Zen Grandmaster Wu Chueh Miao-Tien expounds: Spiritual Cultivation Aspiring to the Universal Holy Spirit.

Editor’s Note: Zen Grandmaster Wu Chueh Miao-Tien’s Dharma transmission on this occasion is divided into two parts: “Q&A Between Master and Disciple” and “Dharma Transmission Discourse.” Due to length constraints, it will be published across two issues. This issue presents the “Dharma Transmission Discourse,” while the “Q&A Between Shifu and Disciple” will be featured in the “Grandmaster Preach on Zen” column in the next issue.

Sub-headline: Dharma Transmission at the Nangang Grand Zen Hall,
Chinese Content prepared by: Hsieh Ming-Yuan, Hsieh Ai-Chu
Photo Credit: Shakyamuni Buddhist Foundation

At 10:00 a.m. on June 6, the 85th-generation Grandmaster of the Buddhist Zen School., Zen Grandmaster Wu Chueh Miao-Tien, transmitted the Dharma and gave a discourse to disciples at home and abroad through both an in-person gathering and live broadcast at the Nangang Grand Zen Hall of the Shakyamuni Buddhist Foundation in Taipei City.

Zen Grandmaster Wu Chueh Miao-Tien stated clearly at the outset that spiritual cultivation does not belong to the mundane world. The theme of this gathering was to elevate the disciples’ direction of cultivation—to expand one’s cultivation heart toward the boundless universe, to aspire to the universal Holy Spirit, and to attain the sacred realm. Only this is true cultivation.

How does one elevate the direction of spiritual cultivation? The Grandmaster expounded that without a guiding direction, one cannot move forward in cultivation; one can only maintain the status quo, stagnate in place, or even risk regression.

“Therefore, one must constantly have guidance from ‘above,’ and cultivate by following the direction of ‘Heaven.'”

The Grandmaster expounded that spiritual cultivation does not belong to the mundane world. “Yet, these divine treasures we cultivate from Heaven can be applied to the world of mortals, and they are extraordinarily effective.”

The Grandmaster illustrated this with an example: everyone wants to strike it rich. If you possess supreme celestial wisdom, you will know where prosperity can be found in this world. Take the stock market: people make money there, but they can also lose money. It acts like a large steel mill, testing everyone. Yet with heavenly wisdom, you can truly prosper in it.

An ordinary person might spend years trying to make a million dollars in the stock market, but guided by high wisdom from Heaven, it could be done in just one day. The Grandmaster explained that this represents the very spiritual mastery He always emphasizes: what ordinary people need months, half a year, or more to finish, we can accomplish in a single day. That is the effect of spiritual diligence. The Grandmaster hopes that everyone will develop such mastery and wisdom: “This is the high wisdom of Heaven.”

The Grandmaster expounded that if we are to truly embrace this world, we must not embrace it as mere “humans,” but through “energy.” What kind of energy? It is: “Being joyful every day, and thereby being filled with boundless happiness each and every day.”

The Grandmaster explained that everyone aspires to become exceptionally wealthy. “Yet, this is the mindset of ordinary people, not the vision of superior individuals or sages.”

Once one attains the capabilities of a sage, acquiring the wealth that ordinary people desire becomes effortless. “When you possess the faculties and the energy of a sage, and when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will naturally be able to achieve it.”

The Grandmaster said, “To be ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ means to connect with the wisdom of life energy of cosmic celestial bodies. It is a form of life energy, a spiritual body, and not a physical form. It is not the vital energy of the material physical body, but the spiritual life energy of the living entity.”

The Grandmaster expounded, “When you obtain the life energy of the spiritual body and channel it into the life energy of your physical body, you can attain ageless longevity. You will not only be able to govern your own physical body, but also govern your own life, and fulfill the endeavors you wish to accomplish. This includes your aspiration to help the public; you will naturally know how to help others, because you possess this very capacity.”

“This is why I have always emphasized: besides the physical body, one must also possess the spiritual body. This is of vital importance.”

