A Student in the Group's Experience of Contemplative Practice in Samādhi

In this morning's morning practice, following the Master's instruction: "Then train in being able to contemplate the meaning of the Dharma within meditative concentration (samādhi), suspending it in the manas."

First, take several deep breaths, both to expel all the stale air from the body and to fill the whole body with fresh air, from the nasal cavity, throat, and chest down to the sea of qi (dantian), then with a pause, press it down to the ankles and to the Yongquan points on the soles of the feet; the mind then becomes empty and limpid, soft, and harmonious.

Then, sitting quietly, practice recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), using sound to carry out Buddha-work, vibrating the various cells of the chest, abdomen, and especially the head, achieving the effect of dredging the meridians and clearing away pollution and defilement; through recollection of the Buddha, connect the qi channels of the head, and draw the qi channels of the soles of the feet up to the head, forming a "South-to-North Water Diversion water-supply project" system, flowing freely without obstruction, aiming at the goal of opening up the great north-south arteries.

Furthermore, sitting quietly, prostrate to the Buddha, stretching and loosening the Ren and Du meridians; the mind is already empty, clear, and tranquil.

Thereupon, I took up the Dharma meaning of Volume Four of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the most difficult to understand, namely the question raised by Pūrṇa: "一切根尘阴处界等。皆如来藏。清净本然。云何忽生山河大地", and read Volume Four briefly; because I had the power of meditative concentration, as I read I entered into it, the mind able to focus on the sutra text, entering contemplation along with the text and thereby gaining understanding.

After the relevant Dharma meanings were sorted out, they were handed over to the manas to ruminate upon. Sometimes the manas would toss out a thought, the mind consciousness would take it up—oh, it is the Dharma meaning of the Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra—and immediately connect it with the Dharma meaning of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra; where there had been non-understanding, it dissolved like hot soup melting ice.

It turns out that when the mind consciousness is contemplating the meaning of the Dharma, the manas is also busily at work within, constantly and silently according with the mind consciousness—this is a seamless connection between the two in a state of focused meditative absorption.

If in ordinary times one has questioning doubt about these Dharma meanings, the manas is already busy at work within; when one sits quietly contemplating the Dharma meaning, the manas pours out all at once the Dharma meanings it has prepared, and the mind consciousness, while receiving them, joyfully says: "Buddy, buddy, it is exactly so." Even before one has begun to suspend it in the manas, the manas has already burst forth like a breached dam.

———Brother, I have been waiting for you a long time.

Therefore, constant mindfulness in ordinary times is precisely the cooperation of the mind consciousness and the manas, "inseparable as husband and wife, as the weight and the beam of a scale." In fact, this is the power of meditative concentration in motion. In the "Chapter on the Perfect Penetration through Recollection of the Buddha by the Dharma Prince Mahāsthāma-prāpta," mindful recollection of the Buddha and our constant mindfulness in ordinary times are just the same; in the end, one is of course certain to see the Buddha, or certainly to have the mind open and the meaning understood, suddenly becoming clear.

In this morning's practice, contemplating the Dharma meaning with the manas resolved the questions quickly, and I remained in meditative concentration for over an hour.

Truly, one day within samādhi, and a thousand years have passed in the world.