Reasons for Rapid Practice

Shi Ruyuan: Every time I enter meditation, I can feel the immense power of your blessings, Master. I didn't understand what a magnetic field was before; I just knew that whenever I went to other places or near other people, I would feel an indescribable, restless discomfort inside, longing to leave quickly. But when contemplating the Master's Dharma principles in deep samādhi, I could sense a special, profound resonance—extremely clear—and my meditation would deepen noticeably.

The first time I heard the Master's audio Dharma teaching, I was deeply captivated, feeling great Dharma joy within. I silently vowed to diligently study the Master's Dharma principles and cultivate meditation well. Every time I study the Dharma principles, I distinctly feel the blessing power—a special resonance—as if my head has become soft and unsupported again, making it difficult to walk, as if I might freeze on the spot. Fortunately, I had companions walking with me, so I quickly roused my spirits, slowly shaking my numb head with effort, then rubbing my slightly tense eyes and face. Luckily, my residence was nearby, and I returned without even realizing it.

Upon returning, I felt as if I were about to enter samādhi throughout my entire body, just like last time. My head and eyes simply couldn't bear it, so I quickly laid my head on the table, wondering inwardly: "Will I experience the same physical and mental reactions as those few days last time?" Though my body and mind struggled to endure, my heart was filled with Dharma joy. I knew this was a resonance produced by the Master's blessings, and I understood it greatly aided my meditation practice and contemplation of the Dharma principles. The next morning after waking up and sitting in meditation, I felt light-bodied, clear-headed, and as if an inexhaustible energy surged through my entire being.

One night, while sitting in stillness, the silence was absolute—not a sound could be heard; it felt as if my ear faculty had sealed off, perceiving no noise. Only around five or six in the morning did it slowly recover, allowing me to hear birdsong, car sounds, and human voices. At that moment, I felt an indescribable clarity and openness in my head. I recall hearing in the Master's teachings that contemplating in deep samādhi feels like discovering a new continent—peaceful, serene, and free. This feeling cannot be understood through conscious thought nor fully expressed in words.

Now, I am always in a state of samādhi. Only this time, the duration of entering samādhi was long, making the outside world feel as if it never happened—utterly serene. Apart from hearing the Buddha's name internally and externally, along with thoughts investigating doubts, I could perceive nothing else. My mind was cool, calm, and clear. If I sat down and unknowingly entered a samādhi state, I would quickly get up, move around, and practice walking meditation. Now, whether sitting or maintaining samādhi in motion, I vigilantly remind myself to use my mind to investigate the Dharma principles arising in my thoughts.

The deeper the samādhi, the clearer and more lucid the mind becomes, resolving arising doubts instantly. All activities of this five-aggregate body, whether worldly phenomena or supramundane Dharma, are the wonderful functions of the self-nature. For instance, dragging this sentient being's five-aggregate body around, panting, breathing, sleeping, fainting, or anything pertaining to all phenomena—regardless of species, sentient or insentient beings, mountains, rivers, earth, flowers, plants, trees, the wind rustling grass—all worldly phenomena are the functional, wonderful expressions of the inherently silent nirvanic essence. The Tathāgatagarbha manifests its wonderful functions through the sentient beings' eyes, ears, nose, body, mouth, and mind—the six sense faculties. If we wish to recite it, invoke it, contemplate it, prostrate to it, or take refuge in it, we must seek its wonderful functions within all appearances and all dharmas.

The reason I was able to cultivate deep samādhi is that I never read haphazardly. The very first thing I did upon starting was to join the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Contemplation group to cultivate meditation. When I first began cultivating concentration, I focused on the breath for a few inhalations and exhalations, then forgot about the breath altogether, single-mindedly delving into the cultivation of Buddha-Recitation Samādhi. When I first encountered the Master's audio Dharma teachings, I would fall asleep while listening, yet still hear the Master's voice expounding the Dharma within my dreams. The dream state itself is fragmented and broken, and I didn’t understand a single sentence. Every time I listened, I fell asleep, forcing me to wake up and start listening again from the beginning. I remember listening five times in total, meaning I also heard it five times in my dreams.

Commentary: Shi Ruyuan's state is not merely a state of samādhi; it is a samādhi state possessing both concentration and wisdom. First, she attained the Hinayana wisdom of severing the view of self; now, she possesses the Mahayana wisdom of Chan contemplation. She is only one step away from awakening to and realizing the Tathāgatagarbha. Now, whatever she does—walking, standing, sitting, or lying down—she remains in a state of investigating the Tathāgatagarbha. Although there is still some conscious thought, analysis, and understanding involved, which is somewhat less than ideal, she has already clarified the general direction where the Tathāgatagarbha lies; it's just a matter of reaching out and grasping it. This is unique in the entire online community. Someone with such deep samādhi cannot be disturbed by any external people or events.

Shi Ruyuan hasn't been studying Buddhism for long; she met me only five years ago and joined the Four Foundations of Mindfulness group just four years ago. After joining the group, her samādhi improved rapidly. Simultaneously, she studied some related Dharma principles. Because she had samādhi, although the Dharma she learned wasn't extensive, it penetrated her mind faculty, leading to the arising of a samādhi state two years ago—possessing both concentration and the wisdom of the emptiness of the five aggregates. The skeleton contemplation often appeared spontaneously, and her mind was empty. At that time, I held little hope for sentient beings nowadays, so I did not pay much attention to her and thus failed to understand and guide her promptly. Shi Ruyuan’s rapid progress in just four or five years is due to two reasons: first, she is obedient; second, she has few distracting thoughts in her mind, possesses not the slightest interest in the mundane world, and finds it easy to cultivate samādhi. Those with good samādhi can easily absorb what they learn into their mind faculty, easily enter samādhi states, and easily attain realization.

In contrast, those who have studied theory for decades are still at the stage of hearing and contemplating. Without samādhi, what they have learned and understood cannot benefit them personally. They are burdened with heaps of afflictions, unable to break free from the bonds of worldly dharmas, sometimes even committing unwholesome or even grave unwholesome karmas. Studying Buddhism in this lifetime brings no benefit, and future lives are even harder to speak of. Broadly studying theory without delving into actual practice wastes much precious time. Mistaking the guide and being filled with self-conceit and arrogance comes at a great cost. Many people are unreasonably self-conceited, deeply entrenched in arrogance, unwilling to heed good advice. Over several years, without even grasping the meaning of small texts, they throw themselves entirely into voluminous works, unable to accurately assess their own capabilities and roots. Not only do they skip the Hinayana practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, directly studying Consciousness-Only (Yogācāra), but they also want to study it on their own. That Dharma is absolutely not something an ordinary person has the capacity to study independently.