground as motherlike
awareness. The text follows:
“The
distance separating the Buddha and oneself is getting shorter. ‘Contemplation of the Buddha’ is
the
very method which will help the nature of the mind be revealed without a doubt.”
Once the self nature
is
realized, the proceeding practice will lead one to return to the ground
state
of absolute space. One’s mind is no
different from the Buddha’s mind because one’s own mind is
a Buddha’s mind and
therefore, no other Buddha is required to reach one’s own mind state.
Therefore, a single thought corresponds
to a single moment of one’s Buddha nature so a stream of thought
corresponds to
a stream of one’s own Buddha nature.
The Buddha nature is to be completely open.
The following text is
:
“If
a person is in contact with the same fragrance for a long time, this
fragrance then
becomes his odor. Similarly, this same
method will bring the fragrance and brilliance to somone
very magnificently
just by contact.”
Previously, the text
has
pointed to the realization of the nature of the mind.
Now we will put this text into
practice. Dedicated devotion like
constantly being covered in fragrance will eventually
bring awakening with splendid
qualities like a dress with pleasant smelling. The
following text is important, it
says:
“The
cause ground for my pursuit on the spiritual path was based upon a mind
contemplating Buddha. I attained a
result of ‘rest on that unborn and unceasing’ state.”
The above quote has
given Surangama sutra a
gross picture. But first, two important
issues have to
be addressed before
continuing on this topic. In chapter 1,
when Ven.
Ananda asked the Buddha to teach the
practice of Samatha, Sakyamuni
replied:
“Many
practitioners have worked very hard but have still not achieved
enlightenment. There are two basic
facts that have been neglected to acknowledge by them.
Without ascertainment on these two basic
thoughts, even through eons of practice, it is like cooking sand to serve as a meal –
enlightenment is impossible. So, what
are these two facts?
1.
The
root of birth and death since the time without beginning is the
clinging mind which has been mistaken by you and sentient beings as the
mind-itself.
2.
The
very immaculate nature of awareness in nirvana since the time
without beginning is the self clarity of ground consciousness within
you that
is not dependently related to anything but endowed
with the power as dependent origination.”
All sentient beings are not aware of these
two
basics facts.
Simply
saying, the sixth consciousness is the one we mistake
as
the mind-itself. It is the clinging
mind. Which
always fluctuates. It
fluctuates between rising and departing of thoughts, between one’s birth and
death. The clinging mind is what
makes us unable to transcend reincarnation. As
Sakyamuni
attained the perfect enlightenment under the Bodhi
tree in
Delusion and grasping represent
the clinging mind. The clinging
mind is the sixth consciousness which is also called the delusive mind.
As the second basic fact pointed
out earlier, the immaculate nature of awareness in nirvana is the
reality of
absolute space, also called Alaya(ground consciousness), which is able to give
rise to
dependent origination. But Alaya cannot independently self sustain
its
own ground consciousness. It is like
the eye that is able to see things but not itself. Alaya, under
an obscuration, trying to grasp the objects from six senses, leaving
its
spontaneity of self awareness alone and making itself stray farther by
the activity
created and therefore entraping the
reincarnation. Simply, the first
basic denotes the
delusive mind, and the second basic describes the real mind.
The next issue is that two
decisive understandings must be developed.
In chapter 4 of Surangama
sutra,
Buddha told Ven. Ananda
and
all attendants that:
“You all want to initiate
the aspiration for enlightenment, and are also determined to cultivate
Samadhi but
there are two things you must do first.
1. If you want to take on the Bodhisattva path and proceed to
the Buddhahood, check forcefully and
deliberately on the cause
ground of your initiation and the fruit ground as an enlightened being
for
contrasts and comparisons. Which means if you start with the
recognition of your
delusive mind as the right approach then do you believe you can get to
that
enlightened state of no arising and cessation? It
is impossible.”
Buddha was telling us that when
we are based on a wrong cause ground(which
is the
sixth consciousness or the delusive mind), it is impossible to reach
the final
goal and become a Buddha. Sakyamuni continued his saying:
“If you wish to transform
your consciousness of seeing, hearing, and all your other senses for
eternity,
bliss, self-sustaining and purity in the perfect enlightenment state,
then you
should know clearly what the root of birth and death is.
Follow the instructions which point to
the perfect nature of clarity, spontaneity, no appearing and
disappearing of
the mind and recognize that
primordial awareness first.
Identify it as your cause ground first. Then
practice until the fruition of the
path is reached.”
What is that perfect nature
of clarity, spontaneity, no appearing and disappearing of the mind? It is what Buddha tried to teach through
his ten different approaches for seeing which is found in this Surangama
teaching. It is also the nature of
one’s
own hearing. In short, Buddha wanted everyone to
recognize that the nature of one’s mind as the cause ground of
cultivation.
2.Sakyamuni requested everyone to check
deliberately for the root of the mental affliction.
The six consciousness are created from
the contact of the six sensory organs(eye,
ear, nose, tongue,
body, and mind) with their sense objects(form, sound, smell, flavor,
touch,
phenomenon). One experiences affliction
when judgment and grasping arise during the enactment of the six
consciousness. So Buddha told Ananda
that:
“Until now you have
entered the first stage of attainment as a Srotaapanna. Your illusive views of the three
kingdoms have been cut off completely.
However, you should know
that affliction from habitual
propensities gathered from many aeons ago
through
your six senses have not been clear up yet. It
requires much effort in the practice
on the path to eradicate them.”
The latter two issues discussed
are very important. Now we will
continue analyzing the text of Mahasthamaprapta’s
teaching. He said:
”The cause ground of how I started pursuing the spiritual
path….” He relied on the
recognition of that unborn and unceasing awareness of the real mind as
his
cause ground (also the
meaning of ‘The Ineffable Cause
of Tathagata’, the title of this
sutra). Then he said:”…my
recognition is based
on a mind with the contemplation of the Buddha.”
A Buddha mind is the unborn and
unceasing awareness, the contemplation is applying
the wisdom of insight
developed. So this method is to
gain recognition of the nature of the real mind first then to be
mindful of
this obtained insight to observe the nature of one’s real mind. While one practices with this cause
ground, the fruit of the path is simultaneously attained.
This occurrence is called “the
meditation of perfection”. The
result of this meditation is ‘Rest on that unborn and unceasing
state’ and also
an actualization of perfection and
‘the supreme Samadhi of Surangama’
as well.
The text of Mahasthamaprapta’s teaching in
“Penetration into perfection” states:
“My mission in this Saha world is to attend and receive those who
contemplate
the Buddha to reach the Pureland of Amitabha.”
Now compare the few lines of
text above to the previous text we have studied and the
latter is seen as utterly giving
benefit to the self while the
former texts are altruistic.
It is like that Mahasthamaprapta
is to issue a warranty to those who practice on Pureland
studies. We live now in what is
called the “Saha World”. The Pureland
is called the Sukavati where Mahasthamaprapta assists Amitabha and
eventually
will become a candidate for Buddha after Avalokitesvara. In the Surangama
teaching, Mahasthamaprapta
vowed to bring the Pureland
school practitioners
from the Saha world to Amitabha’s
Pureland.
