Meditation （坐禪）

A) Mindfulness Meditation （止禪）

Normally in tranquility practice, most meditation methods emphasize concentration or awareness. They bring the mind to focus on one point or object, thereby achieving strength of concentration. Although concentration is the main objective, there must also be mindfulness to bring your mind to a tranquility state. The results are very peaceful tranquility states, and in extreme cases give rise to supernormal powers.

Mindfulness Meditation is a kind of focused awareness on a specific object followed by the awareness of whatever we see, feel and experience with a non-judgmental mind on the emotional level for the purpose of achieving tranquility.

The metaphor of Mindfulness Meditation is as follows :

• Consciousness is the natural state of the mind. Consciousness could be liken to a clear blue sky. The mind exists within that consciousness is liken to the clouds against the blue sky. The sky doesn't judge the clouds or any weather conditions, they are just there forever. Sometimes the clouds obscure the sky but the sky is always there behind the clouds. Sometimes our thoughts cloud our mind but consciousness is always there behind the noise.
• Awareness or Concentration is our ability to see that there are clouds in the sky, it is our attention focused and directed onto a more localized aspect. With awareness we may still be prone to judge the clouds or the thoughts or the feelings.
• In mindfulness Meditation, our focused awareness is with the judgement taken out of it, through a gentle acceptance of allowing everything we see, feel and experience to be just as it is.
• For example we could be aware that we are angry but still get caught up in the emotion and act out that anger. With mindfulness we might see the anger, attempt to not judge it and let it be just exactly as it is.

Paying attention “Non-Judgmentally” 

（ 面对任何境界，内不动心，外不著相）

Mindfulness is an emotionally non-reactive state or stillness and balance of mind. We don’t judge that this experience is good and that one is bad. Or if we do make those judgments, we simply notice them and let go of them. We don’t get upset because we’re experiencing something we don’t want to be experiencing or because we’re not experiencing what we would rather be experiencing. We simply accept whatever arises. We observe it mindfully. We notice it arising, passing through us, and ceasing to exist. Whether it’s a pleasant experience or a painful experience we treat it the same way. Cognitively, mindfulness is aware that certain experiences are pleasant and some are unpleasant, but on an emotional level we simply don’t react to it.

Paying attention “on purpose”

（止于特定对象）

First of all, mindfulness involves paying attention “on purpose”. Mindfulness involves a conscious direction of our awareness. In order to be mindful I have to be purposefully aware of myself, not just vaguely and habitually aware. Let’s take eating as an example, when we’re eating unmindfully，we may in theory be aware of what we’re doing but we’re probably thinking about a hundred and one other things at the same time, and we may also be watching TV, talking, or reading — or even all three! So a very small part of our awareness is absorbed with eating, and we may be only barely aware of the physical sensations and even less aware of our thoughts and emotions. Because we’re only dimly aware of our thoughts, they wander in an unrestricted way. There’s no conscious attempt to bring our attention back to our eating. In other words, there’s no purposefulness.

When we are purposefully aware of eating, we are consciously being aware of the process of eating. We’re deliberately noticing the sensations and our responses to those sensations. We’re noticing the mind wandering, and when it does wander we purposefully bring our attention back. This purposefulness is a very important part of mindfulness. Having the purpose of staying with our experience, whether that’s the breath, or a particular emotion, or something as simple as eating, means that we are actively shaping the mind to be more peaceful and calm.

Paying attention “in the present moment”

（止于当下）

Left to itself the mind wanders through all kinds of thoughts — including thoughts expressing anger, craving, depression, revenge, self-pity, etc. As we indulge in these kinds of thoughts we reinforce those emotions in our hearts and cause ourselves to suffer. Mostly these thoughts are about the past or future. The past no longer exists. The future is just a fantasy until it happens. The one moment we actually can experience — the present moment — is the one we seem most to avoid. So in mindfulness we’re concerned with noticing what’s going on right now. That doesn’t mean we can no longer think about the past or future, but when we do we do so mindfully, so that we’re aware that right now we’re thinking about the past or future. However in meditation, we are concerned with what’s arising in the present moment. When thoughts about the past or future take us away from our present moment experience and we “space out” , we try to notice this and just come back to now. By purposefully directing our awareness away from such thoughts and towards the “anchor” or our present moment experience, we decrease their effect on our lives and we create instead a space of freedom where calmness and contentment can grow.

