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New Revelations from the Buddha King
- Book 120: New Revelations from the Buddha King
- Chapter 14:
Light and Chi Pattern
- Written by Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated by Janny Chow
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A Few Thoughts
It was not until this year, 1996, that I made public that the White Padmakumara is Amitabha! This has brought up a few emotional thoughts in me.
In this world, many people pray to Amitabha and Kuan Yin, and many Buddhists chant the epithet `Namo Amitabha.` But, how many of them truly know the Buddha? How many have the Buddha in their hearts while chanting his name?
Amitabha has incarnated and is standing in front of men; can men recognize him?
I have found that, although people chant the Buddha`s name, they also slander against the Buddha, chase the Buddha away, and even want to kill the Buddha!
Buddhists only know to murmur the name of `Amitabha` in front of the `wooden image` as they pray for rebirth to his Western Pure Land. When the real Amitabha manifests in human flesh in front of them, not only do they not recognize him, they also spit on and curse him.
The same circle of people who are calling out to him are chasing him away. One really does not know whether to laugh or to cry about it.
I have seen the following scene:
Many Buddhists are throwing stones at a Buddha;
I am that Buddha;
I have come to the world;
But, men in the world do not recognize me.
I remember reading the Bible when I was younger:
Jesus has also had many emotional thoughts. He has come from the God Jehovah. He was the Son of God, a salvation bestowed by God to mankind. But, men in the world did not recognize him as such and thought him a schemer. So the priests, the scribes, and the crowd sentenced him to death by nailing him to the cross. Men would rather have Barabbas, the robber, released instead of Jesus. Thus, Jesus died.
But, Jesus said, `When I die, tens of thousands will turn to me!` In other words, only after his death would the men of the world know him.
When I read these passages in the scriptures, I was speechless.
The Great White Padmakumara is Amitabha. It is a pity that the men of the world do not recognize him. People who want to be reborn to his Pure Land are the same people who are rejecting him. I can only say this, `These people are innocent, because they do not know what they are doing!`
The Skill of Analyzing Light and Chi Pattern
In this life, I have learned many different practices including Taoist, exoteric and esoteric Buddhist practices and have acquired expertise in many divination arts, such as the hexagrams. I have gained knowledge into the truths of heavens and earth and can communicate with ghosts and gods. Major and minor events in the future as well as auspicious and calamitous happenings in the past are to me as clear as images in a mirror.
This is:
Prosperity or decline,
Fortune or misfortune,
Life or death;
Such information is available and can be known.
Leisurely I chat away
While the storm rages on;
Ghosts and gods are startled
By what my writings have to reveal;
I am most capable of
Commanding the heavenly troops,
And in finding out the karmic causes and conditions.
Being an expert in the reading of light and chi pattern, I have discovered that, in this world, there exists a terrifying phenomenon - the phenomenon of `spirit attachment.` Many people have spirits attached to their bodies. Their numbers are absolutely not in the minority, nor have I made a mountain out of a molehill. This kind of `spirit attachment` is very common.
Using my `discriminatory awareness,` I can observe `light` and `chi.` In front of my eyes, a person appears, like an illusion, to have a real aspect as well as an illusory aspect. In reality, what is real is not necessarily real, and what is illusory is not necessarily illusory.
This is my analysis:
People assume that the physical world is real. However, in fact, the world of matter is only the surface of everything. It is the nonphysical mind and consciousness that is in real control. The human body is under the control of the mind and the consciousness. The physical body is just a puppet while the mind is the master.
Now, in the situation of spirit attachment, although a person has a mind, his mind is being controlled by another spirit and, as a result, this person is losing control of his own mind. This kind of phenomenon is like having a cart drawn in different directions by two or more independent horses.
This kind of spirit attachment may, in severe cases, result in mental breakdown and, in less severe cases, the development of psychic or physical illnesses or the theft of one`s chi.
The attached spirits are comprised of various kinds of beings: animal spirits, hell-being spirits, wicked ghost spirits, and even beings from the class mentioned in Buddhist sutras as `non-humans.` My `discriminatory awareness` has discerned that this kind of phenomenon is getting more and more serious. It has gotten to be quite difficult to find a person who is in true control of himself.
