Cultivation and Zen Practice for Attaining Enlightenment (Part Two)
Chapter 9 Miscellaneous Discussions
1. The Fewer the Manifestations of the Conscious Mind, the Deeper the Meditative Concentration
Question: In sitting meditation, I found that when attending to a subjectively imagined realm, the meditative concentration is deeper than when attending to the realms of the five sense objects. What is the reason for this?
Answer: When attending to the realms of the five sense objects, 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 mind consciousness wants to know dharmas. With such busyness and confusion, of course it is not easy to attain meditative concentration; even if there is concentration, it is shallow concentration. That is why one generally closes the eyes when sitting in meditation—by not seeing forms, one is less distracted. After the five consciousnesses have been subdued, only the perception of the solitary consciousness (mano-vijñāna-eka-citta) remains, which can discriminate and know more concentratedly, or discriminate and know slightly. Of course, it is then easy to enter concentration, and once in concentration, the concentration may be relatively deep. When the solitary consciousness is also subdued, only the knowing of the seventh consciousness (manas) remains, and the meditative concentration is even deeper. The fewer the conscious minds participating in discrimination, the deeper the concentration; the fewer the realms discriminated, the deeper the concentration. Therefore, in the deepest meditative absorption of cessation (nirodha-samāpatti), there is no discrimination by the six consciousnesses, only the relatively slight discrimination of the manas alone, and moreover, two of the manas's mental factors are reduced, so the mind becomes even more concentrated.
When the meditative concentration has become stable and firm, one can then engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and deeply ponder the Buddha-dharma. When the power of concentration is very shallow and unstable, do not engage in contemplative practice first; as soon as you contemplate, you easily become scattered. When contemplation cannot arise, single-mindedly cultivate concentration and temporarily refrain from contemplating. When the power of concentration is somewhat deeper, then contemplate, and the results will be better. The methods of practice should be applied flexibly; treat specific situations specifically, and do not generalize.
2. The Relationship Between the Mind Consciousness and Meditative Concentration
Deliberation (manasikāra/manana) and investigative inquiry are both carried out within deep concentration. In deep concentration, the mind consciousness is used very little, and discrimination and thinking are both relatively slight. At such a time, if one uses the mind consciousness to constantly think and reason, one will come out of the deep concentration, and the concentration will become shallow or disappear, with the result that realization becomes impossible. The more the mind consciousness is used, the more impossible it is to attain concentration and to cultivate deeper meditative concentration. Only by using the mind consciousness sparingly will the mind not be scattered. But this requires subduing the manas so that it no longer seeks outward; then the mind consciousness will not discriminate or think. If the manas has not been subdued and seeks everywhere, the mind consciousness will inevitably follow along, seeking everywhere, and the mind consciousness will be scattered without meditative concentration. Relying on the mind consciousness's superficial thinking, true wisdom cannot be developed, and the Buddha-dharma cannot be realized.
3. Taboos in Cultivating Concentration
Concentration means non-agitation, tranquility, and immovability. If you want the body and mind to be quiet and unmoving, you must reduce yang energy; when the yang energy is not too abundant, the body and mind will not be agitated and will quiet down. To keep the yang energy from being too abundant, you must reduce the nutrition and quantity of your diet; do not eat too well or too much, and do not let your energy be too abundant or too great, otherwise it will leak outward, and when it leaks, the body and mind become agitated and cannot settle. A normal body with an ordinary diet is fine; do not crave nutrition and energy, as this is not conducive to practice.
4. When First Entering Concentration, Avoid Sudden Fright
Question: When I am sitting in meditation or walking while pondering the Buddha-dharma, if I suddenly hear a somewhat loud sound outside or some noise that disturbs me, why do I feel extremely uncomfortable, with palpitations and a racing heart, and sometimes get goosebumps all over, as if feeling especially frightened?
Answer: When entering concentration, if the mind is very quiet and very focused, with the mind not seeking outward, then when a relatively loud sound suddenly appears and the mind is unprepared, one will be frightened. Therefore, when sitting in meditation, one should choose a place and time free from disturbance, so as to avoid being frightened, as fright easily causes problems. A sudden sound directly frightens the manas, and the manas controls the physical body, conveying its emotions through the body, so the body exhibits abnormal reactions. If the sense-object realm is too abnormal, one can easily be frightened into illness, leading to mental problems and emotional disorder. If only the mind consciousness is frightened, there is not much of a problem, because the mind consciousness cannot control the physical body. If only the mind consciousness is frightened, it indicates that the concentration is shallow, or that there is no concentration at all.
