Transcription
Hey everyone, I'm Nicholas Yang. Today we're going to talk about the most secret cosmic mystery: the only way for all intelligent life to ascend and enter the multi-dimensional universe, the enlightenment and Buddhahood method mentioned by the World-Honored One Shakyamuni before his Nirvana.
Today, we're going to fly to Chiba Prefecture, Japan, to the head temple of the Hokekyo-ji Temple. This is because the monks here preserve a mysterious ascetic practice from over 700 years ago. According to the records of monks and tourists who have practiced here, people with sensitive constitutions experience dizziness or chest tightness when they hear chanting or the sound of bells. Additionally, when people take photos at night, they often find unexplained white mist or halos in the pictures, as well as mysterious human figures. Some monks also say that when they meditate in the temple, they often feel like someone is watching them from behind, but when they turn around, they find no one there. It's very strange.
According to the historical records of the Lotus Sutra, there have been some special spiritual experiences here. The founder of this temple, Nichiren Daishonin, was in a crisis. In a coma, he saw the Buddha appear and guide him about the future, and he was eventually safe and sound. Therefore, Hokekyo-ji Temple is a very spiritual place. Many people come here to pray using a very harsh ritual. I'll tell you more about it later.
To commemorate these miracles, the monks of Hokekyo-ji Temple have been performing an ascetic practice called the Hyakunitachi Daigyo for over 700 years, starting from the Yuan Dynasty in China and the Kamakura Shogunate in Japan. It is said that this practice can connect people with the Buddha, or rather, make humans become Buddhas.
The Hyakunitachi Daigyo at Hokekyo-ji Temple is extremely harsh. Practitioners can die at any time. It begins every year in November and lasts for 100 days, ending in February of the following year. It experiences Minor Snow, Major Snow, Minor Cold, and Major Cold, which is very cold. Those who sign up for the training can only sleep for three hours a day and must wake up at 2:30 AM. Then, every three hours, they perform a water ritual. The water ritual involves standing outdoors in the biting cold wind of winter, with bare chests, and pouring water over their heads. They do this a total of 7 times, starting from 3 AM. Every three hours, they pour water seven times until 11 PM, for a total of seven times seven, which is forty-nine times. The key is that the practitioners must pour the cold water on the medulla oblongata at the back of their heads. The ice water stimulates the medulla oblongata, causing an extreme cold sensation to instantly enter the brain, which is quite stimulating. If this stimulation continues, humans may experience hallucinations, hear ethereal sounds, or feel out-of-body experiences. However, this can also cause shock and is very dangerous, so please do not try it.
After such high-intensity stimulation, the remaining time is spent on high-intensity chanting of Buddhist scriptures. They read a book called the Lotus Sutra. When practitioners chant, their minds must be highly concentrated. The duration of chanting per day reaches 20 hours. Then, their remaining time is for eating and sleeping. They can only eat two vegetarian meals a day, with 12 people sharing only 150 grams of rice porridge, which is very little. They can add a little natto and vegetables at most. This is only enough to reach a state of not starving to death. After a day of such torment, only a little over two hours are left for sleep. When you close your eyes and open them, two hours have passed, and it's 3 AM. You must immediately get up and repeat the training process I just described. They persist like this for 100 days. It's terrifying.
The Hyakunitachi Daigyo is designed to push human limits to the brink of death. Japanese practitioners believe that under such extreme training, spiritual events will occur, similar to near-death experiences, such as seeing light, Buddhas, or the Pure Land of the West, and other mysterious sensations. However, not everyone can endure this kind of practice. Many people have left their thoughts on the Hokekyo-ji Temple website. One practitioner wrote: "I left my family and embarked on the path of asceticism alone. During my practice, I kept thinking that if I died during my practice, I would never see my family again. The faces of my wife and children kept appearing in my mind. For the first month, I cried almost every day. I was truly afraid of death. Finally, during the water ritual on the 100th day, I prayed again, hoping to have a son." Some people practice for a wish, a concern in their hearts.
In Japan, many corporate executives also participate in the Hyakunitachi Daigyo. After completing it, their social status skyrockets. When people see them, they have to bow 180 degrees. It's very impressive.
As for why Hokekyo-ji Temple insists on carrying out this Hyakunitachi Daigyo, it is mainly because the arduous parts of the water ritual and starvation come from its founder, Nichiren Daishonin's own experience. But that's not the point. The point is that they have to read scriptures for 20 hours a day. That scripture is the ultimate profound meaning of how everyone can become a Buddha, mentioned by Shakyamuni before his Nirvana. The name of this scripture is the Myoho Renge Kyo, or the Lotus Sutra for short.
