Harmony

Somehow the notion to harmonize often connotes to “lower” or “sacrifice” ourselves in order to fit in with the rest. It is so because most of us consider ourselves “unique” or “above”. Was it so because that was the way we were brought up? To be unique? To excel?

If the world is not One and not in Harmony, then where there is a mountain, there could also be a lake. Polar bears could be running side by side with camels in the Sahara desert. Los Angeles could also have rain forest. There could be day and night at the same time, when some of us get up to work, and some of us go to bed.

If the world is One, then All are in harmony. But so what?

There is a time and place for us. (remember the song?) If we “sync to the harmony”, then there is always a parking spot for us, no matter how crowded. There is always food for us when we are hungry. Some may say, this sounds optimistic and self-serving. Yes, it is self serving, if we do think so or having strong faith about it. Confused?

“Sync to the harmony” has a prerequisite, “completely let go off our judgmental and anxiety filled mind.”

Chan practice does not offer an instance benefit or change. It is a gradually process. It is gradual because it takes time to rid off our 5 poisons and our mental sentient beings.

Let down our insecurity and raise our awareness. Be aware of every encounter that is in front of us and fulfill it with our best foot forward, no matter how meaningless at the time. Continue to deliver and surpass our habitual thoughts and impulses.

Gradually, we shall come to realize that there is a unique journey for each one of us. Everyone of us were born with an unique mission, like every blade of grass and every living being. There is a custom tailored place for everyone of us. We can live joyfully as long as we sync to the universal clock and participate in every activity in front of us.

Be One is to place ourselves at the right place of the universe at the right time 24/7 without judgment.

This is my recent realization to share with you.
JM

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A Story

Somehow, frequently the label of “chi cultivation” was labeled
“irrelevant” or “maya” or “unacceptable” by our discriminating mind.
Today, I will tell you a story instead.

Two students comes to the class to learn to find Buddha Nature.
Teacher: Begin by breathing into your belly and don’t think.
Student OM: ok
Student DM: why?

One month later.
Teacher: Can you do belly breathing now.
Student OM: Yes
Student DM: Can breathing help me to find Buddha Nature?
Teacher: Now pay attention to your navel chakra.
Student OM: OK
Student DM: Isn’t Chakra an Indian term?

One month later.
Student OM: Oh, I can feel that my chakra is vibrating. Is that normal?
Teacher: Great. Don’t worry about it. Now pay attention to the rest of
your chakra.
Student OM: Sure.
Student DM: How is this practice related to Buddha Nature?

One year later
Student OM: Now that all my chakras are vibrating, what shall I do next.
Teacher: Can you forget them all.
Student OM: Yes, when I do that, I feel good, energetic, no worries
and quite clear headed.
Teacher: Great. Now you are in touch with Buddha Nature.
Student DM: How is that possible? It does not make sense.

This story did not talk about chi at all. Chi cultivation is a label I
gave to this breathing and awareness exercise.

Like love, the only way to understand it is to feel it.

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No word to say

For 1-2 months, I have realized that I have lost the connection to find
words to say in all my classes. Perhaps that’s the way it meant to be.
Perhaps it is my own doing. At the same time, my meditation has entered
another state of calm, stillness and light. Are they related? Should I
“think” about it?

Last week, I thought of my teacher’s classes. Most of his classes had
over 2,500 people. Yet frequently at the end of each class, most of the
people I met, informed me that they felt as if the class was one on
one. In other words, each one felt that our teacher was talking to
each one individually.

I don’t know how.

I only know that I am incapable of doing that now.

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Is or Is Not

Hi All,

The third patriarch stated in Shin Shin Ming, “just hair width apart, we could be in hell or heaven.”
Tao Te Jing stated, “The Way is not hard, if we don’t pick or choose.”
Diamond Sutra stated, “….The heart dwells no where…”

These are simple references for everyone of us. To be truly free, just make sure that our discriminating mind does not arise 24/7. Just accept, fulfill and harmonize with whatever in front of us with form or without.

Don’t even think. Don’t analyze. Don’t believe anything. Don’t suspect anything. Don’t hold anything too close, including everything I posted or the sutra stated. Once our mind is stuck on IS or IS NOT, agree or not agree, accept or not accept, We are lost in the formed world, a world of relativity, a world of interpretations, concepts and theories….

Our job as a Chan practitioner is to wake everyone up and help everyone to pierce through absolutes. Free everyone from the mind and raise our original self to be aware on how we are actually living, physically, mentally and spiritually and be liberated from all absolutes, no matter how deeply we treasure. The challenge for us is to accomplish this without taking a position on absolutes ourselves. If we did, then others may dig in their heels and defend their absolutes.

