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- By Grandmaster Sheng Yen Lu
- Translated by: Liu Run Qing and Cui Gang
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Preface - How is the book different and supreme from others
Many of my disciples told me that I am a man of great achievements
with more than one hundred books published, however it is very difficult
to have an overall picture of the thoughts of Living Buddha Liansheng,
a grand master of the present age. If a beginning practitioner wants
to know the most essential characteristic of my thoughts, which
book should he begin with? This is also a difficult question for
me to answer. Everyone of the one hundred and six books by me, in
fact, has its own characteristics. To get a really complete knowledge
of my thoughts, one has to read all of them. Because I once said
the following:
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Life of writing - I have been keeping writing an article
each day for several decades without interruption except for
a few very special occasions. Therefore, my thoughts are coherent
in my writings and make a smooth reading.
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The great pratyaya since previous existence - My religious
career began from Christianity, then turned to Taoism and came
to Buddhism in the end. This process has also been described
in my writings. At the time when I was writing Talks on Miracle
of Foresight, I had traveled around the Land of Ultimate Bliss(Western
Paradise-Sukhavati)and got to know my root since previous existence.
As a result, all my writings have been proved by Tathagata and
other Buddhas without a single wild talk.
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The incisiveness of thoughts - I admit that everyone
thought will develop from the naive to the mature and my writings
are no exception. All my thoughts were expressed by my writings
without reservation, and the development of thoughts is, therefore,
inevitable. There certainly exist some differences between my
writings around twenty and those around fifty.
However, the differences lie more in greater depths and scope,
which enables the readers to appreciate their incisiveness and
uniqueness, and moreover the readers are sure to understand
the consistency among them
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The responses of actual practice - In many of my writings,
the point I advocate most is actual practice, which is the key
to the Buddhist Dharma. Accordingly, I explained not only theories
but also the actual practising methods in my writings, with
an endeavor to get every reader capable of following them. Compared
with others, my explanations of practising methods are much
more to the point, accurate and distillated.
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Plenty of actual realizations - In my life from the
beginning of learning Buddhism to the time of great realizations,
I have done anything but impudent pretending. These one hundred
and six books, which cannot be written by any impostor, provide
the best proof for my earnest step-by-step practice. I have
been practising with great honesty. The actual realizations
of various realms are large in number, which is without parallel
either in the past or the future.
Anyone who wants to practise Esoteric Buddhism is advised to
read through all the one hundred and six books and after that
he is certain to know the truth of my words. In this one hundred
and seventh book, which is entitled “A Collection of Treasure
Remarks” with a subtitle “Vajra Sayings Leading To
Enlightenment”, what I want to write are the following:
The pre-eminent wisdom;
The True Thusness;
The right, perfect enlightenment;
The earnest realization;
The highest stage of Buddhahood;
The oozing of Buddhist nature;
The Oneness; ...
Those are the characteristics of the book A Collection of Treasure
Remarks. I realized that it is very difficult to write this book,
since the people in the world, with much attachment, have different
roots, causes and karmic relationships. Only if my Vajra Dharma
words have attaining power, may they be published. Therefore the
present book is not an ordinary book.
I set up a principle to follow in order to make the book full of
Vajra Dharma words with attaining power, namely, the Vajra Dharma
words should have the following six characteristics:
1. Eternal brightness;
2. Highest wisdom;
3. Liberation from trouble;
4. Everlasting bliss(Mahasukha);
5. Majesty and splendour;
6. Conversion of sentient beings in this world.
I want to describe fully my many years practice and actual realizations,
with particular references to the study of various sutras, concentrated
mediation and all kinds of attaining power. These Vajra Dharma words
are not for preaching, but they are the true revelation of my internal
thoughts (just like that of Tathagata s heart of great compassion),
characterized by complete expression without reservation whatsoever.
This book has great transferring and reinforcing power, and consequently
it is very practical and important.
Oct. 1993
Master Sheng-yen Lu
17102 NE 40th Ct.
Redmond, WA 98052
USA
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