So only the Quan Yin Method is logical for it's not Zen riddles or some kind of chant, which will only add more to our brains. Instead, we cleanse it. That's why I tell you that, although I've instructed you to recite the Holy Names and meditate on the Light, it's not effective if you don't practice "Sound meditation." This is so because chanting the Holy Names and meditating on the Light also add extra things; although these additives can control other things and make us forget worldly vexations. Suppose we're angry with someone and want to get even or scold him. Now when we recite the Holy Names, we forget the hostility. It means that we can use these benevolent Holy Names to control our distracting thoughts and stop them from troubling us. It doesn't mean that they've vanished, or been cleansed by chanting the Holy Names or Amitabha Buddha. No! We add tens of thousands of repetitions of the Holy Names every day, to control the distracting thoughts. After that, we should use the "Sound meditation" to erase them, including the Holy Names! (Applause) I'm very glad that you understand.

That's why I say, if someone doesn't practice Sound meditation every day and yet claims that he's been completely enlightened or become a Buddha, he's lying. Some people also say that when one becomes a Buddha, meditation becomes unnecessary. It means not doing the ordinary kind of meditation, where we tax our brains chanting the Holy Names, just reciting two names and forgetting the rest, or reciting one and forgetting the other four, or reciting the first and forgetting the fifth, or struggling with distracting thoughts. "Good grief! I have so many distracting thoughts. My God! I hate that person. My God! Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha. Good grief! That person is really disgusting. Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha.... Oh! I'll surely get even with him tomorrow. Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha...." Oh! What a painful struggle it is. This is called meditation because we're training our minds and suppressing our distracting thoughts, hatred and habits.

It's not true that a person doesn't meditate after becoming a Buddha, but he meditates without struggling. He still meditates without having to sit in meditation so we say he doesn't meditate. Now, when we meditate, we know that we're meditating. A Buddha doesn't know that he's meditating; he meditates effortlessly. This is what Lao Tze meant by "doing without doing." He didn't mean that we should sit the whole day long, remaining oblivious to the world, not managing the country, not taking care of the family, not bathing our body or doing the laundry and not even eating. This isn't "doing without doing"; it's being insane. (Laughter) Thus, when some people say that once we become a Buddha we don't need to meditate anymore and instead we just enjoy gambling and singing karaoke all day long, this is becoming the devil. This is becoming a negative Buddha instead of a Buddha like the Amitabha Buddha.

So when you notice that someone isn't meditating or reciting the Holy Names, you know he's ignorant. This is only befitting for the lowest Astral realm; he's been deceived! A Buddha (Enlightened Master) doesn't meditate, yet he does meditate. Why? He has to bless the world; he has to bless his disciples. If even we ordinary humans can derive such great merit from meditation, imagine what happens when a Buddha meditates. He can't shirk his responsibility. If a Buddha comes here and doesn't meditate, then what does he want to do? Besides, he also needs to replenish his inner spirit and vitality. Don't we feel physically comfortable and mentally happy when we meditate? Though we don't have a desire for inner levels, we attain them all the same!

We cannot remain physically healthy just by eating. Many people eat, yet their bodies are weak. For us, we only have to meditate for an hour or two, and we're happy in spirit, and can work tirelessly throughout the day. Therefore, even a Buddha needs to meditate to restore his power. Eating food alone cannot sustain his body. If he were only an ordinary person, then even if he ate a lot, he still wouldn't be able to take on the numerous responsibilities of a Buddha. Since a Buddha eats very little and has to shoulder so many responsibilities, how can he not meditate?

He does meditate, except that he doesn't struggle hard like we do or meditate with so much effort. A Buddha meditates in a very relaxed way. He enters samadhi soon after he begins to meditate and he's in samadhi even when he's not meditating! He's in samadhi twenty-four hours a day and he can meditate at any time. This is called meditating without meditating. Spiritual cultivation is not all about meditation. Even then, he still meditates to set an example for his disciples. Otherwise, everyone would think that he had become a Buddha and didn't need to meditate anymore, but just enjoyed worldly pleasures. In that case, everyone would be the same, and everyone could do it. Since there would be no need to meditate, lazy people could also claim that they had become Buddhas. What a wonderful excuse! No way!

Remember that after Shakyamuni Buddha became a Buddha, He meditated every day. That's why the scriptures mention that every time Shakyamuni Buddha came out of samadhi, He would begin to give a discourse to His disciples. They never mention Him giving a discourse after coming out of the washroom, or after enjoying karaoke, singing, dancing or gambling. Never! Therefore, reading the scriptures without really understanding them will bring us harm. Our spiritual practice will be impaired. We'll boast and thirst for fame and gain, and thus hurt ourselves.

<<Previous Page Next page>>