Mahakasyapa was the first Zen patriarch. Without his organized collection and compilation of the scriptures, we wouldn't have Buddhism today. Soon after Shakyamuni Buddha went into nirvana, Mahakasyapa gathered together the high-level disciples of the Buddha - the great saints - to compile scriptures for their fellow practitioners and the later generations. Mahakasyapa and Ananda have brought us immense benefits. For this, we are extremely grateful. So I think that it is appropriate to talk about the Zen patriarchs.

Mahakasyapa and Shakyamuni Buddha began pursuing spiritual practice at about the same time. Mahakasyapa was of Brahman descent. The Indian people were divided into four classes - the Brahmans, the royal families or saints, at the upper end; and slaves or labor workers, who were not learned and had no social status, at the other end. As the most respected in society, the Brahmans formed the dominant and highest class in India at the time. Mahakasyapa was born in the country of Magadha. His father was Yingzhe and his mother was Hsiangzhi. At a young age, he looked dignified and handsome, his body radiating a golden hue which manifested from his spiritual vibration that was invisible to ordinary folks. His golden light shone far and wide long before he renounced his layman's life. At his parents' request, a highly reliable fortune-teller prophesied, "This child has great, inconceivable merit. He seems destined for monkhood." Upon hearing these words, his parents feared that they might lose their son to the monastic order. As you all know, people often say, "It is great for other people's sons to become monks, but not mine!"

Mahakasyapa's parents decided, "No way! When he grows up, we must find a beautiful girl and have him marry her immediately. Once he is bound by a female, he won't be able to think about becoming a great man or a monk, or getting liberated." His parents' plans were set. So when Mahakasyapa reached the age of fifteen or sixteen, they wanted him to get married. But each time, he refused. His parents coerced and threatened him, trying all kinds of tricks and using a teary approach, "If you don't get married, I will take my life...." Mahakasyapa refused many times but finally gave in to their persistent efforts. "Well, I respect your opinion, but you must find a girl who is the same color as I am," Mahakasyapa said to his parents. "She must radiate light, have a golden body, and look like me. Only then will I marry, otherwise I will remain single!"

Have you noticed that some couples look very much alike? The name "Mahakasyapa" means "absorbing all other light." This means that Mahakasyapa radiated such an intensely brilliant color of golden light that all other lights paled in comparison and seemed as though they had disappeared. So Mahakasyapa means "great light". Once Mahakasyapa's parents learned that he wanted to find a girl of his own likeness, they had a sculpture of him carved in gold, because not only did golden rays of light shine forth from him, but his physical body was like gold as well. A nationwide search was made for a girl resembling the sculpture. Finally, one such a girl was found, and Mahakasyapa had to honor his promise and marry her. This story explains why Mahakasyapa married the girl.

Now let me tell you about this part. Why was there a girl who had such noble looks? A long, long time ago, before the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, there were seven enlightened saints. One of them was called Vipasyin. When Vipasyin went into nirvana, his believers built a temple where his relics were worshipped and a statue of him was molded. Many years later, the statue became worn out and the gold plating on its face cracked. A poor woman went to the temple to worship the saint and noticed that the statue needed repairs. She took her only nugget of gold to Mahakasyapa, who was a goldsmith at the time, and asked him to melt it for the facial repair. Moved by the poor but sincere woman, Mahakasyapa was very happy to help her. They became good friends. Later, this common objective of restoring the saint's statue united them in matrimony, their nuptial bonds founded on a shared sentiment, mutual understanding and respect rather than sexual desire. They vowed that they would be husband and wife in the lives to come.

Therefore, in their last lifetime, Mahakasyapa had to marry her even though he wanted to join the monastic order. Until the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, they had been reborn ninety-one times, each time with golden bodies and happily sharing their lives together because of their vow, the merit of repairing the saint's statue, and the offering of gold to the saint. At the end of each lifetime, they went to the Brahma (God of creation) Heaven, where they enjoyed their time before descending to Earth as human beings again. In this last lifetime, they were both born into wealthy families, again because of their merit. And it was their parents, their karmic relationship, and sincere vow that united them in wedlock.

So, sometimes when we see people getting married, we cannot assume that it's not good and based only on sexual desire. They might have made a vow that now ties them together. Therefore, we cannot say that all marriages are no good. After Mahakasyapa married the girl, they lived like intimate friends but slept separately, treating each other like fellow practitioners and not having a sexual relationship. A long time after their marriage, they both sought permission from their parents to become monastics, pleading until their wish was granted, whereupon they joined the monastic order and went to different places to pursue spiritual practice.

