Cultivation and Zen Practice for Attaining Enlightenment (Part Two)

Chapter Nine   Miscellaneous Discussions

I. The Less the Discriminating Mind Functions, the Deeper the Samadhi

Question: During meditation, I find that concentration is deeper when focusing on the manas-only realm than when focusing on the five-dust realm. What is the reason for this?

Answer: When focusing on the five-dust realm, all six consciousnesses are active: the eye consciousness wants to see forms, the ear consciousness wants to hear sounds, the nose consciousness wants to smell scents, the tongue consciousness wants to taste flavors, the body consciousness wants to feel touches, and the mental consciousness wants to cognize dharmas. With such busyness and agitation, it is naturally difficult to attain samadhi. Even if samadhi is attained, it is shallow. Therefore, when meditating, one usually closes the eyes; not seeing forms reduces distraction. After subduing the five sense consciousnesses, only the perception of the solitary mental consciousness remains, which can discern and know more concentratedly, or discern and know subtly. Naturally, it becomes easier to enter samadhi. Once samadhi is entered, it can potentially become quite deep. When the solitary mental consciousness is also subdued, only the knowing of the seventh consciousness (manas) remains, and samadhi becomes even deeper. The fewer consciousnesses participate in discrimination, the deeper the samadhi; the fewer realms are discriminated, the deeper the samadhi. Therefore, in the deepest nirodha-samapatti (cessation samadhi), there is no discrimination by the six consciousnesses; only the manas alone has subtle discrimination, and moreover, two of the mental factors associated with manas are reduced, making the mind even more settled.

Once samadhi is stable and firm, one can contemplate and deeply ponder the Dharma. When samadhi power is shallow and unstable, one should not contemplate yet, as contemplation easily leads to distraction. When contemplation cannot be sustained, focus solely on cultivating samadhi; temporarily refrain from contemplation. When samadhi power becomes deeper, then contemplation will be more effective. Practice methods should be flexibly mastered and applied; specific situations should be dealt with specifically and cannot be generalized.

II. The Relationship Between Mental Consciousness and Samadhi

Deliberation and investigation are both conducted in deep samadhi. In deep samadhi, mental consciousness is used very little; discrimination and thinking are both subtle. If mental consciousness is used at this time to continuously think and reason, one will emerge from deep samadhi; samadhi will become shallow or disappear, resulting in an inability to attain realization. The more mental consciousness is used, the harder it is to attain samadhi and cultivate deeper levels of samadhi. Only by using mental consciousness sparingly can the mind-spirit not scatter, but this requires subduing the manas so that it no longer grasps externally; then mental consciousness will not discriminate or think. If manas is not subdued and grasps everywhere, mental consciousness will inevitably follow and grasp everywhere, becoming scattered and lacking samadhi. Relying on the superficial thinking of mental consciousness, true wisdom cannot be developed, and the Dharma cannot be realized.

III. Taboos in Cultivating Samadhi

Samadhi means non-agitation, tranquility, and stillness. If one wants the body and mind to be tranquil and still, one must reduce yang energy; yang energy should not be too excessive, then the body and mind will not be agitated and will become tranquil. To prevent yang energy from being too excessive, one should reduce the nutrition and quantity of food intake; do not eat too well or too much; energy should not be too abundant or too strong, otherwise it will leak outward, and when leaking, the body and mind become agitated and cannot be still. Keep the body normal; average diet is fine. Do not crave nutrition and energy; this is not conducive to practice.

IV. Avoid Sudden Fright When First Entering Samadhi

Question: When I am sitting in meditation or walking while contemplating the Dharma, if I suddenly hear a loud noise or some disturbance outside, why do I feel very uncomfortable, panicked, with a racing heart, sometimes breaking out in goosebumps, as if feeling particularly scared?

Answer: If the mind is very still and very concentrated when entering samadhi, not grasping external objects, then a sudden loud sound, for which the mind is unprepared, will cause fright. Therefore, when sitting in meditation, choose a place and time free from disturbance to avoid being frightened, as fright can easily cause problems. The sudden sound directly frightens the manas; manas then controls the physical body, conveying its emotion through the physical body, so the physical body exhibits abnormal reactions. If the external object is excessively abnormal, one can easily be frightened into illness, leading to mental problems and emotional disturbance. If only mental consciousness is frightened, it’s not a big issue because mental consciousness cannot control the physical body; being frightened only at the mental consciousness level indicates shallow samadhi or no samadhi at all.

