3-8-2011 The Struggle Between True Nature and Consciousness

The Art Of Meditation 

By Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated and published by Lei Zang Si Singapore

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 45th book, 坐禪通明法.

CHAPTER 3 - The Struggle Between True Nature and Consciousness

The Zhan (meditation, or Zen) school in Buddhism stresses "the direct cultivation of the Mind and seeing your own original nature to attain Buddhahood". The most important thing in this doctrine is "to see one's original nature". At the very beginning, when Buddha Shakyamuni held a flower and smiled, Buddha Kasyapa become enlightened. Later, the doctrines passed on to Ananda. By the time of the 28th Patriarch in India, Bodhidharma was selected, who came to China and established the Zhan ( or Mystic School), and he became the first Patriarch in China. Among the six patriarchs of the Zhan sect, the last patriarch, Hui Neng, was very noted for his development of the doctrines. The Zhan sect reached its heyday during the Tang dynasty, with Master Ma Zu at the head, who advocated "seeing one's original nature to attain Buddhahood".

By the last years of the Song Dynasty, the Zhan Sect developed into a practice of studying enigmatic phrases as advocated by Master Gao Feng. (There is usually one enigmatic phrase in a mystic question, to which the answer is not based on logic or inference, but on some enlightened wisdom.) Gradually, the doctrine of "seeing one's original nature" was changed into "written Zhan" or "verbal Zhan", indicating a sharp decline of the Zhan sect. The studying of enigmatic phrases was splendid (for example, there are 1700 so-called "public cases" published in which witty but mystical dialogues are recorded for teaching purposes.), but the true meaning of the enigmatic phrases is beyond ordinary people.

To make your own nature appear, you have to understand the doctrine and engage in actual practice. It should be remembered that our True Nature is our Original Nature that transcends the actual form. The true nature we are talking about now resides at the Heavenly Heart (the brow-point); it is our "true face" which remains at the eye-brow chakra when the soul enters a rebirth. The spirit of consciousness resides in the heart down below, that is, the heart of flesh and blood, covered by the lungs. The spirit of consciousness is also called the "heart of dust". (Dust here refers to objects of the sense organs, which cause evil passions to arise in the heart and afflict it.), or it changes alongside the changes in our consciousness, such as unhealthy thinking, unwholesome ideas, the seven feelings and the six desires, stubborn views, or one-sided insight. It panics when taken aback, gets angry when slandered, saddens upon hearing some beloved one has passed away, and becomes intoxicated with beautiful women. These are the functions of the spirit of consciousness.

This writer often says that there is a suitable metaphor about the relationship between our true nature and the spirit of consciousness. The two are like two gods-the true nature is a good god, a Buddha, while the latter is a Mara, a devilish god. They are in a constant struggle for superiority. If the spirit of consciousness gets the upper hand, it would bully the True Nature and incite it to act with murderous intent, stopping at nothing. Such a person's True Nature is muddle-headed, whose light cannot focus at the Heavenly Heart. The person will definitely go to Hell in the nether world.

For people who practice meditation or concentration, their True Nature will reveal itself and stay at the Heavenly Heart, whose light will conquer the spirit of consciousness. The True Nature usually appears during concentrated mediation, with a strong beam of light to control the spirit of consciousness. This light focuses at one point, and has spiritual powers and self-mastery, making everything ready for Buddhahood. This "art of meditation" has remained secret for thousands of years.

I always feel that, in this world, human beings are very much like mayflies, with an extremely short life to live. If they crave for pleasure, enjoy themselves to their hearts' content in the morning, but pass away in the evening, then life is indeed as empty as a bubble. Without their true nature ever appearing, they go on and on in the cycle of the six forms of existence, with countless rebirths and deaths, deteriorating with the passage of time. This is why I often advise people to practice. Without practicing, you have only a very short life to enjoy, as a mayfly does, rendering life insignificant or meaningless.

Today, I want to point out this following in particular:

The Heavenly Heart is the Land of Mind. The Land of Mind is the Pure Land. The Pure Land is the Land of Buddhas, where our True Nature resides.

The True Nature is the Spiritual Light, which is innate Qi (chi, or vital energy), which, in turn, is Tantric method, where Luminosity (enlightenment) resides.

The Inner Alchemy in Taoism-"taking the spiritual light for its use", takes "the Pure Land as its Refuge", and takes "the semen" as its basis. To put this in more detailed terms, the spirit relies on the spiritual light at the Heavenly Heart while the soul relies on the spirit of consciousness at the bodily heart. We have to cultivate the spirit to sustain the spiritual light, so as to conquer the soul and cut off consciousness. In ancient times, the secret method for Taoist cultivation was to use the spirit to subdue the soul. In other words, use the True Nature to subjugate consciousness. In this sense, Buddhism and Taoism are closely connected to each other.