5. Why Is Sleep Said to Be a Hindrance and Obstruction?
The conscious mind is like a lamp, and the mind's nature is like its light. When the mind's substance functions, the lamplight appears and illuminates all dharmas. During sleep, the six consciousnesses cease, the mind's nature does not function, there is no lamplight, and one is in darkness; the dharmas of the five sense objects and six sense objects cannot manifest, and wisdom also does not manifest. After sleep, the five consciousnesses appear, the mind consciousness appears, brightness emerges, the lamplight illuminates the six sense objects, and wisdom manifests—this is being awake. Therefore, sleep is said to be darkness that covers the mind's own luminosity. Subdue sleep, remove the hindrances and obstructions, and meditative concentration will manifest.
6. The Principle of Why Focused Attention Makes One Easily Influenced and Conditioned
When you stare at a person, the more concentrated your attention, the more easily you are influenced and conditioned by their words and emotions, and the more easily you are turned by their intentions. What is the principle behind this? When you focus intently on the other person, all your attention is concentrated on them, your power of concentration increases, and their every movement can enter your mind; the mind easily merges into the other person's mental state, falling in step with their words, deeds, and emotional expressions, and the mind becomes conditioned by them. If the other person is about to nod, you will unknowingly nod along; if they shake their head, you will unknowingly shake your head too; you may even answer on their behalf, do what they are about to do, think what they think, and be anxious about what they are anxious about, being carried away by their train of thought.
A compassionate mind means considering issues from the other person's standpoint, merging yourself into their mental state, with your mind joined together with theirs. If you do not focus on the other person, the mind is scattered, you will not understand their mental activities well, you cannot merge with them, and their words and behavior will have no influence on you.
7. One Can Attain Concentration Even Without the Energy Channels Being Opened
Meditative concentration is formed by comprehensive factors; it cannot be influenced by a single cause alone. Whether one has meditative concentration, although greatly related to the energy channels in the body, can be attained as long as the channels have no major obstructions. The energy channels can determine the depth of concentration: the more unobstructed the channels, the deeper the concentration will be. But even if the Ren and Du channels in the body are not opened, and even if the central channel is not opened, one can still have meditative concentration; as for its depth, that is related to whether the three channels are unobstructed. Even if the energy channels are not open, shallow concentration can still appear; even if the Ren and Du channels are open but the central channel is not, this does not affect the appearance of first dhyāna concentration.
8. Which Path Does Meditative Concentration Belong To? (Part One)
The Path is divided into the worldly path and the supramundane path. The worldly path is also called the outer path (non-Buddhist path), a path external to the Buddha-dharma; it has only the four dhyānas and eight absorptions, without the wisdom of liberation, and does not realize the fruits of liberation. The supramundane path is divided into the Buddha path, the Bodhisattva path, the Pratyekabuddha path, and the Śrāvaka path. The Buddha path and the Bodhisattva path are paths of liberation combining the four dhyānas and eight absorptions with the Mahāyāna prajñā and the wisdom of Consciousness-Only; the Pratyekabuddha path is a path of liberation combining the four dhyānas and eight absorptions with the wisdom of the twelve links of dependent origination; the Śrāvaka path is a path of liberation combining the four dhyānas and eight absorptions with the wisdom of the Four Noble Truths. All four paths have their corresponding fruits of liberation. If a supramundane path has only the four dhyānas and eight absorptions but not yet the wisdom of liberation and cannot bring liberation, it is still far better than the outer paths that do not cultivate the Buddha-dharma. With the four dhyānas and eight absorptions, one has the five superknowledges; regarding birth and death, one is relatively more at ease than those without concentration, and can temporarily be one's own master within a certain range, but beyond that range one cannot be master. In the long run, birth and death are still not at ease, and one does not escape the cycle of the six realms of rebirth.
During the Tang dynasty, the teacher of Master Yunmen of the Yunmen school was called Muzhou. Master Muzhou had superknowledges. The emperor once invited Muzhou to be the National Preceptor, but Master Muzhou was unwilling to be constrained at the emperor's side and insisted on living alone in the mountains to propagate the Dharma. He had many disciples under him, but he refused to appoint a head seat (shouzuo), because he was not satisfied with any of the disciples around him. He had his eye only on Yunmen—and at that time Yunmen had not yet even left home, and had not even been born. So although Master Muzhou had been transforming sentient beings for over ten years and living in the mountains for nearly twenty years, he still did not appoint a head seat; the position of head seat was kept reserved for Yunmen all along. One day he said to the assembly of disciples: "My disciple Yunmen has just been born." His superknowledge was considerable—when Yunmen was just born, he already knew it. When Yunmen grew to over ten years old and began herding cattle, he said to the assembly, "My disciple Yunmen is herding cattle right now."