V. Why is Sleep Said to be a Hindrance (Nivarana)?

The discriminating mind is like a lamp; the mind-nature is like light. When the mind-substance functions, the lamp-light appears, illuminating all dharmas. During sleep, the six consciousnesses cease; the mind-nature does not function; there is no lamp-light; one is in darkness; the dharmas of the five and six dusts do not manifest; wisdom also does not manifest. After sleep, the five consciousnesses manifest, mental consciousness manifests, light appears, the lamp-light illuminates the six dusts, wisdom manifests—this is being awake. Therefore, sleep is said to be darkness, covering the light of one's own mind. Subduing sleep, removing this hindrance, samadhi then manifests.

VI. The Principle of How Focus Makes One Susceptible to Influence

When you stare intently at a person, the more concentrated your attention, the more easily you are influenced and affected by the other person's words and emotions, and the more easily you follow the other's intention. What is the principle behind this? Because when you stare intently at the other person, all attention is focused on them, concentration power increases; every move of the other person can enter your mind; the mind easily merges into the other's mental state, harmonizing with their speech, actions, demeanor, and emotional expressions; thus, the mind is influenced. If the other person nods, you will unconsciously nod along; if the other person shakes their head, you will unconsciously shake your head; you might even answer for them, do what they are about to do, think what they are thinking, worry about what they worry about, and be carried away by their train of thought.

Compassion (maitri-karuna) is considering problems from the other's standpoint, merging oneself into the other's mental state, uniting one's mind with the other's. If one does not stare at the other, the mind is scattered; the other's mental activities are less understood; one cannot merge with the other; the other's speech and actions have no influence on oneself.

VII. One Can Attain Samadhi Even Without Clearing the Energy Channels

Samadhi is formed by a combination of factors; it is not affected by a single cause alone. Whether one has samadhi is greatly related to the energy channels (nadi) in the body, but as long as there are no major blockages in the channels, one can attain samadhi. The channels can determine the depth of samadhi; the more unobstructed the channels, the fewer the hindrances, the deeper the samadhi will be. However, even if the Ren and Du meridians in the body are not cleared, even if the central channel (avadhuti) is not cleared, one can still have samadhi. As for the depth of samadhi, it relates to whether the three channels are clear or not. If the energy channels are not cleared, shallow samadhi can still occur. If the Ren and Du meridians are cleared but the central channel is not, it still does not prevent the emergence of the first dhyana (initial meditative absorption).

VIII. Which Path Does Samadhi Belong To? (Part One)

The path is divided into the worldly path and the supramundane path. The worldly path is also called the external path (tirthika), meaning a path outside the Buddha Dharma; it only has the four dhyanas and eight samadhis, without the wisdom of liberation, and does not realize the fruit of liberation. The supramundane path is divided into the Buddha path, the Bodhisattva path, the Pratyekabuddha path, and the Sravaka path. The Buddha path and Bodhisattva path are liberation paths combining the four dhyanas and eight samadhis with the Mahayana prajna and vijnana wisdom. The Pratyekabuddha path is the liberation path combining the four dhyanas and eight samadhis with the wisdom of the twelve nidanas (links of dependent origination). The Sravaka path is the liberation path combining the four dhyanas and eight samadhis with the wisdom of the four noble truths. All four paths have their corresponding liberation fruits. If the supramundane path only has the four dhyanas and eight samadhis but lacks liberating wisdom and cannot liberate, it is still much better than the external path that does not practice the Buddha Dharma. With the four dhyanas and eight samadhis come the five supernatural powers (abhijna); regarding life and death, one is relatively freer than those without samadhi, temporarily able to be master within a certain scope, but beyond that scope, one cannot be master. In the long term, life and death are still not free; one does not escape the six realms of rebirth.

During the Tang Dynasty, the teacher of Yunmen Wenyan of the Yunmen school was named Muzhou. Monk Muzhou had supernatural powers. The emperor once invited Muzhou to be the national preceptor, but Muzhou was unwilling to be constrained by the emperor's side and insisted on living alone in the mountains to propagate the Dharma. He had many disciples under him, but he simply did not appoint a chief seat (shouzuo) because he was dissatisfied with the disciples around him; he only favored Yunmen, who at that time was not only not yet ordained but had not even been born. Therefore, although Monk Muzhou had been liberating beings for over ten years and living in the mountains for nearly twenty years, he still did not appoint a chief seat; the position was always reserved for Yunmen. One day he said to the assembly of disciples: "My disciple Yunmen has just been born." His supernatural powers were considerable; he knew as soon as Yunmen was born. When Yunmen grew to over ten years old and started herding cattle, he told the assembly, "My disciple Yunmen is herding cattle now."