 

B) Insight Meditation （止觀禪）

Most meditation methods emphasise concentration. They bring the mind to focus on one point or object, thereby achieving strength of concentration. The results are very peaceful states, and in extreme cases give rise to supernormal powers. Isn’t this what people are hoping to achieve? No wonder most head towards that direction!

In Mindfulness Meditation or Tranquility Practice, mindfulness is just required to bring our mind to a tranquility state, but that mindfulness is not thorough enough to bring about Insight Wisdom. For Buddhists, that way does not lead completely away from all our sufferings, although it can lighten them considerably for a period of time. The answer to the predicament is to practise Insight Meditation.

Insight Wisdom is the realization of the real nature of the world as it is, freed from concepts. In simple words, all mental and material processes that make up this world are really impermanent, unsatisfactory and non-self and dependent of each another . Without realizing the unsatisfactory state of conditioned existence, one is greatly attached to it and, therefore, emancipation is impossible. Seeing thus, one turns away from them, starts to purify his mind of greed, hatred and ignorance, and finds refuge in the unconditioned state, the everlasting peace of the absolute reality, Nibbana (Nirvana), a complete freedom from the endless cycle of personal reincarnations.

In Insight Meditation, mindfulness can lead our mind completely away from all our sufferings and develop Insight Wisdom. To develop this Insight Wisdom, mindfulness is emphasised as the main feature, and concentration steps down to second place as another necessary factor. In other words, concentration pins the mind to its object, while it is mindfulness that carefully and thoroughly gets a good look at it. When you have found out what that thing really is, then you have developed Insight Wisdom.

• Concentration holds on to and fixes the mind to the object. It is like when you are holding tightly to something and not letting go. It is also like when you are staring at the television screen, unable to tear yourself away from it.
• Mindfulness, however, is like making a careful observation of what is happening on the television screen.
• Insight Meditation is a kind of focused awareness on a specific object followed by the awareness of whatever we see, feel and experience with an evaluating mind in order not just to achieve tranquility but also for the purpose of dissociating our mind from delusion and conquering our self-ego, in other words, to attain the state of equanimity.
• In Insight Meditation, if one’s aim is to really look within, to discover who and what one really is, then mindful observation must be borne in mind as the main factor. Then one is like a scientist, mak­ing a close and thorough observation of his subject. Once there is enough, one gets the full picture with all its details. That is when Mindfulness is transformed into Insight Wisdom. For example, one observes with con­centrated awareness on the objects, eg. rising/falling of the abdomen, sitting/touching, pain, thinking, right foot/left foot, etc., and will soon discover that all these (including the observing mind) are just processes that arise and pass away so rapidly. The meditator then realises that all these processes are changing (imperman­ent), beyond individual control, and unsatisfactory. This is followed by an abandoning of clinging to the false self, and there is a return to original nature and the abolishing of the “I am” – that is truly supreme bliss and Insight Wisdom.
• In Insight Meditation, once your mind is firmly established in a state of concentrated awareness, "lift" it from its object, but not so far that the concentration is destroyed, so that you could evaluate and detect the level of perception that is causing the unnecessary stress present in the concentration and dropping it for a more subtle level of perception until there is nothing left to drop. For example,

1. Evaluating how you are related to the breath
2. Detecting more subtle levels of breath energy in the body
3. Once the breath is perfectly still
4. The sense of the body starts to detect the perceptions of space、knowing、oneness etc and dissolve into a formless mist

Wrong Concentration

The best state of concentration or awareness in Insight Meditation is one that encompasses a whole-body awareness and that you can analyze and evaluate in terms of stress as opposed to the state of wrong concentration whereby the whole areas of your awareness are blocked off.