When Yunmen reached adulthood, he began wandering through the mountains visiting various monasteries. One day Master Muzhou told all his disciples: "My head seat has come." At this time Yunmen, still a layperson, came walking from afar carrying a bundle on his back. At that time he had neither superknowledge nor meditative concentration, yet Muzhou came out to welcome him and make him head seat. Upon entering the monastery, Yunmen was tonsured and directly became the head seat. Muzhou's character was such that he would rather have a vacancy than accept someone unworthy; he recognized only one disciple and looked down on all others, so he did not appoint a head seat. What is a head seat? The head seat is the foremost disciple of the presiding abbot, the manager of all matters large and small in the monastery, including study of the Dharma and meditative concentration; all affairs of the monastery, large and small, are managed by the head seat. Apart from the teacher, he is number one.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, there were many Chan masters with superknowledges like Muzhou. Although some of them had awakened to the Way, their attainment was mainly manifested in having the four dhyānas. With the four dhyānas, one can be at ease with birth and death within a certain range, able to be reborn anytime and anywhere, generally being reborn in the human world—reborn into whichever family one wishes, simply by giving a word of greeting to the head of that household. There were also those who could be born immediately on the second day or a few days after conception; those with great merit could seize a womb and be born early, without having to dwell in the womb for ten months. One Chan master, wanting to prove that he had attained the Way, demonstrated freedom over birth and death: he lit a stick of incense, and before the incense had finished burning, he went off to be reborn. Even so, a Chan master who had truly attained the Way would say: "Even though you have the ability to leave whenever you wish, this does not mean you are free over birth and death, because you have not awakened to the Way and cannot escape the cycle of the six realms. In this life you can escape evil destinations, but in the next life you will not be able to avoid them."
There was also a Chan master who, after cultivating superknowledges, knew that in the south there was a woman who had been pregnant for three years without giving birth—she was waiting for him to enter her womb to be born. His fellow Chan practitioners repeatedly invited him to travel to the south, and he generally refused, but finally, having no other choice, he went along. Halfway there, he saw that pregnant woman washing clothes by the river. Knowing he could no longer escape, he said to his companions: "I cannot accompany you any further, because I must go take rebirth. After I take rebirth, in the ninth year, when you go to the south, you will see a nine-year-old boy sitting on the back of an ox playing a flute—that child will be me." Sure enough, nine years later, his companion went to that place and saw a young boy sitting on the back of an ox playing a flute. Although the Chan master had such superknowledges, this does not mean he had attained the Way.
From the various recorded public cases (gong'an) of Chan masters from the Tang and Song periods, we know that practitioners of that time, especially monastics, generally had the four dhyānas; laypeople also had meditative concentration. After leaving home, their main practice was cultivating concentration, and then investigating Chan. Many people did not penetrate Chan investigation, but they all cultivated meditative concentration. Why did they all cultivate the four dhyānas while we today cannot? Because people's minds at that time were relatively tranquil (praśama), their good roots and merit were relatively deep, there were not so many complicated human affairs and social information, and people's minds were simple and pure, so it was easy to cultivate meditative concentration. Every monastery had a Chan hall; monastics went to the Chan hall at fixed times every day to sit in meditation, cultivate concentration, and investigate Chan. When working in the fields, their minds were also investigating Chan within concentration, applying effort in the Way at every moment. It is not like now, when we are busy all day and cannot cultivate concentration; having learned a bit of Dharma, we engage in emotional and intellectual interpretation, and can even recite it all, yet remain so far from the Way, unable to cultivate meditative concentration, capable only of intellectual interpretation.
9. Which Path Does Meditative Concentration Belong To? (Part Two)
A person with the four dhyānas can take rebirth whenever they wish and be reborn into whichever family they wish. They can greet the head of the household in advance, and the manner of rebirth can also be very special: those with great merit and without desire can take rebirth without sexual union, entering the womb directly, and may even seize a womb and be born early, just like the process of the Fifth Patriarch's rebirth. When the Fifth Patriarch in a previous life met the Fourth Patriarch, he was a Daoist cultivator, not a Buddhist, and was very old. The Fourth Patriarch recognized his indriya (spiritual faculties) and said to him: "This physical body of yours is already failing; exchange it for another body." The Fifth Patriarch immediately understood and went to seek an opportunity for rebirth. Walking along a riverbank, he saw a young girl washing clothes. He greeted her and said: "I have no place to live; may I stay at your home?" The girl thought he wanted to stay at her parents' house, not knowing he wanted to enter the womb, and so she agreed.
Not long after the girl returned home, she felt as if she were pregnant. When the signs of pregnancy became obvious, her parents discovered it. The girl could not explain what was going on, and her parents drove her out of the house. From then on, the girl wandered bitterly in all directions, and finally gave birth to the Fifth Patriarch. When the Fifth Patriarch was a few years old, he met the Fourth Patriarch, left home and was tonsured under him, and awakened to the Way at a very young age. When the Fifth Patriarch was a non-Buddhist, he already had the skill of meditative concentration, but a path with only concentration is not the correct path of liberation; only the path realized through enlightenment is the true path.
