This announcement is a teaching on the great method of meditation given by the Third Dharma King Dorje Chang Buddha III in March 2013 at the Bodhi Monastery's Three Saints Hall for a group of practitioners. Today is December 4, 2013, and it is officially published online for the first time. Today, the Third Dharma King Dorje Chang Buddha III will confer the essential mantras and corresponding Siddhis necessary for meditation, while also helping everyone understand what constitutes proper meditation. It will help you recognize the level and correctness of the meditation methods you have encountered before and whether the teachers who taught you are qualified to give teachings. Do they understand what meditation truly is? What is the role of meditation within the overall teachings of Buddhism? Can one understand Buddhist teachings without understanding meditation? If one does not understand meditation, they naturally do not understand what Zen is, nor do they understand what concentration is. Therefore, just by not understanding meditation, it indicates a fundamental lack of understanding of Buddhism and, correspondingly, a lack of understanding of the Dharma. Thus, when a group of teachers requested the Third Dharma King Dorje Chang Buddha III to allow them to give teachings to their disciples, he said: as long as they are truly knowledgeable about the Dharma and transmit the teachings according to the teachings, any qualified teacher can give teachings. However, those who speak recklessly about the Dharma are absolutely unqualified to give teachings. Therefore, teachers must pass an examination to be qualified to give teachings; otherwise, no one has the qualification to give teachings. Because giving teachings without understanding Buddhism and the Dharma is undoubtedly deceiving the public, it is prohibited for those who do not understand the Dharma to give teachings. The very concept of giving teachings implies that those who hear the teachings must accept them as truth. If what they accept is erroneous, it destroys their wisdom life. This not only refers to a lack of understanding of meditation but also involves many other issues, such as misunderstandings of the scriptures. These severely harm the interests of sentient beings and mislead practitioners. Any actions or words that harm the interests of sentient beings will not be recognized by the Third Dharma King Dorje Chang Buddha III. As for those who pretend to understand but do not, the Third Dharma King Dorje Chang Buddha III said he has no authority to manage everyone, but the karmic responsibility for those who give erroneous teachings cannot be borne, as the negative karma that harms sentient beings for countless eons is passed on to those who mistakenly listen.
As expected, in this examination, the Third Dharma King Dorje Chang Buddha III saw through their hearts. Among the qualified saints, there were those who scored 68 points on the two-star sun and moon wheel, and one who scored 61 points on the one-star sun and moon wheel. Others, regardless of their identity, were not qualified to give teachings because they did not even understand basic Buddhist teachings. Even those who are reincarnated from famous figures had answers that were completely off the mark and irrelevant, filled with heretical speech. How could such people, who appear to be Buddhist figures but internally spread heretical teachings to deceive disciples, be allowed to give teachings that mislead practitioners? Therefore, regardless of who they are, those who do not pass the examination can only lead everyone to respectfully listen to the Dharma sound of the Third Dharma King Dorje Chang Buddha III. What you, as teachers, say to your disciples can only serve as a reference and cannot be taken as definitive. As for taking refuge, transmitting rituals, and mantras, that is what you should do. Teaching the Ten Good Deeds, the Four Immeasurables, the Six Perfections, the Bodhicitta, and the precepts is all necessary, but it must not deviate from the scriptures, nor should one pretend to understand without understanding. Anyone who pretends to understand and fabricates nonsense is absolutely engaging in deceitful behavior!
The following is the complete content of the "Great Method of Meditation" taught by the Third Dharma King Dorje Chang Buddha III in March 2013, which is a record of spontaneous teachings.
The Third Dharma King Dorje Chang Buddha III's Teaching on the "Great Method of Meditation"#
Are you seated? Are you ready?
(The crowd responds: Yes.)
First, join your palms and recite the refuge once, generating the Four Immeasurable Minds and Bodhicitta. Alright, listen carefully; I will now begin to teach you.
