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- Book 45 - The Art of Meditation
- By Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated by Liu Runqing
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Chapter 5 - The Active Original Spirit
Many people have asked me: "What is invocation?" "What
is the relationship between invocation and meditation?" I offer
the following explanation:
At first, my change from a believer in Christianity to Buddhism
started with "the invocation of spirits". I had never
formally practiced invocation, but when I knelt down the first time,
I felt a movement of the spirits; in the twinkling of an eye, I
received responses and understood what it was all about.
Spiritual invocation is a body-training method of the Taoist Dan
Ding Sect, headed by the Golden Mother of the Yaochi Pond. The Golden
Mother was one of the Five Reverends in Taoism which include: Mr.
Dung Hua-di in the East (God of Wood), the Golden Mother of the
Yaochi Pond in the West, the God of Fire in the South, the God of
Water in the North, and Huang Lao in the Center. The Golden Mother
of the Yaochi Pond was instructed by Mr. Dung Hua-di, who learned
it from the eminent priest, Xuan Xuan.
At first, the Golden Mother was teaching the body-training in Hua
Lian; that was the beginning of invocation. As soon as I learned
it, I begged instructions from her, who gave me the permission to
spread it so that every practitioner, on account of their first
invocation, attains some initial responses. In this way, many people
will be shown into the Dharma gate for the Ling Xian Sect. (True
Buddha School). So this body-training method is very popular at
the moment. Many temples and monasteries practice it to encourage
the first awakening of aspiration for Bodhi.
The present writer is aware that, because many people did see gods
and ghosts during invocation sessions, they abandoned all attachments
in the mundane world, and made up their minds to leave home for
spiritual cultivation. The method is still widely used only for
the first awakening of aspiration for Bodhi at the elementary stage.
The "movement' during invocation is caused by the "air
stream". The "air stream" whirls around the practitioner,
causing him to shake or jerk. In a session for spiritual movement,
one sits patiently with his eyes fixed on the tip of the nose, hands
on the chest, while chanting the name of "Golden Mother of
the Yaochi Pond". If the mind can slowly and gently go into
tranquility, after some time, an outside force will suddenly enter
the body. (When the air stream of the gods goes into the practitioner's
body, his own power and the outside power become one, making the
original spirit active. At this point, the air stream appears to
cause his body to move, resulting in "spiritual movement".)
As far as I know, "spiritual motion" has the following
advantages:
First, the body-training method was originally designed to keep
one healthy and strong. Some people are too weak or suffer from
chronic diseases. The "spiritual motion" from invocation
sessions sets the body to exercising, thus curing the disease.
This exercise is still used today, which is called "external
cinnabar" method. (Cinnabar is what Taoists use in preparing
Chinese medicine.) The "external cinnabar method became a
popular practice after the invocation of spirits was introduced.
Second, invocation of spirits can help you to overcome "daze
and distraction". "Daze and distraction" can be
a serious hindrance in meditation. Distraction means too many
distracting thoughts that flash across your mind. Daze comes from
the fact that your original spirit is not active, clean or clear
because it is insensitive and apathetic. Generally, when the original
spirit is befuddled, it is because the "Pure Yin" dominates.
If you feel sleepy in your mediation, it is a state of daze; when
this happens, your breathing is not real meditative breathing,
but that of ordinary people. So if you are in a state of "daze
and distraction", it is better to ivoke the spirits to wake
you up. In this, "external cinnabar" comes before "internal
cinnabar", since ivocation of spirits can cure your "daze
and distraction".
Thirdly, during invocation, if you carefully analyze the frequency
of the responses, you can attain spiritual powers.This is to discover,
by careful distinction, how frequently the air stream goes into
your body. When "your own thinking" unites with the
"god's thinking", you can get "knowledge of the
most delicate". That is, when the Universe and man become
one, he knows all about the past and the future.
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