About supernatural powers
This spring, one day several young people who were interested in Buddhism came. Of course, they were mainly interested in the so-called supernatural powers, and they asked me a few general questions about supernatural powers. I described some of my experiences and understanding based on my own understanding. At the end of this booklet, I wrote it out and asked fellow practitioners to correct me.
Question: Buddhism requires practitioners to abandon desire and love in order to achieve success. Tantric Buddhism is also Buddhism. It does not advocate cessation of love and desire even if you stop eating meat. There are still some people who have reached a high state through cultivation. Why does Buddhism contradict itself? Also, is the purpose of spiritual practice to gain supernatural powers?
Answer: The purpose of practice is not to develop supernatural powers, let alone to be new and different. The purpose of practice is to get rid of the greed, anger, and ignorance that we have been wandering around in the six paths since beginningless kalpas because of ignorance. Bad habits, restore our original pure nature. It’s like what’s said in the Lotus Sutra. Each of us originally had a radiant wish-fulfilling orb, but due to a moment of carelessness, it rolled into the dirty soil and was stained with a lot of dirt, covering the original brightness of the orb. The Buddha is the radiant wish-fulfilling orb, and all living beings are the luminous orbs covered by filth. If we listen to the sutras and Dharma and understand the truth, we will immediately reflect back to the light, correct our mistakes as soon as we know them, act as soon as we know them, our troubles will turn into Bodhi, ignorance will become light, and all living beings will become Buddhas. Because the orbs rolled down in the mud are each contaminated with different dirt components, some are stubborn and some are not so stubborn; some are thick and some are thin, so the removal methods cannot be the same. Some need to be chopped with knives and axes, some need to be patted and rinsed, and some only need to be dusted with a wool duster or blown a few times to reveal the true colors of the orbs. This is also the reason why cultivation requires many methods, so “all methods are equal and there is no superiority or inferiority.” In fact, there is only one purpose of practice: to eliminate the false and preserve the true, and to see one’s true nature and become a Buddha.
As for the question of how you can develop great supernatural powers by eating meat and having endless cravings, I think this is a convenient way for the Buddha to save all sentient beings. Because, if you cannot become a Buddha if you eat meat and have love, then people living in plateaus and cold areas will lose the confidence and opportunity to recite Buddha’s scriptures and get close to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in this life. People who like to meditate can be able to pass away while sitting, have an immortal body, and can predict the coming times and other auspicious signs. People who like to recite the Buddha’s name will have auspicious signs of chanting the Buddha’s name into pieces, receiving lotus flowers, and Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appearing. So if those who do not have the conditions to abstain from eating meat and indulge in sexual desires cannot practice and achieve fruition, wouldn’t that mean that all sentient beings in this area are excluded from Buddhism? Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva vows that “if hell is not empty, he will never become a Buddha.” Those sentient beings who live in border areas and have a more difficult life due to limitations of natural conditions are not the ones the Buddha wants to save! Since the Buddha can use the body of a deer to save a herd of deer, he will naturally use various methods to save sentient beings who are suffering more deeply. That’s why Buddhas and Bodhisattvas teach secret dharma, and under the condition of constant desire, they show various auspicious signs, encourage all living beings in this area to practice diligently, increase their wisdom roots and blessings, so as to escape suffering and achieve happiness in the future.
The Buddha made it very clear in the four pure and clear teachings of the Surangama Sutra: “…If people like this kill each other and devour each other, how can they come out of the three realms?…The lustful heart cannot come out until the dust is removed… …The murderous intention cannot come out until the dust is removed…” If we want to obtain the ultimate wisdom, we must follow the teachings.
After the Buddha’s death, the Bodhisattvas and Arhats who, by the Buddha’s orders, were born in the final Dharma, will use various bodies to save sentient beings in various groups. Those eminent monks with magical powers are our guides on the road to learning Buddhism. Their magical powers help us become enlightened and wake us up. Practicing hard can escape the sea of suffering and achieve enlightenment. It is not like learning kung fu in the martial arts world and letting you fight and kill. However, when you really reach the state of “nothing to live in but the mind is born”, then “do nothing” and do everything. Therefore, supernatural powers are acquired through cultivation rather than seeking. Besides, everyone’s mission in the world is different. There are those who use magical powers to warn people not to do evil, and there are also those who specialize in preaching the Dharma. Most of them listen to the Dharma and practice it. Some people have practiced hard for decades and still don’t have any magical powers, but that doesn’t mean they can’t achieve fruition and be reborn in the land of bliss. Some people have great supernatural powers. If they can grasp their pure mind, they will be able to do many things to promote Buddhism and benefit all sentient beings. If one cannot keep his mind and abide by the precepts and uses his magical powers to defraud others of their money, his magical powers will soon disappear, or he may fall into the devil’s path, or be sanctioned by the law. This is called “having no help for the unjust”, and he will undoubtedly fall into hell in the future.
Therefore, those who study Buddhism must not abandon the fundamentals and pursue the inferior, and be infatuated with magical powers. They should get rid of all delusions and attachments, and practice in a down-to-earth manner according to the Dharma.
