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Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

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. Develop great bodhicitta. After living in a cave for<br />

two years, I got a skin disease. This cave, in the<br />

mountains of China, has two entrances on either side of<br />

a mountain <strong>and</strong> runs many miles underground. As a<br />

river flows through it <strong>and</strong> moisture drips from the roof,<br />

the air is saturated with wetness. My clothes were<br />

always damp, so to keep myself dry <strong>and</strong> warm enough,<br />

it was necessary to practice deep-breathing methods to<br />

increase my bodily fire. After this, I came to India on a<br />

pilgrimage <strong>and</strong> had not enough time to keep up with the<br />

deep breathing. As a result, I contracted "impetigo,"<br />

which rapidly spread all over my body. I had to stay for<br />

a month in a hospital to be cured of this. While I was<br />

there, the demon of that disease, black <strong>and</strong> fearsome,<br />

came to me <strong>and</strong> tried to shake me backwards <strong>and</strong><br />

forwards. I visualized him as very large <strong>and</strong> asked him<br />

to enter my body. I prayed that all the diseases of the<br />

world might afflict me so that others might be rid of<br />

them. The demon then said to me, "I fear your<br />

bodhicitta" <strong>and</strong> instantly left me, after which I was<br />

cured.<br />

c. Renunciation. Renounce the world <strong>and</strong> have faith in<br />

the Buddha. There are different stages here. Firstly, one<br />

should discard the fleshly body <strong>and</strong> through<br />

meditational attainment faithfully enter the h<strong>and</strong>s of the<br />

gods; this much at least is done in Hinayana. Then one<br />

should discard consciousness in sunyata sublimation<br />

<strong>and</strong> enter the h<strong>and</strong> of the Buddha. After this, one must<br />

discard the desire for all things by transmuting it into<br />

581

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