Today, I have gathered the disciples here mainly in response to some Westerners, Black people, Spanish-speaking individuals, and Asians, among whom are some Rinpoches. I have agreed to your request; you said you particularly enjoy sitting meditation and want to learn meditation. Therefore, I am here to fulfill your wishes by transmitting a high-level method of meditation. In fact, we have all heard of the name of meditation, but to be honest, we do not know what meditation truly is. I can say this: among all of you present here, and even many of the teachers who teach meditation outside, including those of you present today, do not understand what true meditation is. Am I being too extreme? Today, I clearly tell you: not at all! Let me simply ask you a few questions: What is meditation? What is it for? Why meditate? What is the purpose of meditation? What is Zen? Do you know? Can the teachers who teach meditation answer me?
(Someone says: We are not very clear; please let the Buddha teach.)
I am a humble person; just call me Master. You say you are not very clear; actually, you are mistaken. It is not that you are not very clear; it is that you know, but your understanding is incorrect. If you do not even understand what Zen is, and you know nothing about the Zen path, yet you still want to meditate and teach others, that is harming sentient beings and damaging human wisdom! You will bear karmic responsibility for that! Why commit this sin in your few decades or over a hundred years of life?
Today, I want to talk about Zen. Zen is divided into the Four Meditations and Eight Concentrations, which you certainly know, as these terms are found in the scriptures. What are the Four Meditations and Eight Concentrations for? What is the role of Zen? You have only a superficial understanding. Many people like to sit in meditation; many people enjoy participating in Zen, but what do they truly want to achieve? What is their goal? Therefore, everyone must first clarify this question. In the Buddhist community, those who practice Zen and sit in meditation outnumber practitioners of other methods, and most of them are educated, yet they blindly pursue it. I will not elaborate further; let’s get straight to Zen. Zen is a method, one of the practices taught by the Buddha, but this practice is independent, although its essence and principles relate to any method of practice.
To put it simply, Zen is the ultimate truth. The so-called ultimate truth is the eternal, unchanging principle, the equal origin of the three times. This is the essence of Zen. Of course, there are many explanations, but I will not elaborate on other theories here. For someone who practices Zen, they should understand simple principles. Today, I will choose simple and easy-to-understand concepts to explain to you. That is, it is a state transformed from consciousness, transitioning from conscious differentiation to a state of non-conscious differentiation. What is this state of non-consciousness? Is it devoid of false thoughts? Is it nothing at all? Is it very pure? To understand it this way is completely wrong. If everyone wants to thoroughly understand this state of non-consciousness, they must study what I call "The True Meaning of the Heart Sutra." After studying "The True Meaning of the Heart Sutra," you will realize what we are looking for in Zen, what our purpose is, what we are trying to find, what we are realizing, and what we are certifying. Now, can we find this thing? This thing can never be found! As long as you search for it, you will not find it! Why can’t you find it? Because searching requires using your own consciousness, which is akin to carrying your own child on your back while searching everywhere outside: "Oh, where has my child gone? Where has it gone?" You will never find it because you are already carrying it. Therefore, if you deliberately use your consciousness and mind to search, you will never find it. Zen requires a method of effort to be found. The essence of Zen itself is not a method of effort, but a method of effort is needed to find Zen and to attain and certify Zen. We must listen carefully because this is very difficult to understand. If you are not serious and your thoughts are not concentrated, you will not understand. Today, I will transmit the method of meditation to everyone.