I would like to point out the following in particular:

The Land of Mind Taoists cultivation is the method of the Pure Land Sect in Buddhism.

The Spiritual Light Taoists cultivation is the method of the Tantric Sect in Buddhism.

The Breathing Practice Taoists cultivate is the method of the Zhan sect in Buddhism. (Breathing is, in fact, the True Nature.)

For Taoists to retain the semen is like Buddhists following the precepts. With abundant semen, the spiritual light can focus, both the Land of Mind and the Pure Land will be solidified. In Taoism, this is called "the crystallization into a saint"; in Buddhism, it is "rebirth into the Pure Land" or "attainment of Buddhahood in the present life". In my own meditation, I can quickly make the spirit light concentrate at one point. This ability comes from long-time practice.

It is like a hen sitting on her eggs-the mild heat accumulates until the chicks break the eggshell to see the world. I tell my readers with great sincerity that if you practice meditation for a lengthy period of time, the mild heat will accumulate and the True Nature will show itself. This is not a question of belief or doubt, rather a question of whether you practice it or not. The appearance of the True Nature is like the little chicks breaking the eggshell to put out their heads. When Taoists realize the Way, they see the True Nature.

How is it that the spirit and the soul are respectively attached to the True Nature and Consciousness? Let me explain as follows:

The spirit is Yang (positive, male, light), a gust of clear and light air, residing with the True Nature. They soul is Yin (negative, female, dark), a gust of foul, devilish air, residing with consciousness. If the spirit is strong, you go to Heaven to be a Buddha. When the soul wins over, you go to Hell to be a ghost. Taoists practice hard in order to exhaust the Yin, the soul. When the Yin soul is depleted, only "Pure Yang" remains. Patriarch Ln Dong-bin (Northern Song Dynasty) achieved "pure yang" by this practice and became a celestial being.

I once visited some lineage master of Buddhism.

The master said, "You are a Mara of the heart."

A believer in Yi Kuan Tao criticized me, "You are a trying Mara."

Some lay men pointed at my nose, saying, "Superstition!"

Some jealous people shouted at me, "You spread fallacies to deceive people!"

However, how would they know the truth; there are not many people in the world who know these facts, and I am one of those in the know and the most real one at that. Facing a thousand accusing fingers I secretly practiced and practiced. Following the Pure Land teachings, I chanted Amitabha without interruption, and practiced without distracting thought, for a rebirth in the Buddha lands. Following the visualization method in Tantric Buddhism, I used the spiritual light to conduct an empowerment. Following the Zhan sect, I cultivated for the revelation of the True Nature and got to understand all the Buddhist teachings, with nothing left unknown.

I take all things I saw in meditations as incarnations of things; knowing all, I was neither moved nor joyous.

Once I met a handsome, spiritual child, standing before me with a lotus in his hand. Holding the lotus, he was standing on a lotus seat, dressed in celestial clothes, with a Holy crown on his head.

"Where did you come from, lotus child?", I asked.

"From the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds."

"It's a long way from the Western World. What have you come here for?"

"To deliver the sentient beings."

What if they don't see your point?"

"All depends on their causations and conditions; at least one or two of them may have such conditions."

The child was not angry. He then jumped up and entered my crown, nowhere to be seen.

Thinking it over, I finally understood that I came from the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds, in the rebirth of a lotus child. That good-looking lotus child is no one but my True Nature. In this way, the True Nature is me; I am the True Nature. The Buddha is me; I am the Buddha!

That session of meditation gave me profound revelation. The lotus child came to this world to deliver the living beings, to set up the Ling Xian Sect to recruit all sentient beings, both the intelligent and the dull, who have the necessary conditions and causations to study Buddhism and get to the other shore. Those whose karmic conditions are not very favorable can come and go as they like. Salvage one if only one can be saved; salvage two if two can be saved, all depending on karmic conditions.

In my previous life, over my head was a white umbrella covering auspicious clouds, with great-mirror luminosity, and I was wearing a red crown with strings of pearls and precious stones, holding a great Wisdom Seal in my right hand, a blooming Lotus Seal in my left hand, a white lotus flower between the thumb and middle finger, a string of prayer beads hanging upon my chest, ornamental pearls, jade, gems and other precious stones all over the body. I was covered by a luminous celestial cloak, standing on a white lotus, the whole body radiating strong light, majestic looking from head to toe.

This fact told me that I have made up my mind that I have nothing else to desire except salvaging the sentient beings. I am indifferent to worldly things. My life is one of cultivation and salvation of living beings.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School