169. Low-dimensional trap, low-dimensional correctness, low-dimensional confrontation
When we do something, it's easy to fall into low-dimensional correctness, low-dimensional traps, or low-dimensional conflict—getting caught up in a struggle. The only way to resolve low-dimensional conflict, low-dimensional error, and low-dimensional correctness is to see enough higher dimensions. Although I'm far less insightful about life and death than Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, I have a special job—people often consult me about past lives, so I see many cases of life, death, and reincarnation, making it relatively easy for me to take some things less seriously. When you see enough, at a high enough level, low-dimensional things are less likely to confuse you. If you frequently see how people below you are entangled in anger for lifetimes, and you often encounter such things, you'll generally stop arguing with ordinary people or thinking you're right. Don't fall into the trap of what you perceive as low-dimensional correctness—low-dimensional correctness leads to constant conflict, causing you to fall into low-dimensional cognition, thinking you're doing the right thing when you're actually doing something incredibly foolish.
170. Sariputra
There's a relic (sarira) mentioned when interpreting the Heart Sutra. What is the relationship between Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva and the relic? The main preacher in the Heart Sutra isn't the Buddha, but Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. The relic is the listener. Why the relic specifically? Among Shakyamuni Buddha's great disciples, he was foremost in wisdom. Baidu says that the Buddha Shariputra represents a symbol of wisdom, and here his name is called Shariputra—the Paramita Dharma requires profound wisdom to attain. When I interpret the relic, I consider it a very high level of wisdom, a very high state. What does it represent when you reach this level of wisdom and state? In the Heart Sutra or other Buddhist scriptures, it's described as a specific person, but it actually represents great wisdom—only by attaining very high wisdom can one reach the described state. This is how I intend to portray it, which may differ from traditional Buddhism. Let me tell you something you might not have heard of before—the relics I'm describing represent a supreme state, a state of liberation from the cycle of rebirth. The long string of phrases following Avalokiteshvara's "no wisdom, no attainment; because there is nothing to be attained," refers to the ultimate, perfect state of emptiness. This state of emptiness—knowing everything without thinking about anything—is a state of perfect, joyful, and empty emptiness. This is different from the traditional Buddhist view that relics represent a person.
171. World-Honored One, Buddha and Tathagata
Buddhism has three terms: World Honored One, Buddha, and Tathagata. World Honored One refers to the living Shakyamuni. Buddha is the highest and most supreme title, hence the name Buddha. Tathagata is the collective of all the lesser titles of all Buddhas—called the Dharmakaya. Like Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, one great title has 32 lesser titles, totaling 33, forming the Dharmakaya of Avalokiteshvara. The Dharmakaya of Avalokiteshvara can achieve "nothing comes from nowhere and nothing goes"—I am omnipresent. Tathagata is also "nothing comes from nowhere and nothing goes" because he can manifest infinitely. Does Tathagata know that there is such a Shakyamuni (one of his manifestations) who came to this earth to spread the Dharma? No, he truly doesn't know. This entire transmission of the Dharma in the human realm was purely accidental. The question asked, "Did Tathagata preach anything?" He truly didn't. Many things are not what you understand them to mean.
