Proper and Principled Chan Practice Before Enlightenment

A Satisfactory Chan Practice Experience: I am grateful for the blessings bestowed upon me, your disciple, by the Master these past few days; they have greatly increased my merit and its benefits! The spiritual responses I received were immense!

On the first night after returning, during seated meditation, incredible spiritual responses and sensations arose within the state of samadhi. Now, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, I remain immersed in samadhi. That day, as soon as I sat down to meditate, there was an instantaneous "boom" in my head, as if a large mass of qi had been expelled. My mind felt utterly empty, as if something had struck my head forcefully, causing me to be jolted out of samadhi. On the second and third days, my body remained immobilized within samadhi, unable to emerge. On the third night, I was so excited I couldn't sleep at all. I began to worry: if this continued for the next few days, what would become of me? During these days, my upper thighs also felt sore and swollen, my eyes couldn't stay open, and though I wanted to get up and walk, I couldn't move. When I did manage to stand, I felt unsteady, as if floating, afraid I might fall, as if my cerebellum had lost its function of balance.

On the fourth day, it was slightly better; I could move, and my legs were no longer sore or swollen. Around eleven o'clock at night, while in samadhi, a powerful stream of qi rushed out from my nostrils, jolting me out of samadhi. At that moment, I sat quietly to collect myself, recalling the Master's teaching: not to just sit, but to engage in appropriate activity, practice walking meditation, and investigate the Tathāgatagarbha within the realm of experience. So I got up to practice walking meditation. Simultaneously, while contemplating that all dharmas born from the Tathāgatagarbha are illusory, I suddenly felt the Dharma principles swirling incessantly in my mind. I wanted to emerge from samadhi, but my body and mind were not under my control. I could not perceive the external objects of the six senses; only the sound of the Buddha's name kept rotating and playing in my mind. Such profound spiritual responses and realizations truly cannot be expressed in words; they can only be experienced or understood within deep samadhi. Those with shallow concentration cannot perceive them.

The above are the spiritual responses and realizations experienced over these few days. Now I have recovered, feeling physically and mentally relaxed and at ease, able to contemplate the Dharma principles normally. Now, the doubts or answers arising in my mind are becoming increasingly clear and distinct. Even when going to the toilet, doubts arise uninterruptedly: Who is the force dragging this wooden-like body of the five aggregates to the toilet? How does this force function and manifest its wondrous utility within the physical shell of sentient beings? While eating or drinking, I involuntarily ask: Who is it that holds and enables this body of five aggregates to raise hands and feet, to dress and eat, to hold bowls and chopsticks in these activities of the five aggregates?

Commentary: The Chan practice skill of Shi Ruyuan is in no way inferior to that of the many Chan masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, nor to the Mahayana bodhisattvas who practiced Chan during the Buddha's time. This is because the skill in Chan practice prior to realization is the same regardless of the era; it is neither updated nor changed, nor can its standard and level be lowered. The only difference is that Shi Ruyuan, studying under me, has learned too much about the Tathāgatagarbha Dharma, and it has been too plainly stated. She does not need to spend much effort organizing and systematizing it, relying more on external aid, so her self-power appears insufficient. In contrast, the ancient Chan masters learned relatively coarse Prajñā principles, far less abundant and detailed. Consequently, they had to apply more mental effort in investigation, relying more on self-power, thus developing profound wisdom. Explaining things too plainly is not conducive to a disciple's Chan practice; it easily leads to intellectual understanding, affecting the disciple's path and the arising of wisdom.

But why then has Shi Ruyuan not fallen into mere intellectual understanding? Looking at the doubts she raises, they are like a thin paper screen that could be pierced with a single poke. They directly point to the central issue, the target of realization, pointing to that moon which never disappears. The reason is that Shi Ruyuan's Chan practice skill is very deep and continuous, unbroken even when pulled; even demons cannot interfere, and no one can interrupt it. Therefore, she does not use the conscious mind (consciousness) to resolve doubts; she does not use the conscious mind to reason, speculate, conjecture, or analyze. If her concentration were slightly shallower and she used the conscious mind, she might effortlessly arrive at an answer, resolving the doubts of the conscious mind, but the doubts of the manas (root mind) would remain unresolved.

Precisely because Shi Ruyuan does not use the conscious mind to resolve doubts, not taking shortcuts, but only uses the manas to investigate honestly and earnestly, the doubts that seem like a thin paper screen to an enlightened person remain impenetrable to her. It is only because she is too sincere, cutting no corners. Within such deep and continuous practice, one cannot cut corners. When the manas itself is heavily burdened with doubt, it simply does not give the conscious mind a chance to resolve it.

Therefore, as long as the practice is deep and the manas is heavily burdened with doubt, even if the Dharma principles are explained very plainly, one can avoid mere intellectual understanding. Even if the esoteric meaning is explicitly stated, because doubt exists, the manas will still investigate, prove, and verify through practice, not allowing the conscious mind to merely believe and understand intellectually. In this way, as long as the practice is sufficient and the manas harbors doubt, previous intellectual understanding can transform into realization. What was plainly understood Buddhist doctrine becomes a proof question: knowing the answer clearly but requiring the process of seeking the solution. Within the genuine process of investigation, the bodhisattva nature matures, thereby giving rise to the merit and wisdom of the Path of Seeing.

Has Shi Ruyuan made the method and process of Chan practice clear? Has she also clearly pointed out the target of Chan practice, stopping just short of stating it outright? Is the finger pointing to the moon shining brightly as it indicates the moon? Yet even so, for many people it remains useless; they cannot grasp the thread. What is the reason? They lack the foundational practice; even conscious speculation is difficult for them. Even if they manage to speculate, it is not accurate enough and has no effect on their own body and mind; afflictions remain afflictions.

Most importantly, they lack the renunciation mind (chuxin) of the Hinayana and cannot generate the bodhicitta of the Mahayana. The practice and realization of the Buddha Dharma are only a part of their lives; many worldly affairs still occupy an important place. The manas cannot prioritize practice, so how can the necessary skill be developed? Each person practices and receives their own benefits; one cannot substitute for another. Therefore, explicitly stating the final result of Chan practice is of no help to others. It is not the case that just because someone states it plainly, you can achieve intellectual understanding, let alone realization.