Buddhist Meditation
Systematic and Practical
CW35
Introduction
A Talk by the Buddhist Yogi
C. M. CHEN
Written Down by
REVEREND B. KANTIPALO
First Published in 1967
NAMO TASSA BHAGAVATO
ARAHATO SAMMASAMBHUDDHASSA
Introduction
The
sun shone down brilliantly upon the town of
Kalimpong
and seemed by its shining to
approve the project that day begun. For this was also concerned with
illumination. That is, a book not merely upon the theories of meditation, of
which there are many already, but written on the practice of Buddhist Sadhana.
This is indeed an aspect covered much less thoroughly. In this book, the words
of our Buddhist Yogi, Chien-Ming Chen, have first been
noted down and particular care taken to preserve something of his original
expressions and peculiar style. So that nothing is missed, two persons have met
him every week, one listened, that is Venerable Sanghrakshita Sthavira, and
another recorded, and that is the writer. The next day, the subject still being
fresh in the mind, these notes were converted into a rough draft which then was
given to the Ven. Sthavira for his comments. After revising as he suggested
they were typed and then taken along to the next meeting with Mr. Chen. He read
them carefully adding or deleting material where necessary, resulting in a
final manuscript which is certainly well-checked and, we hope, an accurate
presentation of the Buddha's Teachings and Mr. Chen's practical experience of
these.
And
now, having told the reader something about the origin of this book, let us in
mind go back to that first meeting, not indeed the first between the
cooperators producing this but first specifically concerning this work. To find
Mr. Chen might be difficult enough unless one knew the way. Not that he lives
now in some remote mountain cave or inaccessible hermitage, but because the
crowded, narrow and rather steep streets of Kalimpong diving from one level to
another would confuse most in their search. To reach our Yogi one descends
these streets to lower and lower levels and passing through a crowded
neighborhood predominantly inhabited by poor Tibetans, one comes to a row of
prayer flags. In front of his hermitage is a large farm of the Agriculture
Department which presents a beautiful landscape from his south window. As he
says, poems already made by nature when viewed from this window have inspired
him many times.
When
he arrived here, before the influx of Tibetan refugees into Kalimpong, his
house was quite isolated and from the lower ground of the farm grew up to the
height of his window five trees used as a Bodhi-tree substitute in
China
. Those
were foreseen by our Yogi in the light of his concentration, before he came to
Kalimpong. Moreover, they were exactly the height of the Buddha, that is,
sixteen feet according to Chinese belief. They were more than an auspicious
sign for him; their deep meaning being that just as the Panca Tathagata emanate
from Vajrasattva, so these five Buddha-symbols stood below his hermitage.
Therefore he composed the following poem:
Half straggling town-end, half extensive farm:
Between, a hermitage we see appear.
Who ranged five trees below of Buddha's height?
I come, yet no new work awaits me here!
And
so the hermitage, so favorably situated, was called by our Yogi, "The Five
Leguminous Tree Hermitage." These trees have now suffered the destroying
hand of man but in their place five bamboo poles fly their printed flags of
prayers. Now we are there, a few steps climbed, a back door gently tapped and
there is Mr. Chen, his face round and smiling, welcoming us courteously with
little bows. He motions us to sit in a small room, one of the two which he
rents, and kindly provides us with a little refreshment before his talk begins.
On
this first occasion, it was decided that an outline of his biography would be a
good introduction to his explanation of practice and realization. At five o'clock
we began, the sounds of a Tibetan Bhikshu's puja in a nearby house drift in
through the window, a drum beaten, a voice lowly chanting…
Let Mr. Chen
introduce his own life story:
Autobiography
is based on the "I," but in practice no "I" is found, so
why should we deal with it? All that we can talk about is a certain mass
passing through a period of time and being constantly identified as the same
person. Though I have practiced meditation for more than twenty years, still no
"I" has been discovered; while on the other hand voidness does not
mean nothing. I dare not say that although I have lived in Kalimpong that any "I"
has lived here and experienced all that time, for all is changing from minute
to minute. Even the space of Kalimpong occupied never is the same, as our globe
is always moving. I dare not say that I have been a hermit for so long since
impermanence applies both to subject and object. It is really impossible to
talk definitely of either.
