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Crossing the Ocean of Life and Death
- Book 163: Crossing the Ocean of Life and Death
- Chapter 02: The Buddha within the Eight-Petalled Lotus
- Written by Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated and edited by True Buddha Foundation
- Translation Team (Cheng Yew Chung, Satch)
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An individual who was dwelling on the verge of death, a dying person, a man whose wish was to die: I had turned out to be such a person. I did not have the simplest desire to hang on to my life.
I once thought - I, the founder of True Buddha School, with five million disciples and a group of masters who help in propagation; whose Lei Zang Si temples, chapters and dharma centers are simply numerous. I have the Rainbow Villa, the True Buddha Tantric Quarter, the South Mountain Villa, Master Lian-xiang, Lu Foqing, and Lu Foqi. All these deeds of propagation in the Saha world, my family members, the worldly merits and fortunes, and all material possessions will turn to dust when I die. Everything is indeed empty.
Even though I had to face the extreme pain of the disintegration of the four elements, and the splitting headache, I considered myself fortunate in that I was able to remain calm due to the strength gained from my many years of cultivation. I focused my mind on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness:
1. Contemplate on the impurity of the body
2. Contemplate on the suffering of emotions
3. Contemplate on the impermanence of mind
4. Contemplate on the mental phenomena which are devoid of inherent existence
Through these contemplations, I had no fear of death, and I found myself moving leaps and bounds spiritually.
I was well prepared for death and rebirth in the Pure Land. I was determined and diligent in my recitation of the Buddha`s name and mantra, and my focus was solely on the light of the Buddha. The pain of the splitting headache, the weakened physical body, and the approach of death had not beaten me.
I understood death is inevitable in life. I could not give my disciples the last teachings prior to my death, for I was destined to die alone. Such matters are unavoidable. I thanked my master, thanked the Buddha, thanked the Buddhadharma, thanked the sages and sanghas. I was about to abandon my physical body, and enter freely into Parinirvana. I was ready to enter into Samadhi, into Nirvana, just like all the sages of the past who had vowed to save this world.
I would not die an unwilling death. I had absolutely no regrets. No one was aware of my passing, and no one was around to deliberately disturb me. I was able to `well depart` under a normal and tranquil state of mind.
As I drifted in Samadhi, the eight-petalled lotus (my skull) continued to split open. Despite experiencing great pain and fatigue, I had no fear.
A truly enlightened sage stands unafraid in the face of death, for he must have a greater and stronger conviction in keeping the right understanding and view. We must recognize the vastness and infinite scope of space and dharma realm, and recognize that the appearance of human life, and its life span, are extremely limited. Conversely, the life span of the universe, which is measured by billions and trillions of years, extends to infinity.
Every being, regardless of his or her location in any dharma realm, is subjected to death, which will happen. No one is an exception to this condition, for it is a certainty.
It would be ideal if we can stop our entry into Nirvana, but it remains a fact that everyone will die. The Buddha once told us, `Nature itself is a cycle of survival, and the cycle of life and death is a great wheel of reincarnation. Know that all phenomena are impermanent, that all phenomena are devoid of an inherent existence, and that upon entering Nirvana, all will be still. These are the fixed laws of the universe, and therefore they are the truth.`
I am an enlightened being. I know what death is all about. Yet, during those ailing days I had lost all appetite for food, and felt weak and drained. I had no sleep, and my vitality was gone. To most people it would have meant that they were in grave danger, going through what seemed like the darkness of this world while entering into the bardo state of death.
Yet, as the eight-petalled lotus completely blossomed, it revealed a Buddha seated in the center of the lotus, and he was none other than Padmakumara, the Lotus Light Self-Mastery Buddha; Sheng-yen Lu, the Living Buddha Lian-sheng. This Buddha is the very Tantric principal deity that the enlightened World Honored One had referred to, and whom I have relied upon for guidance for many years. This is the true inner light of the wisdom being, and only the presence of this Principal Tathagata can instantly remove the dark state of ignorance surrounding death.
I saw my spiritual body. I saw myself. I saw the Buddha Nature. I was the very being of a Tathagata. It was surprising to notice that the very Spiritual Travel Shoes given by Guan Yin Bodhisattva were being worn on the feet of this Padmakumara Buddha. I was able to witness many bardo states during the state of Samadhi induced by`the opening of the eight-petalled lotus,` which I will reveal in detail through my writing. My version of the opening of the eight-petalled lotus is the Phowa Practice of Tantrayana.
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