I will now talk about the thoughts before and after settling into concentration. Thoughts before settling into concentration arise when we are not yet calm; for example, when something happens, we might feel anxious, sad, or have many thoughts and associations, and the thoughts that emerge at this time are immature and likely to lead to negative outcomes. Once we have settled into concentration, understood everything clearly, seen through it all, and let go, our thoughts fundamentally differ from those before settling into concentration. At this point, when you reflect on issues, your thoughts are what we call “thoughts after settling into concentration”.
Thoughts are the voice of wisdom. The extent of your wisdom determines the extent of your thoughts. For example, if you were a horse, your thoughts would lack wisdom. You would only know to run towards the whistle blown by your master, regardless of where he is, because a horse lacks wisdom. Thoughts are the voice of wisdom, which is the sound of the mind. Who doesn’t speak in their mind? When someone scolds you, you surely talk back in your mind. For instance, if your husband bullies you, you scold him in your mind without fear. You use the wisdom of your mind and deal with life with “thoughts after settling into concentration”; hence you fear nothing and act freely without obstacles. Being without obstacles means you have removed the stumbling blocks in your path; you have eliminated all hindrances, and only then can you settle down. Once settled, the thoughts that arise are called “right thoughts.” If you cannot settle down, the thoughts that arise are called “scattered thoughts”.
If you see through everything in the world and understand their empty nature, you achieve a state of concentration and enter a realm akin to reality. What is “reality”? “Reality” is the tangible world where you can see appearances. When we say “akin to reality”, it suggests that even this reality isn’t actually real. It seems like a tangible world, but is it really? Certainly not, as this world is fundamentally empty.
One must grasp the true nature of the Dharma realm. The Dharma realm is real, whereas the world is illusory, and even reality is illusory. As I have previously taught, you must hold onto this Dharma realm within this world. Although you exist in the Human Realm, you may say that the Dharma realm you grasp and cultivate is empty. Actually, this Dharma realm truly exists within this world, which also indicates that you have reached a certain stage in your practice. However, if you truly transcend the Three Realms, you can even say that this Dharma itself is empty. For example, if I manifest my Dharma Body here, you can see me, right? You can see me, so I am indeed here, my Dharma Body is here. But do you see this as false? Is it the Dharma Body? In the Human Realm, this is already very good. However, to truly transcend the Three Realms, even this body is false, and nothing remains.
Thus, the Buddha-dharma is the true understanding of the nature of all phenomena in the universe. If you grasp its reality and hold firmly to this principle, you will cultivate your mind diligently, and you will be able to overcome any issue you encounter. For instance, before you met me, you were afraid of everything in the world, you constantly experienced problems at home, and you didn’t know what might happen tomorrow. But now that you have met me and learned this Dharma Door, you are very happy. Are you still afraid? No matter what happens now, your first thought is to seek the Master, thinking, “The Master will help me solve this.” This example is not to suggest you should always seek me but to show that once you understand the true nature of this world, you fear nothing because you have grasped the true Dharma Door. As long as you persist, all problems can be resolved, right? Thus, holding firmly to this principle is very important; it allows you to transcend any problems, fear nothing, and live at ease.
Next, I will talk about the state of being without obstacles. All beings and all phenomena in the world have obstacles; there are hindrances and barriers. For example, in the Human Realm, you may experience poor health, your belongings may break, and anything you try to do will have obstacles. However, if you enter a state without obstacles, it means you can do anything without hindrance; in worldly terms, it is like having smooth sailing. When you achieve smooth sailing and no obstacles, you are practising Mahayana Buddhism. Some schools of Buddhism focus on self-awakening or self-liberation, whereas Mahayana Buddhism focuses on awakening and liberating all beings. For instance, if today I help various people and try my best to assist all my friends, who may be in different professions—some are doctors, some are lawyers, some are in public service—will I have obstacles when I need to do something? I have helped so many people, and they all help me in return. Will I have any obstacles in doing anything? This is Mahayana Buddhism. The more beings you help awaken, the greater your merit and virtue, and the greater your blessings in the human and heavenly realms, making all your endeavours obstacle-free.
