Master Yuanyin: Lectures Given in Shanghai in August 1993 | 1993-08-09 | Download | First Edition
| 修心中心法，上座时用金刚持的方法，即嘴唇微动持咒，不出声。因为出声念咒伤气，默念伤血。我们修法首先要注意身体，不能把身体弄坏，所以打坐、修行要把身体保护好。 | When practicing the Heart-of-Heart Dharma, practitioners should use Vajra Recitation while sitting in meditation—that is, move the lips slightly while reciting the mantra, but make no sound. This is because reciting aloud may exhaust vital energy, while purely mental recitation may strain the blood. In our practice, we must first take proper care of the body and avoid harming it. Both meditation and daily cultivation should be carried out in a way that protects the body. |
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| 但是坐到种子翻腾、心里烦乱、坐也坐不住的时候，或是坐到昏然入睡、乱梦当前时，就要出声念咒，把那些混乱的妄念和睡魔除掉才能入定。没有遇到这种情况的时候，还是用金刚持的方法持咒。 | However, if during meditation karmic seeds begin to stir, the mind becomes agitated and restless, and we can no longer sit steadily; or if drowsiness arises, sleep overtakes us, or confused dreamlike states appear before the mind, then we should recite the mantra aloud. In this way, scattered delusive thoughts and the demon of sleep can be dispelled, allowing us to enter samādhi. If these conditions do not arise, we should continue to practice Vajra Recitation. |
| 持咒的快慢是每分钟十至十二次。念的时候，要心念耳闻，就是一个字一个字的从心里过，不是有口无心地去念，要用耳朵聆听这从心里发出来的咒音，听得清清楚楚，这样才能将妄念摄住不动而渐渐入定。 | The speed of mantra recitation should be about ten to twelve times per minute. While reciting, we should practice “the mind recites, and the ears listen.” This means that each syllable of the mantra should pass clearly through the mind, one syllable at a time. It is not merely reciting with the mouth while the mind is absent. Rather, we should use our ears to attentively listen to the mantra sound arising from within the mind, hearing each syllable clearly and distinctly. Only in this way can we gather and still our delusive thoughts, preventing them from moving, and gradually enter Samādhi. |
| 我们的六根——眼耳鼻舌身意——其中的意根好比猴子一样乱动惯了，你要它安静不动不起妄念很难，但不把它摄住不动就不能入定、开智慧成道。因此大势至菩萨教导我们念佛须“都摄六根，净念相继”。 | Of our six sense faculties—the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—the mind faculty is like a monkey long accustomed to jumping about restlessly. It is extremely difficult to make it quiet, still, and free from delusive thoughts. Yet if we cannot gather and still it, we cannot enter samādhi, open wisdom, and attain the Way. Therefore, Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva taught that when reciting the Buddha’s Name, we must “gather in all six faculties, and let pure mindfulness continue without interruption.” |
| 就是念佛时要至诚恳切地以“阿弥陀佛”这句圣号把眼耳鼻舌身意都抓住，叫它不要动，才能安然入定。这六根当中，以意、耳二根为难摄。 | With utmost sincerity and wholehearted devotion, we use the sacred name “Amitābha Buddha” to gather the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind so that they do not move. Only then can we peacefully enter samādhi. Among these Six Faculties, the Mind Faculty and the Ear Faculty are the most difficult to gather. |
| 眼睛闭上不看东西就能摄住眼根；嘴持咒就能摄住舌根（舌头）；鼻子不闻异味就能摄住鼻根；身体不接触外境就能摄住身根。 | By closing the eyes and not looking at external objects, the Eye Faculty can be gathered. By reciting the mantra, the Tongue Faculty can be gathered. By not following external scents, the Nose Faculty can be gathered. By avoiding contact with external objects, the Body Faculty can be gathered. |
| 但是人的耳朵最灵敏，很远很远的声音都能听见，隔着一座大山的声音也听得见，外面噪音会吵得你心烦。至于意根，更难摄住，不要它动，意念会不由自主地从心里跳出来。 | However, the human ear is extremely sensitive. It can hear sounds from very far away—even across mountains. External noise can easily disturb the mind. As for the Mind Faculty, it is even harder to gather. Even when we do not want it to move, thoughts arise from within on their own. |
