Tonight we continue talking about the “Four Bases of Transcendental Power” from “The Buddha Speaks of Amitabha Sutra.”
The first base is “Base of Desire,” wishing and desiring happiness, longing from the heart.
The second is “Base of Mindfulness.”
The third is “Base of Consistent Effort.”
The fourth is “Base of Wisdom.”
These are called the “Four Bases of Transcendental Power.”
The so-called “Base of Desire” is the “Power of Intention or Wish Fulfilment.”
When practitioners cultivate to the point where transcendental abilities arise, they can develop a kind of transcendental power called the “Base of Desire.” This is similar to a common congratulatory phrase that people write in letters nowadays, “May whatever you wish for come true.”
This “Base of Desire” represents an initial level of a divine state. Beings in the heavens of desire all still possess desires. They enjoy wearing beautiful clothes, eating fine foods, and even having attractive companions, because they still exist within a realm of desire. Since their desires can be fulfilled, this is called the “Power of Wish Fulfilment.”
A few days ago, Guru visited a celestial realm called the “Heavenly River Scenic Spot.”
Because I’ve been writing about my past experiences in heaven these past few days, I made a special trip back there, then back down again, frequently going back and forth like this. As a result, I witnessed many wondrous things of the immortals.
The immortals in the Heavenly River Scenic Spot still have strong desires. If the immortals’ lives are revealed, you all would probably find it hard to believe! Some immortals also have many girlfriends; this is not a lie.
The day before yesterday, a Master came from Taiwan and he happened to talk about the betel nuts of Taiwan.
Let me tell everyone, “There is also eating betel nuts at the Heavenly River Scenic Spot!”
I believe in the past, there was a place on earth that experienced red rain. I think it was because the immortals at the Heavenly River Scenic Spot were eating betel nuts and spat out the juice. This caused red rain to fall from the sky.
Does everyone find it strange?
Why do the immortals in heaven chew betel nuts too?
Actually, it’s not strange at all, because the immortals there have their desires fulfilled. When they think back to the time they ate betel nuts on earth, as long as they want to eat them, the moment that desire arises, in front of them appear betel nuts.
Whatever they want, as long as the desire arises, it will appear in front of them.
After becoming an immortal, even girlfriends that you couldn’t get in the past, you can just use your thoughts to conjure them out.
So the realm of immortals is beyond your imagination. It’s not like, “Wow! They look so beautiful! They’re wearing celestial robes! They don’t need to bathe!” It’s not like that.
The realm of immortals is “desire.” You can have any desire you want fulfilled. So, when one becomes an immortal and feels like taking a sauna bath, three pools for a sauna bath will naturally appear for you.
Everyone must be thinking Grandmaster must have the “Power of Wish Fulfilment.”
Yes indeed, let me tell everyone, Grandmaster does have the “Power of Wish Fulfilment.”
I can tell you all a very real story, example:
Now I want to watch something now, I can immediately see the movie.
Now I want to hear a certain type of music now, I can immediately hear it.
Now I want to eat something, my mouth saliva will produce that item’s smell and taste, if I swallow it, it is that thing.
If I want something, although I cannot immediately have it on the spot, but after a few days, or few months, or a year, or after a few years I would be able to get it, definitely I get it. This is called the “Power of Intention.”
In short, the moment desire arises in the heart, it is immediately felt.
You all might wonder, “That’s strange, if Grandmaster can see whatever he wants, when does he see it then?”
When asleep it is already all forgotten. So it’s when the blanket is just covering oneself, the moment the eyes are closed, it is possible to see. I’m not asleep yet, and I can see whatever I want to at that moment. Therefore, the explanation for this “Power of Wish Fulfilment” is that “desire arises from the heart, yearning for pleasure.” The “Power of Intention” is the most basic level. Grandmaster possesses this “Power of Wish Fulfilment”, and you can also attain it through practice.