The Grandmaster explained further: our physical bodies rely on blood and Qi. It is this circulation of vital energy and blood that shapes our spirit and vitality, giving rise to our spiritual body. The soul is just like this. While the soul has no physical blood or Qi, it has energy—a superior life force. When we receive this higher life energy, we also receive its transcendent wisdom energy. With this ultimate vitality, we can accomplish anything.

Yet, people are still far away from this state. Therefore, the Grandmaster urged disciples to make great strides in their practice, “starting from the ten chakras.”

The Grandmaster earnestly instructed that during Zen meditation, one must concentrate one’s entire spiritual power and heart power—even including all emotions and every available faculty—wholly into the ten chakras, beginning with one chakra to activate and guide them through step by step.

The Grandmaster illustrated: “Guiding Qi is like rolling a ball in your hands. Just as you control and guide that ball’s movement, focusing on the chakras allows you to guide your Qi and convert it into electricity, and finally into light. You must put in genuine practice.”

The Grandmaster continued: the most important attitude in cultivation is to never view it as a casual pastime or an ordinary job. “Spiritual practice is a magnificent and sacred way to seek wisdom. Everyone must gain a deep appreciation of the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Zen passed down by Shifu.”

Heart-Imprint Buddhist Zen Originates from Heaven

The Grandmaster stated that regarding the Heart-Imprint Zen Dharma and the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma He transmits: on an individual level, the former enables us to live each day in great joy, vitality, and auspiciousness, free from adversity; for the world at large, it can rid the entire world of jealousy and hatred, filling it with boundless love and peace. “When we accomplish this wholeheartedly, our body and mind will attain purity. Only in this way do we truly realize genuine purity. “

Many people do not understand what purity truly means. The Grandmaster illustrated this in simple terms: if you get into arguments over trivial matters every single day, how could you possibly be pure? Therefore, one must possess self-discipline; the mind must remain deeply disciplined, pure, and still.

Living in this world, it is inevitable that friction will arise—between individuals, with circumstances, and across various aspects of life. How can this be avoided? One must be able to forgive, understand, and empathize with others, offering help with a loving heart. This constitutes one’s own personal cultivation—the cultivation of body and mind. In other words, one must cultivate the heart and nurture one’s nature, nurturing the intrinsic nature within.

“The intrinsic nature must be nurtured to purity; therefore, one must cultivate the heart—cultivating a good heart, cultivating a benevolent heart,” the Grandmaster said. “One must nurture this nature into one of profound peace and gentleness. This is the bare minimum that we, as spiritual practitioners, must achieve.” This pertains to the Heart-Imprint Zen Dharma.

Turning further to the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma, the Grandmaster expounded that only when the ten chakras are thoroughly mastered, enabling one to govern one’s own life and health through disciplined self-management, can one truly embody the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma as it is meant to be.

The Grandmaster stated, “Every organ within the human body is an independent living entity. If you can unify every organ and each independent living entity, you will possess an extraordinarily healthy and formidable organism. Therefore, you must cultivate the ten chakras with excellence until you attain complete mastery and complete management over them.”

If one can thoroughly master and govern their own life and vitality, they will know how to draw in energy, comprehend how the Qi circulates within, and understand how to channel Qi to areas deficient in energy for immediate replenishment.

Taking lower back pain as an example, the Grandmaster explained: “Draw the entire reserve of energy up from the Root Chakra and the Sacrum Chakra along the spine. You must achieve genuine, unobstructed flow, allowing a sensation of temperature to emerge—either warmth or refreshing coolness—and feeling the Qi ascending and surging upward. That is how it should be done.”

“Alternatively, you may focus directly on the Life Chakra, which is located at the Yangguan acupoint. This is where the ‘Qi’ of the bones originates. Focus here and allow it to radiate in two directions: one ascending upward, and the other encircling the waistline from both sides, depending on how you wish to direct it.”

The Grandmaster emphasized that spiritual cultivation must be applied dynamically in real life. For instance, it can be utilized to promote physical health, cultivate a joyful mood, and even elevate one’s wisdom.

How does one elevate wisdom? The Grandmaster expounded that the wisdom of the human brain is not confined to the wisdom of Earth; it must be elevated upward to the wisdom of the universe. How is this elevated? It depends on the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma.

