What is enlightenment and how to realize it [Teacher Tang Zhongrong gives a speech at Baoguang Temple in Xindu]

[Teacher Tang Zhongrong gives a speech at Baoguang Temple in Xindu]

Enlightenment means that we have broken our obsession and seen the true nature of the life universe. What is a mystery? We regard what we see with our eyes, hear with our ears, smell with our noses, taste with our tongues and touch with our bodies as true, which is called fascination. I think there is a real me in our own body, which is called self. For the body and even the surrounding environment, such as heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, sun and moon, stars, birds and animals, plants, all daily necessities and so on. They also think it's true. This is called law enforcement. With self-control and law popularization, it is called reversing dreams. Enlightenment is breaking the ego and the law. The second is broken, and naturally it is far away from the dream.

How can we break these two kinds of persistence? If we care about everything, our spiritual and psychological activities; The phenomena of the outer body and even the whole universe are regarded as dreams, illusions, bubbles and shadows, just like the realm of dreams, illusions, bubbles and shadows, there is no entity, no true self and no Buddhism. If you really understand this truth, you have violated the law. I broke the ego and the law, and everything I said and did in my life was reasonable, in line with the precepts, and I still lived an artistic life. With these feelings in life, what will our mentality feel? We will feel that our hearts are open, empty, happy, peaceful, comfortable and detached, which is the psychological phenomenon of initial enlightenment. Physically speaking, it is very light and comfortable. In real life, if your body and mind have such changes and feelings, this is enlightenment.

Enlightenment has three processes. The first is to thoroughly understand the reality of life in the universe. Real life in the universe is like a dream, an illusion, a bubble and a shadow. There is no real me, and there is no real law. The Diamond Sutra says, "If a Bodhisattva understands the person who has no self-dharma, then the Buddha is called a true Bodhisattva." If you understand the truth that everything is like a dream, illusion, bubble and shadow, and clearly know that in real life, everything has no ego and law, and dreams are ruled out, this is the initial enlightenment. I must thoroughly understand that there is nothing I can't do. Everything is like a dream and has no substance. A deep understanding and thorough understanding of the truth of the universe in life is one aspect. Another aspect is to know how to become a Buddha. The most correct, straightforward and effective way to become a Buddha is to truly understand and consciously apply the subtle truth of the real universe of life, such as dreams, illusions, bubbles and shadows, to daily life, so as to reach the realm of "eight winds". What are the eight winds? The eight winds are profit, decline, destruction, reputation, weight, ridicule, bitterness and joy. Faced with these eight situations, if you don't move in your heart, this is called "eight winds", which is the first step of enlightenment. The second step of enlightenment, to achieve "words are not full of meaning, the heart is not tired", in order to truly see sex. See what sex? Seeing the truth that everything in nature is empty, only illusion has no substance, and life will live in the truth that there is no body, and the inner realm is nirvana. The Heart Sutra says, "What is nirvana if you stay away from falling dreams?". When you reach this state, it is called seeing sex, which is the second step of enlightenment. The third step of enlightenment is to sit under the bodhi tree like Sakyamuni Buddha and have a full sleep. Turning life and death into nirvana, turning eight knowledge into four wisdom, and getting great nirvana and bodhi Buddha fruit is for thorough enlightenment. Enlightenment has three processes.