The Lotus Sutra not only talks about the secret of becoming a Buddha but also discusses matters of the four-dimensional universe, especially depicting scenes of intelligent beings, seemingly from other advanced cosmic civilizations, visiting Shakyamuni on Earth. The scene is quite grand. Therefore, the Lotus Sutra is very interesting. After I finish speaking, I hope everyone can feel something and gain some understanding, and based on the methods recorded in the scripture, we can achieve enlightenment and Buddhahood together in the future.
The Myoho Renge Kyo, pronounced Sad-dharma Puṇḍárīka Sūtra in Sanskrit, means the true and pure Dharma, unstained by the mud. It is translated as Myoho Renge Kyo, or the Lotus Sutra for short. The Lotus Sutra is the king of scriptures in Mahayana Buddhism, holding a very high status. Why do Japanese practitioners read the Lotus Sutra for 20 hours a day? Because the scripture says, "If you utter 'Namu Buddha' once, you have already attained the path to Buddhahood." As long as you say "Namu Amida Buddha" once, you are beginning to prepare to enter the path to Buddhahood. And the key to entering the path to Buddhahood is to be able to pronounce the Sanskrit pronunciation of the Lotus Sutra, Sad-dharma Puṇḍárīka Sūtra.
Shakyamuni began teaching the Lotus Sutra eight years before his Nirvana. In the scripture, he repeatedly reminded his disciples, saying, "After I pass away, you should not be sad. I comfort you now, do not be afraid. If you follow my methods, you will all become Buddhas in the future. We will all achieve perfection, and so on." Therefore, the Lotus Sutra can be considered Shakyamuni's will.
There is one thing that must be mentioned here: some people say that Shakyamuni died accidentally after eating spoiled pork. This is completely wrong. The Great Nirvana Sutra records that three months before his Nirvana, Shakyamuni told his disciple Ananda, "My lifespan is now exhausted, and I will enter Nirvana in three months." Ananda wept bitterly upon hearing this and asked the World-Honored One why he had decided to enter Nirvana so quickly. The World-Honored One then replied, "The Tathagata's lifespan is at my will. I can depart whenever I wish. Today, I tell you that the time has come." Therefore, from this perspective, Shakyamuni's Nirvana was not due to eating spoiled pork. This was all arranged by the World-Honored One. This is actually similar to the prophecy in the Bible about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Jesus prophesied that he must suffer, die, and then be resurrected.
As for the last meal Shakyamuni ate before his Nirvana, the Sanskrit word is "sūkaramaddava." The meaning of this word is still unknown to anyone. Chinese Buddhist scriptures translate this meal as "sweet rice," meaning sweet rice. Pali translates it as "soft food that wild boars like." This indicates that it was likely not pork but a type of wild mushroom, like truffles. Hunters often bring a pig to find truffles. However, regardless, Shakyamuni himself said in the Lotus Sutra, "My passing away is all arranged for the convenience of sentient beings. Only when I pass away will sentient beings know that what I say is not false, and that the Dharma I teach is true."
Furthermore, some people have left me messages saying that Buddhist scriptures are fake because they appeared hundreds of years after the Buddha's passing. I say, first, look at the secrets of Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures that I have explained. Ancient scriptures like Sanskrit and Hebrew were initially transmitted orally and did not have written records. Do you think millions of monks and rabbis sitting together chanting are doing nothing? They are actually reciting scriptures. These people are a form of ancient human blockchain technology. Why do these scriptures need to be memorized? Because ancient Indians believed that the Buddha's words are solemn, and the Sanskrit pronunciation is subtle. The pronunciation of Buddhist scriptures is the most important. The secret of cosmic frequencies and the key to entering the path to Buddhahood are all in the pronunciation personally explained by Shakyamuni. Therefore, oral transmission of Buddhist scriptures came first, followed by written Buddhist scriptures. Buddhist scriptures are not fake. For details, please watch this episode.
Next, I will explain in detail the highest profound meaning taught by Shakyamuni in the Lotus Sutra. One day, Shakyamuni was preaching on Vulture Peak in India. Tens of thousands of people, including humans, celestial beings, nagas, asuras, and Brahma kings, filled the heavens and earth, all listening to Shakyamuni preach. When the time was right, Shakyamuni sat cross-legged and entered the highest state of meditation, known as the Immeasurable Meaning Samadhi, the samadhi filled with infinite wisdom. As Shakyamuni's consciousness entered the Immeasurable Meaning Samadhi, responsive events occurred around Vulture Peak. The scriptures record six types of tremors: shaking, rising, vibrating, roaring, striking, and exploding. The entire earth gradually undulated like waves, accompanied by sounds of "bong ba ahoo," explosions, and roars. The scriptures record that six types of tremors only occur in four situations: when Shakyamuni attains Buddhahood, when Shakyamuni enters Nirvana, when Shakyamuni's consciousness enters the Immeasurable Meaning Samadhi, and when he begins to preach the Lotus Sutra. These are the four situations.
