A Reliable Teacher Can Teach You How to Break Attachment

“Mahamudra: Essence and Practice” ( Book II)

A Reliable Teacher Can Teach You How to Break Attachment

◎Yixin Chen: As I know, most of the Buddhist teachings that can make people achieve buddhahood are simple and clear and come straight to the point. Nowadays, although many people spend a lot of time on sadhana drubtabs and in finding masters, they are still in vigorous pursuit of worldly affairs.

More often than not, the sadhana drubtabs of some sects are overly complicated, with many preliminary practices and applied practices. Although they are necessary for some people, it may not be suitable to this era, because accomplishment is somehow related with sadhana drubtab, but not necessarily related to it. Many so-called living Buddhas and gurus, who are not enlightened, fill up people’s time and life with a mass of overelaborate religious rituals, with which, however, people still can’t reach enlightenment. In the past, believers were controlled by samsara of the six kinds of rebirth, now they are also controlled by teachings and the “Vajra Hell”. It’s impossible for such religious worshippers to liberate themselves. Liberation means absolute freedom, the real freedom in mind and nadis. The siddha is one who has achieved absolute freedom.

●Xue Mo: Liberation has to do with a kalyana-mitra (or reliable teacher), but people entitled as “living Buddha” or “Guru” are not necessarily kalyana-mitras.

Buddhist practice in appearance is not necessarily related to liberation. The key to liberation is meeting a real kalyana-mitra. He must be a fully realized person rather than an ordinary unenlightened person with the title of “guru.”

The body and mind of an unenlightened person are tied up by innumerable ropes. He himself has worried lot of defilements, he hasn’t seen the light of his own nature yet, and he hasn’t got freedom. As he is not a torch, he can’t light you up. When you carve a stone (sometimes, it can be a really filthy stone) into the shape of a buddha, no matter how exquisite your work is, even to the extent that it resembles Shakyamuni Buddha closely, it is still a stone. A person like a stone can’t light others; to do so, he must be a torch in the beginning.

Based on my practice and observation over the years, I find that the Pure Land School, with the verbal chanting of the name of Amitabha Buddha, is very good. Why? Because it’s straightforward, without much overelaborate ritual procedures. It emphasizes faith, preaching that one can be saved by believing. If you can’t find a real kalyana-mitra or guru, you’d better practice by remembering Amitabha Buddha’s name. Of course, it is better that you find a real guru, because you can achieve ultimate liberation by practicing Mahamudra.

Someone asked me, “Why are there so many enlightened persons among your students?” I said, “Things of a kind come together. A torch can start a forest fire. When the teacher is not a torch, he can’t light others whatsoever. With kindling material, however, a single spark can start a prairie fire. An awakened person can enlighten countless people and make a torch of those possessing the objects of consciousness. As for an unawakened person, no matter how hard he attempts it, he can’t make it – reciting mantras for billions of times, for instance, won’t help a bit. In my novel The Curse of Xi Xia, I wrote about a person who practices diligently but who hasn’t broken attachment. As the more diligently he practices, the more attached he becomes, plus his strong hatred and lack of compassion, it is very easy for him to degenerate into the existence of hungry ghost.

In choosing your guru, you need to shatter your attachment to name and form. Anyone who can make you enter into enlightenment, no matter what he is – even if he were a beggar or a scavenger – is your fundamental guru. Among his eighty-four achieved gurus, Luipa’s fundamental Guru was a dakini with the appearance of a beggar.

A phony kalyana-mitra or guru has no wisdom; he is only an empty vessel. He may pretend to be pouring wisdom into your vessel, but you obtain nothing from his act of pouring. Once, a couple of my students and I paid a visit to a famous temple in Guangdong. I talked with a monk there who was said to have practiced well and I found that he was attached to a one-sided view of emptiness. After the monk had left, without any change of expression, I asked my students, “What do you feel about his cultivation?” They answered with one voice, “Only emptiness!” But that monk wasn’t aware of that. Like many people who have fallen into only emptiness, he takes only emptiness and absent-mindedness during meditation practice as enlightenment. Nowadays, Chan meditators like this are not rare.

“Absence of thought,” “absence of perceptual attribute,” and “nonabiding” in the Platform Sutra are right for the sixth patriarch, for he has achieved enlightenment. To an unenlightened person, if he hasn’t received genuine impartment, he is very likely to lean toward only emptiness. Why? The sixth patriarch has enlightened into empty nature and ultimate wisdom. His absence of thought, absence of perceptual attribute, and nonabiding were correct when he was in a state of brightness and emptiness. But when it comes to an unenlightened one, these may degenerate into absent-mindedness and only emptiness. In other words, after a person’s enlightenment, by virtue of the primordial wisdom, absence of thought, absence of perceptual attribute, and nonabiding are the marvelous function of wisdom. To foolish people, however, absence of thought, absence of perceptual attribute, and nonabiding are the manifestation of foolishness. Therefore, marvelous function works only after one has enlightened one’s mind and seen one’s own nature.