Wrong concentration will lead to the consequences of not being able to gain all-around Insight.

• The first is the state that comes when the breath gets so comfortable that your focus drifts from the breath to the sense of comfort itself,your mindfulness begins to blur and your sense of the body and your surroundings gets lost in a pleasant haze. This is called Delusion-Concentration.
• The second is the state that comes when your concentration is extremely one-pointed and dropped into a state in which you lose all sense of the body, of any sounds, of any thoughts, of any perceptions. This is called Non-Perception.

禪，翻譯為三昧，又稱為正念、正定、功德叢林。有世間禪、凡夫禪；有出世間禪、出世間上上禪。這裡所說的是如來自性清淨禪，是指我們這一念心。所謂「禪者，佛之心」，是指頓悟自心的禪，而不是漸修的禪。因此，打坐是禪，走路也是禪，穿衣吃飯、行住坐臥，都是禪。其他的禪，則屬於漸修。

所謂「禪者，佛之心」，這個地方所講的禪，不是漸修的禪，而是講心性。悟到這一念心，就契入了最高的禪心世界。

這念心有體、有用。用，就是心的作用，有善用、惡用，有染用、淨用。起貪、瞋、癡，是心的作用；修一切善，也是心的作用。

這個地方，一方面是講心之用，一方面是講心之體。什麼是體？心還沒有作用的時候，那一念心究竟是在哪裡？那一念心究竟是什麼境界？明白這個道理，就能夠契入禪；如果不明白這個道理，就屬於修。修什麼呢？修定。修定，這個禪只屬於一種定，有定而沒有慧，這樣一來，禪就有了次第，先定而後慧。這個地方所講的禪，是「禪者，佛之心」，定和慧是一個。

The Purpose of Life (覺悟)

 

1.）Moral Practice 修福田

 

• The Causal Effect （因緣果報）

In the physical world, everything is subject to the law of cause and effect（因果論）including reincarnation itself. So when we change our thoughts and our state of mind, our human relationships, health and financial circumstances change too. The causes of pain and suffering do not lie with others or the outside world but are actually created by ourselves.

• A Soul Draws Up A Life Plan Before It Is Born （斷惡修善，廣造福田）

Human souls draw up a life plan before being reincarnated on earth. We decide in advance on the best environment for our own spiritual development, on such things as the country where we will be born, our language, family environment, financial circumstances, religion, education and occupation.

Life is therefore A Workbook for us to work on. Every now and then we are confronted with human relationships and various troubles on earth but all these things are what we have planned for ourselves. Accordingly, when human relationships are at the root of our suffering, it is ourselves who decided to set these problems in our life plan.

Once we are aware that “life is a workbook” there is no longer any need to lament “why do I have to be put through this?” when confronted with difficulties and hardships. Instead, since these are opportunities for learning, we come to ask ourselves what it is that we can learn from them.

Sometimes people think that a husband and wife are not well-suited but, from a spiritual perspective, in fact it is the best possible pairing for their spiritual development. Couples are born promised to one another in order that they may learn a lot from their mutual differences.

Knowing that life is A Workbook of Problems to be solved, we therefore need to reflect on our thoughts and deeds and correct them through our own effort just like cultivating and ploughing a piece of land to achieve good fortune so that we can have a healthy body and fruitful life to carry on with the pursuing of the purpose of life .

• Suffering Hardships and Difficulties are Opportunities for Growth（消除業障，增長福報）

It is when a soul is placed in adverse circumstances, the earthly world（欲界）, that it can discipline itself, correct its misguided tendencies and make progress. That is why we periodically reincarnate to the earthly world, where people, whose wavelengths do not match, can gather together and refine their souls. The earthly world is also a place where we can encounter great souls whom we would never meet in the Spirit World（無色界）.

Everyone experiences troubles and hardships as a part of living in this world. We all would like to avoid them if possible. However, in the process of solving our problems in life, the soul acquires various experiences and learns many different lessons. These experiences and lessons are nourishment for the soul’s growth.