First, let’s understand the basic concept of Zen. Once you have the basics, it will be easier to attain this state of Zen. We want to attain a state of Zen, which is called a "state." In reality, there is no state. If a state appears that can be differentiated by our consciousness, then it is no longer Zen. However, we must use the term "state" as a metaphor; otherwise, there would be nothing to discuss. What is this state? It is something that allows you to be neither born nor die; this thing is you, and you are this thing. The so-called metaphor is a rhetorical device; otherwise, there would be nothing to say. For this reason, there is the saying, "Words fail, and the heart's actions are silent." Simply put, the purpose of practicing Zen is to attain enlightenment! The purpose of enlightenment is to obtain that which is neither born nor dies! The so-called thing, there is no such thing; what I refer to as this thing or this state is, in fact, not a thing. Because if there is such a thing, it is differentiated by consciousness, and it becomes our thoughts. For example, this is a round object, this is a long object, this is black at both ends, this is a pen, this is a string of beads, this is a Buddha image, this is a lotus flower, this is an empty state—who told you that? It is your own consciousness that differentiates it. If you can recognize a Buddha image or a lotus flower as something, then you are no longer in Zen but are in the ordinary mind of differentiation. I will return to one point: if you have read "The True Meaning of the Heart Sutra" and can understand it, then all Zen will be resolved, meaning you can attain all Zen! Of course, you may say: I have read the works of Nagarjuna, Asanga, Dharmakirti, Vasubandhu, Shantideva, Xuanzang, and other predecessors, so I should not need to read "The True Meaning of the Heart Sutra," right? Today, I can only tell you: the works you have read are acceptable because they are teachings from the patriarchs, but those books do not represent the function of "The True Meaning of the Heart Sutra." Therefore, it is still the same saying: you must study "The True Meaning of the Heart Sutra"! If you truly learn and understand it, you will succeed.
Speaking of Zen, there are many kinds of Zen. Besides the state of the Four Meditations and Eight Concentrations, there are also various methods of realization. Each method has different degrees, such as Tathagata Zen, Patriarch Zen, Incense Lamp Zen, Wooden Fish Zen, Intent Zen, One Stick Zen, Two Degrees Zen, Returning Light Zen, Counting Breath Zen, Pure Water Zen, Dharma Appearance Zen, Moon Concentration Zen, Guarding the Aperture Zen, Clumsy Fire Zen, Cold Ice Zen, Chanting Buddha Who Chants Zen, Endless Zen, and also Great Enlightenment Zen, the Unmoving Zen of the Kalachakra, and of course, there are many more Zen methods, including what is called the Zen of the Cypress Tree in the Courtyard and the Zen of Silent Speech. There are many, many, so if I were to introduce them one by one, it would take three to five years. Therefore, I will not elaborate further today. What you mainly need to understand is what Zen is and what the purpose of practicing Zen is: to attain returning light, to achieve enlightenment, to see the true nature, to see your own nature of neither birth nor death! Do you understand? It is still the same principle: after learning "The True Meaning of the Heart Sutra," Zen will become child's play. At that time, the "Diamond Sutra" and the "Ultimate Meaning Sutra" will naturally be clear, and the principles will be unified.
The purpose of our Zen practice is to realize the true nature, emptiness, and Dharma body. This Dharma body is the Dharma body that is neither born nor dies. Here, I will give you an example. Some methods of Zen practice are truly inexplicable but infinitely profound. For instance, in the past, at the Gaomin Temple in Yangzhou, many people achieved success in Zen practice. At Gaomin Temple, basically every seven days, someone would achieve enlightenment. So how did they practice? The methods they used were not the names of the Zen practices I mentioned above, nor were they those methods of effort. Therefore, I say there are many methods of Zen. First, in ancient times, to enter Gaomin Temple for Zen practice, one had to sign an agreement. The agreement was very simple; to put it bluntly, it was called "If you are beaten to death, there is no compensation." If you are beaten to death, there is no compensation, and you must voluntarily abide by their regulations. Once you enter, there are various forms; here I will mention three forms for Zen practice. Any method you learned before must be put down. Once you arrive there, there are no methods at all. Upon entering the Zen hall, there are no methods available. There are five board-holders, known as the "Five Great Board Holders," who specialize in beating people. When running for a stick of incense, you must run; the incense is not long, only this long. You must run in a circle with many people in the Zen hall. While running, if the board-holder strikes the board, it makes a loud sound. When the board sounds, the person running in meditation must immediately stop; they cannot take another step. When the board sounds again, you must start running again. Have you all seen the board used by the Zen hall board-holder?
(The crowd responds: No.)