The second is the “Base of Mindfulness,” which is also the “Power of Mindfulness or Recollection”
Like now, Grandmaster thinks of something, such as what I talked about in my last dharma discourse.
I went to Mahavairocana Palace, from Mahavairocana descending to the Maha Twin Lotus Pond.
From Maha Twin Lotus Pond to the Mara King’s Demon Palace.
From the Demon Palace to Trayastrimsa Heaven, from Trayastrimsa Heaven to Sakra’s realm.
From Sakra’s realm descending to hell.
From hell to Mount Putuo, from Mount Putuo to Heavenly River Scenic Spot, repeating these back and forth.
This is the “Power of Recollection.”
This is Grandmaster’s past life experiences of descent, which haven’t been forgotten.
This does not mean that we are constantly existing in the third, fourth, or fifth dimensions, endlessly revolving through past, present and future. Rather, when you wish to know your past lives, you only need to tune in the thoughts within your mind, and the scenes of your past lives will appear before you one by one.
This is the second transcendental power, the “Power of Recollection,” Grandmaster also has this.
Therefore, to enter one past life, two past lives, three past lives, or even five hundred past lives, one can retrieve them all simply by thinking about them. Five hundred lives are like five hundred films. To find the four hundred and ninety-ninth film, simply find it on your computer and watch it again. This is the “Power of Recollection“.
Grandmaster has already attained the Power of Recollection, I wonder if you all have?
If you don’t replay your past life memories, you’ll be like you are now, unable to understand your relationship with your past lives. The book I’m currently writing is a book on the “Power of Recollection.”
A disciple from Kaohsiung once asked me, “What is the Guanyin Dharma practice?”
If I, as his Guru, couldn’t answer that question immediately, wouldn’t I be incredibly embarrassed?
Fortunately, during my meditation, when I was using my Power of Recollection, I went to the Purple Bamboo Grove on Mount Putuo in the South China Sea to see Guanyin Bodhisattva.
In a past life, Guanyin Bodhisattva had a bird called the Peacebird. This bird saw me approaching from afar, riding a white lotus, and was very surprised. It called out, “The Lotus Child has arrived!”
Do you know what this bird usually does?
This bird usually carries Guanyin Bodhisattva’s chanting beads in its beak, so when it opened its beak, the chanting beads fell to the ground with a “plop.”
At that moment, Guanyin Bodhisattva said to it, “This is a very serious transgression. You saw someone approaching and opened your mouth to shout, dropping such precious chanting beads to the ground. This transgression is the cause of your rebirth in the mortal world.”
There are many causes and effects involved here, but I won’t go into them for now.
However, when I was with Guanyin Bodhisattva, she taught me the Guanyin Dharma practice.
The Guanyin Dharma practice if you say it is difficult, it is extremely difficult, yet if you say it is simple it is extremely simple, because Guanyin Bodhisattva once said:
This Guanyin Dharma is divided into two parts of practice. The first part is the “Practice of focusing the mind,” and the second part is the “Practice of transforming the mind.” Learning the Guanyin Dharma practice can lead to enlightenment and Buddhahood. This Dharma encompasses all Dharmas.
I learned this Dharma practice from Guanyin Bodhisattva, wrote it down in a book, and received Guanyin Bodhisattva’s heart transmission, which is the mind seal. Therefore, what I am saying today, learning the Guanyin Dharma practice from Guanyin Bodhisattva, these are all memories of my past life, which is the “Power of Recollection.”
I said before, my children and many other children are from Trayastrimsa Heaven. When they were born, their hands were forming Indra’s mudra. The cook was Lakshmi.
Mother? Is the Peacebird.
Father? Is the Lamp-bearing envoy.
Many karmic connections from past lives are linked. I will use the Power of Recollection to write them all out. But all these are not really anything related to me, because it is all just fate. Those with fate come together and those without don’t.
The third transcendental power is the “Power of Unfailing Advancement”, which is “Base of Consistent Effort”.