After Yunmen reached adulthood, he began to travel to various monasteries to visit and inquire. One day, Monk Muzhou told all his disciples: "My chief seat has come." At this time, Yunmen, still a layperson, came walking from afar carrying his bundle. At that time, he had no supernatural powers and no samadhi. Muzhou came out to welcome him as the chief seat. Yunmen entered the monastery, was tonsured, and directly became the chief seat. Muzhou's character was to prefer lacking rather than having something substandard; he only acknowledged one disciple, looked down on others, so he did not appoint a chief seat. What is a chief seat? The chief seat is the foremost disciple of the presiding monk (tang heshang), the supervisor of all major and minor affairs in the monastery, including Dharma study and samadhi, as well as all monastery affairs; except for the teacher, he is number one.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, there were many Chan masters with supernatural powers like Muzhou. Although some had realized the Way, their spiritual attainments mainly manifested as having the four dhyanas. With the four dhyanas, one can be free regarding life and death within a certain scope; one can be reborn anytime, anywhere, generally taking birth in the human realm. One can choose which family to be born into, just by informing the head of that family. Some could be born immediately the next day or within a few days after choosing rebirth; those with great merit could seize the womb and be born without needing to gestate for ten months. One Chan master, wanting to prove he had attained the Way, manifested freedom over life and death: he lit an incense stick, and before the incense had finished burning, he had gone to take rebirth. Even so, a truly enlightened Chan master would say: "Even though you have the ability to go whenever you wish, it does not mean you are free in life and death, because you have not realized the Way and cannot escape the six realms of rebirth. In this life you can avoid the lower realms, but in the next life you cannot avoid it."

Another Chan master, after developing supernatural powers, knew that a woman in the south had been pregnant for three years without giving birth, waiting for him to enter the womb. His fellow practitioners repeatedly invited him to travel south for leisure; he generally refused. Finally, having no choice, he went with them. Halfway there, he saw the pregnant woman washing clothes by the river. Knowing he could no longer avoid it, he said to his companion: "I cannot accompany you further, because I must go take rebirth. After I am reborn, in the ninth year, you will go south and see a nine-year-old boy riding on an ox's back playing a flute; that child is me." As a result, nine years later his companion went to that place and indeed saw a young boy riding an ox and playing a flute. Even though the Chan master had such supernatural powers, it did not mean he had realized the Way.

From the various recorded gong'an (koans) about Chan masters during the Tang and Song periods, we know that practitioners of that time, especially monastics, generally had the four dhyanas. Laypeople also had samadhi. After ordination, their main practice was cultivating samadhi, then contemplating Chan. Many failed to penetrate Chan contemplation but cultivated samadhi. Why could they all cultivate the four dhyanas while we cannot now? Because people's minds were purer then, with deep roots of goodness and merit; there weren't so many complicated interpersonal relationships and social information; people's minds were simple, so it was easy to cultivate samadhi. Every monastery had a meditation hall; monastics went to the meditation hall daily at fixed times to sit and cultivate samadhi and contemplate Chan. When going out to work in the fields, their minds were also in samadhi contemplating Chan, diligently practicing the path at all times. They were not like us now, busy all day unable to cultivate samadhi, studying a bit of Dharma only intellectually, even memorizing it yet being so far from the Way, unable to cultivate samadhi, only understanding intellectually.

IX. Which Path Does Samadhi Belong To? (Part Two)

Those with the four dhyanas can be reborn whenever they wish and into whichever family they choose. They can inform the head of the chosen family in advance, and the mode of rebirth can be very special. Those with great merit and no desires can be reborn without sexual union, directly entering the womb, and may even seize the womb to be born early, like the process of the Fifth Patriarch's rebirth. In his previous life, when the Fifth Patriarch encountered the Fourth Patriarch, he was a Taoist practitioner, not Buddhist, and very old. The Fourth Patriarch recognized his capacity and said to him: "This body of yours is no longer functional; change to another body." The Fifth Patriarch immediately understood and went to find an opportunity for rebirth. Walking to a river, he saw a young girl washing clothes. He greeted her and said: "I have no place to stay; may I stay at your house?" The young girl thought he meant to stay at her parents' house, not realizing he meant to be reborn, so she agreed.

Not long after returning home, the young girl felt as if she was pregnant. When the signs of pregnancy became obvious, her parents discovered it. The girl couldn't explain clearly what had happened, and her parents drove her out of the house. From then on, the girl wandered about in hardship and finally gave birth to the Fifth Patriarch. When the Fifth Patriarch was a few years old, he encountered the Fourth Patriarch, who ordained him. He realized the Way at a very young age. When the Fifth Patriarch was a Taoist, he already had samadhi attainment, but the path with only samadhi is not the true path of liberation; the Way realized through enlightenment is the true Way.

