■Book 103 - The Great Spiritual Response Of Tantrayana
■Written by Master Sheng-yen Lu
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Do you know what is Tantra? It is the truth of the universe. If you have mastered the Tantra, you have the whole universe. It is yours. Where is the lineage from? It is from the air. (applause) Since I came from the air, I must return to the air in future. I will travel to many places including other planets for sightseeing.
Maybe I won't be around next year. I am already forty nine, if you retain me, then I shall live.(applause) If nobody wants me any more, then may be I shall live for another two years. To tell the truth, I like where I came from. But, as I have great causation with the sentient beings of this world, I wish I could stay longer.(applause) All gurus embody Vajrasattva, I am telling you.
What did Master Kong Hai learn from Hui Guo? He learned all the things that a Tantric cultivator must know and master:
First, he learned ”the Tantric shrine”.
Second, he learned ”the true mantra”.
Third, he learned ”Self-Tantra”.
You may think that we should not learn about ”self”, since it is our own ego. You are wrong in this instance, the self is not the external self, it the the true self inside us.
The tantric cultivator must learn to recite and to fire. The fire is not the same as the external one. It is ignited from within, we must learn about temparature, smoking torch, light and finally liberation.
Apart from these, he must also learn the rites of chanting, empowerment and finally puja. Master Kong Hai spent three months to learn the ten essentials from Hui Guo. These are the ten musts in tantra that you must learn thoroughly.
●Attaining enlightenment by Shakyamuni Buddha
Why do I say Tantra is the truth of the universe just now? After attaining enlightenment, the first statement made by Shakyamuni Buddha was :”All mountains, rivers, earth, sentient beings in fact everything have the Buddha nature!” Buddha and all sentient beings are one and the same.
What is the wisdom that Shakyamuni obtained after his enlightenment? The most accurate answer should be: The wisdom of equality. It is one of the five wisdoms possessed by the five Buddhas. I suppose all of you know the five Buddhas are. The five wisdoms are :
Wisdom of dharma realm nature
Wisdom of fantastic observation
Wisdom of Maha perfection mirror
Wisdom of accomplishment in all things
Wisdom of equality
The first sentence uttered by Shakyamuni after his enlightenment was one of the five wisdoms, known as wisdom of equality. If you can really understand this wisdom, you have the universe. You are already enlightened. That is why from the Tantra, you can be enlightened as a Buddha within a life time. In the eyes of the Buddhas, all sentient beings are equal, this is the wisdom of equality.
This morning, we have chanted the Vajra Sutra. What did it say? Sentient beings are not sentient beings, that is why they are known as sentient beings. To tell the truth, all sentient beings are Buddhas. By cultivation, we can reach a stage of purification, whereby everything is pure, yourself, your country and everything else. This is a fact; not a hoax.
-To Be Continued-