 It is terrible to pursue blindly “absence of thought, absence of perceptual attribute, and nonabiding” if one hasn’t achieved enlightenment or even hasn’t got the lineage of practices. The sixth patriarch attained the mind-seal passed down from Master Bodhidharma. When the “seal” reached the mind of Master Huineng, he came to know what the nature of emptiness meant. If you haven’t tasted the nature of emptiness, no matter how you try to understand it, you are utilizing your reason rather than your fundamental mind. Only when you can perceive and recall and hold the nature of emptiness will you really achieve the “absence of thought, absence of perceptual attribute, and nonabiding.” Otherwise, they are merely a pet phrase.

You won’t be achieved if you fall into absent-mindedness and only emptiness. At best, you will be able to reach the formless realm. So, you should find an enlightened guru. In Mahamudra: Essence and Practice, I devote one section to correct mindfulness: “A calm mind is not like a rock; there is brightness in samadhi.”

Buddhist practice requires correct mindfulness. If you don’t know what correct mindfulness is, how can you acquire it? Therefore, I deal with it specially in Mahamudra: Essence and Practice. Correct mindfulness is enlightening one’s mind and seeing one’s nature. It is the recognition of your fundamental mind. If you haven’t enlightened your mind and seen your nature, you are still a foolish person and there is nothing to be said about correct mindfulness. What do you practice for if you have no idea of what correct mindfulness is? Without knowing the fundamental mind or true mind, your practice will come to nothing.

If your guru doesn’t know what true mind and correct mindfulness are, he is not a real guru. Nowadays, there are countless gurus, who are receiving countless disciples. But you should know that only the one who can elucidate mind-nature to you is your fundamental guru. He who confers certain mystic teachings on you is not your fundamental guru. Your can have only one fundamental guru, that is, the one who can make you perceive your mind and see your nature, without which no practice is possible. If you can’t perceive your mind-nature, you haven’t crossed the threshold yet. So, don’t crave for dharma, don’t find too many gurus, and don’t feel self-satisfied over your ability to contemplate a complicated pattern. Ultimately speaking, whatever you contemplate, whether it is a Buddha or a dog, it works only when you are in the state of correct mindfulness. In Tibetan Buddhism, there is Yamantaka with a bull’s head,  Hayagriva with a horse’s head, and Vajravarahi with a pig’s head. We don’t look down on them because they look like animals. Contemplation is only a means. Don’t be discriminatory; the purpose of contemplation is to make people perceive and maintain their mind-nature. Without that, contemplation becomes as meaningless as mistaken thought. Some people practice the creation stage in a careless and sloppy way. The purpose of the creation stage is to foster your confidence. Only with full confidence can you see your own nature when your guru gives you proper directions. Without enough confidence, you will miss the chance even if your guru has shown you the way.

Notice

Translated by non-professional volunteers, there would be some inaccuracies in the translation. You are welcome to offer us some advice for emendation. Please feel free to contact us.We also look forward to you joining our voluntary translation team.

Please contact us at suonanzhuoma1988@163.com, thank you.

《光明大手印：实修心髓》下

善知识是能教会你破执的人

◎陈亦新：我了解到，真正能让人成就的法门大多简单明了，单刀直入。而现在有很多人把大量的时间用于仪轨，到处拜师，但对世俗的追求却依然不减。

有些教派的仪轨大多流于繁琐，有很多的前行和加行。虽然，它对某些人是必要的，但不一定能适应这个时代。因为，成就跟修仪轨虽然有关系，但没有必然的关系。有很多不明白的所谓活佛、上师，用大量的非常繁琐的宗教礼仪填满了人们的时空，但人们根本就无法明白。以前是六道轮回把信仰者控制了，现在又多了“教法”的控制、“金刚地狱”的控制。那些教徒是不可能解脱的。解脱是绝对的自由，是真正的心气自在，只有达到绝对自由的人才是成就者。

●雪漠：解脱跟善知识有关，但并不是有着“上师”、“活佛”名相的人就是善知识。

单纯的形式上的修行跟解脱没有必然的关系。跟解脱真正有关系的是善知识。你要看遇到什么样的善知识，这是最主要的。他必须确实是证悟者，而不是一个只有“上师”外相却没有成就的凡夫。

没证悟者的身心上扎了无数道绳子，他自己就是个非常烦恼的人，根本没见过自性光明，也得不到自在。因为他不是火把，他根本无法点亮你。有些人本身就是块石头，有些人可能还是块非常肮脏的石头。哪怕你把这个石头雕刻成佛像，无论雕得多么精美，甚至雕得像释迦牟尼佛一样，它仍然是块石头。它是点不亮别人的，能点亮别人的人，自己首先得是火把。

多年来，我一边实修一边观察，发现净土法门是非常好的，念阿弥陀佛真是很好的法门。为什么这样说呢？因为它非常直接，没有那么多繁琐的仪轨，它直接追求信仰，追求因信得度。如果你得不到真正的善知识和上师，你就选择念阿弥陀佛。当然，要是你能得到真正的上师，当然最好，因为修大手印可以究竟解脱。