The highest attainment in cultivating samadhi among external paths was by the Buddha's external path teacher, the sage Uddaka Ramaputta. When Shakyamuni Buddha first left home, he took Uddaka Ramaputta as his teacher to learn the four dhyanas and eight samadhis. After the Buddha cultivated the four dhyanas and eight samadhis, he considered this not yet the Way, so he abandoned both the samadhis and the ascetic practices and set out to cultivate the Way anew. He bathed in the river, drank the milk offered by the shepherdess, then sat under the Bodhi tree. At midnight, seeing the morning star, he had a great enlightenment and attained the Way. After enlightenment, he wanted to liberate his teacher, knowing that Uddaka, practicing external path methods, could not attain the Way, but he could not find his teacher. Using his divine eye, the Buddha saw that Uddaka was no longer in the human realm; he had been reborn in the Naivasamjnanasamjnayatana (Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception) heaven, entering samadhi there for eighty thousand great kalpas to enjoy the bliss of samadhi.

Eighty thousand great kalpas is an extremely long time for us, but for someone in samadhi, time is very short, passing in an instant. Because a person in samadhi has only subtle mental consciousness, manas, and the eighth consciousness (alaya-vijnana)—these three consciousnesses—without a physical body, in a state of no-mind, and with great bliss in samadhi, the passage of time seems very fast. After emerging from samadhi after eighty thousand great kalpas, whatever karmic seeds mature in the alaya-vijnana, beings will be reborn in the six realms according to those seeds. Using his divine eye, Shakyamuni Buddha saw that his teacher, during his practice, had once made a severe vow. While sitting in meditation cultivating samadhi, because the surrounding birds chirped incessantly, disturbing his samadhi, he made a severe vow: "In my next life, I will become a large bird and kill you all."

After making this severe vow, he continued cultivating the Way, finally attaining the highest samadhi in the three realms and being reborn in the Naivasamjnanasamjnayatana heaven. Because of this severe vow, after he falls from heaven in the future, he will fulfill his vow—that is, his wish—be reborn as a large bird, kill all those small birds, thus creating heavy negative karma, and upon death, because of this sinful karma, fall directly into hell to suffer retribution. The Buddha did not want Uddaka to create such negative karma in the future, but there was no way to prevent it; the Buddha could not find him. To this day, he is still in heaven in samadhi.

Therefore, we see that the paths of cultivation include not only the Buddha path but also various external paths outside the Buddha path. The Buddha path is the path to transcend the suffering of birth and death. Although external paths have profound samadhi, they lack the wisdom of liberation and do not belong to the liberation paths of the Greater or Lesser Vehicle. The Buddha path requires not only the four dhyanas and eight samadhis but also the wisdom of no-self of the Greater and Lesser Vehicles; it is a path possessing both samadhi and wisdom. Although one may study Buddhism and cultivate the Way, if one only has samadhi without severing the view of self and without realizing the mind and seeing its nature, then one has not yet attained the Way and cannot transcend the suffering of birth and death. Only the path possessing both samadhi and wisdom can avoid the karma of the three lower realms, avoid the suffering retribution of birth and death, and end birth and death to attain liberation. Other paths are not the true Way.

X. Principles Regarding the Use of Supernatural Powers

Question: When using supernatural powers, does one directly plant all one's motives and traces in the other's home? Does one have to bear karmic consequences? How should supernatural powers be viewed? How to avoid the shortcomings of supernatural powers and practice the Bodhisattva path well?

Answer: The so-called supernatural powers of modern people are mostly karmic powers (vipaka-abhijna), the result of merits cultivated in past lives, etc. When the karma is exhausted, the powers disappear. True supernatural powers arise after attaining the four dhyanas; as long as samadhi does not disappear, the powers remain. Supernatural powers arising from the four dhyanas are possessed by Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Pratyekabuddhas, and external path practitioners. Because Bodhisattvas understand karma, they do not use supernatural powers indiscriminately; their conduct is measured. Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas, because their minds are pure, are not interested in worldly people and affairs; they have moral conduct and understand some karma, so they also do not use supernatural powers indiscriminately. External path practitioners have the four dhyanas, their minds are also pure, and they are also not interested in worldly people and affairs; similarly, they do not use supernatural powers indiscriminately. However, because their afflictions are not yet fully severed nor fully subdued, inevitably they might occasionally use some powers for personal gain, interfering with some karma and creating some negative karma. Therefore, those who develop supernatural powers through samadhi will not easily use them to do anything improper that harms the interests of beings.