What is “Base of Consistent Effort”?
It is diligently making effort without stopping. What is written in the book is explaining progress through consistent effort, unceasingly without rest.
Actually there is a more advanced explanation, which is that when one obtains the “Power of Unfailing Advancement,” one is a buddha at all times. One’s actions are all actions of the buddha, this is a further advancement.
The first transcendental power is “wishes are fulfilled”, the second transcendental power is “your thoughts are always satisfied.” The third transcendental power is “you are one with the Buddha”, it is called the “Power of Unfailing Advancement”.
For example, sometimes when we are practicing diligently and enter samadhi, we feel the flow of Dharma filling our entire body, feel deeply moved, even to the point of tears.
At this time, the compassion of the buddhas and bodhisattvas is in our mind and body, it is indeed truly compassionate. Right then, your heart is very vast and very kind. Your words and actions reveal the mind and body of the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
However, as soon as you leave the temple or church and go to the nightclub, drinking, smoking, and swearing, you are the buddha one moment and a human the next. This is not the “Power of Unfailing Advancement”.
Some people go to church once a week to confess, committing sins from Monday to Saturday, then go to church again on Sunday to confess. This is a continuous cycle of sinning, confessing, sinning, and confessing.
If we are like this, being a buddha when in samadhi and sinning when out of samadhi, as if in a cycle of rebirth, sometimes extremely diligent and practicing well, sometimes making mistakes again, this is not the “Power of Unfailing Advancement.”
The “Power of Unfailing Advancement” means there are no interruptions and fluctuations. One is like a buddha without any falling back into old ways. This kind of continuous and non-regressing progress is called the “Power of Unfailing Advancement” which is buddhahood. There is a lot of profound knowledge in this.
A buddha using the “Power of Unfailing Advancement” is a “buddha” when in samadhi.
When out of samadhi it is called “Playing in the Human World.”
“Playing in the Human World” is the “samadhi of play”.
In reality, the buddha’s playing in samadhi is with an unmoving mind. But their actions are like humans, because they want to deliver sentient beings, so their appearance, habits, lifestyle and speech are like sentient beings. So no matter if going to hell to deliver sentient beings, going to nightclubs to deliver sentient beings, going to any location to deliver sentient beings, they must become like sentient beings. The only difference is their mind is unmoving.
If he wants to liberate a vegetarian to become a buddha, he must become a vegetarian.
If he wants to liberate a meat-eater to become a buddha, he must become a meat-eater.
If he wants to liberate a mad person, he must act mad also!
Therefore, the buddha adapts to sentient beings, and within this adaptation, he then finds ways to liberate them. As long as the buddha is constantly in one’s heart, without interruption, this is the “Power of Unfailing Advancement”.
The fourth transcendental power is “Power of Omniscience.”
When one achieves the “Power of Unfailing Advancement”, then one can naturally achieve the “Power of Omniscience.”
One must know this wisdom, is not just human wisdom but is to understand all dharmas. When others ask about certain dharma, you can immediately use your wisdom to understand and answer.
We Gurus must know all dharmas, and must know the practice methods of these dharmas. Able to perfectly master and know all the dharmas, possess perfect wisdom, ensure our own heart has the Buddha, heart is not lost. Having these “Four Bases of Transcendental Power” is called “Perfection of Transcendental Powers.”
When you understand where wisdom comes from?
What is called “True Wisdom”?
Then you have the “Power of Omniscience.” When you have the “Power of Omniscience” you can say you are number one in the world, and definitely not number two.
When you learn the dharma and cultivate until true wisdom, you will feel that the whole universe and all the ten directions up and down are created for you.
All the wisdom in the world is in your heart, there is no question that you cannot think through. You can understand thoroughly any problem, like arts, religion, philosophy, knowledge in the human world and even relationships between humans. You understand the heavenly realms, the ten dharma realms, this is the “Power of Omniscience.”
Om Mani Padme Hum