The function that has fallen to myself is to exist whilst being neither attached to the void - nor hindered by phenomena. This is nothing special - but it is essential. I must have no wealth, no reputation, and no influence in the material world. This part is easy – as it is a casual rejection of the cultural norms of the time within which I happen to exist. Having attained to a full understanding of Chinese Ch’an through the Caodong lineage – my personal life is insignificant (it is merely a vehicle for the perfection of others). What is important is that a living individual has realised the void and integrated this realisation into the material world. As I get older the physical body is changing – surely a preparation for death. Again, this is not a difficult undertaking – as all things age, cease to function and dissipate. As I enter a deep samadhi during long periods of meditation - the mind is expansive, embracing of the entire environment – with all things arising and passing away within the void. All is a boundless inner and outer bright light - imbued with pure compassion and transformative wisdom. The physical body that defines me is in the midst of dissolving into this realisation. This is the reality that I am experiencing. A dead body might well result – but this is an ordinary vision of dull understanding experiemced by those left behind. It is a situation after the fact of realising enlightenment. The expanded conscious awareness breaks the barrier between physical matter and ethereal spirit. On occasion, such is the power of this process that the material body literally dissolves and disappears. Whatever the case, it seems that I will enter Parinirvana whilst sat upright in seated meditation. I do not know exactly when this will happen – but instructions have been left for a photograph to be taken. Although I have never met you – pure loving kindness is continuously emitting from the centre of my being. All are embraced without discrimination. Bath in the light of this experience, clear the surface of the mind, still its functionality and clearly perceive the underlying (empty) mind ground. Through further training – this awareness will stabilise and expand. May all beings be happy and free from suffering.
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Draw from well – rinse cold teeth. Pure mind – dust brushed from clothes. Palm leaf book - idle in hand. Step out from Dongzhai – time to study. Essence of reality is obscured by chasing delusion. Handed down words - profound enough to cultivate the essence. Daoist Temple is elegant and quiet – green moss connects the bamboo forest. Sunrise – lingering fog and dew. Green pine trees covered in a greasy sheen. Indifferent beyond description – self-sufficient beyond joy. (Tang Dynasty) Author Liu Zongyuan (柳宗元) [773-819 CE] The Scholar-Official Liu Zongyuan (773-819 CE) was only 46-years-old when he died - but in those days, sometimes this was considered a good age! In 805 CE (when he was 32-years-old) - due to Court intrigues - Liu Zongyuan was banished to the remote areas to live with barbarians and slaves (he was banished to a place called 'Yanzhou' - an area that then covered parts of modern Anhui (south of the Huai River) and Jiangsu (south of the Yangtze River), as well as Shanghai, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, and parts of Hubei and Hunan). It was here that he suffered a psychological and physical breakdown through the loss of self-esteem and self-worth! However, slowly but surely he began to reconstruct his personality around the cycles and changes of nature, the observation of animal behaviour, and the realisation that all people were of equal worth. He started digging wells in the poor villages he came across, and he would earn money (or goods) through manual labour to purchase the freedom of slaves he encountered! By mixing with the so-called 'Barbarians' - he realised they were human just like himself! Furthermore, although a Confucian, he encountered Buddhist and Daoist recluses who voluntarily lived in the remote areas! Without being banished - he would never have met these people or had his life enriched to such a profound level! He learned to read the Ch'an texts and to sit in meditation for hours - generating a profound sense of inner peace! Despite living in the remote hills, Liu Zongyuan was still able to make use of the efficient Chinese postal system and keep in-touch with Officialdom! This is why he was eventually recalled to Court in 815 CE (at the age of 42-years-old) where his life resumed its usual course! He died just four years later - and was considered a hero by all who knew him! If it was not for the suffering he had been made to endure - he would never have spiritually developed, wrote his profound poetry or developed his personality! 晨诣超师院读禅经 [唐朝] 作者:柳宗元 汲井漱寒齿,清心拂尘服。 闲持贝叶书,步出东斋读。 真源了无取,妄迹世所逐。 遗言冀可冥,缮性何由熟。 道人庭宇静,苔色连深竹。 日出雾露馀,青松如膏沐。 澹然离言说,悟悦心自足。 The poem immediately above is written left to right (and top to bottom) in the modern style - copying the format of the written English language. This differs from the traditional style (which is now a 'specialist' activity in China). Indeed, all children learn to read and write the Chinese language left to right and top to bottom (as this prepares the young minds for Western script). Interestingly, it is not easy for an ethnic Chinese person to try and 'translate' this kind of text. This text is over 1,200 years and is written in tradition ideograms! Quite often, merely being able to 'read' the script tells the reader virtually nothing about the original intention that existed in the author's mind! Context is everything and context is exactly what is missing without the necessary education to bridge the gap. What I like about this poem is that no matter who you are - or where you are from - every single one of us have experienced the thoughts and feelings experienced by the Tang Dynasty Scholar Liu Zongyuan!
