Chapter 161: The Sutra of the Secret Treasury Divine Mantra of Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa

Cold rain joins the river as night enters Wu; at dawn, I send off my guest, and the Chu mountains stand lonely.

The ferry landing is not large; it does not compare to the neighboring Jingdezhen, where there are many ferry landings and porcelain is hauled away boat by boat.

Yet, even a few small boats appear to have a sense of the desolation of parting, especially since it rained today; Xu Jia and Xu Mu held an Oil-Paper Umbrella, which had quite a "lingering" air to it.

Father Xu carried a book basket on his back, wore a long scarf, and also held an umbrella in his hand; the rainwater converged into the river, revealing ripples in circles, and the wind stirred the waves into wide paths.

On both banks, the rice in the fields is just turning green, and a line of travelers wears straw rain capes.

Xu Jia sang in time: "Crossed over several mountains, passed over several rivers."

"Alright, it's not some major event, why add to the sorrow in vain?" He smiled, pretending to be cheerful: "I still have to go to Xinzhou to rendezvous; once I reach Nanchang, I will write back."

Xu Mu said: "You just focus on your studies, remember to eat well, remember to add clothes when it gets cold, and you must wash your feet before sleeping; when reading at night, light two more lamps, don't hurt your eyes."

"These are all trifles, no need to worry too much; it will only be a short while, after I leave, you might even be happy for the peace and quiet!"

Father Xu boarded the boat, the boatman pushed with a bamboo pole and began to sing: "Gathering water chestnuts, gathering water chestnuts, the water chestnut fruit is crisp and fresh; gather a few piculs by the month, exchange them for rice to provide for a new meal. Recently the weather has been in a severe drought, and rain and dew have lost their completeness. Gathering day after day is diligent, the water chestnut situation is also bleak. Alas, the water chestnut gatherer, also contemplates the difficulty of making a living."

The boat traveled further away, the sky was blue and rain fell.

The Qiu Jinsha in the water spat out water, helping with a stretch of water power.

"Let's go back, Mother." Xu Jia said: "It's just studying, not going off to war."

Xu Mu nodded, and the group walked back; passing a small bridge, walking over blue stone slabs, and passing the mouth of an old alley, Xu Jia bought two bowls of tofu pudding, and the two sat down to drink.

The boss made it in a salty and spicy style, adding chili, salted radish, and a little bit of chopped green onion; the taste was actually quite good.

"Three coins, you can add more if it's not enough." The boss revealed a smile: "Please enjoy! It's fresh, be careful, it's hot."

The fresh and fragrant tofu pudding, steaming with wisps of heat, truly made one's appetite open wide.

Xu Mu, however, did not have much of an appetite.

"A short parting is better than a new marriage, isn't it!" Xu Jia laughed: "Mother might as well take advantage of this time to delve into some Dharma."

"Dharma is Heart Dharma." Xu Mu said: "If the heart can be enlightened, there is no need for these Dharmas."

"Mother, you were a young lady of a prominent family in the past, right? You could go take the exam to be a female top scholar."

"My father was a mulberry Household Official who also raised some silkworms; these are all bitter labors. The sound of silkworms eating is rustling, which is actually very tormenting. In the morning, the dew on the mulberry leaves is heavy, and too late, the sun is scorching, which is also bad for the mulberry trees. I used to help with the work too, so how could I be a young lady of a prominent family?"

"It was only after I married your father that he studied and I ground the ink. Later, when your grandmother stopped managing the household, I learned to manage it. Listening to them report the accounts, I had to recognize them, otherwise, I wouldn't know if they cheated me. After learning for a period of time, I also roughly learned some characters, but I only know how to read them, not write them."

"Later, your father held my hand and taught me to write, so I learned to write some too." Xu Mu said: "During many boring times, I also spent them reading books. Later, I came into contact with Dharma; this thing gave a kind of thinking that was different from the Four Books and classics your father studied. After reading it, it gave people a very shocking feeling, as if understanding the world anew."

"So I believed in Buddha, believed in Right Enlightenment."