But
one lives from day to day and traces remain; life is just a continuous mass of
traces with nothing that can be held to either by you or by me. But just as the
Bodhisattva went to Vimalakirti and there was nothing to talk on but you have
come so far and all this is at command. Under such a glorified condition of
you, how could I keep in silence?
In
the Tibetan tradition, biographies are divided into four parts and as our time
is limited, I shall try to compress an outline of everything under these four
headings: Outward, Inward, Secret, and Most Secret.
Mr.
Chen smiled and got up from his little wicker stool to take some letters handed
by a young postman through the open window. He had helped the young man, a new
neighbor of his, with some money and cooking utensils. Now, leaving his letters
till later, Mr. Chen sat down and resumed his tale:
A.
Outward Biography
The
outward biography concerns family, renunciation, and impermanence and about
these I shall give a brief sketch not because it is about "I" but
from gratitude, as a blessing of the Buddhas that I was born in such
circumstances.
Before
my birth, my mother during both day and night saw before her inner eye a large
sun shining in her throat; but when a doctor was consulted, this symptom was
not traced to any known disease and indeed my mother was perfectly healthy. The
young Chen was born covered by an unbroken placenta and so undefiled by the
mother's blood. Nor did he cry at birth as most children do. My mother noticed
in my forehead a depression between or a little above the eyes—an evil omen
according to worldly astrology standards but favorable sign for Bodhisattva.
After giving birth, my mother developed two extra breasts and I took milk from
all four. My father joked with her that she was just like an old sow.
There
were eight in the family, four girls and four boys, and I was the fourth. Even
while I was young most of my brothers and sisters died and for them my mother
was often crying. One day, a blind, wandering fortune-teller told my mother I
too should have a short life and I overheard him saying that although I was the
last son yet I should die early. Seeing so much death and hearing this made me
fear it very much. My mother loved me deeply because she had lost so many of
her children and feared to see me die as well and still there were other
troubles in our family. My father not only took a second wife but was always
running after the wives of others. On women and drinking he spent the family's
money.
For
these reasons I had two fears, death and poverty. So while I was young, I saw
that the world was very painful and remember once after one of my parents'
frequent quarrels, that my father brought out a knife threatening to kill my
mother.
Seeing
so much suffering in my youth, these words now came from a heart knowing well
the universality of Duhkha and tears were in our Yogi 's eyes.
During
my young days I had the duty of looking after my old grandfather. He had a shop
and very early in the morning I would get up and go some distance to open it.
He became very fond of me because of my diligence but as he grew older
practically everything had to be done for him when he became nearly blind, even
to putting the lighted charcoal in his pipe. The old man was always coughing
and spitting for he had severe consumption and, when I was ten, he died from
this.
As
a young prince, the Buddha-to-be saw the four great sights in the city outside
his home, but I saw three of them inside my own house. The fourth, a Bhikshu, I
did not see at that time. I had no need to read the Hinayana books to be
convinced of the first Noble Truth of Duhkha; it was my own early experience.
But I could not give up the world in any case as I had still to care for my
parents, for there was no one else to look after them.
B.
Inward Biography
Here
should begin the account of my inward biography dealing with the mental training
I received under the various teachers who guided me.
At
that time there were no regular schools organized in
China
but fortunately a rich man
lived locally who could afford to employ a teacher well-versed in the Confucian
books. I was able to study with him and since my memory was very flourishing
then, I was always placed first out of ten boys. We finished our study of four
classics and afterward I went to the new primary school opened in the town by
the government. While this school taught the usual range of subjects, young
Chen liked the study and recited with a teacher by the name of Mr. Lu Bo Wen,
poems of ancient Luo Hong Xian. He was a young man who had risen to great
official eminence through the ancient system of examinations in the Empire to become
the Chief Minister. After he had attained this he found his position unhappy
and wished only to renounce it together with fame and power, and go to live as
a hermit in the mountains. This he did, and his poems, teaching a mixture of
Taoism and Buddhism with much of his renunciation, were well known and much
appreciated.