“The Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma belongs to the spiritual realm, not the material realm. Therefore, having practiced the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma, one should never say, ‘After arguing or coming into contact with others, I feel a negative energy field and find it unbearable.’ There is no such thing. The Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma is the supreme and the most sacred; it is simply that you have not yet comprehended it.”

The Grandmaster taught, “Once you can grasp, discover, and truly receive the spiritual strength of the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma and tap into this wisdom energy, you will understand that wisdom energy triumphs over the material realm and everything in this human world.”

“What is more, this very wisdom energy is what public officials and anyone wishing to do great things for the people need most. It is also crucial for wealthy benefactors who build enterprises to serve the public good.”

Yet so many people do not cultivate the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma. Why? “Because it does not make money, while large companies can issue stocks and earn fortunes.” The Grandmaster identified the core truth: “In truth, the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma can also generate wealth, but you must first attain the wisdom energy of superior individuals. To become a superior individual requires entering the sacred realm.”

The Grandmaster noted that He can impart this superior wisdom Himself. Yet, one must follow the Grandmaster in practicing Heart-Imprint Buddhist Zen, and at the same time share this Dharma that leads to Buddhahood with more people. “It is truly a pity that these wealthy people lack the insight to come and cultivate with me. “

Thus, the Grandmaster urged disciples to make great strides in spreading Heart-Imprint Buddhist Zen: “If you truly receive this energy transmitted by Shifu and reach this spiritual height just like Shifu, you will have whatever your heart desires, wielding the power to call upon wind and rain.”

The Grandmaster shared that He resides on a mountain embraced by trees. Each morning when He wakes up and looks through the window at the trees, He directly senses the soft breeze wafting by.

“Every life in Nature has feelings. Even though they are plants, they have spiritual awareness. This is plant nature—an inherent quality of Nature, a natural wisdom and affection. When you can connect with this, you will find it endlessly fascinating. Everything in this world is truly fascinating.”

The Grandmaster expounded that the foregoing represents the supreme realm of the Heart-Imprint Zen Dharma and the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma, encouraging disciples to direct their earnest endeavors toward this destination. “You must elevate yourselves through your own efforts. Do not remain stagnant in place after five or ten years of practice—for that, too, is just another cycle of samsara.”

Attaining Buddhahood Is the Attainment of the Buddha’s Spiritual Body

The Grandmaster taught that practicing the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma and the Heart-Imprint Zen Dharma does not rely on physical strength; it requires using the heart. “Apply your undivided focus, your pure heart, and your wisdom.”

The Grandmaster explained, “Cultivating the Shifu’s Dharma is cultivating ‘Purity, Prajna Wisdom, Perfection, and Perfect Enlightenment’—which corresponds to the ‘Precepts, Dhyana, and Wisdom’ transmitted by the World-Honored One, culminating in ‘Liberation.'”

“The ‘Wisdom’ in ‘Precepts, Dhyana, and Wisdom’ refers to prajna wisdom; practicing the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma is likewise attaining this wisdom. Yet this wisdom is not the wisdom of the mundane world—it is the wisdom of Heaven, the energy of Heaven, and the vital force of Heaven; it is supreme wisdom, a form of higher life energy.”

The Grandmaster exhorted disciples not to confine their perspective to the mundane level of the “mortal human” merely because they reside in this earthly world. Although human beings are the most spiritually endowed creatures in the mortal realm, when compared to the heavens, mortals pale into insignificance—for the heavens do not evaluate based on “material form,” but by the “spiritual body.”

Therefore, one should habitually employ the “spirit” in daily life; through continual engagement, it will eventually crystallize into the “spiritual body.” How does one utilize the spiritual body? The Grandmaster gave an example: from Taiwan, He frequently performs remote consecration (kaiguang) for overseas Zen meditation centers, or conducts remote blessings for specific individuals and objects. His physical “person” does not travel to the site; rather, it is His “spiritual body” that departs to perform the consecration or blessing. However, because the fleshly eyes of ordinary mortals cannot perceive this, the Grandmaster does not deliberately elaborate upon it.