After practicing asceticism in the mountains for some time, Mahakasyapa heard a voice in the sky, "Now a Buddha has descended to the world to teach people. You must go look for Him and follow Him." Mahakasyapa went to Shakyamuni Buddha's bamboo grove and, with utmost sincerity, requested that the Buddha accept him as a disciple. Shakyamuni Buddha said, "You are a monk with good merit. Please go shave your hair and beard." Mahakasyapa was thus initiated into monkhood and followed the Buddha. He progressed very quickly, easily understanding the profound teachings of the Buddha, and becoming His favorite. He practiced diligently and soon attained arhatship.

On one occasion, Mahakasyapa returned from far away to see Shakyamuni Buddha. Although he had been born into a wealthy family, he practiced asceticism and cared little about his outer appearance. He came in tattered clothes, looking thin, awful and undignified, most probably because of his ascetic practice and lack of sleep and food. He did not deliberately make himself appear so. At the time of his arrival, many other monastics and disciples were gathered around the Buddha, listening to His lecture. They looked at Mahakasyapa with disdain because of his appearance. These disciples were usually by the Buddha's side, their ample supply of food and clothes ensuring that they looked good and healthy, while the penniless Mahakasyapa practiced asceticism in seclusion in the mountains. Thus, the monks and nuns looked down upon him.

Shakyamuni Buddha noted their reaction and said, Mahakasyapa, come here. I'll share my seat with you. Mahakasyapa dared not comply and sat on the floor instead. "I have great mercy, samadhi (joy from meditation) and boundless merit to dignify myself," said Shakyamuni Buddha to his disciples, implying that one should be dignified through merit rather than clothes. Some people look ordinary, but we respect them all the same when we meet them. Here, Shakyamuni Buddha is quoted as saying He had boundless merit to dignify Himself and so did Mahakasyapa. He praised Mahakasyapa for his merits and wisdom, as well as his high spiritual level that put him on a par with fully enlightened saints. Thus the Buddha wanted to offer half of His seat to him, that is to say that Mahakasyapa is the same as I am. These words shocked the monastics, who finally understood and immediately became respectful toward Mahakasyapa.

One day during a lecture on Mount Grdhrakuta, Shakyamuni Buddha held up a lotus flower. The audience did not understand the gesture. Only Mahakasyapa smiled with understanding at this revelation. This is the Chinese ancient saying about "Mahakasyapa smiling at the Buddha holding up a flower". "I have the profound method for the complete opening of the wisdom eye and attainment of nirvana. It is not expressed in words and is transmitted beyond my verbal teachings," said Shakyamuni Buddha. Today I pass it on to you, Mahakasyapa. You must carefully protect this method and ensure that it is passed down forever without getting lost. You may pass it to Ananda in the future. The Buddha asked Mahakasyapa to go to Him and offered him half His seat. He put his robe - the so-called "Sanghati" (patch-robe) - around Mahakasyapa in a gesture signifying the passing on of the Masterhood and that this disciple was no different than the Buddha, sitting on half His seat and wearing the most noble robe. This robe was later passed down to the sixth Zen patriarch Hui Neng.

Here, Shakyamuni Buddha recited a poem, "This method is not a method; it is one without form. Yet even a formless method is a method." Today I pass on this formless method; but no method is a method. Mahakasyapa's inheritance of the Masterhood from Shakyamuni Buddha earned him the title of the first patriarch later in Buddhism. Shakyamuni Buddha was acclaimed as the Master and the Great Guide, while the first patriarch, His successor, is called the first patriarch.

When Mahakasyapa received news that the Buddha was entering nirvana, he and five hundred other disciples rushed back to Kusinayara to see Him but arrived too late. A sad Mahakasyapa walked around the Buddha's golden coffin three times. The Buddha, though gone, was moved by the disciple's action and stretched out His feet for Mahakasyapa to behold. Mahakasyapa was so touched that he prostrated before the Buddha's feet. This is the story behind the saying "prostrating before the Buddha's feet". When Mahakasyapa touched and prostrated before the Buddha's feet, he felt much consoled. Because he had arrived too late to see his Master, the Buddha, who loved him dearly, let him see His feet for the last time. After the Buddha's cremation, Mahakasyapa said to the monastics, "We shall ask the celestial beings and guards to protect the Buddha's relics. However, we monastics shall be responsible for compiling the scriptures for future generations. The disciples of the Buddha shall not yet enter into nirvana. Those of you who have magical powers shall gather together to compile the scriptures." Seven days after Shakyamuni Buddha went into nirvana, Mahakasyapa assembled five hundred arhats to carry out the compilation work in a big cave on Mount Grdhrakuta.

