The Meaning of Mind-to-Mind Sealing

“Mahamudra: Essence and Practice”( Book II)

The Meaning of Mind-to-Mind Sealing

◎Chen Yixin: Does mind-to-mind sealing refer to Ever-Bright Mahamudra?

●Xue Mo: There are two ways to achieve the brightness of Mahamudra.

One is immediate attainment. It doesn’t need the practices of creation and perfection stages or the practices of nadis and bright dots. It is directly achieved by the blessings from one’s guru. Mahamudra attained immediately and directly is the real Ever-Bright Mahamudra. The other one is through the practices of creation and perfection stages, Kundalini meditation, or subtle body cultivation. Those who can’t enter into Mahamudra immediately will have to cultivate their body and mind gradually through the practice of the creation and completion stages in order to achieve the brightness and nature of emptiness finally.

One who directly achieves the brightness without gradual cultivation is an achiever of sudden enlightenment. Master Tsongkhapa has talked about that specially. Those who, in their previous life, practiced meditation so well that qi entered the central chakra have little difficulty making qi enter the central chakra in this life, although they haven’t practiced the creation and completion stages or perceived that brightness and emptiness are no different. These people can be achievers of sudden enlightenment. Otherwise, we have to begin with the practice of both the creation and the perfection stages to lead qi into the central chakra, which triggers happy emptiness and bright emptiness.

The real Ever-Bright Mahamudra is achieved suddenly, not gradually. Niguma and Sukhasiddhi, for example, are both achievers of sudden enlightenment, who entered into Mahamudra immediately. 

Brightness can also be attained through the practice of Mahamudra of bliss and emptiness, Kundalini meditation, or illusory body cultivation. Without the creation and perfection stages, one can still achieve the brightness of Mahamudra by investigating the head phrase (can huatou), or through reality Mahamudra, or by observing one’s mind-nature.

So, not everyone needs to practice through the creation and perfection stages. With the guru’s elucidation of the mind-nature, one can achieve brightness and emptiness simultaneously; by means of Kundalini meditation, one can achieve bliss and emptiness simultaneously. Though methods differ, the purpose is the same, that is, to accomplish the unification of mental stabilization and higher vision and the equality of emptiness, bliss, and brightness. Among the eighty-four great achievers, only a few had practiced the creation and perfection stages and many of them hadn’t. For example, the prince who played the harp proceeded from listening to the sound of the harp; the shoemaker, from making shoes; there was one who proceeded from listening to the howls of wolves; there was another who proceeded from observing bright dots as small as mustard seeds. All of them in the end achieved the non-duality of manifestation and emptiness. All of the ways are for one purpose, i.e., to realize emptiness. Only when you understand this will you be able to have the right view and realize the purpose of your practices.

Bright emptiness and blissful emptiness are only different means to the same end. One coming from the south and the other coming from the west, they both can reach the grand palace in the center. There are various ways because people’s natural capacities are different.

◎Chen Yixin: Does one still have perception after one has entered into emptiness? How do you understand the three bodies of the Buddha?

●Xue Mo: About that there are different opinions. The Chan school thinks that perception is deluded thought and non-perception, avyakrta (moral indeterminacy). In Mahamudra, two words are used to represent that perception: brightness and emptiness. Brightness refers to being bright and clear. It also refers to light, not physical light, but the light of wisdom. There is another statement of the three bodies in Mahamudra. The three bodies manifest themselves thus: emptiness as dharmakaya, brightness as sambhogakaya, and the various manifestations of emptiness and brightness as nirmanakaya. According to Shangpa Kagyu, there is the self-manifestation of the ultimate four bodies. When Mahamudra manifests itself, all the manifestations are the self-manifestation of nirmanakaya; dharmakaya manifests itself when there is no attachment to nor discrimination between all manifestations; sambhogakaya manifests itself when great bliss which contains no discrimination between manifestations is arrived at. That the essential natures of the three bodies are one and the same is the self-manifestation of the self-nature of the ultimate great bliss.

When the Buddha was in the world, some non-Buddhists would ask about questions like nirvana, but the Buddha never answered them, because a question like nirvana is very hard to elucidate and it is beyond human thinking. Utter a word and you are mistaken. The perception of nirvana is between knowing and non-knowing and can hardly be expressed in words. It is just like having tea. Only the person who drinks it knows its taste. So, don’t be hair-splitting about definitions. When your practices reach a certain level, you certainly will have corresponding features. You needn’t bother about anything, not even life and death. What you need to do is break all attachments and stay away from greed, ignorance, and hatred – these are the purpose of practice. Overcome sins, achieve freedom, be awakened, and always be aware of the present moment.

