CHAPTER II: WHEN THE MEDITATION MASTER PREACHES
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The Meditation Master says, “I really understand well; I witness thoroughly, brightly, and accurately. The circulation of each lifetime metamorphoses into thousands of ways in one lifetime. Still, each lifetime resolves and returns to its original essential substance in one lifetime. How wonderful! How lively! From the time that our parents give birth to us, we live in the born specific forms and the specific substances’ passive knowledge. We tend to rely on our secular eyes, our brain of human precept to walk, stand, lie down, and sit in a limited way. Until we realized that our heart was not fully satisfied with our desires, and that our way of life was not in accordance with our wishes, we start to seek the process of releasing the specific substances’ thoughts and training to absorb the essential substance’s self-enlightenment to return to us as a recording apparatus without polluted habits. It successively changes along with the demand, ability, or utmost efforts achieved by our training. Once seeing, hearing, and knowing in turn alter; they will be successively transformed as we attain the perfect harmony and comprehensive understanding of thousands of Dharmas. When our whole body is completely the original truth essential substance, we ourself still ponder in wonderment. How wonderful! How lively! Unexpectedly, because it exists the way it is so, there is nothing entangled; There is no habitual or customary defilement. We can then go in and out of precept scenes and stroll along the worlds. There is nothing strange, nothing spectacular. In spite of that, humankind desires, earnestly reaching for the Fairies’ worlds or Deities’ worlds. That’s really useless.”
Reverend Sangha Chief preaching Dharma in Phú-Hữu village
Image Credit: phaptangphatgiaovietnam.org
As the Meditation Master says, “Human beings don’t understand it at all.” We simultaneously stand up and respectfully inquire, “Dear Master, what is the born specific form? What is the specific substance’s passive knowledge? What is the benefit of the original truth essential substance? Master moves in and out of the precept scenes and worlds without habitual defilement. Do precept scenes and worlds really exist? If they do exist, where do they come from? We beg Master to explain this to us so that we might understand without a doubt, as we now doubt and consider that it is just a theory.” The questions subside, and we all sit down on one side.
The Meditation Master smiles, answering, “You should know that all of the things in the Universe, from humanity to Fairies and Dragons to worlds, mountains, and rivers, live with born specific form. Because being with the born form, only when standing in front of the scenery can you know; if not standing in front of the scenery, you cannot know. Therefore, your knowledge is not outside of the specific form. On account of that, progression of human civilization is not outside of material and usable objects. Human living standards are not outside of food and happiness. When a person does not have enough food and happiness, his or her living standard is decreased; he or she becomes unhappy and wishful. Because being wishful and wanting a better life, one naturally ponders and reckons, creating specific substances. The specific substance stands on the spiritual side; its characteristic is very comfortable. On the other hand, it is also full of sorrow and depravity. As it is comfortable, it creates fine substance. As it is sorrowful, it makes up humid substance and is led into Hell and the way of Animals. It is the origin of moving when it doesn’t take a definite direction. When it takes a definite direction, it is the specific form of material or precept scene, so we label it as thought, which gives birth to action. It is, therefore, the mother of specific forms. On account of that, we use contemplation to pray to Buddha or believe in the Body of Savior. It is the process of nourishing the thought of specific substance to grow into a form later, in the hope that one will escape from life to the Savior’s world through His Body or return to Buddha’s world. This process only relieves one from hardship and sadness in this world. However, we do not integrally master ourselves. Why? Because specific substance and specific form are both mixed natures. It is an instinct of formation-destruction metamorphosis, not a natural reality.
“When one wants to release unreal mixtures, one needs to practice living in specific form without desire for specific form. In initiating each thought, one must aim to be aware of thought of specific substance of rooted-karma, fetter-karma. This involves knowing all the complicated thoughts, the fine thoughts, and the constituted thoughts comprehensively and thoroughly so that one has no predetermined attachment, no clinging, no fear, and no avoidance; all of these are called the self-masterly intelligence. That way of practicing is called absorbing the essential substance. The essential substance is immortal without birth, managing all of the errors from past to present in the birth-death cycle—which are always relying on born specific form and initiating-born and initiating-destroyed specific substance; therefore, hearing, seeing, and knowing are still entangled in the Dharma precepts’ circle.
“The specific form and specific substance, when known, are unlimited and tangible Dharma precept: they are formless, but we often give birth to them; they are precept-less, but we often stumble upon them; they are detached, but we often attach ourselves to them; they have no region, but we dream of Nirvana. Because we do not attain them, we have ego. In fact, they are infinite shapes and forms; specific substances and specific forms bring so many imaginations to humanity, turning into the Universe of Three Thousand worlds.[5] In this world and the precept scenes and beyond of it, as well as in other worlds, all are entangled in the specific forms, and all have been metamorphosed and born in such a way. On account of that knowledge, the mind is not hesitant, the thought is doubtless, and the heart is not oscillating. As a result, the original essential substance engenders the Eight Masses of Nirvana,[6] otherwise known as all of the Buddhas. The engendering base is neither causeless nor natural. That is just the way it originally is.”