However, those with karmic powers are ordinary people whose afflictions are not subdued, whose wisdom is insufficient, and whose cultivation is generally not high. Using supernatural powers to interfere with karma and infringe upon others is quite common; I have seen some instances. My suggestion regarding the use of supernatural powers is: before a person has sufficiently subdued their afflictions and sufficiently understood the cause-and-effect relationships and their consequences, because they cannot grasp the measure and boundaries involved, it is best not to use any powers at all, to avoid incurring karmic consequences and suffering negative karmic retribution. If someone with great resolve wishes to use supernatural powers to benefit beings, they should use them cautiously under the guidance of a wise person who understands karma. For example, using powers to spy on others' thoughts and pasts—if not done carefully, this can violate the precept against stealing, as obtaining what others do not permit constitutes theft, an illegal gain. The scope of the precept against stealing is very broad and detailed; ordinary people's minds are not meticulous, considerations are not thorough, and they violate precepts without knowing.

Some might say: Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, because of their supernatural powers, know everything about beings from beginningless kalpas past and future, even things that haven't happened yet in future lives. Doesn't this violate the precept against stealing? Of course, this does not violate the precept against stealing. Firstly, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas know this naturally, without intention; it is spontaneous knowing without a mind to steal. Secondly, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are one with beings; there is no conflict of interest. Everything they do is for beings, including Dharma protectors protecting the Dharma, which is also to protect beings, without personal selfish aims, so matters like stealing are not involved. Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas also know beings' matters spontaneously, without a mind to spy; their minds are pure, and there is no conflict of interest with beings; their actions also do not involve matters like stealing. External path practitioners also have pure minds; generally, they are not concerned with others' affairs, though special circumstances exist. But those with some understanding of karma and virtue will avoid matters others find taboo; they will be selective about what they know through powers and will remain silent.

In summary, those who currently experience karmic powers, because they lack samadhi to sufficiently subdue afflictions and their wisdom is insufficient, making it difficult to grasp the measure, should try not to use supernatural powers. Exceptions might be made to protect one's own family; wanting to know about matters concerning one's own family or close ones might be barely acceptable.

XI. Hypnotic Statements

To pacify our body and mind and swiftly accomplish the path, we can hypnotize ourselves daily, composing hypnotic sentences, using our own thoughts to encourage ourselves, making our minds aspire towards it.

(1) All dharmas are illusory;

(2) All dharmas are like illusions;

(3) I am in a play; I am acting;

(4) This is my illusory thought;

(5) This realm is produced by my illusory thoughts; do not take it as real;

(6) I and everyone are acting together, playing a game together; we are actually all actors;

(7) I want to return to reality; I want to recognize the true nature;

(8) I don’t want to act anymore; I don’t want to live in an illusory realm; I don’t want to live falsely anymore.

(9) I don’t want to deceive myself anymore; I want to awaken to everything;

(10) I want to become a Buddha; I want to return to reality.

Among these hypnotic statements, in various states, it is suitable to use only one or two; using more can easily disturb the mind and not correspond to the Dharma. Or, according to one's progress and level of practice, use only one or two statements during a period to suggest to oneself, so that one is gradually hypnotized into the corresponding state of mind.

XII. In Cultivating Samadhi, Do Not Aim Too High

The three barriers of Chan should be passed one by one; do not delve into the profound Vijnaptimatrata (Consciousness-Only) anymore; at most, that is only understanding. If the lower-level Dharma is not realized, Vijnaptimatrata certainly cannot be realized. I teach as I teach, but your energy should still be placed on realizing the Dharma, not on understanding profound meanings. Doing so is merely a waste of time. For us Dharma learners today, attaining even the first dhyana is extremely difficult; even after realizing the fruit and realizing the mind, it is rare for anyone to cultivate to the first dhyana. We should understand the specific states from the first to the fourth dhyana, then assess our own conditions, and then we can know whether we need to cultivate the four dhyanas and whether we have the ability to cultivate to the fourth dhyana.

In the Dharma-ending age, beings' afflictions are too heavy to cultivate to the first dhyana; being able to fully cultivate the access concentration (anagami-samadhi) of the desire realm is already quite good. Let's be realistic! Let me ask: Wealth, sex, fame, food, sleep; forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches—these five hindrances (nivarana)—who can subdue them? If you cannot subdue them, do not expect to cultivate to the first dhyana, let alone the fourth. Our faculties are far inferior to those of external path practitioners in past ages; there is no comparison! In today's world, with its luxurious material life, who can resist the temptations of various sensual pleasures? I also hope that my disciples, after enlightenment, can gradually cultivate to the first dhyana; on the Hinayana side, they can sever afflictions and attain the third fruit (anagami), thus on the Mahayana side having the opportunity and ability to pass the three barriers of Chan and enter the first bhumi (ground). This is an ideal goal; as for whether it can be realized, I do not know; the hope is not great.

