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The Venerable Ch’an Meditation Master

[Meditation Retreat Diary by his disciple Michael]

Pay Homage to His Venerable Master Nan!

Pay Homage to His Venerable Master Chang!

Pay Homage to all Buddha!

Hundreds and Thousands years,

I have been searching on the road of enlightenment,

I have been greedy, angry and infatuated,

Now I met Master Chang,

I finally realized I am no doubt but a Buddha myself!

[After the 7 days meditation retreat, these words came to my mind during a half-sleep half-awake stage, not during meditation.]

Preface

His Venerable Master Chang Shang-Te, is one of the best-known and influential philosophers and Ch’an [Zen] meditation masters of this time. From the sermons and instructions regarding high dharma delivered by him, it was obvious to these close disciples what his level of attainment is. Their indelible impression gained therefore has always served to testify to that fact. His disciples included followers from all parts of Taiwan, and from the neighboring continent, as well as North America.

As the eminent disciple of His Venerable Master Nan Huaijin, Master Chang inherits the spirit of all great Ch’an meditation masters ever since Buddha himself.

One of Master Chang’s disciples, Michael was born in China and immigrated to Canada when an adult. As a child, he wondered where people go after they die, and always believed there must be a universal truth in this world. People cannot be just like animals – eat, drink, have sex, experience pleasures the world offers and then die. Michael’s search for the meaning of life came to a conclusion about 3 years ago when he realized that Buddhism could offer the solution.

When Michael finished reading His Venerable Master Chang’s book “Meditation Journal”, he said,” Master Chang is genuine!” Thus, he decided to visit Master Chang and pay homage to him.

The original purpose of this visit was to find enlightenment. However, the actual achievements reached far beyond the original goal: Buddhism transformed from a concept in Michael’s mind to reality. From far away to things surrounding himself; He deeply realized the “HuaYan” realm of Dharma: “no hinder of everything”. [The other three realms are: no hinder of concepts; no hinder of things; no hinder of concepts and things] All of his achievements are because of Master Chang’s care and teaching 24 hours a day. Pay homage to Master Chang!

During this visit, Master sometimes seems to be like spring rain, sometimes like a summer storm, sometimes like an autumn forest, sometimes like winter earth. He has no concept of himself; all of his actions are to help the son of Buddha realize his original self.

I, Michael, really see that, Master Chang:

Is Within Everything;

Has Transcended Everything;

Just Corresponding with Everything.

During this meditation retreat, Master always asks me these questions. Eventually, I understood why Master always asks them:

Are you kindhearted?

Can you endure sufferings?

What is your view about all human beings faith?

The Main Text

Once upon a time. Michael traveled from the west, finally arrived at the holy land of my heart: Dharma Academy. And finally met the modern Buddha, His Venerable the Great Ch’an master, my master, Professor Chang Shang-Te.

First met, I prostrated myself to salute Master Chang. Then I saw Master Chang is already on the ground too! So I dared not to do the second and third prostrated salute anymore.

Master spoke softly, but for me, it’s like lion’s roar:

What goal you want to achieve?

Michael:  [silence. Don’t know what to answer.]

Master repeated his question.

Michael:  To be enlightened.

Master: How much do you know yourself?

Michael: I don’t know myself much at all! That’s why I want to be enlightened.

……

Master: Mind and body give their places out. Body is this physical body; mind is the whole conscious, including all kinds of ideas. All must be stopped, give their places out. The Light then appears, bright and clear, clear and bright. Integrate with everything, and transcend everything.

Master: Mind and body give their places out. Body gives its place out, this is “ash the body”. “Ash the body” doesn’t mean the body is destroyed. “Eradicate the mind” – the mind gives its place out. Eradicate the whole self-loving-root that makes you present in this world in the past, present and future. This self-loving includes the sex-root.

Master said that, in the Leng-Yan sutra, Buddha said, without eradicate the root of sexual instinct, practice dharma is like cooking the sand. Here, the sex-root doesn’t mean the usual sex. Sex-root is the original No-Light that made us born into this world.

Master: Mind gives its place up, speechless, thoughtless. Then the Clear-Light presents; joy arises within every organ of the body; mind and body melting with everything – then you come to the first step.

