Yuan Zheng Tang – Perfect Enlightenment (No: 5) Loose Chanting vs Proper Chanting by Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
The book entitled “A broad discussion on the different stages of Tantric Buddhism” distinguishes between the correct and loose ways of chanting mantra and reciting the sutras. It is the belief of Tantric practitioners that by chanting the mantra, a good foundation will be laid for spiritual cultivation. Before embarking on any form of cultivation, a practitioner is encouraged to chant the mantra for at least half a million times, sometimes more -- up to one million times. Spiritual response will comes easily thereafter. The canon of chanting is not one of relaxation. In fact it is rather strict. You must be in full concentration while chanting, it is then considered the correct way. If you doze off, all your effort will not be credited. Even though you have completed chanting half a million or one million times, should you yawn in the process, feel an itch in your nose and sneeze, what you have just chanted will not be taken into account. If you recite an incomplete verse or pause between the words, such as first reciting “ Om Ami”, then after a pause, “Teh Wa Seh”; the mantra chanted is considered imperfect and hence is of no value. All your efforts will be wasted if in the process of chanting, you feel lethargic or you did not wash hands after visiting filthy places such as the toilet. In short, your effort of chanting half a million times or even one million times will only be worthwhile if it is done with full concentration and purity. The correct way is different from the loose way in that the former is carried out in full concentration. The loose way of chanting is done while you are walking, driving or working; the effort of which is invalid. However, in order to encourage one to chant, sometimes the loose way is acceptable too, although it is not considered the right way. If you feel tired, sleepy or unclean; try a walk, then continue with the correct way of chanting. If you have a nightmare, all the chanting done in the day would be void. As the merit of chanting actually annuls your unwholesome karma, the effect has been invalidated even if you have chanted half a million, one million, two million or even five million times. The correct way of chanting prescribes the use of 108 bead-rosary to ensure full concentration. In fact, one should not put the rosary on one’s legs while chanting, for it will cause slight disturbance and non-attention, which is therefore not the correct way. In order to ensure the effort spent is not in vain, you must exert full concentration; with both hands holding the rosary beads in front of your chest. The same reason explains why all the chanting done when you are dozing off, coughing, sneezing, being in an unclean state, going to toilet or doing it carelessly; would be null. You must remember that only the correct way of chanting will be counted and the rosary must be held in front of your chest. The canon must be strict especially for the neophytes who have just begun to do the chanting. The correct way of chanting dictates that one uses the thumb to push the beads. Strictly speaking, different fingers must be used for different forms of practice. However, you are only taught to use your thumb so far, which is common to all practices such as the rituals for eradication of misfortune, accumulation of merits, repentance and subjugation. Anyway, you need not learn the use of the index finger for the ritual of taming evils, as it will be troublesome. You can use your thumb to advance the beads in all occasions. Normally, you will use the loose way to chant. Merit will still be accumulated although this can never rival that achieved by using the correct way of chanting. I am certain about the difference. Om Mani Padme Hum.
15 December 1992, night at Westin Stamford by Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu School in Singapore Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu, met the management committees of the three local chapters: Yuan Zheng, Yuan Xue and Yuan Xi, on 15 December 1992, night at Westin Stamford, and prophesied the future development of True Buddha School in Singapore. Good Evening Gurus, Chairman of the committee, fellow cultivators. This is the first time I attended a joint hearing of the three chapters in Singapore. (laughter, applause) Well, it was far better than what I expected: at least no one was banging on the table, there was no violent exchange, and everybody was very polite. (applause) Members from all the three chapters are well behaved. I personally have high hope in the development of True Buddha School in Singapore. Why? Based on the many letters received from students worldwide, the Singaporean students can be considered the main stream that is taking the lead. The True Buddha School is like an ocean, we can see very clearly how many main streams that are flowing into this ocean; Singapore is a very big main stream full of potential. So, don’t look down upon yourselves. What Yuan Zheng Tang presented just now is very good indeed; it sounds like a thriving forest, and the other two chapters decorative sprouting undergrowth. However, this is not really the case; all the three chapters indeed have equal potential. Although the path will not be a smooth one, there