However, there was one man who could not participate. Do you know who that was? It was Ananda. At that time, Ananda had not yet attained the level of a perfect arhat. He still had "leaks" - dark and gloomy sides. He had not been cleansed and had yet to attain one hundred percent purity. Therefore, Mahakasyapa did not allow this incomplete saint who still had the qualities of a mundane person to join in the work and even reprimanded him, "You are not pure! Don't come here to contaminate the gathering of the saints." Well! If an ordinary person had heard these words, how do you think he would have reacted? He would have said, "How dare you speak to me like this?" An ordinary person would have objected and problems would have arisen. He might have waged a battle, argued, fought, broken cups, or hurt his legs. He might even have resisted or begged to go home.

However, Ananda was a saint. Though annoyed, he knew that he was unclean and had not done well in his spiritual practice; he talked a lot each day and did not keep the precepts strictly; instead, he relied solely on the Buddha's love. He was a relative of the Buddha and thought it was enough to remember everything that the Buddha had ever said. Shakyamuni Buddha had warned Ananda several times and instructed him to practice more diligently. However, he took things easily and did not work hard. Only now that the Buddha had gone did he realize there would not be another one who would spoil him like the Buddha did. There was no one to rely on and there was nothing to do. Ananda had served as the Buddha's attendant and attended to Him every day. So he had excuses, "I'm very busy!" "I don't have time to meditate." "The Buddha asked for me just as I was about to meditate." "I'm sacrificing myself for the Buddha and the people."

After Ananda was sent away, he remained awake all night, meditating sincerely and entered samadhi. In just one night, he became a true arhat (with "no leaks"). He immediately went to the cave to see Mahakasyapa, who knew what had happened as soon as he saw Ananda. So he did not reject Ananda but rather praised him in front of the other monastics, "Our monk Ananda is our primary source of information. He often listened to the Buddha's lectures and remembers everything that the Buddha said not forgetting a single thing, just like a bottle that does not allow a single drop of water to leak out. We shall invite him to compile the scriptures with us to make the work perfect. We shall also ask the nuns to compile the precepts." The monastics happily agreed. The compilation of the scriptures marked the end of Mahakasyapa's mission of delivering sentient beings. He summoned Ananda and said, "When the Buddha was about to go into nirvana, He instructed me to pass the method of opening the wisdom eye to you. I will be leaving soon. So now is a good time to pass the method to you. You must carefully protect it. Do not let it become lost."

That was the story of Mahakasyapa. Without him and Ananda, we wouldn't have known who Shakyamuni Buddha was. To them, we are truly grateful. By studying their stories, we may be inspired to pursue spiritual practice. And as the story goes, Mahakasyapa was not an ordinary man. He was born with a golden colored body which emitted brilliant light. He also had the noble inclination to become a monk. You may have heard that people saw that I have a golden body. My master had seen it before I practiced the Quan Yin Method and became a nun. In "The True Meaning of the Amitabha Buddha Chant" -The Key Of Immediate Enlightenment, Chinese version Volume III, some people saw my body as a colored glaze emitting very strong light; some said that my body radiated white light and others said that it gave forth other kinds of light. People see different kinds of light depending on their spiritual levels. But if I were to go grocery shopping with you, you might ask a peddler in the market, "Do you know that my Master has light?" He would say, "You are crazy! What are you talking about? I'm only selling vegetables. Why do you ask me that? I don't know what 'light' is!"

The story here says that Mahakasyapa had light, because the writer must have been a high-level disciple who might have seen Mahakasyapa's golden colored body. Why do I say that? Because the book says that Mahakasyapa's golden light shone far and wide. It would have been invisible to one who did not pursue spiritual practice and had no great wisdom. The writer was a high-level disciple of Mahakasyapa's, so he perceived his Master's appearance and the story he wrote was closer to reality. An ordinary disciple could only have written about how learned his Master was, where he was born, how old he was, what method he taught, whether he had a merciful personality or not, whether he worked hard or not, how many disciples he had, how many hours he slept, and how many meals he ate each day, and so on. I'm sure that this story was written for us by a great practitioner.

