[ I. Singing the Ch’an songs equates to doing practice. ]

[ II. In order to relieve sentient beings from afflictions, sufferings and disasters, the Buddha started preaching the Dharma. ]

[ III. Besides seeking for a guiltless mind, you can further pursue your own blessings and become self-dominant. ]

[ IV. To recognize your true self. ]

[ V. The authentic Ch’an simply refers to a kind of perception, and it is An-Hsiang. ]

[ VI.  The force of the An-Hsiang Ch’an lies in the strength of its amiability and assimilation. ]

[ VII. Buddha’s original intent was to offer sentient beings the perception of An-Hsiang. ]

[ VIII. Before practicing the An-Hsiang Ch’an, you must begin from introspecting and repenting yourself. ]

[ IX. The most advanced methodology and key of the practice. ]

[ X. The main content and perception of An-Hsiang. ]

[ XI. Buddha refers to the utmost, right, and perfect awareness. ]

[ XII. Human dignity was originated from the formation of a couple. ]

 

 

 

I.  Singing the Ch’an songs equates to doing practice. [back to the top]

 

Firstly, I would like to give my regards to all of you.  Though the Nan-Tou Choir has been established only for a short while, your outstanding performance is truly amazing.  The most dedicated leader Chang, and the instructor Xiao, both deserve our wholehearted respect.  Moreover, all of our choir members are also working very hard.  All these tell me that you are highly enthusiastic about practicing the An-Hsiang Ch’an. 

  

I often say that singing the Ch’an songs equates to doing practice.  The song of the “Heart Sutra” you sang today has its overwhelming merits.  The spell at its end is named by the Esoteric School as the “Buddha’s mother’s spell of the prajna”.  It does not mean the spell is only for the Buddha’s mother to recite.  In fact, it refers that “the prajna is the mother of all buddhas.  All buddhas are born from the prajna.  There will be no Buddha when there is no prajna.”  Therefore, its merit is inconceivable.     

 

In the Esoteric School, when reciting spells, practitioners require to “simultaneously correspond with their body, mouth and mind, which refers to “the three karmas”.  Consequently, when singing the Ch’an songs, we need to keep our “body” in a dignified, natural and relaxing state; forbid our “mouth” from making any indecent speech; and focus our “consciousness” to maintain An-Hsiang.  In this way, our singing can be overwhelmingly inspiring, and effectively radiating An-Hsiang to nurture all the sentient beings and living beings.   

 

The An-Hsiang Ch’an equates to the “non-dualistic methodology”, which refers to nothing is dual, and the dual virtually is the unitary.  In other words, “practice is non-practice and vice versa”.  The An-Hsiang Ch’an does not ask people to worship any deities, burn any incense, become vegetarian, or do any sitting meditation.  The only requirement is to seek for a guiltless mind.  If we can do everything with a guiltless mind and also maintain the mentality of An-Hsiang in our everyday life, we are exactly doing practice.  

 

What is the mentality of An-Hsiang?  Can we verify it?  Yes, we can.  Generally, when we are trying to stop our mind from thinking, we can make it sometimes.  However, while stopping one idea, we have another one coming up immediately.   Therefore, it is unlikely to make our mind stop thinking.  Nevertheless, at this right moment, I will keep silent, and all of you please try to watch your own mind to see if there is anything on it?  In fact, there is nothing on your mind right now.  If you can maintain this mentality, you have attained An-Hsiang.  With An-Hsiang in mind, you can still talk, sing, eat etc.  It manifests “the non-duality of your body and its functions”.  When your mind is in the state of An-Hsiang, you can live an ordinary life with it.

 

When we sing with the mind of An-Hsiang, the songs we sing are the songs of An-Hsiang.  Our singing is likened to what the sutras describe: “Once the singing flowing into people’s ears, the seed of the enlightenment has been successfully sowed in their mind”.  Truly, whoever hears it; his mind has been sowed with the seed of enlightenment.  It is as simple as is. 

 

Generally, useful things are easy to use, and extremely clever things are ordinary.  Whatever unusual can never be the truth; the truth must be universal.  Being universal refers to being ordinary; therefore, all the “true stuff” must be generally ordinary.  Consequently, there is definitely no mystery of the authentic Buddha dharma, and we surely can verify it in our everyday life.  Otherwise, it must be a baseless nonsense.

 

Why do we need to set up the An-Hsiang Choir?  It is simply for rewarding our society.  We hope to purify people’s mind or even the whole society by our singing.   Meanwhile, we can also do practice by singing these songs.

 

I just talked about “the purification of the three karmas”. 

