by Yin Shih Tzu
From the base of my brain it flowed down along my spine to my Wei Lu. At this moment my two feet bent, then straightened, touched each other, then separated. The force next raised up to my abdomen, then up to my two shoulders and to my hands. It ascended to my crown once more, and from there it passed through my cheeks, down my face to my throat. It affected my left shoulder, then my right shoulder, causing them to move in a circular motion—afterwards the same thing happened to my two hands.
Next it reached my feet, which bent, then straightened, then touched each other, then separated. Suddenly, my body was bent into a triangular shape: the pulsating force pushed me onto the floor, so I was lying on my back, supported by my shoulders and my shins, with my torso suspended.
My hips turned left and right, then my flanks turned, making my whole body move at an angle from left to right, slanting. Next, I lay flat on the ground, with the soles of my feet naturally rubbing against each other, then the sole of my left foot rubbed my right leg and the bottom of my right foot rubbed my left—they both rubbed the same number of times.
The pulsating force moved next up to my shoulders and the palms of my hands rubbed each other lengthwise. Suddenly the pulsating force made my two hands rub my neck, then my cheeks, from my chin to my ears, front to back. I continued to rub these places, then the base of my skull, my eyes, the sides of my nose, my ears, then my arms crossed and I rubbed my two shoulders and my upper arms, my left arm with my right hand, and right arm with my left hand.
Next my two crossed hands rubbed my lower abdomen, my chest, then my shoulders, and my back, first the upper back, then the flanks, the hips, the legs, the tops of my feet, my toes, and my arches. Once again this pulsating force raised up. It bent my two arms, then my hands turned to fists, and I patted my shoulders with my fists. The backs of my hands then patted the sides of my neck, under my chin, and my face, in a circular motion around my eyes and on both sides of my nose, then, also in a circular pattern, around my ears. Next my fists patted my temples, and my two hands crossed to my two shoulders, slowly squeezing them, as if kneading them, and again I drew my hands down and squeezed my upper arms. I squeezed my neck and the skin on my face, pinching it between my fingers. I rubbed my chest, my abdomen, my flanks, my lower back, my hips, my legs, the tops of my feet, and my arches.
I consider this natural massage a physiological phenomenon. The patting and squeezing was orderly and always balanced in number; it seemed well organized. I think I could never consciously guide myself through this sequence—it was just marvelous!
After this, parts of the sequence I have just described happened every evening. Sometimes one part of the sequence would repeat for more than ten days, sometimes several parts of the sequence would occur in a single evening. This continued for half a year before it gradually diminished, then stopped, and did not recur. After those six months, I did not feel the pulsating force again in the middle Dan Tien. This is probably because there was no obstruction in any of my meridians, so I no longer felt any kind of pulsating force.
Here is a summary and classification of all these movement types. There were four kinds: hands waving and feet dancing, tapping, rubbing, and squeezing.
1. Jia Ji Xue (acupuncture points beside the vertebrae) were invented and introduced by Dr. Huo Tou (about 156–214 AD). The 17 points in this group are located 0.5 cun (1 inch) lateral to the spinal column, at the level of the lower border of each spinous process from thoracic vertebra 1 to lumbar vertebra 5. The Jia Ji points from thoracic vertebra 1 to thoracic vertebra 12 are known as thoracic Jia Ji, and those from lumbar vertebra 1 to lumbar vertebra 5 are known as lumbar Jia Ji.
CHAPTER Seven
My Study and Practice of Tibetan Mahamudra
Learning the secrets of Tibetan Tantra: opening the crown of the head
This Tibetan Tantric secret—allowing you to be reborn into the Buddha’s Pure Land—has never been taught in the Han nation of China. This doctrine teaches that on his deathbed a man can visualize his rebirth in the Pure Land, allowing his consciousness to leave his body through the crown of his head. With this goal in mind, the aspirant learns to recite a secret mantra. Once the aspirant receives the experience of opening his crown, and practices this process frequently, he will be able to follow a defined path at the time of his death. In 1933 I was sixty years old. I learned this secret from Master No Na. At the time he showed me the secret, he wanted me to practice at home. Despite my practice, however, I didn’t experience the desired effects.