Yes, I often emphasize the importance of a chi practice. It is not absolute either. It is just a bridge, a finger, a road map. An effective way which I have personally witnessed and benefited from. Because it is a simple logic-less practice yet so different from most of the terms and concepts in the western world and quite foreign in the Japanese tradition, it can help the practitioner to cut through the fog, bypass all concepts and words, let go of all reference and quickly realize that we are enslaved by our mind.

Is this the only way? No. Everyone of us has our own journey, which is affected by our own karma, our causality affinity and our available resources in current life.

Anyone, no matter how famous, reliable, trusting, venerable, or unimportant, wrong, distasteful, suggests anything, we must not judge, compare, ignore. Just listen carefully, try it and let go.

Anytime when we believed something strongly, we need also to realize at the same time, whatever we think or say, we can only present a limited number of perspectives during a finite set of time. It is important for us to modify our perspective every time on the same subject, so that we do not create a situation where the target listener needs to dig in their heels and defend themselves, because by then, we have enhanced their attachments instead of dissolve it. Or in other perspective, we have created more karma instead of reduce it.

Therefore, there is nothing IS or IS NOT. Everything is as is.

If we are capable of accepting every moment as is, understand and accept every form, logic, disagreement whole-heartedly then we are truly free. Because only when our mind is as big as the universe accepting everything that is going on, then we are complete and not partial. We are then one with the universe. We will no longer have doubt, worry, anger, disappointment, etc.

Let us work on it together.

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Stop & Focus

Translated from Chan Master Miao Tian 12/20/1989 –

Sitting Chan is composed of two parallel practices, “stop” and “focus”. As we sit, we eradicate all karmic blockade from our desire, forms and formless. And simultaneously raise the wisdom we were born with.

Sit to stop thinking. Stop our mental activities, while we focus on our heart and inner self. The essence of Sitting Chan is really formless. When our Inner Self arises, our conscious mind automatically stops functioning. Platform Sutra by the Sixth Patriach stated, “There is only one way – focus on our heart.”

Chan Master Gu-Te drew a circle to illustrate the essence of Chan. In Taoism, it means the universe. In Confuciusm, it means all living beings in an endless cycle without beginning or end. In Chan, it is our Inner Self. It is pure, bright and also the same Self of the Universe. Heart, Buddha and Sentient Being are one the same, the Universal Self. One is all and all is one.

If so, then why practice? Yes, originally there is no need to practice and nothing to witness. Yet our delusional conscious filled with desires covered up our Inner Self. This is the reason we need to practice by purifying our delusional mind, turn the formless dharma wheel, gradually unifying our body and mind with the universe, and let our True Self shine through. Therefore, when our heart shine, delusions are broken, then Inner Self will show.

Therefore use our mind to understand Chan, or to chant or memorize Chan are in reality mental activities trying to practice “stop”. These practices involving our conscious are still in the domain of craving, anger and attachment. The only way to let our Inner Self shine through is to “stop” all mental activity, or be absolutely thoughtless. The purpose of this “stop” practice is to have no arising of any notion whatsoever at every moment. This is the highest level of this “stop” practice one could reach, it is also called the gradual method of practice.

Linage Chan emphasizes more on the practice of “focus”. The key of focusing is to focus without focusing as well as not focusing but focus. It is a formless practice focusing on the wisdom of the inner self, which arises from the stillness of focusing, when stillness and focus are one. When the Inner Self arises, it automatically shines through all the karmic clouds without any conscious effort. This is the sudden method of practice. Therefore Linage Chan practice is not about quantity but about quality. It is the quality of one’s focus in the practice that is important and not the volume of it. Linage Chan is a wisdom practice. Only true wisdom can break through delusion. Quality changes thus quantity changes. From one into all.

Sitting Chan gradually brings one into sudden awareness. As it cleans up karmic blockade of the Three Realms, it raises our Inner Awareness at the same time. Stillness and wisdom together enables harmonization of all things and phenomena. Spiritual and physical strength both are enhanced. This is the only way to satisfy both the physical world and the spiritual world, as well as the formed world and the formless world.

This is the only way to rid of all karma, ferry oneself as well as others and be a Buddha.