Master said giving is the only thing what a bodhisattva does. We must be able endure sufferings. And he talked about the Four Noble Hearts: Compassion, Mercy, Happiness, Giving.

Master: You must have compassion towards all humanity.

Master: It is important to study I Ching, Lao-tse, The Diamond Sutra; Bertrand Russell New World Order; Sigmund Freud’s studies, etc.

Master: Study hard and deep on <<a worm’s thinking on the Zen ocean>> and <<finger pointing to the Moon>>.

……

Master: How do you control your six senses?

Michael: Focus all my attention to one image.

Master: It has to be achieved from the Fruit position. Controlling the six body roots requires being selfless and Dharma-less. To achieve the real selfless and Dharma-less, has to be from The Great Aspirations and Practices of Bodhisattvas. The key point of  The Great Aspirations and Practices of Bodhisattvas is Giving. Without the spirit of Giving, everything is meaningless. But Giving is very very difficult. Without Endure the Sufferings, Meditation, Discipline, there is no Giving. This cannot be described by words.

Master: Your presupposition is not wrong. You want to understand yourself, then be enlightened. How do you achieve this? All these years I have not met even a half person who is really a Dharma pursuer. It is serious. The year before last year, we had a 10 days course with Master Nan. I wrote four sentences to him. I said, now a talent in Ch’an cannot be found anymore. The presuppose conditions of a master are: first: absolutely can endure sufferings, second: absolutely kindhearted, third:the key point of Confucius, absolutely sincere and respectful, fourth: is the Four Noble Hearts, deeply compassionate and sympathy with the faith of humanity. This kind of man cannot be found anymore. Hope you are the one.

Master: You practice Zhunti? How do you do it?

Michael: Yes. …..

Master: You are trapped into the sound waves. One must transcend sound waves.

……

Master:  How do you translate “Put Down” into English?

Michael: “don’t collect”.

Master: Wrong. One must first raise something, then can put down things. [ Note: [Michael] after this Ch’an retreat, I have been always contemplating these words. During a medication, I finally realized: the instinct of the sixth consciousness is to think. It is impossible to stop thinking, unless you are dead. Then, how to put down? It is, raising a single good thought! Just like what <<Zong Jing Lu>> says, “Focus on one single good thought”. So, one must first raise and focus on a single good thought, only then will he have the ability to not collect and can put down all other thoughts.]

……

Master: There might not be even one man, within thirty, fifty years, who can really achieve the goal of Realization. Can you?

……

Master: From now on, commit yourself to a rigorous practice, with the oral or mind recitation of  Om’A’Hung controlling every moment and movement day and night. Om,  is the father tone, the Heaven Diagram; imaging the Qi of all of our Saints pours down to you. “A”, is the Earth Diagram, the mother tone. “Hung”, is the child tone. This is the Heaven, Earth, and Mankind. Everything and everything, including the material worlds, is mixed with OmAHung, in the balance of existence. This is right in our body. You go ahead approve this yourself.

Master: This thing is completely about physics, chemistry, biology, minerals, mathematics, geneticology; the arrangement and composition of the space and time; all of these composed the balance of gene of our whole existence of our past, present and future. In “the Diamond Sutra” there are two great points: one is The Motes, the other one is The One Composition. The One Composition is the unification of Three-Realms-Corresponds-with-Mind, Everything-Corresponds-with-Consciousness. The Motes is the upper level of The VOID.

So, this time, you try to use OmAHung to approve it. You must not stop it in day and night. This is the way. Scientists have been trying to find out what are The Motes. They want to know the unification of universe. This has not been achieved through physics. You try to use the traditional eastern way.

Then, master showed me how to practice “OmAHung”.

Then he instructed Stay in the meditation room day and night! Talk is forbidden!

Thus, I entered the meditation hall.

·        There is a sign in the sleeping quarters that Master wrote:

View all the causes as good causes, stress is Bodhi, Deliverance will come eventually.

See every relationship as non-relationship, relationship will begin then end, there is no relationship to keep.

·        After I settle down, I immediately started walking meditation, with the oral recitation of “OmAHung”.

·        I felt like there are many people with me together reciting “OmAHung”.

·        I was still struggling with the tone of the recitation.

·        Hesitation came to my mind: maybe I shouldn’t come? I immediately realized this thought, stopped it. Continued my recitation.