In the spring of 1937, when I was sixty-four years old, I heard that Master Sheng Lu was teaching this secret in Nanking. Four sessions had already been taught. It was said that every participant could open his crown during the session. When the fifth session was about to start, I thought I shouldn’t miss this opportunity, so I hurried to Nanking. I reached P’i Lo temple in Nanking that same day, and enrolled in the class for opening the crown (which is called Po Wa—breaking the tile, breaking the crown).
On April 1, I arrived at P’i Lo temple, and received the empowerment called Pouring the Blessing Through the Opening of the Crown. This ceremony was much more complicated than Master No Na’s. The Master taught us to recite the Ho Mu Chin Kang mantra to facilitate the process. Although the mantra was not long, the method of visualization was quite tedious and complicated, and we had to recite the mantra a hundred thousand times. However, we didn’t have much time and the requested number of repetitions was impossible to complete in the space of only a few days, so all of us recited the mantra as many times as possible before receiving the empowerment.
Beginning on the second day, I stayed in my lodgings, shut the door and didn’t go out. I concentrated on reciting this mantra until the morning of the last day, by which time I had recited the mantra sixty-two thousand times. In the afternoon of this same day, I changed my lodging to the P’i Lo temple. There were thirty-nine other participants in this training. It was said that this session had more participants than the previous sessions. The Master had us shave a small circular area of hair at our crowns, so that he could examine it during the process of opening the crown. Accordingly, he prepared some lucky reeds, which were to be inserted in the opening which would occur in the shaved, circular area of our crowns.
On the tenth day the temple gate was closed. An ornate altar was set up in the temple’s imposing hall. The hall was exquisitely decorated. The Master called us before the altar to receive the empowerment. Every day there were four classes, each of which lasted for two hours: the first class lasted from seven to nine in the morning, the second class, from ten to twelve, the third, from three to five in the afternoon, and the fourth, from seven to nine in the evening. The empowerment procedure involved visualizing the Patron Buddha sitting at the top of one’s head. From my crown to my pelvis, there was a tunnel which was blue colored on the outside and red on the inside, and my lower Dan Tien had a shining pearl which rose from there to my heart. Then I shouted “Hey,” with effort, and visualized this pearl rising rapidly with this sound, dashing out through my crown to the heart of the Patron Buddha. Then again I called out, not quite so loud, “Gha” and visualized the pearl returning through my crown from the heart of the Buddha, and dropping back down to its place of origin in my lower Dan Tien. Every session everyone shouted so loudly that they became hoarse and perspired so heavily that their clothes were wet all the way through. (At this time it was still cold, and everybody was wearing thin cotton jackets.) The Master saw that most of us were tired, so he sang a Sanskrit song and wanted us to sing in unison with him so that we could be refreshed by singing. During these two hours, we had four or five rest periods.
Owing to my meditation practice I had an unobstructed central channel running from my pubic region to my crown, and I was able to feel wonderful effects on the eleventh day. In the first class, my crown emitted red light, and my size increased to a great stature. In the fourth class, I felt as if there was a force drilling against my crown, and the pearl was dashi
ng up constantly. When I lay down I felt that my head was emitting white light.
On the twelfth day, I practiced as I had the previous day, and in the second class I felt my skull was splitting at my crown. The two bones covering this spot were separating. In the third class, my head swelled up and a lump appeared at my crown. It seemed as though my scalp would split.
