Thursday 13 June 2013

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佛說觀無量壽佛經
 佛告韋提希:『汝及眾生,應當專心繫念一處,想於西方。云何作想?凡作想者,一切眾生,自非生盲,有目之徒,皆見日沒,當起想念。』

『正坐西向,諦觀於日欲沒之處,令心堅住,專想不移,見日欲沒,狀如懸鼓。』

『既見日已,閉目開目,皆令明了。』

『是為日想,名曰初觀。』

The Sutra of Visualizing The Buddha of Immeasurable Length of Life
The Buddha told Vaidehi, 'You--and all beings--should concentrate your minds on one point and think about the Western Quarter. How is one to think of that? Anyone who is going to think of that should not be a person born blind; and anyone who has eyes must have seen the sun sinking in the West. Sit facing the Western Quarter and think about the place where the sun sinks down. Concentrate your mind upon it without being distracted and look at the sun sinking, resembling a hanging drum. After having seen the sinking sun, you will see it whenever your eyes are open or shut. This is the thinking of the Sun, and it is the First Visualization.'

Looking at sun setting is like looking at our nose tip.
This is nasal gaze.

 『次作水想,見水澄清,亦令明了,無分散意。既見水已,當起水想,見水映徹,作琉璿想。此想成已,見琉璃地,內外映徹,下有金剛,七寶金幢,擎琉璃地。其幢八方八楞具足,一一方面,百寶所成。一一寶珠,有千光明。一一光明。八萬四千色,映琉璃地,如億千日,不可具見。琉璃地上,以黃金繩,雜廁間錯,以七寶界,分齊分明。一一寶中,有五百色光,其光如華,又似星月,懸處虛空,成光明臺。』

『樓閣千萬,百寶合成,於臺兩邊,各有百億華幢,無量樂器,以為莊嚴。八種清風,從光明出,鼓此樂器,演說苦、空、無常、無我之音。』

『是為水想,名第二觀。』
'Next you think about water. Notice that water is very pure and that it is indissoluble. When you have seen water thus, then think it is going to freeze. Then see that the ice is the same as crystal, which is transparent. Beneath it there are columns, made of gold, inlaid with the seven jewels, supporting the crystal. These columns have eight facets, each of them has one hundred diamonds. Each of the diamonds has a thousand beams of light. Each of these rays has eighty-four thousand colors. These crystals are as glittering as hundreds and thousands of suns shining together. They are so dazzling that one cannot see them totally. On these crystals there are golden ropes interlaid as ornaments. They are separated by the seven jewels. Each of these jewels has five hundred colors, whose brightness is as that of flowers, or stars and of the moon, suspended in the air, forming a Terrace of Brightness.
'On that Terrace, there are hundreds and thousands of storeyed pavilions, built of a hundred kinds of jewels. At the two sides of the terrace, there are hundreds and thousands of embroidered tapestries and musical instruments as decorations. There are eight kinds of mild breeze coming out from the brightness; and it plays upon those instruments, which produce the sound of the Dharma of Sorrow, of Transitory-ness and of Unreality. This, the Thinking of the Water, and it is the Second Visualization. When this Visualization is completed, see them one by one clearly, and do not let them disappear whether your eyes are open or shut, except at eating times.

Look at the Chinese word for water - 水.
It is like doing a cocked-eye.
So nasal gaze is doing a cocked-eye, focusing in between our 2 eye or 'suan kuan' acupoint.


