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Monday, March 25, 2013

The 119 years old monk, and over 2 meters tall.. Hsu Yun(Xiao Guyan)


Lead me from dreaming to waking.
Lead me from opacity to clarity. Lead me from the complicated to the simple. Lead me from the obscure to the obvious. Lead me from intention to attention. Lead me from what I'm told I am to what I see I am. Lead me from confrontation to wide openness. Lead me to the place I never left, Where there is peace, and peace -from the Upanishads- Unless you know the emptiness and bliss inside yourself..you'll be a robot forced by the same emptiness and bliss trying to know itself..by pain.. ...inside your self also..trust me!..said the mahayogi! so listen to the mahayogi..,grasshopper from heaven...
.
In silence there must be movement, and in motion,
There must be silence.
A small movement is better than a big one..
No movement is better than a small one..listen!
Silence is all the movement's mother..
In Movement you should be like a dragon or a tiger.
In non Movement you should be like a Buddha.  
-- Wang Xiangzhai(November 26, 1885 - July 12, 1963}
What is referred to as mindlessness is absence of the human mentality; what is referred to as mindfulness is mindfulness of the Tao. When one is free of the human mentality, the mutual sensing of the earthly and celestial is swift; when one is mindful of the Tao, effective practice endures. Swiftness of sensing comes about spontaneously, without cultivation, without striving; long perseverance comes about through effort, and involves action and striving. Striving and non-striving each has its secret; the distinction is all a matter of the absence of the human mentality and the presence of mindfulness of the Tao. After one has reached complete realization of the universal Tao, neither existence nor nonexistence remain; others and self are ultimately empty, and one enters the state of ultimate truthfulness, like a spirit. Here, it is not only the human mentality that cannot be applied; even the mindfulness of Tao is not applicable." - Liu I-ming The Conduct of the Moon and Clouds 

The consistent conduct of people of the Way is like the flowing clouds with no grasping mind, like the full moon reflecting universally, not confined anywhere, glistening within each of the ten thousand forms. Dignified and upright, emerge and make contact with the variety of phenomena, unstained and unconfused. Function the same toward all others since all have the same substance as you. Language cannot transmit this, speculation cannot reach it. Leaping beyond the infinite and cutting off the dependent, be obliging without looking for merit. This marvel cannot be measured with consciousness or emotion. On the journey accept your function, in your house please sustain it. Comprehending birth and death, leaving causes and conditions, genuinely realize that from the outset your spirit is not halted. So we have been told that the mind that embraces all the ten directions does not stop anywhere. -- Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157)

*note* amazing guy this  Hsu Yun (Chinese: 虚云; pinyin: Xūyún; born Xiao Guyan Chinese: 萧古巖; 26 August 1840? – 13 October 1959)[1] was a renowned Chán Buddhist master and one of the most influential Buddhist teachers of the 19th and 20th centuries. He is often noted for his unusually long lifespan, having allegedly lived to age 119.

Hsu yun2.jpg
Now....Grasshoppers from heaven..  
One must have deep respect for these kind of serious meditating masters  ..no?
.............. Let me quote you  a bit from about him...

In his autobiography,(taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hsu_Yun  )he wrote: "[in] the purity of my singleness of mind, I forgot all about my body. Twenty days later my illness vanished completely. From that moment, with all my thoughts entirely wiped out, my practice took effect throughout the day and night. My steps were as swift as if I was flying in the air. One evening, after meditation, I opened my eyes and suddenly saw I was in brightness similar to broad daylight in which I could see everything inside and outside the monastery..." But he knew that this occurrence was only a mental state, and that it was not at all rare.
(Note...indeed..same thing happened to me also..so is not rare at all,indeed ... only in my stupidity I believed it was rare.....added by danny)
 He did not become attached to this achievement, but continued his single-minded investigation of the topic, "who is mindful of the Buddha?" over and over again, he delved into this topic without interruption.(note...he used a question to seek some answer..that would block the mind,since there is no logical answer,so those chinese used this method of,,koans,,..to get over the mind(thoughts)..see?..and enter emptiness ..is just a trick,of course..added by danny)

During the twelfth lunar month, on the third evening of the eighth week of the session, after six hours of sitting meditation, the attendant made his rounds, filling up the tea cups. Hsu Yun's hand was burned by spilling boiling water, and his cup fell to the floor. At the sound of the crash, the root of his doubt was instantly severed. He was joyous beyond words at having fulfilled his lifelong ambition. It was as if he had just awakened from a dream, and he observed how the conditions of the past unravel.