“Years ago, a fellow practitioner went to the United States for advanced studies. One night, he suddenly suffered a terrible headache and called me. I immediately gave him a remote blessing. This is possible because across the entire realm of emptiness, there is no time or space; time and space are both beginningless and endless, endlessly cycling and revolving therein,” the Grandmaster said. “How does human life evolve through these cycles? Ultimately, it transforms into the life of a spiritual body—that is the Holy Spirit, that is Buddha-nature.”

The Grandmaster explained that the attainment of Buddhahood is essentially the attainment of the Buddha’s spiritual body. The Grandmaster encouraged disciples: even if you haven’t reached this level yet, try to visualize it—it is profoundly divine and inconceivable.

Cultivating the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma and the Heart-Imprint Zen Dharma brings forth inconceivable power; yet the most crucial foundation is to attain Heart-Imprint with Shifu. The Grandmaster expounded, “The moment I direct my heart to you, the energy arrives. But if you cannot even draw close to my human person, how could you possibly be close to Shifu’s Buddha-nature? How could you draw close to Shifu’s Holy Spirit? It is impossible.”

“If you cannot draw near here on Earth, how could you draw near in Heaven? And where, indeed, is your Heaven?” The Grandmaster earnestly instructed, “To attain Heart-Imprint with Shifu, you must draw closer to Shifu. How do you draw closer? Immerse yourselves in Shifu’s teachings; those written discourses carry genuine energy.”

The Grandmaster explained that the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma and the Heart-Imprint Zen Dharma are the genuine Buddhist Dharma. If one possesses both the wisdom of the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma and the life energy of the Heart-Imprint Zen Dharma, it is the ultimate attainment; regrettably, many remain unaware of this. The Grandmaster urged disciples to re-comprehend Heart-Imprint Buddhist Zen and re-examine their own approach to practice, “dedicating even greater effort to your cultivation.”

How is this achieved? “Engage your heart power and your spiritual power. When focusing on the chakras during Zen meditation, make a real effort to connect with the physical body. What you must transform are the body and the mind—cultivating the ‘body’ and ‘mind’ within ‘body, mind, and spirit.’ This requires the wisdom cultivated through your practice and wisdom applied in the mortal realm to resolve, so you must dedicate profound effort to this endeavor.”

“As for the ‘spirit’ in ‘body, mind, and spirit,’ you cannot alter it on your own; it must be addressed through Buddha-nature and the wisdom of Heaven.” In this manner, the Grandmaster analyzed step-by-step how to cultivate “body, mind, and spirit.”

Expand the Spirit Toward the Cosmos

A disciple once wrote to the Grandmaster asking: leaving early and returning late every day, being so occupied with work that there is no time for Zen meditation—what should I do? The Grandmaster replied that attending weekly classes at the Zen meditation center is designed to train everyone in the essentials of Zen meditation, and to overcome issues with the body’s circulation of Qi and blood, as well as mental and psychological obstacles. However, once learned, one must know how to apply these methods and understand how to resolve one’s own problems.

“If your days are not filled with joy and genuine happiness, it simply means your diligence needs a boost,” the Grandmaster explained. “Keep progressing in your practice, and one day you will naturally experience this lasting feeling of constant joy and happiness wherever you are.”

The Grandmaster expounded that the heart must be vast and broad, as immense as the ocean. Just like the traditional saying, “The heart of a prime minister is wide enough to sail a ship,” it can embrace all things and welcome everything. Therefore, spiritual practitioners must be able to accommodate and embrace others.

“If one comes into conflict of opinion with others, it constitutes an ‘obstacle to wisdom’—a blockage in wisdom, lacking the capacity to resolve the problem,” the Grandmaster taught. “If one possesses abundant intelligence and wisdom—with a heart as vast as the ocean and a mind as lofty and expansive as the sky—one naturally understands how to embrace others, knowing precisely how to resolve issues without giving rise to conflict.”

“The brain must hold only wisdom; it must not be filled with rubbish. Rubbish encompasses all that is negative.”