Today, I ask you to take the first step. How to drive? First, we must understand the truth of the life universe; Second, we must know the most correct and straightforward way to learn from Buddhism, understand these two things, and admit them without doubt. What is the truth of the life universe? The Diamond Sutra says: "Everything is like a dream, like dew, like electricity. Look at it this way." This is the real situation of the life universe. To grasp this real reality, we must understand these words. What do you mean everything is normal? Heaven, earth, grass, wood, people, mountains, rivers, birds, animals, agriculture, industry, commerce, learning and soldiers, all vivid things, including macro and micro, are just illusions without entities. Why is it illusion? Because these things exist under certain conditions, and at another time the conditions have changed and gone. So everything born of karma is an illusion, and the whole universe is changing, living, bad, empty and changing at any time. So we know that everything is a dream, an illusion, a bubble and a shadow, such as dew and electricity, which is the truth of the life universe. Under certain conditions, there is, but when conditions change, there is nothing. Everything is an illusion, such as a mirror, but there is no entity. If you understand this truth, you will understand the truth of the life universe. Just like dreaming at night, there is a person in the dream. One day, with land, people and things, I got lost in my dream and thought everything I saw was true. Once you wake up, there is nothing. Everything we see and experience during the day is the same as dreaming at night. We are obsessed with this and treat everything as real as a dream. In fact, times have changed and conditions have changed, so there is nothing left. How can it be true? Some people who don't understand Buddhism often sigh that "life is like a dream!" Just a hunch. Lay man! You must first understand that life and the universe are dreams. Really? Yes! But it's not true! There is an illusion, fleeting, you can't catch it, and you can't get anything. If you deeply understand this truth, you can understand Buddhism and reach the reality of the life universe. Since the reality of the universe is that everything is like a dream, how to solve the big problem of reversing dreams? This requires knowing how to become a Buddha. Because only by becoming a Buddha can we solve this big problem. Becoming a Buddha is to transform the universe of life and transform the dreamy bubble-like universe into a solemn Buddhist world. The Buddhist world has not changed, but it is a very bright world and a very happy world. In addition, we should turn our birth, illness and death into Tathagata's dharma body and report ourselves? There is no body that is born, sick and dead. Therefore, the first one should understand the reality of the life universe, and the second one should understand the most correct, straightforward and effective method of becoming a Buddha. What is the way to become a Buddha? There is only one way to become a Buddha, and that is, "Maha Prajna Paramita is the highest and most advanced, living without a fixed place, walking without a fixed place, and all the Buddhas of the third world come out of it." Buddha comes from Maha Prajna's great wisdom. "Heart Sutra" said: "Looking at the Bodhisattva, I have been walking in the depths of Prajna Paramita for a long time, and I see that the five aggregates are empty." This method is to have universal wisdom. How can we have cosmic wisdom? This requires a thorough understanding of the reality of the life universe. I am empty, I am empty, everything is like a bubble in a dream, and some things are unreal and inseparable. This is the main way to become a Buddha. In short, to become a Buddha, you must have wisdom; Wisdom is to thoroughly understand that the universe of life is like a dream, with no entity. So, how can we know that everything is like a dream? There is only one way, and that is to enter the "only way". This is the only way to become a Buddha. The only way to enter is Prajna Paramita. The only way to get in. Where? What is the basis? First of all, make a big wish, make a big wish to become a Buddha, and set your place in the lives of all beings. How can I put it? As the Diamond Sutra says, "Bodhisattvas should subdue their hearts in this way, and all sentient beings, such as ovulation, viviparous, humidification, metaplasia, color, colorless, mindful, mindless and mindless, will enter nirvana." To do so is to put your seat among all beings. This is the first thing for all living beings to learn. The only way to learn is to learn from the actual life of all sentient beings, that is, to learn from life. The Diamond Sutra goes on to say, "No sentient beings can be annihilated. Why? " Subbodhi, a bodhisattva is not a bodhisattva if it has a self-image, portrait, living image and longevity image. "It is very important to learn the only way to live among all beings! In ancient times, many so-called ancestors did not grasp this article, even the praise behind the Diamond Sutra did not grasp this article; The fifth and sixth ancestors were caught. The five ancestors said, "Love comes to plant, because the fruit of the earth still exists, and there is no kind of ruthlessness, no sex and no life. "Have compassion and compassion for all beings. The Sixth Ancestor put it well: "If you know all beings, it is Buddha nature; "If you don't know all sentient beings, it is difficult to become a Buddha." Lay man! If you want to make a wish for all beings, you will naturally put your seat among all beings, and you will be able to break the mystery and get enlightenment in your daily life. Otherwise, if you sit around in the mountains, even if you don't break my dharma, settle down, gain magical power and ascend to heaven, you will still be charming. To all beings! Only by melting the ego into all sentient beings can we spare all sentient beings, truly get rid of my adherence to Buddhism, and only by achieving the great ego can we truly achieve no ego, no ego, and break my adherence to Buddhism, which is similar to the realm of Buddhism. Be merciful to all sentient beings, help others with knowledge and happiness, have a Buddha's heart, and naturally act like a Buddha. Therefore, the only way to enter is to enter in real life on the basis of all beings.