Hsu's verse explanation says:

A cup fell to the ground

With a sound clearly heard.

As space was pulverized,

The mad mind came to a stop


(this means his mad artificial ,,question,,..about..who is mindful of the Buddha?..came to a stop at last,grasshoppers from heaven!..good for him..Halleluyah to him,bothers and sisters!..please use his mad method,or use my simple kripto yoga cycles...see what works...I am not here to judge,but if one really believes that using mind to get over the mind is the key..then let their sour asses meditate for decades like this master..maybe they'll write a nice poem like his also...lol..good luck,and wish you lots of wisdom brain muscles..added by danny)
However..the best part is from the http://thesanghakommune.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/shao-yuns-recollections-of-master-xu-yun/
nice blog this one from
..worthy of reading,indeed...anyway...here is the story...kiss and love from the mahayogi to the 119 years old master who never took a bath(or showered)..who lifted 200 lb when he about 119 years old..who controlled the weather...managed to sit in meditation for days/nights with no food or water...and also shaved his overgrown 12 inches eyebrows daily.
All these things ARE possible if the real Ki is activated in the body,see?..but without practice,people think they are impossible to achieve..so they believe in their numbness that ALL there is ....is this simple emptiness ,not for a second pondering that this very emptiness created the mighty 12 inch wisdom kripto brain muscle universe...see?..there is no end(in stupidity) for those who think they got the GOD by it's balls of fire.. 
 
and THEY KNOW EVERYTHING..no more learning for them,indeed...in all my quintessentially phantasmagorially trully one  of a kind career as a mahayogi..creator of the Kripto Yoga...loved in the 3 realms..respected in 10.. worshiped in the 19th also by myself...I have met maybe like 5 masters I could get along with..all the others were,,stuck,, like the Texas coyotes hairy cactus butts on their OWN systems...their own methods...while if the TAO is one,why we can't get along?...
Nobody knows...
Only the kripto knows,indeed( from the Amazon.com...Kripto Bible 25:1364 buy it now..only 5 thousands mexican pessos..ariva..ariva..les muchachos!!!..Haleluyah!!!)

Thus spokenth the mahayogi..
Love,Danny:)
.................................
 http://thesanghakommune.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/shao-yuns-recollections-of-master-xu-yun/
 The old monk was 117 years old, and stood at over two meters tall.  His arms were long and his hands reached down toward his knees.  His eyes bright and piercing and he could read the newspaper in small print from the light of a lamp at night, and never needed to wear glasses.  His teeth were neat and tidy – Xu Yun said that after 90 years old the teeth regenerated.  His voice was very loud and powerful.  When speaking in a loud and clear voice in the meditation hall, his voice would sometimes make the monastery bell vibrate.

 At 6pm he would teach for two hours in the meditation hall.  At 8pm he would begin to look through the letters the monastery had received that day – some times as many as a hundred.  He would personally hand-write replies to important letters, and dictate responses to others.  At midnight master Xu Yun would go to bed.  He would rise at 2am and meditate until 330am – and then get-up and wash.

Master Xu Yun did not use toothbrushes, but would rinse his mouth with warm water, he would then spit the mixture of saliva and water onto to a towel and wash first his eyes, and then his face.  He said that such a wash prevents eye disease and increases visual acuity.  He would then worship in front of the Buddha, and return to his room for further meditation.

Xu Yun’s physical body was very good considering his age.  In the early morning, besides eating two bowls of congee, sometimes he also ate a potato.  At noon, he ate two large bowls of rice.  In the evening, sometimes he would eat a small bowl of noodles, or a bowl of congee.

