PREPARATORY ESOTERIC PRACTICE (DU BI HUYEN CONG)
VERSE TEACHING
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Consider carefully this preparatory course of esoteric practice,
The method of regulating the body, regulating the breath, regulating the mind.
Do not allow one mistake to compound into two,
For a scattered spirit and a clouded mind will never do. -
At the outset, lay the foundation firm and strong,
For precepts, rules, and discipline must never be neglected.
Always turn inward in self-reflection and inquiry,
Rectify the heart, extinguish desire, and the marvelous will appear at once. -
Set worldly affairs entirely aside,
And devote yourself earnestly to the method of religious practice.
Free your body from the prison of the mundane world,
Cutting off far from passion, fame, profit, and resentment. -
Hold fast with devotion to Faith, Vow, and Practice,
Eliminating greed, anger, delusion, wandering thought, and worry.
Follow faithfully the teachings of the Enlightened Master,
Severing worldly ties, simplifying affairs, keeping the heart impartial and still. -
Practice diligently the recitation of the Inscription of Faith in Mind,
Remembering every line to apply while meditating.
When the session ends, dedicate the merit to the Heavens,
Walking in slow, natural circles for a few rounds of walking meditation. -
Let every practitioner keep these principles firmly in mind,
Staying close always to teachers and fellow students of the practice.
Diligent and devoted, morning and evening, in constant practice,
Until merit is perfected and the fruit complete, to enjoy eternal ease. -
Turning constantly toward the right method, pondering deeply,
The technique of preserving the mind likewise demands great effort.
Know that the mind is the very starting point of cultivation,
For the mind constantly wanders, and one must take care to gather it back. -
The mind is the essential, central matter,
Without which nothing at all can be accomplished.
Lose it, and one is no different from a beast,
Yet luminous and boundlessly subtle is its awakened wisdom. -
The Sages of old “preserved the center and held to the One,”
Thereby attaining the mechanism of complete knowledge, transcending the ordinary.
Consider how Heaven and Earth encompass all things,
Achieving without acting, accomplishing without striving. -
Close the six gates firmly and securely,
So that the seven passions and six thieves can scarcely intrude.
From beginning to end, there is but one method: preserving the mind —
Release it, and it is lost; hold it fast, and it remains whole. -
The moment the ordinary mind dies away, the mind of the Way appears at once,
And once the mind of the Way is born, clarity and wakeful insight shine forth.
When the True Mind has thus begun to reveal itself,
Spirit and body alike, within and without, grow light and at ease. -
One must recognize this clearly and distinctly:
The very same mind divides itself into two.
Sage and ordinary being, true and false, come and go,
Back and forth, stirring and settling — such is the wandering of the ordinary mind. -
While sitting in stillness, focus the ears and eyes intently,
Drawing attention inward, and at once the mind returns.
In a state as though half-awake, half-dreaming,
Self, others, Heaven, and Earth — all four directions fall silent and still. -
The original substance of the mind spontaneously appears,
As though one stood before the fabled scenery of Bồng Lai (Penglai), the Immortals’ Isle.
But should the eyes and ears grow suddenly startled and restless,
The mind stirs again toward external conditions, and all falls into confusion, within and without. -
Let the practitioner remain naturally calm and still,
With the breath regulated gently, to aid the practice.
When spirit and breath at last become united and flow together,
Prajna Wisdom (Bac Nha) itself is formed, manifesting as the true master before you. -
Continuing thus, ever meditating and settling the mind,
One may think oneself accomplished, and so neglect stillness, neglect practice.
Then obstructing conditions gather like clouds and mist,
And false thoughts arise, swarming like a host of demons. -
Even while sitting in stillness, the mind still wanders and thinks wrongly,
Clinging, climbing, stirring restlessly with idle, wandering thoughts.
If the six sense-gates are left unguarded,
Then inner disturbance and outer attack strike suddenly, hard to prevent. -
One must remain watchful and strictly guard against wayward tendencies,
For the demons of the five aggregates conceal the True Mind.
In every practice — walking, standing, sitting, lying down —
One must engage with both motion and stillness in proper accordance with the method. -
The instant the mind wanders outward, draw it back at once;
The moment a thought stirs, restrain it immediately.
Without constant restraint of endless wandering desire,
Before one thought has passed, another arrives, climbing and swarming in disorder. -
How can the original substance of the mind ever be truly seen,
If in the end one loses one’s way deep within the forest?
One must quickly become watchful and turn back,
Settling the spirit, clarifying the mind, and seeking non-action. -
The essence of mind is beyond good and evil altogether,
While the function of mind gives rise to intentions both wholesome and unwholesome.
When conscience and awareness unite as one in understanding and action,
Right and wrong, impure and pure, are discerned without error. -
Once one knows the method of preserving the mind and nurturing one’s nature,
One may then rise to the rank of Sage and Worthy.
First, one must let go entirely of all worldly conditions and attachments,
Only then may one hope to resolve all affliction and unjust grievance. -
Next, guard the heart so that it may attain peace and settledness,
For once peace and settledness are attained, the hundred ailments cease to arise.
Suffering, joy, gain, loss, evil, and good,
None of these countless circumstances can any longer affect us. -
When the mind is empty, gentle, harmonious, and radiantly clear,
Nothing at all can attach itself to it any longer.
Practice grows more subtle and profound with each passing day,
Thanks to faithfully following the correct method of training. -
Once the lamp of Prajna Wisdom already shines within,
All illusory phenomena dissolve instantly and vanish.
A single step further, and one arrives at Nirvana,
Roaming freely through the three-thousandfold universe, all within one’s grasp.
Already in hand is the art of “Esoteric Practice” (Huyen Cong),
The preparatory, foundational method learned by heart.
Let go entirely of all worldly conditions, forgetting mundane affairs,
While holding fast to Prajna Wisdom, remembering true emptiness.
Sit like a solid, unmoving statue,
Watching intently, as a cat lies in wait.
Mouth closed, tongue curled, breath light and gentle,
The spirit, riding upon the breath, arrives at the Immortals’ Paradise.
DUC HA TIEN CO