In the first class on the thirteenth day, I felt that every layer of my brain had been pierced. At first, I felt that my skull was quite thick, then the drilling made it become thin. In the third class, I suddenly felt my upper body to be in a void state, and my head emitted light. The light’s luminosity was increasing. In the first and second classes of the fourteenth day, the pearl was shooting up to the feet of the Patron Buddha, and I felt this route was smooth and unobstructed. The splitting felt quite different in nature from the previous day. Because of the change in sensation on the previous day, I thought that the route was still in some way obstructed. In the first class, I felt my neck was a freely flowing column which led directly to my stomach and my intestines. Prior to this, I had thought that my central channel was opened and unobstructed, which was only my imagination, since it was now proven to be true.
In the first class of the fifteenth day, I felt there was a cavity at my crown. In the second class, the Master ordered us to move closer to the window, where the sunshine was brighter. Next he called each one of us to come up so that he could perform the ritual that would make the crowns open, and then insert a lucky reed into this opening as a token of remembrance. If a practitioner’s crown was actually opened, the grass would be sucked in and the scalp would seal up around it. I was among those who had reached this level of attainment. The first time there were twenty-eight persons whose crowns were opened. For the other eleven persons the grass could not be inserted, which indicated they needed to receive more instruction. All of us whose crown had been opened would not continue the practice of this ritual. However, we came up to the altar and used the power of visualization to help those who hadn’t had their crowns opened, to help facilitate their attainment in the procedure of opening the crown.
On the sixteenth day, all of us who had their crowns opened came up again to the altar to help. In the first class, another nine persons’ crowns were opened. The last group included a nun and a Buddhist woman who could not have their crowns opened. This nun had practiced secret Tantric arts in Japan. Her attainment was quite profound, yet she had great difficulty in making her crown open. A person shouldn’t be overconfident, and should always receive teachings with humility. Otherwise, your goal can be difficult to attain. As for this Buddhist woman, I thought she was old and lacked intelligence. The Master called those in the last group to come in front of his cushion, and then personally empowered them. About an hour later, with the assistance of all of us who had their crowns opened, she had her crown opened.
Afterwards I primarily practiced meditation using the principle of Zhi Kuan, and I practiced Po Wa (opening the crown). On the twenty-fourth of May I entered into meditation and felt quiet surround me. My chest emitted light which gradually increased and surrounded my whole body, until the light became a large circle. Previously, I had felt light emit from my head, but this was the first time had felt light emit from my chest region. However, I was still conscious of my existence and my whole body was not totally transparent.
On the twenty-sixth day, when I entered into meditation and became quiet, I felt my back emit light, and my whole body was surrounded by brightness, which gave me a very pleasant feeling, but I still felt I had a body which was not in a void state.
On the twenty-seventh day, when I entered into meditation and became quiet, I emitted very bright light which shot up into the clouds and my soul parted from me. Later I gradually drew it back through my crown.
On the thirty-first day of the same month, after I entered into meditation, my upper body emitted light just as it had the day before. I felt my lower abdomen was boiling like water. My lower body was in a void state, also emitting light, which had never occurred before.
On the tenth of June, after I entered into meditation my whole body emitted a very bright light and I felt as if I had no head. There appeared only a transparent light.
On the fourteenth of June, after I entered into meditation my whole body emitted light. Both my upper and lower body were shining with a transparent light.
On the seventeenth day of June, after I entered into meditation, my whole body emitted light, and felt it illuminate my mind and eyes. This was so bright that my entire body, top, bottom, and sides, was surrounded with a light which expanded into a large circular shape.
On the eighteenth day, after I entered into meditation, my whole body emitted light, and this light was even brighter. My entire body was surrounded with bright transparent light. The light seemed like a single guided burst, directed to the four corners. My consciousness was travelling through the air. Then I withdrew it and returned to my lower abdomen, and as I continued with this practice, my consciousness went down to my feet, up to my two hands, and back to my head.
