Posture, Emptiness, and Clouds Before the Sun

"The second reason is that he wished sentient beings to come to recognize the lightness or heaviness of their own karmic obstructions. How is this recognized? Through this very teaching of settling the mind and contemplating the sun. When one first wishes to settle the mind, one is taught to sit cross-legged, upright, placing the right foot upon the left thigh, level with its outer edge, and the left foot upon the right thigh, likewise level with its outer edge; placing the left hand upon the right hand; keeping the body perfectly upright; closing the mouth, with the teeth not quite touching; and pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth, so as to open the passage of breath through the throat and nasal cavity. One is further taught to contemplate the body's own four great elements, both inwardly and outwardly, as entirely empty, with not a single thing remaining. As for the body's own element of earth — the skin, flesh, sinews, bones, and the rest — one lets the mind's own thought disperse toward the West, all the way to the very limit of the West, until not even the trace of a single mote of dust remains visible. Further, one contemplates the body's own element of water — the blood, sweat, and bodily fluids and tears — letting the mind's own thought disperse toward the North, all the way to the very limit of the North, until not even the trace of a single mote of dust remains visible. Further, one contemplates the body's own element of wind, dispersing it toward the East, all the way to the very limit of the East, until not even the trace of a single mote of dust remains visible. Further, one contemplates the body's own element of fire, dispersing it toward the South, all the way to the very limit of the South, until not even the trace of a single mote of dust remains visible. Further, one contemplates the body's own element of space, uniting it entirely with the empty space of the ten directions, until not even the trace of a single mote of dust that is not itself empty remains.

"Further, one contemplates that, the body's own five great elements all having become empty, only the element of consciousness remains, settled and unmoving, like a perfectly round mirror, illuminating both within and without, radiantly bright and pure. As this contemplative thought is formed, confused thoughts are thereby removed, and the mind gradually settles and grows still — and only then does one slowly turn the mind to gaze steadily upon the sun itself. Those of sharp faculties behold this bright form appearing before them in a single sitting. When this object appears, it may be the size of a coin, or the size of the face of a mirror. Within this very brightness, one comes to behold directly the mark of the lightness or heaviness of one's own karmic obstructions."

The first is a black obstruction, resembling a black cloud obscuring the sun. The second is a yellow obstruction, resembling a yellow cloud obscuring the sun. The third is a white obstruction, resembling a white cloud obscuring the sun. Just as the sun, obscured by such clouds, cannot shine forth with radiant clarity, so too is it with sentient beings' own karmic obstructions — they obscure and block the very object of the pure mind, and prevent that mind from shining forth in clarity. Should a practitioner behold this mark, they must then solemnly adorn a place of practice, install an image of the Buddha there, bathe themselves in purity and put on clean garments, and further burn fragrant incense, formally declaring themselves before every buddha and every sage. Facing the Buddha's own image, they must, for this present life, repent of every offense committed since beginningless time through the karma of body, speech, and mind — the ten evils, the five heinous transgressions, the four grave offenses of slandering the Dharma, the offenses of an icchantika, and all the rest. They must, with the utmost grief, let their tears fall like rain, giving rise to the deepest shame, penetrating to the very marrow of their own heart, reproaching themselves to the very bone. Having repented in this way, they should then return to the same posture as before, settle their own mind, and take up the object once more. Should that object then appear, with the three obstructions described above entirely removed, the pure realm being contemplated shall appear radiantly bright and clear. This is called the sudden extinguishing of obstruction. One who extinguishes it entirely through a single repentance is called a person of sharp faculties. Some, through a single repentance, remove only the black obstruction; some, through a single repentance, succeed in removing the yellow and white obstructions; some, through a single repentance, remove only the white obstruction — this is called gradual removal, not sudden extinguishing. Having thus come to recognize the marks of one's own karma in this way, one need only diligently and wholeheartedly repent — whether at the three watches of day and night, or the six, simply repenting the very moment one recalls an offense — and this is the very best practitioner, of the very highest faculties. It is like a body scalded by boiling water or scorched by fire: the instant one becomes aware of it, one withdraws at once — how, then, could one possibly consent to wait idly for some particular time, some particular place, some particular condition, or some particular person, before finally removing it?