妙天禪師 1989年12月20日

禪宗修止觀，就是漸修頓悟，一方面掃清三界意識的諸執業障，一方面開啟本具有 的自性智慧。

止，即止息妄念，讓意識心能止息；觀，是審諦觀察，就是觀心，觀自性。真正的 禪修，是修無相禪法。當我們修持的時候，直接從自性起修，所以要懂得如何觀自 性，也就是六祖壇經所謂的「唯有觀心一法」。當我們注意自性的起用，虛妄的意 識心自動止息。

我們在修禪，什麼是禪呢? 古德禪師喜畫一個圓圈，代表禪。它是什麼意思呢? 在 道家來講，這意味著無極、太極、是整個宇宙；在儒家來講，它是生生不息的「天 行健」，包括了天地間萬事萬物，永遠生生不息地循環，無終無始；它也是我們的 自性，是清淨、光明、圓滿的佛性。這個圓，也就是禪，是我們的自性，也是整個 宇宙的自性，「心、佛、眾生，三無差別」，萬物同一本體，這就是禪；禪是宇宙 的本體，亦是宇宙的全體，所謂「一即一切，一切即一」。

然而，眾生本自俱足佛性，本即是佛，何用修呢?所以說「無修無証」。但是這光 明的自性被三界的無明覆蓋住，生生世世輪迴生命的業障，習性遮蔽了自性之光， 變得無明、迷惑、渾渾噩噩。光明的自性心，清淨、圓滿。無明的意識心，充滿貪 嗔痴欲念；眾生雖具有自性，卻起不了作用，被重重無明塵土所掩蓋，不得解脫自 在。所以修禪，就是修這個自性的法門，轉動自性的無相法輪，身心漸趨統一，漸 漸與宇宙天地合一，無明褪盡，光明自動顯現。所以要修到「明心」，無明業障才 完全清除，修到「見性」，就是自性自動顯現。

所以，修行必須修自性，否則，用文字語言修行，用意識修行，仍在意識的相法境 界，無法超三界。修意識，仍是充滿貪嗔痴，所以必須修「止」，「止意識」，修 到「無念」，對一般的行者，這已經很不容易了，可能努力大半輩子還達不到此境 界。修到行住坐臥皆能無念，這是「止」的最高境界，這是「漸修法」。

禪宗的修持，重在「觀」，觀自性法門，觀而不觀，不觀而觀，完全是無為、無 相。觀，是觀自性的智慧，由定生慧，定慧一體，自性起用，光明生現，烏雲一掃 而空；不需特別去掃烏雲，業障本來空，這是「頓悟法門」的修持。所以禪門修 持，重質不重量，是智慧修持，只有智慧能破除無明，質變而量變，由一通達一切。

禪宗修止觀，就是漸修頓悟，一方面清掃三界意識的諸執業障，一方面開啟本自具 有的自性智慧。定慧兼修，理事圓融，精神與物質的能量，都會與日俱增。這樣的 修行，才能夠圓融出世法與入世法，圓融有相世界與無相法界，這樣的修行，才能 消除業障，立地成佛，也才能夠真正自度度人。

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師父的法與相

我們的師父，是一個三身成就的師父。他有說法嗎？沒說。他有相嗎？沒有。

師父教我們的法是宇宙間的一切法，『法法本無法。無法法也法』。只要是我們周遭的一切，都是我們的功課，都是師父的法，無論師父說過沒，都是來讓我們來開 悟及成就的。如果我們認為，師父說過的法，才是法，師父沒說的，不是法，那我們局限了師父的法，無法應用在無常的生活中。

三身成就的師父，所教的法，是宇宙間的法，一切的法，所有的法。『如來所說法，皆不可取，不可說，非法非非法』，一切法，又如何用有限的語言，來說得完整呢？因此，『若人言，如來有所說法，即為謗法，不能解我所說故』。

我們能不能了悟，就得看我們有沒有開悟，有沒有離開，『師父所說相』。師父無法每一秒都在我們身邊，提醒我們該如何開悟。只能提醒我們，光打坐，不開悟是沒用的。

我們每一個人的環境都不同，每一秒鐘所接觸的人物，事務都不同。我們必須把每一秒鐘，都看成師父給我們的功課，以莊嚴的態度來處理。不斷的超越我們以往的想法及習慣的性反應，我們才能不斷的拋棄舊我，而明心見性。

師父常常重復的的是，『離相修行』，及『與師相印』。師父也再三重覆，『不是與我這個色身相印，而是與我的生命力，智慧力相印』。

師父的生命力與智慧力，就是宇宙的生命力與智慧力。與師父的法身一樣，無所不在，無時不在。我們可以，也有必要，無時無刻，都與師父生命力與智慧力相印。

師父的願望是希望他的弟子們，能夠早日成佛。如果我們不了悟，離不開師父，離不開師父的色身，也離不開師父說的『話』，我們就局限在有限的『師父相』，無法離相，就無法與他的法身相印，就無法接到，宇宙的生命力與智慧力。

『發阿褥多羅三藐三菩提心者，於一切法，應如是知，如是見，如是信解，不生法相。』，如是了悟，如是修，如是行，無有分別。

精明合十

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Meeting with Our Teacher III

Before I forget, the following is a brief summary of the meeting with our Teacher on October 9, 2007.

1.  English translatation needs to be easier for westerner to understand instead of more precise to the Chinese original text.