His teeth were particularly good.  Once, a lay-Buddhist scholar sent some fried broad beans up the mountain as a gift. The old monk saw that we were eating, and he also began to eat.  We said: “This food is very hard for your teeth, will you be able to eat without damaging them?” He said nothing, but just picked up the broad beans and started to eat – he ate faster than we did – we did not expect this to happen.

Master Xu Yun use to instruct us by saying that:  “The cultivation of wisdom is dependent upon the true understanding of (the underlying pattern that determines) reality.  In this way, the cultivation of wisdom ensures good fortune and there is no regret.”   This means that reliable spiritual instruction must be sought from those who know, so that the correct ‘Way’ (or ‘Dao’) of Ch’an meditation can be understood and put into practice.  Knowledge of the Way allows for a good and profitable meditative practice, whilst a lack of genuine knowledge prevents such a progression, and valuable time is wasted.  Therefore, the ancients said:  “No other spiritual practice is required, if one has knowledge of the correct path; knowledge of the correct path over-comes both life and death.”  He always advised the younger generation that “those who follow the Buddha’s teachings, and cultivate their mind accordingly, are spiritually rich and should retain a grateful attitude toward the Buddha and his teachings.  It is a great good fortune to encounter the Buddha’s teachings in this life-time.  Buddhist practice, however, requires continuous effort, and students of the Way (Dao) should not settle for generating just a little karmic-merit, through a shallow, short-term, or incomplete practice.  Instead, the objective of the practice should be nothing short of complete enlightenment.  An incomplete practice is like working for a period of time and earning some money which is placed in the bank.  When the working has ceased, the savings are used-up in a short-time, and financial debt increases.”  

Xu Yun once told us that he use to shave his head (and wash his feet) once a year at Chinese New Year’s Eve.  This is why photographs of this time often show him with long hair and beard.  However, in 1952, the old master changed his habit and started to shave his head (and wash his feet) every two months, or some times every month.   His eyebrows use to grow very long – perhaps as long as six or seven inches vertical to the jaw.  Some times these would interfere with eating, so Xu Yun would pull them out – but they use to re-grow very quickly.  We use to gather-up his cut hair and beard and store them away, but these objects were confiscated during the Cultural Revolution. 

He also said that during his life he did not take a regular bath.  This being so, how did he manage his perspiration on hot days? He did perspire sometimes in the days of great heat, but he was reluctant to change his clothing even when urged to do so.  When he did change his clothes, unusually there was no sweat odour to be found.  He wore cotton socks – which he changed once every month, or every two weeks – these too had no odour.  The venerable old monk (who upheld the Buddha’s lineage) was not an ordinary person, but led a life very much like the ancient sages who existed in the distant past. 

Although Xu Yun was over a hundred and ten years old, nevertheless, his physical strength was immeasurable.  At one time he was present at Yunmen when land was being cleared for the use of cultivating crops to feed those who were living in the monastery.  During this process the workers came across a very large boulder that no one could move.  Xu Yun arrived and bid every one out of the way. He then single-handedly lifted the rock out of the ground and moved it to another place without difficulty.               

In the second half of 1957, I had just come back from the outside and saw that master Xu Yun was walking along, carrying two very large bundles of firewood toward the kitchen area, I asked: “Venerable master, you are advanced in years, why are you carrying such a heavy load?”  As soon as I asked this question, the master put the firewood down and returned to his room.  I went to the kitchen to find who was responsible for gathering firewood.  I met the chef-monk and told him what I had just seen – he was very surprised and said: “I have just chopped three very large bundles of firewood for the kitchen, but as they are so heavy I could only carry-one to the kitchen, I left the other two behind (by the roadside) with the intention of collecting them later.  I struggled with this one bundle, how did the venerable master manage to pick-up the other two bundles and walk with them?  This is extraordinary!”  I helped the chef-monk carry one bundle to the kitchen and it weighted around 200 pounds.  The venerable master’s strength is beyond measure.  Despite the hardships of the physical environment he keeps his mind clear, bright and in accordance with the Dao.  Xu Yun said: “If not for the biting cold, the fragrance of the plum blossom will not be known.” 

