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Heng Ch'au:
Hearst Castle
Sunday
March 12, 1978
"Disciples of the Buddha, what is the Bodhisarttva Mahasattva's practice of benefiting?...... the bodhisattva does not seek awesome power, he doesn't seek high class (nobility), he does not seek a riches or benefits, he does not seek a handsome appearance or a king's throne. He is attached to none of these. He only cares about Solidly upholding pure precepts." -- Avatamsaka sutra "Ten practices chapter"
We are camped below the historic Hearst castle which is poised in state on the ridge high above is overlooking the sea. It is a monument to mammon and the multi-millionaire W.R. Hearst who built it. Hearst is dead. The castle remains as a tourist attraction operated by the state.
A tour guide from castle stopped to offer encouragement. As we talked on the highway he looked up at the white-faced mansion and then back down to our dusty old Plymouth and the bowing.
"He spent more money on himself than any person in the history of this country. This is the monument he built to himself. It cost millions of dollars. He entertained nobility, movie stars, and presidents. But he was very unhappy," said the guide.
"His life and family was a mess and full of tragedy. You know, you monks are the antithesis of the castle and the mind that made it. You try to make your 'self' invisible. You leave worldly attachments and live in voluntary bitterness. Instead of building up personal fortunes, you make giving to others your life's work," he observed.
"Really interesting, I mean, seeing both of you together here-the monks bowing and the castle. Kind of a mind stopper, you know?"
It's a violation of precepts to hold gold, silver, or valuable objects why? It's selfish. These things increase greed and can undo one's karma in the way. When the Buddha was in the world, the Sangha begged for food and didn't cook for themselves. Clothing and shelter were provided from external conditions. Consequently gold and silver were useless. Because they did not touch money, their purity was obvious and inspiring.
In the Vinaya it says that perhaps handling 'gold and silver' (money) is unavoidable in the present day.
"But one should know that this is contrary to the Buddha's instructions and be greatly ashamed. Be mindful to the poverty of others, and always practice giving. Do not run a business, do not amass wealth, and do not trade. Do not adorn your clothing and possessions with the seven jewels."
"Only if you act like this can you handle valuables without committing a serious offense. To hoard money and save wealth is wrong. Benefiting others simply means don't plot and scheme for your own benefit. Never forget there are many people suffering in bitter poverty". -- Sharmanera Vinaya Page 39
Cold, windy and clear. Quiet nights except for the soft sounds of the surf and a few night birds. A couple of fishing boats bob at anchor in the small harbor below. There's not much traffic north of Hearst castle. This kind of the end of the road for S.California. Wilshire blvd. And the traffic choked L.A. freeway system have tapered off and whittled down to the stillness of tall pines and a narrow coast road. We are almost 1/2 way to the city of 10.000 Buddhas.
How is the bowing? It is difficult and wonderful, bitter and magical. "Keep to the natural. Cultivate the basics and be simple" advised the master on his last visit. These few words hit a deep spot in us. Everything we need we already have inside. True peace is to e content with what you have.
"Don't greed afar and forsake what is near.
Don't seek anything and there are no problems."
Heng Sure
"Namo Da fang Gwang Fwo Hwa Yen Jing" (Namo great means Expansive Buddha Flower adornment sutra) Hearing the name of the Avatamsaka Sutra is most rare. Opening its covers is rarer still. Hearing its principles is one chance in billions of Kalpas. Bowing to it, praising it, making Offerings to it is a chance you might Hope for and never get. Studying the text, memorizing its Principles, propagating its doctrines Surpasses words and fortune. "Hwa Yen Hwei Fwo Pu Sa" (Flower adornment sea-like assembly of Buddhas and bodhisattvas) "I should perfect all of the Buddhas Dharmas, dwell in the supreme place of level impartiality and with an even mind, contemplate all beings." -- Avatamsaka sutra "Ten practices chapter"
Don't force it. Don't try so hard. Just use your mind and practice. Contemplate. Cultivate. Concentrate.
"With one heart bowing to he city of 10000 Buddhas." I contemplate it as "with all my heart, what we're working at, to give this city to the dharma realm.
The pilgrimage is a precious opportunity to use medicine to cure my illness of greed, hatred, and stupidity. The medicine is dharma, personally prescribed by the king of physicians to heal my sickness and return me naturally, slowly, through my own best efforts to total and perfect health.
The biggest change since the first bow? Beside Hearst castle, as we passed the last little town I realized, "Hey, I don't want any false thoughts in my head. They just mess me up. Hey! I don't want to seek and climb anymore. Seeking creates a seeker, a self, and here the pain begins. I don't want to do that anymore."
In T'ai Chi Ch'uan use your mind to keep your energy low. In cultivation, use your method to still false thoughts. In sitting Ch'an, use whatever it takes to sit still! Don't wiggle!
Sitting Ch'an puts me closer to my won life. Sitting still, I penetrate my own barriers. All I do is sit still and use the method. The mind settles and purifies itself. Like magic. When I can't bear to sit any longer, I use the principles of the sutra text and I can bear it longer.
And all actions of the day are just the same! Can't bow another bow? Think of Ch'an sitting . Bow. Can't keep silent? Think of patient bowing. Silence! Can't hold your vows? Think of sutras. Keep your vows! "The way and the response intertwine, hard to conceive of."
The words of the Avatamsaka sutra are magical. They carry a special charge of light and energy. They hold limitless meanings. The meanings string together my mind's random ideas like an index to a good book. Memorizing the ten practices chapter of the sutra is the best project I've begun since I've left home!
Ch'an sitting is endless yielding. Letting go. How does virtuous practice aid Ch'an meditation? One with virtue is at ease and natural in every situation. When sitting Ch'an, as states arise, it is easy to stiffen the body and attach the mind to this or that thought and leave the middle way. When virtue is practiced one can easily recognize unnatural states and return to the simple, the middle.
"Take care not to seek outside!
Guard the middle way."
The Heart Sutra
Verses by Master Hua
The section of highway one below salmon creek winds like an eel. It cuts back to deep gorges and silver waterfalls, then returns to the seaside. Vertical cliffs plummet hundreds of feet below. No room to stop cars for photos, and bowing the curves is tricky. We travel where few walk; at our inchworm pace we get a rare view of the landscape. The road hangs in empty space, a thin thread halfway between heaven and the sea. Who built it? The WPA? They were superb stone masons. The snaking switchbacks are held in place by magnificent escarpments of mortar and stone. Huge slabs, perfect joints, keep the roadway in place against some of the worlds meanest storms. We travel on the sweat of our elders. We eat the fruit of land they cleared. The old timers who built the buttresses had skill and courage. I don't the workmanship could be duplicated any longer. No one takes the time or care on the edge of America. I admire the wisdom and experience of age and I recall a story told by a Chinese professor at Berkeley.
"Where I grew up in china," he said, "I walked to town over an old bridge near my home. An emperor committed suicide, jumped from the bridge into the river, eight centuries ago; the bridge was captured and lost during six dynasty changes and civil wars. It was witnessed famines, countless spring floods, and autumn harvests; a poet in the Ming dynasty used those smooth stones as background for some of his famous stanzas. That's history."
"No one recalls exactly how long the family has lived in the same spot,"
He continued. "My grandfather guessed well over five centuries, maybe longer. Our family was solid, just like that old bridge."