2.  Web site content could be availabe to every visitor instead of hiding before a mandatory registration.

3.  He will be visiting Los Angeles soon.

4.  He agrees to set up special internal organization to connect all businessman into one network to help out with resoure management.

5.  Just observe the chakra is not enough, practitioners need to penetrate into the center of each chakra.   Power of each chakra, like everything else, is concentrated more in the center.  Focus and concentrate and penetrate and absorb those energy of each chakra.

6.  He loves red bean and taro ice cream, and thus treated each one of us with one large scoop of each.  Yummy..

That is all for now.

We are all very grateful.

Shilo, Emily, Sister Young Lien and me.

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Connected To Our Teacher

My mother in law is visiting us from Taiwan for about 45 days. Since she does not know English, nor how to drive, she has no choice but to tag along with us everyday.

The second time, when she sat down with us listening to our Teacher’s DVD, she began to sweat for about five minutes. Then every time thereafter. During our Santa Barbara retreat, whenever our Teacher’s DVD is played, she sweats. She was bit worried. We were not, because we knew, our Teacher was cleaning her.

Finally today at our Los Angeles session, she cried. She began to cry as soon as the DVD began. She cried throughout the entire 45 minute session without stopping.

Then she apologized to everyone for being so out of control.

To her surprise, we all congratulated her, because too many of us had similar experience. We asked her, “this is not the tear of joy or sadness. This is the tear because you found home. Right?” She nodded.

Well, here is a connection to our Teacher, experienced by many of us already, through different media.

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Took Refuge in 2004

Thanksgiving day, 2004, I was flying to Taiwan for the first time in 21 years. Sister Young Lien has obtained the permission from our Master that I could take refuge with Him. I was told that taking refuge with our Master means that He will take care of my spirit as well as cleans out all my previous karma. Well, I truly would like that. Since our Master has not taken anyone into refuge in about 4 years, I will be the first one. These were my sentiments as I arrived into Taipei.

Next day morning, I was picked up by YL and drove to join our Master’s Saturday seminar over at the Big Chan Center alone with about 2,000 other practitioners. It is required to wear a robe while visiting the Big Chan Center, so YL managed to borrow one for me.

Then I was told to stay in line withe guys on the right, and YL left me to stay in line with the gals. I was ushered to sit down about 30 yards away from the stage. I looked left and right, I knew no one. Since I had not visited Taiwan for 23 years, it was obvious that no one knows me either. I became less nervous.

“Oh well, let me just experience the Qi of this big hall”, I said to myself. I have heard so much of its powerful energy. There was still about 30 minutes before the lecture starts, I figured that I might as well as experience it for a while.

As soon as I crossed my legs into an easy pose, a strong energy entered into my Root Chakra and quickly reach my Chan Chakra. In about two seconds, tears just came down my cheeks without stopping. I did not feel joyful nor sadness. I was consciously quite alert and not a bit emotional at all. I was not in mood for tears, but I could not stop the tears. For about 15 minutes, I could not control myself. Simultaneously I smelled strong Sandalwood incense. The funny thing was my nose is usually pretty bad that I usually didn’t smell nothing, even when my wife burned some incense at our own house. And there was no one burning any incense anywhere in the Big Hall that I could see. I also found out later that our Master was not even in Taipei that day. He spoke from our GaoXiong Center in the south and just piped his speech through real time video to all centers.

Tuesday afternoon, time had come for YL and I to see our Master for the first time. He stood up to greet us and asked us to sit down first. He was not tall, but kind, considerate and humble. I immediately felt comfortable with him. He asked me of how was I initiated into this school. As soon as I started to reply, my tears started to come down again. Oh, man, I became a cry baby. Immediately, he said, “Okay, okay, let us just start the ceremony then.” He was very accommodating.

I knelt down in front of him and he stood. While he was delivering all the blessings to me, I said to him silently, “Sorry Sir, I have heard that you are in charge of my spiritual well being now.” Immediately I felt relieved.

Guess what, in no time, he said, “Here is your Dharma name, Jue Miao Jing Ming…..” Wow, I started to cry again, because I have also heard that, in the last twenty years, there was perhaps only one or two person was ordained with a Dharma name at the time of taking refuge. This was a tremendous recognization and gift.

In our school, there is no written doctrine stating the qualification or process for obtaining an ordination. It is entirely up to our Chan Master. He would recognize the inner quality of the one who is to be ordained. I was totally shocked that I was recognized that I had some of these qualities.

He gave me a gold ring with a Swastika on it and told me not to take it off. I have seen that ring on the fingers of about 50 ordained teachers in our school.

No more than 5 minutes total. No robe, no head shaving, no stamping of document, no incense burning. Nothing, just a transmission from heart to heart.

Then, I teared my way out of His office.

It was November 30, 2004.

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