| 为什么呢？这是多生历劫的习气，它动惯了，不动不行。这在佛经中叫做“作意”。也是法相宗所说的五个遍行心所，意、触、受、想、思的第一个心所，它存在于八识当中，时时刻刻在蠢动，像流水一样不停地流，所以叫“流注生灭”，微细得很，只是我们平时看不见。 | Why is this so? It is because of the habitual tendencies accumulated over countless lifetimes and eons. The mind has become accustomed to movement and cannot easily remain still. In the Buddhist scriptures, this is called mental attention (manaskāra). It is also the first of the five universal mental factors taught in the Consciousness-Only (Yogācāra) school: attentiveness, contact, feeling, perception, and volition. Residing throughout all eight consciousnesses, stirring at every moment and flowing ceaselessly like a stream. It is therefore called “the continuous flow of arising and ceasing.” This activity is extremely subtle and ordinarily imperceptible to us. |
| 有人说：“我们不修法不打坐没有念头，一修法打坐倒有念头了。是不是修法修坏了，有念头了？” | Some people say: “When we do not practice the Dharma or sit in meditation, there seem to be no thoughts. But as soon as we begin practicing the Dharma and sitting in meditation, thoughts start arising instead. Has something gone wrong with our practice? Have we somehow practiced incorrectly and caused thoughts to appear?” |
| 不是。这是因为平时心乱，看不见念头在乱动，等到你心里稍微静下来后，就看见念头在动了。这怎么办呢？怎么将妄念息下来呢？唯一的办法就是用耳根来摄意根。 | No. This is because in ordinary life the mind is scattered and confused, so we do not notice thoughts moving about. When the mind becomes a little quieter through practice, we then begin to see thoughts arising and moving. What should we do then? How do we calm these delusive thoughts? The only method is to use the Ear Faculty to gather the Mind Faculty. |
| 用耳根静听念佛的声音把妄念摄住，因为心无二用，一心听念佛，专注在佛号上，妄念就自然不动了。所以念佛要专注在“南无阿弥陀佛”六字或“阿弥陀佛”四字上。一个字一个字地听得清清楚楚，才能把妄念摄住不动。 | By quietly listening to the sound of reciting the Buddha’s Name, the delusive thoughts can be gathered and calmed. Because the mind cannot focus on two things at the same time, when attention is fully placed on listening to the Buddha’s Name, the delusive thoughts naturally become still. Therefore, when reciting the Buddha’s Name, we should focus on the six-character phrase “Namo Amitābha Buddha” or the four-character phrase “Amitābha Buddha.” Each syllable should be heard clearly and distinctly, one by one. Only in this way can delusive thoughts be gathered and stilled. |
| 同样，持咒也需要一字一字从心里过，耳朵听得清清楚楚，才能如法。所以打坐的要旨就是“心念耳闻”，摄住妄念不动而入定。不然你坐在这里，嘴里念咒或佛号，脑子里面却七想八想，那就不能入定。一定要心念耳闻，死心塌地地打坐。 | Likewise, when reciting a mantra, each syllable should pass clearly through the mind, and the ears should hear each syllable clearly and distinctly. Only then is the practice in accordance with the Dharma. Therefore, the essential point of seated meditation is: “The mind recites, and the ears listen.” By gathering and calming the delusive thoughts in this way, one gradually enters Samādhi. Otherwise, if one sits reciting the mantra or the Buddha’s Name with the mouth, while the mind continues thinking about many other things, then Samādhi cannot be attained. One must practice “the mind recites, and the ears listen,” and practice seated meditation single-mindedly. |
| 但是，最重要的还是在心空。修行为的是跳出三界外、不在五行中，所以一切都要放下，才能入道。在家人比出家人多一重障碍，有家庭，烦恼多，驴事未去，马事又来，事情多得不得了。 | However, the most important thing is still the emptiness of mind. The purpose of cultivation is to transcend the Three Realms and go beyond the realm of worldly conditioning. Therefore, everything must be let go before one can enter the Way. Lay practitioners have one more layer of obstacles than monastics. They have families and many afflictions. Before one matter is finished, another matter already arrives. There are endlessly many things to deal with. |
| 所以，我们时时要警惕，看破这些事相，都是假的，不可得，心里不恋着它，粗妄才可不起。接下来精勤用功打坐持咒，细妄又不免来侵袭，这是多生历劫的串习，动惯了，一下子停不下来，但不要怕它。 | Therefore, we must constantly remain vigilant and see through these external appearances. They are all false and ultimately unattainable. If the mind does not cling to them, then the coarse delusive thoughts will not arise. After this, when one diligently practices seated meditation and mantra recitation, subtle delusive thoughts will still continue to arise. These are habitual tendencies accumulated through countless lifetimes. The mind has become accustomed to movement, so it cannot suddenly stop. But there is no need to fear this. |
