So, the Fifth Patriarch Hongren was testing Him and scolding Him; I mean, not scolding, but insulting Him and said, “How can a barbarian from the south like You become a Buddha? You? What sort of Buddha are you searching for? You? How can you become a Buddha?” […] So, He said, “Shoo, go, go away!” Perhaps He dismissed Huineng like this as if there was nothing special about Huineng. But that… that evening, after everybody fell asleep, maybe in the middle of the night, He went to see Huineng. The two of Them had a talk. Then He knew.
Next one. (Dear Master, I was very happy to come here to receive initiation. But I don’t know whether I received the Dharma [Teaching] during initiation because I did not have inner [Heavenly] Light. If, after some time, I still don’t see the [inner Heavenly] Light in my practice, will I be liberated, Master? Or if I am focused on meditation and practicing Master’s teachings wholeheartedly?) Because you did not concentrate. Meditate now! (Yes, Master.) Close your eyes and meditate now. In a while, you will have (inner Heavenly) Light. Sometimes, if we don’t concentrate enough, then we don’t see the (inner Heavenly) Light; it’s not because you did not receive the Dharma (Teaching), understand? You did not concentrate enough. Whenever there is an initiation, you sit together one more time.
Who? Next. (Hallo, Beloved and Respected Master. I had an experience. This experience has been with me constantly. I’d like to verify it with Master to see if it was true because I was hoping that it wasn’t just my imagination. It was this year, April 2018. When I came to Taiwan [Formosa] from Xian, Shaanxi, mainland China, at the guidance of the inner Master. Simultaneously, I brought “Peace,” a ship that symbolized peace, from Xian, Shaanxi to Taiwan [Formosa]. It [the boat] was called “Qiantang Peace.” “Peace” followed me all the way to Taiwan [Formosa]. And in Taiwan [Formosa], abundant, peaceful Love was loaded onto it before we brought it back to Xian, China. It’s now situated in Xian, Shaanxi. And we put the torch of “Peace” in a temple…) I don’t understand what you are saying. Do any of you understand? If somebody does, explain it to me. (It’s a ship.) A ship! Oh. (It’s a boat. It’s a boat. It’s a ship, but it’s symbolic of peace. Its name is…) Is Peace. Oh.
Yeah, and then? (It was guided by the inner Master. It was brought to Taiwan [Formosa]. And afterward, when we returned, it was brought back to Xian, Shaanxi and placed inside a temple. Its torch of peace was placed inside the Peace Relic Pagoda. Since it was an inner experience, I was hoping it wasn’t just my wishful thinking. I wanted to ask Master if it was true as there were two important items. I obtained them in Taiwan [Formosa]. One was… the guiding light [torch] which can be found on every ship. It was called the Golden Glazed Pagoda Light, obtained at Kaohsiung Ashram. The other one was… the Helm of Peace, that is to say, every ship has a helmsman who steers it. It was obtained at Hsihu Ashram as well. We got it from here when we first came in April and brought it to Kaohsiung Ashram. When we finally left, we brought them back to mainland China. So, I was hoping to verify it with Master. Although it was what I had been praying for all along, I hoped it would be true – this vision.)
Do you understand it? (Yes, yes. In China, there was this ship whose name was Peace Boat.) Yes, and she herself came on that ship? (No. When she came, that ship also came. And when she returned to mainland China after she came to Taiwan [Formosa], the ship followed them and went back. Then, it was kept in a temple. That’s it.) A temple? (She said so. That’s what she said.) What temple was it? How could a ship be placed inside a temple? (It was the torch of “Peace” that was placed in the Peace Relic Pagoda.) (Torch – it’s a torch. It’s a torch in the ship. It’s a torch like the fire, like you hold. That one – that one was put in the temple.) Ah, that one only, not the whole ship. (Not the whole ship.) Oh, thank God. Otherwise, the temple would not know what to do. OK.
