(Book 51 Highest Yoga Tantra and Mahamudra《無上密與大手印》)
‧Written by Sheng-yen Lu‧
(continued from pg6 , TBN issue # 1072)
By raising the chest and tucking the chin in, the winds can circulate smoothly throughout the whole body. If we do not maintain a good posture, there will not be a sufficient amount of winds available and we will likely doze off during practice. Many people have asked me why they fall asleep during meditation. This is the result of not raising the chest or tucking the chin, which leads to absence of winds. Too much relaxation will lead one to fall asleep.
When the tongue is pressed against the upper palate, it allows the upward-moving wind to move downwards, and the downward-moving wind to move upwards. The two winds mutually nourish each other through this approach. This important point shall be elucidated on in Chapter Four.
The act of gazing at an object is also the same method of Focusing on the Tianxin Spot [located at the forehead; also known as the seat of the spiritual eye] introduced in the book, The Illuminated Way of Meditation. By focusing the mind, one enters into meditative absorption. We can hold a vajra about five and a half feet away from us and gaze at it. When we look at the vajra, we should revere it as though it were the Chinese emperor’s long jade tablet. This will make the meditation more meaningful and tangible.
Vairocana, the Great Sun Tathagata, once expounded dharma at Mahesvara’s palace. At that time, the golden-colored, glittering Vairocana wore a hairknot crown with the Five Buddhas sitting above. He radiated many colored lights and was dressed in a white silk celestial robe. His majestic manifestation serves as evidence of his perfect enlightenment in the Suddhavasa Heaven. Some people assume that Vairocana, the Great Sun Tathagata, is the Sun God. Although the Great Sun Tathagata is synonymous with the sun itself, which turns darkness into brightness, I feel that sunlight is also divided into day and night, and there are places where sunlight can never reach. Thus, the word “great” is added to the word “sun” to signify that the light of the Buddha is prevalent in the day, night, and inside or outside.
(to be continued)
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