When we sing the Ch’an songs with a mind free from any illusion, and a body in its decent state without any misconduct, we are virtually doing the most advanced practice.  Can we verify it?  Sure, we can.  If our choir members can follow my instruction to sing, they will become fitter, prettier, and more vibrant?  Is it true?  You can personally try to verify it.

 

The true Dharma is inseparable from our everyday life; otherwise, it is not true.  The Buddha initiated his preaching simply for the sake of sentient beings, not for himself.  The Dharma is not a game for bored people to play with.  It is neither mysterious, nor utilitarian; instead, it is a rewarding and repaying practice.

 

 

II. In order to relieve sentient beings from afflictions, sufferings and disasters, the Buddha started preaching the Dharma. [back to the top]

 

Why was the Buddha ordained to become a monk?  It was because he saw sentient beings going through countless sufferings and disasters during their life journey.  He named our earth as Zhan-Bu-Zhou (瞻部洲), which means “a world of imperfection” in Chinese.  Indeed, the earth is full of defects. Well, let us just take Taiwan, instead of the whole world, as an example.  Taiwan does not exist to suit just you or me to live; therefore, we are not satisfied with its environment and always feel disappointed and upset.  Consequently, everyone shares upsets and stresses.  In order to relieve sentient beings from those afflictions to live a carefree life, the Buddha started preaching the Dharma.  It is very difficult to interpret the Dharma. Are languages and words the Dharma?  No, they are not.  However, how to interpret the Dharma without using languages and words?  It is truly hard.  It is in a dilemma to lecture, or not to lecture about reason.  Consequently, the Buddha taught us to “authentically believe in causality”.  Through the experiences from our daily life, we realize that “mistakes bring about worries”.  Therefore, once we stop making mistakes, we can live a life without any worries.  Moreover, “crimes result in destruction”.  When we stop committing any crime, we can be free from any destruction.  These are what the Buddha repeatedly told us.

 

 

III.  Besides seeking for a guiltless mind, you can further pursue your own blessings and become self-dominant. [back to the top]

 

Why am I preaching the An-Hsiang Ch’an?  It is because I am expecting everyone to pursue the highest truth. Referring to the quote from the Diamond Sutra, “All the conditioned are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, and a shadow”, we know that the original essence of the Dharma is the unconditioned; therefore, we should pursue the unconditioned.  What is the unconditioned?  It refers to “seeking for a guiltless mind” as our fundamental intent throughout our whole life.  In other words, whatever we do or think, our only concern is to be free from burdens of guilt and regret.  Then, we can “further pursue our own blessings” and “become self-dominant”.

 

What does “further pursue your own blessings” refer to?  When you feel blessed; your blessing does not come from the God.  When you have disasters, the God is not to blame for making you miserable.  Both bliss and misery result from your own cultivation.  Consequently, we must cultivate our own blessings.  The only way to pursue our own blessings is to “become self-dominant”; namely, you are your own master.  It is likened to driving a car; it is you who should steer your own steering wheel.

 

Well, then how to “become self-dominant”?  Don’t see “what is forbidden to see”!  Don’t think about “what is unnecessary to think about”!  Don’t listen to “what is forbidden to hear”!  Don’t talk about “what is forbidden to say”!  Don’t do things “that will make you feel guilty”!  It is as simple as is.  I think every normal and decent person can successfully practice the above-mentioned.  When we “become self-dominant” and feel guiltless, we are exactly doing an authentic practice.

 

 

IV.  To recognize the true self [back to the top]

 

If you say that “our practice aims to pursue longevity”, you definitely will be disappointed.  In order to break down the superstition of “longevity”, we must thoroughly recognize our own self.  In the Surangama Sutra《楞嚴經》, the Buddha addressed the four major elements (earth, water, fire, and wind), and the five aggregations (forms, feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness).  However, they do not refer to you, but refer to the tools you need for living in this life.  You need to use them to explore your life and complete your mission in this life.  It will become totally meaningless, if you live merely for protecting these tools.

 

We must recognize our true self in our lifetime.  What is our true self?  Both the Surangama Sutra《楞嚴經》 and the Complete Enlightenment Sutra《圓覺經》 highlight the importance of recognizing our true self, and remind us not to be enslaved by the five aggregations and the four major elements.  Otherwise, we will become their slave, and always be manipulated by them.  In other words, tools become our masters.  It is like what we see in those foreign movies that robots command human beings to follow their instructions.  It is truly ridiculous.  

 

What is our true self?  The “true” must be the “original”; therefore, truth is “original”.  The original form and state of our life is non-dual, where there is no difference between others and you, or between what you can and what you know.  It is our true self where the subjective and objective selves have not yet been separated.  We must realize that this self is eternal, and we do not have to practice or take miracle pills to attain it.   It is simply reincarnating, but never deceases.  Once we have recognized our true self, we must cherish it.  If we intend to learn the authentic Dharma; firstly, we have to know what it is.  Likewise, if we want to cherish our true self, firstly, we must recognize what our true self is.  