However, the criteria that all
practitioners must follow to gain entry to Pureland
was through the use of their own hearing, thinking and meditation of
his
teaching. If we were all to train
diligently in this practice, Pureland
would be
attained soon even our life is not over yet! This
is a wonderful path that Buddha has
pointed to us. Like the sutra says, the path is a truly extraordinary
Dharma yet described.
In practicing illusionlike
Samadhi, the stage of ‘beyond study’ as an Arhat can
be surpassed in a moment of snapping the finger. Dharmakaya is
achieved without the elapse of eons of Asankhya(countless
time).
Just one day of this practice would see the same results as all
the
practice seen in one eon. This is why
the practitioners admired this method as a quick and skillful way. The following text is:
“I
have presented the method to get “Penetration into
Perfection” which is the
topic that Buddha has assigned us to present. The
method begins with getting a hold of
my six sense organs. The continuum
of pure consciousness is therefore formed when Samadhi is attained. This is the most effective practice as
far as I am concerned.”
The quotation is what Mahasthamaprapta’s reply to the Buddha’s question of what expedient
method can reach
a Samadhi state. Notice a
difference that, twenty three Bodhisattvas that answered this same
question
from Buddha before him, all chose only one sense organ to be their
practice
tool, but Mahasthamaprapta chose all six
sense organs
as his tool.
“I
chose getting hold of six sense organs as the method.
The continuum of pure consciousness is therefore
formed.” His advice is a guide for all sentient
beings on how to follow a wonderful path to cultivate contemplation of
the
Buddha. The twenty-four speakers in
the Surangama teaching excluding Mahasthamaprapta,
just chose a sense organ, a sense
object, or an element(earth, water, warmth and air) to use for their
practice. Their purpose is to
layout all practice options just for Ananda
to choose
from. Since he had already
eradicated 88 kinds of illusory views, he was a Srotaapanna
in the first stage of Thearavaeda teaching. No grasping onto the six sense objects
of form, sound, smell, flavor, touch, and phenomenon from a Srotaapanna
made a difference between him and the other ordinary beings. It would be like that he had already
graduated from the college, and was in a graduate school ready to take
one
specific field for advanced study.
The reason why Mahasthamaprapta did
differently in his method was that
those whom in this Saha world he atteneds
and receives to reach the Pureland of Amitabha, have not even entered the stream of
sages yet,
just like high school students, are not qualified for study in the
graduate
school. That’s why Buddha called it
a wonderful path because it is just for the ordinary beings.
The
question now is that why the six sense organs were chosen as practice
tools? Chapter 5 of Surangama
sutra says:
“All
the Tathagatas like the unfathomable
number of microdusts found in the air,
spoke from all ten directions to Ananda
in one voice: Excellent, Ananda! You want to know the very inherent
existent obscuration and the root that causes your transmigration from
birth to
death. Well, the answer is found in your six
sense organs. You also want to know
the very perfect enlightenment and how to achieve that still, pure,
splendid,
eternal and blissful freedom. Well,
the way to the perfect enlightenment is also found within the tools of
your six
sense organs too!”
This
past excerpt shows
the importance of the six sense organs.
One can get hold of the six sense organs by concentrating on how
to shut off their functions
like stopping the eye from
seeing or muting the ears from hearing.
Because the six sense organs tend to cling to the six sense
objects
outside, and six senses are created, such as like or dislike, good or
bad
etc. Therefore
creating a harmful chain of emotion that soon triggers mental
affliction in a
person. So the six sense
organs need to be inwardly collected.
The six sense organs come from one origin and that is from the
mind-itself. The mind diversifies
itself into six different functions of senses. The
patriarchs of the Lin-Chi sect of
Zen commented on this: ”A being of
truth who is
ungrounded and unestablished, does
illuminate to
everywhere from everyone’s six sense organs.”
Consciousness arises due to the
attachment of sense organs to its mutual sense objects.
This consciousness creates grasping and
delusion and attributes to the root of life and death.
Conversely, if the six sense organs are
collected inwardly, which means the contact between the sense objects
and the
sense organs is cut off, then the six
different
functions are ceased. What is left behind
and can not be ceased is manifested.
It is that primordial awareness, the body of pure consciousness, the nature of
nirvana or the real mind. Before
when the mind split itself into six different functions of senses,
delusion was
then present within the real mind. However,
now that the six sense organs are collected inwardly, delusion stops
and the
real mind appears. It
is said that the real mind takes over
when the crazy mind is at rest. The
real mind appears in that rest.
We
may wonder what is next after the real mind is actualized into
existence and
question, why more work is needed in “the continuum of pure consciousness”
method. Buddha told Ananda
in chapte 4 of Surangama
sutra that habitual propensities gathered from the sense organ
since long
ago have been accumulated too much to be dispelled in a short period no
matter
how immaculate of a state of mind
is achieved. Diligent cultivation is
definitely
required to remove their power over the real mind.
Buddha says:
“Ontologically,
an instant realization can remove all obstacles. However
phenomenologically,
a progressive and committed practice must be applied to purify the
stain.” Even
though the six senses
appear to be purified at the moment, it must be continuously maintained
or it may
return to be its previous state.
Habitual propensities always pop up and grasp onto something,
thus
tainting the purity once attained. The
cultivation of Samatha and insight is
necessary to
correct this problem. When a
miscellaneous thought arises, be aware of it and observe it, it will be
subdued
and purity retained again. It is
said: “ Ideation is not the matter,
but losing
mindfulness is a matter.” This is
the phenomenological way of practice.
By being mindful and observing, the pure consciousness can be
kept in
continuum. Wondering thoughts
become subtle after a period of time and Samadhi appears gradually. Samadhi is the name for a meditation
state and it is a sign that one is about to reach a perfect achievement. Mahasthamaprapta,
practitioner of the ‘Comtemplation
of the Buddha’ method believes this is the best method available
to reach
Samadhi.
The
text from “Penetration into Perfection by Contemplation of the
Buddha” by Mahasthamaprapta ends
here. Eventually, you will be blessed by Mahasthamaprapta himself and be reborn into Amitabha’s Pureland
if you
continue to practice this method.
This is the reward this
Bodhisattva has promised in
the Surangama teaching.
By
the time we get rebirth in the pureland,
are we
separated from this Saha world? It is not certain. Because
once Samadhi is attained, the
state of the pure mind is inconceivable.
In this pure mind, space from ten directions and time from three
tenses
are all occurring at once. Surangama sutra says: “Space
resides in
your mind just like when a cloud drifts in the sky.
And all the worlds are within this
space.” Sukavati(Amitabha’s
Pureland), Saha
world, and
all other purelands all exist in our pure
mind. Even though we are reborn in Sukavati, we are never beyond our own mind. It is said that “To be born there is
true,
but to be away from here is false.”