The highest cultivator of meditative concentration among the non-Buddhists was Śākyamuni Buddha's non-Buddhist teacher, the ṛṣi Udraka. When the Buddha first left home, he took Udraka as his teacher to study the four dhyānas and eight absorptions. After the Buddha had cultivated the four dhyānas and eight absorptions, he considered that this was still not the Way, so he abandoned the four dhyānas, eight absorptions, and asceticism, and set out to cultivate the path anew. He bathed in the river, drank the milk offered by the shepherdess, then went to sit beneath the Bodhi tree, and in the middle of the night, upon seeing the morning star, he greatly awakened and attained the Way. After attaining the Way, he wished to deliver his teacher, for the Buddha knew that Udraka, studying non-Buddhist dharmas, could not attain the Way. But he could not find his teacher. The Buddha looked with the divine eye and saw that Udraka was no longer in the human world—he had already been reborn in the heaven of neither perception nor non-perception (naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana), where he would abide in concentration for eighty thousand great kalpas enjoying the blessings of concentration.
Eighty thousand great kalpas is an extremely long time for us, but for one in concentration, the time is very short, passing in the blink of an eye. Because a person in concentration has only a faint mind consciousness, the manas, and the eighth consciousness—these three consciousnesses—without a physical body, in a mindless state, and because meditative concentration is extremely blissful, the passage of time seems very fast. After emerging from concentration after eighty thousand great kalpas, whatever karmic seeds in the tathāgatagarbha ripen, sentient beings will be born in the six realms according to those karmic seeds. With the divine eye, Śākyamuni Buddha saw that his teacher, during his cultivation, had once made a vicious vow: while he sat cultivating concentration, the little birds around him chirped incessantly, hindering his cultivation of dhyāna, so he made a vicious vow, saying: "When in a future life I become a great bird, I will kill you all."
After making this vicious vow, he continued cultivating and finally attained the highest meditative concentration in the three realms, and was reborn in the heaven of neither perception nor non-perception. Because of this vicious vow, when he in the future falls from that heaven, his vow will be fulfilled—that is, his wish will be granted—and he will be reborn as a great bird and kill all those little birds. In this way he will have committed great evil karma, and at the end of that life, because of this karmic offense, he will fall directly into the hells to undergo retributive suffering. The Buddha did not wish for Udraka to commit such evil karma in the future, but there was nothing more to be done; the Buddha could no longer find him—he is still in the heavens abiding in concentration to this day.
Therefore, when we look at the "Way" of cultivation, there is not only the Buddha path but also various outer paths external to the Buddha path. The Buddha path is the path of escaping the karmic retribution of the suffering of birth and death; the outer paths, although having profound meditative concentration, lack the wisdom of liberation and do not belong to the paths of liberation of the Great or Small Vehicle. The Buddha path requires not only the four dhyānas and eight absorptions but also the wisdom of non-self of the Great and Small Vehicles—a path possessing both concentration and wisdom. Even if one studies Buddhism and cultivates the Way, if one has only meditative concentration without eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) and seeing the mind and one's nature, one has not yet attained the Way and cannot escape the suffering of birth and death. Only the path possessing both concentration and wisdom can be free from the karma of the three evil destinies, free from the karmic retribution of birth and death, and able to end birth and death and attain liberation. All other paths are not the true path.
10. On the Principles for Using Superknowledges
Question: When using superknowledges, does one directly plant all of one's motives and traces in the other person's home? Must one bear the karmic consequences? How should superknowledges be viewed? How can one avoid the shortcomings of superknowledges and practice the Bodhisattva path well?
Answer: The so-called superknowledges of modern people are mostly retributive superknowledge (vipāka-abhijñā), the karmic result obtained from merit cultivated in past lives; when the retribution is exhausted, the superknowledge disappears. True superknowledges arise after attaining the fourth dhyāna; as long as the meditative concentration does not disappear, the superknowledges remain constantly. Superknowledges arising from the fourth dhyāna are possessed by Bodhisattvas, by Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas, and also by non-Buddhists. Because Bodhisattvas all understand cause and effect, they do not misuse superknowledges and are measured in their conduct. Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas, because their minds are pure, are uninterested in worldly people and affairs, have moral discipline, and understand some cause and effect, also do not misuse superknowledges. Non-Buddhists have the four dhyānas, their minds are also pure, and they are likewise uninterested in worldly affairs, so they also do not misuse superknowledges; but because their afflictions are not yet exhausted and not fully subdued, they may occasionally, due to some private interest, use some superknowledges, interfere with some cause and effect, and create some evil karma. Therefore, those whose superknowledges arise from meditative concentration will not easily use them to do anything contrary to the Dharma that harms the interests of sentient beings.