During the ‘Yunmen Incident’ (1951-52) master Xu Yun suffered a number of broken bones.  During 1956 to 1958 he often suffered from fevers and experienced localised pain where the injuries had occurred.  He would lie on the bed moaning from the pain.  However, when he had visitors he would sit up, cross his legs and greet them.  He would some times talk for three or four hours and show a great spirit.  In fact, so long did he often speak that we would have to ask visitors to leave, so that he could rest.  When this happened, master Xu Yun would scold us, saying: “People have come to see me, so that things can be accomplished.”  When the guests left, he would lie down and moan from the pain he was experiencing.  We asked him how it was that when people came to see him he appeared to have no pain?  He answered: “This is simply the burden of karma – even Yama is unable to control it.  Karma conditions whether I can get up or not.”  We were surprised to hear this.    

In the first month of 1957, the old master suffered from an illness.  When the Yongxiu county cadres came to visit him, they saw how bad he was and sent for a car to take him up to the hospital atNanchang, so that he could to see the doctor.  He was unwilling to go at first, but the cadres insisted and he reluctantly agreed. In the hospital he was medically examination, and a blood sample taken.  The doctor was very surprised and said: “I have heard this monk is more than one hundred years old, but his blood sample is like that of a thirteen-year-old child.  We have never seen an older person with blood like this.”  After detailed tests, they said the old monk’s blood sample was completely pure.  Xu Yun stayed for four days in the hospital before returning to the mountain.  The purity of his blood is a mystery even today. 

Sometimes at noon, master Xu Yun would rest – he would fall asleep and snore.  Once we hear him snore, often we would quietly leave taking fruits with us, which we would eat outside.  After he awakes, he would scold us for every item we took.  We asked him how it was that a moment ago he was fast asleep, and then suddenly he wakes already knowing what we had done?  He answered:  “Your mind still holds delusions – I am aware of this and the fact that you take things out to eat, how could I not know?”  After Xu Yun said this we knew that he was completely enlightened and that he possessed an expansive awareness – whether sleeping or awake he ‘knew’ what was happening around him.

That year he was 61 years old when he lived in the lion hut on Mount Zhong-nan.   Master Jie Chen of Gaomin Temple (Jiangsu), who had heard that master Xu Yun was staying on Zhong-nan came to visit him in his hut, where he intended to debate Ch’an teachings.  Xu Yun listened whilst Jie Chen spoke for a long time and then said: “You speak very well from your intellect, but you have not yet realised your mind and put an end to birth and death.  Do not discuss any further, but sit and meditate with me.”  Xu Yun sat for seven nights without moving, whilst master Jie Chen suffered pain in both his legs and agitation in his mind – and could only manage half a day of meditation without moving.

Everyday master Jie Chen would walk around the stationary form of the meditating Xu Yun, this lasted for seven days until Xu Yun emerged from his deep contemplation.  Jie Chen asked: “When you are in meditation, is there self-awareness, or no self-awareness? If there is no awareness, isn’t this just like the state of stagnant water, within which no dragon can hide” Xu Yun said:  “If you want to know about Ch’an with the intellect, the dharma will not be understood for it is only through the realisation of enlightenment that Ch’an can really be understood. The Mind Ground is naturally clean.  Due to not knowing this fact the path toward enlightenment is never followed, as a pure ‘doubt’ can not be generated.   When the mind is realised a pin can be heard dropping to a ground.  While I was meditating I was fully aware that you were walking around me.   I know because compassion does not distinguish between one being and another.  This is not dry knowing as the mind is equal everywhere and never ceases its compassionate function.  The last seven days have passed like a finger snap to me because my mind is concentrated fully upon its essence.  The Ch’an Dao – or ‘Mind Way’ is clear and bright and never without compassion.  A pure doubt, when harnessed correctly pushes through the surface layers of delusion so that the Mind Ground can be clearly realised – this is the powerful method of Ch’an.”   Since this time master Jie Chen followed master Xu Yun and held him in the highest regard.