·        The rain stopped. There is a couple of butterflies playing outside one of the windows

Dinner: At the dinner table, Master showed me again the recitation of OmAHung.

Master: Christians also recite “OmAHung” as the Trinity’s voice. “Om” is the Father’s voice, “Ah” is the Holy Spirit’s voice, “Hung” is the Son’s voice. But they omit the Om, as it is God. They keep the “Ah’ Hung”, as in “Amen” and “Halleluiah”.

Master wrote:

“No sleepiness, no unrest thoughts, bright and clear, cut the root of mind, then it is a little more like it.

To recite “OmAHung” is just a method, not the target.

Your body and mind will change greatly, ignore your body and mind.”

The First Day. Got up at 3:30AM. Temperature inside the meditation hall: 25 Degree Celsius. Rain.

• Walking meditation. Orally Recite “OmAHung”.
• A thought comes to my head: how to do Vippassana meditation?
• Sitting medication. Recite “OmAHung” in mind.
• Sleepy, unrest thoughts; but know them; still reciting “OmAHung”
• Go to washroom, forgot reciting, until washing hands.
• Breakfast, at the first bite, forgot reciting.
• Walking meditation; then sitting meditation
• A ray of bright light pulls me out of a deep reciting condition. Thinking, this must be Master pouring the light onto me. Upon this thought, the light disappeared. Afterwards, the light appeared several times. I wanted to seize it and stay within it. But once the thought occurred, the light disappeared.

Master responded to my question as to how to do Imagination Meditation [Vippassana]:

1. Believe in all Buddhas, who pour the clean Qi from your head to your body.
2. Focus all your thought to reciting “OmAHung”
3. When your major thought streams stopped, then you can do the Imaging Meditation.
4. There are three levels of meditation:
1. Major thought streams stopped but no imagination
2. Major thought streams stopped but with imagination
3. No sense, no imagination.
5. There are five ways of Imagination Meditation to halt the mind.
6. At this time, you do not attempt imagination meditation, focus on stopping the major thought streams. When major thought streams suddenly halt, Deliverance can be reached.

7:30PM. Master entered the meditation hall and lectured just to me.

Master: Recite “OmAHung”, Mind and Qi must become as one. Mind is your whole existence. Qi  has something to do with breathing and air. Qi is everything. Mind body and Qi are two in one, one in two. This is the result of hard working. Please listen to me on how to recite “OmAHung”.

Master showed me how to recite “OmAHung” again.

Master: I didn’t recite one or two times in the middle of the reciting.  Did you hear when my recitation stopped or continued?

Michael: I hear a continuous recitation without interruption.

Master: My breathing didn’t stop even when my recitation stopped. When I recite, body mind give up their places, I have no concept of body. When there is no concept of body, thoughts disappear too,

Michael reported the sighting of the bright light.

Master: This was “Think-light”. If you don’t try to seize it, you will enter into the “Thin-light”; then the Clear-Light [The Eternal Tranquil Light].

Master: The Leng-Yan sutra says: crazy mind suddenly calms down, calms down is Deliverance. All thoughts are “crazy”. Any biology form, any body experience, are all part of the Crazy Mind. So the Diamond sutra says: if you want to see me via forms, hear me by sound, it is the wrong way, you cannot reach the Buddha. Here a Buddha means the root of our origin, not the physical form of a Buddha. We aspire after Fruit.  First, Arahan: Ash the Body and Destroy Thoughts – ignore body, stop thoughts. Second, Silent-Buddha: transform the root of No-Light that made one incarnating again and again. Third, Bodhisattva: Selfless, Dharma-less, for other people only. In the Ch’an method, through sitting medication, etc., we can realize that IT IS SUCH. Contemplate on it.

Master told me to contemplate: Why the Sixth-Master became All-Enlightened when he heard the words from Diamond sutra: “[Your mind] Must stay nowhere in order to raise your mind!”

The Second Day.  Rain.

• Walking and sitting meditation. Recite “OmAHung”. Contemplate about the Sixth-Master.
• Bright light. Ignore it.
• Recite “OmAHung” and pay attention to breathing, and paint a picture of a white skeleton of myself.
• Mind calms down! No sleepiness, no major thoughts, clear and bright. Knows everything, but has no relationship with everything.
• No concept of time. Until Dr. Huang sends lunch.
• Felt bored during walking meditation. Immediately realized it out I was trapped in emotions. Told myself that one’s mind must stay nowhere, all these feelings and everything else are just cause and effect. Then, calm down again.