 

What is the Buddha Dharma?  What is the Ch’an?  Many people do not understand the “Ch’an, and think the Ch’an refers to “witty eloquence”, or “batting beat”.  In fact, those are means, but not the true entity of the Ch’an.

 

 

V. The authentic Ch’an simply refers to a kind of perception; namely, the An-Hsiang. [back to the top]

 

When reading “the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch”, most of you neglect quite a few important points.

 

Firstly, when the Fifth patriarch intended to pass over the Dharma, he found there were too many candidates to choose.  Therefore, he asked each of them to write a verse to describe their experiences and the state of their practice.  Then he would pass the Dharma over to whoever was qualified.

 

The Fifth Patriarch had two senior disciples; one was a retired general, Huei-Ming, who had a very high social status, and the other was Sen-Xiou who had passed the highest national examination to become a senior official.  There was another one named Huei-Neng, who just came for a few months.  He was not a monk, but an illiterate helper for odd jobs.  Regarding the verse, Sen-Xiou thought: “if I write the verse for attaining the patriarch’s title, I must look greedy.  However, if I don’t, I can’t attain the Dharma.”  He was agonized for quite a few days.  Finally, he decided to write one on the wall:

“The body is a Bodhi tree,

The mind is a bright mirror stand.

Keep brushing it clean,

And let no dust alight.”

The crowd gathered to read his verse and all admired it.  The Sixth Patriarch was also there and asked someone to read it for him.  After hearing the verse, he commented: “It doesn’t sound great!”  The crowd rebutted him: “Little helper, what do you know about it?”  Then, the Sixth Patriarch asked an official to help him write his verse onto the wall:

 “Originally Bodhi has no tree,

The bright mirror is not a stand. 

Realistically nothing is there,

Where can dust alight?”

 

On the next day, the Fifth Patriarch also read the verse and commented, “Not good, either”, then erased it.  Well, was the verse good?  Yes, it was truly good!  However, why was it erased?  It is all related to our human jealous and selfish nature.   Even though it happened in a temple more than one thousand years ago, people at that time were not any decenter than us today.  Therefore, his master erased the verse simply for protecting him.  In fact, the Fifth Patriarch truly admired the verse.

 

Referring to these two verses, how was Shen-Xiou’s verse?  It was pretty good because it referred to the method of practice.  Nevertheless, he did not see the original entity of the Dharma, and failed to reach the ultimate state.  With regard to the Sixth Patriarch’s verse of “Realistically nothing is there”, it manifests his thorough enlightenment.  Consequently, the Fifth Patriarch decided to pass the Dharma over to him.  He was such a remarkable person, though illiterate and not ordained yet.  When the Fifth Patriarch went to kitchen to see him, he was grinding rice with his feet.  At that time, electrical grinders were not available yet; therefore, ancient people ground grains by treading the stone grinder with their feet.  The Fifth Patriarch knocked on the stone grinder for three times with his cane.  The Sixth Patriarch realized that his master wanted to see him at the midnight.  When he went there as instructed, the Fifth Patriarch enclosed him with his robe to lecture the Diamond Sutra for him.  When his master lectured about the verse of “giving rise to the aspiration while not abiding in anything”, the Sixth Patriarch instantaneously attained his full enlightenment.  Therefore, the Fifth Patriarch passed the Dharma over to him.  Undoubtedly, the Dharma had been passed over when the Fifth Patriarch was lecturing about the Diamond Sutra. 

 

I remember a member from Hsin-Chu wrote me a letter to ask, “Should I donate to sponsor for the publication of ‘The key verse of the Sixth Patriarch’s Diamond Sutra’”?  I replied, “If you are rich enough, you can go ahead.  Otherwise, needless to do it.”  It is because “The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch” is the key verse of the “Diamond Sutra”.  Apart from “the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch”, where to find “The key verse of the Diamond Sutra”?  The main theme of the “Diamond Sutra” solely lies in these six words: “no illusion, no form, no abiding”.  At the very beginning of the “Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch”, it reads, “As far as the Ch’an School is concerned, “no illusion” is its purpose; “no form” is its entity; and “no abiding” is its core.  These six words have completely interpreted “the Diamond Sutra”.

 

After the Sixth Patriarch attained the Dharma, the Fifth Patriarch was sending him away by rowing a boat for him.  He said, “Before being enlightened, I need Master to lead my way.  Now, I can lead my own way.”  His words were so inspiring.  Indeed, as far as practice is concerned, we should try to lead our own way, but not expect others to lead us.