But those with retributive superknowledge are all ordinary people whose afflictions are not subdued, whose wisdom is insufficient, and whose cultivation is generally not high; using superknowledges to interfere with cause and effect and to infringe on others is quite common—I have seen some of this. My advice on using superknowledges is: before a person has fully subdued their afflictions and fully understood and recognized the stakes of cause and effect, since they cannot grasp the proper measure and boundaries, it is best not to use any superknowledge, so as to avoid bearing karmic consequences and suffering the retribution of evil karma. If there are people who have made great vows and wish to use superknowledges to benefit sentient beings, they should use them carefully under the guidance of good teachers who understand cause and effect. For example, using superknowledges to spy on others' thoughts and past—done improperly, this violates the precept against stealing; what is obtained without the other's permission counts as theft, ill-gotten gain. The scope covered by the precept against stealing is extremely broad and detailed; ordinary people's minds are not meticulous and their considerations incomplete, so they may violate the precept without knowing it.
Some will say: the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, with their superknowledges, know everything about sentient beings before and after beginningless kalpas, even future events that have not yet occurred—does this not violate the precept against stealing? This certainly does not violate the precept against stealing, because first, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas know this without intent—it is spontaneous knowing, without a thieving mind; second, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and sentient beings are one body, with no conflict of interest whatsoever; everything they do is for sentient beings, including the Dharma-protecting deities' protection of the Dharma, which is also for protecting sentient beings, without any selfish personal purpose, so it does not involve stealing. Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas also know the affairs of sentient beings spontaneously, without any prying intent; their minds are pure and they have no conflict of interest with sentient beings, so what they do also does not involve stealing. Non-Buddhists' minds are also pure; generally they have no interest in others' affairs. Special cases do exist, but people of virtue who understand cause and effect somewhat will avoid matters that others taboo, will be selective about what they know through superknowledges, and will also remain silent.
In summary, those in this life who have retributive superknowledge, lacking meditative concentration to fully subdue their afflictions and lacking sufficient wisdom, can hardly grasp the proper measure, and should try not to use superknowledges. Except for protecting one's own family, wanting to learn about the affairs of one's family members and close ones is barely acceptable.
11. Hypnotic Phrases
To steady our body and mind and quickly accomplish the path, we can hypnotize ourselves every day, composing hypnotic phrases, encouraging ourselves with our own mental intentions, and letting our minds aspire toward them.
(1) All dharmas are false and illusory;
(2) All dharmas are illusory transformations;
(3) I am in a play; I am acting in a play;
(4) This is my false imagining;
(5) This realm is imagined by my false imagination; do not take it as real;
(6) I am acting in a play together with everyone, playing together; we are in fact all actors;
(7) I want to return to the real; I want to recognize ultimate reality clearly;
(8) I no longer want to act in plays, no longer want to live in illusory realms, no longer want to live falsely.
(9) I no longer want to deceive myself and others; I want to awaken to everything;
(10) I want to become a Buddha; I want to return to the real.
With these hypnotic phrases, in various realms, only one or two are suitable for use; too many will easily confuse the mind and be discordant with the Dharma. Or, according to the progress and level of one's own practice, use only one or two phrases during a given period to suggest to yourself; in this way, you will gradually be hypnotized into the corresponding state of mind.
12. In Cultivating Concentration, Do Not Aim Too High
The three barriers of the Chan school must be passed one by one. Do not keep drilling into the profound Consciousness-Only teachings—at most that is mere intellectual understanding. If the lower-level dharmas have not been realized, Consciousness-Only certainly cannot be realized. My lecturing is my lecturing; your energy should still be placed on realizing the Buddha-dharma, not on intellectually interpreting profound meanings. Otherwise it is a waste of time. We Buddhist students today find it extremely difficult even to reach the first dhyāna; even after realizing the fruits and seeing the mind, hardly anyone can cultivate to first dhyāna concentration. We should understand the specific states of the first through fourth dhyānas, then assess our own conditions, and we will know whether we need to cultivate the fourth dhyāna and whether we have the ability to cultivate to the fourth dhyāna.
In the Dharma-ending age, sentient beings' afflictions are too heavy to cultivate to the first dhyāna; if one can cultivate the desire realm's preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) to completion, that is already quite good. Let us be realistic! Let me ask: wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep; form, sound, scent, flavor, and touch—these five hindrances, who can subdue them? If you cannot subdue them, do not expect to cultivate to first dhyāna concentration, let alone the fourth dhyāna. Our faculties are far inferior to those of the non-Buddhists of past ages—there is simply no comparison! In today's world, material life is luxurious and developed; who can withstand the temptations of various sights and sounds? I also require my disciples, after enlightenment, to gradually cultivate to first dhyāna concentration, so that on the Small Vehicle side they can eradicate afflictions and realize the third fruit (anāgāmin); then on the Great Vehicle side they will have the opportunity and ability to pass the three barriers of the Chan school and enter the first bhūmi. This is an ideal goal; whether it can be realized, I do not know—the hope is not great.