| 念头跳出来你能看见，不理睬它，妄念自然化去。念头来了你看不见，那你就跟着念头跑了，这就不能入定了。打坐的时候最要紧的就是一切放下，心里要清清楚楚，念头一来就看到它，不睬它，也不要讨厌它、压制它。 | If thoughts arise and we are able to see them, and simply do not follow or pay attention to them, then the delusive thoughts will naturally dissolve. If thoughts arise and we do not see them, then we follow them and are carried away by them. In that case, one cannot enter Samādhi. Therefore, the most important point in seated meditation is to let go of everything. The mind should remain clear and aware. The moment a thought arises, we should immediately see it, but neither follow it nor suppress it. Nor should we dislike it, |
| 讨厌的本身就是一种妄心。压制也不行，压是压不死的，比如搬石头压草，石头拿掉之后，草又生起来了，这是不行的。纵或压死了，倒变成土木金石，不能起用了。所以要用活泼泼的转化法，不能用压制法。念头来了，只不睬它，把咒提起来，妄念自然转化掉。 | because the very act of disliking is itself another delusive thought. Suppressing thoughts also does not work. Thoughts cannot truly be eliminated through suppression. It is like using a stone to press down grass: once the stone is removed, the grass grows again. That method is ineffective. Even if thoughts were forcibly suppressed, one would become like earth, wood, stone, or metal—rigid and lifeless, unable to function freely. Therefore, we should use a living method of transformation, not suppression. When thoughts arise, simply do not pay attention to them. Bring up the mantra, and the delusive thoughts will naturally be transformed. |
| 如此精进修法打坐，修到一心不乱的时候，咒也就自然化脱提不起来了。这是什么缘故呢？因为我们持咒的心还是妄心，有能有所，即有能念之心与所念之咒（念佛也是如此，有能念之心与所念之佛），能所相对，都是妄心。 | By practicing diligently in this way and persevering in seated meditation, one eventually reaches single-minded concentration; the mantra then naturally falls away and can no longer be intentionally brought forth. Why is this so? Because the mind that recites the mantra is still a delusive mind. There are still a subject and an object: the mind that recites, and the mantra that is being recited. (The same applies to reciting the Buddha’s Name: there is the mind that recites, and the Buddha who is being recited.) As long as there is this duality of subject and object, it is still a delusive mind. |
| 相对的都是虚假的，不是真实的；真实之心是绝对待而无相的，凡是有相的东西都是虚幻的。假如我们真的持到一心不乱的时候，一切相对的虚幻的东西就都脱落化为乌有了。这时身、心和世界就统统空掉了，虚空也粉碎了，而真实不虚的天真本性才会全体显露出来。 | All dualistic oppositions are unreal and not true reality. The True Mind is beyond all duality and without form. Anything that possesses form or appearance is ultimately illusory. If we truly practice until reaching Single-minded concentration, then all relative and illusory phenomena naturally fall away and disappear. At this moment, the body, mind, and the phenomenal world completely vanish into emptiness. Even the void itself is shattered, and only then will the authentically real, innate true nature fully reveal itself. |
| 经过灌顶修心中心法，有一个拉肚子的过程，不要怕，这是法的力量发生作用的缘故。这个法有极大的加持力量，叫你把污秽、垢染、习障都从大便排掉，换一换肚皮，这是好事，所以不要怕。 | After receiving the empowerment and practicing the Heart-of-Heart Dharma, there may be a period of diarrhea. There is no need to be afraid. This occurs because the power of the Dharma is beginning to take effect. This practice possesses tremendous empowering grace, causing you to purge impurities, defilements, and habitual obscurations through your stool, essentially transforming your inner vessel. This is a good thing, so you must not fear. |
| 修法一段时间后，看禅宗的东西，有点理解了，那是理上的悟道。文字理解没有多大用处。因为没有亲证，定力不够，道理虽然明白一些，但是事情来了就挡不住了。所以解悟不能了生死，一定要证悟，亲自见到本性才有力量。 | After practicing the Dharma for a period of time, one may begin to understand teachings of Chan. However, this is only an awakening at the level of principle and intellectual understanding. Mere understanding through words and language is of little use. Because there has been no direct realization and the power of Samādhi is still insufficient, although one may understand some principles, when actual situations arise one is still unable to remain unmoved. Therefore, awakening through intellectual understanding cannot end birth and death. One must attain direct realization. Only by personally realizing the Original Nature does true power arise. |