 

After the Sixth Patriarch left, the Fifth Patriarch was absent from the discourse at the hall.  When people asked him, “Why did you stop preaching?”  He answered, “The Dharma has gone to the south.”  “Who attained it?”  “Nung has attained it.”  Everyone guessed, “Huei-nung is missing.  It is probably him who attained it.”  As a result, everyone went chasing after him for getting the robe back.  The robe was inherited from the Buddha as a token of the Patriarch; therefore, everyone was chasing after it. 

 

We just mentioned about Huei-Ming, though he was a retired general, he was still fit and strong.  He ran so fast to firstly catch up with the Sixth Patriarch.  Then, the Sixth Patriarch put the robe on a rock and said, “This robe is symbolic for a credit.  Do you think you can snatch it by force?  If you want it, come to get it!”  

 

Huei-Ming tried to fetch it; however, he could not move it or lift it up at all.  Though the robe was very light, he just could not move it.  He was very clever, and immediately changed his attitude to say, “I did not mean to snatch the robe; I just came for the Dharma.” 

 

The Sixth Patriarch said, “If it is so, now stop thinking about anything good or bad, just try to empty your mind.”

 

The Sixth Patriarch was watching him aside till Huei-Ming’s mind had been empty, then said, “Without thinking of anything good or bad, at such a moment, what is general Ming’s original face?”  At this moment, the Sixth Patriarch did transmit the state of his mind to Huei-Ming.  Then Huei-Ming replied, “Like drinking water, only the drinker knows how warm the water is.” 

 

This story is very important, and it was also the first Gong-an(公案) of the Ch’an.  However, it was rarely investigated or mentioned afterwards. 

 

The second story was about Nan-Ye-Huai-Rong (南嶽懷讓), who was a senior disciple of the Sixth Patriarch Huei-nung.

 

Nan-ye-huai-rong(南嶽懷讓) was Ma-zu-dao-yi’s(馬祖道一 )master, and Ma-zu-dao-yi was the master of Huang-pi-xi-yun(黃檗希運).  Nan-ye-huai-rong was the First Patriarch of today’s “Lin-Ji School” of the Ch’an School in Taiwan.  One day, he went to see the Sixth Patriarch, and the Sixth Patriarch asked him, “What is it?  How does it come?”  He answered, “If I say it is something, I have already misinterpreted it.”  In other words, he thought that “whatever description he says cannot be right ”.

 

This Gong-an did not attract anyone’s attention, because people thought it was meaningless.  “What is it?  How does it come?”  They were riddles that no one can realize.  

 

Then here is the third story.  There was the youngest disciple of the Sixth Patriarch, his name was Shen-huei and he was very clever.  Once the Sixth Patriarch said, “I have one thing, and it has no head, no tail, no back, no face, and no name.  Guess what it is?”  As a Grand Master, why did he make such a riddle?  What was his purpose?  The clever Shen-huei answered, “It is Shen-huei’s Buddha nature.”  Was his answer correct?  Yes, it was.  Did the Sixth Patriarch praise him?  No, he did not.  He even scolded him by saying, “Even if you have a little hut in the future, you can do nothing but interpret Buddhist scriptures.”  In other words, even one day when Shen-huei becomes the Reverend head of a temple, he will be only good at lecturing about reason.  “Reasoning” is not the Dharma; they are two different matters.  

 

Why did I tell these three stories today?  The first one: “Only the drinker knows how warm the water is”.  The second one: “ No verbal descriptions can describe it”.  And the third one: “It has no head, no tail, no back, no face, and no name”.  My aim is to disclose a fact that throughout the history of interpreting “the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch” and all the Ch’an scriptures, these three Gong-an have rarely been discussed.  Nevertheless, the truly authentic Ch’an lies in them.  When you comprehend all of them, you must have realized what the Ch’an is. 

 

"Only the drinker knows how warm the water is”.  “There is one thing; however, no verbal descriptions can describe it”.   “It is the Buddha nature.  However, the Buddha nature is a noun.  If you name it as the Buddha nature, it becomes a knowing.  Though, it is not a knowing, it truly refers to the Buddha nature”.  Conclusively, these three statements give us an impression that “It is a kind of perception.”  “Only the drinker knows how warm the water is”, isn’t it about a perception?  “There is one thing; however, no verbal descriptions can describe it.  It is formless.”  And the third story made it even more explicit, “It has no head, no tail, no back, no face, and no name”.  Shen-hui said, “It was the Buddha nature”.  The Sixth Patriarch rebutted, “Didn’t I just tell you it’s nameless?  Why did you still name it: “the Buddha nature”? 

 

After having comprehended all these three stories, we realize that “the authentic Ch’an is nothing but a kind of perception”.  Well, what is it?  I think it is improper to name it as something solid; however, I would refer it to be “An-Hsiang”. 