Another thing is that Mahakasyapa's parents objected strongly when they learned that he wanted to become a monk. We all know that people of any country or religion hold monastics in great reverence. People like to visit churches and temples to worship masters or eminent monastics and respectfully make offerings to them. They like monastics, but they make trouble when their own children want to renounce lay life. This is understandable. Parents have been the same throughout the ages. They like monastics, thinking, "It's fine for someone else's child to become a monastic, but not mine. My child must get married and have a son to carry on the family line; he must get a Ph.D. or become a lawyer to earn big money; he must marry the most beautiful and well-behaved girl and become a father."

From ancient stories, we know that the life of monastics is the most noble. That's why Shakyamuni Buddha gave up the whole world and the kingdom. His son Rahula was only nine years old and was supposed to inherit the throne, but Shakyamuni Buddha also took him along and made him a monk. Shakyamuni Buddha even allowed his own wife to become a nun. This means that being a monastic is better than being a king. If we have an accident tomorrow, we will have to leave everything in the world behind. When we go to hell, the king of hell will not ask us what academic degree we earned. When we go to the Western Paradise, Amithabha Buddha will not ask us whether we graduated or not. If we are virtuous, we can go there; if we are not virtuous, we cannot, even if we have ten academic degrees. Therefore, it's not that monastics give up good things, but that the worldly people truly give up good things - they give up nirvana, give up great power and freedom, and give up eternity for some small things .

One other thing I have noticed in many scriptures is that when Shakyamuni Buddha said, You are now a monastic with good merit, that person's hair would fall out automatically. But this story is the first one that recounted Shakyamuni Buddha as saying, "Please go shave your hair and beard." So this story may be more accurate, because I know very well that Shakyamuni Buddha wouldn't have used magical power. Why would He use magical power to make a person's hair fall out? He did not need to; it was a trivial thing that could be done with a razor. He did not even perform big deeds with magical power, so why would He shave people's hair through magical power? That is only like child's play. I don't believe that Shakyamuni Buddha would have done so. Of course He could have, but He wouldn't. Why would a Buddha do such things to attract people to Him? If He had done that kind of thing, I think that the entire nation would have become His followers, because it was cheap. So I believe that the translation of this story is closer to how it was, while the translated versions of other stories are exaggerated (or just symbolic).

When we respect a person, we exaggerate about him - we say that he did this when he actually did something else. For example, many people maintain that Master Kuang Chin performed spiritual healing, but I don't believe it. I don't think he did it intentionally. Because of his high spiritual level, people who had an affinity would naturally feel better when they came near him. Also for example, you may have heard that I have healed many people, but it was done invisibly. I did not recite mantras to heal them. No. I did not do anything intentionally, but the power of my spiritual practice has become medicine and comfort; when people who have an affinity with me come close to me, they feel comfortable and are healed immediately.

There is a grandmother in Tainan, whose home is open for group meditation on Sundays. She was once unable to walk and was confined to bed. But when I visited her, she was healed immediately and could sit up and walk. She was very happy and talked all day long. Now she can walk and work as a gatekeeper. I did not do anything intentionally, but a spiritual practitioner has the power to help others. When people come near him, they are healed immediately. I wouldn't heal you intentionally with magical power to entice you to come for initiation, nor would Shakyamuni Buddha. So this translated version says, Now you are a monk with good merit. Okay, please go shave your hair and beard. I'm glad that I finally found an objective and wise scripture, which is not superstitious and does not exaggerate. Shakyamuni Buddha detested the use of miraculous powers to attract others. I too do not allow you to use such powers. I'm an ordinary person, yet I know this; so why would Shakyamuni Buddha show off his magical power in public and make a person's hair fall out?

When Shakyamuni Buddha was transmitting the Masterhood to Mahakasyapa, He chanted the poem, "This method is not a method; it is one without form. Yet even a formless method is a method. Today I pass on this formless method; but no method is a method." I say the same thing when I give initiation: I initiate you with this method, but I do not have a method to teach you, not that I do not teach you the method, but that you will not get a method. To put this into worldly language, I should say that when I initiate you, I give you a method which is formless. All methods come from "the formless method" and are nothing. The statements, "Nothing is happening in the world" and "Fundamentally no Bodhi (wisdom) tree exists," both mean the same.

Only after I practiced the Quan Yin Method and was able to initiate others did I understand that this method is formless. When I was initiated and first practiced the Quan Yin Method, I did not realize that right away. However, without a Master to initiate you, you cannot learn this formless method. Who would understand what I say? Only you would. Those who are not initiated cannot understand. The master who teaches this method understands it the most clearly, because he doesn't teach anyone and has no method to teach. That's why when Shakyamuni Buddha passed this formless method to Mahakasyapa, He said it was not a method, because all methods were formless and no methods were a method.