[5] Here, the Three Thousand Worlds is related to the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds.
[6] The Eight Masses, also called the Eight Parts, of Nirvana are: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness, The Consciousness Constitution, The Enlightenment about Form, and Tathagata.
Upon hearing that, we respectfully ask immediately, “Dear Master, from what we were told and understand, specific substances initially give birth to the formation of specific forms, metamorphosing and evolving the Universe to the worlds of Fairies and Deities. Since emptiness has its form of emptiness, is essential substance already in the layer of emptiness or in emptiness? What is emptiness’s essential nature? Please, Master, explain to us.”
The Meditation Master answers, “You have asked this and have grasped my words, so please listen to me. Emptiness and essential substance are still close to each other, inseparable. It is the same case as how you are originally endowed with essential substance. When you know how to apply it, the specific substance becomes your guiding light. If you know how to use it, the specific form becomes your Nirvana. On the other hand, if you don’t know how to utilize it, you must eagerly ask for it. However, it only takes you according to the demand but never provides you with comfort. When the demand ends, it immediately disintegrates. Why? That’s its essence and nature.
“Speaking of the essential nature of emptiness, it is very lively. It meets demands in accordance with each region. In one region, it metamorphoses into the precept scenes along with the Universe of the planets in the solar system. In another region, it supplies the consequence of true reward or retribution. It has many different ways and means to meet whatever the demands are; for instance: Tranquility-for-Salvation Worlds, Salvaged Nations, and the Eight Masses of Nirvana are really innumerable.
“You should also know that emptiness is the richest. Why? It fully provides for all of the needed places. If there is one who is restoratively enlightened in the original essential substance, emptiness will immediately respond and fully supply the exact demands of the True Enlightened One of the Eight Massess of Nirvana. As for Divine worlds, emptiness provides supplies that match with the class of Devas. In the Fairies’ worlds, emptiness supplies exactly to the spirit of the Fairies’ worlds. As for Heaven’s worlds, emptiness meets the exact requirement of Heaven’s worlds. In human worlds, emptiness still provides supplies in correspondence to the demands of the human worlds.
“The recipience and enjoyment of fortunes vary with the place, the caste, and the region. Some places treasure crystals and pearls as precious objects. Other places use Mother-of- Pear and amber as precious objects, and some use jade and agate as precious objects. Humanity uses gold, silver, and other rare metals as precious objects. Their values vary, but their usage remains the same. Every place in all the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, regardless of where, is formed by combinations from the emptiness; there is no place that is labeled as metamorphosis by itself. We ourselves can only resolve our own erroneous unconsciousness, which are attached to us, until we attain enlightenment returning to essential substance.
“You should also know that each precept-scene has a definite frontier. In each precept-scene, there are many different precepts. The separation of borders resembles our solar system. From the Heaven world to the Fairy world or the Deity world to the human world, they can neither see nor enter into one another. Why? Because separated karma and separated world bring about separated seeing. Except in the case of cultivation, one can escape from this place and be reborn in another place, but this world can’t reach that realm. Humans often conceive that the Heaven world or Divine Fairies, the Deity-Saint world is a place where they are entrusted with supernatural power, and that they can go up and down, in and out, or come down to our world for salvation. These beliefs are errors, originating either from superstition, usual expectation, or simply a lack of comprehensive and thorough understanding, thus becoming such an impressive thought.”
As the Meditation Master stops speaking, we simultaneously stand up and respectfully state, “Dear Master, your words are puzzling. First of all, some Tao practitioners have already met Fairies, Deities, and Saints. Why did Master say that we can never reach them? Secondly, since Fairies and Devas find it hard to meet one another, except through metamorphosis to the others’ world, why did Master say that Master has visited these worlds and precept scenes? When Master goes there, do the Devas or Fairies know that Master comes from the human world?”
The Meditation Master nods, saying, “Please, listen as I explain.” As we sit quietly, the Meditation Master continues: “The seeing or meeting is rendered through similar nature, similar seeing, or similar nature metamorphosing into seeing. Buddhism states, ‘Only the same karmas see, and when the karmas are separated, the seeing and meeting disappear.’”
1. WHY DOES SIMILAR SUBSTANCE ALLOW SIMILAR SEEING?
“Your whole body is endowed with all the natures and substances, from the nature of Buddha to the nature of Fairies, Deities, Saints, Monks, and Nuns, or from the nature of Supreme Being to the nature of Demons and Animals. All of the natures and the substances that exist in the Universe also exist in you.