Suffering is an opportunity to reflect on the mistakes of our own mind and to reform ourselves. At such times it is important to have knowledge of the Truth – the teachings which represent God’s (Buddha’s) mind, and to practice self-reflection. The scriptures of God’s (Buddha’s) Truth are reference books given to us by God (Buddha) for solving “the workbook known as life.” The learning distilled from the experience of overcoming suffering becomes “wisdom.”

• Removing Our Clouds of Thought （斷惡即是斷煩惱，得清淨心）

The answer to the question, “Is it part of the soul’s nature to think and do evil?” is both “Yes” and “No.” It is “Yes” because the soul has been granted full freedom to think and create in any direction. But the answer is “No” because to do evil or to produce hell is not part of the original aim of the soul. However, we can create dark, dank regions in our minds and cut ourselves off from God’s (Buddha’s) light with negative thoughts such as complaint, anger, jealousy and envy, as well as selfish thoughts and our desire for self-preservation（貪嗔痴）. It is as a result of our own choices that we create clouds （煩惱）in our mind, block out the light, and live in darkness. That is why we must reflect on our thoughts and deeds and remove these clouds of thought （斷煩惱）to prepare our mind to be beefed up and restored to its original, shining state of eternal happiness.

 

2.）Spiritual Training 定慧雙修，離苦得樂，得涅槃

Although the Heavenly World（天道）, from which we reincarnate, is a wonderful world overflowing with love, harmony and happiness, it does not provide the soul with many opportunities for training and progress.

Life in the Spirit World（無色界）within Heavenly World is strictly governed by “The Laws of Vibration”, therefore, only souls that share the same wavelength can reside in the same realm.

This Earthly World（人道）is a training place for our souls, because we go through experiences we would not be able to go through whilst living in the Spirit World.

Humans are spiritual beings and the mind is our essence. It is the core of the soul. We are undergoing spiritual training to polish our mind hoping that it will ascend to the higher state of Spirit World and eventually restored to its original state of the highest level of awareness.

Spiritual Training is the first step towards enlightenment as we can understand that the difficulties and hardships of this world are not substantial but are opportunities for our personal growth. In this way, even in suffering, hardship and difficulties we can find the seeds of happiness and working towards enlightenment.

However, Enlightenment and full eternal happiness can only be attained through Self-Realisation and Mindfulness Meditation.

 

3.）Purpose of Life : Enlightenment （人生的目的，覺悟成佛）

As we can understand that the difficulties and hardships of this world are not substantial but are opportunities for our personal growth in the soul and spiritual development.

 

However, Awareness and Enlightenment is actually the sheer purpose of human life.

 

Buddha (God) reveals to us the universal truth of the Great Cosmos and his teachings are the guidelines for the evolution and cleansing of the human corrupted soul so as to achieve not reincarnation but awareness （覺悟）and enlightenment（成佛）, the sheer Eternal Bliss in the Real Spiritual World.

 

Enlightenment and full eternal bliss can only be attained through Self-Realisation and Mindfulness Meditation.

 

 

 

• Compassion 同體大悲 （拔苦解脫）

Compassion is the purpose of life and the reason of our existence. Our constant inner intent should be towards helping others to lessen their misery without asking for a return and be more compassionate. If you are unable to do so for any reason, make sure you have a sympathetic heart towards other's suffering, and also make sure that you do not hurt anyone. This is an indirect way to help those around you.

 

Service to others should be sincere and done from the heart; only then it is fruitful. When you do this, nature in turn will reward you and you will attain a kind of happiness. Happiness begins from the moment you do something for others. Those who consistently help others, are happy, and do not come across any obstacles in their lives. Research indicates that they are less stressed and experience improved mental health.