I
wished very much to renounce everything and follow his example, but how could
I? My mind was stirred, too, by masters at school, who said I was clever but
weak and would die soon. But I was only eleven at that time and did not want to
die so early. I studied very hard, sometimes getting up in the middle of the
night to begin, and to overcome my sleepiness, I would smoke a village "cigarette"
to wake me up. (But I did not take it up as a habit). In this way I was always
first in the school.
After
attending the Primary and High Schools, I went for six years to the Normal
School in
Changsha
, the capital of
Hunan
. Since I had the
desire to learn everything, there was little I did not put my hands to, even to
playing the piano. No lights were available in my room and so for long hours
during the middle of night I would study in the only place where one was
continually burning (the latrines). This tolled upon my health and though my
father said I should rest, I continued to work hard. I was able in this way to
graduate well and obtain a post as teacher in the High School.
A
meeting of the provincial educational committee was called in order to select a
secretary. There were 72 districts in the province and each sent two
candidates, thus 144 altogether competed for the job; but I had the good
fortune to succeed. The committee had the responsibility for maintaining the
provincial library and museum. The library here was very extensive and I had
the chance to read widely and to my liking were the Taoist authors. They
promised many different ways of prolonging life, and the hope for which
attracted me greatly.
The
puja-drum outside had ceased its rhythmic beat; perhaps the Bhikshu was taking a
draught of well-earned tea. Mr. Chen also paused before continuing while other
sounds of his crowded neighbors, the cries of babies, the shouts of women and
children, sharply punctuated the quietness of his hermitage. Mr. Chen has
himself said that once he was in
Shanghai
and attended a theatrical performance by the well known artist Dr. Mei Lan
Fang. While it was in progress he got a deep concentration, much better than he
had obtained living in a cave. Although he has some neighbors living close to
him their voices give him no trouble…. It is surely only one very well-practiced in meditation who
can ignore all these.
When
I had read a good many Taoist books, I went one day to one of their Divine
Altars. The diviner in charge predicted that besides the mere attainment of
long life, I should become immortal if I practiced their teachings. This was a
turning point in my life, when my mind became less concerned with worldly
things.
The
library also contained the works of Venerable Tai Xu, the vigorous reformer of
Chinese Buddhism and his works I read enthusiastically while knowing but little
of the real meaning of Buddhism. Ven. Tai Xu's writings were easy for the young
and educated man to read as they contained a blend of the modern scientific
approach with ancient wisdom.
In
the
province
of
Hunan
at that time there was no lay
Buddhist organization and progressively minded Upasakas desired very much that
Ven. Tai Xu come to assist them in forming an association and give them also
the benefits of his learning in lectures and advice. They urged me to write on
their behalf to invite the Venerable one, but I did not want to do this since I
knew little Buddhism. They persuaded me, however, and hesitatingly I wrote. It
seems the Venerable teacher liked my letter and in his reply he gave me a
Buddhist name—Fa Jian (Dharma-hero, Sovereign of the Dharma). He did me a great
honor by presenting two scrolls in his calligraphy of Buddhist teaching and
said that I should become his disciple. I was really converted to Buddhism by
him when he came to our town a month or two later. I was privileged to work
under him in the new
Buddhist
College
of which he was
the founder.
Mr.
Chen has very kindly amplified a portion of his life at this stage by sending a
letter in which he says:
During
the period of my conversion, I began by studying the Avatamsaka Sutra. I was
especially interested in the chapter of that Sutra on pure conduct. This
chapter sets forth how daily life should be well accompanied by the Bodhicitta
(Wisdom & Mercy heart). To give two illustrations: when we walk we should
think of the sentient beings all walking on the great path of Buddhism; when we
sit we should wish that all sentient beings are sitting on the Vajrasana
(Diamond Seat) as well as Lord Buddha and so all attaining final enlightenment.
In this way almost every action of our daily life is well accompanied by the
Bodhicitta for the sentient beings.
Once
I had to print a certain book, and with a concentrated mind I wrote out the
whole of this chapter in good and vigorous style so that many copies might be
made for presentation to others. Since then I myself have always used and
followed these same Gathas in my own life, well preserving the precepts of the
Bodhicitta and constantly accompanied by the Bodhicitta itself. As a result of
this I never cheated a person, even a little boy. In my dreams I was praised by
a demon of disease, when I was cured of ringworm. He said that they feared me
because I never cheated my own mind.