13. Only by Cultivating Until the Manas Can Recollect the Buddha Can It Be Uninterrupted
Question: One can silently recite mantras or recollect the Buddha while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, but why does it stop when conversing with people, unable to continue silent recitation? Some say that reciting with the manas can be uninterrupted. Is it really possible for someone to continue silent recitation even while communicating with others mind-to-mind?
Answer: When talking with people and discussing matters, when paying considerable attention to the person, there is more distraction, and the attention available for reciting mantras or recollecting the Buddha is insufficient, so interruptions occur. But when the skill of reciting mantras or recollecting the Buddha has become pure, strong, and the manas can recite, then even while communicating with people one can still recite mantras and recollect the Buddha without much hindrance. As long as the skill of recollecting the Buddha and reciting mantras is extremely proficient and the manas has formed the habit, one can recite day and night, including while doing anything and communicating with anyone. One mind can be used for two things, but there must be primary and secondary—this too is meditative concentration, even more proficient than the skill of single-purpose focus. When the power of concentration is stronger still, one mind can be used for three or four things; ordinary people's concentration cannot achieve this, but people with special training can watch six directions with their eyes and listen to eight directions with their ears, aware of any movement anywhere, alert and quick-witted.
However many mental activities the manas has, the mind consciousness has that many streams of thought, but there is still a difference between when there is meditative concentration and when there is distraction. A person with strong concentration can do several things simultaneously and do them all well; a person with no concentration at all may not be able to do even one thing well. When the power of concentration is sufficient, the manas's self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) can be activated and can know that it is reciting the Buddha's name or reciting mantras—this is the manas's power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala); the mind consciousness also knows it is reciting. But for a distracted and drowsy person, the mind consciousness's self-validating cognition can hardly function at all times—that is, one does not know what one is doing in the present moment, completely running off with the realms, and the manas's self-validating cognition manifests even less.
When I sit at the computer typing, I simultaneously control ten fingers, and must also control blinking and breathing, discriminate the surrounding sounds, and at the same time consider what characters to type. The manas attends to several things simultaneously, doing each one well, without mutual interference, in perfect order. Among these, except for a clear mind-consciousness activity when doing things the manas has not yet learned, for other things the manas has already learned and is familiar with, it can do them quite well almost without the mind consciousness's thinking and distraction. Many times I have recited sutras in a half-asleep, half-awake state, and recited them very fluently; generally after finishing a passage, the mind consciousness immediately wakes up and can then recall which sutra was just recited. Sometimes after the mind consciousness wakes up, it does not know which sutra was recited—that would be a sutra text I have not yet read in this lifetime up to now.
This shows that for dharmas it knows very well, the manas can automatically display them without the mind consciousness participating to think and discern. Language, words, and sounds are the functions of the mind consciousness; the manas has no language, words, or sounds. Recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) with the marks of language and words is necessarily the mind consciousness reciting; recollection of the Buddha without the marks of language and words is the manas recollecting the Buddha. When you recollect the Buddha and words and sounds appear in your mind, you are already corresponding with the mind consciousness.
14. Attachment to the Body's Marks Obstructs Meditative Concentration
Question: In the state of Chan meditation, among the seven-point sitting posture for regulating the body, one key point is pressing (licking) the tongue tip against the upper palate. During sitting meditation, this point is the easiest to forget; with the slightest carelessness, the tongue tip slips down. I wonder what good method there is to control this detail. One saying is that pressing the tongue tip against the upper palate connects the Ren and Du channels, facilitating their opening; another saying is that pressing the tongue tip against the upper palate maintains a state of awareness—if the tongue tip slips down, it means the capacity for awareness has disappeared, so quickly press it back up; yet another saying is that pressing the tongue tip against the upper palate produces abundant saliva at the root of the tongue, called "heavenly spring sweet dew," which is slowly swallowed to harmonize yin and yang. In any case, pressing the tongue tip against the upper palate is very important, but I just cannot do it.
Answer: This method is used by Daoists for cultivating the body. Buddhist students at the very beginning may borrow from it, but if you always place your attention on the tongue, what use is such practice? How does it differ from the outer paths? Outer paths cultivate the body; learning Buddhism cultivates the mind. If during sitting meditation you keep attending to the tongue, the mind will not be empty, and there will be no deep meditative concentration; you also cannot contemplate the meaning of the Dharma and cannot gain wisdom.
Attending to the tongue is excessive attachment to the body's marks; the result is that the body cannot be empty and the mind cannot be empty either. Let the body be however it wants; ignore it, and meditative concentration will appear quickly. Being concerned every day with how the body is, attending to the body at every moment—the view of self regarding the body is stubborn, contrary to the Way and far from the Way; after a lifetime, you are still a birth-and-death ordinary person attached to the body. Practice clearly requires eradicating the view of self, yet cultivating this way, the view of self grows heavier and heavier—what is this cultivating? When I practiced, I knew nothing at all about knowledge concerning the body; even if the body were about to break down, I paid no attention and did not know what was happening; there was no concept or thought of the body in my mind, and yet meditative concentration was cultivated very quickly. But what about you? Every day infatuated with the body, caring for it meticulously—what good does that do?