Xu Jia nodded and swallowed a mouthful of tofu pudding: "It sounds like a pastime for boring times and the little sentimentality of husband and wife, but it doesn't quite sublimate to the Great Compassion and Great Wisdom in Dharma."

"Yes, what I seek is not these either; I have always sought peace and being ordinary and common." Xu Mu said: "The wisdom I want is not much, unlike your father, who always talks about cultivating the self, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world; I only seek to cultivate the self and regulate the family."

"Earlier, when something happened to you, I felt the sky had collapsed and the family had scattered; later, when you came back, I could only firmly believe that the Buddha and Bodhisattva had manifested."

"At that time, I finally knew why the pain of separation is one of the Eight Sufferings, what life and death separation is, and what flesh and blood loved ones are."

"Now your father is only going away for some time to study, but I always feel that this is like an uncertain parting, whether living or dead, whether returning or not returning; from a certain, ordinary life every day, gradually moving toward uncertainty and the extraordinary."

"It sounds like the Impermanence in Dharma." Xu Jia heard Xu Mu's inner activity: "Living an ordinary and stable life is a kind of wisdom, but it is not necessarily what I pursue, nor is it what Father accepts. Everyone has fantasized about being extraordinary and not common, but in the end, they still have to accept the reality that they are very ordinary and common, even down to the second generation, the third generation."

"Mother, why not try?" Xu Jia made a handsome gesture: "Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, obey my command!"

"I'm just worried that I won't be able to keep up with your pace."

"Father's aptitude and wisdom cannot compare to Mother's; he is just single-mindedly studying Dharma and content with being ordinary." Xu Jia said: "After we go back, I will impart a set of proper Secret Path to you, Mother; Outer Zen Inner Esoteric, to unearth the wisdom deep within."

After finishing the tofu pudding and leaving a few coins, Xu Jia and Xu Mu returned home. Xu Jia entered the Buddha hall and lit the candles; for a moment, the Guanyin statue was very bright and auspicious.

"The Secret Path has Three Mysteries: the first is Body Mystery, the second is Speech Mystery, and the third is Mind Mystery. Body Mystery is the practice of the true Dharma; Mind Mystery cannot be described and can only be attained through empowerment. Only the Speech Mystery, which is the mantra of the Secret Path, is widely circulated and also very efficacious."

"Mother, your practice of the Heart Sutra is actually the practice of Speech Mystery, but it is not thorough enough; it is only the surface. By chanting mantras to accumulate Buddhist shade, you spontaneously sprout wisdom or seeds of Divine Ability, hence the need to hold the mantra ten thousand times to have a small Achievement. But if someone explains the secrets to you, you can proceed to further practice, such as the Body Mantra and Heart Mantra of Guanyin Bodhisattva, as well as practicing the Three Veins Seven Wheels and the secret practice of visualizing the Guanyin deity; then it won't be so troublesome. You can quickly step into the Supernatural Realm and cultivate Dharma Power. However, if your wisdom is insufficient, there will be various demons arising from your own consciousness, conducting bewitchment, Possession, and various karmic obstacles will also emerge."

Xu Jia said: "For example, before, I told you about the hare-lipped nun Miaoren at Dizang An; she practiced the Dizang Secret, but she practiced it wrong. This is the danger, therefore there must be a Protector to start practicing. Previously, I couldn't be called a Protector, and the practice environment was unstable. Now that all corresponding external impurities are gone, let's focus on the practice and, by the way, teach Mother to practice."

Xu Mu listened: "Then do you think my wisdom is enough to deal with these dangers?"

"Hard to say." Xu Jia said: "Wisdom is an inner nature; without self-cultivation and self-verification, no one can tell. But Mother, if you are willing to try, I will definitely try my best to protect you to success."

"Then let's try!" Xu Mu said: "What preparations do I need to make?"

"Mother, you continue to hold the Guanyin Heart Sutra; this sutra is the root of the Guanyin Heart Mantra. I will explain the text of the 'Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa Secret Treasury Divine Mantra Sutra' and tell it to you. Transmitting a sutra is no small matter; it requires no outsiders, ghosts, or deities peeking, and it also requires the consent of the Buddha and Bodhisattva."