 

What does “An-Hsiang” mean?  It means: “when your mind is guiltless, you feel blessed”.  In other words, if we can live with a guiltless mind, and keep maintaining this perception, our life will be free from any obstacles and filled with blessings. 

 

 

VI. The force of the An-Hsiang Ch’an lies in the strength of its amiability and assimilation. [back to the top]

 

Some people asked me, “What is the force of the An-Hsiang Ch’an?”  I replied, “It can help people eliminate thousands of disasters and solve hundreds of problems.  Its merit is uncountable and its praises cannot be sung enough.  Nevertheless, the simplest and instant way to verify its force is to see how it increases your amiability and assimilation.  What does “amiability” refer to?  If you can maintain the mentality of An-Hsiang, your personal interrelationship will be definitely improving.  People who have kept distant from you for years will become friendly and try to get close to you.  In the past, they always opposed to your ideas, but now they change to favor your opinions.  This is what “amiability” refers to.  Then, what is “assimilation” referring to?  When you are talking to people who have various illusions and worries in their mind, they will become free from all those illusions and worries while talking with you.  It is because you do not have any worries in your mind; therefore, you assimilate their minds to be as yours.  That is the “assimilation”.  It is why the Buddha claimed, “It can repay the favors that originally are not repayable.”  You do not have to chant any spells or draw any magic charm, but you can remove their worries for them.

 

Throughout the journey of our life, it is constantly filled with worries, defects, and disappointments.  It is because this world is not specially customized for your own needs, and it surely will upset you sometimes.  In fact, the main cause of all our worries comes from people around us.  However, if there were only you living in this world, you definitely could not survive.  The story of Robinson Crusoe is just a fiction, and nobody could survive like him. Unfortunately, when you are living in a human society, you always feel upset about people around you, and vice versa.  That is the origin of all your worries.  Nevertheless, if you possess the mentality of An-Hsiang, you will become more tolerant.  When you are more tolerant, you surely will be more amiable.  Undoubtedly, your worries can be lessened.

 

 

VII. The Buddha’s original intent was to offer sentient beings the perception of An-Hsiang. [back to the top]

 

That is why I stated, “The Buddha’s original intent was to lead sentient beings to live well without any worries.”  The Buddha Dharma is the Buddha’s authentic salvation.  Its utmost function aims at changing people’s mind.  This function is the so-called “assimilation”.  Well, you can test yourself to see whether you can stop your illusions any time you like?  I do not think you can.  However, now I stop talking, and you can take a short break to investigate your mind.  Is there any illusion in your mind?  I guess your mind currently must be “empty”, but you still can hear clearly about what I am saying.  The present state of your mind is “empty but spiritual” and “still but awakening”.  It is exactly “the presence of the Buddha Dharma”, and it can be named as “the present verification” or “the direct inference”.  The Buddha Dharma can be delivered in two ways: one is by the “indirect inference” and the other is by the “direct inference”.  The former one refers to preaching reasoning, and the latter one refers to an immediate experience of the different perception, which is the true and full essence of the Dharma.  Consequently, the authentic Dharma is instantly effective and can be successfully verified.

 

When lecturing to this point, we have realized that the Buddha’s original intent did not ask us to “attain Buddhahood by practice”.  Instead, He intended to awaken us, the lost beings, to realize that “we originally were buddhas”.  Truly, all beings were originally buddhas.  We do not practice to become a Buddha.  A Buddha formed through practice will eventually decay again.  The system of “formation, existence, decay, and emptiness” is a cycle, and decay must come after formation.  However, a Buddha will never decay if he is not formed through practice.  It is because truth is original, and “original” refers to “permanent”.  As long as you do not get buried by the five aggregations and six dusts, and can break them up to fully reveal yourself, you can attain your Buddhahood simultaneously.  

 

 

VIII. Before practicing the An-Hsiang Ch’an, you must begin from introspecting and repenting yourself. [back to the top]

 

　　

My Dharma (the An-Hsiang Ch’an) is very simple; “see no evil; hear no evil; speak no evil, do no evil; and think no evil”.  It is as simple as is, and nothing is mysterious.  Everyone can achieve it.  However, it is all up to you – to do or not to do it.  Therefore, the practice of the An-Hsiang Ch’an mainly focuses on amending your thoughts and conducts.  It does not ask you to tap alms bowls, do sitting meditation, chant sutras, or become a vegetarian.  Why do we prioritize the importance of thoughts?  It is because human beings are the soul of all creatures, and different from animals.  Generally, animals have subconscious and unconscious acts.  However, as human beings, “our cognition guides our conducts, and our thoughts decide our direction”.  Therefore, if you think wrongly, you must conduct wrongly.  As your cognition always affects your behavior, it becomes a must to constantly amend your cognition.  Conclusively, “practice” refers to amending your thoughts and conducts.