To
return to Mr. Chen in his little room. He said at this time: In spite of my
studies I was still wandering between Taoism and Buddhism. I thought that the
Hinayana was very good; but it could not prolong my life and though I had taken
the Buddhist Refuge (Sarana), I really broke these when I met a Taoist Guru Li
Long Tian, who I knew would give me instructions on how to lengthen my life.
This teacher had a face like a little boy, although he was very old, he had
taken no food for twenty years. I could not believe this when I was told; but
after living with him for a few days, I saw for myself that it was true. He
gave instructions which I practiced and from them obtained good results.
After
Ven. Tai Xu's visit, the Buddhist Association in our capital became very
flourishing. A temple was constructed for the laymen where the
Pure
Land
tradition was followed. It was here that I read the Qi Sha edition of the
Tripitaka. At that time I knew only the Hinayana and Mahayana and my practice
was to take only a vegetable diet while living apart from my wife.
Mr.
Chen here described how the old tradition of Vajrayana in
China
, which
had flourished in the Tang Dynasty, had quickly died out since knowledge of it
was restricted by imperial order. He then went on to say that the present traditions
of Vajrayana in
China
are all derived from Tibetan sources. After this brief explanation, Mr. Chen
was kind enough to tell us something about his Vajrayana Gurus:
While
I was working as secretary and teacher of the Middle school, I met a teacher of
the Gelugpa tradition, Gelu Rinpoche. His teaching in accordance with his
spiritual succession laid great emphasis upon Vinaya-observance and the four
foundations of practice. Since I could not accomplish these while living
amongst my family, I went to live in the shrine of my teacher's temple. In the
course of two or three years, I managed to complete the first three
foundations. That is, I finished ten myriad prostrations, I went for Refuge ten
myriad times, made ten myriad repetitions of the hundred-syllable-mantra of
Vajrasattva as a confession of evil. To do all this I used to get up at three o'clock
in the morning and practice until nine when it was time for me to teach. The
fourth foundation of practice I did not have time to complete in that place for
it involves the offering of the Mandala also ten myriad times. In that temple I
only managed one myriad Mandala-offerings and am still engaged in finishing
this practice. (Of course, even when these practices are not yet complete it is
usual to take up others more advanced in nature as Mr. Chen has done.) Because
of the good foundations then established, there have been no obstacles for my
practice later.
My
teacher had heard of a great Hermit-Guru living in Jiang Xi province who
followed the teachings of the ancient ones (Nyingmapa). The hermit's name was
Lola Hutuktu who, despite an official position in the Tibetan government, lived
the solitary life. When Gelu-Guru went to visit him, this hermit understood
that although he seemed humble enough, pride was strong in his mind for he had
many disciples in different parts of
China
. I thought he imparted some
teachings to Gelu Rinpoche. The latter, on his return, kept silent and would
not pass on to us what he had received.
Seeing
that I could not get further instructions from my father Gelugpa Guru, I
decided to go and find Lola Hutuktu myself. This I did in spite of family
difficulties. After I had left, taking with me a little money, my wife came
weeping to my Gelu Guru telling him of lack of money in the family but I felt
worldly considerations of this sort must be put aside for the time being and
that it was most important to get teaching from Ven. Lola. While I was with
him, he gave me many instructions for the practice of meditation including the
Atiyoga doctrines of Mahamudra and the Great Perfection. He could commonly tell
events in the future and predicted that I would have a daughter, telling me
also to live with my wife and take meat. He instructed as well that I should
study Chan because its realization went very deep.
When I came back from the hermitage of Lola
Hutuktu, I was doubtful on the point of how causation might also be void and
how evil action contains also the truth of voidness. I took advantage of three
holidays during the school's spring vacation. For three days I confined myself
in a room of my school, fasting for this time and also keeping my excrement in
the room. I just meditated upon the Truth. On the morning of the third day, I
suddenly saw the Iron Pagoda in
South India
.
(The Siddha Nagarjuna took out from the iron pagoda, the abode of Vajrasattva,
the texts of Mahavairocana Sutra and Vajrasekhara Sutra, and received
instructions from him.) And at the same moment I determined that the Truth is that
"all is this, no else talk." Since then I have had no doubts upon the
Truth. So this is a little attainment of Right View (Samyak Drsti).