I will choose a time to show you; it is from the Gaomin Temple in Yangzhou, something from the past, you know? When it strikes, "bang," as long as the board sounds and you are still running, you will be pulled out and beaten to death; even if you are not killed, you will be beaten into a cripple. Therefore, naturally, the person's spirit becomes very concentrated, always thinking about the sound of the board. They are always afraid that if the board sounds while they are still running or if they stop and the board sounds, they will be pulled out and beaten again. Do you understand?
When sitting for a stick of incense, once you sit down, the board-holder will be able to see you from behind. While sitting, you are not allowed to move this way or that way; you are absolutely not allowed to move, nor are you allowed to chant Buddha names or mantras. As soon as they see you move even a little, you will be pulled out and beaten again, possibly to death. Therefore, once you sit down and stabilize, as soon as you hear the sound of the board, you will immediately dare not move. You must sit through that stick of incense without moving at all; your spirit will be extremely concentrated because you are afraid that if you inadvertently move, you will be pulled out and beaten, injured, or killed.
Moreover, for example, if you want to drink water, you must go to the east to fetch water and bring it to the west to drink. You must fill a cup completely; if you spill water on the ground, you will be pulled out and beaten again. Because of this, among those who practice Zen, there is no wandering consciousness to think about other things, and there is no rest. During meals, you cannot let your chopsticks and bowls clink; that is not allowed. Because of this, their consciousness is naturally forced to not dare to think about other things. Do you understand? Therefore, naturally, once our consciousness is unified, we will not think or scatter, because everyone is afraid of being beaten to death. You know? The fear of death forces one to take it seriously, making it easy to cut off delusions. Once delusions are cut off, the true nature emerges. Once the true nature emerges, the breakthrough occurs. Therefore, basically, every Zen retreat has people who achieve breakthroughs, and basically, every seven days, there are those who achieve initial breakthroughs. How do you know if someone has broken through? Once they break through, they will be asked to compose a verse, and you must create a verse for them to listen to, allowing the host and Zen master to verify you, and then they will examine you to see if you have truly realized Zen and seen your true nature. Do you understand?
(The crowd responds: We understand.)
In Buddhism, there is a school called Zen, and the sixth patriarch of Zen, Huineng, is of the sudden enlightenment school. At that time, there were two patriarchs, one of whom was Shenxiu, who was of the gradual enlightenment school. In fact, both of these patriarchs achieved realization; it can only be said that their views were different. After Shenxiu attained realization, he composed a verse that said: "The body is the Bodhi tree, the heart is like a bright mirror stand; constantly wipe it, lest it be stained by dust." This means that my body is like the accomplished Bodhi tree, representing accomplishment and liberation; my body is a realm of liberation. Why is it called the Bodhi tree? Because Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, so later "attaining Bodhi" became synonymous with accomplishment. He said my body is the Bodhi tree, but my heart is never confused; it is clear and knows the causes and effects, so "the heart is like a bright mirror stand." At the same time, I am constantly practicing; whenever I discover something bad, I will correct it, hence "constantly wipe it." Wiping refers to using a feather duster; I always take it to sweep away my impurities, "lest it be stained by dust." Here, the "dust" refers to unclean karma, not the dust we see. It means I will seriously correct my faults to align with the Buddha's teachings. From Shenxiu's verse, one might generally say that he is already a Bodhi tree and has corrected his mistakes, which is certainly good, right? However, Huineng did not share this view. Because Shenxiu did not realize the essence of Zen, it means he did not truly have a great awakening in Zen; he had not broken through the bottom of the bucket to attain enlightenment. Huineng was very young, just a child, but he had completely awakened. Upon hearing Shenxiu's verse, Huineng said, "I want to write one too." He asked his senior brother to write it on the wall for him because he could not read. He responded to Shenxiu's verse, writing: "Bodhi originally has no tree," meaning that while the term Bodhi tree exists, there is no actual tree. "The bright mirror is also not a stand," meaning that although you know everything, there is no specific object, no subject of knowledge, thus there is no stand. Because Shenxiu said, "the heart is like a bright mirror stand," Huineng said, "the bright mirror is also not a stand." "Originally, there is not a single thing; where can dust be stained?" Originally, there is nothing at all; where can dust be stained? It means that within Buddha nature, thoughts do not dwell anywhere. Since thoughts cannot arise, what is realized in the state of Zen? It is something that does not cling to anything, and it does not cling to dust or anything else because there is nothing to cling to. You must be very careful to understand this; do not think it is that the four elements are all empty and that there is an empty state; that is also wrong. In the true principle, this empty state does not exist either, so dust has no place to cling.