 

 

• Loving-Kindness 無緣大慈 （無相佈施）

 

Love is the purpose of life and the reason of our existence. It is about recognising your own gifts and using them to contribute to the world — whether those gifts are playing beautiful music for others to enjoy, helping friends solve problems, or simply bringing more joy into the lives of those around you. However, this Love is not the ordinary kind of love, it is a kind of universal love without any attachment to any being on the planet -- It is called "Loving-Kindness".

 

Life is love and love is life, and the more love flows through our veins, the more joyful we become, the clearer our vision gets, and the easier it becomes to connect not only with our own heart and Soul, but also with the heart and Soul of every living being that inhabits the planet. This kind of love is called "Loving-Kindness".

 

On the surface we might all look very different from one another but at the core level we are all the same. At the core level we are all ONE, connected with each other in a very deep and powerful way. At the core level we are essentially the same, all members of one human race. There is no separation except the separation we created in our minds because of our attachment to fear, and if we allow love back into our hearts, becoming one with it and allowing ourselves to live our lives from that place, then we will recognise ourselves in the world around us and we will finally understand that we are in the world and the world is in us… We are ONE.

 

 

• Meditation 靜慮心對治染污心

The tempo of modern life is rather fast and compacted. Most people suffer from distress caused by anxiety and insecurity. Therefore, in our daily lives, it is beneficial if we take a few minutes to practice the art of self-healing through mind calming and purification. When the “impurities” in our minds are cleansed, insight and wisdom will emerge from calmness.

 

 

 

 

 

Purifying Your Mind （修心）

Nature is total altruism, and our quality is egoism. We feel opposite to nature’s kindness and love to the extent that we think and act contrarily to nature. This is the source for all of our negative feelings and suffering. . .

 

To Purify The Mind（修心）

By admin2018-04-27Category: Body & Mind

In Buddhism, the root cause of human suffering and other problems are identified as the mind. It thus proposes to tap into this invaluable resource by transforming any unwholesomeness into wholesomeness. Buddhism instructs sentient beings on how to recognize the mind, calm the mind, and handle the mind. The Buddha taught for forty-nine years during his lifetime. Whether his teachings were about the four noble truths, the twelve links of dependent origination, the six paramitas, or the four means of embracing, they invariably involved the mind. The mind dictates a person’s behavior. If a person’s mind is pure, all of his or her thoughts, speech, and actions will also be pure. If a person’s mind is impure, then what he or she hears and sees will be impure. Therefore, it is said in one sutra,

“When the mind is impure, the being is impure; when the mind is pure, the being is pure.”

Illness of The Mind （貪嗔痴三毒）

Modern medicine is very advanced, and all kinds of pharmaceuticals are widely available. The great variety of drugs corresponds to the numerous ailments modern people now experience, many of which were nonexistent before. However, while it is true that there are illnesses and cancers in our physical bodies, aren’t there cancers in our minds as well? Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt are illnesses we cannot ignore. When we have physical disorders, we treat them with medicine, injections, or nutritional supplements. There is an old Chinese saying, “Medicine can only cure symptoms of ailments. It will not heal the real illnesses.”

The real illness is the illness of the mind.

Precepts, Equanimity, Wisdom (戒定慧）

As a matter of fact, many physical diseases are caused by psychological factors. The most obvious examples are illnesses of the stomach and digestive system. Eighty percent of these disorders are related to emotional distress. If we can maintain a balanced and peaceful mind, many diseases will disappear.

If we have a psychological disorder, what medicine will benefit our spirit? The Buddha created eighty-four thousand instructions to remedy our eighty-four thousand tenacious maladies. For example, if we do not eradicate greed by upholding the precepts, our minds will act greedy and run wild. If we do not overcome anger by practicing meditation, our spirit will live forever in a “flame of fire,” making true tranquility difficult to reach. Finally, the affliction of ignorance can only be cured by wisdom because wisdom is capable of penetrating the darkness of ignorance, uncovering the magnificent and tranquil state of the original mind.

