II. WHEN THE MEDITATION MASTER PREACHES
The Meditation Master says, “I really understand well; I witness thoroughly, brightly, and accurately. The circulation of each lifetime metamorphoses into thousands of ways in one lifetime. Still, each lifetime dissolves and returns to its original fundamental nature in one lifetime. How wonderful! How lively! From the time that our parents give birth to us, we live in the born specific forms and the specific elements of passive knowledge. We tend to rely on our secular eyes, our human brain of limited intelligence in order to walk, stand, lie down, and sit in a limited way. When our living standard does not meet our demands and we find it unsatisfactory, we start to seek the process of releasing the specific elements of thoughts and training to absorb the fundamental nature’s self-enlightenment to return to us as a recording apparatus without polluted habits. It successively changes along with the demand, ability, or utmost efforts achieved by our training. Once seeing, hearing, and knowing in turn alter; they will be successively transformed as we completely embrace and comprehensively understand thousands of dharmas. When our whole body is completely original fundamental nature, we ourselves often ponder in wonderment. How wonderful! How lively! Unexpectedly, on account of what we expressed previously, there is nothing entangled. There is no habitual or customary defilement. We can then go in and out of planes and stroll along the lands. There is nothing strange, nothing spectacular. In spite of that, humankind desires, earnestly reaching for the Fairies’ Lands or Deities’ Lands. That’s really useless.”
As the Meditation Master says, “Human beings don’t understand it at all.” We simultaneously stand up and respectfully inquire, “Master, what is the born specific form? What is passive knowledge’s specific element? What is the benefit of the original fundamental nature? Master moves in and out of the planes and lands without habitual defilement. Do planes and lands really exist? If they do exist, where do they come from? We beg Master to explain this to us so that we might understand without a doubt, as we now doubt and consider that it is just a theory.” The questions subside, and we all sit down on one side.
The Meditation Master smiles, answering, “You should know that all of the things in the Universe, from humanity to Fairies and Dragons to lands, mountains, and rivers, live with born specific form. Because of being born, you know only when you witness; you will not know without witnessing the planes. Therefore, your knowledge is not outside of the specific form. On account of that, progression of human civilization is not outside of material and usable objects. Human living standards are not outside of food and happiness. When a person does not have enough food and happiness, his or her living standard is decreased; he or she becomes unhappy and wishful. On account of being wishful and wanting a better life, one naturally ponders and reckons, creating specific elements. The specific element stands on the spiritual side; its original nature is very comfortable. On the other hand, it is also full of sorrow and depravity. As it is comfortable, it creates fine substance. As it is sorrowful, it makes up humid substance and is led into Hell and the way of Animals. It is the origin of moving when it doesn’t take a definite direction. When it takes a definite direction, it is the specific form of material or plane, so we label it as thought, which gives birth to action. It is, therefore, the mother of specific forms. On account of that, we use contemplation to pray to Buddha or believe in the Savior. It is the process of nourishing the specific element of thought to grow into a form later, in the hope that one will escape from life to meet the clairvoyant Lord or return to Buddha’s land. This process only relieves one from hardship and sadness in this world. However, we do not integrally master ourselves. Why? Because specific element and specific form are both mixed natures. It is an instinct of formation-destruction metamorphosis and not yet natural reality.
“When one wants to release unreal mixtures—specific elements and special forms—one needs to practice and live in specific form without desire for specific form. In initiating each thought, one must aim to be aware of thought’s specific element of rooted-karma, fetter-karma. This involves knowing all complicated, fine and liberated, and constituted thoughts comprehensively and thoroughly without predetermined opposition, without being conservative, without fear, without hesitation, and without avoidance; all of these are called self-assurance’s Intelligence in every present moment. That way of practicing is called absorbing the fundamental nature. The fundamental nature is immortal and yet without beginning, managing all of the errors until the present time in the birth-death cycle of always relying on born specific form and specific element (which is initially born and destroyed). Therefore, hearing, seeing, and knowing are still entangled in the dharma precept’s circle.