 

To practice the An-Hsiang Ch’an, firstly, we must ask ourselves to “pursue a guiltless mind” throughout our whole life.  In order to achieve it, our first step is to start a thorough introspection.  I ask every practitioner to do so.  One practitioner did it and came to see me crying like a baby in front of me, he said, “Master, I realized I was your disciple in my previous life.”  Another one also told me, “Master, I was a tiger in my previous life.  No wonder, I am still so cruel and violent in this life.”  Moreover, someone else also realized that “he was a cow in his previous life” by means of introspection.  Is it possible for everyone to achieve certain results?  No, not really.  It is not easy at all to realize one’s previous life by introspection.  However, at least, you can do it in your current life by self-inspection and self-judging.  Otherwise, you may mistake yourself for a saint, and regard all the others as bastards.  Even you think you are always right and others are forever wrong, you are still unable to enjoy your life.  Though others are wrong, they do not suffer from living.  Yes, you are right, but you do not enjoy your life.  Well, if you can start doing introspection, you will discover that you have done so many evil and shameful things that you dare not tell or share with others.  After that, you will become a little bit more humble.  Furthermore, you will become friendlier and easier to get along with others.  Meanwhile, you can also find the key points and direction for your own practice.  Consequently, I would suggest every practitioner of the An-Hsiang Ch’an to firstly start doing his own introspection.  By doing so, can you remove all your previous misbehaviors?  Yes, you surely can.

 

《Mahaprajnaparamita Upadesha Shastra(大智度論)》states, “when you make mistakes, you need to confess them in front of more than one thousand people”.  By doing so, you can erase both your mistakes and their generated karma.  Well, some people may ironically comment, “Wow, it’s a great deal!  Simply by making a confession in front of a big crowd can offset one’s retribution!”  Well, these people do not realize how overwhelming the effect of the confession can be.  The confession makes people, who originally admire and respect him, change their attitude and start looking down upon him.  Some narrow-minded or less cultivated people would viciously criticize him behind his back.  Sometimes, they would even scold him in his face: “you claimed yourself as son of a bitch, see what have you done? Are you a human being?  How dare you talk in front of me?”

 

Though many complications will come after making a confession publicly, it is fine.  As the “Diamond Sutra” states, “If you can bear to be despised by others, your karmic sins will be removed and you can attain the utmost, right and perfect enlightenment.”  “The utmost, right and perfect enlightenment” refers to attaining Buddhahood.  If being insulted can result in erasing your sins, and being overly abused can help you attain your Buddhahood; frankly speaking, it is not a bad deal.  Consequently, you need to confess and repent your mistakes publicly.  However, it is extremely hard to put it into action.  It is because to find a crowd of 1000 people is not easy at all, even for just 100 people.  Moreover, it will be too difficult to hire a hall for doing it.  However, I have an alternative option; that is to write it down and let it fully expose to light.  It is like playing Ma-jiang(麻將).  After throwing a Ma-jiang dice, you are not allowed to take it back.  Yes, “It’s done after having exposed it to light”.  Identically, you can write down all your misbehaviors, and present it to a respectable senior.  You kneel down to announce your writing in front of a Buddha statue with the respectable senior sitting aside to witness your confession.  When you finish, you should burn it into ashes and afterwards your sins will be completely removed.  Can you verify whether your sins have been removed?  Yes, you can.  If you did it successfully, those misbehaviors will never rise in your mind again, even you try hard to recall them.  Truly, it has its subtle and magical effect!  As you cannot recall it, it has obviously been removed from the field of your eight-consciousness.  When meeting the head of the Underworld for the last verdict, you will not get any punishment due to lack of any records of sins.   Consequently, making repentances is useful.  It shows your determination to pursue a guiltless mind.  It also helps you remove all those bad records from the field of your eight-consciousness.  Only after that, you can be fully in charge of your own life.   

 

 

IX. The most advanced methodology and key of practice [back to the top]

 

Well, is there any most advanced methodology or key of practice?  Yes, there is.  It is the statement of four verses I ever made, “Always be aware of your mind, conscious of your thoughts, free from the burdens of guilt and regret, and lead a life filled with An-Hsiang”.