Now
that Samadhi has attained and the Pureland
has reached,
is there more for one to continue to practice?
The
answer is yes! At this point,
meditation becomes the path of non-meditation. The
experience of achieving both
quiescence and insight is collected and merged into the sea of reality. The result of the path emerges
simultaneously with the effort. So,
a part of obscuration is removed and a part of Dharmakaya(body
of
mind-itself) is manifest. Increasing
the level of your progress while unmoving in the natural meditative
state – where
there is not any change added or removed from reality will eventually reveal the
perfect enlightenment . This is
‘Manifold
Paths of a Bodhisattva’ contained in the title of Surangama
sutra.
Now what is the method
for
the practice?
You
are now at an equal level as Ananda. An advanced
subject can be chosen now. A total of
twenty five ways had been
presented by those great Arhats and great
Bodhisattvas for each of their realization experience.
That includes the six sense objects, the
six sense organs, the six senses and the seven attributes.
Buddha asked Bodhisattva Manjusri
to select one of them for Ananda. Buddha said in the sutra:
“I
want to help Ananda achieve enlightenment
by one of
these twenty-five methods but which one is to be best suited for
him? And
for those who proceed on the path of
Bodhisattva seeking for ultimate perfection, what is the most expedient
way for them to
gain achievement after I enter nirvana?”
What Manjusri
had chosen was the method of “Penetration into Perfection by
Hearing through Ears”
presented by Avalokitesvara.
Manjusri said:
“The teaching
that really helps
sentient beings attain purity on their spiritual path in this world is
through
sound hearing. Hearing
is the best way to achieve samadhi. When one sense organ has been turned to
its origin, all six sense organs liberate themselves simultaneously. If the essence of self-nature displays
itself in each of the six senses, what to be done simply is to reverse
one of
them, like here is the nature of your hearing, then the ground state of
the
original self-nature appears. This
is the path of “Penetration into Perfection” which is the
supreme
enlightenment. An innumerable number
as microdusts in the air of Buddhas
have taken this path to attain nirvana.
Many Tathagatas have also gained achievement
through this
method. Even though those
Bodhisattvas have liberated themselves into perfect awareness by many
different
ways, my advice to future practitioners is to use this method.
Not only Avalokitesvara,
I also have actualized my practice through the hearing method.”
Manjusri then explained why the ear
was chosen:
“Given
the sounds of drums played together from ten different directions, they
will be
heard simultaneously from these ten directions by the ear . Sound can be
heard regardless from far
or near distances even across from a wall.
The nature of sound can be either noisy or noiseless. The function of hearing is either
‘hearing it’ or ‘not hearing it’.
When there is no sound, there is nothing to hear but it does not
mean
the nature of one’s hearing is not there.
The nature of hearing does not cease when there is no sound, nor
does it
just arise when there is sound. It
is completely away from arising and cessation, and this is the
self-support
reality.”
Manjusri used the ears,
specifically, the nature of hearing, as the cause for cultivation. By hearing the stream of sound, one returns
to one’s self-nature and actualizes it.
This transforms the fruition of perfect enlightenment into the
path to
awakening.
Now we know to choose
ears as
the method for “the Penetration into Perfection”, however,
what does it mean when
meditation becomes non-meditation and non-meditation becomes meditation? The method of “Penetration into
Perfection
through the Ears” was presented by Avalokitesvara
in
the Surangama teaching,
one
must understand all the key points to this method.
1.
Avalokitesvara said:
“I recall many eons ago like the
number of sand
grains on the
Avalokitesvara said:
“I
made offering to Tathagatha Avalokitesvara
so the
Buddha taught me Vajra samadhi
through long term
practice of
illusionlike hearing which is like being
censed by smoke.”
Finally
Avalokitesvara said:
“Requested by Buddha to tell
you my method for achieving “Penetration
into Perfection” and
it is by using the ears as the tool in attaining the perfect pervasive
Samadhi
which will set the mind free. This
method of entering the phenomenon of sound stream is regarded the most
effective by me because it has contributed to my attaining Samadhi and
complete
enlightenment. ”
The ancient Buddha Avalokitesvara
taught Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara
to begin with the three wisdoms of hearing, thinking and meditation. These three wisdoms differ from that of
the general teaching. When one
listens to the Dharma speech and absorbs it, this is the wisdom of hearing.
To ponder the meaning of the Dharma
heard and to comprehend it is the wisdom of thinking.
However, in this method, the wisdom of
hearing is applying the nature of hearing to contemplate that which can
hear
not that which can be heard. The
wisdom of thinking is the insight for this observation, that is free from emptiness and
existence and it is simply a hearing that just penetrates inwardly. The wisdom of meditation is to apply a
way of being censed, so let your ears practice being censed with sound. Cultivate
insight by listening to the hearer and also by
entering the stream of sound to
illuminate the illuminator, this is the practice of meditation as
non-meditation and non-meditation as meditation. Like
magic, objects appear from nowhere
and the act of being
something is actually being nothing at all. Samadhi
attained in this way is called “Vajra
Samadhi”, “Samadhi by the Contemplation of the
Buddha”,
and “The Supreme Samadhi of Surangama”.
Samadhi is a righteous form of meditative
stability. There are two types of Samadhi,
“Samadhi in Progress” and “Samadhi in
Attainment”. There are also
similar levels of
Samadhi and partially actualized level of Samadhi.
In general, all of these Samadhi
transform the fruition of perfect enlightenment into a path to
awakening which
are found at
different stages of a total of fifty-five of a Bodhisattva journey.
Chapter 8
of Surangama sutra explains
this in
more detail. The most important advice
to follow is to not
hallucinate. Remember
the Diamond Sutra says:”All
that appears is
nothing but an illusion.” When one
claims to see the Buddha, Bodhisattva, different signs, they are
experiencing false phenomenon. The fifty kinds of Skandha
In summary, the “Samadhi by the
Contemplation of the Buddha” taught by Mahasthamaprapta,
the “Vajra Samadhi” taught by Avalokitesvara
and Samatha, and Dhyana
mentioned in Surangama sutra,
are all
alias names for righteous meditation.
They are all collected by the king of Samadhi of surangama,
which is also called the “Supreme Samadhi of Surangama”.
The body of this Samadhi is
immovable for the self-nature itself but all phenomenon
as a whole is immovable within it as well.
The nature of it is spontaneously present, naturally unchanged,
and unfabricated. From the path of seeing
the mind, to the path
of meditation and eventually the Buddhahood,
this
Samadhi is never apart from us. It
is not the
same regular meditative state which has arising,
staying and departing. That’s why
the meaning of its name is
ultimate and firm for everything as a whole.
Are
there prerequisites that first need to be followed before practicing this method?
Yes. Four pure clear instructions
have to be
strictly adhered to: no sexual
conduct, no killing, no stealing, and no lying. These
four precepts are different from
the more commonly observed five precepts.
The first of these four is “no sexual conduct”, but
the first of regular
five precepts is “no killing”.