| “见到”当然不是眼睛见到，而是心地法眼亲证本性，本性是没有相的，眼睛只能见有相的东西，那时候你人也没有了，还有什么眼睛？还有什么看见？法身虽无相可见，但不是断灭空，它是真实的大功能，大能量，世界上举凡一切事相、境界都是它显现、变幻的。 | “To see” here, of course, does not mean seeing with the physical eyes. Rather, it means directly realizing one’s original nature through the Dharma-eye of the mind-ground. The original nature is formless; the physical eyes can see only things that have form. At that point, even the person you take yourself to be is no more—so what eyes could there be, and what could there be to see? Although the Dharma-body (Dharmakāya) has no form that can be seen, it is not a dead emptiness or annihilation. It is the source of limitless function and boundless power. All phenomena and all states appearing in the world are manifestations and transformations of it. |
| 比如电，眼不能见，但离开它，世界就不能运转。又如“海水中盐味”，人能看见海水，海水里的盐味却看不见，但它确实存在！ | It is like electricity: the eyes cannot see it, yet without it the world cannot function. It is also like the salty taste within seawater: people can see the seawater, but they cannot see the saltiness within it—yet it truly exists. |
| 我们用功到缘心息下，世界都化空，便时到神知，心领神会而见道了。所以叫做心地法眼可以见道。见道了是不是就成功了呢？很多人以为这样就成功了，不是的，没有成功，还差得远哩。 | When our practice reaches the point where the conditioned mind comes to rest and the world itself dissolves into emptiness, then spiritual awareness naturally arises, and through direct inner realization, one comes to see the Way. Therefore, it is said that the Mind-Ground Dharma Eye can perceive the Way. But after seeing the Way, has one truly succeeded? Many people think that once this happens, the work is complete. It is not so. One is still far from completion. |
| 刚打开宝藏见到一点影子，仅是法身边事，不相干，生死犹不能了，还须努力向前，除尽恶习才是了手时。基于此点，净土宗人常常说禅宗不好：纵然明心见性，生死也不能了，还不如净土宗念佛稳妥，生到西方极乐世界了生死的好。 | One has only just opened the treasure store and caught a first glimpse of the Buddha Nature. This is merely the beginning of realizing the Dharma-body (Dharmakāya) and is not yet the ultimate matter. Birth and death have still not been transcended. One must continue to practice diligently and completely remove all habitual tendencies and deeply rooted patterns before the work is truly finished. Because of this, Pure Land practitioners often criticize Chan, saying that even if one realizes the mind and sees one’s true nature, birth and death still cannot yet be ended. They say it is more stable and reliable to practice Buddha-recitation in the Pure Land tradition and be reborn in Amitābha Buddha’s Western Pure Land, where birth and death can truly be transcended. |
| 刚刚明心见性的时候只是初悟，破本参，才跨过第一道门槛，妄习犹在，生死不能了。 | When one has just realized the mind and seen the Original Nature, this is only the initial awakening. One has only broken through the first barrier and crossed the first threshold. Delusive habitual tendencies still remain, and birth and death have not yet been transcended. |
| 须勤于保护，历境练心，把多生历劫执着的妄习消灭光，真正做到与《金刚经》所说“凡所有相，皆是虚妄”相应，处顺境而不喜，遇逆境而不恼，丝毫无动于衷，才能了思惑而了分段生死。 | Therefore, one must diligently protect and nurture this realization, tempering the mind through all circumstances encountered in daily life. One must completely eliminate the delusive habitual tendencies and attachments accumulated through countless lifetimes. Only when one truly accords with the teaching of the Diamond Sutra: “All appearances are illusory.” —so that in favorable circumstances one does not become delighted, and in adverse circumstances one does not become disturbed, remaining inwardly unmoved in all situations—only then can one resolve the delusions of thought and transcend segmented birth and death. |