Altogether I have had four kinds of Gurus of which the first is called the outward. Examples
of outward Gurus are my Confucian and Taoist instructors. Secondly, I have had
many inward Gurus teaching exoteric doctrines, the first of these being the
Ven. Tai Xu. With others I read the four different editions of the Tripitaka
concentrating on the Mahayana works. Even when I first read the Diamond Sutra,
I understood its meaning having an insight into unity of the opposites. Many of
these Mahayana and Vajrayana Gurus were seen by me in dreams and meditations;
such are predestined teachers linked to the pupil. In total I have had
thirty-seven Buddhist Gurus but space does not permit me to describe them more,
either their characters or their doctrines.
Mr. Chen looked up as he said this,
appearing to be a little thoughtful. Now, he said, we come on to the third type
of Guru who gives one instruction in meditation and in dreams. They are called
secret or unworldly Gurus; for instance, Mahakala has given me many
instructions.
Fourthly, there is the Guru of the
Dharmakaya, which is the wisdom of non-Guru. This Guru is not a personality,
but out from it I have obtained many teachings. Our Yogi got up from his seat
and went to a glass-fronted cupboard which was packed with books. Taking out a
good pile of books, he brought them for us to see. In all there were twenty-two
volumes, each page covered with closely written Chinese characters. They are
examples of what the Tibetans call "Mind-Treasure," (Dutun) that is
newly discovered spiritual instructions. They contain teachings on a wide
variety of subjects among which may be mentioned, Mudra, Yantra, exercises for
opening Cakras, Nadis, etc., and sometimes practices are given for maintaining
bodily health, as well as Charms. These latter ones, Mr. Chen says, he has
never imparted to others.
Our Yogi then told us about two of the
teachings received in this way. The first concerned the initiation into
meditation of the goddess Ekajata which he had received but without being given
the necessary Mudra. This was not described in any text, but was perceived by
him in meditation. He then demonstrated it to Bhadanta Sangharaksita who was
also empowered to practice this Sadhana. The other Mudra he showed on this
occasion is one of great use in modern travel, known as the White Umbrella sign
associated with the guardian deity Sitatapatra Aparajita. It has been used
successfully by Mr. Chen to ensure safe air passage.
C. Secret Biography
The first two sections of this biography are now complete and we
come to the third division called "secret" where inspirations
concerning practical renunciation are the most important points, and it is
necessary to understand that we must get perfect renunciation and that our
desire to practice must always be strong. I will give an example of this. When
I was a teacher during the long summer vacation, I was able to practice for two
months as a hermit and again for one month during the winter holidays. This I
did for many years. When the time came to return to school I always wept for
during my work at school there was little time for meditation. And yet I knew
that I must earn money to support my aged parents and my family. So what could
I do? We have many lives and therefore many parents and we should try to save
them all, but in this life due to bad actions in the past I was not able to
free myself from my family. Many times I tried to give up family life and be
like the great Tibetan solitary Milarepa but there was nobody to support
mother, father and family. Again I wanted very often to be a Bhikshu but could
not leave home due to worldly obligations.
At one time when I was half awake, the Dakini
of Heruka came to me and said, "Go to Si Chuan." And so I went there
to get detailed teachings of the Vajrayana. I could only go if there was some
source of income so it was fortunate that I got a chance just on the date after
I heard the Dakini's command. A secretary of Central Government due to the war
was evacuated there. I was promised to fill up in it. When I arrived there, he
was absent for seven days. I was without money, so I used this opportunity for
solitary meditation. While I meditated, the five sisters, emanations of the
Buddha Amitayus, told me to go to Xi Kang but without support how could I go?