Why was this so complicated? What is she trying to ask anyway? How does she want me to answer? (Master, because this was an inner experience of mine. And the vision has been following me every day. I was just hoping…) Then… OK, OK, OK. It wasn’t necessarily following you! It came to Taiwan (Formosa) when it was time for it to come. After it finished its job, it just went back to mainland China. (Yes, that‘s right. It’s just that…) Perhaps the time was the same as yours. (Yes.) But it didn’t necessarily follow you here or follow you back. It was just a coincidence, OK? (A coincidence. Because on my way here, I could see it. The inner Master let me see the ship at that time. Because I could see it all the way on the plane, it came together with us to Taiwan [Formosa]. So, because this was a vision, I was hoping to have it verified to see if the vision was true. Because it seemed so real, I hoped it wasn’t my own hallucination or my imagination. I just wanted to ask Master for confirmation.)
Ah! There are many boats. Whichever came, came. Whichever went, went. What for do you attach it to yourself? That ship is very big. (Yes.) You’ll get a headache if you keep hanging on to it. (Right, but because I can see it inside.) Just throw it away. It was nothing. You saw a ship. I’ve seen many of those, too. (Because it symbolized peace. There were some special symbolic meanings to it.) Ah, understand. “Peace.” You like the word, huh? (Yes, and also...) OK, OK. (And also, because it has an influence on us, I was hoping to have it verified.) It’s affecting you? (Yes.) How? What does it affect? (Because it’s Master’s wish and the wish of us all as well.) OK, alright. If it’s good, it’s good. Not a big deal, OK? (OK. Thank You, Master.) Seeing a ship doesn’t necessarily mean anything. But seeing a ship called “Peace” was better than seeing one called “War.” Right? It was also good for you. It was good that it gave you the sense of peace. OK? Alright! That’s it! From now on, if you see something bigger, don’t be attached to it. Otherwise, you won’t know how to bring it here.
Next one. (Beloved Master, it’s an honor to see You and to meet You. And I’d like to ask a question. I often watch movies and read books about ancient Masters.) Yeah. (And my question is about the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng. He was a disciple of the Fifth Patriarch, Hongren, and He was the only enlightened disciple. In ancient times, it was extremely difficult for the disciples of great Masters to achieve enlightenment as they had to solve Zen riddles. Whereas, when we practice the Quan Yin Method, all we need to do is meditate, and we can go up slowly until we eventually reach the Fifth Level and become enlightened.) Yeah. (I’d like to ask this question: Why is it so easy and simple for us? That’s it. Thank You, Master.) Ah, you have more blessings! (I’m very lucky to be able to meet Master.) You’re more fortunate. You didn’t need to cut off your arm to become enlightened. Neither did you have to kneel in the snow for three days and nights; you could still have a Master transmit the Dharma (Teaching) to you. You’re blessed with more blessings. Just thank God for it. (Thank You, God. I am newly initiated.) Ah, I know, I know. (Thank You, Master.)
Your question is timely. I happen to want to expand on that. You can sit comfortably and listen or stand if you want. At that time… (I want to stand.) At the time, geographically speaking, it was surely difficult to find an enlightened Master. Mainland China was so big. That’s why it’s called “the mainland.” To travel from one province to another, you were lucky if you could ride a horse instead of going on foot. Or if you were even luckier, you could go in a horse- drawn carriage. It took a long time to get anywhere. You were asking about Huineng, right? (Yes.) The first disciple (Huike) had to cut off His arm and kneel in the snow for three days before His Master would take a look at Him. It was the time of Bodhidharma. When He went to mainland China – first went to mainland China – no one really listened to Him. Everyone seemed to look down on Him. He had no shoes, was barefoot, and had a beard this big. Normally, the monks in mainland China shaved their head bald at that time. They had to shave their head and beard clean to be considered monks, and they wore monastic robes. But He would wear anything. He was wearing… He was from India. So, He dressed the way He did, which was different from the mainland Chinese style back then. And then He… They also mocked Him for eating with His hands. Uncivilized. Understand? They all looked at the outer appearance, like no shoes, no chopsticks to eat with, and so on; a beard this long, and so forth. And the way He dressed, this and that. And He had no clue on how to flatter Emperor Wu of Liang.