What is the second? If there is a difference, it's called two. What do you mean, not two? There is no difference, just call it two. For example, this crutch in my hand is called crutch. How do you call two crutches? If you think it's a crutch, it's different. Or you think it's not a crutch, there's still a difference. This is called two. What's the best way? Because dharma is empty, I don't think it is a crutch; Because of illusion, I don't think it's not a crutch, it's the only way. Because we think it is a crutch, we regard it as a real thing, which is contrary to the reality that everything is like a dream bubble, so it is wrong to think it is a crutch. On the contrary, you think it is not a crutch, and you think it is a real thing that is not a crutch, which is contrary to the above statement and is wrong. So these two kinds of mistakes, from the difference, are both upside-down dreams, both called puzzles. What do we do? We don't think it is a crutch, and we don't think it is not a crutch. What is this? The real law can't be obtained, it is nothing, it is not and it is not. It doesn't make any difference to it, just treat it as a bubble of dreams, is it consistent with the above? Like the truth of a dream bubble, this is called "enlightenment", far from reversing dreams. It can be seen that the only way is a straight road to becoming a Buddha. The Diamond Sutra says, "There is no other way to photograph." . If you think it's a crutch, just call it a fax and leave it empty. If you think it's not a crutch, it's illegal and empty. This is the only way to get in. The Diamond Sutra also said: "As the Tathagata said, we are omnipotent, omnipotent and omnipotent." The illegal word "Fa", that is, it is a crutch, wrong! Should be removed; The word "illegal" is not illegal, but it is not a crutch, wrong! Should also be deleted. Knowing this truth, you will enter the only way to use crutches. You can get in with crutches, but nothing else can get in? There is no end to things for one reason! Therefore, we should regard everything about Rosen as "illegal and non-illegal". If you really understand this truth, you will be enlightened! Give another example! For example, I am giving a lecture today, and you can learn the only way in this matter. If you think that there is a Tang giving a lecture today, many laymen are listening. Wrong! Because you regard it as the real thing; If you think that there is no Tang lecture and not many laymen listen to it, you are wrong! Because you still think it's true. Both of them are persistent, and they are not the reality of various laws. This is the mystery. How can I not be "fascinated"? I can't afford to have a real Tang lecture and many real laymen to listen to the scriptures, and I can't afford to lose without Tang lecture and many laymen to listen to the scriptures. If you don't move, you will have it, and if you can't afford it, you can prove the authenticity of the laws. In this way, you will not be fascinated by all phenomena, and not being fascinated is "enlightenment." What are the benefits of knowing this truth? Knowing this, we can get unique laws everywhere in everything, so we won't be confused everywhere, enlightened everywhere and liberated everywhere. Therefore, the sixth ancestor said, "Buddhism is in the world and inseparable from the world." He also said: "Never leave what you have seen and heard, and be detached from the Buddha's land." You can't get lost everywhere, your heart will always be clean. If your heart is clean, you can't stand the trouble; If there is no trouble barrier, there is no karma leakage, and there is no result leakage. You can be free now and become a Buddha. This is the meaning of enlightenment. "The Diamond Sutra" says: "The Bodhisattvas should be so pure." A pure heart is Buddha's heart. Today, I ask you to enter the only way, and that is to learn from the Buddha. Today, we are talking about the Diamond Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, and the Buddhism of becoming a Buddha directly. The Diamond Sutra says, "All Buddhas and Bodhi Dharma of Buddhas, Three Virtues and Three Bodhi Dharmas all come from this." If you want to be enlightened, you must remember the words in the Diamond Sutra and understand them deeply. Remember what I said today, enlightenment is not difficult. As long as you make up your mind and ask the master, it will be soon! Learn Buddha without seeking enlightenment, and you will see the actual effect of breaking it in the Year of the Monkey. Everything is equal to zero.

To leave each other, the heart will be clean; Only when we leave the stage of separation can we see sex; If you leave the stage of separation, you will have no life to endure; Leave the parting phase and land. There is wisdom in the divine world. If we can really empty our dharma, we will have great freedom, so we often say that vacuum is wonderful. You must enter the only way of life, get in touch with all kinds of laws of life, and see the emptiness of all kinds of laws before you can see sex. All beings are fascinated by life and cling to the "two" of life; Life should be "enlightened" and life should be "enlightened by two things". As the saying goes, "if you fall, get up from there." I can really understand this truth, even if I am enlightened! If you don't understand this truth, there will be no insight. If you talk about Zen without real participation, it is not true Zen. People who don't understand think that sitting up cross-legged is meditation; In other words, who is the Buddha and whether the dog has Buddha nature. That's no good! Therefore, in order to fully understand, we must thoroughly understand and practice all the above truths. The sixth ancestor said, "It makes sense, like the sun in the void."

What we are talking about today is hard-won, which is the essence of nigume's generation of holy religion; It is the heart print of all buddhas and bodhisattvas; It's the secret of the greatest ancestors. This is the crystallization of my years of research and study, and I give it to you without reservation. Why? It is a real measure of all beings and liberates you. There is a special book "Unique Method" in Vimalakīrti's classics. Although there is no "unique law" in the Diamond Sutra, it says "incomparable and illegal." He said, "illegal, not illegal." These words show the only way. Illegal means there is, illegal means empty. Empty, also want to empty. The so-called "raft metaphor" After crossing the river, there is no need for a raft. Just like getting sick, don't take medicine for the purpose of knowing that you are better. "Emptiness" is the persistence of breaking "being". After the persistence of "being" is broken, "emptiness" will also be lost. The sixth ancestor said, "Evil comes from the mouth, evil comes from the mouth, evil is not used, and it is pure to nothing." To get rid of troubles, we should view the sky with mindfulness; You should know that treatment is just a means, don't take evil or righteousness, and you will get nothing if you just go along with it, and your heart will be naturally clean.