 Methods to Purify Your Mind （戒定慧的方便法門）

In addition to the major illnesses caused by the three poisons, there are all kinds of psychological sicknesses that need to be healed, transformed, or overcome. The following are treatments prescribed in the Buddha’s teachings:

 

清淨心對治貪欲心 An unattached mind is the antidote to an impulsive mind. Modern men and women fancy novelties and fads. They are curious about any new gimmick and thus become easy targets of bizarre and eccentric scams and frauds perpetrated by con artists. Chan Buddhism states, “an unattached mind is the path to enlightenment.” Maintaining an unattached mind in daily life will enable us to appreciate that “every day is a delightful day; every moment is an enjoyable moment.”

 

慈悲心對治嗔奎心 A benevolent mind is the antidote to a malevolent mind. The mind sometimes is like that of a “sage,” but at other times like that of a “troubled one” , rambling here and there between the positive and the negative. When the benevolent mind arises, everything goes well; when the malevolent mind arises, millions of defilements result. Therefore, we must eradicate the unwholesome mind and guard and keep our correct thoughts to cultivate a mind of loving-kindness and compassion.

真誠心對治疑痴心 A trusting mind is the antidote to a doubtful mind. Many mistakes and tragedies in the world are due to doubt and suspicion, for instance, suspecting the betrayal of a friend, infidelity of a spouse, or ill will of a relative. When doubt arises, it is like a rope restraining the body, making movement almost impossible. The Great Perfection of Wisdom Treatise [Mahaprajnaparamita Sastra] says, “The Buddha’s teachings are as large as an ocean. Trust provides the only means to reach it.” Building trust not only allows us to realize the truth in the Buddha’s teachings, it also enables us to be more tolerant toward others, to accept the world as it is, and to strengthen our belief in the Dharma.

 

喜捨心對治嫉妒心 An open mind is the antidote to a narrow mind.We need to make our minds like an ocean, capable of receiving all the water from hundreds of rivers and tributaries without changing their characteristics. Only an all-embracing mind of gratitude and forbearance can relieve us from a jealous and intolerant mind.

 

菩提心、精進心對治污穢心 An enduring mind is the antidote to an impermanent mind. Although Buddhism maintains that all things and phenomena, including thoughts and feelings, are impermanent and constantly changing, it also holds that when we vow to serve others and not just ourselves, the power of the vow and devotion is so immeasurable that it reaches beyond the universe. The Flower Ornament Sutra says, “As soon as one invokes the bodhicitta (the vow to attain Buddhahood), one is immediately enlightened.” A bodhisattva who has just pledged his or her vow has a mind as pure as that of the Buddha’s. However, he or she must maintain that momentum, without falling back, in order to attain perfect enlightenment.

平等心對治我執心 A true mind is the antidote to a deluded mind. Because of attachments to the notion of self, personal preference, and judgment, ordinary people’s minds are constantly discriminating and deliberating, creating countless illusions and unwarranted responses. To lead a life of truth, beauty, and virtue, we must use our minds without discrimination or duality, perceive things as they are, and treat all sentient beings as inherently equal.

 

靜慮心對治染污心 A calm mind is the antidote to a busy mind. The tempo of modern life is rather fast and compacted. Most people suffer from distress caused by anxiety and insecurity. Therefore, in our daily lives, it is beneficial if we take a few minutes to practice the art of self-healing through mind calming and purification. When the “impurities” in our minds are cleansed, insight and wisdom will emerge from calmness.

禪定心對治虛妄心 A balanced mind is the antidote to a fragmented mind. If material wealth is the only thing we value in life, we will feel anguished if we lose our fortune. If ordinary love is the focal point of life, we will suffer tremendously if that loving relationship can no longer be maintained. Whenever there is grasping and clinging, there is differentiation and bondage. How can one be free? It is better that one reacts to the transient, worldly possessions and attached illusions with an even and equanimous mind. In doing so, one will become free and unperturbed at all times and during all occasions without any attachment or restriction.

