Obsession with Supernatural Powers will Hinder Buddhist Practice

“Mahamudra: Essence and Practice” ( Book II)

Obsession with Supernatural Powers will Hinder Buddhist Practice

◎Yixin Chen: What do you think about supernatural powers?

●Xue Mo: Supernatural powers acquired after enlightenment are real supernatural powers. Supernatural powers acquired before enlightenment are a demonic state, which means taking illusion as reality. If you have supernatural powers before enlightenment and are obsessed, they will hinder your Buddhist practice. People who are obsessed with supernatural powers can’t achieve liberation. Real liberation is without any obsession, free from attachment. So, when your practice has arrived at a certain stage, you are obsessed neither with the demon nor the Buddha – you kill whoever comes. You need to arrive at this point before liberation becomes possible.

Some so-called achievers may have supernatural powers, but in fact they haven’t achieved ultimate liberation, because they are still obsessed with phenomenal appearances. Although they have accumulated a lot of advantageous rewards by practicing yoga with phenomenal appearances, liberation is not necessarily related to advantageous rewards. Liberation depends on the wisdom of emptiness rather than on rewards, which are contaminated.

Some practitioners are concerned about whether they will leave sarira after they are cremated. This is also terrible. Obsession with sarira is no different from obsession with a woman – both are a big obstacle to ultimate liberation. A real practitioner doesn’t mind whether or not he will have sarira after cremation. If you are still concerned about such things, you won’t achieve liberation.

When an enlightened person talks with someone, he will know immediately whether that person is enlightened or not. Reading a book written by someone, he can see whether the author is enlightened or not. After achieving enlightenment, a person will have the light of wisdom, which will magnetize his/her life, making his/her life take on another color, which is quite unmistakable. So, once an experienced guru tries to confirm his disciple, he will know if that disciple is enlightened or not. Enlightenment without supernatural powers is still enlightenment; obsession with supernatural powers remains an obsession.

◎Yixin Chen: Are supernatural powers the signature of an achiever? What is the relationship between supernatural powers and achievement?

●Xue Mo: There are two types of achievement: one is perceiving one’s mind and seeing one’s nature, that is, seeing the nature of emptiness; the other is realizing the nature of emptiness, which is a great achievement. Achieving the state of vajradhara is a great achievement; indeed, it is attainment of Buddhahood with this very body. Not many achievers have reached that state. Some achievers may not have achieved Mahamudra, although they may have completed the creation stage. Although they are called achievers, they still have to be reincarnated. You should bear in mind that supernatural powers have nothing to do with the realization of the nature of emptiness. Supernatural powers are merely a byproduct. Even some people who have achieved the state of arahant don’t have supernatural powers, while the people who have supernatural powers are not necessarily arahants.

For instance, there was a holy Buddhist nun called Subhadra, who had achieved the state of arahant. She was captured and raped by very evil people, and Utpalavarna used her supernatural powers to rescue Subhadra. From this story we find that some arahants don’t have supernatural powers. Supernatural powers have nothing to do with enlightenment. They are two different destinations. So, some people don’t acquire supernatural powers upon enlightenment, and some people who have already acquired supernatural powers are not necessarily enlightened. What’s more, supernatural powers acquired before enlightenment will hinder enlightenment. Among other things, if you have supernatural powers, you will know what other people think. Perhaps some people are scheming against you, or perhaps your relatives are scolding you somewhere else – such things will interfere with you and become an obstacle on your way to enlightenment and full realization. Supernatural powers at this time are a huge demon, by which you may be bewitched. Therefore, never ever think of having supernatural powers before enlightenment; otherwise, you will have difficulty reaching enlightenment. Enlightenment means perceiving one’s mind and seeing one’s nature. After enlightenment and thus achieving the nature of emptiness, one will no longer be attached to supernatural powers. Many qigong masters have great supernatural powers, but they can’t achieve enlightenment. Likewise, the evil spirits in the Journey to the West all have supernatural powers, but they can’t achieve enlightenment. The supernatural power is a kind of energy, while enlightenment is a stage of realization. When a person’s enlightenment in principle is confirmed by corresponding phenomena, he can be said to have perceived his mind and seen his own nature. A person’s original face is his true mind. Once your defiled mind ceases and your true mind emerges, you perceive your mind. True mind is the nature of emptiness, or tathata – thusness of the true mind.

