THE MODERN DOORWAY INTO BUDDHISM
After understanding the four concepts of Faith, Comprehension, Actual Practice, and Realization, how does one then enter the door of Buddhism? Where is the doorway? There are different opinions as to which doorway to enter. Some people feel that one should enter through the doorway of "Theories." By this, they mean that one should first gain an understanding of the profound Buddhist theories and knowledge. Other people feel that one should enter through the doorway of "Actual Practice," engaging first in practices (such as the True Buddha Tantric Dharma) and ethics (observing the precepts) to acquire a pure awareness. Thus the two approaches may be termed "theory" vs "practice." Which approach should one attempt first? Do you have any suggestions? Chinese are very familiar with the idea of taking a "dual approach." [audience laughter] I remember this aphorism from the Chinese classics, "One should combine theoretical understanding and practical application in any undertaking." We all know now that one should approach both theory and practice simultaneously.
At the time of the Buddha, however, there was an emphasis on the approach of "practice." Many scriptures have noted that the Buddha himself emphasized that "actual practice is more effective than a wide exposure to theories alone." As pointed out by the analogy I gave yesterday, if one only attends Buddhist lectures and does not practice, then one is likened to an expert cook who does not eat the dishes prepared and, therefore, starves. In such cases there is practically no enjoyment of the Dharma Taste. This why the Buddha emphasized "actual practice" over a "theoretical approach." Even so, my opinion is that we should proceed simultaneously with "theory" and "practice."
During the time of Buddha Shakyamuni, after the disciples came back from collecting food offered as alms, they would listen to the Dharma teachings and then disband. One would find a spot on the mountain top, another would sit half-way up the mountain, someone would sit at the foot of a hill, while someone else would sit under a tree. Everyone would engage in the actual practice of meditation. When the next mealtime arrived, someone would announce that it was time for everyone to go out to receive food offerings from the almsgivers. What the Buddha taught at the beginning was that sitting meditation was very important. The attainment of "inner stillness or stability" is the most important link in the whole process of practicing Buddhism.
To take a "theoretical approach" is to study the Buddhist sutras, to comprehend their meaning, and to savor the Dharma Taste. In the end, an inner radiance will shine forth from one's heart. When one reads, applies, and penetrates deeply into the treasury of sutras to achieve a true unification, one may actually see the manifestation of the Bodhisattvas on the pages. An infinite wonder may be found in the sutras. When one reads and see the subtle point, one will not just nod in agreement, one will actually shine forth with an inner radiance. This is the key to the reading of the sutras.
In China, since the Sung Dynasty, many repentance texts have come into existence through the editorial effort of numerous Buddhist masters. Prior to the Sung Dynasty, there was Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty who also contributed to the creation of some repentance texts. Such repentance liturgies, of course, offer certain benefits as they involve both the reading of sutras and the practice of bowing. The purpose of participating in a repentance liturgy is to become cognizant of one's errors and truly repent them; otherwise, one is merely going through the motions of reading and bowing and, therefore, only scratching the surface of the Buddhadharma. Of all the pathways, the repentance liturgy is probably the simplest one because it only requires reading of text and bowing.
Some pathways have been reduced over the years to very simplistic forms. For example, the modern version of chanting only encompasses the chanting of Buddha's name. The rationalization for this may be summed up in this claim, "A single Buddha epithet encompasses the whole Buddhist canon." Modern men favor simplicity and detest hard work in their practice. They welcome the idea of attaining Buddhahood through chanting the name of Amitabha. There were originally sixteen steps of visualization of the Amitayus [Boundless Life] Dhyana Sutra that accompanied the chanting, but this has been reduced to just the chanting of the epithet. If a single chanting of "Namo Amitabha" indeed encompasses the Buddhist Canon, one might as well replace the whole of Buddhist scripture with just these two words, "Namo Amitabha." The Buddhadharma has undergone great transformation in the hands of modern men.
In the past, the Zen school also consisted of many profound and lofty teachings, but it is now reduced to just the form of Zen riddles. Many of the wonderful "Ways of Inquiry" from the past have been lost. Many Zen masters today have not achieved Enlightenment themselves. When they give teachings, as shown by some of their shows on television, they can only talk about Zen riddles.
So where is the true doorway to the Buddhadharma? In truth, many students of Buddhism waver from one to the other doorway. Have you found the one doorway for yourself? The doorway adopted by the True Buddha Tantric Dharma is one of "Actual Practice." You may visit other Buddhist centers around the world and you will not find another school that will offer you such exquisite and detailed explanation of the practice. Included in the True Buddha Tantric Dharma are all of the pertinent elements: teachings of mantra, mudra, visualization, bowing, offering, the Four Immeasurable Vows, armor protection, Vajrasattva practice, the Fourfold Refuge, and the entering into Samadhi. Where else can you find a system as complete and detailed as these teachings?
Most Buddhist monks can only advise to read the sutras and chant the Buddha's name. When you ask them how to do meditation, they will tell you, "Be patient." [audience laughter] If you press them for an explanation, they will only tell you that meditation is not a simple matter and cannot be hurried. Perhaps chanting is the only actual practice ever done by some of these old masters, so how can they teach one how to enter into Samadhi? Then, before you can get an answer from them, they pass away! Why are they unable to teach you? Perhaps they themselves have never entered into Samadhi. It is not easy to attain Samadhi. Today you have come to hear me; today you have found the right teacher! [audience applause] I have trod on the path and experienced Samadhi and I can teach you how to realize it.
If you were to ask these old masters, you would find that some of them practice the "non-supine" sleep posture; that is, they assume a sitting posture even when they sleep at night. However, in the middle of the night, their heads droop and saliva starts to drool. Sleeping while sitting up is an extremely hard task! It is not right to force oneself to go through such hardship.
The crux of meditation is not how long one sits, but whether one is able to enter into "stillness." Do you know who is noted for meditating the longest? The Eminent Master Hsu Yun (Empty Cloud). One time he was getting ready to cook some potatoes and decided to meditate first. When he awoke from his meditation, mold was growing on the potatoes! He had lost track of time while meditating. Of course, his was a very skillful type of meditation, but is this what true meditation is supposed to be? In true meditation, although the "ego is transcended," there should still be awareness. This is known as "conscious meditation." Samadhi or "stillness" is marked by "awareness."
There are many times when people awaken and cannot remember having had any dreams. Would their sleep then qualify as meditating? Say that one lies down at 11:00 p.m. and the next time one opens one's eyes, morning has arrived. One is not even sure if one has had any sleep at all. How come it is morning all of a sudden? [laughter] What a skillful meditation! Then one takes a look at the calendar. It was the first when one went to bed, how can it be the thirtieth now? One has been sleeping for a month! [laughter and audience laughter] This is a skillful meditation that is characterized by the "forgetting of time." One has forgotten about the passage of time and one has had no dreams during the interim. You know there was a Taoist by the name of Chan Hsi Yi who was famous for his "sleep practice." He could sleep without interruption for several years. It would be nice if I could do that too. [laughter] Master Hsu Yun could enter into a very deep meditation. There was a time in Thailand when he did not emerge from his meditation for more than ten days. Even the king of Thailand went to bow to him, to pay respect to his accomplished skill. Although Master Hsu Yun had lost track of time, his skill in meditation was excellent. However, when we practice meditation, what matters is not how long we can sit, but whether we can achieve "conscious Samadhi." This is very important. When one attains "conscious Samadhi," one will obtain the Dharma Taste. Without "conscious Samadhi," there is no Dharma Taste. [audience applause]
Amituofo
Lotuschef
Pure Karma
True Buddha School
No comments:
Post a Comment