Some people appear to be normal on the outside but, in their inner worlds, they have unusual personalities. When I look to see what has caused them to develop these unusual personalities, what I have found is `spirit attachment.`
Under the observation of my discriminatory awareness:
The `non-humans` mentioned in Buddhist scriptures refer to ghosts and spirits. This class of beings is quite numerous and their light and chi [energy patterns] are very complicated, displaying many different colors. Since this group of `non-humans` is more powerful than men, it is very easy for them to control the mind and consciousness of people in general. When that happens, the person under the influence will act in accordance with the suggestions of the `non-human.`
What is serious is that these `non-humans` are in possession of quite strong energy, much greater than that of ordinary animal spirits. `Non-humans` are even active in religious communities. Some religious organizations have long been invaded by these `non-humans` who have attached themselves to the leaders of the religious organizations. What this means is that a large, powerful, and growing religious organization may unexpectedly turn out to be controlled by a group of `non-humans.`
We know that:
Spirits attached to `chi-t`ungs` are of lower levels. Some `psychic mediums` or people of `psychic abilities` have lower level spirits attached to their bodies.
What is terrifying is that the `non-humans` mentioned in Buddhist scriptures have all made their appearances. Entering into this period of the `Latter Days of the Laws,` these `non-humans` have appeared to exercise control on spiritual cultivators, causing them to mistake the phenomenon to be a `yogic response,` or causing them to think that they have made certain progress and attained certain transcendental powers. The spiritual cultivators then become arrogant. This kind of situation happens frequently.
In my opinion, if a spiritual cultivator wants to avoid being attached by these spirits, he or she must practice the `eightfold paths` taught by the Buddha. It is here that the radiating brilliance of the `eightfold paths` may best serve us.
1) correct view - the view based on understanding of the four noble truths and the nonindividuality of existence
2) correct thought - thoughts that promote the growth of true wisdom
3) correct speech - pure speech
4) correct conduct - pure conduct
5) correct livelihood - abide in pure body, speech, and mind and avoid what is
karmically unwholesome
6) correct zeal - be diligent in cultivating what is karmically wholesome
7) correct mindfulness - be mindful of the correct path and to avoid devious
thoughts
8) correct concentration - entering into pure meditation
Complex Light and Chi Pattern
Among the modern spiritual cultivators, I have found Supreme Master Ching Hai`s light and chi pattern to be the most complex. I have taken a look at it several times, and it appeared different each time.
This was true with her personal appearance. One moment she was a bhikshuni, one moment she was wearing a white hat and white robe, one moment she was in a conventional attire, and the next moment she was decked out like an aristocratic lady...
The complex source of her identity is reflected by the complex light and chi pattern that she has. When the light and chi pattern changes, the personality also changes, and even the attire then follows suit.
Other people may have found her strange when she dressed herself as a `royal highness,` but I did not, because I knew the Higher Being behind her was the Great Brahma Deva.
In Hinduism, the Brahma Deva is the principal God, the creator of the Universe, and is famous throughout the world.
The Brahma Deva is a god of great pride who also likes to assume many forms. In the Twelve Heavens Repaying Gratitude Sutra, it says, `The Brahma Deva is the chief of devas, the father of various beings. When this deva is happy, there will be peace and stability in the world. At the beginning of the kalpa, when the world was created by the deva and this deva was happy, there was no disorder among the different beings. When this deva is wrathful, there will be unrest, all kinds of illnesses, and even trees and grasses will suffer, and the various beings will feel perplexed as if they were intoxicated.`
Because of his characteristic traits, the Brahma Deva has manifested as God, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, and Allah. The Hindus even claim that the Buddha is one of his manifestations.
The Great Brahma Deva`s light and chi pattern is constantly changing and, when he is subject to changing moods, he assumes various identities.
When I observed the complex light and chi pattern on Supreme Master Ching Hai, I could see them going through such changes. Her different speeches and behaviors are all reflections of the Great Brahma Deva.
Under the influences of the light and chi of the Great Brahma Deva, the students of Supreme Master Ching Hai are becoming intoxicated.
Note: Although, in the above quote, the Great Brahma Deva is referred to as `the father of various beings,` it is recorded in Volume Eight of the Chu Sho Pu-t`ung Chi (A Collection of Different Sayings), `As he has the ability to engender all sentiments, he is called the lord that gives birth to all. In truth, all beings are born out of beginninglessness and not born out of the Brahma Deva. Neither are they born out of the Tathagata, as every single iota of goodness and all wisdom are born out of the Heart of the True Condition.`
The Presence of Black Chi
Among contemporary cultivators, the one who is covered most extensively by the presence of black chi has to be Master Lin Yun. It is ironic that Lin Yun lectures about chi, and yet his body is pervaded entirely with black chi.