I’m starting from the beginning before I go to Huineng, OK? It’ll be easier to understand. If we jump to Huineng all at once, some people might not understand where He came from. There was a Truth seeker named Huike. He went to Bodhidharma, wanting to ask for the Teachings – He knew better. He thought the man was a real practitioner. He didn’t look at the appearance. He didn’t care if He had shoes, if He had chopsticks, or if He shaved. He just sat there, ignoring everyone; He only sat there, looking at the wall. That was why it’s called “wall-gazing.” He sat for nine years, without associating with anyone. Finally, He only had those five disciples at the end, including Huike. But Huike had to kneel in the snow for three days and nights for it, without any warm clothing or food. Then He eventually cut off one of His arms and started bleeding, and His Master finally came out to see Him. It was like that back then, extremely difficult to seek the Truth. It was even more difficult than the time of Huineng. What Huineng went through was nothing. As soon as Huineng came, He just… Later on, He inherited the mantle and alms bowl, and He left, enlightened and everything. Whereas Huike had to kneel for three days and nights and cut off an arm for Him to attain the Tao. After that, Huike started to spread the Dharma (Teaching). Bodhidharma’s mantle and alms bowl were passed down to five disciples. Five? Or four? I forgot. Five? (Five.) Ah, never mind. If there were four, just cut off the fifth and pass down to the fourth. Or give it to me. I forgot. It’s been a long time since I read about this. When I was earnestly seeking the Truth, I read all kinds of books. It’s been too long, too long since I read them.
After passing the Dharma (Teaching) to those four or five disciples, He (Bodhidharma) left our world. And Huike turned out to be His first disciple, His mantle and alms bowl were passed down to Huike. But He also said, “You are the first. After passing the mantle and alms bowl down to the Sixth….” The mantel and alms bowl; the robe, right? The mantle is a kasaya (Buddhist clothing) and the… Probably there was an alms bowl or something as a symbol, meaning if they were passed down to Him from the Master, it showed that He was the successor, the formal, enlightened disciple and the appointed inheritor. He said, “I give you the mantle and alms bowl as proof. However, when passed down to the Sixth…” The Sixth was Huineng. Bodhidharma had already known then. At the time, He didn’t know how many there would be, but it means that, at the time Bodhidharma still hadn’t… He could see the future, and that was why He said that. Yet, officially, nobody had known yet. Nevertheless, He told Huike that after being passed down to the Sixth Zen Master, it should be stopped. The mantle and bowl shouldn’t be passed on anymore. And it really turned out like that.
When it came to the Sixth Patriarch, which was Huineng… Huineng was an Aulacese (Vietnamese) who came from Âu Lạc (Vietnam). When He first came, His Master wanted to test Him, to see if He had the… How do you say “potential” in Chinese? (Wisdom.) Had wisdom. Thank you. So, the Master tested Him. He said, “You, a barbaric man from the South.” Back then, the Chinese people called the Aulacese (Vietnamese) “Nan Man (southern barbarians),” meaning they were barbaric. That’s the way it was. I am one of them. You’ve been looking at a “barbaric” person. “Barbaric” means beautifully dressed. OK, you’re pretty sensible.
So, the Fifth Patriarch Hongren was testing Him and scolding Him; I mean, not scolding, but insulting Him and said, “How can a barbarian from the south like You become a Buddha? You? What sort of Buddha are you searching for? You? How can you become a Buddha?” He tested Him by degrading and insulting Him to see the way he reacted and the extent of His eloquence and wisdom. And Huineng said, “Alas! There are truly differences between southern men and northern men. But what difference is there in the Buddha Nature? Physically, You surely look like a northerner, and I a southerner, but our Buddha Nature is exactly the same.” And the Fifth Patriarch Hongren knew then. So, He asked Huineng to go away, to get out of there. He asked someone to take him away. He didn’t want to continue talking to Huineng there in case someone else could guess that Huineng had a special potential to attain a high level in spiritual practice. So, He said, “Shoo, go, go away!” Perhaps He dismissed Huineng like this as if there was nothing special about Huineng. But that… that evening, after everybody fell asleep, maybe in the middle of the night, He went to see Huineng. The two of Them had a talk. Then He knew. Later, He passed down the mantle and alms bowl to Huineng. Because Huineng had… The Fifth Patriarch Hongren asked all the disciples…. You know the story.
