Purity through Upholding precepts Perfect practice of Buddhist Wisdom

Excerpted from “Advanced Preach on the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma”
Date: March 5, 2013
Location: Shakyamuni Buddhist Foundation, Taipei Tianmu Zen Meditation Center

Preach by: Zen Master Wu Jue Miao Tien, the 85th Patriarch of the Zen School

Nowadays, many Dharma teachers spread the Buddhist dharma to people, and many people listen to the sutras. After decades of preaching and listening, very few followers are awakened. Beings in ignorance remains ignorant. Therefore, practice of Buddhism must undergo true practice and realization.

In practicing the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma transmitted by the World-Honored One (Buddha Shakyamuni), we must understand the significance of this lineage, the spirit of this Dharma, and its essence—which is the “transmission of the Buddha’s heart imprint to the disciple’s heart (true self).”

The Buddha transmits His heart imprint (the Buddha’s light) to everyone, by which all are illuminated so that their body and mind are purified by the Buddha’s light. Everyone will naturally radiate light after purifying the body and mind. Accordingly, one’s true self will be liberated.

In view of the above, we can tell that “purity” is extremely important. As long as one grasps the key point of purity during Buddhist practice, one will understand what purity means. During Zen meditation, a practitioner will transcend the forms. After transcending all forms, the practitioner undoubtedly purifies his mind from all kinds of defilement and is able to enter samadhi.

If one can transcend all forms, one will be liberated from attachment to self and attachment to phenomena. It is because the human mind is prone to self attachment and attachment to phenomena. Once one can transcend all forms, all forms of “ego, personality, sentient beings and lifespan” no longer arise. How could one then make any mistake or strive for fame, power, wealth…? Never. This is purity.

All the myriad phenomena in the world attract and entangle one’s mind because the more desires one’s mind clings to, the more it wants to pursue, leading to more pollution. Nevertheless, all the desires and pollution vanish after transcending all forms. One can instead feel a kind of peaceful, extraordinarily marvelous dignity. At that time, you will know how honorable your Zen practice is. And you will find your temperament has completely changed.

Buddha Transmits the Heart-Imprint Dharma, Illuminating the Nature of All Beings

The term “purity” seems straightforward, but the practical point is to transcend forms. As long as you transcend all forms, you can be completely purified. The reason for impurity is that the “ego” is impure. Without the “ego,” one naturally becomes pure. Therefore, the “ego” is the root of all pollution. With the “ego,” the human mind has desires and defilements.

How to reduce the desires of the “ego,” thereby reducing pollution, or even staying away from pollution? The way is to make yourself feel very comfortable, joyful, and happy. This is the joy of Dharma, naturally arising from the inner heart.

Actually, this kind of transcendence of forms can be achieved in daily life; many people just don’t pay attention and only attain brief transcendence during Zen meditation.

In Zen meditation, one can feel how elegant, joyful, and wonderful this state of transcending forms is. If everyone cultivates this kind of kind-hearted, compassionate, and pure mind, they can obtain prajna wisdom and know how to enter and transcend the realms of the twenty-eight heavens.

Therefore, keep your mind as simple as possible in daily life; don’t think too much or too complicatedly. All human defilements originate from consciousness [Note]. If you are not controlled by consciousness, you will become very pure.

[Note] The term ‘consciousness’ here includes the fifth consciousness (brain response to sensory organs), sixth consciousness (normal mental activities), and seventh consciousness (subliminal consciousness).

Being Pure Lotus Blossoms, Parting Defilements Light Emerges

I emphasize again: always pay attention to the purity of your mind, cultivate a joyful heart, and stay away from all worldly defilements. This does not mean you must leave the secular world and or isolate yourself to cultivate. Rather, be like the lotus flower, which grows in muddy water yet remains unstained and blooms purely.

Our true self is like a pure lotus flower. Even living in a complex society, as long as the mind is pure, one can still be joyful and peaceful. Sometimes during meditation, you may see a blooming lotus and experience great Dharma joy and happiness—that indicates your mind is very pure.

Cultivation must be true practice and realization. Not only must you cultivate, but you must also be able to realize it, because it is the process of purifying body, mind, and spirit. This process is simple and entirely internal. However, because our body comes from countless past lives of reincarnation, all karmic and spiritual hindrances have accumulated in this body. Therefore, in this life, we must transcend and eliminate all these hindrances (karmic and spiritual hindrances) leaving only the pure, wise spirit, which then radiates light and returns to the spiritual home.

The spirit must radiate light to return home, so all karmic and spiritual hindrances blocking the spirit’s light must be completely purified. How to purify? By relying on the light of the master, the light of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or by radiating light oneself. Only light can transcend and eliminate these spiritual and karmic hindrances; otherwise, it is impossible. Thus, merely listening to sutras, chanting, or reciting cannot eliminate karmic hindrances.

From this, we see how important and extraordinary the Buddha’s light is. When a person’s mind is very pure and peaceful, whether in meditation or not, it is easy to enter the realm of light and the energy field of light. Conversely, if the mind is distracted or burdened with worries, attachments, pressures, or troubles, one cannot perceive the light because these defilements block it.

How should cultivation be done to transcend birth and death, escape reincarnation, and save the spirit? It is simple: directly let the spirit radiate light, enabling it to return to the Buddha’s pure land. The goal of our practice of Buddhism is to let the spirit radiate light.

The so-called “enlightening the mind and liberating the true self” is to practice Buddhism until your true self manifests. Then one begins cultivation from the state of true self to Buddhahood. How to liberate true self? By being pure, so that a magnificent palace appears in your heart. When the true self appears, you will know how precious it is and that your life has not been in vain. However, liberating true self is not the same as attaining Buddhahood. It only indicates that one reaches the sixth stage of Bodhisattva. We must continue cultivating to reach the tenth stage of Bodhisattva. (Excerpted from the book “Advanced Preach on the Heart-Imprint Buddhist Dharma”)