Chapter 3 - The Importance Of Meditation

1. Meditation is crucial to the Maturity of Wisdom

We mentioned above the sequence of behavior, meditation and maturity in the course of one"s practice. Meditation is the central connection between behavior and maturity. Observance of rules of conduct alone, without the further aid of meditation, can hardly bring about maturity of innate wisdom. Observance of rules of conduct requires mindfulness and will, but does not entail thorough understanding of Buddhist philosophy and pure intention. Only through purification of the subconscious achieved in deep meditative states can all hindrances to the manifestation of innate wisdom be resolved.

2. Meditation is Fundamental to the Manifestation of Supernatural Abilities

In Buddhism supernatural abilities such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, mind reading, past lives recollection, and appearance at will, are not sought after. Attachment to supernatural abilities is considered a hindrance to Full Enlightenment. Displaying or boasting about one"s supernatural abilities is usually prohibited except in rare occasions when such acts will help increase faith in Buddhism.

For example, when I pray for the deceased, sometimes they appear to me. Since David Tseng is here with us, I would like to mention an incident related to him. Once I was at home in El Cerrito and sat in meditation; I heard David"s voice over the telephone answering machine. He called me from Miami and said that his friend passed away in Los Angeles, so please perform Powa (a tantric ritual to help gain rebirth in Buddha"s Pure Land) for him. Simultaneously, an old man"s face appeared in front of me; he also appeared during my practice of Powa. Later I checked with David, and he confirmed that the face and posture I saw matched his friend"s. The deceased was a total stranger to me, nevertheless, when I sincerely prayed for him, through Buddha"s grace, such unusual phenomenon occurred. Events like this are plentiful; they help us to understand the deeper meaning of Buddhist teaching, and have deeper faith in the Dharma.

In telling you about this event I am not claiming possession of supernatural powers because most of the time I do not see anything unusual. However, events like this do occur, and they demonstrate that our innate supernatural abilities may be awakened through the cultivation of Buddhist practice.

As one progresses in meditation, the innate supernatural abilities will manifest themselves in a mind of clarity. Since this is a natural development the practitioner should not avoid manifestation of supernatural abilities, nor should he anticipate, cling to, or feel glorified by such manifestations. Since we are all capable of the development of supernatural abilities and also equally capable of attaining Buddhahood, no one is special. People who are proud of their supernatural abilities are still under the illusion of a special self. When one is proud of or boasting about one"s supernatural abilities, it is just an expression of egocentricity. Basically it is not very different from the pride of having a beautiful appearance. What good does it bring to the rest of the world? The world will improve only when we have compassion, tolerance and the ability to serve. To gain complete freedom and be of utmost service to all, one should steer clear of such attachments and broaden one"s view to include the whole world. This does not mean that we should not esteem achievements in realizations; it simply means that milestones, when attached to, will turn into blocking stones.

The supernatural ability that relieves one from all sorrows and transmigration is called Defilement proof. Defilement proof is the peculiar supernatural ability of Buddhist saints because only the Buddhist realizations are beyond heavenly attainments and free from transmigration. Buddhist realizations will transcend transmigration because they are based on the non self philosophy, which enables one to become free from all attachments. For the non self ideal to become a concrete realization, it is necessary to implant it into one"s mind through meditation.

From the above, we see that all supernatural abilities will manifest only after cultivation in meditation. Besides, we also see that, without proper understanding of Buddhist teaching of non self, achievements in meditation can not liberate us completely. Therefore, in order to maximize the results of our efforts in meditation, we should obtain a thorough insight of non self through the study of Buddhist teachings and live an altruistic way of life. Reality is in Limitless Oneness; do not be limited.

3. Meditation is Fundamental to All Realizations in Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana

All realizations in Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana are based on Defilement proof supernatural ability. Therefore, they can be achieved only through cultivation in meditation.