 

“Awareness” refers to your true self.  When “you are always aware of your mind”, your true self is awakening and present.  Your life becomes auspicious and blessed.  Nevertheless, when the fake self dominates, all the demons will arrive to make your life miserable.  Therefore, you must “always be aware of your mind, and conscious of your thoughts”.  Definitely, you must know what you are thinking about.  There are so many examples in my lectures.  Here is a typical one.  I ask many people who just had a walk for about one hour, “Were you thinking about anything while walking?”  They would answer, “No, nothing”.  In fact, they were thinking about everything, but not conscious of any of them.  These people display a typical sign of “ignorance”.  People with ignorance are normally foolish and ignorant.  Birds of a feather flock together; therefore, ignorant people tend to become animals in their next life due to their foolishness and ignorance.  Consequently, we need to “be conscious of all our thoughts”.

 

Some people said, “Whatever you think is not right.  When doing practice, you should keep your mind free from any thoughts.”  In fact, you are totally wrong, and fail to realize the non-dualistic methodology.  As far as the non-dualistic methodology is concerned, “having thoughts refers to not having thoughts, and vice versa”.  For example, now I am talking, if I say, “I do not have any thoughts in my mind”, you would refute: “Master, you must be kidding!   Languages are the sound of thoughts.  If you do not have any thoughts in your mind, how can you lecture?  When you are lecturing, you must have thoughts in your mind!”  Well, it is my turn to refute, “If I have thoughts in my mind, how can I make your mind free from any thoughts?  Moreover, if I possess the force of assimilation and have thoughts in my mind, I must disturb your mind accordingly.  I was talking, but now I stop; please investigate your mind at the moment to see if it has any thought?  If I stop talking, and your mind becomes free of any thought, it proves that I can make my mind free from any thought when talking.  In other words, having or not having thoughts are identical.  “Non-dualistic methodology” does not refer to anything dualistic; therefore, having thoughts is identical to having no thoughts, and vice versa.  Who can approach the non-dualistic methodology?  People who attain An-Hsiang can comfortably approach the non-dualistic methodology.  You can “always be aware of your mind,” just like now.  You are self-aware, aren’t you?  With regard to “being conscious of your thoughts”, you must know each of your thoughts.  If you have a decent thought in your mind, you must keep working on it.  Otherwise, you must stop it.  When something important rising in your mind, you must make efforts to work it out immediately.  When any inspiration rises, you must keep it in records.  When you keep thinking illusively, you must slap your own face to stop it.

 

A practitioner must be “self-aware”, and “always be self-aware”.  Then, whatever he does will be “free from any guilt and regret”.  Meanwhile, if he can practice these rules: “Never ever do anything shameful”, and “never ever think of anything forbidden”, he is truly living a life that is only filled with responsibilities and obligations.  By doing so, when he dies, he will have nothing to confess in front of the head of the Underworld.  In fact, he will not have any chance to meet Him.  As He lives in the Underworld, but you live in the radiation of the Buddha light like the sun.  Therefore, He surely will not be willing to see you, and even try to avoid you.

 

Afterwards, you can “lead a life filled with An-Hsiang”.  The first three statements, (which are: always be aware of your mind; conscious of your thoughts; free from the burdens of guilt and regret), refer to the cause.  “Cause” is the condition.  And the fourth statement refers to the “effect”.  What is the “effect”?  It is “to lead a life filled with An-Hsiang”.  Namely, An-Hsiang is always in your mind.

 

 

X. The main content and perception of An-Hsiang [back to the top]

 

“An-Hsiang” is not a noun; it has a rich content and various perceptions.  However, throughout the journey of attaining the enlightenment, you should only pursue the perception of An-Hsiang. 

 

You all just sang “the song of An-Hsiang”; its lyrics state, “An-Hsiang is the revelation of the Mahaprajna; An-Hsiang is the realistic realization and the original scenery”.  The “realistic realization” refers to the realization of the truth, and the “original scenery” refers to the scenery of the pure land in the Diamond realm.  The pure land is where An-Hsiang is; a pure mind brings about a pure land.  When “your mind is filled with An-Hsiang”; you are virtually living in the pure land.

 

It is very true that An-Hsiang is the revelation of the Mahaprajna.  What is Mahaprajna?  It is the grand wisdom.  Then, why not to translate it as is?  It is inevitable that people will contrast it with the little wit.  However, it is not only for contrasting with the little wit.  It is the grand wisdom; it has its own content and the content refers to a kind of wisdom that has no content.  It is likened to a piece of blank paper that you can do any writing on it.  It is boundless and endless, and its name is Mahaprajna. 

 

We never aim at knowing only since we started the journey of introspection and practice.  If you can fully practice these four verses, “always be aware of your mind, conscious of your thoughts, free from the burdens of guilt and regret, to lead a life filled with An-Hsiang”, but fail to achieve your Buddhahood, I would be cursed to go down to the hell.  I would assure you that you must be able to achieve your Buddhahood by completely practicing “the four verses”.  Why can I be so sure about it?  It is because all sentient beings are originally Buddhas, but now you are just temporarily lost.