When my superior returned, I asked him if he would help me, and generously he
gave me about 200 Yuan in Chinese money. With this I set out for Xi Kang where
on the snow mountain I received instruction from the famous Ganga Guru. I
stayed with him practicing his teachings constantly until my money ran out, in
all one hundred days. In a dream experienced in this place Karmapa Rinpoche
appeared to me and commanded me to come to him, but for this I would have tried
to go to Dege. For funds my guardian deity Wei Tuo, in
Tibet
identified with Vajrapani, who will be the last of a thousand Buddhas to appear
in this auspicious aeon, promised me four myriad Chinese dollars. (Mr. Chen
laughed heartily at the memory saying): What and where could I do with so much
money? When I left there, I counted the income and goods; the expenses were
equal to such a sum. I should gratefully give thanks to him. Whenever I got
almsgiving, he would appear on a bank note which had been received. Before I
arrived at Dege I had a vision one night of Khyentse Rinpoche who was the
teacher of young Karmapa, the king of Dharma, and I knew at once that he was an
emanation of Mahakala. When we met later in Dege I told him that I knew of his
spiritual eminence and, rather surprised, he admitted that he was practicing in
the meditation of Mahakala. He asked me how I knew and after I had told him, he
was very pleased and said I was truly his disciple. Ven. Khyentse instructed
many other Rinpoches but he gave to me many special teachings, other than what
he imparted to them.
Before I finished this section of my life,
I should like to make clear that it was necessary for me to go to Xi Kang to
obtain the secret doctrines of the third initiation (dbang) which is not
completely available in
China
.
By this, one is empowered to practice the Tantras requiring the participation
of a female consort. These Yogas have certainly been practiced by me both with
my own wife and with other consorts. But I have not gone into detail of them
out of respect for the position of the two Bhikshus present. Bhikshus being
celibate members of the Sangha only practice the third initiation of the
Tantras, if at all, as interior practice, never of course using an external
consort.
From this period I gathered numerous
empowerments and other instructions from seven different schools of the Tantra
in
Tibet
:
Gelugpa, Nyingmapa, Kargyupa, Shangpa, Jonangpa (Kalacakra), Drukpa (Kargyupa
branch) and Sakyapa. The practices have their corresponding texts which may
only be read and learned by those empowered for the meditation which they
described. Naturally such books are never published, as their contents are only
meaningful after the proper instruction has been given.
It is also worth noting that many of the
teachers, of whom I was a pupil, were not famous or those with established
reputations (though some were). The majority were little known, and often
living in remote wild places with very few disciples, if any at all. Some were
not Tulkus (Emanate Lamas) but might by their own efforts in this life found a
spiritual line. Very often the deepest teachings are found among such sorts of
Gurus.
After staying in seclusion for this period,
my Gurus asked me to return to my own province to rescue my family from the
Second World War. So I went, after I settled my family in a safe country, I
lived in a cave for two years just before I came to
India
. Before I returned, I met my
friend Garma C. C. Chang, who asked me what we should do, and I told him, "Go
to
India
."
But he said, "Why go there? Buddhism is finished in
India
." "Although
Buddhism has gone, still the holy places are there," I replied. I foretold
that he and I would go, and it turned out that in spite of his disbelief, he
did go to
India
on some government work. A rich patron of mine, Mr. Huang, wished to go to
India
on a
pilgrimage and suggested that we should go together. This we did in 1947,
myself, aided by the generous Mr. Huang, made the pilgrimage to all the holy
places. My kind patron returned when all this was completed, but I stayed to
meditate for at least one week in each place to find out what would be a most
suitable place for my practice. Finally Mr. Chang helped me to stay in
India
and so I
came to this hermitage in Kalimpong.
D. Most Secret Biography
This fourth section of biography, entitled "Most Secret,"
deals with Realization. Under this we may consider certain divisions which are
very broadly related to the three Yanas of Buddhism.
a) The Attainment of Cause
In this section, renunciation is most
important, a fact repeatedly taught in the Hinayana. In my life, there have
been many times when I have practiced this; to give a few examples. Many times
have I been tempted by higher positions and more money, as when I was secretary
to the Educational Committee of Hunan province there was the chance of a good
post as professor of classical Chinese with many students and much money but I
renounced this. During my practice of the four foundations of Tantra, a post as
secretary to a high government official was offered to me but for this I should
have to be constantly on duty near the office telephone, and so I could not
sleep and practice in the shrine. This offer I therefore declined. Again, Ven.