Those attached to the body attend to it their whole lives, but how many have attended to their bodies well? And even if attended to well, so what? Must one not attend to it endlessly, life after life? When you reach the three evil destinies, will you still have the thought and ability to attend to it? If practice does not advance, attachment to the body is a major obstruction; blocked by the view of the body, without eradicating the view of the body, one cannot see the Way. The Way or the body—choose one of the two.
Everyone has seen the images of the five hundred Arhats, right? These Venerable Ones scratch their ears and cheeks, with five hundred different postures, none of them proper—yet Arhats enter concentration in just such improper postures. If the mind is concentrated, no matter how the body is, it must become concentrated along with it; the body turns with the mind, just as a cart obeys its driver. A horse pulls a cart; if you want the cart to run fast, do you whip the horse or whip the cart? Studying Buddhism and cultivating is the same principle: the mind is the master. Watch the mind, do not concern yourself with the body, and the body will naturally turn with the mind. If you cherish and cling to the body all day long, the Way will run far away.
15. The Method of Bigu (Grain Avoidance) for Health Preservation
(1) The Benefits of Bigu
The benefits of bigu are many: it can remove various diseases in the body including cancer, expel toxins and waste, clear the garbage and toxins clogging the blood vessels, improve blood circulation, renew the blood with fresh blood; the essential nutrients the body needs are decomposed from the cellular tissues; the skin becomes fair with a rosy glow, shining and lustrous—beautifying and preserving the complexion, cosmetic benefits for the skin, health and longevity, reverse aging, making life more vital. The energy channels become unobstructed, the body becomes supple, the full lotus posture becomes easy, sitting meditation is more effective, meditative concentration increases quickly, body and mind are joyful, the manas's craving for and dependence on food is reduced, afflictions are lessened, the mind becomes sharp, thinking becomes active, wisdom is developed, and concentration and wisdom both grow.
Food and drink are coarse material form (dausthulya), containing filth and toxins; they increase the burden and workload of the internal organs, causing them to wear down and shortening lifespan. During bigu, qi is primary; qi is subtle material form, mainly the wind element, causing the body to become light and buoyant. Immortals and heavenly beings all feed on qi and ingest qi, their bodies so light and buoyant that they have the superknowledge of psychic power (ṛddhi) and can fly. During bigu, sitting meditation is remarkably effective; in quiet sitting one does not want to leave the seat. Make good use of this time to cultivate concentration: the body is supple, the legs easily stay crossed, the mind easily settles, discursive thoughts are few, and the mind is clear. The energy channels run well, qi flows through in all directions, and the body's microcirculation and metabolism are both good.
(2) The Preparation Period for Bigu
Semi-bigu for about three days—more or less is fine—mainly to accustom the body and the manas to eating little and eating nothing. When formal bigu begins and there is no food in the stomach, the cellular tissues will rapidly decompose and metabolize, expelling toxins and garbage and providing highly nutritious substances. On the first day of semi-bigu, drink only one bowl of millet porridge, seventy percent full, or half full; on the second day of semi-bigu, also one bowl of millet porridge, slightly less in quantity, sixty percent full is enough; on the third day, half a bowl of millet porridge, forty to fifty percent full. Formal bigu then begins with drinking only water—drink plenty of water to promote cellular decomposition and metabolism, and to promote the expulsion of toxins and waste.
(3) Formal Bigu
If you work, choose Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for semi-bigu, and begin formal bigu on Friday. Saturday is the second day of bigu; the stomach is not yet accustomed to going without food and will feel rather hungry. At this time, staying home without contact with people, you will not consume too much energy. On the third day you will also be somewhat hungry, somewhat better than the second day; also rest at home, without contact with people and affairs. By the fourth day you will be roughly adapted and normal; the energy decomposed from the cellular tissues will also be greater, and you will feel energetic and mentally agile. This is for people without special illnesses and whose illnesses are not too serious. Those with blood sugar too high or too low had best not do bigu—if problems arise, no one can take responsibility; bigu is permissible only with a doctor or Chinese medicine practitioner nearby to care for you. Those with serious heart disease or stomach disease should also not do bigu. Generally, group concentration retreats also do not allow people with serious illnesses to participate, lest something happen and the responsibility be unbearable.
Three or four days of bigu are needed to preliminarily regulate stomach illnesses. The longer the bigu, the more illnesses are regulated and the more thoroughly, the better the internal organs' metabolism, the more the blood is renewed, the healthier the body, the younger the person, and the finer and smoother the skin—better than cosmetic treatments, with no side effects whatsoever.