(In the middle of this segment, there were many Westerners and scholars present, and different people were translating. The Buddha Master heard their chaotic English translations and sternly criticized them for their errors, telling them they must not pretend to understand and translate recklessly. In the end, he specifically named Bodhi Wintu Rinpoche to do the translation.)
Shenxiu has something called the Bodhi tree; the state of the Buddha Dharma he realized has something, something to attain. However, Huineng said: within the Buddha Dharma, even consciousness does not differentiate, so what can be attained? If there is nothing to attain, what can be stained? Therefore, within emptiness, there can be no differentiation of consciousness. If there is differentiation of consciousness, it falls into the ordinary mind and departs from emptiness. Departing from emptiness naturally leads to the ordinary realm. Without differentiation of consciousness, one enters the realm of saints. However, it is generally impossible for a person to be without differentiation of consciousness, so one must learn Buddhism and practice.
Today, I see you are translating very laboriously, with many errors, so I do not want to continue wasting time. I will quickly teach you the methods instead. Alright, I will now directly teach you the methods of meditation.
The meditation I am transmitting to you today is why these people, once they sit down, are either scattered or asleep, or if not asleep, they are dull and confused. This is mainly due to the karmic obstacles accumulated over countless eons, black karma, white karma, and ignorance karma, meaning both good and bad, and even neutral karma surround us. Therefore, when we sit down, we cannot achieve clarity of thought; without clarity of thought, it is even more impossible to cut off delusions. If one cannot cut off delusions, it is fundamentally impossible to realize the state of Zen, and there is no concentration to speak of, making it impossible to attain enlightenment. Therefore, those who practice Zen often only know to teach others to sit in meditation, but practitioners generally do not understand that there is a specific mantra for Zen practice that must first clear the meditation mandala. This means that today, when we sit in meditation, we must first recite a mantra, the Purification of the Mandala mantra, to clear the mandala and drive away all unfavorable evil spirits, demons, and other negative influences. This is the first task to be done. If we are in the mountains, we must also invite the mountain deities to protect the area and prevent wild beasts or mountain spirits from causing harm, so there are two methods to practice. However, in our homes, we do not have this problem; we only fear, in some places, typhoons, and in others, earthquakes, floods, and fires.
Now, one very important point is that we do not understand how to prevent external obstacles during meditation practice; we must first take preventive measures. This is divided into two parts: one part is the power of mantras, and the other part pertains to the power of the body. There are three mantras, and none can be missing. If one of the three mantras is missing, it becomes very difficult to break through, and it will become the secular forms of meditation. This is for use in external environments or at home, not in the mountains. The Purification of the Mandala mantra is one mantra; the so-called Purification of the Mandala does not necessarily mean a pure mandala. Remember, it does not refer to the mandala itself but to the place where you practice at home or any place where you can sit in meditation. This is one mantra. The second mantra is specifically for Zen practice, the Purification of Karmic Obstacles and Emptiness, which is used in Zen practice to temporarily clear away karmic influences. The third mantra is very important: the Heart Purification mantra. This mantra is very strict for the precepts of practitioners; it is equally strict for Buddhists. Anyone who recites this mantra must genuinely engage in Bodhisattva behavior, strictly uphold the precepts, observe the Five Precepts, and practice the Three Pure Precepts. If one commits serious violations, this mantra will become ineffective; if one commits minor violations, the effect will not be good, making it difficult to achieve tranquility. If one cannot achieve tranquility, they cannot enter into meditation. This mantra is also called the mantra of the ability to read others' minds. If one's precepts are not good and they are not true practitioners, once they reach the ability to read others' minds, what will happen? The Buddhist realm will be chaotic because those with poor precepts will harm others, even harming sentient beings and even harming Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The realm of the Buddha Dharma does not allow evil people, deceivers, or those who break precepts to enter. Moreover, to transmit this Heart Purification mantra, it must be conferred through the Bodhi holy water and empowerment. It is especially important to note that anyone who learns this mantra and casually transmits it to a third party without proper empowerment will never achieve the ability to read others' minds, regardless of their identity. This is