What’s the reason for this difference?
Buddha told Ananda
in Surangama teaching that: ”Sentient
beings without the desire for sex would not follow subsequence of birth
and
death in the six realms. The reason
for you to practice Samadhi is to escape the troubles of the world. If sexual desire is present, the trouble
that one’s spirit is experiencing can not be removed, even though
the
meditation stability with wisdom is achieved, instead, it will
push you to be a companion to Mara.
After I enter nirvana, in the Dharma Degenerate times, lots of
Mara followers
will misguide people
to in the pitfall of view
of love which will cause people to widely engage in sex scandals and
fall
astray from the path to liberation.
When you teach people to practice Samadhi, they must abstain
from sex
even thoughts of sex is the first ascertainment among the four pure
clear
instructions from Tathagatha, ancient Buddhas,
or the world Honorable.”
This text states that
sexual
desire is the reason why birth and death follow up continuously in
reincarnation. In chapter 8 of Surangama sutra, Buddha said:
“Ananda!
For son of the good family, if sexual desire is dried up, the
sense
subject will lose interest in
its sense object, then even the residue of the body and the mind still
remained, the rebirth or reincarnation will not take place
anymore.”
What it meant is that
without sexual desire, there is no more craving for sex, so that the
fractional
birth and death discontinues and reincarnation
ends. That’s why Buddha has set it
as the
first observance here. The
dependent origination of Surangama
teaching was the
following. Once Ven.
Ananda went almsgiving alone and the
girl Matanga
tried to seduce him into her house by conjuring the ancient Deva
mantra. Ananda
was in a crisis to break up his precept forbidding sex behavior.
Buddha with the extrasensory ability knew
that he was in trouble and ordered Manjusri
holding
the power of Srangama mantra recited by
Buddha to
rescue him. When Anada
was brought back, Matanga
followed him too. After Buddha talked
to them, Matanga’s sexual desire
dried up instantly
and she became the third stage achiever as an Anagami
right away. But Ananda
was still at the first stage as a Srotaapanna. Matanga moved
beyond
him. As you can see, this precept
of abstaining from sex is very important.
Not only the physical contact is not allowed, but also the
desire in the
mind is forbidden. In the more
common regular five precepts, the precept of “no sexual
conduct” is having no
adultery. But it is permitted between a married couple. But here, for cultivating the Samadhi by
contemplation of the Buddha, the precept for sex pertains to married
and
unmarried people and also abstaining from the desire of sex in the mind. It makes cultivating Samadhi such a
challenging
practice. The other three precepts
are easier to follow compared to this “no sexual conduct”
precept. One has to first ask himself,
before
attempting to practice Samadhi, if the four precepts can be observed
strictly.
Besides
observing the four precepts, one must practice contemplating the
Buddha. Only after following this
teaching,
regarding Mahasthamaprapta as one’s
chosen deity,
choosing all six sense organs and getting hold of them so that a pure
consciousness will appear in continuously, and one can be considered a
practitioner contemplating the
Buddha.
Stay
on this path without grasping onto external and without dropping out
and
eventually, Mahasthamaprapta will escort
you to Pureland
and reincarnation becomes a period.
In the Pureland of Sukavati,
your practice will be advanced to fifty-five levels on your path to
becoming a Bodhisattva and then to the
final perfect
enlightenment. What a marvelous
opportunity! Sutra says
”During the Dharma Degenerate times, sentient beings
are losing sight of Buddha.
Many who are giving false and misguided teachings
are everywhere like the sand grains on the
Now we have the
opportunity
to hear this supreme teaching which will lead us on a wonderful path
that
Buddha himself has laid out before us.
Don’t miss your chance if you are interested in this path.
Next,
we will give you scenarios where you can practice.
2.
The practice
way
Begin your practice of the
“Contemplation
of the Buddha” method once in the morning and once in the evening
for at least an
hour each time. For those with a
busy schedule, do only the morning practice. Increase the time when it becomes more
feasible.
First, stand face to face to
a Buddha image or stand in the direction of west if there’s no
Buddha image, or
to the direction which is feasible to you.
Place your palm together and recite: “I take the refuge to
the Buddha, I
take the refuge to the Dharma, I take the
refuge to
the Sangha.”
Do 4 times of prostrations then recite:” Homage to the
rudimental
teacher Sakyamuni(take a bow), homage to
the teacher Amitabha in Sukavati(take
a bow), homage to Avalokitesvara(take a
bow), homage
to the chosen deity Mahasthamaprapta(take
a bow).” After the prostrations,
recite the
vows: “1. I wish, with a mind contemplating
the Buddha, to go to pureland. 2. I
wish to pursue the supreme path and save living beings.
3. I
wish to follow the practice from the chosen deity Mahasthamaprapta
for the rest of my life.” After the
vows, recite the heart
of Surangama
mantra 3 times. Now start meditation. Either cross the legs or sit in a
chair. Keep your body erect, keep
your head straight, and let your eyes slightly closed.
Relax and surrender your body and the
mind. Do not notice your breathing,
just rest in a natural state. Now
you can start visualizing that Mahasthamaprapta
appears in the space in front of you.
He is facing us and emitting brilliant light of wisdom which
penetrates
into our head as we become Mahasthamaprapta. The brilliant light of wisdom is also
emitting from the top of our heads.
The Bodhisattva’s light and our own light mix together and
shine through
space in ten directions. Mahasthamaprapta’s Dharma body dissolves
into our
self-nature and empowers our practice.
Now
what exactly is “self-nature”. Self-nature is the Buddha nature endowed
with in everyone. Buddha has given
it different names in different teachings.
It is also called, ‘real mind’, ‘Tathagatagarbha’
in the Surangama teaching,
‘reality’, ‘real
emptiness’ in the Diamond teaching, ‘pure mind’ in
the Pureland
teachings, ‘Bhutatathata’, ‘primordial
nature’, ‘Bodhi’,
‘phenomenon nature’, ‘Prajna’,
and ‘Dharmakaya’.
If
we are all endowed with this Buddha nature, where does it exist? The Buddha nature is not located in a
specific area yet it also is
not non-existent. Why can’t we see
it? In order to see it, we must first
understand the statement found in the Surangama
sutra which states that:
“Both
reality and delusion are blended together, however when delusion is
removed, then
reality will reveal itself.”
And
“As
long as the crazy mind is at rest, reality will appear in that
rest.”
Delusion is present
together
with the real mind. The real mind
is like the sun while delusion is the dark cloud that covers the sun. The sun is immovable while the dark
cloud is always moving. Only when
the dark cloud is dispelled will the sun finally appear to us. That’s the analogy for
“when delusion is removed, the
reality will reveal itself.”
Let’s
contemplate this further.
Contemplation has to be based on the sutra.
What has been heard or read is subject to
the act of contemplation. Buddha said:
“The use of
metaphor in the
teaching is necessary to
help the wise attain
enlightenment.” The subject for
contemplation is what has been heard or read. Remember,
they are all metaphors. First, what does
the statement “delusion
is removed.” Really mean? Delusion
is the delusive and clinging mind.
