How to Use the Śūraṅgama Mantra to Cultivate Samādhi and Investigate the Dharma Meaning

When you have memorized the Śūraṅgama Mantra fairly fluently, and the recitation is going increasingly well, meditative concentration (samādhi) quietly arises, and continuing to recite becomes somewhat strained—at that point, you should single out the "Na" of "Namo," letting the following syllables not emerge, fixing the mind on "Na" without moving, focusing and focusing again, with no scattered thoughts or wandering imaginings. Once the mind has stabilized, then raise a questioning doubt: doubt where this "Na" comes from, where it arises from, where it is right at this moment—without language, words, or sound. Just keep doubting, without using the conscious mind to deliberate, reason, or ponder; the questioning doubt hangs deeply in the mind of the manas. Once this practice has been thoroughly mastered, switch to another dharma principle you wish to investigate—either doubt the "I" of the aggregate of form, or doubt the "I" of the aggregates of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, or doubt "who is it that drags this corpse around?" This is then investigating a huatou (meditative topic).

What kind of questioning doubt to choose should be determined according to your own spiritual faculties (indriya) and your current state of study and practice. Most people's Mahāyāna foundation is not deep enough; their merit and so forth have not yet been cultivated to the proper level, and the great bodhi vow has not yet been aroused. If such people choose to investigate a huatou of the Mahāyāna dharma, hoping to see the mind and see its nature, it probably will not be effective and may be a waste of time. It would be better to honestly solidify the Hīnayāna foundation, doing more contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and deliberation on the Hīnayāna dharma, setting aside the Mahāyāna for the time being, and certainly not expending much energy on the profound Yogācāra teachings. Life is impermanent—do not keep wandering around hungry in a cornfield; hurry up and pick an ear of corn to take home and eat. Once your belly is full, there will still be time to keep wandering.

Some people, although they have not yet eradicated the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), have a fairly solid Hīnayāna foundation, have fully recognized that the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) are without self, have aroused the Mahāyāna bodhi mind and pure great vows, and have a strong bodhisattva heart of benefiting and bringing joy to sentient beings. Such people may choose to investigate Chan. In the process of investigating Chan, they can gradually distance themselves from the entanglement of the five aggregates, gradually eradicate the wrong view (mithyā-dṛṣṭi) that the five aggregates are the self, and attain the fruit before seeing the mind and realizing the Path, or attain the fruit at the very instant of seeing the mind and realizing the Path, passing through the Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna at the same time. However, the possibility of passing through both at the same time is rather small; usually one first attains the fruit, and only after some time can one see the mind and realize the Path. Those who can realize the Path in this very life, whether Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna, are people whose foundation from past lives is relatively deep, whose roots of goodness and merit are both considerable, and who are very close to realizing the Path. But such people are extremely, extremely rare. Therefore, everyone should not casually mistake themselves as having attained the fruit or become enlightened and so forth—there is no such easy thing.

In short, using the Śūraṅgama Mantra as an opportunity and a stepping stone, one can quickly enter the right path. Whether in meditative concentration and wisdom, in precepts, or in eliminating karmic obstructions, one's practice will be very rapid, because the power of blessing is extremely great. In our practice, we rely partly on our own strength and partly on the power of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma-protecting deities; only when the two forces are used together does the practice go smoothly. When there is strength to borrow, borrow it; when there is light to borrow, borrow it too. But whatever is borrowed, one must remember to repay it. When you are able to give strength and light to sentient beings, do not be stingy. If you have a stingy heart, caring only for yourself and ignoring sentient beings, the power of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will certainly not be able to bless you, and you yourself will gain nothing.