About the practice of Tibetan Mahamudra
In 1947, when I was seventy-four years old, I followed Master Gonga to learn Mahamudra. In the esoteric school of Sutrayana, the most popular sects are Pure Land and Zen. The Pure Land sect claims that your karma follows you into rebirth. The Zen sect emphasizes the process of training the mind to be tranquil in order to attain wisdom, to eventually attain Buddhahood. Tibetan Tantra’s secret of opening the crown demonstrates a way to rebirth in the Pure Land and Mahamudra has the Zen school’s characteristic of tranquility. However, I found the methods of Mahamudra practice more practical and workable than those of Zen and Pure Lands, so from that time on I have continued the Mahamudra practice. Maybe someone would ask me, “I know that you have studied Buddhism, first you study the Sutrayana, and then you study the Vajrayana—this is quite contrary to the proper attitude towards acquiring knowledge, don’t you think your knowledge is too impure? How can you actually achieve your goal?” I would answer, “It is not so. Though I have studied different schools, I have never abandoned the practice of striving for tranquility, and all these schools are just helping me to make progress towards attaining tranquility.”
When you learn the secret of Po Wa (opening the crown), you can have the promise of rebirth. When you learn Mahamudra, your practice of tranquil abiding can grow from a shallow state to a profound state. When people thought I was confused in my knowledge, actually my learning followed a straight line, and perseveres.
These two methods, Mahamudra and the Po Wa, which form the experience I have cultivated and practiced, are very popular in the province of Sekong and in Tibet. They do, however, require personal instruction by a lama.
This practice should not be undertaken alone. Readers, please pay attention to this warning.
CHAPTER Eight
Conclusion of My Experience
The Relationship Between Theory and Practice
In this work I gave a theoretical presentation of essential principles, and described the methods I practiced myself. My experiences are a testament to the methods’ results. When theory and experience unite, effects will naturally be produced. If you study a body of knowledge, or devote yourself to cultivation, you are making a big mistake if you only pursue theory, and don’t pay attention to practice. No matter how profound your achievement in theoretical learning, if you do not go on practicing, all this theory is like building a house on the beach—the foundation is not stable.
As the saying goes, “Just talking about food will not make you full.” If someone tells you which is the tastiest food, the most delicious, but you haven’t eaten it yet, how can you become full? There is another type of person who is afraid that the theory might be too profound and too difficult to understand, so they cast aside the theory and concentrate on practicing. However, practice without method is blind practice. Not only may you fail to benefit from the practice, but you may actu
ally encounter serious pitfalls. This illustrates the problems of abandoning theory. The relationship between theory and practice should be like the wheel and axle of the cart, neither of which can move if the other is neglected.
Traditional Chinese meditation has recently attracted the world’s attention, and its development has been rapid. There are many cases of chronic disease being healed through traditional Chinese meditation. The ancient and most popular art of acupuncture is once again being promoted. Though the arts of acupressure and massage may not enjoy as much fame as acupuncture, their theoretical application is nonetheless quite similar. Both serve as healing methods for disease. Of these, only meditation can serve as preventive medical care, which has been passed down through generations. Though it has been neglected for several centuries, the world is now paying attention, and this must be considered good news.
Meditation develops your innate energies. With practice, you can take charge of your mind and body, preventing disease before it arises. Shouldn’t everyone make an effort to learn something like this? Superficially, meditation looks easy, but if you practice without patience, determination, and a long-term sense of devotion you will never realize its benefits. Therefore, to give readers a guide to meditation, I have summarized my many decades of experience. As for further explanation, this still awaits the study and research of future scholars of physiology and medicine. This study should help to further promote the role of traditional Chinese meditation in influencing and benefiting the whole world. This is my wish.
Finished in October, 1954
ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS
Shifu Hwang is a practicing Taoist from Chuen Zen School. Currently, he lives in Texas, USA. Master Hwang has devoted his adult life to promoting Taoism and balanced health care. In 1996, he established TaiChi People Herb Co. Recently, he established Immortal Cancer Care Foundation for alternative cancer care education.