有人问我，为什么你的学生中有那么多明白的人？我说，物以类聚，人以群分，一个火把可以点燃一个森林。但老师不是火把的时候，你就怎么也点不亮别人。只要有了火种，星星之火就可以燎原。明白了的人会点亮无数的人，可以让每个有缘者都变成火把。不明白的人无论怎样装模作样，念上多少亿遍咒子都不起作用，根本没有意义。在小说《西夏咒》中，我写了一个修行很精进、但没能破执的人。因为他修得越精进，执著也越来越重，又没有慈悲心，嗔恨心也太重，就容易堕入鬼道。

选择上师时，要破除名相上的执著，不要管他是什么样子，哪怕他是个乞丐，或是个捡垃圾的人，只要他能让你证悟就是你的根本上师。八十四个成就师中，卢伊巴的根本上师就是一个外相是乞丐的空行母。

许多假的善知识和上师，没有任何智慧，他只是个空瓶子。他可以装模作样地往你的瓶子里面倒“智慧”，但其实他自己也没有智慧。他虽然有“倒”的形式，你却得不到任何东西。我曾和几个学生去广东某家有名的寺院，我请寺中据说修得很好的僧人来交流。交谈之后，我发现他修得偏空了。那人离开之后，我不动声色地问学生：“你们觉得他修得怎么样？”学生们异口同声地说：“顽空！”那个僧人在顽空之中，但他自己根本不知道，像很多堕入顽空的人一样，他把顽空和无记当成了开悟。现在，有很多这样的所谓参禅者。

《六祖坛经》中的“无念、无相、无住”，对于证得了明体的六祖来说这是对的。对于一般凡夫来说，要是得不到真传，片面地去修，就会偏空。为什么呢？六祖证到了空性，证得了那种究竟的智慧。他在安住于明空时的无念、无相、无住是对的，而凡夫的无念、无住、无相就可能流于无记和顽空。换句话说，当一个人证悟之后，在那种本体智慧的观照下，无念、无住、无相是智慧的妙用，而愚痴者的无念、无住、无相仍然是愚痴。因此，至少要先明心见性，才能生起大的妙用。

要是一般人根本没有开悟，甚至没有传承，却片面地追求所谓的“无念、无住、无相”，是很可怕的事。六祖得到了从达摩祖师一代一代传下的心印，心心相印，当“印”到六祖心头时，他就知道了什么是空性智慧。如果你连空性是什么味道都不知道，无论你怎么理解，都不对，还在思维的层面，而非本元心。只有在你能认知并忆持空性时，你才能真正地实现“无念、无住、无相”。没有契入空性的人，无论怎样追求“无念、无住、无相”，也仅仅是口头禅。

要是堕入无记和顽空，是不可能成就的。修到最好的时候，也只会堕入无色界。所以，要找一个真正明白的上师。在《大手印实修心髓》中，我专门有一节谈正念，即“心静非如石，定中有光明”。

修行要提起正念，如果连正念是什么都不知道，你怎么提起正念？因此，我才在《大手印实修心髓》中专门谈正念。真正的正念，就是明心见性。能认知到本元心才是正念。你还没有明心见性，你还是个糊涂鬼，那没什么正念可谈。如果连正念都不知道还修什么呢？要是连本元心、真心都不知道的话，是根本修不成的。

如果你的上师不明白什么是真心、正念，他就不是真上师。现在，有无数的“上师”，在收无数的弟子。但要知道，能够为你开示心性的人才是根本上师。无论他给你灌什么顶、传什么法都不是根本上师。根本上师只有一个，就是能让你明心见性的人。不明心见性，如何开始真正的修行？不明白心性，就说明你还没有入门。所以，不要贪多乱求法，不要找太多的上师，不要以观想的花样多而沾沾自喜。了义地看来，观想一条狗和观想一尊佛像都是观，无论观什么，只有在正念状态下的观才起作用，才有意义。在藏传佛教里有牛头大威德金刚，有马头金刚，有猪头金刚亥母。我们并不因其有着动物的外相，就看不起他们。观仅仅是一种工具。不要有分别心，观的目的是为了叫人明白心性和保任心性。不明白心性的观意义不大，和妄念一样。因此，有些人修生起次第也是散乱修，是在散乱状态下的修。它的目的就在于培养你的信心。信心俱足的时候遇到上师的点拨才能见性。信心不俱足的时候，哪怕上师真的开示了，你也会错过或丢失。

声明：本文系文化志愿者试译，非专业人才翻译，错误定然不少，如出现疏漏及错误，敬请读者见谅。如有任何翻译上的建议及修正意见，欢迎及时与我们取得联系，我们会加以校对、修改，并希望有专业才能的朋友也能加入我们志愿者群体中来。

邮箱地址：suonanzhuoma1988@163.com