Chapter 22: Obtaining The Certificate
The path cultivators ultimately take is to refine the seventh consciousness and merge it into the eighth consciousness.
In other words, to hide the heart.
This is also called the Earth Store.
Here, “Earth” refers to the heart’s ground, and “Store” refers to the meaning of containing.
It means to hide your heart within the subconscious.
This heart refers to your consciousness; your consciousness is hidden within the subconscious. As long as the subconscious is indestructible, your consciousness is also indestructible.
This is what is meant by attaining the Dao; the Dao is the pattern. Attaining the Dao means you have obtained the innate pattern.
To become one with the innate pattern.
I know what I’m saying is starting to get a bit deep, but it’s okay. Everyone, slowly comprehend, take your time, and don’t be anxious.
These things cannot be fixed in a day or two, or even one or two lifetimes; it requires cultivation across lifetimes.
For example, I did not start cultivating in this lifetime but have been cultivating in past lives, which is why I can re-enter this path of cultivation in this life.
This is called affinity, or entanglement.
There’s no need to force anything. If you can attain great freedom of the soul in this lifetime, then you have skill.
Humans have biological instinctual traits, things passed down through genes over generations, and an innate drive to survive and fear death.
For instance, a drowning person in a panic may lose the ability to think and instinctively push down the person trying to save them, ultimately not being saved themselves and even harming others.
If one can remain calm and rational at all times, the greatest possibility of survival can be achieved.
Similarly, cultivation is the same. People whose views differ from yours will instinctively try to pull you down. You must, while ensuring your own soul is not trapped, be able to redeem the souls of others.
If you find yourself being assimilated or pulled into their cognition, you must always remain vigilant and alert.
Save others according to the flow; first, ensure you can do it yourself and that you are not trapped.
This is also a problem faced by many cultivators.
For most people in society who claim to have energy and practice cultivation, you can tell if they have skill by observing just one point.
You don’t need to listen to what they say. Instead of getting angry and cursing, observe whether they are genuinely angered or merely showing anger externally. If their heart is not moved by anger, then this is just a convenient method they intentionally employ.
The purpose is only to awaken others with their words or to resist assimilation.
Don’t listen to anyone who says that after cultivating, you shouldn’t take anything seriously or argue about anything.
You cultivate Buddha, you cultivate the Dao. If someone slanders Buddha or the Dao, misinterpreting the true meaning of Buddha and the Dao, are you not going to do anything?
If you do nothing, others will think what they say is reasonable and be led in the opposite direction of the Dao. This is doing evil.
If you tolerate evil, what is the difference between yourself and evil?
The best approach is: if they can understand, they will. If they don’t understand, don’t force them, but try your best not to let them influence too many people.
Yesterday, I was browsing short video platforms and saw those who offer ordination certificates, from Mount Jiuhua, from Lotus Temple, etc. I intentionally asked how much it costs to get one, and guess what?
The one from Mount Jiuhua privately messaged me saying it costs nine hundred and ninety-nine. I was shocked. I asked him why it was so much higher than other places.
He told me he was offering one stamped by an association in Mount Jiuhua, and that it was the most authoritative from Mount Jiuhua.
I was speechless… Hahaha, I said this is different from my understanding of ordination. He immediately stopped talking.
Another one said to me, “Senior Brother, auspiciousness at the six times of day. Have you received an ordination certificate?”
I asked how much it costs, and he said one hundred and three.
I asked, “What is the use of completing it?”
He told me it’s for faith, to find an abode for the soul. Also, to get free or half-price entrance tickets to some temples; the specifics depend on the announcements of each temple.
I told him that I have cultivated to the point of breaking illusions and seeing the true self, without attachment or trouble, and I know that all sentient beings are lost in their own thoughts.
I can be aware in every thought and don’t experience any emotions. When various thoughts arise, I transform them directly. Buddha is awareness; I have no faith, I only cultivate Buddha.
I have taken refuge in being awakened and not deluded, righteous and not evil, pure and untainted. In other words, my heart is Buddha; whom else would I worship?
If you insist on faith, I only have faith in Buddha’s wisdom, which is awareness, and this awareness is my own true heart and true nature.
I am already awakened; I can see myself and know what I am truly like.
After reading this, he directly ran away and didn’t say another word.
Do you know why?
Because he is not as good as you! Because he is using theories of faith to make money. But you have cultivated to the point where you have very little trouble or emotion.
He cannot deceive you, so he can only run away and stop bothering with you.
I don’t seek anything, so he can’t deceive me either.
If I were attached to having an ordination certificate, I would definitely be scammed.
Because ordination is not proven by that certificate; rather, it is one’s own heart that knows whether one has been ordained.
If I don’t cultivate, what use is that certificate to me! If I cultivate, the presence or absence of that certificate proves nothing!
So, it’s neither here nor there; it doesn’t hold much significance.
With an ordination certificate, you will still experience trouble and worries, so what is its use?
Without that certificate, if your heart has cultivated to great freedom and is not troubled by bad habits, that is the real thing.
Therefore, cultivators do not need to be attached to having or not having things.
Even if you were made abbot, if you don’t do human affairs, what’s the use of you being abbot?
Even if you were to beg for a living, if you diligently cultivate, ultimately break self-attachment, break bad habits, and have no more troubles, you can be considered to have cultivated.
The colorful world blinds the eyes. If you desire anything, someone will take advantage of it to confuse you.
If I hadn’t cultivated and believed that getting some certificate grants magical abilities, or that getting some certificate can lead to the Buddha-land, wouldn’t I be completely deceived?
Wouldn’t I then get certificates for all my relatives and friends, and even for the pigs and dogs I raise?
If cultivation and achievement could be obtained by getting certificates, then I might as well start a business doing just that, getting certificates and using them to save others!
Just a bunch of copying and stamping, whatever you want, I’ll stamp it for you.
Someone will surely say, “What you do yourself isn’t valid, and the stamp you use isn’t valid. It needs to be done by so-and-so from such-and-such a place.”
The way they talk makes it sound like they’re calling them subhuman.
Don’t they eat, drink, urinate, defecate, and sleep? Don’t they need to breathe? Are they legless and floating down from heaven to issue certificates for you?
Or is it that their hands are not hands, and things that pass through their hands gain magical powers?
They are the same as you! If you can’t even see this, then you don’t need to cultivate anymore.
Cultivating will be useless; instead, your head might develop the ability to fart.
You were already foolish, and you will only become more foolish, foolishly believing that by believing in someone, you yourself can achieve something.
If you don’t even believe in yourself, what else do you expect to achieve?
Buddha says to seek within, to resolve problems from the root. It has already told you that you are naturally complete and no different from others.
Yet you do the opposite and seek externally, looking for solutions from others.
Isn’t this purely going against Buddha?
