Preface

In July 1991 I was invited by the Miami Buddhist Lotus Society to give a series of talks on Buddhist teachings. Three of these lectures were devoted to "Introduction to Buddhist Meditation." This book contains refined transcripts of these lectures with relevant additional materials included as appendices. A detailed explanation of why and what I would like to offer in this work is given in the opening talk that follows.

The talks were based on a Chinese article of mine bearing the same title. After the Chinese article had gone through three revisions I offered it on the altar table requesting Buddha"s approval. That night in a dream I saw myself with both palms folded together, holding a small, transparent bag full to the rim with whole peanuts. According to my late Guru Yogi Chen"s teaching, peanuts seen in a dream represent things born from the Dharma because peanuts are called hua sheng (aayI) in Chinese and it sounds similar to fa sheng (akyI) which in Chinese means born from Dharma. Accordingly I offer the following interpretation of this dream.

The small, transparent bag signifies a short and clear article. Its fullness signifies that the content is full of the essentials of Dharma. The peanuts in the shells signify that to taste their flavor one needs to engage in practice (so as to shell the peanuts for eating). Holding the bag with palms folded together signifies that the article was written with the cooperation of wisdom and compassion.

In that dream I simultaneously heard a heavenly voice saying: "_ayLao_Oring; 3o_Ogolden ring. (The others are rings; this one is a golden ring.)" Since a ring"s round shape signifies perfection and its use is a reminder of something essential, I believe that the message conveyed was a perfect reminder of the essentials. In tantric Buddhism very precious teachings are often referred to as golden Dharmas; I am honored to have heard such an auspicious compliment. This is the origin of the title of this book.

The Thangka of Yogi Chen appearing as Bodhisattva Manjusri riding a dragon was prescribed by his oral instruction to me. It was painted, under my supervision, by a devotee Zen Wei who had never met Yogi Chen in person and yet had seen him many times in dreams during the painting of this holy image. It is contained in this book and followed by a supplication to his holiness for his blessing to all practitioners of Buddhist meditation.

The Chinese article on meditation first appeared in my Chinese book "One Melody in Ten Variations. As soon as it was printed in Taipei, Taiwan, my father sent three copies to me via airmail without informing me in advance. Early in the morning on the day the books arrived, in a dream I saw the great protector of Dharma, Bodhisattva Wei Tuo, appearing exactly as the image contained in this book and lasting for about thirty seconds. To express my gratitude to Bodhisattva Wei Tuo for such a sign of approval, his holy image was included in the second edition of that book. Now his holy image is also included in this book, signifying, on the one hand, our continued gratitude and, on the other hand, our plea for his protection to all practitioners of Buddhist meditation.

The Chinese article was carefully proofread several times by Shou Yean Lin and Chun Jane Chen, and contains improvements in readability based on their suggestions. The present work has been edited by Ann Klein and Harold Rossman to improve the English. Andrew Ellis has improved the English and suggested ways to improve the format. Formatting of the entire book has been done by Chen Jer Jan. My sincere thanks to them and may they someday enjoy the fruits of Buddhist meditation. Thanks are also due to the donors for making the printing and free distribution of this work possible; may they succeed in practicing Dhyana Paramita (meditation) based on their merits gained through Dana Paramita (donation).

May all beings soon realize the original purity of Limitless Oneness!

Yutang Lin
March 8, 1994
El Cerrito, California