| 《金刚经》说：过去、现在、未来心皆不可得。心既不可得，还动什么？真见性的人只有这个觉性，其它一切都不可得，还须更向上，觉性与不可得也不住才为真了。若见境生心，随念而转，就不是见性开悟的人。 | The Diamond Sutra also says: “The past mind cannot be grasped, the present mind cannot be grasped, and the future mind cannot be grasped.” Since the mind itself cannot be grasped, what is there to move? A person who has truly seen Nature retains only this pure awareness; everything else is unattainable. Yet one must go even further. Even this awareness, and even the notion of “unattainability,” must not be clung to. Only then is there true realization. If, upon encountering external conditions, thoughts arise and one is turned by thoughts and circumstances, then one has not truly realized Nature and awakened. |
| 罗汉之所以有四果之分，也是在是否生心动念上划分的。初果罗汉在山林里，清净无染，但是，到城市里就不免眼花缭乱、思念纷起了，这就是思惑未了之故。思惑者，对境生心，迷于事相之思想也，就是对幻境惑当真实，产生占有之妄想也。 | The reason why the attainment of the Arhats is divided into four stages is precisely according to whether thoughts and mental reactions still arise. A First-Fruit Arhat may dwell in the mountains and forests in purity and freedom from defilement, but upon entering a busy city, the eyes become dazzled and thoughts begin to arise in confusion. This is because the delusions of thought have not yet been fully resolved. The delusions of thought refer to giving rise to thoughts in response to external conditions, becoming confused by appearances and phenomena, mistaking illusion for reality, and generating delusive attachment and the desire to possess. |
| 在打坐的过程当中，有很多现象出现，如美好的佛、菩萨光明等善相，或丑恶的魔相，都不要理睬它。有相的东西都是假的，一着相，就容易着魔。 | During seated meditation, many kinds of experiences and appearances may arise, such as beautiful visions of Buddhas, the radiance of Bodhisattvas, and other auspicious appearances, or frightening and ugly demonic appearances. None of these should be paid attention to. All appearances are unreal. Once one clings to appearances, one can easily fall into delusion. |
| 还有，当你从有相过渡到无相的时候要起一些变化：如身体没有了，或手脚和头没有了等等，都不可管他。更或气要断了、头要爆炸了，也毋须惊怖，这是身心将脱落的前奏。一害怕，一惊觉，即前功尽弃而出定了。 | Furthermore, when passing from form to formlessness, certain changes may occur. One may feel that the body has disappeared, or that the hands, feet, or head are gone. One should neither interfere with nor cling to these experiences. Even if it feels as though the breath is stopping or the head is about to explode, there is no need for fear. These are signs that body and mind are about to fall away. The moment fear arises, or the mind becomes startled and reacts, all previous effort is lost and one immediately comes out of samādhi. |
| 等到火候到时一下子大爆炸，内而身、心，外而世界一齐销殒，虚空也粉碎，本性即现前。不过你不能着相求这个爆炸，一着相即被妄念所遮，非但不能爆炸，连空也入不了。 | When the time and conditions are fully mature, there may suddenly be a great inner “explosion.” Internally, body and mind dissolve; externally, the world also dissolves. Even empty space itself is shattered, and the Original Nature then manifests directly. However, one must never become attached to this experience or deliberately seek such an “explosion.” The moment one becomes attached to appearances, one is obstructed by delusive thoughts. Not only will this “explosion” not occur, one will not even be able to enter emptiness. |
| 密宗就有这个好处，常常得佛菩萨的加被，以外界的爆炸声引起内心的爆炸，但是千万不能求，想它什么时间来，更不能将心等它或迎它来。打坐定境中的一切景象都不能理睬，须置之不理。《金刚经》的警句须牢牢记住：“凡所有相，皆是虚妄。”一切色相都是假的，不睬它就没事。一理睬执着它，就有着魔之虞。 | One advantage of Esoteric Buddhism is that practitioners often receive the blessings and support of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Sometimes an external sound, such as an explosive noise, may trigger an inner breakthrough experience. Nevertheless, one must never seek or wait for such an experience, nor anticipate its arrival. All appearances arising within meditative states should be ignored and left alone. One must firmly remember the teaching of the Diamond Sutra: “All appearances are illusory.” All forms and appearances are unreal. If one does not cling to them, there is no problem. But once one becomes attached to them, there is the danger of falling into delusion. |
