(Book 236 The Magical Hands of Sheng-yen Lu《盧勝彥手的魔力》)
‧Written by Master Sheng-yen Lu‧
One day, while meditating, my hands automatically formed the “Hook Invocation Mudra” and the “Holy Sage Mudra.”
A celestial being suddenly descended from the empty space and glided before me, and I asked in great joy, “Holy sage, who are you?”
He replied, “I am Ziyang Zhenren (True Man of Purple Yang).”
I asked, “Does the holy sage know of the inner fire practice?”
Ziyang Zhenren replied, “It is the natural true fire inside one’s body. By practicing tu-na (inhalation and exhalation) diligently daily, the fire grows redder in the hearth and becomes as marvelous as the divine serpent.”
I asked, “Does the holy sage know about Madhyamaka (the Middle Way)?”
Ziyang Zhenren replied, “This school is most holy and divine. It recognizes equanimity without an iota of discrimination. Regardless of what buddha or bodhisattva one is, it just happens coincidentally after all.”
I asked, “Does the holy sage know of the Divine Water Practice?”
Ziyang Zhenren replied, “This is the ultimate treasure of humans. As the divine water sways in the splendid pool and merges with the inner fire, all magical and subtle dramas manifest.”
I asked, “Does the holy sage know about non-leakage?”
Ziyang Zhenren replied, “What is so wonderful about this method is that it redirects seed energy, but be cautious not to waste it. It is a method not to be taken lightly. Once you achieve this, everything else can be put to rest.”
I asked, “Does the holy sage know about the importance of abiding in precepts?”
Ziyang Zhenren replied, “I have practiced eight hundred virtuous deeds and accumulated three thousand meritorious deeds unbeknownst to others. I helped people resolve attachments and enmities. These were the vows I carried out to achieve accomplishment.”
I asked, “Does the holy sage understand Zen?”
Ziyang Zhenren replied, “This school fathoms truth through insight into the nature of mind. There exist infinite permutations of manifestations of the source, and a return to the source is ineffable. Great miraculous powers develop when one returns to one’s source.”
I asked, “How does one subjugate troubles?”
Ziyang Zhenren replied, “There is no need to subjugate troubles. True knowledge cannot be obtained forcefully. There is neither antecedence nor posterity, and at the instance of understanding this, one attains Buddhahood.”
I asked, “What is non-meditation?”
Ziyang Zhenren replied, “After realization, there is automatically non-meditation. Form and emptiness, light and darkness, they are the same. Does the duality of truth and falsehood truly exist? From ancient India to Caoxi (the mountain name of Huineng), the dharma propagates and flourishes.”
I asked, “How can one abide in neither good nor evil?”
Ziyang Zhenren replied, “Wear nothing on your mind! This mind is empty and nameless. Rest in the flow and let everything be spontaneously accomplished. Follow your nature, eat when hungry and drink when thirsty.”
I asked, “What is Endurance in the Realization that Dharmas have No Birth?”
Ziyang Zhenren replied, “Karmic cause and effect exists in the human and deva realms. When causes and conditions are exhausted, one returns to the source. All love and hatred are merely plays, dreams, and smoke.”
I said, “What you have said, I also know.”
Ziyang Zhenren said, “You know, I know, yet others do not know.”
Ha ha ha!
Ziyang Zhenren laughed aloud as he took off.