XIII. Only When Cultivated to the Point Where Manas Can Recite Buddha's Name Can It Be Uninterrupted

Question: Why is it that one can silently recite mantras or Buddha's name while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, but when talking and communicating with people, it is interrupted and cannot be recited silently? Some say using manas to recite allows uninterrupted recitation; is it true that some people can silently recite uninterruptedly even while communicating and discussing problems with others?

Answer: When talking and discussing matters with others, especially when focusing more on the person, there is more distraction; the attention for reciting mantras or Buddha's name is insufficient, so interruption occurs. But when the skill of reciting mantras or Buddha's name is pure, strong, and manas can recite, then even while communicating with others, one can still recite mantras or Buddha's name, largely unaffected. As long as the skill of reciting Buddha's name or mantras is very pure and manas has formed a habit, one can recite Buddha's name or mantras day and night, including while doing anything and communicating with anyone. One mind can be used for two purposes, but there must be a primary and secondary focus; this is also samadhi, requiring even purer skill than single-minded focus. When samadhi power is even stronger, one mind can be used for three or four purposes. Ordinary people's samadhi power cannot achieve this; specially trained people can observe in all directions and hear sounds from everywhere, knowing where any movement is, being alert and quick-witted.

Manas has several trains of thought; mental consciousness then has several streams. But there is a difference between times with samadhi and times with distraction. People with strong samadhi power can do several things well simultaneously; people with no samadhi power at all might not even do one thing well. When samadhi power is sufficient, the self-cognizing aspect (svasamvitti) of manas can function; it can know that one is reciting Buddha's name or mantras. This is the introspective power of manas. Mental consciousness also knows that one is reciting Buddha's name or mantras. Scattered and dull people find it hard for the self-cognizing aspect of mental consciousness to function constantly; that is, they do not know what they are doing at the moment, completely following the external state; the self-cognizing aspect of manas cannot manifest even more.

I sit in front of the computer typing, simultaneously controlling ten fingers, also controlling blinking, breathing, discerning surrounding sounds, while also thinking about what to type. Manas simultaneously attends to several matters, each done well without mutual interference, orderly. In this, except when doing things manas hasn't learned, where mental consciousness activity is obvious, for other things manas has learned and is familiar with, mental consciousness hardly needs to think or be distracted to do them quite well. Many times, in a half-asleep, half-awake state, I have recited sutras, and very skillfully. Usually, after reciting a section, mental consciousness immediately becomes clear, and I can recall what sutra I just recited. Sometimes, after mental consciousness becomes clear, I don't know what sutra I recited; that was a sutra I haven't read in this lifetime up to now.

This shows that for very familiar Dharma, manas can automatically display the Dharma without mental consciousness participating in thinking and discriminating. Language, writing, and sound are the functional roles of mental consciousness; manas has no language, writing, or sound. Reciting Buddha's name with the appearance of language and writing must involve mental consciousness. Reciting Buddha's name without the appearance of language and writing is manas reciting. When you recite Buddha's name and words and sounds appear in your mind, it has already corresponded to mental consciousness.

XIV. Clinging to the Body Hinders Samadhi

Question: In the state of Chan practice, one key point of the seven-point posture for adjusting the body is the tongue tip touching the upper palate. During sitting meditation, it's easiest to forget this point; with the slightest inattention, the tongue tip slips down. Is there any good method to control this detail? One view is that the tongue tip touching the upper palate connects the Ren and Du meridians, facilitating their clearing. Another view is that the tongue tip touching the upper palate maintains a state of awareness; once the tongue tip slips down, it indicates the loss of awareness, so quickly touch it up again. Yet another view is that the tongue tip touching the upper palate produces abundant fluid at the base of the tongue, called heavenly spring nectar, which, slowly swallowed down, harmonizes yin and yang. In short, the tongue tip touching the upper palate is very important, but it's just hard to do.

Answer: This method is used by Taoists for cultivating the body. Buddhist practitioners can initially borrow it. But if one always uses attention on the tongue, what use is such practice? How is it different from external paths? External paths cultivate the body; Buddhism cultivates the mind. Continuously focusing on the tongue during sitting meditation, the mind is not empty and will not have deep samadhi, nor can it contemplate Dharma meanings or gain wisdom.