| 二果罗汉，前念才动，后念就觉。虽然能不住相而于觉后归家稳坐，但是念有起灭，还是有生有灭。所以还要有一番生天落地的生死，然后才能了分段生死。 | A Second-Fruit Arhat is one in whom, becomes aware of a thought as soon as it arises. Although such a person is able not to abide in appearances and, after awareness arises, returns to inner stability and stillness, thoughts still arise and cease—meaning that birth and death remain. Therefore, one must still go through another round of birth and death before truly transcending segmented birth and death. |
| 因此，打开本来之人并不是大事完结，还要好好地勤除习气，进入三果罗汉达遇事不动心的阶段，更向上进入无为之境，达到阿毗跋致的地步，方为初步了手。有思想、有妄情、有造作都是有为。 | For this reason, when a person has opened the Original Nature, it does not mean that the great matter is finished. One must still diligently remove habitual tendencies and advance to the stage of the Third-Fruit Arhat, where the mind no longer moves when encountering circumstances. One must continue upward into the realm of the unconditioned, reaching the stage of Non-Retrogression (Avaivartika). Only then can it be said that the work has been initially accomplished. Any thought, delusive emotion, or deliberate contrivance belongs to the realm of the conditioned. |
| 修行从初地、二地、三地……到七地都是有为，入八地才是无为。七地虽然已证到无为了，但是还有个无为在，还有个无为的影子，还是不干净。到八地，无为的影子才取消。 | In cultivation, from the First Bhūmi, Second Bhūmi, Third Bhūmi, and onward up to the Seventh Bhūmi, all are still within the conditioned realm. Only upon entering the Eighth Bhūmi does one truly enter the Unconditioned. Although at the Seventh Bhūmi one has already realized the Unconditioned, there still remains a subtle trace of the Unconditioned—a shadow of it still remains—so it is not yet completely pure. Only at the Eighth Bhūmi does even this shadow disappear. |
| 所以，我们每个人要衡量一下自己，看看是否对境心一点都不动，平时如还有妄心起伏，那就不行，在境界当中，若着境，更不行。一切时、一切处心空如洗，能够随缘起用，不执着，真空妙有、妙有真空，那才是真开悟。 | Therefore, each of us should carefully examine ourselves and see whether, when encountering external conditions, the mind truly remains unmoved. If delusive thoughts still rise and fall in ordinary life, that is still not sufficient. And if one becomes attached to circumstances and states, it is even less acceptable. At all times and in all places, the mind should remain empty and clear. One should be able to respond and function according to conditions, without attachment. True Emptiness is Wonderful Existence; Wonderful Existence is True Emptiness. Only this is a genuine awakening. |
| 除打坐之外，最重要的是平时用功。时时看着自己，念头一起就看见，不跟着跑。念头起了看不见，跑了一大段才觉得，才知道，那就不行。禅宗说：不怕念起，只怕觉迟。 | Besides seated meditation, the most important thing is daily practice in ordinary life. At all times we should observe ourselves. The moment a thought arises, we should immediately see it and not follow it. If a thought arises and we fail to notice it, and only realize it after following it for a long stretch, then that is not sufficient. In Chan Buddhism there is a saying: “Do not fear the arising of thoughts; fear only awakening to them too late.” |
| 念头起了不怕，只怕你不知道，跟着念头跑，就是生死；跟着念头跑了一大段才知道，就是已死去多时了，也就证明你将来生死不能了。假如我们能做到前念起，后念觉，不跟念头跑，就能受生自在了。受生自在不是已了生死，还有生死在，不过在生死当头能够自己作主，要到哪里就到哪里，不受业障牵连，随业受报了。 | There is nothing to fear when thoughts arise. What matters is whether we are aware of them. Once we follow thoughts and are carried away by them, that is birth and death. If we follow thoughts for a long time before becoming aware of it, then it is as though we have already “been dead” for a long time. This also shows that in the future we will still not be able to transcend birth and death. If we are able to do this—when the previous thought arises, the next thought immediately becomes aware of it, without following the thought—then we can attain freedom in rebirth. However, freedom in rebirth does not mean that birth and death have already been completely transcended. Birth and death still remain. It simply means that at the moment of birth and death, one is able to remain master of oneself, able to go wherever one wishes, no longer dragged by karma or passively carried along by karmic retribution. |
