Title:Pressure Stems from Inner Attachment
ID/No.:10130
Date:2013-01-14
Video Link:https://m.ningway.com/video?no=10130
Before and After Enlightenment
Before you reach enlightenment, you are nothing;
Once enlightened, you are everything.
Continue to sit in meditation and purify yourself;
Then, strive to understand the highest View.
Continually realize the wisdom of the Buddhas, their insights,
And the profound truth of Emptiness (Śūnyatā).
Slowly, clarity will emerge.
Once enlightened, if time permits, you can cultivate the physical form.
You can enter retreat to work on your energy channels and chakras.
It is only at this stage that they truly open and activate.
A Student’s Experience: “I Felt Separate from the World”
(Student):
“A few days ago, I watched a movie. While watching, it felt as if I had no connection to the world. But yesterday, after hearing you speak about the ‘self,’ it felt wrong. Why do I still exist? Why am I still in this world? I thought: there is no ‘me,’ and there is no world… anyway, it was like that…”
The Heart and Its Hang‑ups
Because this world resides in your mind; it has always been in your mind.
When you are “hooked” or attached to it, you maintain a relationship with this world.
The moment you let go—adopting the stance of a detached bystander—
The world suddenly feels as if it has nothing to do with you.
In that moment, your mind simply had fewer “hang‑ups” (guà’ài);
You had fewer attachments, so the world felt distant.
However, you have not yet realized Emptiness,
Because there is still a “you” and still a “world.”
You have only attained a temporary state of purity and less burden.
Why the State Doesn’t Last
Since you haven’t seen through the illusion of the self and the world,
Your level of realization (zhèngliàng) is not yet sufficient.
In a few days, you will feel lost again.
This was only a brief moment of clarity.
Everything you consider “related” to you is only because your mind is hooked on it.
When the mind has no hang‑ups, nothing has power over you.
This includes Shao Ning, and even the Buddha—nothing is truly related.
How could there be a relationship? You are neither the Buddha nor Shao Ning.
But right now, your mind is just blank, and you know it is blank;
You haven’t realized the truth yet; the time has not yet come.
Still Clinging to Forms
You are still attached to the “appearance of void” or the “appearance of blankness.”
You are still clinging to forms (zhāoxiàng).
You must continue to practice, though you have all tasted this state to some degree.
That state is the State of No Hang‑ups. When the heart no longer “hooks” onto a matter, it no longer concerns you.
In reality, the whole world is troublesome only because you hold it in your heart.
When you stop holding on, it doesn’t mean the world disappears—
It simply means it no longer affects you.
The world’s movement no longer concerns you, so you are no longer “turned” by your environment.
This is a brief experience of a mind without hang‑ups.
Because your realization cannot yet maintain this state, it passes.
But it is a wholesome state—a good sign. Keep going; keep practicing.
The Root of Pressure: Inner Attachment
All pressure stems from your inner attachment. Because you are “hooked,” pressure arises.
You can do things without mental hang‑ups.
You can work desperately hard, 24 hours a day, yet remain without hang‑ups.
You can be extremely diligent in practice, bowing and meditating for 24 hours,
Yet there is no “you,” no “Buddha,” and no hang‑ups.
You do not cling to the form of “practicing.”
This state is the highest. This is the Non‑duality of Form and Emptiness.
Avoiding the Two Extremes
But currently, because you cling to the form of “matter” and the form of “void,”
You cannot see the truth of their non‑duality.
You cling to the two extremes, and so you slip away again.
When you enter a “formless” state, you feel blank, thoughtless, or dazed;
This is still clinging to a form—the two sides of your mind are still moving.
When you no longer cling to the form of matter, nor the form of void,
Nor the form of “nothingness” or “blankness,”
The non‑duality of Form and Emptiness will slowly manifest.
Past, future, and present will begin to converge into a single point before you.
Practice Beyond the Cushion
Continue your practice. Everything is practice; it is not limited to the meditation cushion.
This year, every rising thought is part of your cultivation—
A chance to witness your deluded mind and habitual tendencies.
It is your illusory mind that creates hang‑ups.
You are trapped by the constant arising and perishing of this false mind.
This fluctuating mind is not your True Heart.
Your True Heart is unarising, unceasing, unshakable, and pure.
It is the illusory mind’s flux that disturbs you.
A Glimpse of True Realization
Now you have experienced a tiny glimpse of this state.
This is actual realization (shízhèng).
Experiencing this in the daily life is better than experiencing it on a cushion.
It is one thing to feel powerful in meditation with your eyes closed,
Only to find everything “terrible” the moment you stand up.
If you can experience this in the world—suddenly, while watching a movie—
Then your realization will slowly stabilize and remain with you.
Skillful Means: Continuing the Practices
Actually, you can continue the practices from last year,
Such as the Sound of the Sea Tide, to purify the ear faculty.
Since everyone is prone to attachment, just sit and listen; continue to listen.
Whether you use breath contemplation or other methods—any “skillful means” (upāya) works.
Whether listening to the Buddha’s name or the rising and falling of the tide,
Recognize them all as illusory forms.
As you focus, you may suddenly have an epiphany.
These methods are all tools; there is no single “best” one.
Choose one or two that suit you to deal with your habitual tendencies.