“On account of these natures and substances, there are three different levels of seeing. The first level of seeing is that of humanity. A person sees himself or herself as born, and his or her living standard is surrounded by situation. Next is the practitioner in Buddhism called the Bodhisattva conduct or the Bodhisattva vow, who sees himself or herself as mistaken in in thousands of Dharmas; His or her living standard is encircled by thousands of Dharmas, from the inner self to the external environment. As for the third, Buddha’s seeing, all are Buddhas, all are Bodhisattvas, who are realizing the conduct and vow, rhythm in the movement and management of Tathagata; there is neither situation nor thousands of Dharmas. In the three above levels of seeing, each individual or rank sees differently although they live together simply because of similar substance similar seeing, or similar situation immediately leading to seeing, or similar nature similar seeing.
In situations where there is difficulty in mutual understanding and knowing each other due to similar combination similar transformation—Beings with similar natures experience harmony in their hearing, seeing, and knowing; conversely, a lack of similarity leads to opposition in various aspects. It gives rise to the ongoing living scene: people are happy when they are in harmony, yet they remain indifferent and live in expectation when they are not in harmony. If not in harmony, they see it as opposite or unreasonable, and things just go on like that.
“Similar substance leads to similar seeing, and the lack of similar combination is a lack of metamorphosis. Therefore, this difficult-to-understand situation sometimes occurs: some Tao practitioners who have cultivated and achieved the natures and substances of Fairy and Deity immediately witness Fairies and Deities. They then tell others who want to witness these, but those individuals can’t because they are not of the same combination. Some people experience seeing ghosts because their natures and substances often harmonize with the natures and substances of ghosts. Because of being inclined to achieve similar combinations, the authentic Buddhist practitioner fulfills the four integrations: he or she should somehow manage to correspond with all of the classes. This is called assimilation among all human beings. Thanks to this process, a practitioner accomplishes the penetration through the Tathagata Constitution, becoming consciously aware of the Universe along with human beings and thus becoming enlightened.
“You should remember this: a country divided by natures and substances are not in harmony. This is also true of friends and families that often quarrel. Their relationships are not built as friendly, peaceful, and happy. It’s only because their natures are not similar and their substances are not in harmony; thus, they do not achieve mutual sympathy.”
The Meditation Master ponders for few seconds, then continues. “The practice based upon nature and substance leads to the Dharma subject of emersion from meditation. Possessing a pure nature, elegant speech, decent conduct, a clear and liberated mind; while mastering co-adaptation, a meditator glides along with the natures and substances to form himself or herself into a form of Fairy-Precept. The Deity-Precept is upright, generous, tolerant, and has an impartial spirit. Without losing one’s fine substances, while mastering co-adaptation, the meditator glides along with the natures and substances to form himself or herself into a form of Deity-Precept. As for the Phantom-Precept to the Human-Precept: this is when one’s character is strange and indecisive; he or she wants to be weird and different. After the co-adaptation, he or she becomes of the Phantom-Precept. With humanity, gratitude, politeness, intelligence, reliability, or humane behavior toward all people, one does not have to practice the Tao Dharma, he or she will still reincarnate in the human world.”
“You should know that the combination of natures and substances in the specific form is very easy. One only needs to mix one substance with another and they will immediately combine to transform into a new substance. But for the specific substances of human thoughts, one must know how to behave and treat one another to create unity. It is rare for people to become harmonized naturally or automatically. Therefore, it is almost impossible to find a bosom friend in the world. In moral places, it’s difficult to find ones who know how to absorb natures and substances to harmonize with all levels of people. A practitioner in sitting meditation who trains himself or herself to obtain emersion through meditation, strolling along all of the worlds, should manage similar substance compatible metamorphosis to gain the respect of the Human Species, Divine Species, and Fairy Species. At this point, he or she can emerge from meditation to move in and out of the worlds and precept-scenes. If one is being imaginary, practicing sitting meditation to create spiritual consciousness, or using fruits and vegetables as food to relieve one’s body, aiming to emerge through meditation. That is only an illusory practice.”
At that, we all unanimously and respectfully inquire, “Dear Master, we don’t fully understand yet. Master has said previously that the Fairy Planes and the Divine Worlds can’t communicate with one another because of the border separations. No matter how great their supernatural power is, they find it hard to know each other. And now Master says similar combination similar seeing, are Fairies and Deities real in that sighting? Or is that seeing achieved through fixed thought? Master, please explain it to us.”
Hearing our words, the Meditation Master smiles happily and replies, “I commend you for your undivided attention and questions on this useful matter for this age and the following age to comprehend. I will say the truth so that you can broaden your knowledge and later, people can affirm it accurately.”