Recently when I observed Master Lin Yun, I noticed that even the black chi was withdrawing itself from him. Although his black chi is weaker than before, other kinds of light and chi have not entered into him. His health appears to be quite poor, and it looks as if he has developed some chronic illnesses.
I recognize that the Higher Being behind Lin Yun is the `eldest son of Mahesvara` who is, of course, also a Hindu deity, referred to as the `God of Hindrances` or `Closely Attendant Demon.` His light is black in color, which is why the light on Lin Yun is black.
In the Four Section Dharma, it says, `The eldest son of Mahesvara has a strong desire for women and likes to touch and embrace them. He is often spending his time in the company of various celestial maidens...` The fact that Lin Yun is often surrounded by women is a sign of such yogic response.
Also, Lin Yun has proclaimed his school to be the Black Sect, coinciding with the light color associated with the eldest son of Mahesvara. As I have already discussed Lin Yun in a previous chapter, I will not repeat them here.
One must be cautious and prudent with matters of spirituality and cultivation! This is because:
When morality is high,
Challenges from demonic forces are high,
The key to Zen is quiescence,
Yet from quiescence evil springs forth;
Keep an honest heart,
Walk the middle path,
And let go of delusions and stubborn extremes;
One may keep one`s thoughts silent,
A restless mind that harbors lusts and attachments,
Will ferment anxiety on its own;
Success on devious paths
Brings futile happiness,
It is the correct spot
To which one must eventually return.
How does one know if a path will lead one to the correct spot?
From ancient times to now, these five schools of teachings have been considered to bear the hallmarks of a right path: 1) Absolute Suchness [Bhutatathata], 2) Prajna [Wisdom], 3) Mind Only, 4) Yoga, 5) Non-duality [Madhyamika].
I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu, in this life, have walked on the path of Yoga. On this pathway, one first attains yogic union with the Personal Deity, and then goes on to engender the inherent `Buddha-Nature Personal Deity.`
I have worked very hard and put a great deal of effort and energy on this spiritual pathway:
The Four Preliminaries
Guru Yoga
Personal Deity Yoga
Treasure Vase Breathing
Inner Heat Practice
Light Drops and Non-leakage Practice
Highest Tantra Yoga
Vajra Deity Practice
The Great Perfection
Progression along the above, graduated pathway was absolutely not accomplished in one leap. I let go of my desire for fame and profit, and I bade farewell to egoistic love and lusts. There is this verse:
Desires and lusts are linked by a common thread
That goes through all mortal beings;
Many are on the spiritual path,
Cutting through lusts and desires to reach Zen;
The mind always vigilant and the heart never swerves;
One abides in stainless moon-bright purity;
With no mistakes one progresses and expands,
Becoming the Great Awakened Immortal
At the Great Perfection stage.
Some people think that my claim for spiritual cultivation is merely words. Little do they know that I have invested an entire life`s energy into it. Although the method of my cultivation is mainly Yoga, in reality I have also relied on the Absolute Suchness, Prajna, Mind Only, and Non-duality schools.
My becoming a monk was also motivated by bodhicitta:
It is an extraordinary act
To join the monastic order
And take down the lover`s nest
Built in the past;
With no new relations,
No more disputes,
One realizes both yin and yang
Inside one`s body;
Facing the Buddha
At perfect accomplishment,
One attains Enlightenment
And returns to Ultimate Bliss;
This surpasses being a householder
Trapped in mundane affairs
And having to face
Mountains of karmic suffering
At old age.
The Venerable Master Kuang Ch`in
There was a small episode, an interlude between Ven. Kuang Ch`in and me. Before bringing it up, I would like to first present here a fictional story. Here is the story:
A single young man was staying the night at a desolate and out-of-the-way motel.
At midnight, a young woman knocked at the door.
As a result, an impromptu love affair took place.
Early next morning, when the sun`s first rays appeared, the man touched the woman sleeping next to him and discovered that she had become stiff and that her heart had stopped beating. What horrified him more was that the sheet on the bed was stained with a great patch of blood dripping out of a corner of her mouth.
The man was terrified and at a loss.
After going into the bathroom to splash some cold water on his head, he tried to calm down and think of a way to handle the situation. As he walked back into the bedroom, he was stupefied by what he saw.
The woman was gone from the bed. On the all white bed sheet, there was not a single stain, as if nothing had ever taken place.
So, the man started investigating and came to the following conclusion: inside that room, a young woman had indeed been murdered. She died horribly, with blood all over the sheet. Whenever any single male stayed in that room, she would appear.
