The second seventh began again, time passed like flowing water without returning.From this we can see that human life is like flowing water.The year and year of life are determined by time.Time passes, which means that our lives are also passing.One day of life passes, and one day of opportunities to learn Buddhism, practice Taoism, and do good deeds in one lifetime are missing. It is terrible to think about it.Young people often don’t realize this and feel that they will be more mature after a day;After a year, I grew up one year later.From the other hand, one day is missing after one day, and one year is missing after one year, so the ruthless years are increasing and decreasing.Everyone must have this consciousness of impermanence of life, so that they can develop the mind to seek the Tao, develop the determination to escape from birth and death, achieve sentient beings, and practice Bodhi.
During the seven-day period, everyone concentrates their time to work hard, be aware of themselves at all times, sees the activities of their lives, and feels a ray of light in front of them. This is the feeling we get in the process of fading our worries and the process of calming our minds.Having this kind of awareness will strengthen our faith in practicing;Having this feeling will gradually reduce our worries and gradually strengthen our confidence.The so-called loss of both afflictions means that the afflictions are damaged and the pure mind and bodhicitta are beneficial.Loss is reduction, and profit is increase.If you have no distracting thoughts or delusions when working hard, you are just focusing on gains and losses.There are not two minds, it is a causal relationship. If false thoughts are damaged and impaired, pure thoughts will definitely benefit, and it is simultaneous.One cause and one result, cause and effect are at the same time.Only when you calm down and work hard can you experience this subtle change in your heart.Through subtle changes in the mind, gradually change yourself, this is gradual cultivation.In the accumulation of gradual cultivation, if there is an opportunity, there will be sudden and unexpected leaps and breakthroughs, which is sudden insight, or sudden enlightenment, and suddenly understand something.This is also enlightenment.A small enlightenment, a small feeling.Because such small perceptions and small enlightenment will often appear as a true practitioner.
Under what circumstances does this enlightenment usually occur?The ancestors told us that if we use the effort to use the mind and have no thoughts and truly reach the state of "keeping one's own way", we will suddenly have a disconnect between the previous thoughts and the next thoughts, which is the so-called "breaking the front and the back". There is a gap and a blank between the previous thoughts and the next thoughts.There is no delusion or a thought.At this time, if you encounter causes and conditions, you may break the paint bucket and see the original one with your own eyes.This state occurred when Mr. Xuyun was in the seventh day of the Zen Hall of Gaomin Temple.When he stretched out the tea cup and his skills were still in use, the tea-man accidentally splashed the hot tea water on his hands. At this time, he encountered an opportunity. The cup fell to the ground and with a "bang", the front and back end were broken, just like the void shattered and the earth was flat. He felt a great shock in his heart, breaking the paint bucket and seeing the original one in person.
We also often hear the sound of cups falling to the ground, the sound of incense, and the sound of bell boards ringing. Some people are used to it and have no feeling;Some people use kung fu to the point of being proficient in their kung fu, and when they hear a certain sound, they will feel surprised, a sudden feeling, and a shock.Since you don’t have any skills, you may feel a little bit of awareness, but you cannot enlighten yourself.The dust on the mirror was too thick. After only a short period of grinding, the dust could not be removed, and the original light could not be revealed.
We meditate in the meditation hall without being disturbed by all external factors, and keep our practice unswervingly. It is very, very important.Otherwise, the mind will change with the environment and delusions will fly. If you sit in the meditation hall and make delusions, you will not even be able to keep your eyes and your six senses. How can your kung fu become a piece of skill?If you want to achieve a complete work, you must first collect the six senses, manage the six senses first, and then manage your own consciousness activities so that you can achieve a complete work.
Seven days have passed, and the second seven has passed one day, and there are two sevens left for the rest of the time. In fact, time will pass very quickly.After exercising for seven or eight days, the legs will definitely not hurt so much, the heart will be more stable, and the sitting down will be more drowsy. This is an inevitable phenomenon.When you hear the Vinaya shouting "Get up on your spirit", don't think this sentence is too ordinary, but you must really raise your backbone at once, widen your eyes, clench your fists when you are about to feel drowsy, and have a little strength to dispel the two demons.Practice must dispel the interference of the two demons of dimness and dispersion. If you do not drive away the two demons of dimness and dispersion, your kung fu will not be able to correspond.Don’t say it’s appropriate, you can’t even get on the road.The two demons of dizziness and dispersion are demonic obstacles that you have to face at all times on the road of cultivation, and you must take them seriously.It is difficult to overcome if you don't take it seriously.This is true even for those who have been practicing for a long time.
