What is liberation? The Vimalakirti-nirdesha Sutra states: Liberation results from theability to turn away and quit.
To turn away and quit means leaving the old for the new. The Bible states: The old heaven and old earth are abolished, in exchange for a new heaven and a new earth. Plato's God can emulate the image of the universe as it manifests itself in the space before our eyes. Through the material image produced by conscious changes of the Primordial Mind, the spiritual universe formed by substantiation of the spirit replaces the material form and alters its original material phenomenon. In this process of change and transformation, the material form still preserves its original state (unaltered primal pattern). This theory of modal patterns constitutes the structure of the universe as suggested by the description in the Book of Genesis and by the Platonic notion of "ideas". The God in Genesis is able to create heaven, earth, and all things, whereas Plato's God cannot create, but can only emulate the multifarious phenomena, which shape up the harmonious universe. The emulated universe itself does not change, but the image of the universe emulated by intellect and reason is even closer to perfection and harmony than the original universe itself. The theory of "patterns" in Plato's cosmology smacks of "liberation", but it has not as yet attained ultimate liberation!
As the Primordial Mind of humankind reveals and manifests itself, the universe, space, time, earth and all beings caused by its functioning correspond to the five sense-organs of human beings, while the emerging spiritual phenomena replace the multifarious physical phenomena, getting rid of their original states and presenting new multifarious phenomena. This is, in a word, liberation. If one can transport oneself and dwell securely in this state of liberation, then one has achieved what is called ultimate liberation.
The phenomenon of liberation springs from the Primordial Mind, not from the physical body. The Primordial Mind makes manifest the spirit transported by the consciousness of the body's five sense-organs which correspond to all beings - this spirit commingles unimpeded with matter; hence the state of liberation. Since liberation is the ongoing effect of change springing from the Primordial Mind, human thought and consciousness must be founded on the notion that "essence [substantial body] takes command". To the extent that such daily human activities as walking, dwelling, sitting, and reclining are not hampered, one must think of the Primordial Mind no matter when or where and merge with it as one; only thus will it be possible to bring about the state of liberation. Religions in the 20th century worship external idols and this is belief. However, beliefs is one thing and liberation quite another. Belief is the mode of religion, whereas liberation is the aim of religion. For the religions of the 20th century to attain liberation, a return to self, to what is in one's own mind, is indispensable. "Essence takes command"! Leave the external and go inward, and then liberation is possible right in this life! The Vimalakirti-irdesha Sutra, section on Manjusri inquiring after the ill one, states: Where should the Buddha seek liberation? Answer: It should be sought in the mental acts of all living creatures.
Through the process of "physical dissociation"? Sung Ch'i-li confirms his own experience of liberation. He uses physical dissociation as a model, and with the fallibility of an ordinary person exemplifies eternity and brevity. He aims to demonstrate to the believers and establish the basic idea that "if Sung Ch'i-li can, then the believers also can!" Sung Ch'i-li's physical body is transformed into a new form and shape, thus effecting a physical dissociation: this is liberation. Physical dissociation constitutes the liberated image. Physical dissociation thoroughly remolds the physical body, so that the dissociated body is the totally novel, sagacious, brilliant, and eternal dharma-body. By contrast, the physical body is short-lived, dull-witted, and fragile. Physical dissociation is akin to the Logos expounded in biblical positivism. Logos is God's idea. The word-turned-flesh image of Jesus is called Logos. In everything created by God on earth and in the universe, we see the image of Logos. In the entire structure of the universe, the trace of Logos is everywhere. Logos is translated into the image of Jesus and thus revealed in the structure of the universe. The image of Jesus has been replaced by Logos, for Logos is God's idea, and this is precisely the Platonic "conception" of the formal cause of the universe.
The liberated person not only can change the environment through the functioning of the Primordial Mind, but can fit into the space before one's eyes Pure Land of the Buddha realm and the whole world, turning dirt into Pure Land, transforming old heaven and earth into new heaven and earth, and accommodating the majestic Pure Land of the Buddhist realm in our lives so that we may dwell securely in the Pure Land on earth!