Within the delusive mind, miscellaneous thoughts never stop
moving; they
come and go and appear
and disappear. Whenever a thought arises,
that is
delusion, with creation and destruction repeatedly.
The interim with no thought is an
area where delusion
is not present.
Let’s
do an experiment. Close your eyes
and observe your mind. Bring
nothing to mind and the
nature of your mind becomes
empty but clear. This emptiness is
the Buddha nature, the pristine and pure
body of nirvana, the real
mind, the pure mind which is also sometimes called the
ontological Dharmakaya.
The
emptiness already exists; it has not been created by disengaging from
ideation. It is not born, so
nothing is to cease. Unwavering, it
is pure. It is not vacuity, because
the power of it bears expressive ability.
Emptiness is in union with expression indivisibly.
The sixth Patriarch Huei-Neng
in Zen said: ”Surprisingly, self-nature gives rise to all
phenomenon!” This is the true nature
of our mind, unborn and unceasing.
“When the crazy mind takes a rest, the real mind appears
in that
rest.” The same analogy given in
the above statement is applied here.
The “crazy mind” means the wondering thoughts. To “take a rest” is in the interim
without thoughts. The
pure body of self-nature manifests in the interim.
The Complete Enlightenment sutra
says:” If the delusive condition is not given then
the Buddha nature appears.”
In
the Sixth Patriarch Platform sutra, it is said that after the
sixth
patriarch Huei-Neng inherited the Dharma
from the
fifth patriarch, Huei-Neng fled to the
south with the
cassock and almsbowl.
Another monk named Huei-Ming
was chasing after him. Huei-Neng asked
him if he wanted either the cassock or the Dharma? His answer was for the Dharma.
Then the sixth patriarch told him:” The
moment there is no good or bad in your mind, without hesitation to
recognize,
it is the very face of the nature of Huei-Ming’s
mind.” Good and bad are dualistic
and their origins come from a clinging mind. When
the sixth patriarch told him to
stop battling between the good and the bad then no thought was inside
his mind.
Right at that moment,
emptiness of the self awareness displayed, and that is his original
presence,
also as the self-nature. An instant
enlightenment hit Huei-Ming afterwards so
he thanked
the sixth patriarch and left.
Do you get realization
now? Realization means to realize
the emptiness, or the Buddha nature that is spontaneously present
within
us. It is neither less in an
ordinary being nor more in a Buddha.
If realization achieved, one is said to have identified the
nature of
the mind and is seeing the path.
The perfect understanding is opened up greatly. ‘Seeing
the path’ does
not mean to see with one’s eyes, but it is to realize the Buddha
nature from
understanding. This stage can be
called the first practice step of “Samadhi by Contemplation of
the Buddha” or the
“Perfect Understanding” or ‘cause ground’ in
the sutra. What we are doing now is to
develop the
first one of two decisive understandings.
Buddha told Ananda that if the mind
of arising
and ceasing (which is the sixth consciousness or a delusive mind) was
the base for
the cause ground of cultivation then it would be impossible to achieve
that
perfect enlightened state of no arising and cessation.
In order to reach the state of
‘eternity, bliss, self-sustaining and purity’ of a Tathagatha,
one must first identify the mind as being unborn and unceasing on the
cause
ground then practice until fruition of the path is attained. “Cause ground includes a sea of
consequences which also covers causes and conditions.
Such cause is to get such consequence”.
If the pure nature of the
mind is seen, then this realization would be the base of the cause
ground for
cultivation which leads to the fruition stage of perfect enlightenment.
This
is the first barrier to be broken through in the path –
to
achieve the “Perfect Understanding”.
After attaining understanding,
practice can now
commence. With the “Perfect
Practicing”, Samadhi is eventually perfectly achieved. Without the “Perfect
Understanding”,
practice can not begin. Because the
nature of the mind has not been identified, contamination from clinging
will still
occur in a delusive mind. If the
cause ground is deviated, the cultivation followed will never result in
liberation from reincarnation.
Now
you simply need to ask yourself, “Have I realized my emptiness nature
while disengaging
from conceptual elaboration”? If the
answer is no, you will have to start the practice over again. Ponder the state that all above text will
lead one to. If difficulty is experienced
during and after the trials, then you are probably not fit for this
practice
yet. It’s better to practice the
recitation
of Buddha’s name first for it lays the much needed foundation for
the other
practices.
If you have already
been on
the path of seeing, then the first stage of generating the cause ground
is
completed. This cause ground is
based on a mind using the “Contemplation of the Buddha”
method. The “Contemplation of the
Buddha” method
consists of getting hold of your six sense organs for pure
consciousness to form
in the continuum. This is the stage
of “Perfect Practicing”. The
six
sense organs are the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body and
the mind. In the practice, the eyes are
closed so
the outside world is
shut out, the nose stops
smelling, the mouth is shut and the body is erect and unwavering. Right now four sense organs are being hold of. What
about the ears? Stop the ears from
listening
to the outside world is not easy.
Not like the eyes, nose, mouth and body which can be easily
controlled
to shut down the function. Nothing
can prevent ears from hearing. Manjusri said:” Reverse the nature of
your
hearing.” What does it
mean? We always hear the outside,
but Manjusri said to reverse this hearing
function
from hearing the outside to hearing the inside. Furthermore,
he commented:” The ground
state of the original self-nature is heard through the reversal of
hearing so that
it leads
to supreme enlightenment.”
To
listen to what is inside is to penetrate into one’s own
self-nature, so that the
nature of hearing and self-nature become homogeneous creating
enlightenment. This is what Manjusri taught us in the Surangama
teaching. Avalokitesvara
elaborated more on this topic of hearing for presentation:
“In
the beginning, through hearing, a stream of sound entered the ears. Afterwards, sound was not heard anymore and there was
neither
noise nor noiselessness. Gradually,
with penetration, beyond the bounds of hearing sense, awareness arose. Gradually, with penetration, beyond the
bounds of awareness, thorough emptiness arose. Gradually,
with penetration, beyond the
bounds of emptiness, extinction arose.
Appearing and disappearing had been extinct, as left with a
total
extinction. Suddenly, beyond the
mundane and the spiritual space, ten directions arose in a perfect
shinning.”
It seems easy for the
method. But it can be confusing to decide where it
is best to begin the practice. Manjusri
said:”
The ground state of the original self-nature is heard through a
reversal of
hearing.” The nature of the mind is
pure emptiness. How does one hear
this pure emptiness? The hearing spoken
of here is not hearing from the sense organs of ears but the very
nature of
hearing itself. One hears their
self-nature
but if it’s in a way of emptiness, how can sound be heard?
Now,
try to clear your mind, close your eyes and attend slowly to a sound
like OM or
HUNG as it fill your ears like a cricket singing in the summer night or
the cosmic
sound of midnight, so subtle.