 佛告阿難:『如此妙華,是本法藏比丘願力所成。若欲念彼佛者,當先作此華座想。作此想時,不得雜觀,皆應一一觀之,一一葉,一一珠,一一光,一一臺,一一幢,皆令分明。如於鏡中,自見面像。此想成者,滅除五萬億劫生死之罪,必定當生極樂世界。』

『作是觀者,名為正觀;若他觀者,名為邪觀。』

佛告阿難,及韋提希:『見此事已,次當想佛。所以者何?諸佛如來,是法界身,入一切眾生心想中。』

『是故汝等,心想佛時,是心即是三十二相,八十隨形好,是心作佛,是心是佛。諸佛正遍知海,從心想生,是故應當一心繫念,諦觀彼佛,多陀阿伽度,阿羅訶,三藐三佛陀。』

『想彼佛者,先當想像,閉目開目,見一寶像,如閻浮檀金色,坐彼華上。見像坐已,心眼得開,了了分明。見極樂國,七寶莊嚴,寶地寶池,寶樹行列,諸天寶幔,彌覆其上,眾寶羅網,滿虛空中。見如此事,極令明了,如觀掌中。』

『見此事已,復當更想一大蓮華,在佛左邊,如前蓮華,等無有異。復作一大蓮華,在佛右邊。想一觀世音菩薩像,坐左華座,亦作金色,如前無異,想一大勢至菩薩像,坐右華座。』

『此想成時,佛菩薩像,皆放光明,其光金色,照諸寶樹。一一樹下,亦有三蓮華,諸蓮華上,各有一佛二菩薩像,遍滿彼國。』

『此想成時,行者當聞水流光明,及諸寶樹,鳧鴈鴛鴦,皆說妙法。出定入定, 聞妙法,行者所聞,出定之時,憶持不捨,令與修多羅合。若不合者,名為妄想;若與合者,名為粗想。見極樂世界。』

『是為像想,名第八觀。』
The Buddha told the Venerable Ananda, 'This kind of wonderful lotus flower is formed by the power of Bhikshu Dgarmakara's will. One who wishes to be reborn in the Pure Land, should think of those lotus petals. When one is thinking of them, one should have no other thoughts in the mind, and should visualize one article after the others. Each leaf, each pearl, each ray, each terrace, and each column, are all as clear as when one sees one's own figure in a mirror. (You are looking at your own face) When one has completed this Visualization, one is released from rebirth for fifty thousand million kalpas, and will undoubtedly be reborn into the Most Happy World. To visualize them in this way is right; it is wrong otherwise.'

The Buddha told the Venerable Ananda and Veidehi, 'When you have seen what I have just stated, you should next think of that Buddha (the Buddha of Immeasurable Length of Life). Why? Because the body of the Buddha is the Body of the Universe, and it is within the mind of all beings. Therefore, when you think of that Buddha, your mind is the One who has the thirty-two Magnificent Figures and the eighty Virtues. It is the mind that is to become a Buddha; and it is the mind that is a Buddha. (Can you understand now? Our mind is the Buddha.) The Ocean of the Omniscient Wisdom of all Buddha grows up from the mind. Hence you should visualize (meditate) absorbedly that Buddha, the Exalted One, the Fully Enlightened One. (The Mark on our forehead)

'One who visualize that Buddha, should think of His figure first. Whether one's eyes are open or shut, one sees a magnificent figure of a yellowish golden color, sitting on a Lotus-seat. Having seen the figure of that Buddha thus seated, one's mental vision is opened and one can see the Most Happy World clearly: the Jewel-lands, Jewel-lakes, Jewel-trees in rows, over which there are heavenly curtains, and Jewel-nets in the air. All of these are decorated with the seven kinds of gems. These things can be seen as clearly as one sees one's own palm.

'After you have seen the things mentioned above, then visualize a large lotus flower, similar to the previous one, golden in color, on the left of the Buddha. And think of another one on the right of Him. Then think of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara sitting on the left one (eye) and Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta on the right one. (right eye) When this Visualization is accomplished, the Buddha and the two Bodhisattvas will be seen emitting golden rays falling on the Jewel-trees. Under each of them there are also three lotus flowers on which a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas are sitting respectively. Such are seen at everywhere of the Pure Land.