Because we are doing the seven-day meditation, we do not go to the temple, we do not recite the scriptures, and we do not even worship.I think every person who wakes up in the morning will worship Buddha nearby.Those who live below are near to the main hall and must worship the Buddha for at least three prayers and pray for the Buddha’s blessing.When you go back to rest at night, you should worship the Buddha three times before the Buddha, repent of your karma, and dedicate your merits to all sentient beings in the Dharma Realm to share with you.Those who live above can be in the Fourth Ancestor Hall.Of course, Guanyin Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, and Ancestor Hall can all be worshipped.Worshiping Buddha is also very important to seek blessings, repentance, and dedication. At the same time, training one's body in different postures is also very important.
In addition, before each seat is in the upper and lowered, there should be some visualization and dedication content.After celebrating, according to everyone's practice, some are destined to Guanyin Bodhisattva, some are destined to Sakyamuni Buddha, and some are destined to Amitabha Buddha. At this time, you should silently recite the three Buddha names, then start counting your breaths, and start your own original practice.Before leaving the seat after calmness, you should dedicate your merits. You can recite the "Three Vows Verse": I wish to eliminate all the three obstacles and all the troubles, I wish to obtain wisdom and true wisdom, and I wish to eliminate all the sins and obstacles, and I will always practice the Bodhisattva path in my life.Although these are all tangible and specific activities, they play a very important role in capturing our body and mind, allowing us to keep making progress on the road of practice under the blessing of the Three Jewels and under the promotion of our own vows.
Some things can be told, but they often don’t talk about a person’s secret practices.Everyone must have their own content of practicing secret practices, use that method for a long time, maintain that method for a long time, and use it for a while, it has a great effect. The key is to persevere.These things can only be enjoyed by themselves and cannot be shared.Because everyone has different roots and different causes and conditions for Dharma, there are thousands of masters and thousands of Dharmas.Some can be shared, some cannot be shared.What can be shared is what he enjoys, and what he cannot share is what he enjoys himself.
Some old monks have had one or two secret methods for decades. If they don’t pass on others, that is his own benefit.Because the first successor is to show that his Dharma is not precious.People who truly practice well have one or two methods that can be secretly revealed to others, so there are often unpredictable things in some things.For example, I said it rained today and the Water and Land Dharma Assembly was going to send a saint to the saint at three or four o'clock in the afternoon. What should I do?The old monk knew it, and it seemed that he told the old Dragon King that you should not rain at three or four o'clock.Sure enough, by that time the rain stopped and everyone did Buddhist rituals smoothly.As soon as the Buddhist ritual was finished, the rain fell again.Things like this have been repeated more than once in my old man, and that is his secret deeds.Why is this kind of effectiveness?He won't tell you.Because this kind of thing is not worth half a penny.If you can't tell it, that's the secret.All great practitioners have one or two secrets.Mr. Xuyun, Mr. Xuyun’s disciples Mr. Ben and Mr. Foyuan all have one or two moves.
Can we lay Buddhists have such an effective experience?If we can sincerely practice one or two mantras, it will also have an effect.The so-called practice of one or two mantras does not mean that you should recite them all day long.One is that you have to make a wish, and the other is that you have to make a wish.The reason why I want to obtain this function is not for myself, but for the sake of practicing Bodhisattva.Don't use it casually, as it will cause problems if you use it casually.It is best to use it on yourself. When you practice for ten, eight or twenty years, you feel that it can be used on yourself. You can use it as you like and conveniently to help you with temporary difficulties.But it cannot be fame or profit. Once it is fame and fortune, it will be invalid.The so-called qigong and qigong cost how much it costs to practice, and most of them are fooling people there.Because when it comes to fame and fortune, nothing will work.If the Dharma involves fame and fortune, even if there is any Dharma, it must be an evil Dharma, not the Dharma, and it must be possessed by demons and ghosts to have some effect.After that effect, side effects will appear immediately.This side effect is not only in oneself, but also in the other person.
These words should not be said at first, because the excitement is the only way to say it.I hope everyone will use the skills of this practice to break ignorance, eliminate afflictions, and see their own nature.