 

 

XI.  Buddha equates to the utmost, right and perfect awareness. [back to the top]

 

What is Buddha?  Buddha refers to “Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi” in Sanskrit; its Chinese translation is “the utmost, right and perfect awareness”.  Briefly speaking, “Buddha is awareness”.  Sentient beings all have perceptions; otherwise, they will not be addressed as beings.  Without having perceptions, nothing can be alive.  Therefore, sentient beings all possess the Buddha nature; namely, they are all perceptive.  Human beings are the soul of all creatures and can attain Buddhahood, but not all beings are like us.  I do not mean that other creatures are unable to achieve Buddhahood; I just mean that they may not be able to achieve it.  Well, how to interpret it?  Though the life of general beings are identical to ours, the structure of their superficial consciousness is incomplete.  Firstly, we have autonomic nerves in our brain, and they can be trained to have motion function.  What is motion function?  It is like learning to ride a bike; people can learn it by practice.  Moreover, it is fun to watch foreigners learn how to steer chopsticks.  Yes, they also can achieve it by practice.  Well, that is the motion function. Besides, human beings can adjust their behaviors based on their previous experiences.  They also possess emotional, rational, and thinking fields in their mind.  However, animals cannot think, nor be rational.  Though they have emotions, their emotions are too weak to be developed into “mercy and compassion”.  Differently, human beings possess all these, and can transform personal love into great passion; can transform their reason into wisdom.  Then, their wisdom enables them to think and make choices.  In order to fulfill their choices, they become determined and persevering while finding a direction for their life.  Consequently, human beings are the soul of all creatures.

 

All beings possess the Buddha nature; however, only human beings can attain the Buddhahood.  We are originally buddhas; therefore, our only job is to get rid of the extra addition.  Comparing with Buddha, we possess not less but more than what He has.  Buddha does not have self-attachment, but we do.  Buddha does not have greed, but we do.  Buddha does not hate others, but we do.  Buddha can be tolerant, but we cannot.  Conclusively, “We have what the Buddha does not have, and vice versa”.  Buddha possesses the grand leniency and compassion, and that makes us different from Him.  His “Four Infinite Minds” – “leniency, compassion, delight, and giving” also makes us different from Him.  The difference is irrelevant to wisdom.  As far as the Buddhist practice is concerned, we aim to learn the Buddha’s methodology, which is the methodology of liberation inherited from all buddhas and bodhisattvas.  To attain our Buddhahood, we must focus on learning the Buddha’s leniency and compassion; namely, the grand love.

 

 

XII.  Human dignity was originated from the formation of a couple. [back to the top]

 

I was joking about a lawsuit in the car.  A mother lodged a custody appeal; therefore, the issue of equal rights between men and women was readdressed.  The issue can be referred to the quotes from the Chinese “Four Books”, “The way of a gentleman was originated from the formation of a couple”.  “Human dignity was originated from the formation of a couple.  Before the formation, neither human dignity nor path of dignity could be found.”  In other words, “Dignity leads a righteous, sacred, and great path.  And the path started from the formation of a couple.”  When I was young, I did not quite understand what they meant.  However, now I realize how sensible they are.  It is nonsense to “fight for men’s or women’s rights”.  People cannot fight for having rights; rights will arrive by their own timing.

 

We have both ladies and gentlemen in our audience now.  If I support men’s rights, I will be to blame by some of you; if I support women’s rights, I will also be to blame by some others of you.  Therefore, I dare not make any comment on this.  Now, I would share historical fact with you.  Your parents are mostly free from this restraint; however, my grandmother and mother both had their feet wrapped to keep small.  Did they have any rights?  No, they did not have any rights, but they had their dignities.  They were well respected and honored by the whole family, and none of their daughter-in-laws dared to disobey their wills.  They had their status and respects, but they did not have any rights.  Why didn’t they have rights?  It is because rights and obligations are relative.  “To make a living means to be productive”, but their little feet made them unable to do any farming work.  Moreover, “people need to fight for survival”.  Unfortunately, they could not join the army.  With their wrapped little feet, they could not even walk properly, how could they join the army to fight?  Consequently, at that time, the issue of men’s and women’s rights did not exist.

　　

Nowadays time is different, and people begin fighting for their own rights.  Why is it so?  It is because not only you but also I both can do farming.  In the developed countries, people use machines for farming, and everyone can learn to steer them.  Moreover, you can join an army to fight, and so can I.  You can fly an airplane, and I can, too.  I am not sure whether the way between husband and wife will change in the future.  If it changes, the earth will be destroyed.

 

I never dare to predict anything, but now I am going to make one: “Whenever a couple or family breaks up, it is the time for human beings to perish.”  I would end my lecture now.