Master wrote: The body is difficult to transform, but again, what to transform to? Are you dead? Where were you when you were not born?

The Third Day.

• Sitting meditation. Then enter into an initial Samadhi.
• Contemplating about Sixth-Master, realized why I came into this world: Seek Dharma, found Dharma, Carry forward Dharma.

Report my result of contemplation to Master:

“Mind stays nowhere” – the VOID; the Sixth-Master had already realized this when he wrote the poem: “There is no one thing”. But the Sixth-Master was still wondering, why then, there are still billions of things around us.

“Raise your mind” –even though the truth is VOID, but still going to live knowing everything is just illusion. Then the Sixth-Master achieved the total Realization.

Master: Not bad. Three questions:

1. What are the presuppose conditions of the Sixth-Master’s total Realization?
2. You are not clear about what are the conditions of The VOID producing the illusion world.
3. You haven’t achieved “controlling your six senses!”

I Went back to the meditation hall. Contemplating on the presuppose conditions of Buddha’s Total-Realization. Realized the conditions are to:

1. Help others without any forms – selfless
2. Give out Dharma to others without Dharma forms – Dharma-less
3. Abundant good fortune and virtues
4. Ability to endure sufferings; Eight types of Samadhi.
5. A real master and the complete trust to master
6. Empty stomach.

Day Four.

• Sitting and walking meditation; Reciting “OmAHung”
• Realized: there isn’t the Seventh Conscious. The Eighth Consciousness sees the combination of the seeds, suppose this “composition” as Self. Grasping that, forms the Self. Actually, those seeds are just a composition of individual seeds.  Just like a river is a composition of individual water drops. There isn’t an independent river consciousness.

The Eighth Consciousness is not the Truth either. The Eight Consciousness is (are) all just functions of mind. But even Mind is just part of Dharma. So the Eighth Consciousness is just Dharma-mote.

Report to Master.

Master: Do you feel confused?

Michael: Yes.

Master: Why?

Michael: No progress.

Master: Through out history, there is no progress; there are just phases.

Master: Desire à Idea à Thoughts à Suspension à Waiting à Stress à Confusion

Master: Contemplate on:

• Are you kind-hearted?
• Can you endure sufferings?
• What do you think about mankind?
• What do you want?

Back to meditation hall. Completely Put-Down all the thoughts.

Sitting meditation.

Eventually noises and clamors ran away from me with cries. Tranquil. Clean.

Day Five.

These days it seems to be always raining. This rarely happens in Taiwan.

And it is strange too: as soon as I started orally reciting “OmAHung”, it rains; as soon as I wanted to step out of the meditation hall, it rains.

• Walking meditation. Reciting “OmAHung”. Imagine every hair is reciting.
• Master’s words came to my mind: Crazy mind suddenly calls down, calms down is Bodhi. Suddenly I felt the whole body and mind clasped, almost kneeled down to the ground. Stand still. Felt there is a stone falling down to the ground from the heart. Major thought streams stopped.
• Stand still there for a long time.
• Sitting meditation. Reciting and hear myself reciting.

Realized: The function that is capable of hearing, produced the eardrum, the voice is heard through the eardrum too. Then, the function and the voice are one. Mind is the same situation: it produces an image, then seizes this image as itself. So then, when people have sex, they actually have sex with the image in their head. It is oneself who one loves the most. This is the No-Light!

Furthermore, what we see, eat, drink, have sex, etc. are all-boring, because people play with themselves. Looking up, I saw the mountain outside the meditation hall.  Then, I realized, the whole world is just a game people play with themselves. Everything is really a dream. People play themselves in their dreams.

At this time, the following texts came to my head simultaneously:

• “Zong Jing Lu”: Fundamentality Detachment.
• “Yuan Jue Jing”: Detach from the delusion is Realization.
• The Sixth-Master: Detach from thoughts, detach from forms.