Dear Gillian
What is interesting is that after decades of effective inner and outer martial arts practice, I have arrived at a profound 'stable' state of mind, body and spirit (whatever that is). This journey has traversed many inner and outer levels or states of being. Mostly, this has included a logical approach to physical training motivated by 'doubt' a) in the process itself, and b) in my ability to keep-up the practice or c) to carry-out the prescribed practice correctly. This 'doubt' was inward whilst the physical 'outer' Chinese martial arts techniques were superb and highly effective. This 'doubt' (which ceased to function about 14-years-ago in c. 2007) acted like a force of magnetism drawing my 'uncertain' inner-being toward to the solid and stable outer-structure of the martial arts techniques and how they might be used in self-defence (function) and mind and body health and fitness (longevity). There is now a great awareness. A great all-embracing sense of psychological being that appears to be united with mind, body and environment. This unity I term 'spiritual' because all this seems 'transcendent'. Of course, whilst being driven on by the inner doubt to practice physical martial arts (as a form of 'armouring' against external attack), I also committed myself to intense Ch'an meditative practice as a means to 'uproot' this doubt which all motivating throughout my entire life to 'take action' in many different arenas - it also contained an element of 'weakness'. As I interpreted this 'weaknesses' as a major problem that a) held me back in a state of fearful 'non-action', or b) sabotaged physical actions so as to render all exertion completely pointless! The mind 'cleared' and 'expanded' - it became all-embracing so that the body stopped appearing to be 'outside' of it and took its place entirely within psychological awareness. Although I had my initial experiences of the realisation of a 'still' and 'empty' mind with its awareness expanding and embracing all things around 1990 - it took another 15-years for this experience to settle-down (2005), and about another two or three years for all vestiges of 'doubt' to completely dissolve (2007/8). What did happen around 1990, however, is that my physical use of outer Chinese martial arts technique deepened, expanded and matured, and since the time of 'teaching' in my own right (as opposed to 'training' under a teacher) - I have never lost a fight in the training hall. (Around a year before this experience, I was following a strict Chinese (Mahayana) Buddhist 'monastic' regime and sitting in meditation for hours a day practicing the hua tou 'Who is hearing?' Suddenly, whilst sitting in my 'cell' and without warning, my mind 'ceased to move' becomingly utterly and completely 'still'. This was accompanied by deep sense of permanent ecstasy! My Chinese teachers correctly taught me with 'silence' - whilst my Western teacher Richard Hunn (1949-2006) - my Western Ch'an teacher - correctly taught me with words! Ironically, he drew my attention to the authentic Chinese Ch'an texts. 'Neither be attached to the (realised) inner void - nor hindered by (the 'external') hindering phenomena'. It was deep within the 'silence' of my Chinese Ch'an Masters (including Chan Tin Sang [1924-1993] that I discovered the poignant meaning of Richard Hunn's spiritually 'vibrant' words. This is how I knew that Richard Hunn was correct in his understanding. Later, this dual instruction [into non-duality] led to the next shift in perspective This occurred a year later after a further period of intense practice, and was a product of a complete change or 'turning about' [see the 'Lankavatara Sutra'] at the deepest essence of the mind. It was such a profound and important 'first principle' that I nearly omitted it from the list of all the important events! I was once meditating sat on the ground outside 'returning' all sensory data 'back to its 'empty ground' essence - when a cool and refreshing Summer's freeze blew gently across my face. Suddenly, my mind instantaneously 'turned the right way around' immediately abandoning its previous 'inverted' functionality and appeared to 'expand', assume an 'all-embracing' position of being, whilst this 'new awareness' thoroughly permeated the physical-body and penetrated the physical universe throughout the past, present, and future! This permanent shift in psychological and physical manifestation changed 'me' from the DNA-chemical foundation upward and influenced all the views and opinions I now hold!) This includes not only transforming the experience of sparring with students (which is now unified experience premised upon wisdom, loving kindness and compassion) - but also manifested within the otherwise 'brutal' realm of 'honour fights' whereby unknown and unfamiliar individuals suddenly turn-up at my training hall and (disrespectfully) ask to spar! They wish to gain fame and fortune through 'out of control' violence which involves (for them) the 'beating' and 'exposing' a local (Chinese) gongfu teacher! How did this happen? I think whereas my opponents were still motivated by a deep and profound sense of 'doubt' (often involving a profound 'self-hatred') - I no longer experienced this 'doubt' which 'divides' human-beings during combat. Doubt by this time in my life had become nothing more than a profound sense of enhanced 'awareness' full of compassion and understanding. This is all held in place by a physical (martial) ability that can use 'gentleness' just as easily as 'harshness' to 'control' or 'regulate' physical interactions. Signed: Adrian Chan-Wyles [陳恒豫 - Chan Heng Yu] (22.11.2021) - '釋大道' (Shi Da Dao) Witnessed and Authenticated by Yau, Gee-Cheuk [邱芷芍] (22.11.2021) - 'Gee Wyles' - Wife of Adrian Chan-Wyles |
AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles (釋大道 - Shi Da Dao) is permitted to retain his Buddhist Monastic Dharma-Name within Lay-society by decree of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and the Chinese Buddhist Association (1992). A Buddhist monastic (and devout lay-practitioner) upholds the highest levels of Vinaya Discipline and Bodhisattva Vows. A Genuine Buddhist ‘Venerates’ the ‘Dao’ (道) as he or she penetrates the ‘Empty Mind-Ground' through meditative insight. A genuine Buddhist is humble, wise and peace-loving – and he or she selflessly serves all in existence in the past, present and the future, and residing within the Ten Directions – whilst retaining a vegetarian- vegan diet. Please be kind to animals! Archives
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