In formal bigu, eat nothing at all. Only when there is no food in the stomach will the cellular tissues decompose, expelling toxins and garbage and decomposing highly nutritious substances for the body to absorb—this is many times better than food and drink. For the first bigu, three to seven days is enough; more than three days is best, for only then are there some effects; a shorter time is of little use. From the fourth to the seventh day, the stomach becomes accustomed to having no food, and hunger is not much felt—apart from craving. If you can endure the craving and avoid contact with food and drink, generally the bigu will succeed.
In bigu, we mainly learn visualization. If you can visualize sunlight shining on you, entering your body and stomach, you will not feel hungry. Then visualize the Buddha's light shining on your body and on the afflicted areas, and bodily hunger will be alleviated; the stomach feels very comfortable, and the body feels light, buoyant, and at ease. Then breathe some fresh air; the air also contains the four great nutritive substances, mainly oxygen. At night you can also visualize moonlight and absorb the moon's energy. Light energy and qi energy are both more beneficial to the body than food; both are subtle material form, whereas food is coarse material form. Heavenly beings feed on subtle material form, so their bodies are light and can fly; humans feed on coarse material form, so their bodies are heavy and cannot fly. When a second-dhyāna heavenly being descended to the human world and ate the earth's richness, he could no longer fly and could not return to the heavens. We Buddhist practitioners should take qi as food as much as possible; when qi is full, one does not think of food, and the body becomes healthy and vital. The immortals in the mountains all feed on qi and other subtle material substances, so they are healthy and long-lived, with lifespans of tens of millions of years. Those who sit in meditation and cultivate concentration, if their meditative concentration is well cultivated, will also be healthy and long-lived; with the fourth dhyāna, one can live tens of millions of years or one kalpa.
Formal bigu of three to seven days—seven days is still fairly easy to sustain. Doing bigu two or three times a year, the body will be effectively regulated. The second bigu is easier than the first; in the first, the illness of craving exceeds the illness of hunger, and the manas's habit of craving food is not so easy to overcome. If the mouth can produce more saliva, swallowing the saliva can also serve as food and drink, more nutritious than food. Hold some fruit pits or the like in the mouth to induce the production of saliva, then swallow it, and the nutrition and energy will suffice. Saliva is more nutritious than bird's nest.
(4) Resuming Food
After seven days of bigu, food can be resumed—this is a crucial point. If food is resumed well, the body will be renewed in every way, gaining a new life.
Resuming food relies on millet porridge, which is easy to absorb and digest and regulates the spleen and stomach. After bigu, the stomach is like an infant's stomach; one must eat liquid foods that are easily absorbed and digested, and must not eat cold, hard, or dry foods, must not drink milk, and must not eat until full or overeat—this is the best period for nourishing the stomach. For the first three days of resuming food, drink only millet porridge, in small amounts with frequent meals, so as not to overstretch the stomach. From the fourth day onward, millet porridge plus well-boiled leafy vegetables, or yam, carrots, and potatoes steamed very soft, eaten dipped in honey.
After seven days of resuming food, add other easily digestible foods. After ten days, tonify the qi: boil water with red ginseng, longan, jujubes, and goji berries and drink it. Tonify for more than a week; longer is not limited. Avoid sour, spicy, and salty flavors, so as not to irritate the gastrointestinal tract. After resuming food, the stomach will form new habits; at this time, pay attention to cultivating and forming new dietary habits, correcting bad habits; both the amount of food and the flavors can be changed at will.
(5) Points of Caution
Some group bigu participants eat some fruit during the period, or spend several thousand yuan buying enzymes to drink, and all of them fail. Some Chinese medicine qigong practitioners assist with bigu, charging fees of twenty to thirty thousand yuan. Our bigu costs not a penny, requires eating nothing, and needs no one to care for you. If you eat a little food, the cells will decompose a little less, fewer toxins will be expelled, and less nutrition will be decomposed—it is not worthwhile.
During bigu, do more sitting meditation to cultivate and nourish the mind; have less contact with, or no contact with, rotten people and rotten affairs; avoid as much as possible people who easily provoke your emotions. Speak little or not at all, to preserve physical strength and energy. During bigu, if hunger is truly unbearable, you may drink a little honey water or hold a bit of rock sugar in the mouth, but it is best not to eat at all. The first bigu is prone to craving; hunger is easier to speak of and easier to endure, but the illness of craving is hard to cure. During bigu, be sure to drink plenty of water, drink large amounts of water, to promote the expulsion of toxins, waste, and illness.
During bigu, body weight will decrease by one or two jin per day, averaging 1.5 jin. If food is resumed well and the stomach is regulated well, the weight will become normal. From the fourth day after resuming food, a tiny bit of salt may be eaten; eating it after seven days is best.