Conclusion （總結）

In addition to these eight observations, we should cultivate a mind of patience, humility, thoughtfulness, filial piety, sincerity, honesty, innocence, purity, loving-kindness, forgiveness, joyfulness, charity, reverence, equanimity, forbearance, contrition, repentance, thankfulness, wisdom (prajna), compassion (a trait of a bodhisattva), and enlightenment (a trait of a Buddha) in order to fully develop its boundless potential.

The Scientist's View of Buddha Nature（佛性）

The power of Buddhism and other spiritual practices is to break through the delusions of the mind and to experience the true self, or what Buddhism refers to as the Buddha nature. When experiencing the true self, the practitioner is experiencing the universal field, known in Buddhism as Myoho renge kyo. The experiencing of the universal field is itself enlightenment. Enlightenment is awareness to the unity of consciousness; it is awareness to the unity of everything. This understanding supports the Buddhist teaching that determined prayer can move the universe.

The Buddha nature is the Universal Unified Field of energy - Albert Einstein

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein

Man is a microcosm of the universe - Physicist David Bohm, Dutch

In some sense man is a microcosm of the universe; therefore what man is, is a clue to the universe. We are enfolded in the universe.”

The Mind is a part of the Universal Unified Field of energy - physicist John Hagelin

The mind is often associated with the brain, from which consciousness and thought arise. From the dualistic view of Western culture, the mind, just as the individual, is seen as a separate entity, separate and distinct from the outside world. Both spiritual teachings and modern physics provide a radically different view of the mind, one where mind and universe are the same.
Both modern physics and Veda teachings refer to the unified field, a field of energy, of pure consciousness, that permeates the universe. In explaining the unified field, quantum physicist John Hagelin uses the metaphor of an ocean of pure consciousness, while the waves symbolize vibrations or activity within the field. The nature of this activity is consciousness using its infinite potential to organize sub atomic particles.

All Matter originates from the Universal Unified Field of energy - Dr Duerr

Material after all does not exist. At least not in our usual concept of matter. There is only a relational structure in the universe, fundamentally speaking there exists only connection without material basis. It is constantly changing and full of life. It is difficult to imagine this situation. We can also call it spirit. Something we can only feel but not touch. Material and Energy are secondary - the product of condensation of spirit. According to Einstein, material is the weak state of energy. Its foundation is not a more slender energy, but a new thing. We can take the computer software for comparison.

 

Mind and Matter are essentially the same - Author Deepak Chopra

Mind and matter are essentially the same. The field experienced subjectively is the mind; objectively, it is the world of material objects… human beings are not self-contained, independent entities, but are, in fact, focal points in the [unifed field]. They are inseparably interconnected with the patterns of intelligence in the whole cosmos… There are no well-defined edges to our bodies. We are not separate… Our body is part of the universal body, our mind an aspect of the universal mind.
By tapping into the universal field, humans synthesis and process its energy to manifest the mind, body, and material reality. Hagelin explains that what separates individuals in their thinking is the result of how each individual filters the information from the unified field. These filters include the beliefs of an individual; the belief systems of an individual determine how energy from the field is processed.
The SGI Phoenix Culture Center offers Buddhism 101 meetings, providing visitors with an introduction to Buddhist practice. You can contact them at (602) 861-1313.
If you have questions or comments about Buddhism, contact Chant2win@yahoo.com