172. Spread of Buddhism
In the early days of Buddhism, its spread was very niche, its influence limited to a small area and a small group of listeners—this particular transmission was entirely accidental; the higher-ups had no idea that a smaller account had come to spread the Dharma. Was this smaller account's transmission effective? Very effective. But was it Mahayana Buddhism? No. If you look at Buddhist scriptures—not just Chinese Buddhist scriptures—you'll find that in some early Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha was a cautious and self-disciplined person, even speaking extensively to discourage women from practicing. He established many rules, and when he transmitted the Dharma, he was teaching Hinayana Buddhism. After his Nirvana, Buddhism almost declined; for two hundred years, it was almost completely forgotten. Later, the grand plan was implemented, with Ashoka as the main driving force, establishing Buddhism as the state religion and developing it as a whole. Then, the lineage of Nagarjuna was established, and some Mahayana Buddhist teachings that existed before Nagarjuna were directly transmitted. Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism changed. Why didn't the 500 Arhats appear at all during the numerous gatherings? Where did your scriptures come from? Nagarjuna said, "You all don't understand. When you gather in the human realm, you speak of Hinayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism gathers in the deep sea dragon palaces and on the peaks of snow-capped mountains, hidden in places inaccessible to humans. Now, a destined person has revealed it from those places—whether the Buddha actually spoke of it or not, that's not something to be made up. Southeast Asia is a branch of early Buddhism, and they don't acknowledge Mahayana Buddhism at all. So, which is right, Mahayana or Hinayana Buddhism? Actually, both are right. The transmission of the Dharma was an accident—someone came down from nowhere, and they were able to create Buddhism through their own power. Even the Buddha's trumpet was quite invincible. Mahayana Buddhism is indeed the true Dharma of the heavenly realm and the Dharma of the Buddha realm, but the emptiness inherent in Mahayana Buddhism is particularly difficult to explain. It wasn't easy for Buddha Shakyamuni to transmit the Dharma in his physical body. To establish Buddhism, many rules had to be set. If we were to do it so casually, it certainly wouldn't have been able to be transmitted. Only by establishing many rules, very strict requirements, and allowing people to become monks could it have been transmitted." Not a single word in Buddhist scriptures may be changed, added, or subtracted—if anyone dared to tamper with Buddhist scriptures, the current version would be in a very different state.
173. What is the investigation?
When investigating matters, the first step is to address future issues. Investigating the future—was the husband I chose the right one? Was the girlfriend the right one? What about the children? The second step is to investigate the present—if I want to cooperate with this person, is it feasible? What is this person's temperament like? How long can the cooperation last? I've started a new job; how is the company? What are my interpersonal relationships like? Who are my benefactors? Who are my adversaries? The third step is to investigate the past—past lives, mainly to understand cause and effect, as some things are difficult to explain why I encountered such situations.
174. What is reform?
Changing one's karma involves talismans or magic arrays. We need the power of the Dharma realm, and some sentient beings within the Dharma realm, to help us resolve things—changing one's karma is a form of Dharma realm assistance. A benefactor—seeking purification or similar methods is not very effective. A protective talisman—find a martial arts deity to protect you. A career talisman—a deity is always watching you, minimizing problems when you do things. A wealth talisman—helps to attract wealth. A tranquility talisman—helps to smooth out bad moods. A communication talisman—makes it harder to say problematic things, and others are more willing to communicate. A house-protecting talisman—always watching over the house, preventing those who shouldn't enter, while allowing those who should. A house-cleansing talisman—a Taoist magic array; combined with a willow branch flicked upwards, it stuns ghosts, and a few flicks can scatter their souls. Why repay karmic debts? Karmic debts are to resolve those that hold you back. If you're a vehicle carrying 10 pounds of cargo, can you run fast? The purpose of repaying karmic debts is to reduce your burden—all creditors are there to cause trouble, and you need to stop them from causing disruption first. Many people don't understand what karmic debts resolve—they resolve those who hold you back, those who cheat you, and those who harm you. Don't assume every problem is caused by creditors. If your wheels aren't complete or you don't have a steering wheel, you still can't run away. Why is it that sometimes things don't get better after resolving karmic debts? It only means that they're no longer holding you back, preventing you from going any further.
175. What is prayer for blessings?
Praying for blessings is something that ordinary immortals and gods cannot do; only Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can intervene. For example, if someone's lifespan is extended or their blessings are too poor, they can ask Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to give them a protective aura; if someone is seriously ill, they can pray for blessings, and Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will give them a protective aura and some medicine. Ordinary immortals cannot solve this problem; only Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can intervene in matters involving blessings.
176. Adjusting Feng Shui
Feng Shui addresses both the living and the dead. The feng shui of the deceased's grave has a greater impact; don't think about changing the dragon vein first, just prevent it from hindering your life—families with dilapidated graves often experience misfortune, so address the issue of hindering them. The same applies to the living; first, address the issue of hindering them. Now there's something new: guiding renovations and rearranging the layout—strictly follow the above instructions for rearranging. Frankly, can simply moving a potted plant or changing something really improve things? It's not impossible, but very few families can. More often than not, you're lucky if your home doesn't bring you bad luck, trouble, or negatively affect you. Most ordinary families lack any vital energy channels; the external energy is chaotic—it's good enough if it doesn't harm you, don't expect to absorb any good earth energy. Regular feng shui adjustments are just to ensure no major problems arise—because you can't make drastic changes unless you completely redesign and renovate, but you can't control the external energy. The overall layout needs to be corrected; the whole process must be addressed. It's not that changing one thing occasionally makes things better, but it's not very useful for the vast majority of people.