During his time in Yunnan, master Xu Yun would often meditate for 7 or 8 days without end.
In reality, although master Xu Yun did not meditate for 7 or 8 days at a time, and was very busy throughout the day, it is true that often he would meditate through the night with no sleep whatsoever.  In this way he kept his meditation practice in good order behind the scenes.

I asked Xu Yun: “Is it true that a sage has realised the Way (Dao)?”  He answered: “Yes!”  I questioned further: “Is this the first attainment of the arahant?”  Xu Yun answered: “This is the first attainment, the realisation of which is quite simple.  It is entered by not allowing delusion to arise in the mind whether one is walking, standing, sitting or lying down.  There is no worry or anxiety and the six senses remain undisturbed in the midst of phenomena.  In this way the practitioner enters the holy stream and becomes a sage.”

It is said that when an arahant appears to walk across the ground, his feet do not actually touch it.  Some people have asked that as I often walked with the old master – also known as the great Buddha – did his feet touch the floor when he walked?  Did his shoes touch the soil and the mud?  We must carefully consider this matter.

Yunjushan is comprised of muddy soil, as it often rains.  When most people walk around the area their shoes become covered in mud, but Xu Yun’s shoes always appear to be clean.  When we walked behind him, we could see his shoes touching the ground, but when we got back and looked at his shoes, there was no mud on them.  This is a mystery that we have not mentioned before.

In July, 1955, master Xu Yun’s hut burnt down and the fire damaged the adjacent kitchen wall.  The wall had to be braced with two supports, whilst the dirt wall was hammered into place.  As the wall was being repaired, dark clouds appeared in the sky to the west of Yunju.  Those carrying-out the repairs were worried that if the rain came so soon that the mud-wall would collapse as it had not had time to fully dry-out from the repair work and become solid.  The four workers saw Xu Yun sat in the doorway and approached him.  The leader of the group knelt down and asked the master whether he could prevent the rain from falling on the repaired wall, as it was not yet fully repaired.  Xu Yun looked up at the sky, but remained silent.  Instead he rose and returned to the dormitory room        

In a short-time, the storm developed, blowing strong winds and heavy rain to the west of the hut.   The rain fell around five feet from that wall and continued for around an hour.  Although the rain dripped from the roof around the hut, there was no drop of rain on the newly repaired wall. After the storm subsided, the four workmen were happy and ran to the master and made a bow of gratitude and thanks.  Master Xu Yun, however, remained silent throughout.

The ancients said: “The lofty Way (Dao) of the dragon and the tiger is worthy of respect.  The power of cultivated virtue (in the mind) is respected even by the spirits of nature.”  This saying is true because the virtuous power of the enlightened nature of master Xu Yun prevented the dragon king (of the sea) from letting rain fall on the repaired wall.  

Whether walking, standing, sitting or lying, master Xu Yun was always dignified.  He “moves swift like the wind; he stands tall like a tree; he sits upright and true like a bell (that signals the time); and he lies down in a tidy manner like that of a bow placed upon the ground.”  When he walked he had an elegant and dignified stride with his hands hanging down to the sides.  He use to say:  “When the mind follows the correct (Dharmic) path the body is aligned and not crooked.  A straight body has a shadow that does not bend.  In other words, a correctly aligned body casts a straight shadow.  This is because the mind is continuous and straight.”  

On October 10, 1959, the old monk wrote his will, it said: “My last words of instruction are to advise you to work towards the over-coming of greed, hatred and delusion, to achieve this one should practice discipline and meditation to generate wisdom.”  Later he added:  “With righteous thoughts a pure mind is created.  Cultivate a spirit of Dharmic fearlessness so as to inspire the people of the world.”  He then advised us to follow the precepts to ensure an effective and positive practice.