This
sound can not be distinguished as existing. Because sound is
created through motion. Self-nature
being heard is unmoving
so it can not be seen as something that exists. If
the sound can not be said as
existing, then is it non-existent?
If this sound is said to be non-existent, then ‘no
sound’ must mean to
be idle. Buddha said:” Being
idle inwardly is still a matter of conceptually elaborating the
engraved images
from the past.” The self-nature
being heard is not idling, so it can not be defined as something
non-existent. If this sound is not
existent nor non-existent, how can it be heard?
Avalokitesvara
said in the Surangama teaching:” The
Buddha taught
me Vajra Samadhi through long term
practice of
illusion-like hearing as being censed by smoke.”
What described as
“illusionlike” is very
important. It means that “something
is seemingly
present but not existent so it is seemingly
absent but not non-existent.” The
subtle sound being heard that
originates from the self-nature is like this.
In chapter 8 of the Surangama sutra, Buddha gave Ven. Ananda a full
account of
different causes and results attained on the path.
First, he explained the stage of
wonderful enlightenment as a Buddha then he told everyone in what way
cultivation
would be achieved:
“All
those stages of “ground” on the path are attained by Vajra
contemplation of the ten illusionlike yet
profound
metaphors. Become acquainted with Vipasyana of a Tathagata
through
practicing Samatha and pure cultivation
and actualization
are to be progressively achieved deeper and deeper into the path.”
“Vajra” means the very nature of Tathagata.
Contemplation is the faculty from the nature of Vajra. “Vipasyana” is
the contemplation on a balanced state between meditative stability and
insight. The ten profound metaphors
are from the Wisdom sutras:
“Observe
all activities as illusion,
all phenomenon
as flame,
all bodies as
reflected moon in water,
a wonderful form
as a flower appeared in the empty space,
a subtle sound
as an echo from the valley,
all Buddha’s
land as Gandharva city(mirage),
Buddha activity
like a dream,
Buddha body as a
shadow,
Sambhogakaya(reward body) as an image,
Dharmakaya as
magic,
As no affirming,
no negating, for all is
but emptiness.”
These ten illusionlike metaphors are Buddha’s intension for
helping one on the path to cultivating and
actualizing purity. Remember that Manjusri chose the ears as
the way for “Penetration
into Perfection”. He
said” The best teaching in this
world
of using one’s sound hearing really helps sentient beings here
receive purity
when seeking their spiritual path.
If Samadhi is set as the goal, hearing is the best way to reach
it.”
Among the ten mentaphors, only the ‘subtle sound as an
echo from the
valley’ comes close to matching with the teaching that ‘ears are
the way for penetration into perfection’ and also ‘the
teaching that benefits
sentient beings here the most is through sound hearing.’
In
chapter 1 of the Surangama sutra,
Buddha told Ven. Ananda
that:”
Tathagata reveal the truth to you
today now
that the use of metaphor in the teaching is necessary to help the wise
to
attain enlightenment.”
It is very clear that
among
those ten profound metaphors, Buddha wants us to select one that best
fits our
practice in this world. If one is
looking to cultivate Samatha and Vipasyana
then they will first want to reverse their hearing and then use the
metaphor
that states that the subtle sound as an echo from the valley would be
the best metaphor
for practice. A balance is achieved
between meditative stability and insight which is to be sustained. So the nature of the mind creates a stillness
that is simultaneously united with a vivid illumination. So,
non-meditation
becomes meditation, non-actualization becomes actualization, and it
continues
like this as long as the practice is continually and gradually being
followed
in depth.
In
the Surangama teaching, twenty five great
Bodhisattvas and great Arhats gave their
experiences in
attaining spiritual perfection.
Kaundinya was the first to present
and he used
the ‘Subtle Sound in Secret Perfection’ to attain Arhat. The first
six presentations focused on
the individual six sense objects being practiced individually. The order of the six sense objects
should place ‘form’ as the first one.
But, why
was ‘sound’ placed as the first sense object?
This is a hint to tell you that the ‘Subtle
Sound in Secret Perfection’ is the practice method to begin
in.
Manjusri said in the Surangama
teaching that:
“Avalokitesvara of
subtle sound,
like the sound from Deva, the sound
from tidewater.
Peace is brought in by Him
when going to the worldly
rescue.
Eternity is brought in by Him
when He is being prayed to
spiritually.”
It is also said in the
Lotus
sutra that:
“Avalokitesvara of
subtle sound,
like a sound from Deva, the sound
from tidewater.
No
any worldly sound is comparable to this subtle sound.
So,
constantly pray to his unsurpassed name.”
Both the sutras give
descriptions that the “subtle sound” is a
sound from Deva,
the sound from tidewater. This sound
from Deva is described as pure, detached
like an echo
from the valley and also like cosmic
music coming from the sky at
night. “Subtle Sound” also
sounds
like tidewater because occassionally, it
gently roars
like the ocean. This sound is
supra mundane or spiritual so try
to penetrate into it gradually.
Here
is my story for how I found the “subtle sound”. When I was still living in
“The six
realms express
themselves so vividly in a dream,
but the whole world is lost in
emptiness after we awaken.”
I
paused to contemplate the expression ‘the whole world is lost in
emptiness’. Of course, the earth is
included in emptiness therefore I
am also included in the emptiness
and so my body was also a part of this emptiness. What
left was only an
awareness. At this moment, the
doorbell was rung and I felt a sudden impact strike me and freshness
showered
my body as the sound of OM or HUNG hovered over my head.
It was Chiun-Yin
at the door so I let her inside and went upstairs to bed.
That whole night, I had never been so
comfortable before as the freshness was still running
throughout my body. Also, the humming
sound did not go away. Though
I was asleep, my mind was very
clear. I felt it was just a quarter
of an hour passed, but it already was soon dawn. After
I had breakfast, the freshness I
experienced all night gradually dissipated.
I
tried to ask Ven. Dao-Ann for this
experience and he
didn’t say anything but just told me to become a monk. I thought of my three kids, what would
they do without me? And I was still
in quest of an answer to my experience before. I eventually wrote a letter asking Mr.
Bin-Nan Lee for guidance. He
responded with encouragement and said that he’s going to answer
my question in
details in a monthly Buddhism publication. His
answer to my experience is
that it was a purification sign at its lowest degree (yet it is not
usually
sustainable overnight) and because the good root from my past is now
germinating
under certain conditions, and my aspiration to tread the path to
enlightenment
is becoming more present.
The reason that I
mention
this story is to share my experience with you about that subtle sound, it has been always with me since then. As a matter of fact, the subtle sound is
always present for every one but you don’t realize this because
you’re not paying
attention to it.
Now,
try to be at ease, don’t conceive of anything and listen
carefully. That “subtle
sound”, seemingly existent,
seemingly non-existent, is there.
If you still do not hear it, that’s because you are not
listening deeply
into your heart. When Bodhisattva Samantabhadra gave his presentation on the
“Penetration
into Perfection”, he said:
“I
hear with my mind, that hearing itself is illuminating, with quality of
knowing
everything clearly and freely. I
regard this practice as the supreme method.”