certain!!! At the same time, if one possesses the ability to read others' minds, they cannot display it. If they violate this rule, they may lose the ability to read others' minds. What should be displayed is how to benefit sentient beings, cut off self-attachment, and establish the great compassion and mercy of a Bodhisattva. What should be shown is the Bodhisattva's work, the Bodhisattva's path, self-awakening and awakening others. Therefore, those who transmit this mantra must weigh their own capabilities; do not seek to show off and end up harming yourself. Without the Heart Purification mantra, the first two mantras can still be used for meditation, but the effect will be less. These three mantras must be recited first; you must recite them and complete this work before beginning meditation. If you have not learned these three mantras, as long as you practice correctly, there will still be benefits, but at most only thirty percent of the benefits. Now I will teach you the first mantra; I will transmit it to you now, and I do not want to talk for too long.
First, learn the first mantra; join your hands together with a very respectful and sincere heart, close your eyes, and after I finish the empowerment, I will begin to recite the mantra, and you will recite along with me. Alright, I have now transmitted the first mantra to you.
The first is the Purification of the Meditation Mandala mantra. The main function of this mantra is to purify the mandala, clearing away all impurities and all habitual tendencies and obstacles. This is aimed at the place where you are meditating; it does not target your own self. Therefore, your own karmic influences remain unchanged. Thus, any high-level meditation methods must include the specific Purification of Karmic Obstacles and Emptiness mantra. Now everyone recite along with me: the Purification of Karmic Obstacles and Emptiness mantra. I will recite a line, and you will recite a line after me. Here, I will teach the second mantra; I will not list the mantras here. The third mantra, which is the Heart Purification mantra, will not be transmitted today because I did not bring the empowerment resources of Bodhi holy water. We will do this next time.
Alright, now that the two mantras have been transmitted, I will now teach you the method of meditation. The principles and theories of meditation are very numerous, and I will not elaborate on them in detail. To save time, I will directly transmit them to you! I hope everyone pays attention. This meditation method is advanced, so we cannot casually transmit it to others or to a disciple who has broken precepts; that is not allowed! It must be transmitted to good Buddhists who strictly observe the precepts, sincerely study Buddhism, have the Four Immeasurable Minds, practice the Six Perfections, uphold the precepts, and possess the moral qualities of great compassion and Bodhicitta. They should come to learn. The Dharma should be transmitted to good people, not to those with serious problems. If someone has serious problems, unless they repent, we will also transmit it to them. We should not transmit it to those who are greedy and corrupt, who reach out to ask for money or offerings; such people are indeed problematic. Therefore, everyone must be particularly careful.
As I said earlier, to save time, I will not speak nonsense and will teach directly. After everyone sits quietly, we will start step by step, beginning with the method that Shakyamuni Buddha used under the Bodhi tree, which is the first step. This first step belongs to the contemplation of the Prajna nature, called the contemplation of the nature of wisdom. The contemplation of the nature of wisdom is different from what those in society practice. First, I want you all to start with counting breaths, beginning with small stopping and observing breaths, but it is not entirely the same as small stopping. Regardless of the time of day, we do not care about any disturbances because we have three mantras and are not afraid of them disrupting us. We only focus on the breathing: for those who are overweight, count the exhalations; for those who are thin, count the inhalations. This means that during the time of breathing in, if you are thin, you count the inhalation. This way, your body will improve. If you are too overweight, you should not overcompensate, so you count the exhalations. This way, your body will not become too bloated. Of course, the issue of weight is not important; the key is to teach everyone how to count breaths. How to count? Start from one; for example, when you breathe in, say "one" softly, and when you breathe out, do not count. When you breathe in, say "two." Continue this way until you reach ten, then immediately start over from "one." Count to ten again and start over. Do not count "eleven" or "twelve." This is very important. Count until your mind is not scattered for about half an hour or even a good hour without distraction. At this time, you should stop making sounds and begin to count silently in your mind. Silent counting follows the same method; it means that when breathing in, say "one" in your mind, or when breathing out, say "one." For the second exhalation, say "two." Continue this way, counting back and forth until you reach ten, and do not exceed ten.
