3-8-2011 Workings of the Five Aggregates

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 6 - Workings of the Five Aggregates

"Meditation for Universal Luminosity" is about Tantric teachings and a purified version of the Zhan Doctrines. However, knowledge of the correct teachings mentioned above is not enough. Without learning about the heretic teachings, the practitioner may easily be lured way by them and fall into the control by the devil of the five constituent elements of existence. These elements refer to the five aggregates (form sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness). If in practice one is reduced to a state of dead trees and cold ashes, without the slightest energy and vitality of the Earth, then he has fallen into the Yin Realm (the negative and dark realm). He will look weak and fragile, surrounded by come icy cold air. This indicates that his meditation has gone off the right track. 

In the Realm of the five aggregates and the Realm of Form and Desire, there are also many gods and ghosts who have some minor responsive powers. Those with the highest attainment are ghost celestials with fox celestials ranking in the middle. Ghost and fox celestials all have spiritual powers. Though they have not attained the perfect fruition, they enjoy themselves among great mountains and rivers. Most of them have meritorious retribution of 5001-000 years but have fallen into wrong teachings. So though with practice in meditation, they are not much different from ghosts and foxes. 

When the operations of the devil of the five aggregates transform into a kind of Dharma wheel, but its spinning makes one feel nauseated and dizzy. Sometimes you see many beautiful flowers of various colors falling from the sky, making you desirous of them. Or you see a vast span of ocean with great waves rolling in which many living beings are struggling. Or you see the moon, on which celestial beings are coming and going. Or you hear some sounds, following which you see illusions one after another. Or you see palaces that are reflections from the illusions, to mention just a few examples. 

Such photisms can be seen as hallucination of the mind, since everything is created by the mind, you don't have to bother about their truth. They belong to reflections of a tranquil mind. As all scenes change according to the states of mind, you should not be attached to any of them. Attachment will lead you astray and land you into the workings of the devil of the five aggregates. 

In meditation and prostration, there are many collateral branches, such as Brahman in India, Yoga, and the Bon, which are not pure Buddhist branches. I remember when Bodhisattva Nagarjuna came to this world, he used expedient methods of Brahmin to establish all Tantric teachings, so that the Brahmins would accept them. The Indians were divided into four castes: Castries (Kings, warriors), Brahmins (Priests), Sudras (working men, slaves), and Candelas (the lowest class; outcasts who made their living by hunting, slaughtering cattle, or burying dead bodies, considered to be on a level with animals). 

Accordingly, Nagarjuna devised expedient Tantric methods to deliver them, practicing the sutras with Ksatriyas, studying the sutras with Brahmins, using the Yoga sutras with Sudras, and using the Supreme Yoga sutras with the Candalas. So all methods are expedient- designed differently for liberating different people. 

As far as I know, Brahmanism, Yoga, and the Bon worship natural idols. They worship the Sun when they see the Sun. They worship he Moon when they see the Moon. They worship the God of fire upon seeing fire, and worship the God of water at the sight of water. They worship the tree or the stone when they see one. They even worship birds and beasts. In their meditation, they worship whatever idols or images they can conceive of. Few of them can stay away from devils. 

There were Brahmins who worshipped the horse. The Buddhist patriarch had to go into Kuan-Yin samadhi, and change into a horse-headed Kuan-Yin to embrace and receive them. 

There were aborigines who worshipped the pig. To save them, the Buddhist patriarch had to get into Buddha Vairocana samadhi, and change into Vajra Mother (Pig-crowned, concubine of the Yamantakrt, the principal Deity for Tibetan Supreme Yoga) to embrace and receive them. 

There were also people who were fond of Yoga body-training. The patriarch had to go into Aksobhya Buddha's samadhi, and Amitabha Buddha's samadhi and transform into the Great Bliss Vajra and Red-Colored Kuan-Yin to embrace and receive them. 

Today, there is a person called Lin Yun, who claimed that the Bon Religion (the Black Sect) is little known today and that he is the only Guru of lineage, thus doing a great disservice to Buddhism. Many people, including famous actors, actresses and professors, who are ignorant of the nature of the Bon Religion, are frightened by his sorcery and tend to believe that he is really a living Buddha of the Bon School. They are all taken in without their knowing. The Bon Religion, however, is out and out a heresy, worshipping an "Ox-head." In its early days, to liberate them, the patriarchs had to go into Bodhisattva Manjushri's samadhi and transform into the ox-headed Yamantakrt embrace and receive them. 

