A Golden Ring

An Introduction to Buddhist Meditation

by Dr. Yutang Lin | 21,073 words

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Questions And Answers (7-9)

Q7: If someone who has a very negative mind starts to practice concentration and breathing technique, you are saying that it could actually do them harm?

Yes, it is possible, especially after meditation has become a habit. The stages that I have just mentioned are not invented by me; they are all in the Sutras. If we want to learn Buddhism but do not follow the Sutras, then where else can we find reliable sources to guide us?

Of course, such a thorough preparation may seem too huge a project to undertake, and in view of the transient nature of human lives, it would seem that one may never be ready to practice meditation. Therefore, I often encourage people to start with the chanting practice, which is a safer approach.

The reason that chanting is a safe practice to begin with is as follows:

Through the habit of self centered thinking we have become engrossed in worldly sorrows. When we begin to practice meditation we are confronting our inner turmoil, and due to lack of training, beginners tend to remain engulfed in the inner turmoil. Besides, we are so accustomed to worrying that we do not know how to escape from it. Practicing chanting develops a new habit, which is free from worldly considerations. The force of this new habit will help dissipate the old habit of self centeredness. Since chanting is free from entanglements, we are indeed practicing pure action. Originally our actions are all pure in the sense that they are genuine, spontaneous and free from calculations. Worldliness has deprived us of such purity. Now, in order to live a happy life we need to regain our innocence through the practice of pure intention and action. Therefore, chanting is a slow but effective method which will gradually free us from worldly entanglements and bring back our innocence.

Since chanting requires very little effort, when we practice chanting it will not become a serious confrontation with the illusions, attachments and prejudices that are deeply rooted in us, therefore, it is a safe practice for any beginner. Although it may seem to be only a drop in the bucket in the beginning, if we keep up the practice of chanting for years, it will have a cumulative effect. Furthermore, chanting will eradicate the roots of our sorrows because it works right at the center of command—our minds.

After one has practiced chanting for years, one will realize that chanting is indeed also a concentration practice—concentrating on the holy name or mantra repeated. Meditative states will also arise during chanting. Furthermore, chanting practice may also lead one beyond the confinement of conceptuality.

Q8: Suppose someone has achieved one pointed concentration, what are some of the symptoms of the problems that you say he would encounter?

It all depends on what he is doing after he develops the ability to concentrate. Since we are talking in the abstract without referring to any special case, I cannot say what the symptoms would be. The lack of general guidelines shows that it is very important in the actual practice of meditation to have an experienced teacher. Experienced teachers will be able to understand the problems which practitioners encounter, and offer appropriate solutions. Besides, interferences from evil spirits may be warded off by the protectors of teachers who have attained some degree of realization.

In principle, when we encounter problems in meditation practice, we should reflect on the foundational preparations. If there is anything lacking in our preparation, we should start making amends.

After one becomes able to concentrate one pointedly, one will often have experiences of the spiritual realm. Some spirits may want to test you or lure you by fancy phenomena, supernatural abilities or worldly gains. Evil spirits may try to possess you or become your ally. If you become attracted to the power and gains they provide, you will become their instrument for obtaining worship, offerings or energies.

In this connection, it is very important to take refuge in Buddha. Taking refuge is not just participation in the ceremony; it means that one fully understands that Buddha is the one who can guide us to ultimate liberation—including liberation from the traps of evil spirits. Hence, one relies on Buddha and his protectors for guidance and protection. For serious practice, taking refuge in the Buddha will shield one from evil. Taking refuge in Buddha also entails following the teachings of Buddha and observing the Buddhist rules of conduct; it is not just a demonstration of faith. If a practitioner is not rooted in Bodhicitta, but is acting out of considerations for private gains, then Buddha and holy beings will not help you because helping you in that direction is actually hurting you.

Q9: What if a man prefers to live a celibate life style; he is not a monk but this is what he likes to do; he does not want to have children and he does not do improper things to himself; in some religions there is an assertion that the energy or essence saved can be used for a lot of purposes. Does Buddhism have anything to say to that particular issue? Is this gathering of energy of any use to the Buddhist practitioner in meditation?

The whole spectrum of Buddhist practices may be viewed as a sequential process of sublimation from coarser to finer states until we return to our original purity.

In this process of sublimation there are different approaches to the sexual energy:

In Hinayana the teaching is to remain celibate and set one"s mind on achieving liberation from transmigration in the cycle of life and death. Such an approach to sublimate the sexual energy is, in a sense, not the ideal one because it is both restraining and limited. It teaches one to avoid facing a major aspect of life, and consequently one would never learn to experience the purity of sex. Nevertheless, this approach has its relative merits—it does help simplify the situation so that beginners will more likely succeed in reaching some degree of sublimation.

In Mahayana the sublimation of sexual energy emphasizes identifying members of the opposite sex as one"s mother or sisters and devoting oneself to helping all beings achieve Enlightenment. This approach does not face sex squarely but enlarges one"s view to include all sentient beings. This approach includes using sex to help others. Nevertheless, the purity of sex remains a theory; in practice, celibacy is encouraged and identified with spiritual purity. This approach is still not the ideal one because it does not look at sex as it is, and, in practice, mistakenly identifies celibacy with spiritual purity—such identification commits the fallacy of being misled by appearance.

In Vajrayana the sublimation of sexual energy involves identification of sex with liberating practices and salvation activities. It not only recognizes the original purity of sex but also teaches techniques that use sex to achieve Enlightenment. This is the highest and ultimate teaching. Nevertheless, since such a high state of purity is hard to achieve, most practitioners should go through training in Hinayana and Mahayana before they adopt sexual practices in Vajrayana.

According to Tantric Buddhism, Enlightenment means realization of Dharmakaya, i.e., experience of a cloudless blue sky into which everything else has dissolved. Advanced practitioners who have achieved mastery of meditation and breathing practice may use sexual practice to purify their subtle attachments and illusions, and achieve realization of Dharmakaya as a cloudless sky. Nevertheless, this is not the only possible path. One may also practice the realization of Dharmakaya in sleep. The process of sleep is like a shallow process of death. An advanced practitioner may reach deeper and deeper states during his sleep and thereby approach the death process and even experience some parts of the death process. During the death process the cloudless sky experience may emerge, even though for ordinary people its duration is just like that of lightning. An advanced practitioner may apply the stabilizing force of meditation to prolong the duration of the cloudless sky, and dissolve one"s self into it thereby achieving identification with the Dharmakaya.

Other occasions when one may naturally experience the cloudless sky are fainting, being shocked and severe sneezing. Fainting and sneezing are not suitable for practice. In Zen practice shock may be used to induce the enlightened state.

{The second meeting ended here. Dr. Lin explained to the audience the "Ritual of Releasing Lives to Freedom," which was composed by Yogi Chen. Afterwards all went to the Miami Beach to release lobsters and crabs into the ocean. (See Appendix C at the end of this book.)}

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