When the manas is devoted to practice, dharma meanings will spontaneously emerge (2025-02-16)

Ven. Shi Ruyuan: A while ago, my head felt uncomfortable again the way it used to. This time the heat, swelling, aching, and itching pain was much lighter than last time, and afterward my upper and lower lips trembled and twitched violently. Around three o'clock in the morning, I was awakened by the dharma meaning of the notions of a person, a self, sentient beings, and a life span from the Diamond Sutra. Then, after another day or two, the passage "all is without marks" popped up in a dream and recited me awake. It usually arises at the very first thought upon waking. Then my lips would tremble violently. When the trembling had gone on for two or three days, I was a bit worried—was some part of my body or head about to fall ill? I was afraid a problem would arise and delay my practice of meditative concentration and contemplative practice. After five days of trembling, it went away on its own, and my head no longer felt drafts or feared the cold. The tightness and swelling between my eyebrows that had lasted over a year also healed, except that a small fleshy bump was squeezed out in the middle of my brow; and now, unfortunately, my lower lip still trembles a little.

After these symptoms in my head cleared up, I felt my meditative concentration had changed somewhat. My mind is free of stray thoughts and so pure. Now, whether walking, sitting, or lying down, or riding my electric scooter on the road, or hearing the noise in the supermarket, I always hear the continuous sound of the Buddha's name in my mind. Mantras or sutra passages also pop up inexplicably, and I no longer wish to say even one more idle word. Now my mind feels much clearer than before. In the past, when reading my master's books, I had to repeatedly commit things to memory with effort, or else I would forget and be unable to recall them. Now, when I read my master's dharma teachings and contemplate the suffering, emptiness, and impermanence of the five aggregates, or contemplate the impurity of the body, a skeleton and the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death appear in my mind. Whatever content I wish to contemplate, I can recall it at any time for contemplative practice and reflection. And because the skeleton contemplation is constantly present in my mind, skeletons appear before me moment after moment, inexplicably.

Recently, my body and mind have had reactions of varying degrees. When I go outside, sometimes my mind wanders uncontrollably, and I constantly remind myself not to drift off, but the more critical the moment, the less my body and mind cooperate. The purer, clearer, and more joyful my mind becomes, the less I feel the body's heaviness; it is as if an indescribable force within is constantly clearing the blocked channels of my mind. My mind feels unobstructed now, and my five aggregates—this shell of form—feel very false and unreal.

Once, my daughters called me to go with them to a milk shop to choose milk. They asked me what brand of milk I liked. I don't like milk or similar drinks, and I wanted to say not to buy any. My mind was perfectly clear, but I simply could not open my mouth to answer; my eyes would not open either, and my whole body seemed frozen by something and unable to move—I wanted to walk over but could not lift my feet. So I just stood there in a daze, without sensation and unable to move, unable to feel my body's existence, my mind full of the sound of the Buddha's name and endless dharma meanings to contemplate. My daughters thought I was acting strangely and asked what was wrong with me. I understood in my mind, but my mouth seemed unable to move; it felt like wandering at the mercy of my thoughts in a dream, too weak to answer questions. Even when moving among crowds, my meditation-in-motion has never disappeared; questioning doubt arises spontaneously in my mind, and even in my dreams at night I know to practice recollection of the Buddha. Whether sitting in meditation, practicing meditation-in-motion, contemplating questioning doubt, or reciting the Buddha's name, the body feels even more unreal.

Assessment: Your samādhi state is far too firm—it cannot be pulled apart or twisted apart. Not only is your meditative concentration firm, but your mindfulness and contemplative practice are also very solid. The outside world can no longer influence you; you are in a state of bronze walls and iron ramparts. Even the old demon king can do nothing about you and can only let you cultivate, unable to obstruct you. Judging by this meditative skill, you have already surpassed preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi); perhaps you have attained first dhyāna. Your mind is always in a state of joy and peace, and your body is so light that you cannot feel its existence. Savor it more carefully—the sensations in your chest, in your limbs, in your back. Based on these sensations, you can judge the degree of your meditative concentration.

The trembling of your lips should be a reaction of expelling karmic-obstruction qi as the Du Meridian and Ren Meridian connect. The Du Meridian runs from the back and the back of the head to the crown, then to the forehead and nose, finally reaching the mouth. Because there are some blockages in the mouth, there is the reaction of lip trembling. With this, the Ren and Du meridians may be considered opened. If you maintain this, no major obstructions will appear in your body; the problem of illness is basically resolved—though this does not rule out relapses in bodily health caused by regression in meditative concentration.

Your meditative concentration has grown stronger than before—great progress. You abide at all times within your mind, abiding in the contemplative practice of the Buddha-dharma, not scattering your attention toward the outside world, which makes your reactions to external things very dull. This is a normal reaction at a certain stage of practice. But if you remain in this dazed state for a long time, it approaches dead samādhi, and you would be unable to accomplish anything in the world. In short-term and early practice, the shallower the meditative concentration, the more seamlessly one connects with the outside world, the more one merges with it, the more active the mind consciousness's thinking, the more one talks, the more one likes to show oneself off, and the heavier the afflictions. When your meditative concentration advances further, you will in the future be able to deal with the outside world with relative ease and freedom—this is a process.

As for wisdom: your manas has been steeped quite firmly in the dharma teachings; it can spontaneously present the dharma principles it has absorbed and spontaneously engage in contemplative practice and investigation, leaving the mind consciousness far behind. The mind consciousness's role has become very small—it may even be dispensed with. This skill is simply wonderful—truly gratifying. The shortcoming is that although the manas has constantly remained in samādhi, abiding in dharma principles and leaving no gap for worldly dharmas, the focus is still not prominent enough; it has not yet run entirely along a single main thread and is slightly scattered. But this is not a major flaw. If you continue like this, seeing your true mind and seeing your nature will be within reach. Your state shows that you have already eliminated self-view (ahaṃkāra-mamakāra-parityāga). As for the first or second fruit, I cannot yet tell, because your verbal descriptions are unclear, your theoretical knowledge is insufficient, and your wisdom is insufficient—though your meditative skill is powerful.