Today, Lin Yun advocates the Bon Religion with ulterior motives, which deserve quenching. Now I warn you again here in the book that if you do not abandon the heresy and come back to the correct belief, I shall disclose all the teachings of the Bon Religion and then demolish them one by one, until you can not hide your true face any more. All my well-intentioned, repeated persuasion shows my sincere hope that you turn quickly back to practice the correct Dharma. Wake up now to see your own True Nature. You have fallen into the mercy of the devil of the Five Aggregates! 

As regards the "twin-body training" method, I think that it does not belong to Buddhism. To my knowledge, in the early days, when culture was not fully developed in India and Tibet, children matured at an early age and most people were meat eaters, so they had strong sexual desire. The "twin-body training" method was devised to give the Brahmins a chance to give vent to their lust. So this practice originally belonged to Brahmanism. When it was first introduced into Tantric practice, some people accepted it while others objected it. 

Those who favored it would say that instead of using wisdom to see through sexual desire, it would better to use lust to quench itself, the realization of its uselessness would put an end to it. 

Those against it would argue that once the monks fell into sex, they could never extricate themselves from it- its eradication was out of the question. I think that few of the practitioners of the "twin-body training" method had attained fruition, instead many of them fell into the Realm of Form and Desire. So it would be better not to practice it, as it would lead to the workings of the devil of the Five Aggregates and the devil of sex. 

There is a story which goes like this: Once a master who practiced the "twin-body training" was invited to a Bardo deliverance ceremony using Yoga Fire to collect food for hungry ghosts and to deliver the deceased souls. Though he had practiced the "twin-body training," he had not expelled his sexual desire, that is, he had not transformed his consciousness into wisdom, nor had quenched his lust to attain sublimity. Positioned on the Dharma Seat, he could not drive away from his mind the shadows of beautiful women. 

This is like what a poem describes: "The enchanting desire is hard to bend. In a spring temple, a beauty is hidden, with charming white legs and tender waist and arms. Her youthful face beams pink embedded in fragrant white. Her beauty brings forth envy, making the man wild with lust." The master's hands formed the Food Mudra, but his thoughts were on charming ladies. 

Tragedy followed quick! 

His Food Mudra called forth a lot of beautiful girls for the food of the hungry ghosts. If the hungry ghost had been hungry for sex, they would be a wonderful treat for them. However, the ghosts were really hungry for food. Before they had satisfied their stomach, they were not in the mood for sex.

The next moment, the ghosts, pushing the pretty girls aside, went straight for the Dharma seat and dragged the master down from it, who fell on the floor head-on, unconscious. A few days later, he died, taken away by the ghosts. 

This story can serve as a warning: in practicing meditation, we must not go heretic ways; in learning Buddhism, we must take the right teachings, never to go to the collateral branches. 

In doing meditation, remember not to follow collateral sects, and not to practice whatever is comfortable to practice, because once the devil of the Five Aggregates takes control, you are bound to fall into the Realm of Form and Desire. The highest statues you can attain from it is a ghost celestial, lower than that of a fox celestial. It is fraud with erroneous paths and collateral roots and you must proceed with great caution. 

However, in practicing Buddhism, different individuals have different causations, conditions and different interests, so they go into different schools. I think that these schools and sects have their own unique merits and we should not favor some and slight others. We can not say that some schools are superior to others For instance, to me, the Zhan (phyana) Sect, Tantra Sect, the Discipline Sect, Dharmalaksana Sect, Three Sastra Sect, Tian-dai Sect, Avatamsaka Sect, are all orthodox schools in Buddhism, and due attention should be given to the Kosa Sect and the Satyasiddhi Sect. 

In addition, I regard the Transcendental Wisdom Sect, the Nirvana Sect and the Lotus Scripture Sect as rightful schools of Buddhism. 

Within the Tantra school, the Red Sect, the Yellow Sect, the White Sect, and the Flower Sect all have produced patriarchs one after another, and a large number of monks have distinguished themselves in realization or achievement. They are all rightful schools. All correct teachings and sects have their sources, with a clear line of lineage and development. 

Only the Bon Religion does not deserve your faith, as it has no secret heart sutras or mudras and has just a few minor tricks and sorceries.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School