The Meditation Master immediately continues, “Seeing and knowing Fairies and Deities are real or unreal depending on the witness’ level. For instance, for one who completely releases one’s specific substances, who totally acquires the essential substance, which is well-refined without sediment, perfectly transparent and all-embracing, when this person meets Fairies and Deities or moves in and out of precept scenes, these are very true and real, not erroneous at all. On the other hand, one who does not completely release one’s specific substances, one whose mind is still doubtful, whose heart is not clear, and whose will is still confused in here or in there, resides in fixed-thought sight and knowledge; when this person has met Fairies or Deities or moved in and out of precept scenes, it is still in fixed-thought and is not real.”
“Furthermore, Fairies and Deities have taken on the metamorphosed fixed form in the precept scenes of Fairies and Deities. It is the same for the Saints or the heavenly worlds as well. Fixed form is obviously fixed body and mind, which is eighty percent subjected to the limits of that precept scene. The remaining twenty percent is liberated and free by oneself without any obligation. The individual 80% limit is caused by that individual tying him or herself to sorrowful thoughts or illusory expectation. He or she is not different from all of you who are residing in this world.”
“Be thankful for the twenty percent that is unlike the preference of the precept scene where one is residing. That twenty percent creates a driving force for all to practice, training and nourishing fine and liberated specific substances or releasing specific substances, with the aim of receiving the essential substance; Achievement depends on the demand or individual vow. That is known as liberation from birth or liberation from the birth-death transmigration through solving. If one does not know how to take advantage of that twenty percent opportunity toward liberation from birth, one remains worried, complaintive, sad, sufferable, bringing oneself to ruin. After death, one has to be depraved. That is why, from precept-scenes and realms to the human world, they only grasp their bodies, wealth, and possessions—never their own thoughts of liberation through solving. We must create those solving-liberation thoughts by ourselves. It is no different from the treasure, which is truly ourselves.
“When one has pure essential substance without sediment—one hundred percent of essential substance, the Eight Masses of Nirvana—one can move in and out of worlds and precept scenes. Wherever one goes, he or she simply incarnates exactly as an Inhabitant who speaks, walks, or stands uniformly with the substance and nature of the world or precept-scene without any mistake. The one who obtains eighty percent of essential substance remains naturally calm, but sometimes does not resemble an Inhabitant exactly and is less confident than the previous one. A person who obtains sixty percent of essential substance is, of course, inferior to the previous one. It proceeds in such a way that one may either be clearly aware or not clearly aware; Depending on the amount of specific substance of effortful deeds, it is found to be real or not so real. When an ordinary person suddenly meets or sees a Fairy or Deity in a dream, this is derived from the fact that he or she used to have a good nature. At some point when those natures arise, meeting a Fairy or Deity automatically happens in a dream. What I have stated above is a well-grounded and bright confirmation; you should release the specific substances as long as you are still entangled in this human world. If you realize twenty percent of your released asset, you should take my advice to start releasing that specific substance so that body and mind are both fine and liberated. Human ties are not a matter, but self-binding is a very important matter. It is not a matter whether one is rich or poor, happy or unhappy, but it is a very important matter when one is burdened with hopes or despair.”
Glancing at us, the Meditation Master notices our attention and understanding, He nods and continues. “Everything, whether it’s worldly or out of this human world, has an objective and evidence. It has a starting point, and then, an ending point; it does not reach perfection naturally and automatically. Those who want to raise their level of consciousness or increase their level of seeing and knowing in a profound way must release wrongful thoughts, and somehow observe the minds and thoughts of their friends or those around them. First is to learn and second is to integrate, aiming at similar combination similar metamorphosis— that is salvation for living beings. In front of others, one should behave in such a way that corresponds to the spirit of others. That is difficult. Furthermore, if one helps them to adapt, that is much more difficult. Such ones are known as Saints.”
Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty meets Patriarch Bodhidharma
Image Credit: Baike.com
“The similar combination similar metamorphosis between Holy Monks and humans is a tremendous task. Such a task is tenfold harder than making a scientific recording machine, to the point that Patriarch Bodhidharma attempted to save King Wu of Liang with the Supreme Precious Dharma.[7] The King could not bear to listen to it, and the Patriarch had to turn his face towards the wall for nine years only because of a saying. Some sayings are difficult to listen to and understand, but when one can listen to and comprehend those words, it’s really precious. To help your knowledge at this time, I will present from the human point of view how emptiness metamorphoses the Universe and humankind.”
As the Meditation Master speaks these words, it is going to be dark soon, and we therefore take our leave, making an appointment for the next day to continuously serve.
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