are many talents around and the eventual outcome will be a successful one; this is true for all the three chapters. If the three chapters co-operated on building a Lei Zhang Temple, it would be completed within two years. (applause) If the three chapters decided to go their own ways, building Yuan Zheng Lei Zhang Temple, Yuan Xi Lei Zhang Temple and Yuan Xue Lei Zhang Temple respectively, I have no objections either because this is democracy! (laughter, applause). If the three chapters co-operated, within two years a Lei Zhang Temple would be completed. If every chapter builds its own temple and carries out its own way of salvation, one chapter will be able to do it in two years, one in five years and one, I don’t know how long! (laughter, applause) Success is a matter of time………. Everyone would be spreading the True Buddha Tantra and succoring sentient beings in its own way. I said that before, a peanut, a small peanut has good flavour, a big peanut does not; just like the American peanuts, they are not nice at all, they are simply junk food! However, the Taiwan peanut is small and nice. What I meant was, no matter how the peanut looks, it is round; irrespective of what, each chapter is perfect. Since all the chapters in Singapore are given the names with a prefix Yuan (round mean perfect), everyone will certainly be perfect. (laughter, applause) In this samara world, the most difficult task is cultivation. We must have a great causation to be able to study the Tantra together. This marvelous opportunity is mainly attributed to our past meritorious actions. The Dharma expounded by Tantric Buddhism is in fact the “universal truth”; you are lucky to be able to enter this door. The True Buddha Tantra shall play the leading role in this contemporary world in the near future; the rise of True Buddha Tantra is strongly felt by many, and as they do not understand our teachings yet, small wonder that they would slander. The fact is that the universal truth and the Vajra protectors are all guarding our school that will create the many miracles. Sutrayana Buddhism and other mundane religions in this world are not outstanding performers on the stage today. In the future, True Buddha School and other Tantric Schools will outshine all the rest. As long as you learn the tantra conscientiously, you will certainly achieve success. Tantra has its stages of the path: the generation stage and the completion stage. It is difficult for a novice to understand the True Buddha Tantra; if you study long enough you will finally realize that it has the greatest secret. From the Four Foundations, Guru Yoga, Deity Yoga and finally the inner Tantra which consists of the practice of Jewel Vase Energy, Inner Heat, the clearance of the middle channel, the opening of the Five Cakras, to the stage of the Most Supreme Tantra, and eventually The Great Perfection. The stages of the path is simply magnificent; from the Kindergarten to Doctorate. It is hence inevitable that a novice student is sometimes easily influenced by the talk of some Sutrayanist teachers because he is still in the kindergarten stage. When a stranger offers him a piece of candy and says, “This is sweet and tasty, follow me,” he will follow him willingly. There is nothing we can do about. But the truth is, if you have really achieved spiritual response with either your root deity or your Vajra Guru, you have attained the stage of changelessness. Why? If you have spiritual response with your Vajra Guru and he is still around, you can never run away with others; more so if you have spiritual response with your root deity. To run away with others means you must at least be satisfied with them. Am I right? That is why if you have spiritual response with your Vajra Guru, you will never lose faith; and once you have spiritual response with your root deity, you will surely be reborn in His pure land. We are certain that only novices will lose faith because they have never experienced any spiritual response, small wonder they reacted in this way. Our cultivation must follow a certain order; to attain enlightenment of a Buddha is guaranteed once you have achieved spiritual response. I give you the assurance that if you have spiritual response with your root deity, at least you will become a Buddha during the bardo stage (the intermediate stage between death and reincarnation). There is no doubt once you close your eyes, your root deity will fetch you to His Western Pure Land. In Tantric Buddhism, by cultivating the outer tantra and having achieved the spiritual response, you will be reborn in the Pure Land. By successfully cultivating the outer tantra, you will be able to achieve Buddha hood in this lifetime. In fact, there are many ways to becoming a Buddha, such as being fetched by the Buddha to the Pure Land; personally attaining Buddha hood in this lifetime; transforming into a rainbow body or the immortal rainbow body which is the most supreme form of enlightenment – these are all marvelous rebirths. Practitioners of Sutrayana Buddhism only know about the first kind of enlightenment, which is being fetched by the Buddha to the Pure Land; they will never understand such a thing as personally attaining Buddha hood in a single lifetime and therefore, do not believe it to be true. They maintain: “When I pass away, Amitabha Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthama Bodhisattva will appear to fetch me to the Western Pure Land and I shall be reborn there.” This is known as “attaining Buddha hood during the bardo stage”. In order to be able to attain Buddha hood in a single lifetime, you must achieve the clearance of the middle channel and opening of your Five Cakras and achieve success in the practice of Vajra Yoga. If Amitabha Buddha does not appear to fetch you, you can go the His Pure Land on your own; this is the greatness of Tantra! When you cultivate Tantra, you must progress systematically. Just now Master Lian Xuan talked about disciples being lured, it does not matter because we have lured in even more! (laughter, applause). When one of our disciples is lured away, we would have lured in ten of theirs. (laughter) One for ten! Now the number of our disciples have reached 1.2 million, very soon it will reach 1.5 million. The number is increasing very fast; it only increases but never otherwise. I feel that our sect has been slandered the most, as the bigger you are the more you will be slandered. If True Buddha School is only insignificant sect, they will not care a hoot. Am I right? Just like some small sects who slander me, I can’t be even being bothered. (laughter) I am too busy to bother about such things. They are just like small kids; I pay no attention to them. (laughter, applause) We are growing, and we are growing very tall, like a giant, noticed by all, that is why they bother, they are tempted to “poke” us. (laughter) As usual, we propagate our True Buddha Tantra in a peaceful manner, and we will certainly achieve success. In terms of Dharma, we are first rated, in terms of talents, we are first class. In the future, Singapore as the main stream within True Buddha School will play a leading role in the development of the True Buddha Tantra. I wish all of you achieved success in your cultivation. (applause) There are many great achievers in the future amongst the audience now; some of whom will leave behind a body full of sarira (remarkable relics) after cremation; some will attain the rainbow body. (applause) The development of the Dharma must be in tune with that of the chapter and Lei Zhang Temple. A chapter is a place for group cultivation. When your personal achievement is closely associated with the chapter, Lei Zhang Temple and True Buddha School, the salvation will be even more effective and more people will be salvaged. There is nothing wrong with doing cultivation on your own, you will still have achievement. But you must help to sow the seed of the Buddha Dharma in more places, your compassion will benefit more people; this is crucial. Otherwise why do you think I have to travel about? Right? I would rather rest at home. (laughter, applause) I can cultivate at home. If you are interested in my Dharma, you can come to me for the teachings; the bigger sum you offer the more I teach (laughter); the less you offer the less I teach (laughter). Isn’t that good? Why should I take the trouble to travel around the world? However, that is not the case; I am sowing the seed of Buddha Dharma as I have personally experienced the Dharma flavour, now I must impart it to all of you. All the future plans presented by the three chapters are good. I have the following wishes: First, I hope all of you can succor more sentient beings; Secondly try to buy a venue for group cultivation, and later rebuild it as a center; Thirdly, it would be best if all three chapters could work together. If everyone could unite together that would be best. Otherwise, each one can progress on his own and salvage one’s own group of beings. However, do not fight amongst yourselves; (laughter) . Last but not least, understand the Buddhist teachings clearly; the Sutrayana Buddhism’s Do not evil; honor all good deeds”, and Tantric Buddhism goes one step further – “purify one’s own mind”, and to complete “these are the teachings of the Buddha”. Everyone should at least observe the Five Precepts, be a good Buddhist; all of you will become Buddha’s in the future. Sakyamuni Buddha did have His own monasteries: Kalandaka and Jetavana Gardens. It is the same for us……….. All human beings have “Buddha nature”; impartiality must be upheld. Imagine when all of us are in the Western Pure Land, Amitabha Buddha presides over a meeting, only those from Yuan Zheng Tang are present. ( laughter) Sigh! What’s going on? Where are those from Yuan Xi chapter? They don’t want to come! What about those from Yuan Xue chapter? They are too busy organizing ceremonies! (laughter) Amitabha Buddha will feel very upset: people from the three chapters are still behaving the same way in His pure Land! The Western Pure Land is a place of equanimity: everyone is equal. When one reaches this land, one will open up his egoistic mind, and become everyone’s mind. Hence, egoism is eradicated. When egoism is eradicated, all is one and one is all. Once the sense of “self” is eradicated, there is only oneness in the Western Pure Land. Those who have discrimination will not be able to reach this land. Those who have strong egoism will not be able to reach this land. One should first open up his egoistic mind in order to be able to reach the Western Pure Land. That’s all I have to say today, thank you very much. (applause)
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