Dear fellow practitioners, greetings! Today, we will explore the profound wisdom of the 25 Sages’ Perfect Penetration in the Shurangama Sutra, focusing on the spiritual journeys of Sundarananda, Purna Maitrayani-putra, and Upali. These three sages’ experiences not only showcase diverse paths of practice but also reveal how to achieve ultimate liberation through focusing the mind, subduing demons with the sound of Dharma, and purifying oneself with precepts. I hope you will draw strength from their stories and apply these teachings to your own practice.
1. Sundarananda: Focusing the Mind, Entering Light via the White Spot at the Nose
Let’s begin with Sundarananda. After renouncing worldly life to follow the Buddha, he upheld the precepts but struggled with a scattered mind, unable to enter samadhi or attain the state of no outflows. Seeing his difficulty, the World-Honored One instructed him to contemplate the white spot at the tip of his nose—a faint point of light. This wasn’t about crossing his eyes or observing specific details; it was about anchoring his mind to one point, achieving what we call “focusing the mind in one place.” Why? Because “when the mind is focused in one place, nothing is impossible.” A settled mind can accomplish anything.
Someone might ask, “Does he still think about things at this stage?” Absolutely not! The moment thoughts arise, the mind scatters—it’s no longer focused but chaotic. The key here isn’t to stare at the nose tip for changes; it’s to train the mind to remain still. Think of Steve Jobs’ singular focus or the Japanese emphasis on concentration—these are examples of focusing the mind in one place. No matter the distractions—food, drink, pleasure, or troubles—the mind stays unmoved, not even distinguishing them, fixed entirely on that one point at the nose.
In the beginning, Sundarananda’s mind wandered; it’s normal to stray in the first few days. But he persisted for “three sevens,” twenty-one days, until his eyes blurred, yet his mind grew steady. At this point, he perceived his breath as smoke or mist—not eye strain, but a sign of breaking through the aggregate of form. Ordinary people can’t see internal breath, but by focusing on his nose tip, he transcended physical vision, perceiving with the Spirit the process of metabolism—inhaling oxygen, exhaling carbon dioxide and waste gases, appearing like smoke. This marked his entry into subtle realms of practice.
As his practice deepened, he not only saw breath as smoke but penetrated his body and mind, even seeing worms in his belly and pulling them out—a tangible sign of breaking the form aggregate. Advancing further, his awareness expanded to the three thousand great worlds, which appeared to him as illusory, dreamlike, and unreal. He realized the world is inherently pure, transparent like crystal, and that the defiled realms we perceive are merely manifestations of our karma. For instance, someone asks, “I see green leaves and red flowers—is that real?” No, it’s just your karmic perception, not the world’s true nature. When karma and emotions are exhausted, he saw the world’s original purity.
Progressing further, the smoky breath faded—black karma dissolved, white karma emerged—until his breath transformed into light. This light grew vast, illuminating the ten directions, bringing boundless freedom: whatever he wished for appeared; what he didn’t want vanished. Ultimately, by regulating his breath, he entered profound samadhi—breath, pulse, and heartbeat ceased, yet he wasn’t dead, his body still warm. At this stage, the body became a burden, but to aid sentient beings, he adjusted his sinews and bones with a single thought, restoring flexibility. His journey teaches us: recognize your true nature, and the Spirit pervades the universe, capable of all things.
2. Purna Maitrayani-putra: Subduing Demons with Dharma Sound, Attaining Sainthood Through Teaching
Next, let’s examine Purna Maitrayani-putra. For countless eons, his eloquence was unobstructed, expounding emptiness and penetrating the true nature of reality. Some wonder, “If he’d already grasped reality, why ask the Buddha about the elements clashing?” He was fully awakened but asked on behalf of beings like Ananda and future generations, just as Manjushri posed questions he already understood. Purna claimed he could elucidate the Buddha’s teachings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, aiding the Buddha in turning the Dharma wheel—an immense merit!
Starting as an ordinary being in this life, he taught at Dharma assemblies and, through teaching, attained Arhatship. The Buddha praised him as foremost in expounding Dharma. When asked about his perfect penetration, he said, “I subdued demons with the sound of Dharma.” This is profound. Why does teaching Dharma subdue demons? Because it’s a practice of focusing the mind in one place. When you teach relentlessly, demons—like fatigue, drowsiness, or hunger—arise, but if you ignore them, refusing to “recharge” them, they fade away. Drowsiness comes? Disregard it. Hunger strikes? Don’t feed it. They vanish like illusions. Teaching until greed, anger, ignorance, and the five aggregates’ demons dissolve, he attained purity and sainthood.
Someone asked, “If he enters samadhi while teaching, how does he continue?” Focusing the mind in one place is samadhi—no separate stillness is needed. Day and night, he taught without pause, denying demons any fuel, shattering outflows with Dharma sound. This shows us: teaching is a potent practice, subduing inner demons, inspiring others, and leading to liberation.
3. Upali: Purity Through Precepts, Complete Mastery of Body and Mind
Finally, let’s look at Upali. For six years after renouncing with the Buddha, he diligently practiced precepts, witnessing the Buddha tame demons and subdue heretics, cutting off worldly desires and outflows. Following the Buddha’s teachings, he perfected the three thousand deportments and eighty thousand subtle acts, purifying both fundamental offenses (like killing or stealing) and preventive ones (protecting others from misdeeds). Through precepts, he stilled body and mind, attaining Arhatship, and was named foremost in upholding precepts by the Buddha.
His perfect penetration was “mastering the body for freedom, mastering the mind for penetration.” First, he disciplined his body to avoid transgression, gaining physical freedom; then, he tamed his mind, achieving unobstructed insight, until body and mind merged in complete mastery, doing as he pleased. This has a sequence, but we needn’t be rigid. Someone asks, “We keep breaking precepts—what then?” True Buddhist practice starts with the mind. Upali began with the body, then reached the mind; we can go straight to the root—when the mind is settled, the body naturally aligns.
4. Conclusion: Recognize Your True Nature, Begin with the Mind
The three sages’ paths differ, yet their essence is one: focus the mind in one place and recognize your true nature. Sundarananda stilled his mind with the nose tip, breaking karma to enter light; Purna subdued demons with Dharma sound, teaching his way to sainthood; Upali purified himself with precepts, mastering body and mind. All point to this: practice lies in the mind. A settled mind dissolves karma; a pure mind reveals a crystal world.
We often mistake the body for self and karma for truth, forgetting the Spirit’s boundless potential. Practice is about releasing these false selves to awaken the true one. Whether through breath, teaching, or precepts, it all returns to the mind. Recognize your true nature, and the Spirit pervades the universe, capable of all things; the Spirit pervades the Dharma realm, unbound by pain or blessings—this is the path to freedom.
From today, whatever method you choose, focus your mind and practice diligently. The world is inherently pure, shaped by the mind; the Spirit is inherently complete, activated only by recognition. Let’s encourage each other onward. Thank you all!