In the evening, when driving away from the motel, the man raised his head to look at the window of the room. He saw the same woman looking out from the window at him, her eyes full of the bitterness of a thwarted lover.
The above story is a piece of imaginative writing and it has nothing to do with Venerable Kuang Ch`in. Then why am I bringing it up here? The only reason is that the episode of interlude that happened between Venerable Kuang Ch`in and me was just as unreal.
When Ven. Kuang Ch`in was alive, he once mentioned me in his Dharma teaching, `We spiritual cultivators should at least achieve what Sheng-yen Lu has attained, to be able to know and understand the nature of things clearly and lucidly.` It was Ven. Lian Ti who later recounted it to me.
Ven. Kuang Ch`in said, `True knowing, is true knowing.`
After Ven. Kuang Ch`in passed away, someone gave me a photograph taken of the venerable`s funeral. It showed light from the heaven shining on his coffin.
Someone else gave me a small sculpture of Venerable Kuang Ch`in, and it indeed looked very much like the venerable himself. Now, the problem that arose had to do with this tiny sculpture. After keeping it with me for a while, I noticed by chance that there was a body of light and chi on the tiny sculpture. It appeared as if glimmers of light were coming from the eyes, and the sculpture itself had replicated into two, with the original one sitting there while the new one had transformed into a pulsating body of light and chi that contracted and expanded.
I did not mind that.
One night, I felt that the entire magnetic field in my bedroom had changed. There was such a strong and vibrant presence of energy that I woke up.
There was a `light man` in my bedroom.
I gazed at it and saw that it was the Venerable Kuang Ch`in. The elderly monk greeted me with a single chanting of Amitabha`s epithet.
`So you have come?` I asked.
`Have never come, have never gone, nothing has ever happened!` (Venerable Kuang Ch`in`s reply to me was also his last words before he died.)
`I have many things to do!`
`Still, nothing has ever happened!` The elderly monk repeated his favorite saying.
`How is that?` I asked.
`Chant Amitabha`s name honestly with one`s heart!` Another favorite saying of the elderly monk.
I noticed that the light on Venerable Kuang Ch`in`s body was flowing and radiating outward all around him, illuminating the whole room even though no light was on.
`It`s entering into the Flow,` I said.
`That is exactly the case,` he replied.
I then noticed that the venerable`s body in the light was practically a vacuum. Inside the body`s outline was a mass of clear brightness instead of flesh and blood. It suddenly dawned on me and I said, `The Self-Nature is inherently bright and clear.`
The venerable replied, `That is exactly the case.`
I said again, `So, you are not coming back to the samsara?`
`Why be so sentimental!`
`Are you coming back then?` I pressed him again.
`I will be born again in the company of a Buddha,` he answered.
I blinked my eyes, and the `light man` slowly diminished in intensity until there was only a dot of light before it completely disappeared. The entire room dimmed and returned to its original condition.
This episode was similar to having a dream and it lasted only a few minutes. I gave my skull a light tap. It seemed so unreal that if I were to tell others about it, it would only bring sneers, and if I were to insist on it, it would only make others suspicious of my sanity.
Later I fell asleep again.
The next morning after I woke up, I looked at the sculpture. Its light and chi had vanished. I gave some thought to the interesting conversation between Venerable Kuang Ch`in and me.
`Entering into the Flow` - This is entering into the Flow of Consciousness of the Universe, the Stream of Holy Living. It is a realization of the fruition of `Srota-apanna` through actual practice.
`The Self-Nature is Inherently Bright and Clear` - This refers to the Inherent Purity, Original Face, and Inherent Nature. It is a realization of the fruition of `Sakrdagamin.`
`Why be so sentimental!` - This reply from the Venerable seemed a little difficult to explain. He had used the term `popomama` which could be interpreted as being womanishly fussy or sentimental. In thinking the episode over, I realized that he had actually said `tuotuolala` which would have given it a whole new meaning: `Why drag on!` To `not drag on` is to `not return,` signifying the realization of the fruition of `Anagamin.`
`Be born in the company of a Buddha` - Generally, holy beings who have entered into the quiescent state of nirvana would return to samsara only when a Buddha is born into the world. It is a trait of Arhats to emerge during such times from the inherent emptiness of Self-Nature to help again with the dissemination of Buddhism.
I finally understood.
Venerable Kuang Ch`in, you have entered into the Realm of the Four Holy Beings!
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