You must remember: if you have wisdom, you achieve a state without obstacles. Non-action means not engaging in any action. With non-action, you will reach another state called “understanding.” What does “understanding” mean? It means that when you encounter a problem, you resolve it; when you face an issue, you solve it. So, what problems remain? When you frequently encounter problems and resolve them, you become unobstructed and gain wisdom, gradually transforming your entire soul. After this transformation, you reach a very basic state called “enlightenment in theory,” which means becoming awakened to the principles. It is understanding enlightenment in theory, not true enlightenment. True enlightenment is even more challenging. From another perspective, while you may understand something theoretically and grasp the principle, you may not have “practised” it. Hence, there are two aspects: cultivating the mind and engaging in practice.
Next, I will explain the supranormal powers in the Human Realm. Isn’t it true that supranormal powers exist in the Human Realm? I have supranormal powers, as everyone knows. But do you have supranormal powers? Everyone has supranormal powers. Being able to know what others are thinking is a supranormal power. Knowing what your child wants to eat is also a supranormal power. If you can tell whether someone in the audience is listening to you while you speak, or whether someone will stand up and leave, that is also a supranormal power. Supranormal powers are also referred to as the path of liberation. What is “liberation”? It means that whether you encounter good or bad karmic connections, you can achieve liberation. When good things come, you can be liberated. When bad things come, you can also be liberated. In reality, good karmic connections are not always good because bad karmic connections often follow them. For example, during a romantic relationship, it may be regarded as a good karmic connection, and the couple is very happy. After marriage, it slowly turns into a bad karmic connection with fighting and quarrelling. Only by liberating yourself from both good and bad karmic connections can you truly achieve liberation.
Supranormal powers require the ability to renounce. The supranormal powers that I possess are different from the ones being discussed here. Your supranormal powers are about having the ability and power to make things in the human world go smoothly. The supranormal powers I am referring to now are about whether you can cut off your worries. When worries first arise, you panic and don’t know how to cope, or you start crying. I once said to a Buddhist practitioner, “Do you want to understand the true nature of this world? Your tears are helping you understand it. When you shed tears, it means you have been deceived, you have suffered, or you are in pain. Then you realise how filthy this world is, how helpless you feel, and how bound you are, being dragged along by it. This is how you slowly come to understand the reality of the Saha world.”
This is also the principle I am explaining to you now. To achieve liberation, you must renounce your worries and the entanglement of karma. The entanglement of karma is very troublesome. For instance, you may be forced to own something you don’t want, see someone you don’t want to see, have the person you really love leave you, or fail to obtain money that should have been yours. For example, there are many stories about lottery tickets. One person bought two tickets and gave one to his neighbour. Unexpectedly, after the draw, the two families became enemies because the neighbour won the prize and didn’t share a cent. From then on, the person never smiled again. People like you in the audience, if you gave someone a lottery ticket and they won ten million, would not be happy, say, for half a month. Even those with strong self-discipline may talk about it for at least a week. Telling everyone is a way of venting and expressing inner frustrations, but it is also a form of worry. Nowadays, people make others unhappy just because they themselves are unhappy. This is called influence: “If I am unhappy today, I will talk about it to everyone, making everyone unhappy with me.” Do you see how selfish people have become?
What I have been telling you is about applying Buddhism in the Human Realm. Remember, never let yourself be entangled by the force of karma; strive for liberation. What is the force of karma? When disasters come, it is actually your karmic obstructions manifesting. Now that you are wiser, you can recite sutras and mantras, cultivate your mind, and alleviate some worries in the Human Realm. However, the key is that you still need to let go. While you are reciting sutras, you may still be thinking about those painful things. If you want to let go of these things, you must completely cut them off. When you combine this with reciting sutras to repay karmic debts, you will succeed. The issue is that while you are reciting sutras, you still can’t let go in your mind.