The sutra says:”
Everything
is created from the mind so when the mind becomes active, phenomenon is
created.” Contemplate further on
this. The “subtle sound” is
part of everything
so it is also created from the mind.
When the mind is active, the “subtle sound” is
active. That is why Samantabhadra
used His mind to hear so he had the capacity
to activate what he heard
and this is truly the “subtle sound” at work.
The “subtle sound” flows out of the
mind, bypassing the sense organs and the function of the ears. At first, it may appear obscure but
given time, it’ll gradually turn clearer.
It never stops and is there even when one is driving or riding
an
airplane. I’ve tested it before, the engine noise over the plane did not
cover it as
long as we really attend to it.
A poem says:” The
way to
listen lightly is to hear that is within the realm of no-sound.” This is very much like
describing
the reversal of hearing.
When
“subtle sound” is heard, it is described as: “through
one’s own hearing, the
stream of sound entered the ears.
Afterwards, sound could not be heard from.”
The sense organ of the ears has been
hold of now. Previously, the other four
sense organs of eyes, nose, tongue and body had been discussed to be
hold
of. The sense organ of the ears is
added to the controlled category now, the
only one
left is the sense organ of the mentality.
Its sense object is the mental imprint. When
the other first five sense organs
are being hold of, their paired sense
objects lose the
related organs to contact with, so the first five inherent
consciousness can
not be created, only the sixth consciousness of the uni-head
is left to its own control. The
consciousness
of the uni-head is dependent upon the
first five
inherent consciousness.
If the first five inherent consciousness
are not created then
the six consciousness also can
not be created either. Its pair –
the sense organ of mentality is therefore to be hold of because of
nothing to
cling to. When the sense organ of
mentality is hold of, its object called the sixth consciousness is
forced to
transform from consciousness into the wisdom of discernment. The seventh consciousness called “Manah” grasps onto the first six
consciousnesses to be ‘I’. If the six
consciousnesses are not created then impersonality is realized and the seventh
consciousness has nothing to grasp onto and is forced to transform into
the
wisdom of equality.
Now, the six sense organs are
being hold of so the only thing left is the essence of oneness. Sense organs and sense objects are
losing contact with each other so the six faculties are contracted
inwardly
into one so what is left is “awareness”, “pure
consciousness“, or “essence of
oneness”, “ pure mind”,
or “self-nature”.
After the six sense organs
have been collected, the following is ‘the continuum of pure
consciousness is
formed.’ If pure consciousness has
already
revealed itself, why do we need to do more for the continuation of it? Because lives after lives
without beginning, the habitual propensities and mental afflictions
accumulated
by our six senses are as much as the cosmic dusts.
Even though pure consciousness has been
attained, those habitual propensities and mental afflictions hidden in Alaya(
the 8th consciousness) would still compulsively appear. If these compulsions are not being taken
care of, the arising delusions and grasping will later bring affliction
and
interfere with one’s pure consciousness.
Based on this, the cultivation of the continuum of pure
consciousness is
absolutely necessary.
But how do we cultivate
it? First, use the wisdom of
discernment, transformed from the sixth consciousness, to observe the
pure
consciousness like a cat watching a mouse.
Once the compulsive thought is detected, observe it and take
hold of it
so that the compulsive thought would release itself in its own way. Observation in subtlety is called the “Prajna of Intelligent Contemplation” and
“Inter-Perfuming
of Bhutatathata” and it is a faculty
from the
self-nature. Don’t rush, with
patience, you will perfect the method.
“Ontologically,
an instant
realization can remove all
obstacles but phenomenologically,
a progressive practice must be
applied to purify the stain.”
Now is the time for
progressive practice. When one keeps
up the pure consciousness in continuum, it is called a ‘Period of
Sustaining’, or
the initial stage of goodness. If this
method is practiced 2 hours a day, then at least 21 days are needed. Check your progress of lessening habitual
propensities and mental afflictions and then
start the second stage. When one freely
exercises by not holding
tightly onto pure consciousness then it is said they are in a
‘Period of Being Uncontrived’
which is also called the medium stage of goodness.
But the wisdom of discernment still has
to be on guard to detect any
compulsive thought and observe
it in subtlety. After the compulsive
thoughts vanish, return to the continuum of pure consciousness
practice. At least 21 days is
required for
the practice in this stage.
In the third stage called
the “Ending Stage of Goodness” you have to drop every way in use,
like the “Wisdom of Discernment” and “Observation
in Subtlety”. Only pure
consciousness remains so all
other methods disappear. Pure
consciousness is like the moon in the empty space.
Sometimes a little uneasiness may occur while
compulsive
thought seems wavering. The reversal
of hearing can be applied now. When
one hears and is able to be censed by that illusionlike
subtle sound, leave everything else alone in emptiness and even empty the
emptiness and leave only
an illusionlike
subtle sound. It is unborn,
unceasing, unwavering, still and pure, and immovable, making it true
and
eternal. Dissolve the body and the
mind in the illusionlike subtle sound. Remain in this realm of no grasping and clinging so only the subtle sound in secret
perfection
present. Gradually, a non-conceptual
and illusionlike state is achieved. Where one is in a
non-dual, dislocated, singularly perfect body of Samadhi.
While in Samadhi, pure
consciousness unites with motherlike
awareness. Motherlike
awareness is the very basic nature of our mind since the time with no
beginning
and it is also called “Tathagatagarbha”,
“Dharmakaya”, “Buddha
nature”, and “Pure Mind”. It
is like an enormous round mirror
containing worlds in ten directions with all phenomena emerging from it. It is limpid, knowing, and without
differentiation. Samadhi is the
righteous meditative stability. It
is innate and is the ground for awareness.
Awareness pervades everywhere and the world
in ten
directions are dissolved into this pervasiveness.
Wherever we want to be then we are to be
found there. The Pureland
of Amitabha is where we
want to be now.
Samadhi
is also a meditative stability from the contemplation of the Buddha. The righteous meditative stability is
balances between meditation and insight.
Meditation is the base for stillness while insight is the faculty of
illumination. When Samadhi is
attained, one is in stillness yet also constantly illuminated, and vice
versa. Stillness rids unsettlement so as to
prevent the rising of habitual propensities and vexation.
Illumination rids dullness so as to
prevent drowsiness from occurring.
The righteous meditative stability gives rise to stillness
simultaneously with illumination and also a sense of clear knowing
without
differentiation.
If
one is already in pureland and also in the
Samadhi
state of the contemplation of the Buddha, is it necessary to continue
the
practice? Certainly, one is still treading
the path toward the destination of perfect enlightenment.