Focusing on the tongue belongs to excessive clinging to the body's form; the result is that the body cannot be empty, and the mind cannot be empty either. Let the body be as it will; don't mind it; then samadhi can appear quickly. Caring about how the body is every day, paying attention to the body every moment, the view of self regarding the body becomes stubborn, contrary to the Way, far from the Way. After a lifetime, one remains a mortal clinging to the body in birth and death. Practice is clearly to sever the view of self; practicing like this, the view of self instead becomes heavier. What is this cultivating? When I practiced, I knew nothing about the body; even if the body was about to break down, I didn't care and didn't know what was happening; there was no concept or thought of the body in my mind, yet samadhi was cultivated very quickly. But what about you? Obsessed with the body every day, taking care of it meticulously—what does it achieve?

Those who cling to the body spend a lifetime caring for it, but how many have cared for it well? Even if cared for well, so what? Won't they still have to care for it endlessly life after life? When in the three lower realms, will they still have the mind and ability to care for it? Clinging to the body is a major obstacle to cultivation not progressing. The view of the body blocks; without severing the view of the body, one cannot realize the Way. Choose one: the Way or the body.

Have you all seen the statues of the five hundred Arhats? These venerable ones, scratching their ears and cheeks, five hundred different postures, none are upright. Yet Arhats enter samadhi precisely in such non-upright postures. If the mind is settled, no matter how the body is, it must follow and settle together. The body follows the mind, just as a cart obeys the carter. A horse pulls the cart; to make the cart run fast, do you beat the horse or the cart? Learning Buddhism and practicing is the same principle; the mind is the master. Watch the mind; do not mind the body; the body naturally follows the mind. Cherishing and clinging to the body all day long, the Way will run far away.

XV. The Method of Fasting for Health Preservation

(1) Benefits of Fasting

Fasting has many benefits: it can remove various diseases in the body, including cancer; detoxify and expel waste; clear blockages and toxins in blood vessels; improve blood circulation; renew fresh blood; decompose essential nutrients needed by the body from cells and tissues; make the skin white with a rosy glow, lustrous and bright; preserve beauty; beautify the skin; promote health and longevity; reverse aging; make life more vibrant. Energy channels become clear; the body becomes soft; full lotus posture becomes easy; meditation effects improve; samadhi increases quickly; body and mind become joyful; reduce manas's greed and dependence on food; reduce afflictions; make the mind sharp; thinking becomes active; develop wisdom; increase samadhi and wisdom.

Food is coarse four elements (mahabhuta), containing impurities and toxins; it increases the burden and workload on internal organs; causes wear on internal organs; reduces lifespan. During fasting, one relies mainly on qi (vital energy); qi is subtle four elements, mainly wind element, causing the body to rise and become light and ethereal. Immortals and devas all consume qi; their bodies are light and ethereal, to the extent of having the supernatural power of flight. During fasting, meditation effects are quite good; one may not want to get up from sitting meditation. Utilize this time well to cultivate samadhi. The body is soft; legs are easy to cross; the mind is also easy to quiet down; distracting thoughts are few; the mind is clear. Qi flows well; energy circulates freely throughout the body; microcirculation and metabolism are good.

(2) Preparation Period for Fasting

Semi-fasting for about three days (can be more or less), mainly to let the body and manas get used to eating little or nothing. During formal fasting, when there is no food in the stomach, cells and tissues will quickly decompose and metabolize, expelling toxins and waste, providing high-nutrient substances. On the first day of semi-fasting, only drink one bowl of millet porridge, seventy percent full, or half full. On the second day of semi-fasting, also one bowl of millet porridge, slightly less quantity, sixty percent full is enough. On the third day, half a bowl of millet porridge, forty to fifty percent full. Formal fasting begins with drinking only water; drink more water to promote cell decomposition, metabolism, detoxification, and waste expulsion.

(3) Formal Fasting

If working, schedule semi-fasting for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; formal fasting begins on Friday. Saturday is the second day of fasting; the stomach is still not used to not eating and will feel quite hungry. At this time, staying at home without contact with people means not consuming too much energy. The third day will also feel a bit hungry, slightly better than the second day; also rest at home without contact with people or affairs. By the fourth day, one is almost adapted and normal; more energy is decomposed from cells and tissues; one feels energetic and mentally agile. This is for people without special diseases or with mild illnesses. Those with very high or low blood sugar should not fast; if problems occur, no one can take responsibility. Only if there is a doctor or Chinese medicine practitioner nearby to care for them can they fast. Those with serious heart or stomach diseases should also not fast. Generally, group meditation sessions also do not allow seriously ill people to participate; in case of an accident, responsibility cannot be borne.

