The shurangama mantra The shurangama mantra | Page 232

【THE SHURANGAMA SUTRA _ EXTRACTION.】
see distant places in the middle of the
night. He will see city markets and
community wells, streets and alleys,
and relatives and friends, and he may
hear their conversations. This state is
called ‘having been suppressed to the
utmost, the mind flies out and sees
much that had been blocked from
view.’ It does not indicate sagehood.
If he does not think he has become a
sage, then this will be a good state.
But if he considers himself a sage,
then he will be vulnerable to the
demons’ influence. 8:43
thereby uttering a great lie. They will
fall into the Relentless Hells. 8:47
”In the Dharma-ending Age, after the
Tathagata enters Nirvana, all of you
should rely on and proclaim this
teaching. Do not let the demons of
the heavens have their way. Offer
protection so all can realize the
unsurpassed Way. 8:49
Ananda, when the good person who
is cultivating samadhi and shamatha
has put an end to the form skandha,
he can see the mind of all Buddhas as
if seeing an image reflected in a clear
mirror. 8:50
”Further, as the person uses his mind
to investigate to the utmost point, he
may see a Good and Wise Advisor
whose body undergoes changes.
Within a brief interval, various
transformations will occur which
cannot be explained. This state is
called ‘having an improper mind
which is possessed by a li-ghost, a
mei-ghost, or a celestial demon, and
without reason speaking Dharma that
fathoms wondrous truths.’ It does not
indicate sagehood. If he does not
think he has become a sage, then the
demonic formations will subside. But
if he considers himself a sage, then
he will be vulnerable to the demons’
influence. 8:44
”He seems to have obtained
something, but he cannot use it. In
this he resembles a paralyzed person.
His hands and feet are intact, his
seeing and hearing are not distorted,
and yet his mind has come under a
deviant influence, so that he is unable
to move. This is the region of the
feeling skandha. 8:51
”Once the problem of paralysis
subsides, his mind can then leave his
body and look back upon his face. It
can go or stay as it pleases without
further hindrance. This is the end of
the feeling skandha. This person can
then transcend the turbidity of views.
Contemplating the cause of the
feeling skandha, one sees that false
thoughts of illusory clarity are its
source. 8:51
”Ananda, these ten states may occur
in Dhyana as one’s mental effort
interacts with the form skandha. 8:46
”Dull and confused living beings do
not evaluate themselves.
Encountering such situations, in their
confusion they fail to recognize them
and say that they have become sages,
”Ananda, in this situation the good
person experiences a brilliant light.
As a result of the excessive internal
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