Therefore, in one’s spiritual cultivation, one must routinely examine oneself: wherever one falls short, strengthen it; wherever negativity arises, do the best to avoid it and encompass it with tolerance. By refraining from conflict, one can live each day in great joy, entirely free from pressure.

“Practicing in this manner enables progress day by day, and wisdom will likewise grow day by day. Even if you don’t feel it right away, this growth unfolds quietly beneath the surface—including your physical stamina, vital life force, and the power of wisdom.”

“Your perspective will transform, allowing you to formulate an exceptional and fulfilled design for your life. Pay no heed to the decades that have already slipped away; let what has passed be gone. Treat it as valuable experience, and use it to shape the future.”

“Whether in cultivation, in your career, in your daily living, or in any other endeavor, you will make superb plans: keeping the physical body well and healthy to attain ageless longevity; remaining emotionally serene without turbulence, filled with cheer each day; and unlocking spiritual wisdom. This is what we truly need.”

What is spiritual wisdom? The Grandmaster expounded that spiritual wisdom means the spirit must harbor an inner aspiration toward Heaven—expanding, aspiring, and developing toward the boundless universe. “This depends on spiritual power.”

“Alternatively, when one’s practice of the Heart-Imprint Zen Dharma advances to the stage where an electrical current courses through the entire system—when the brain and the whole body become fully electrified—one connects directly upward, thereby receiving the cosmic energy.”

“As you receive more and more of this wisdom energy and life energy, your realm of cultivation will ascend ever higher. This is authentic practice and true realization; this is genuine spiritual cultivation. Although invisible to the eyes, one can bear witness that it is a concrete, living reality.”

The Grandmaster concluded by underscoring that this discourse is of vital importance, intended to guide disciples in advancing their spiritual cultivation toward higher heavens and toward the cosmic Holy Spirit. However, the Grandmaster also emphasized that striving upward must never lead to neglecting foundational practices; “otherwise, it remains hollow.”

The Grandmaster cited a story from the Founding Father Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s Three Principles of the People as an analogy: A shoulder-pole carrier bought a lottery ticket and won the grand jackpot. He had originally hidden the winning ticket inside the hollow pole. Upon striking it rich, he rejoiced, thinking, “From now on, I will never have to carry this pole again!” Overjoyed, he hurled the pole into the sea—only to realize right after that the winning ticket was still hidden inside. That is why we must never lose touch with what grounds us.

The Grandmaster also used the “five-layer cake theory” of AI proposed by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang as a metaphor: “Jensen Huang said their AI industry is built like a five-layer cake with five levels (Note); well, our Heart-Imprint Buddhist Zen should have a hundred layers!” The Grandmaster encouraged disciples to find ways to build and stack their spiritual cultivation all the way to a hundred stories high.

Note: Jensen Huang’s “AI Five-Layer Cake Theory” divides the AI industry from the bottom up into five levels: “Energy, Chips, Infrastructure, Models, and Applications.”

In this discourse, Zen Grandmaster Wu Chueh Miao-Tien analyzed spiritual cultivation from the perspective of the ultimate universal essence. He enabled every disciple to comprehend how to begin cultivating as an ordinary mortal within the human realm and advance continuously upward to the supreme realm of the Buddha—a profoundly critical spiritual paradigm.

For years, the Grandmaster has been promoting the vision of “Buddha Land on Earth, Buddhahood for Everyone; Heaven on Earth, Peace for the World,” stressing that these are far from hollow words. “If only everyone cultivated the way we do, our world would have known peace long ago, and everyone would already be Buddhas. Truly, our earthly world and the heavenly kingdom are alike—both are worlds full of brilliant light, sublime beauty, and boundless happiness!”

The lecture concluded in complete perfection near midday. Disciples received the teachings with joyful faith and reverence—though physically dwelling in the mortal realm, their hearts already resided in Heaven!

Photo Caption: Zen Grandmaster Wu Chueh Miao-Tien, the 85th-generation Grandmaster of the Buddhist Zen School.

English Translation: Chueh Miao Gong-Ming