"All
of you are attached to visions in meditation, considering them to
be real spiritual experiences, and visions that you see when you
are not meditating just do not count. But actually, at that moment
you are really meditating, because "Zen prevails in everything."
Meditation doesn't mean that we sit tight and regulate ourselves.
That is the incorrect way, because at that time, we meditate with
our ego, and that's why we have no experiences. We should do it
in a natural way in order to attain enlightenment.
If
you are as relaxed in your meditation as when you see me, that is
real meditation. We have heard the story about someone becoming
enlightened while chopping logs, and another case about someone
else getting enlightened upon hearing a few words from an Enlightened
Master. That is it. Why don't you have an experience after hours
of sitting vexed in meditation? It is because you do it with your
ego, your mind. You focus your attention too hard; you push yourselves
too much, so you become attached and nervous. That's why you have
no experiences. That is not real meditation. It is just a kind of
drill.
Real
meditation takes place at any time. That's why some of you have
good experiences when you are asleep or when you look at me attentively.
That is meditation, for your attention is focused at that time.
You concentrate because you are delighted to see me or listen to
me, and you put aside your prejudices at that time. That is when
you meditate, isn't it? That's when you have a normal experience."
From "The Real Meditation"
News 130, Master Says
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Seven-day Retreat in Yilan Center, Formosa • August
12-18, 1988
(originally in Chinese) MP3-2
"We
should bear any difficulty or trouble we have in our spiritual practice.
We should regard any adversity as a test to measure our confidence
and courage. We should not withdraw, with shaken confidence, crying
and complaining when a situation arises. What kind of spiritual
practitioner is that, with no courage and acting like a child?
When
we practice spirituality, we should check on ourselves, instead
of keeping our eyes on others. We should look after how much courage
we have, and whether our faith is strong. We don't have to look
at how well or poorly others are practicing. It is enough already
to look at ourselves. Each day we take care of our courage, our
conduct as a great human, and our faith in the spiritual path (Tao),
not allowing them to diminish, waver, or be destroyed. This is our
responsibility.
If
any fellow practitioner puts the Truth first and this mundane world
second, he will be liberated for sure, no matter how quickly or
slowly he progresses in his spiritual practice, or how much or less
his experiences are. This is the best way to measure it. The world
exists only for the purpose of tying us down. All the pleasures,
anger, grief and happiness in this world are there to test our confidence
and courage, our attitude as great humans, and our faith in the
Tao.
It
will be too cheap if everyone who practices casually also can become
a Saint! What then would a Saint be if he is just the same as the
ordinary person? If anyone can become a Saint even though he cannot
tolerate anything, do anything, or pass any test, then what good
is a Saint? How can he be worthy of praise by humans and heavenly
beings? How can he be worthy of being a "Teacher of heavenly
beings" or a "Compassionate Father of the Four Forms of
Birth"?
So
if you want to be a Saint, you should clearly understand that any
unfavorable condition is there to test us. We should live on bravely.
Even if it is very painful, things will get better in a couple of
days. The darkest and longest night will only last till the next
morning. The night cannot last forever; neither can our suffering.
We must have learned this lesson as a child, that no painful situation
will last forever. Even the most painful situation will not last
too long. The happy situation will last even less time. So this
world offers nothing for us to hold on to, nothing for us to become
attached to!
Only
one thing is eternal, and that is our inner Sound. It is always
present and takes care of us every day. After a while we can rise
and reside in that eternal place, where there is no night or day,
no spring, summer, autumn or winter, and no pain like we have here.
But when I say this, maybe someone will think, "Every day would
then be the same and it'd be so monotonous!" It would not be
monotonous! It is because our mind is still at the level of the
mundane realm and we cannot imagine that kind of realm. That is
why after reading the Amitabha Sutra, some people have asked me,
"Who wants to live in that kind of realm?" And I've answered,
"That realm is not as boring as you imagine."
Only
after we have personally experienced it will we know the Pure Land
and want to live there. Otherwise we cannot understand just by listening
to others talk about it. When Shakyamuni Buddha was in the world,
He had a disciple who was a queen. As a queen, she already enjoyed
the most beautiful things and the happiest situations in the world.
However, when she visited the Pure Land, she was eager to stay there.
She asked Shakyamuni Buddha, "Can I live there after I pass
away?" The place she had seen was that beautiful!"
From "The Tao Comes First and the Mundane
World Second"
News 135, Master Says
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Four-day Retreat in Hsihu Center, Formosa • September
24-27, 1988
(originally in Chinese) MP3-3
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