The Realm of Nirvana: Teachings from Master Xuanzang

The Journey Toward Inner Stillness

When the mind is pushed to its limit, it naturally yearns for stillness. People are often caught in the endless dust and bustle of the worldly realm, having been through the wringer of life, which often leaves them with nothing but profound sighs and endless reflections. Those who possess the Blessings and good roots are able to recognise this suffering and contemplate how to leave it behind. They seek to let go of all attachments and find a place to settle their body, heart, and spirit in search of inner peace and tranquillity. To reach this point is already a sign of being blessed, for in their external appearance, they have already shown the signs of renunciation. However, there is still a vast distance between this external appearance and the true renunciation that occurs within the heart.

Everything that sentient beings do is bound to have obstacles. The realm of Nirvana is the primary goal of learning the Buddha’s teachings and the path to become a Buddha. If this state manifests, one can be called a Buddha. There are also those who are Buddhas while still possessing a physical body, whom the world refers to as a flesh-body Buddha. In truth, when a flesh-body Buddha manifests in the human world, it is always to teach and transform beings, allowing them to believe that anyone who has the Buddha-nature can attain Buddhahood.

The Immovable Concentration of the True Self

Before the state of Nirvana appears, there must be the act of realising one's true self. If one has not yet found their true self, they cannot see Nirvana. Nirvana and the state of absolute purity are the realms of the Treasury of Light. It is a state of pure light, without form, without characteristics, extremely pure, and extremely still. It is a realm of silence, yet when it corresponds with the needs of beings, it can manifest infinite forms, infinite characteristics, and infinite sounds. This is the state of immovable meditative concentration, which transcends even the deepest levels of Meditation. What is commonly called deep Meditation still has a depth that can be measured, but the state of immovable concentration is how things are by nature; there is no depth or shallowness to compare it to.

Compassion Without Boundaries

If you set the goal of your practice as attaining the Buddha's path and entering the realm of Nirvana, you will be able to respond to the infinite needs of all beings. Take the example of my disciple, Practitioner Su. When performing Chao Du, he acts as an uninvited friend to all sentient and non-sentient beings. This is the true appearance of wisdom and compassion, which is not limited by any conditions. Compassion and wisdom are your original face; there is no need to seek them. Seeking is entering into form, and what is sought cannot be truly attained. To seek is to have form, to have information, and it is not the original face of Nirvana. One should simply act directly and naturally.

The Preciousness of the Human Body

The preciousness of the human world lies in the fact that one can use the human body to practise and attain Buddhahood, saving beings through infinite vows and actions. The objects of this response are not limited to the beings within the six realms of rebirth of this worldly realm. They also include beings with form or without form, with bodies or without bodies, in this world or in other regions, including the Milky Way and other planetary systems in outer space.

From this, you can understand that my disciple, Practitioner Su, uses his human physical body to manifest the Dharma Body of a Buddha. Only in this way can he perform the inconceivable and indescribable work of saving beings through the Dharma Body.

The Spontaneous Wisdom of the Awakened

The state of immovable concentration is the original face of Nirvana. This state of concentration cannot be described by words because its original face is simply as it is. If one uses language to speak of it, one enters into the realm of words and forms. However, if one does not use words to explain it, it is difficult for you to understand. Therefore, from ancient times until now, the meaning of Nirvana has been described using only a few words or sentences to avoid losing its original intent.

The phrase, "In a single snap of the fingers, there are thirty-two hundred million thoughts, and each thought forms," refers to the fact that when a thought is formed, the external appearance is also produced simultaneously. This is the state of ordinary people who have not realised their true nature—they have consciousness, thoughts, and a mind that thinks. Those who are Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, those who have realised their true nature and entered the realm of Nirvana, have no consciousness, no thoughts, no mind, no form, and no numbers. Everything is a natural state within nature, yet they are all-knowing and all-capable. This is the state of the true self in Nirvana.

If this manifests in a human body, even if one has never seen or heard of a matter before, one knows how to respond at the very moment of seeing or hearing it. This ability is not used unless necessary, but it is there whenever it is needed. The manifestation is for the purpose of teaching and transforming beings. At the moment a thought is formed, the answer to the problem and the method to resolve it are immediately revealed. These situations must be understood intuitively; everything is contained within the silence!

Returning to the Source of Silence

When my disciple, Practitioner Su, was studying the teachings today, he said, "True compassion is silent and still." This one sentence exhausts the meaning of Nirvana and absolute purity. He is truly worthy of one who has gained great skills in giving Dharma talks over many lifetimes, as he is able to express the profound and difficult meanings of the Buddha’s teachings in simple, plain language. If one has not personally experienced this state, it is difficult to express it so thoroughly. The saying, "If the Buddha’s teachings are not explained by someone, even the wise cannot understand them," refers exactly to this.

I only hope that all of you, under the guidance and teaching of Practitioner Su, will soon find your true self, save yourselves and others, and enter the realm of the Buddha-nature and Nirvana.

This interview message was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

Namo Amituofo