Tai Xu said that I must go to his new
Buddhist
College
and there teach the student monks and laymen; so being my Guru I had to obey
him. So I went, leaving my teaching job in
Hunan
to earn the small wage of College in
Si Chuan and all that it could give. Then after some time, I thought it was
enough of this professor's life, which is all giving. I then decided to be
disciple and gain something, so this I renounced and went to study in Xi Kang.
Here besides the studies, I was so
fortunate as to be able to read four editions of the Tripitaka, while
progressing with other studies of Vajrayana philosophy and Chan. Through giving
up, one only gains, and through the help of Wei Tuo I never hungered.
b) The Attainment of Tao (The Path or
Course)
This has certain steps for which I have
composed the following Chain of Similes. At this stage, where Mahayana
teachings are used, the realization of impermanence of all things is most
necessary. It follows that we are able to understand this when our renunciation
is well developed, when we no longer cling to things, but recognize transient
nature. The realization of this is as precious as money; our money is time,
which even poor men have. We must make good use of the precious money of time
and not waste it. The steps of our path-attained are then:
i) to have
the necessary money comes from the idea of impermanence
ii) to buy with it the land of renunciation
iii) which should be walled about with Vinaya-observance
iv) when we can safely sow the seed of
Bodhicitta
v) to be irrigated with the water of
compassion
vi) and richly manured by meditation
vii) giving the blooming of the
wisdom-flower
viii) and the ripening of the Buddha-fruit
So that this might all be accomplished I
have practiced all of Milarepa's three kinds of hermit life, even a fourth one
which he did not mention. For eighteen years, including the period of my
residence in Kalimpong, I have lived upon mountains and previously spent some
months dwelling among graves. The third kind mentioned is in caves where I have
meditated for two years. My own and rather unique kind of hermit-life was
experience of spiritual practice while taking a ten-day boat journey on a
Chinese river.
c) The Attainment of Consequence: a
Certainty of Enlightenment
By the practice of
Pure
Land
doctrines I have clearly seen in my meditations the large silver lotus of one
thousand petals which awaits me in Sukhavati.
From practicing Chan, I have gained many
experiences of Truth through meditations. Please see my work of Chan: "Lighthouse
in the
Ocean
of
Chan.
"
In the six kinds of Tantra, I have had at
least the low class of attainment, which should be kept in secret as the
commandment said. However there is no claim here to Full Enlightenment and the
world also has no need of me at present. To this let me give a little poem:
A little rain
in a deep dark night,
A little rock
for a fishing jetty,
A little lamp
on the half cold boat,
A little fish
comes into the net.
I am very regretful I have not completed what
I imagined to be the four conditions of an ideal Buddhist.
Outwardly we must appear poor and be
content with little.
Inwardly, flourishes the Bodhicitta.
Secretly, we must have a lot of great joy,
in third initiation.
And Most Secretly, the Chan-liberated
attitude.
As I have already said, there is no "I"
glorified here. These four points above are also related to the sections of
this biography: the first is the grace of my parents but not of me. The second
is the grace of my Gurus. The third is that of the protectors and patrons, and
the last one is the Blessing of the Buddha—there is nothing here of myself.
To sum up all the above four sections: All
are belonging to the Outward one of my biography which may be a little
introduction to our new readers. The real Inward one should be a talk on my
inspiration from practice of the two Yanas. The real Secret one should be about
the practical experiences from the third initiation of Vajrayana. The real Most
Secret one should describe the practice of Mahamudra, Great Perfection and
Chan. There will be an introduction to the old readers which I will write after
I get a little more realization.
Our time was over, for it was now quite
dark outside. We had heard a spiritual history, not a mere biography, and how much
for reasons of brevity remained unsaid? The whole story is one of gradual
unfolding, of slow but sure building, from the teachings given early by his
Confucian Master, through the Taoist phase of search for Immortality or at
least long life, to interest in the Buddha's Mahayana preachings as taught by
the Venerable Tai Xu, onward to the foundation of practice laid down under the
Gelu Guru. Then, rising to even greater spiritual height in the practice of the
various degrees of Tantra and the experience of Chan. Despite such
achievements, rare enough in our age, here was Mr. Chen who had related all
this without boasting or any trace of owning these attainments. Here he was
with little bows and a flashing torch showing us down the steps which he never
treads, while saying again and again, "Thank you, thank you…"
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