177. Shadow Soul
A Shadow Soul is a fragmented soul. Ordinary humans have three souls: Heaven, Earth, and Man, with a main soul. Each person has approximately 300 fragmented souls—fragments of memories left over from countless reincarnations. They are invisible to the Heavenly Eye but visible to the Dharma Eye. Each person has approximately 300 fragmented souls, with some powerful individuals having 400 to 500. These can manifest as images, representing things you have reincarnated in the past, some good and some bad. During cultivation, many strange thoughts may arise in the mind—these are shadow souls or fragmented souls that have not been purified or carry negative memories. These are all things you did in your past lives. A seemingly harmless young girl may have committed immoral acts in her past life; a heinous villain may have done good deeds in his past life. Many people experience chaotic thoughts when they first begin meditation—some are thoughts from the main soul, but many more are from fragmented souls. Purification involves the fragmented souls. Whether it's purification or cleansing, it's all about helping you cleanse these things, finding ways to get rid of them. The level of cleansing that can be achieved requires the personal intervention of a great Bodhisattva. Don't think that those thoughts from countless lifetimes of reincarnation are easy to remove.
178. Why can't magic and supernatural powers solve problems of thought?
Throughout the entire history of humanity in this small world, you have never discovered any magic or supernatural power that can solve the problem of thought—no immortals or gods can solve this problem, including those in the celestial realm. Magic and abilities belong to the Formless Realm—the Formless Realm specifically addresses the problem of thought; all beings exist as a form of thought, without physical bodies. The Desire Realm has desires and a physical body. The Form Realm has no desires but still has a physical body. Above that, the Formless Realm exists entirely as a form of energy—abilities belonging to the Formless Realm, which only a major boss can wield.
179. Television Set Principles
Don't you like meditating? Don't you want to see the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Dhyanas? Do you want to see things after entering a state of deep concentration? To see things and communicate with that world, you need to adhere to the principles of a television set—you need an antenna, energy, a good circuit board, a working display, a legitimate channel and signal, and someone transmitting the signal to you. The vast majority of people can't see anything because their usual energy is insufficient to directly connect them to that place; their entire system has problems in various aspects. Spirit cleansing is very powerful—it can directly resolve many of your previous problems, unless you've been blocked by the Heavenly Dao. Are there people who have undergone 50 cleansings and still can't see anything? Yes, they are truly no longer impure, but they are not allowed to see anything—they are not allowed to see, knowing that if you can see, something bad will happen. At the same time, some people, after their spirits are cleansed, start seeing this and that—after their antennas are fixed, they connect randomly, mixing signals from various channels. These people are not allowed to undergo spirit cleansing now. Why? Because they are receiving signals everywhere, some of which they shouldn't be receiving, and receiving them is not good.
180. Why is it forbidden to cleanse the spirit if the shattered soul has not been properly cleansed?
Because you are very likely to receive things from fragmented souls, which may lead to evil thoughts and desires. When you think your supernatural powers are strong and have such desires, you may see that you possess such abilities—but this is something you imagine yourself, something your soul conjures up, a signal to itself. Normally, positive gods, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas send you signals, and you receive them, seeing auspicious scenes, seeing things from past lives, which brings you good things. You are prohibited from undergoing soul cleansing before you are completely purified. Many people say, "I'm willing to pay for this, why can't I cleanse myself?" I really can't let you cleanse yourself. I will only let you cleanse your soul if you haven't reached a certain level of cultivation, if I don't feel that you are capable of handling this and won't see random things. After soul cleansing, you can see and connect to 60% of the concepts—this is something unique to us, unavailable anywhere else in the world. First, purify yourself, cultivate yourself very well, and then you can try to use supernatural powers.