At around 12 noon on October 12th, 1959, Xu Yun told one of his attendants that he had just had a dream within which he saw a cow trample on and break the Buddha-seal Bridge and witnessed the stream stop flowing.  He then closed his eyes and was quiet.  At 1230pm he called his attendants to him and said:  “You have been with me for many years and suffered many hardships on my behalf – for this I am deeply moved by your example.  Although there is no point raking-up the past, it is true that for the last ten years I have suffered extreme hardship and slander to protect the true Dharma.  I have risked my life to protect the Dharma.  As my close disciples you know the truth of this matter.  Whether you live in thatched huts or travel to other monasteries, you should keep this Sangha robe as an expression of our faith.  How should the Dharma be preserved?  In a single word – ‘sila’ – it is through discipline.”  He then brought his palms together and asked his attendants to take good care of themselves.  The attendants, holding back their tears, went outside to wait.

At 145pm on the 13th of October,1959, two attendants entered his room and saw that master Xu Yun passed away, serenely lying upon his right side within his hut on Yunju.  For a month afterwards the monks and masters, when walking to and from the meditation hall, could see a bright light emanating from the hut. Eventually the bright light faded and we proceeded to care for Xu Yun’s body according to his written instructions.

The remarkable exploits of master Xu Yun are many and varied, and are recorded in his full autobiography – the Xu Yun He Shang Nian Pu.  All these experience are true and not the product of empty words.  Many people who knew Xu Yun during his life have witnessed the happenings with their own eyes and ears, and have recorded them for the benefit of future generations.  I only knew Xu Yun personally during the last three years of his life – so my recollections deal more or less exclusively with that time.  The facts that I have related here are presented with compassion for all living beings.   I shall, therefore, leave it here and bring this discussion to an end.

Thank you all very much.

 A deep bow of respect – to the old master Xu Yun.

 http://thesanghakommune.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/shao-yuns-recollections-of-master-xu-yun/  
  

To nourish the vital energy, keep watch in silence;




In order to subdue the mind, act with non-action.





Of movement and stillness, be aware of their origin;





There is no work to do, much less someone to seek.





The true and constant must respond to phenomena;





Responding to phenomena, you must be unconfused.





When unconfused, the nature will stabilize by itself;





When the nature stabilizes, energy returns by itself.





When energy returns, the elixir crystallizes by itself;





Within the pot, the trigrams of kǎn and lí are joined.





Yīn and yáng arise, alternating over and over again;





Every transformation comes like a clap of thunder.





White clouds form and come to assemble at the peak;




The sweet nectar sprinkles down Mount Sumeru.




Swallow for yourself this wine of immortality;




You wander so freely—who is able to know you?




Sit and listen to the tune played without strings;




Clearly understand the mechanism of creation.




It comes entirely from these twenty lines;




A true ladder going straight to Heaven.-Daoist text -

"The center of the cyclone is that rising quiet central low-pressure place in which one can learn to live eternally. Just outside of this Center is the rotating storm of one's own ego, competing with other egos in a furious high-velocity circular dance. As one leaves center, the roar of rotating wind deafens on more and more as one joins this dance. One's centered thinking-feeling-being, one's own Satoris, are in the center only, not outside. One's pushed-pulled driven states, one's anti-Satori modes of functioning, one's self-created hells, are outside the center. In the center of the cyclone one is off the wheel of Karma, of life, rising to join the Creators of the Universe, the Creators of us.



Here we find that we have created Them who are Us...



Lilly's Law



"In the province of the mind, what is believed to be true is true or becomes true, within certain limits to be found experimentally. These limits are further beliefs to be transcended. In the province of the(true mind..added by danny) mind, there are no limits."" -- John C. Lilly -

Unless you know the emptiness and bliss inside yourself..you'll be a robot forced by the same emptiness and bliss trying to know itself..by pain..inside your self also..trust me!..said the mahayogi!


The student asked: “A sage's response to changing conditions

is unlimited. Does he have to study beforehand?”

He should worry only about his mind's not being

clear, and not about the inability to respond to all changing conditions.”
— Wang Yang Ming (1472-1529)

To us all towns are one, all men our kin. Life's good comes not from others' gift, nor ill. Man's pains and pains' relief are from within. Thus have we seen in visions of the wise !." - Tamil Poem-