"Pure Land" is the total crystallization of the state of liberation; it belongs in the spiritual universe and can be equated with Plato's Republic, a spiritual world of eternal values. This spiritual universe appears before the eyes of the liberated. Not constrained by the present material environment, it embodies a sphere of perfect confluence, while the original environment disappears as it is replaced by Pure Land. This phenomenon of spirit transforming into matter arises from a change of consciousness in the Primordial Mind (God's idea). Without God's idea as its origin, the image of the universe will be a sheet of blurring haze, and will not resemble what Plato has stated: Move the universe and place it in the space before one's eyes. Plato's God forms by emulation the spiritual universe in accordance with his conception, or idea, and so Plato can only see the spiritual universe formed by his own idea but has no means to get into it, because he has not been completely liberated; unlike the Logos-turned Jesus, who exists eternally in the universe created by God. Although Plato's own God moves the universal image by emulation. He has not moved by emulation Plato's image and placed it in the spiritual universe. Because Plato has not been completely liberated, he cannot become Logos, cannot substantiate the spiritual universe, and hence cannot bring Pure Land to completion. It is for this reason that in Plato's thought there still exists a universal demarcation line of dualism. If Plato is ultimately liberated, then he can become a fully perfected, totally self-contained Logos; then he will be capable of physical dissociation, capable of replacing the material world with the spiritual universe. The ability to replace is equivalent to liberation. From this state of liberation humankind derives the physical phenomenon of spirit turning into matter and vice versa. Through the process of introspection, humankind must come to a realization of the existence of their own Primordial Mind; that God is in the mind, and so is Buddha; that God and Buddha exist in the human mind has become the eternal truth unchanging forever. When God and Buddha (Primordial Mind) are liberated and take leave of the human physical body image to become Logos, it will suddenly dawn on humankind that the spiritual universe and everlasting life propagated by the doctrines in the Bible and the Buddhist Scriptures are only just like this after all.
Liberation is not so difficult as one imagines. Inasmuch as everyone's mind contains God's reason, everyone can become Logos (everyone has Primordial Mind, so everyone is capable of physical dissociation). The faith of humankind can only support a brief spiritual life. Only through liberation can one enter the eternal spiritual universe. Liberation is the prime condition for transforming temporality into eternity. Transcending life, transcending samsara; no more suffering, weeping, grieving; experiencing eternal bliss, only through - liberation!
In the course of human belief, if responses are felt from the Buddha, deities, or bodhisattvas believed in, if occasionally such Buddha, deities, bodhisattvas or other people, events, places, things, including even such a trivial object in daily life as a small cup are seen, one should at once tag along the thought and respond to the object, then track the object and transform. If one sees the Buddha, deities, or bodhisattvas, do not cling to their "appearances"; but rather one should transform these appearances at will into one's own image. The ability to change appearances in accordance with one's thought is also called liberation.
When one is in the unconscious state, all kinds of things and images which have never been thought of before often emerge, such as sound, light, shadows, feelings, appearances, and multi-layered colors of changing shapes; all of these can be transformed in accordance with one's mind, so that the unity of mind and matter is achieved. When one's mind can transform matter, then one is liberated right in this life!
Liberation is effected and brought into action by each individual's own Primordial Mind. If one ignores the occasional spiritual phenomena that occur to one, and employs scientific concepts to dismiss the metaphysical, real phenomena revealed by the Primordial Mind, then liberation will never be attained.
In ordinary life, one can actively bring about spiritual phenomena. In one's mind a small cup can be produced by thinking about it, its colour, shape, and size all depending on one's way of thinking. When the small cup that has been thus thought of appears in one's brain or before one's eyes and it can be seen, touched, felt, tasted - its colour, smell, and taste all living up to one's desire; when this happens, then there is instant liberation!
The Flower Ornament Sutra, section 39.6, on entering the dharma-realm, states: I have obtained from the bodhisattva's boundless store of benefaction the method of liberation. From such a small container, complying with all the living creatures' various desires and pleasures, all kinds of delicatessen can be produced, to satisfy all of them to the full. Even if there were hundreds of them, thousands of them, uncountable numbers of them in Jambudvipa, even including all living creatures in the world in its ten directions, according to their desires and pleasures they shall all be fully satisfied. And there is no end to the food and drink, and no diminishing thereof. Such food and drink, such varieties of delicacies... all kinds of garments, divans, vehicles, flowers, incense, treasures; all kinds of super-wondrous means to enrich one's life, all these for their enjoyment at will, that they may all be fully satisfied.
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隨喜實證好文出自：宋七力
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