Once this step is completed, you will begin to enter the water of the boat. The water of the boat is the practice of observing the light of water. Fill a cup with water and place it about three feet away from you. Using the indoor light or the moonlight, there will be light in the water, and you should focus on that light, keeping your gaze fixed on it. At this time, do not count breaths; concentrate all your thoughts on that light, remaining completely still. Do not analyze the size of the light or its changes; do not concern yourself with its strength or weakness. The longer you can maintain this, the better. If you can keep your focus on the light for more than half an hour without your thoughts wandering, or if you can maintain it for more than twenty minutes without your thoughts straying, then at this time, you should switch to visualizing your inhalation or exhalation at the nostrils or at some part of your lips. When you exhale, you will feel a certain area distinctly. Focus on the feeling of that distinct area. You must be very clear about the sensations during inhalation and exhalation. However, your thoughts must not move along with the breath. You can only concentrate fully on that small area of sensation. If your thoughts begin to drift with the breath, you have already lost concentration. Therefore, be very careful; your thoughts must not move with the breath; they can only focus on that area with sensation. You should clearly feel that area during both inhalation and exhalation. As your meditative power weakens or strengthens, the sensations will also weaken or strengthen, and sometimes you may hardly feel anything. However, do not worry; your focus will improve, and as your concentration strengthens, the illusory states of meditation will appear, such as light spots, halos, images, etc. Do not cling to or be distracted by them. Remember, if at this time your thoughts scatter like wild horses or sleepiness arises, you must stop. You must immediately switch to dynamic observation of the waves and thoughts. Quickly pick up the cup of light, hold it in your hands, and cross your legs. If you cannot cross your legs, sit on a chair, holding it in your hands, placing it below your navel, just below your belly button. Then, rest your hands on your legs to stabilize them. At this time, due to the subtle movements of the body, the cup you are holding will inevitably move along with the light. The water waves will move. The cup must be full, using a copper cup, and it should not be too large because that would be too heavy. At this time, focus on the light in the cup. If the cup moves, the light will turn into flower light, which is not good. This indicates that your mind has not settled down. Therefore, you must strive to keep the water still, absolutely still, absolutely still. You must ensure it does not move. If you can sit still for half an hour, an hour, or even several hours, then your meditation practice will be maturing. Understand that waves moving means light moving, and light moving means waves moving. Knowing the waves and light moving means the mind is moving. If at this time you can achieve the state of "waves and light come and go, while the mind remains unmoving," then you will definitely attain enlightenment.