Then I deeply realized:

Nothing is real, it is detached from its truth! There isn’t a single truth, detaching from a false delusion is truth. There isn’t a norm, detaching from the forms is norm! Detaching from the forms is the Real Form!! There isn’t Realization, detaching from confusion is Realization. One word, Detachment!

The words from The Diamond sutra came to my mind: Those who detached from all forms, they are named Buddha!

I burst out laughing. Legs are not in pain anymore.

……

There is a The Diamond Sutra at my side, so I picked it up, when I read:

“The student asked Buddha: how to calm down my mind. Buddha said: You must raise up your heart!”

I realized: Raising up true heart is calming down one’s mind!

Then I completely understood why, when the Sixth-Master heard “Your mind must focus on nothing and raise up your heart!” He achieved completely Gnosis – One must raise up the true heart! Detachment, is right, but it is just the understanding of an Arahan. One must raise up his true heart! –

Which is: detach from all forms, transcend from all forms, and help all sentimental beings!

This, is the presuppose condition of Gnosis; it is also the Gnosis itself; the practice and aspirations after Gnosis! There is no Gnosis!

Reported this to Master. Master kept silent for a long time.

Then he said: This is not wrong, but I cannot say it is right either. Because, it is still --  thoughts!

Master (forms a fist): you know this is a fist, where did it came from?

Michael: It came from the hand, hand forms the fist.

Master: From the hand point of view, fist is “being”, then how about the hand from the fist point of view ?

Michael: It is “non-being”.

Master (forms a fist): Being.

Master (shows the palm): Non-being.

Master (forms a fist again): Being.

Master (put hand behind his body): no hand, no fist, what is it?

Master: Isn’t it “No Being, no non-being”?

Master (shows his hand): Isn’t it “Be Being and be non-being”?

Master: Do you understand? Everything, the universe, the past, the present, the future are all like this. Isn’t this so simple? Master Nan understood it when his Master showed him this, then his Master told him to pay homage to Buddhas. Do you believe it?

Michael: Yes.

Master told me to read James Leggs“Classic Chinese”.

Reported to Master that I had a chest pain during meditation. Master showed me “The Sixteen Profound Ways”:

1. Know you are breathing in;
2. Know you are breathing out;
3. Know your breathing, long and short;
4. Know your breathing penetrates all over body;
5. Remove all body defilements;
6. Body feels happy;
7. Mind feels joy;
8. Feel all mind emotions;
9. Mind is happy;
10. Mind is free;
11. Mind is focused;
12. Contemplate Impermanence;
13. Contemplate Giving;
14. Contemplate Detach from Desires;
15. Contemplate Dissolution;
16. Contemplate Nothingness.

Master also showed me The Five Way to Calm Down Mind:

1. Contemplate Compassion;
2. Count Breathing
3. Contemplate Dirty Body;
4. Contemplate Cause and Effect;
5. Contemplate Different Stages [Imaging Buddha].

Day 6 and 7.

Master decided to stop the retreat, and take me out for sightseeing. It is weird when thinking about it: a Master, almost 80 years old, took a much younger man sightseeing.

This sightseeing, gave me a chance to observe Master very closely.  Master Chang observed his Master Nan for 20 years, then finally made up his mind to follow Master Nan. For me, after 2 days observation, I decided to always follow Master Chang.

It also made me understood what really Dharma is. Master never talked about Dharma during this trip, but Master’s every word and every step showed the liveliness and freedom of Dharma! It brought the Dharma of what I understood from concept to reality; It brought Buddha from far away to close to me;  It made me realized the “true Hua-Yan realm of Freedom of Things” of Dharma! And it made me truly believed that our Master is in the “One-truth Realm” already.

What I learned about Buddha Dharma in these two days is much greater than what I have learned since beginning to learn the Dharma.

Also, wherever Master goes, there are his students, who are the top talented people in their industries, receiving him. Their respectful manner towards Master; it is deep and real!

There were two times, Master made Lion’s Roar! I still hear it in my ears!

The first time was in a beautiful garden, beside a pond, I was enjoying the unification with nature. Master suddenly made Lion’s Roar:  “Michael! Don’t be falling in love with money!!”  From that time I am detached from money.

The second time: Master did it to a man who is into the black arts. After that, the man showed great respect toward Master. It made me think that the man must be more interested into Ch’an later on.

