Precepts are the foundation of supreme Bodhi, and the wisdom of cause and effect is the root and cornerstone of keeping precepts well. Collecting one’s thoughts is the precept, and through the precept there can be meditation, and through the meditation there can be wisdom.
If we penetrate the Cause and Effect，we can be aware that: the precepts can guarantee us liberation, peace and being at ease.
Meanwhile, the evil deeds created by us due to following the afflictions, are bound to suffer bond, grief and have no alternative .
But those living beings will gradually drift away from the Buddha, and there will be as many preachers of deviant views propounding their methods as there are sands in the Ganges. In such era and great environment, how can a practitioner enter into meditation? The Surangama Sutra says：Enabling those beings to collect their thoughts and enter samadhi, how can we cause them to establish themselves peacefully（That is ,how can we cause them to abide in this practice）, far from the attractions of demons, and be irreversible in their resolve for Bodhi?”
Those who seek the Bodhisattva Way must keep these four precepts extremely purely -not to kill, not to steal, not to commit sexual misconduct and not to tell lies. In that way, after being removed the false views, there would be no false actions. Then the three evils of the mind and the four evils of the mouth will have no cause to come forth.
“Ananda, if one does not neglect these four matters, naturally one will not go to pursue materials, fragrances, tastes, or touch, then how can all Satan deeds arise?
This is the very path to Spiritual Strength and superpower.
Holding a hoe with an empty hand, the arrogant one, thinking it crazy, just laughs at it! The honest man naturally accepts it, enjoys it, and is bound to be successful. The disciple who is qualified to Complete Enlightenment treats it as rare things, rejoices, and makes every precise effort to achieve it swiftly!
The source of the means is derived from the Surangama Sutra. It refers to the saying in The Shurangama Sutra: The spirit without any false thinking is Nirvana. After getting to know that you can comprehend the cases of Chinese Zen. For instance: The self who seats himself on the buffalo is walking; Walking on the bridge, the bridge flows, but the water does not flow.
Master Dharma shaved his disciples’ hairs and asked who let them become a monk. A disciple was hit with the answer of “master” and he was hit with the response of “myself” as well. He was beaten to no thoughts arising in his mind, but he is clear. If we stop thinking, we can abide in the Self-nature. Therefore, the Rinzai sect followed suit. The substance of illumination mentioned here refers to the self-nature of spiritual knowledge and awareness that all sentient beings have.
The specific cultivation to achieve the independence of the substance of illumination, or to enter into meditation is: to see the unseen(self-nature), to hear the unheard self-nature.If someone says: is it better to learn the Great Compassion Mantra of Contemplator of the World’s Sounds? Actually not. Because when you are cultivating the meditation, all arising are the state of the demons, even though the appearing of Contemplator of the World’s Sounds. After you surpass the state of Five Skandhas, you could recognize any demon.
Therefore, if you can abide by the Four Fundamental Precepts until they are pure and unadulterated and very clean, and if you can see the unseen and hear the unheard, then you can enter into meditation smoothly and safely without any hidden danger.
At last sincerely pray that all of the readers and all sentient beings will enter into meditation as soon as possible!