As for illusionary thought, just leave it alone, let it come and go as it will. At the time when you practice, thought is not you and you are not thought. It can’t affect you, nor can you affect it. Be heartless and be aware of everything at the same time. What I mean by heartless is that you should not be obsessed with things in the material world and that you should try to cast off everything. At the same time, however, you are still clear about everything. What I mean by “heartless” is not the same as its ordinary sense, which is “stupid, ignorant.” No, that definitely won’t do.

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《光明大手印：实修心髓》下

以心印心的含义

◎陈亦新：以心印心是指光明大手印吗？

●雪漠：光明生起的方法有两种：

一种是顿证，不通过修生圆二次第、不通过修气脉明点，而是直接由上师加持契入光明大手印，这属于顿悟的大手印，这是真正的光明大手印；一种是由通过生圆次第，修拙火、幻身，契入光明。不能直接契入光明大手印的人，就必须通过生圆次第的渐修，从身心入手，最后证得光明和空性。

如果一开始就不通过渐修的方式而直接证得光明，被称为顿悟之人。宗喀巴大师专门谈到过这个问题，他说到上一世修行并气入中脉的人，这辈子虽然没有修生圆二次第，但上辈子已经修得很好了，只是没有认知明空不二的觉受。这一世，他很容易气入中脉，这便是顿悟之人。如果没有达到这种程度，就必须从生圆次第开始修，将气引入中脉，引生乐空和明空。

真正的光明大手印是顿悟的，不是渐修的，比如奶格玛、司卡史德，她们都是顿悟之人，一下子就契入了，悟证俱时

通过修乐空大手印也能证得光明，通过拙火、幻身，也可以契入光明，只是方法不同。但不通过生圆二次第也可以契入大手印，比如参话头，由实相大手印契入，观心性也可以契入，最终证得光明。

因此，并不是说所有的人都要从生圆二次第入手。由上师开示心性入手的人，他也会证得明空不二；由拙火入手的人，他可以证得乐空不二。乐空也罢，明空也罢，目的都是为了达到止观双运，达到空、乐、明一味。如八十四个大成就师中，修生圆二次第的人只占一部分，很多人不从这些入手，例如那个弹琴的王子，他从琴声入手；鞋匠，从做鞋入手；听狼叫的人，从声音入手；还有观芥子大小明点者，最终都达到了显空不二……所有方法的目的，都是为了证得空性。只有明白这一点，才会有正见，才能明白修行的目的。

明空和乐空，只是入道的方式不同，一种从南面来，一种从西面来，都可以到达中间的这个殿堂。人根器的不同，方式才会有变化。

◎陈亦新：融入空性后，还有知觉吗？您如何理解三身？

●雪漠：关于这一点，有多种说法。禅宗认为，知是妄念，不知是无记。大手印用两个字代表了那种觉受：明空。那明，便是明明朗朗之意，也可以说是光明，但这种光明不是物理光，而是智慧光。有一种说法，大手印三身自现：空为法身，明为报身，明空的种种显现是化身。香巴噶举的说法是“究竟四身自显”：大手印自现时，种种显现，皆是化身自显；于一切显现无执无分别，即是法身自显；显现而无分别之大乐生起，即是报身自显。上述三身体性不二不异，即是究竟大乐自性身自显。

当初佛住世时，就有外道问一些关于涅槃之类的话题，佛一般不予回答。因为那是很难说清的，它超越了人类的习惯性思维，一说出来就不对了。那觉受，是知而不知，不知而知。这是很难用语言表示的。就像喝茶一样，只有品茶的那个人才知道那种茶味。所以，不要从概念上去钻牛角尖，你修到哪种层次，就能得到哪种验相。你什么都不要管它，生也不要管它，死也不要管它，破除执著，远离贪婪、愚昧、仇恨。修行的目的就是这些。修行的目的就是远离仇恨，消除烦恼，战胜罪恶，得到自在，觉醒并清明于当下。

那妄念，让它来者自来，去者自去。那时，妄念是妄念，你是你。你不要管它，它就不可能影响你，你也别想影响它。既要没心没肺，又要明明白白。没心没肺就是不要管红尘中间的事情，尽量放下，但心中还是明明白白的。这跟一般所说的没心没肺不一样，一般说的是糊涂，不明白，属于愚痴，那是不行的。

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