[Many thanks to brothers and sisters who received and help me during these two days: Sister Amy, Brother Huang, Brother Tsai ,etc.]

Day 8. Friday.

Master called out those senior brothers to come to the Dharma Academy.

[Many thanks to the teaching of brother Hsu, especially the metaphor of upgrading the computer system: people are used to their current system - body and mind, very reluctant to let go, even though they know this system is bad – changes cause much stress and pain. If they had to delete all the data that has been accumulated over years and lives, if they had to completely give up this system, they still are reluctant to do it!  This made me realize why Master always says “Giving” is the most important virtue and practice of a Dharma follower. It also made me understand that a Dharma student must be like an iron man; judge your own heart brutally!”]

After dinner, we gathered in the yard, doing walking meditation: Master is in the center as we walk around him in a circle. Master is lecturing.

Several minutes into walking, I felt tranquil, clean and free. I felt I am unified with the surroundings, and sky and earth; but detached from them at the same time.

“Pa!” Master whipped his bamboo stick to the ground. We stopped walking and stood still.

Master asked Michael to answer a question.

At that time, I felt very close to Master and surroundings, but at the same time, I felt everything is far, far away from me. I heard clearly Master’s question, but it has nothing to do with me. Who is Michael? What to answer? Everything is as such! Then I kept silent. [All the above descriptions are what I thought afterwards when I thought back about that moment. Actually at that moment. I didn’t think anything. “No-Thought”.]

Master told everyone to go to the meditation hall, and told me don’t move, and in my mind to Kowtow to all Buddhas. So then I did it with respect and deep appreciation.

Day 9.

In the morning, master called me to his room.

Master: Have you got Gnosis?

Master: It is in it, for it, for me, and for everything. But, I am a bodhisattva. So I am not for me, but only for everything. You understand?

……

……

Pay homage to Master Chang! To Master Nan! To all bodhisattvas! To all Buddhas!

……

……

Later, I stood at the yard, under the plaque with Master Nan’s words and signature. I was with everything and transcended everything.

I realized:

What makes a Buddha as a Buddha, are Aspirations-and-Practices. If I do the same Aspirations-and-Practices with Buddhas, then I am part of Buddhas.

At that time, I was surrounded by Bodhisattvas and Buddhas!

Then I realized: now I am part of Buddhas, then I don’t have to always keep it in mind that I am a Buddha anymore. So then, No-self, No-Buddha!

At once, I completely understood why Shakyamuni Buddha, pointing one hand to sky, one hand to earth, said: Heaven and Earth, I am the one!” I know what it means now, it is:

To help all Beings, I am the one!

So then, I too, pointed one hand to sky, one hand to earth……

After Words

I don’t know where to start to show my appreciation to Master Chang! I am so lucky to meet such a real master!

At this retreat, I witnessed what is a real Ch’an master, who inherits the traditions from the Shakyamuni Buddha, Master Dhammo and all real Ch’an masters, and their spirit, their quality, their demeanor, their imposing manner! I really tasted a true Ch’an Master’s ways of guiding his disciples to the path of Enlightenment.

Joy!!!

Freedom!!!

……

Master says:

To transform mind, comes from Aspirations;

To transform body, comes from Qi-gong;

Body returns to Qi, mind returns to “Bodhisattva’s Aspiration and Practices.”.

Practicing is to transform the body.

It doesn’t require magical power in order to reach Enlightenment; Magical power can help to reach Gnosis. Magical powers come from deep meditation.

Master instructs:

• Take care of your body;
• Pay attention to: Position; Personality; Style.
• Study deeply on “The Eight Consciousness”.
• Study hard on “a worm’s thinking on the Zen ocean”, “finger pointing to the Moon”, “The Diamond Sutra”
• Study hard on I Ching, Lao-tse.
• Study hard on western classic philosophies.

Master Advises:

Integrate the concepts into Things, practice on the Things.

Must know people to know how to manage people, have ingenious strategy, clever tactics and patience.

Master Emphasizes:

Must transcend from worldly emotions.

Master Indicates: -- is also my Aspiration:

• Must take the path of unifying eastern and western classic cultures in order to build a culture railway to all humankind!

Selfless!

Help all Being!

[This article, just recorded some moments during my retreat. What really happened, and what I really learned, cannot be described.]