If you cannot sit still, at this time, the most common occurrence is fatigue. When a person is fatigued, they want to sleep, so the waves and light easily scatter, or their thoughts drift away, and they may even spill water on themselves before realizing it. This indicates that you are not in a state of concentration; at least, the basic concentration is absent. Of course, I do not mean the samadhi of Tathagata; this refers to a state of being unmoving. Given this situation, if your eyes feel dry and your mind begins to feel heavy, and you are about to fall asleep, if you truly cannot hold on any longer, then at this time, you must stop. Place the cup directly in front of you, then use your hands to pull on your ears, tugging at them. Then, warm your palms and rub your face. As you rub your face, it will become warm. Rub gently, rub gently. At this time, after rubbing, the sleepiness will dissipate, and you can sit again. If you sit for a while, the sleepiness will return. If you find it is not working, at this moment, you must switch methods. What should you switch to? You should immediately switch to getting a bucket of water, reciting the water mantra seven times, and then wash your face with cold water, wiping your face, neck, and the area below your neck. At this time, your spirit will improve, and you can immediately resume sitting in meditation. Because at this moment, your eyes will no longer feel dry, and your mind will be clear. At this moment, you can continue to sit and practice. However, if you sit for a long time and cannot sit any longer, what should you do? At this time, you must stop. Once you stop, what should you do? You should sleep until you wake up and feel refreshed, then sit again. If you insist on sitting in meditation when you cannot hold on any longer, you will develop meditation sickness. The sickness of meditation at this time is very serious. Why is meditation sickness serious? Because once you develop the habit of meditation sickness, if your eyes feel dry and you continue to practice, if your eyes feel dry and you force yourself to hold on, you will inevitably fall asleep. Once you fall asleep, you will develop a bad habit. Therefore, at this moment, problems will arise, and it will be difficult to correct later. You may find yourself wanting to sleep during meditation, or other major obstacles may arise. Therefore, once serious obstacles arise, immediately start pulling on your ears and rubbing your face. If rubbing your face and pulling your ears do not work, at this time, you must immediately stop sitting and go to sleep. After waking up, you can sit again. Therefore, this is very important; everyone must be very careful. Remember, during meditation, if sleepiness arises, or if distractions arise, or if delusions arise, or if you feel scattered, you must counteract them. Especially, sleepiness is a very powerful obstacle. When it comes, you may not realize it; it will make you fall asleep, and when you wake up, you will find that time has passed. Therefore, it is very difficult to counteract. Remember, during the meditation process, it is easy to produce good states—Zen appearances. Zen appearances may manifest as light, light spots, or even unusual phenomena, such as protectors, demons, etc., or you may smell unusual fragrances or hear sounds from the outside. You must remember one thing: all these phenomena are illusions. All appearances are false. You must not cling to them; do not cling to them, and they will transform, allowing you to progress further into the pure Dharma body. This is the principle of entering deep Zen states. When you truly reach the state of "not dwelling anywhere," your Buddha nature will naturally manifest. In the state of Buddha nature, being unmoving, you will transcend birth and death, and you will be able to liberate yourself from birth and death. If you can remain in Buddha nature, wisdom will naturally awaken, and you will attain many sacred states; all sacred states will be realized, and they are all within.
Of course, this is a relatively high level of practice within Zen, the great method of true Zen practice. But where is the true high level? It lies in the empowerment of mantras and the methods of visualization, which have this special function. Once this step is well practiced, based on your good roots, you may receive the empowerment of the "Great Seal of Liberation," which is an extremely supreme Dharma, guaranteeing liberation. However, to study the "Great Seal of Liberation," it is necessary to learn well and strive to practice the two great essences published online: "The Essence of the Rare and Precious Human Life" and "The Essence of the Supreme Bodhi." You must have these two great essences as the foundation for practicing the "Great Seal of Liberation" to receive the empowerment of the state and enter the state, achieving great accomplishments. Moreover, the realm of Dharma is one; it is all within, and the mysteries are boundless.
Today, I have initially transmitted this meditation to everyone. As for the part about mantras, I have transmitted it to you, but it will not be written in this book. Writing it down is not allowed; that is not lawful. It must be transmitted through empowerment; otherwise, it will be a slow Dharma. Moreover, the most lawful transmission must go through different levels of empowerment. Therefore, we will not record the mantras related to Zen in writing. We will only teach this advanced meditation method, and today we will temporarily stop here. In the future, once the previous practices are completed, based on each person's benefits and accomplishments, we will see which Dharma each should delve into further and then choose the appropriate Dharma connection. Remember one important point: regardless of what meditation method you practice, it cannot be separated from practice. Therefore, you must go online to learn what I mean by "what is practice," and you must implement it in your daily life. Only in this way will your meditation truly succeed. Alright, that’s it. I wish everyone to quickly enter deep meditation, achieve perfect blessings and wisdom, and attain Bodhi soon.
Office of the Third Dharma King Dorje Chang Buddha III
December 4, 2013
https://www.hhdcb3office.org/html/information/announcement_no40_2013_12_04.html