"I have already arranged our house; it counts as a secret Daochang. This Buddha hall is even more impenetrable to gods and ghosts. Now, we only need the consent of the Buddha and Bodhisattva."

"How do we know if the Buddha and Bodhisattva agree or not?"

"Then we light incense; if the incense forms the shape of a bridge, it means they have agreed."

Xu Jia said: "Mother, you have already fasted and chanted sutras before, so there is no need to bathe and perform the Cleansing Body Incantation again. I am a person of Taoism and do not enter the empty gate, but I have only read the classics, so it is convenient to expound the Dharma."

"Are you ready?"

"Ready!"

Xu Mu began to hold the prayer beads, with no other intentions.

Xu Jia then offered incense to Guanyin. After about half a quarter of an hour, he saw the incense ash form a bridge. Thus, this method meant Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa had already agreed to impart it to Xu Mu. Therefore, when Xu Jia expounded the Dharma later, it would not be Xu Jia, but Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa's manifested body expounding the Dharma, for the sake of convenient explanation.

Seeing this, Xu Jia sat cross-legged on the cushion and spoke the sutra text: "Thus have I heard. World-Honored One, I have a Great Dharani Dharma, named the Heart Wheel of the Mani Jewel of the Great Lotus Sandalwood. It can achieve everything one seeks. It is spoken for the benefit of all sentient beings. It has great divine power, like a Mani jewel. It is also like a wish-fulfilling tree that can fulfill all wishes."

Xu Mu did not know if she had listened or not; she kept holding the Guanyin Heart Sutra as Xu Jia had said. The Heart Sutra is a method of pure wisdom and can resist demonic sounds.

Xu Jia was afraid that when he expounded the Dharma, Xu Mu would have demons in her heart, so he deliberately shielded her heart-obstacles and ear-obstacles. If she heard even one word wrong, it would be expounding the Dharma for demons. Only with the protection of the Guanyin Heart Sutra could one not fall into the realm of the Heavenly Demon expounding the Dharma.

"Namo Haratana, Nataraya!"

"Namo Arya, Avalokiteśvara!"

"Bodhisattva!"

"Mahasattva!"

"Great Compassionate One!"

"Tadyatha!"

"Om!"

"Wheel-Turning Jewel King!"

"Mahapadme!"

"Ruru Tistha!"

"Jvala Ahara!"

"Samaya Hum Phat Svaha!" "Ha!"

Every time Xu Jia recited a mantra, the lamp flame would flicker, and he heard the sounds of fierce ghosts, heavenly demons, and demonic voices from unknown origins; before his eyes appeared all manner of yakshas, asuras, hungry ghosts, and beings of various realms.

What appeared in his mind, however, was the Wisdom King manifestation of Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa: sometimes performing wondrous music and heavenly dances, sometimes burning everything with wrathful fire, sometimes compassionately pitying all living beings, sometimes bestowing wealth and Dharma Offering, sometimes naked and copulating with heavenly beings, sometimes sitting upon a corpse holding a skull, sometimes with an eye opened between the brows, sometimes holding a Vajra Pestle, or holding a Mani Bead. Faintly, a surge of Clumsy Fire stirred from his perineum, wanting to move upward to his lower abdomen to transform Xu Jia's foundation and urgently cultivate the "Heart Wheel."

Yet Xu Jia's body store, intent store, consciousness store, essence store, and Qi store were like a withered wooden stake, and like a mirror of stagnant water.

Only his divine intent led immeasurable light to spread the great Dharma, falling from his lips to transform into speech secrets, verbal secrets, script secrets, and Dharma secrets. All these secret cultivation methods were not passed to a third party, entering only the ears of Xu Mu.

Xu Mu was still reciting the Guanyin Heart Mantra; what she recited with her mouth was "Emptiness does not differ from form, form does not differ from emptiness," but what she recited in her heart had turned into a single word: "Om!"

Although Xu Jia had just recited so many phrases, she had only remembered this "Om" mantra.

(End of this chapter)