'When one has achieved this Visualization, one can hear the murmuring sound of the streams and see the rays, jewel-trees and sheldrakes and mandarin ducks, whose voices praise the Wonderful Law. Whether one's mind is concentrated or not, one can constantly hear that Wonderful Law. Whatever one hears should be compatible with the Sutras, otherwise it is composed of vain thoughts. If it is compatible with the Sutras, it is indeed seeing the Most Happy World. This is the Visualization of the Figure (of that Buddha), and it is the Eight One. One who practices this Visualization, is exempted from rebirth for immeasurable kalpas of time and will attain to the Samadhi of Visualization in his present life.'

Looking into the mirror with one eye opening and closing, the eye represents a lotus flower.
So our right eye is Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, left eye is Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta.
In between them is the Amita Buddha, or 'suan kuan' acupoint.

六祖大師法寶壇經
大師告衆曰○善知識○菩提自性○本來淸淨○但用此心○直了成佛○善知識○且聽惠能行由得法事意○
Chapter 1--Autobiography

Learned Audience, our Essence of Mind (literally, self-nature) which is the seed or kernel of enlightenment (Bodhi) is pure by nature, and by making use of this mind alone we can reach Buddha-hood directly.
[(Compare this with Visualizing Sutra's - Because the body of the Buddha is the Body of the Universe, and it is within the mind of all beings. Therefore, when you think of that Buddha, your mind is the One who has the thirty-two Magnificent Figures and the eighty Virtues. It is the mind that is to become a Buddha; and it is the mind that is a Buddha.

Hui Neng used 性 but Buddhidts translated it to Essence of Mind.
It should be the same as in Zhongyong.
中庸
天命之謂性○率性之謂道○修道之謂教○道也者○不可須臾離也○可離○非道也○是故君子戒慎乎其所不睹○恐懼乎其所不聞○
The Mean-In-Action

That which Heaven entrusts to man is to be called his nature. The following out of this nature is to be called the Way. The cultivation of the Way is to be called instruction in systematic truth. The Way, it may not be abandoned for a moment. If it might be abandoned, it would not be the Way. Because this is so, the man of principle holds himself restrained and keyed up in relation to the unseen world (lit. what he cannot see or hear). Since there is nothing more manifest than what is hidden, nothing more visible than what is minute, therefore the man of principle is on guard when he is alone with himself.
(The nature in human is the soul or spirit. The Truth about this nature is Tao or Way. Tao or Spirit, inherent in each one, cannot be removed from human body. Once IT is removed, the man is dead. Meditation is to be in communion with Tao or Way, and the mind should be tied to a point and not allowed to wonder about even when alone.)[Few lines have no translation.]



Chapter 5 of the Gita
To those self-controlled ones (ascetics) who are free from lust and anger, who have controlled their minds and who have known their real nature as the spirit--the attainment of beatitude in Brahman is near at hand.

Excluding all sense perceptions, fixing the look between the eye brows; steadying the flow of Prana (out-going breath) and Apana (incoming breath) through the nostrils; controlling the senses, mind and intellect; devoid of desires, fear and anger; and aspiring for liberation alone-- a meditative sage so established, is liberated for ever.
(This meditation method is a fake one. The correct one is nasal gaze. Liberated forever is wrong.)

The correct meditation is this.
Chapter 6 of the Gita
"'The yogi should unite constantly with the soul,
situated in solitude, one self-controlled consciousness
without wanting, without possessing.
In a clear place establishing the firm seat of the soul,
neither too high nor too low,
covered with cloth, antelope skin, and kusha grass,
there making the mind single,
consciousness and sense activity controlled,
sitting on the seat
one should practice union for self-purification.
Keeping even the unmoving body, head, and neck steady,
concentrating the eyes on the tip of the nose,
and not looking around,
the self calmed, fear banished, staying in chastity,
controlling the mind, conscious of me,
united, one should sit devoted to me.
Thus always united with the soul,
the yogi of disciplined mind
attains peace, supreme nirvana, founded with me.


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