Fasting for three to four days can initially regulate stomach diseases. The longer the fasting period, the more diseases are regulated and the more thorough the regulation; internal organs metabolize better; blood is renewed more; the body becomes healthier; the person becomes younger; skin becomes finer and smoother, with better effects than beauty treatments and no side effects.

During formal fasting, eat nothing. Only when there is no food in the stomach do cells and tissues decompose, detoxify, expel waste, and decompose high-nutrient substances for the body to absorb. This is many times better than eating. For the first fast, three to seven days is enough; more than three days is best to have some effect; a short time is not very useful. From the fourth to the seventh day, the stomach gets used to no food and doesn't feel very hungry, except for craving. If one can resist craving and avoid contact with food, generally fasting can succeed.

Our fasting mainly involves learning visualization. Visualizing sunlight shining on oneself, entering the body and stomach, one won't feel hungry. Then visualize Buddha light shining on oneself and the diseased areas; body hunger will be relieved; the stomach feels comfortable; the body feels light, ethereal, and free. Then breathe some fresh air; the air also contains the nutrients of the four elements, mainly oxygen. At night, one can also visualize moonlight, absorbing the moon's energy. Light energy and qi energy are both more beneficial to the body than food; they are subtle material four elements; food is coarse material four elements. Deva kings consume subtle material four elements, so their bodies are light and can fly. Humans consume coarse four elements, so their bodies are heavy and cannot fly. Second dhyana devas, descending to the human realm and eating earth's essence, cannot fly and cannot return to heaven. We Buddhist practitioners should try to use qi as food; when qi is full, one does not think of food; then the body is healthy and vibrant. Immortals in the mountains consume qi and other subtle four-element substances, so they are healthy and long-lived, with lifespans of thousands or tens of thousands of years. Those who sit in meditation cultivating samadhi, if samadhi is well cultivated, will also be healthy and long-lived; with the four dhyanas, one can also live for tens of thousands of years or a kalpa.

Formal fasting for three to seven days; seven days is still relatively easy to persist. Fasting two or three times a year will effectively regulate the body. The second fast will be easier than the first; the first time, the illness of craving is greater than the illness of hunger; manas's habit of greed for food is not easy to overcome. If the mouth can produce more saliva, swallowing saliva can also serve as food, more nutritious than food. Hold some fruit pits or the like in the mouth to induce saliva production, then swallow it; then nutrition and energy are sufficient. Saliva is more nutritious than bird's nest.

(4) Resuming Eating

After fasting for seven days, one can resume eating. This is key; if eating is resumed well, the body is renewed and reborn.

Resuming eating relies on millet porridge, which is easy to absorb and digest, regulating the spleen and stomach. After fasting, the stomach is like an infant's stomach; one must eat easily absorbed and digested liquid food; cannot eat cold, hard, or dry food; cannot drink milk; cannot eat to fullness or overeat; this is the best time to nourish the stomach. For the first three days of resuming eating, only drink millet porridge, small amounts frequently, to avoid stretching the stomach. After the fourth day, millet porridge with well-cooked leafy vegetables, or yam, carrot, potato steamed very soft, dipped in honey to eat.

Seven days after resuming eating, add other easily digested foods. After ten days, one needs to replenish qi, using red ginseng, longan, jujube, and goji berries boiled in water. Replenish for a week or more; longer is not limited. Avoid sour, spicy, and salty flavors to avoid irritating the stomach and intestines. After resuming eating, the stomach will form new habits; at this time, pay attention to cultivating and forming new eating habits, correcting bad habits; food quantity and taste can be autonomously changed.

(5) Precautions

Some group fasting programs still eat some fruit during the period or spend several thousand yuan to buy some enzymes to drink; results are failures. Some Chinese medicine qigong aids for fasting charge twenty to thirty thousand yuan. Our fasting costs nothing; no need to eat anything; no need for others to care for us. If one eats a little something, cells decompose a little less, expel a little less toxin, decompose a little less nutrition—not cost-effective.

During fasting, sit in meditation more to cultivate and nourish the mind; minimize or avoid contact with rotten people and rotten matters; people who easily provoke one's emotions, try to avoid them. Speak little or not at all to preserve physical strength and energy. During fasting, if truly unbearably hungry, one can drink a little honey water, or hold a little rock sugar; try not to eat if possible. The first fast is especially prone to craving; hunger is easier to bear and endure; the illness of craving is hard to cure. During fasting, one must drink more water, large amounts of water, to promote detoxification, waste expulsion, and disease expulsion.

During fasting, weight decreases by 1-2 pounds daily, averaging 1.5 pounds. If eating is resumed well and the stomach is regulated well, weight will become normal. One can eat a little salt after the fourth day of resuming eating; eating after seven days is best.