The Nature of Oneness

What is Oneness?  Usually, in America, we speak of oneness as an ideal, a goal. Unity or harmony among all people is oneness. Equality regardless of race, nationality or gender is oneness. Compassion for those in need is oneness.
Buddhist Oneness goes beyond these ideals. The idea of Oneness is central to the Buddhadharma. In Buddhist practice, Buddhist Oneness is not a goal. It is the reality of life.
One of the best explanations of Oneness occurred at a Buddhist convention I attended. During the question and answer period after a seminar someone asked, “What is Oneness?” A panel member replied in a simple, understandable manner.
Holding up a sheet of paper he asked, “Do you see a cloud in this paper?” No one responded. Again he asked, “Do you see a cloud in this paper?” “You must see a cloud in this paper,” he continued, “because without a cloud there is no rain. Without rain there is no tree. Without a tree there is no paper.” He then asked, “Do you see a steel mill?” “You must see a steel mill because without the mill there is no steel. Without steel there is no ax or saw to cut the tree. No tree cut down, no paper.” The audience was beginning to understand his point. Chuckling he asked, “Do you see Wheaties?” “Loggers work hard and need a good breakfast. No loggers, no cut trees, no paper.”
What was the point he made? First, nothing exists independent of outside conditions（緣起）. Second, no single component is more important than another （無我）. These two points, along with the idea of impermanence （無常）, are the basis of Buddhism.
Yes there is oneness （性空）.  That oneness lies in a more expansive frequency of Divine Consciousness.  It exists right now fully, and completely.  Human beings are not at that frequency, but they are connected to that frequency.  That frequency empowers their lives, their love, their joys and their potential.  Human beings could not exist were it not for that higher frequency.
Earth is a school.  There are different levels of knowledge to assimilate throughout our journey of lifetimes.  The human self is a projection from our more expansive Consciousness.   People here are at different stages of their growth, or in different classes you could say.  This is one reason why it is so erroneous to try and make rules and define "normal".  There is no such thing.  There are numbers of people who adhere to the same class.  There are just as many who don't, and should not be made to feel there is something wrong.  That is a part of the ignorance in this world.

Those who believe most in separation, are those who instigate wars, cruelty, slavery, and every other form of negativity.   Those who are beginning to awaken to the truth within themselves, are beginning to remember the Consciousness in which we are one, and are gaining knowledge that is transforming their physical, human self into a higher being.   The more human beings who wake up out of their human trance of "separation", the more empowered all of humanity becomes to also awaken.
The majority of people on this planet now are still living in darkness.  They think they are the human ego （我執）and that is how they identify themselves.  It is ego that perceives reality in a distorted, fragmented, limited manner.  It cannot fathom our ONENESS because it is incapable of doing so until the Consciousness within the human being becomes powerful enough to transcend identity with ego and refine its perceptions.  There becomes a time when that consciousness is freed of the limitations and fears of the ego, and identity is transitioned from limitation to Oneness.
Before you learn anything, you simply don't know it.  Does that mean that knowledge doesn't exist?  No.  As human beings we have remarkable potential.  No human is a finished product, and nothing they think they know is a finished product.  We are NEVER finished products and there is always new information awaiting us.   We were never meant to be beings who stop and start, stop and start.  This indicates finality of something.  We are fluid beings.  Our lives are fluid, one aspect flowing into the next.  To stop at what one thinks they have figured out goes against our "authentic" nature.  It is human ignorance, humans beings wholly asleep in their consciousness in physical form that engage in, and perpetuate the darkness in this world.   However, there are many other human begins who are awakening their awareness to the truth.
We must each choose to grow（修行）, to challenge limitation and ignorance and to dare to trust in our potential and the power and beauty of the ONENESS that awaits the recognition of each of us.  We cannot wait for everyone else to say it is okay at this point.  We must choose.  We must each embrace our self authority and dare to be a part of life's expansion, not distortions of limitation, stagnancy, and hesitancy.   We must quit thinking it is everyone else who makes the rules and claim our own lives, or get dragged down by the status quo that, like a slug, plods along until those with real vision and courage give them a jump start.
The New Age is merely humanity awakening to a timeless truth（解脫自在） and rising up out of centuries old darkness and oppression.  A New Age is something each of us gifts our self.  We actually gift ourselves with new vision of our "agelessness".  When there are enough human beings who finally come out of their coma, only then will any manifestation of New Age thinking and being manifest on this planet.  Until then, we need wait for no one.  We are here to live up to our own potential.  Those whom we must still witness performing the atrocities that only ignorance condones,  are in their own class and it is a very beginning class.  Think of how ironic that their human ego can propel them into positions of power, while their true Conscious level is in first grade.  Such is this world.  Ego reigns until authentic truth is claimed.