The first vow to fulfill is, ‘I wish,
with a mind contemplating the Buddha, to go to pureland.’ The second vow to accomplish is ‘I wish
to pursue the supreme path and save all living beings.’ This now helps one transform the
fruition of perfect enlightenment into a path toward awakening. Furthermore, the Bodhisattva’s path
begins now when they are seeking awakening from above and helping all
other beings
below. To cense and practice hearing
illusionlike sound, the reversion of
hearing into the
self-nature penetrates in depth which all lead to returning to the
ground state
of absolute space. If one part of
obscuration clears away then one part of Dharmakaya
will
then emerge. The seed nature of
sages is achieved and the levels of sages are reached thus the pristine
meditative stability is attained. Finally,
the fifty five stages of a Bodhisattva’s path are advanced
progressively until
the perfect enlightenment is achieved and eventually it will return to
the
self-nature as nothing is actually gained.
How do we begin obeying the
second vow? Manjusri
said in Surangama sutra:
“The type of teaching in
this world that truly fits sentient beings here to receive purity on
their spiritual
path will gain the most benefit by using their sound hearing.”
And
“Innumerable Buddhas
like the infinite number of micro dusts in the air
took this same path to attain nirvana.
My advice for practitioners in the future is to select this
method. Not only Avalokitesvara,
I also have actualized my practice through this hearing method.”
Manjusri’s main point is if one wants
to cultivate the pure mind in this world, they must use sound hearing as the
true teaching. Because uncountable number of Buddhas in the
past have
used this method to reach nirvana so we, practitioners in the future,
should
follow this path as well. As sound hearing was used skillfully by Avalokitesvara
to penetrate into perfection so Manjusri
admired him
as ’Avalokitesvara of Subtle
Sound’.
In the Samadhi state after
practicing the above stated cultivation on the Bodhisattva path,
meditative
stability and insight are sustained in equilibrium so as to practice
the hearing
of illusionlike sound.
This is the practice of Samadhi done by Avalokitesvara
creates perfect illumination by using the ears.
Illusion is when
things appear out of nothing
and being something is actually being nothing. When
one censes by hearing then the
hearing of “subtle sound” never stops.
Practice the method by hearing so that you can sustain
“subtle sound” in
a non-meditation way as meditation.
All one has to do
is to simply say:
“During
Samadhi, when transforming the fruition
into the path,
one must detach from everything without grasping onto
phenomenon, and be still in an absolute state. Then to reverse the
hearing so that one can hear the mind-itself of the
“subtle sound” which is
seemingly present yet not present as well and also lingers endlessly. In all time, non-mediation has
been meditation and meditation
has also been non-meditation. Free from
conceptual elaboration and mindful
exertion. This type of meditation leaves
awareness
to itself. Remember carefully that,
all that appear is nothing but an illusion so don’t grasp and
cling onto
anything. Only the “Subtle Sound in
Secret Perfection” is ever-present.”
This
is it! When one censes and cultivates
by the use of their hearing of illusionlike
sound then
in an instant, the ordinary world and the world beyond transcends. The perfect shinning pervades in ten
directions. This is the final
actualization of the very body of perfect penetration.
It is said that the brilliant light from
self-nature shines through everywhere and not a single thing is
excluded from
this shinning brightness.
If
you would like to understand in detail about the fifty-five stages on
the true path
to enlightenment, please read chapter 8 of the Surangama
sutra. Further exposition in there is found
on the following stages: the Three Progressive Steps, and the Dry
Wisdom stage,
the Ten Faiths, the Ten Dwellings, the Ten Activities, the Ten
Dedications, the
Four Additional Activities, the Ten Grounds, the stage of Equal
Enlightenment,
and the final stage of Wonderful Enlightenment.
While
on the path, don’t concern yourself with fame and power because a speck of them brings
contamination to mind-itself right away.
Don’t concern yourself with how far on the path that you
have traveled
because this attitude will create a clinging mind.
Isn’t it said that detach yourself
from everything without grasping onto phenomenon so
just be still in an absolute state?
Why let scheming arise in your mind? The
progress for everyone on the path is
different. It is just a general
summary mentioned in the sutra.
Everyone practiced in their own ways past lives so how much
wisdom we
have cultivated for ourselves varies with each person.
That’s also what happens in our present
lives! So some people progress
quickly while other progress more slowly. Don’t
worry because
it will come to us one
day. It is said: ’When a person is
taking a drink, only
the drinker he himself gets
to know whether the water is either warm or cold.’
I
want to stress emphasis here that Buddha told Ananda
in the Surangama teaching:
“A
cultivator without eradication of their sexual desires and killing nature
will never be free
from the three kingdoms.”
The temptation of
sexual
desire would eventually dispel the pure mind. Without
eradication of the sexual
desire, during the intermediate stage after death, the phenomenon of
intercourse between male and female will occur. If
one is attracted by the male partner
then a female fetus will be born and vice versa. As
to which realm like animal or human
etc a person will be born to, it all depends on the conduct of the
person this
life. As long as a fetus is formed,
reincarnation is inevitable. For a
practitioner, it is so much not worthwhile. Why
not learn to practice a Bodhisattva’s
conduct so to eliminate the sexual desire.
Sutra says:
“When
the lust of the flesh approaches, a Bodhisattva sees it as a pit full
of fire
and will therefore retreat from it soon.”
Even a Bodhisattva is
scared
of the outcome of sexual desire, what about the ordinary people like us? From now on, stop paying attention to obscene
movies, videos, pictures and books.
Whomever the opposite-sex person we meet, envision them as your
parents,
children or siblings. The
sexual desire will be ceased without rising of a thought.
Another
important thing is the case of non-regression. If
non-regression is maintained after the
first vow has been fulfilled, then pureland
is also
maintained so an escort for the chosen deity is not necessary. You may wonder how one copes with an
active day to day life. Bear in
mind that the Samadhi by Contemplation of the Buddha is called the Vajra Samadhi or the Supreme Samadhi of Surangama. It is
not the same as the regular
meditative state of arising, staying and departing.
In all time, meditative equipoise appears
in all activities like walking, being still, sitting, and lying down. Meditative equipoise is not limited to
just the style of sitting meditation which is called in the sutra:
“Being idle
inwardly.” Budhha
says:
“Being
idle inwardly is still a matter of conceptually elaborating the
engraved images
from the past.”
The Samadhi we
practice is
adopting mindfulness and observation in subtle precision, that is using the third type “discerning
meditation” and using the fourth type “being present in
reality” of
“Contemplation of the Buddha“.
Apart from consciousness, sense organs act fully and lively in
their own
ways. When you are in daily work,
don’t
grasp, just follow whatever conditions that may arise with a steady
mind. When it is done, just return
steadily to
the “Subtle Sound in Secret Perfection” and continue to let
the pure
consciousness take over subsequently.
During this whole experience, non-regression has been maintained. After finish sitting meditation each
time, massage both legs to return circulation, then you may stand up.
If
the instruction just given are followed accurately, you will be
on the way to a wonderful
path of perfect enlightenment which Buddha
has directed for all of us. Be grateful to
Buddha’s teaching and Mahasthamaprapta’s
guidance. Feel free to ask any questions
about this practice.
May you all have joy in your hearts from
acknowledging and practicing the Dharma.
The
third part of Q&A is to be continued later.