 One’s mind is divided into true mind and defiled mind. Some people’s so-called true mind is actually defiled mind. True mind is the sky, defiled mind is cloud; they are an organic whole. True mind is the sea when it is calm and smooth, and defiled mind is the sea when waves rise; still, they are an organic whole. In other words, when one’s defiled mind disappears and one’s true mind appears, one perceives one’s mind. If you can recognize and keep your true mind when it appears, you are enlightened. The goal of all dharma is to help us see our true mind. Methods such as investigating the head phrase (can huatou) in the Chan school are used to let one’s defiled mind cease and let one’s true mind emerge. Only on that basis can one begin the real practice – keeping one’s true mind.

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《光明大手印：实修心髓》下

执著神通会障碍道业

◎陈亦新：您如何看待神通？

●雪漠：开悟后的神通是真神通。开悟前的神通不是真神通，是入魔的一种。何为入魔？执幻为实也。开悟之前，若是有了神通，再执著神通的话，这神通就会成障道之因。执著神通者，必无解脱。真正的解脱，就是毫不执著，了无牵挂。所以，真正的修行到了一定程度，是佛来也杀，魔来也杀，佛与魔皆不执著。只有做到这一点，才可能解脱。

有些所谓的成就师，他们可能有神通，但其实并没有究竟解脱，因为他们着了相。虽然有相的瑜伽为他们积累了大量福报，但解脱跟福报没有必然关系。决定解脱的是空性智慧，而不是有漏之福。

有些修行人执著于自己死后有没有舍利，这也很可怕。执著舍利跟执著一个女人都是执著，都是究竟解脱的大障碍。所以，真正的修行人是不去管自己死后有没有舍利的。要是老是牵挂这些，仍不可能解脱。

真正开悟的人，跟人一对话，就会明白他是否开悟。读别人写的书，也会明白作者是否开悟。开悟后就有了智慧光明，这种光明会磁化他的人生，使他的人生有了另一种色彩。这是骗不了人的。所以，有经验的上师一印证弟子，就明白他是否真的开悟。没有神通的开悟也是开悟，有神通的痴迷仍是痴迷。

◎陈亦新：有神通代表是成就者吗？神通与成就的关系是什么？

●雪漠：成就有两种：明心见性是一种成就，见到空性了；第二种就是证得空性，这是大成就。金刚持就是大成就，那叫即身成佛。好多成就者都没有达到那个境界，比如一些成就者，不一定证得大手印，他们可能是生起次第成就。他们虽然是成就者，但还得转世。必须要知道，神通与证悟空性毫无关系，神通是个副产品。有些证得阿罗汉的人也没有神通，而有神通的人却不一定是阿罗汉。

比如，有一个证得阿罗汉的妙贤圣比丘尼，被非常邪恶的人抓了去进行强暴，莲花比丘尼用她的神通去救她。从这个故事中就可以发现，有些证得阿罗汉的人也没有神通。神通与证悟是毫无关系的，这是两个不同的目的地。所以说，有些开悟者不一定马上有神通，有神通的人不一定证悟。而且，如果在证悟之前有了神通，会影响证悟的。比如你有了神通，你可能会发现别人心中的一些想法，可能某些人正在算计你，或者亲人们在某一个地方骂你等等，这些东西都会干扰你，事实上就是在干扰你开悟和证悟，这时候的神通是一种巨大的魔，你可能会着魔。因此，开悟之前坚决不要有神通，有神通很难真正开悟。开悟指的是明心见性，等到证得空性之后，虽然他可能有了神通，但却不再执著神通了。好多气功师的神通很大，但他开悟不了。《西游记》里的妖魔都有神通，但他们也开悟不了。神通是一种能量，开悟是一种见地。当人在理上开悟，事上被印证，就明心见性了。本来面目就是见到真心，当你妄心息止见真心的时候就是明心了。真心就是空性、真如——真心的如如不动。

心分为真心和妄心。有些人的所谓真心其实还属于妄心。真心就像天空一样，妄心就像云彩，它们是一体的；真心就像无波无纹大海，当大海上生起波浪的时候就是妄心，它们还是一体的。就是说，妄心消失、真心显现的时候就明心。真心显现时，你能认知并能忆持它时，就叫开悟。所有的法都是为了叫我们见到真心，比如禅宗里的参话头等修法就是为了息止妄心，让真心显现。在此基础上，才会开始真正的修行——保任真心。

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