Dharma Talk - Mastery of Life and Death

MASTERY OF LIFE AND DEATH Dharma Talk by Living Buddha Lian Sheng on 30/1/91 (page 228-231 Achievement of Rainbow Light Body volume two) Translated by Yuan Zheng Tang

The Dharma as taught by the various Tantrayana schools of Buddhism is more or less identical, including among others , prostration, Maha offering, taking refuge, four immeasurables, Mudra, Mantra ,Yantra, entering into Samadhi and transfer of merit. If someone finds a copy of the ritual text and starts on his own, his spiritual cultivation will be considered "illicit". Tantrayana clearly proclaims that those who have never received any empowerment from their gurus are considered illicit students, and they will never have any spiritual response. Since the steps in our cultivation are the same, anybody can follow the rites and do it on his own - I am sure that all of you are so familiar with them even if you close your eyes you can still do it.

Without the necessary empowerments from your gurus, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas,and space travelers, no spiritual response will be forthcoming. Its not illicit as long as you have received empowerment from your guru and his lineage.

After receiving empowerment, some will have spiritual response while other may not have. Why ? It depends a lot on the level of respect you show to your teacher. Those who cultivate Pure-Land school need not have a guru. As long as they can chant "Namo Amitabha Buddha" with an undivided mind, they will be feted to the Pure Land by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas .

Tantrayana is more complicated, many oral traditions must be taught by a guru in person. His empowerment and your level of respect you show to him will determine when you will have spiritual response. For instance, those who are disrespectful during empowerment, kneel down hastily will find it difficult to have spiritual response.

I am telling you that I have spiritual response in each and every session of my cultivation. You may wonder why. To tell the truth, at first I felt the same - no spiritual response. When I was in "Pala", I started to have a 50 % chance of receiving Dharma stream empowerment and turning the Dharma wheel. Even Sakyamuni Buddha had to cultivate more than six years before his enlightenment.

It is almost impossible for a person to be so talented that he could achieve Buddhahood within a year!

In order to calm your mind and reach a stage of "emptiness" --- entering into Samadhi, you have to spend a lot of time , in the case of Sakyamuni Buddha six years, and in my case -twelve years without a day's break .

Without the union of Dharma realm power, space traveler power and guru power, and the highest level of respect you show to your guru, you will not experience any spiritual response, let alone turn the Dharma wheel and drink the Dharma milk . It's useless to cultivate if you cannot meet all these conditions.

After walking the path for twelve years, I can turn the Dharma wheel, and drink the Dharma milk every time I do my spiritual cultivation. Since I can be feted to the Pure-Land at any moment, it does not matter when I die. On the question of death, outwardly I will die the same way as others , but inwardly it is different. As I am able to choose where I want to go. In other words, I can transcend the six realms of existence. Depending on my wish, I can go to Western Pure Land, Eastern Pure Land, Heaven realm, or the hell - to assist Ksitigabha Bodhisattva. As I can go wherever I like, I am a master of my own life and death. Inwardly, my senses can go wherever I want . Outwardly, once my mission is finished, I can leave this world. Even if I have to meet an accident, if I want to avoid my death, I can do so. Otherwise, I just let the law of karma take its course.

Spiritual cultivation is a major event in our life. Once you have decided to pursue it - the most difficult task in life , you must prepare to use your perseverance to this end. It will be impossible if you put in less effort. There are all kinds of restriction imposed on you: you have to practise four immeasurables, endure insults, you can't kill, indulge in sexual misconduct, engage in senseless talk or harsh speech, even have fanciful thoughts...

In conclusion, spiritual cultivation is the most difficult task in life. In order to have a breakthrough, we must put in our best effort.

Om Mani Padme Hum

Source: http://www.padmakumara.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=42518#42518