“The specific form and specific element, when known, are unlimited and tangible dharma precept: formless but usually giving birth, precept-less but with habitual acts, detached but fixed, without regions but dreaming of Nirvana, and without attestation but with self-pride. In reality, they are infinite shapes and forms; specific elements and specific forms bring so many imaginations to humanity, turning into the Universe of three thousand worlds. In this world and the planes and lands outside of it, all are entangled in the specific forms and all have been metamorphosed and born in such a way. On account of that knowledge, the mind is not hesitant, the thought is doubtless, and the heart is not oscillating. As a result, the original fundamental nature engenders the Eight Great Elements of Nirvana, otherwise known as all of the Buddhas. The engendering base is neither causeless nor natural. That is just the way it originally is.”
We immediately and respectfully ask, “Master, from what we were told and understand, specific elements initially give birth to the formation of specific forms, metamorphosing along with the proceeding Universe to the Lands of Fairies and Deities. Since space has its form of space, is fundamental nature already in the layer of space or in space? What is space’s essential nature? Please, Master, explain to us.”
The Meditation Master answers, “You have asked this and have grasped my words, so please listen to me. Space and fundamental nature are still close to each other, inseparable. It is the same case as how you are originally endowed with fundamental nature. When you know how to properly utilize the specific element, it will become your own guiding light. If you know how to properly utilize specific form, it will become your own Nirvana. On the other hand, if you don’t know how to utilize it yet, you should eagerly obtain it. However, it only satisfies your immediate needs, never making you comfortable. When you’re no longer in need, it immediately disintegrates. Why? That’s its essence and nature.
“Speaking of the essential nature of space, it is very lively. It supplies the needs in accordance to each region. In one region, it metamorphoses into the planes along with the Universe of the planets in the solar system. In another region, it supplies the consequence of reward or punishment. It has many different ways and means to meet whatever the needs are. For instance: pure lands, pure countries, and the Eight Great Elements of Nirvana are really innumerable.
“You should also know that space is the richest. Why? It fully provides for all of the needed places. If there is one who is restoratively enlightened in the original fundamental nature, space will immediately respond and fully supply the exact needs of the true enlightened one of the Eight Great Elements of Nirvana. As for Divine Planes, space provides supplies that match with the class of Devas. In the Fairies’ Planes, space supplies exactly to the spirit of the Fairies’ Planes. As for Heaven’s Planes, space meets the exact requirement of Heaven’s Planes. In human worlds, space still provides supplies in correspondence to the demands of the human worlds.
“The recipience and enjoyment of fortunes vary with the place, the caste, and the country. Some places treasure crystals and pearls as precious objects. Other places use amber as precious objects, and some use jade and agate as precious objects. Humanity uses gold, silver, and other rare metals as precious objects. Their values vary, but their usage remains the same. Every place in all the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds are formed from the combinations of space; there is no place that is labeled as metamorphosis by itself. We ourselves can only dissolve our own errors, which are attached to us, until we attain enlightenment and return to fundamental nature.
“You should also know that each plane has a definite frontier. In each plane, there are many different species, and each species has its own nature. The separation of borders resembles our solar system. From the Heaven Land to the Fairy Plane or the Deity’s Land to the human world, they can neither see nor enter into one another. Why? Because separated karma and separated planes bring about separated seeing. With the exception of beings that have liberated into a new life where practice at one place is metamorphosed into another, this land can’t reach that plane. Humans often conceive that Heaven’s Land or Divine Fairies, the Deity’s Land, or the Saint’s Land is a place where they are entrusted with supernatural power, and that they can go up and down and in and out or come down to our world for salvation. These beliefs are errors, originating either from superstition, usual expectation, or simply a lack of comprehensive and thorough understanding, thus becoming such an impressive thought.”
As the Meditation Master stops speaking, we simultaneously stand up and respectfully state, “Master, your words are puzzling. First of all, some Tao practitioners have already met Fairies, Deities, and Saints. Why did Master say that we can never reach them? Secondly, since Fairies and Devas find it hard to meet one another, except through metamorphosis to the others’ land, why did Master say that Master used to visit these lands and planes? When Master goes there, do the Devas or Fairies know that Master comes from the human world?”
The Meditation Master nods, saying, “Please, listen as I explain.” As we sit quietly, the Meditation Master continues: “The seeing or meeting is rendered through similar nature, similar seeing, or similar nature metamorphosing into seeing. Buddhism states, ‘Only the same karmas see, and when the karmas are separated, the seeing and meeting disappear.’”