As the earth began to tremble, everyone in the heavens looked up and saw transparent spaces where ripples like waves began to occur. The scriptures describe the heavens appearing with Mandarava flowers, Manjushaka flowers, and flowers of various colors. It sounds as if the three-dimensional world and the four-dimensional world are beginning to intersect, and ripples appear in space, giving a feeling of "The Matrix." You will understand why later. Then, as everyone looked up, the point on Shakyamuni's head began to glow, and it became brighter and brighter. Have you noticed that Shakyamuni's Buddha statues all have a point on their heads? This point is not a mole; it is called the Urna, the white curl of hair. It is one of the facial characteristics of the World-Honored One's Chakravartin royal lineage, the "brow-white curl mark" among the thirty-two marks. This white curl is a tuft of very fine, white, transparent hair, very soft, which automatically rotates to the right and can curl into a ball, looking like a pearl.
The Contemplation of the Samadhi Sea Sutra records that when the World-Honored One was still a prince, his Urna was five feet long. When he became a Buddha, his Urna grew to one zhang and five feet, over two meters long. According to Shakyamuni's sixteen-foot golden body, which is about 3.8 meters tall, a two-meter-long Urna curled into a ball would be proportionally a small dot between the Buddha's eyebrows. When Shakyamuni entered the Immeasurable Meaning Samadhi, this Urna ball began to glow gradually, and then with a "swish," it shot out a beam of light directly into the depths of the universe, illuminating 18,000 worlds in the East, from the Avici hell below to the Akanishtha heaven above, covering all eighteen heavens of the form realm.
When this beam of light entered the void, after a long time, in a distant universe, there was a world, or rather, a planet, called Pure Light Adornment. There were also Buddhas and Bodhisattvas there. Shakyamuni's light flew through their planet and sky with a "swish," illuminating the entire planet very brightly, making the night like day. On Pure Light Adornment, there was a very powerful Bodhisattva named Wonderful Sound. Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva understood the language of the universe, hence his name. The scriptures record that he practiced for a long time, knew all the truths of the universe, and had excellent virtue. So, when he walked out of his palace to observe the celestial phenomena, suddenly Shakyamuni's light shone on him from the sky with a "swish." At this moment, Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva felt that a vast amount of information was being transmitted from the light by Shakyamuni. He immediately knew what Shakyamuni wanted to tell him. So, he hurried to find the Buddha of their world, named Pure Flower King of Wisdom Buddha. Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva said, "I must go to Earth to pay homage to Shakyamuni Buddha. He is going to explain the secrets of the universe. I will also visit the various Bodhisattvas there."
Upon hearing this, Pure Flower King of Wisdom Buddha gave Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva a kind warning, saying, "If you go to Earth, you must be careful. Do not look down on Earth and its creatures. Earth is uneven, full of rocky mountains and muddy water pits. The forms of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas there are very short, while you are forty-two thousand yojanas tall, with a proper appearance, and can emit subtle light. If you go to Earth in this manner, do not despise the people of Earth." From this, it can be seen that the beings on the Pure Light Adornment planet are very large and luminous, unlike Earthlings. Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva also felt that if he went to Earth in his sacred appearance, he might frighten the Earthlings, which would indeed be inconvenient. So, he said, "I will use the Tathagata's supernatural power and go to Earth through mental power."
Thus, Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva sat down and, like Shakyamuni, entered the Immeasurable Meaning Samadhi. Then, it was quantum physics. No need for the speed of light. Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva's consciousness instantly arrived at Vulture Peak on Earth, where Shakyamuni was meditating. Because this surpassed the speed of light, it could no longer be explained by relativity or Newton's classical physics, and could only belong to quantum physics.
When Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva arrived, the sky above Vulture Peak suddenly experienced tremendous vibrations. The transparent sky also began to ripple, and seven-jeweled lotuses appeared. From the lotuses, countless cosmic fleets flew out. The scriptures record that eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas, riding in vehicles made of gold and silver, like lotuses, appeared in the sky. In the center of the fleet, a pyramid-like structure gradually appeared, called the Seven-Jeweled Platform. It was pointed and floated majestically in the sky. The scriptures state that this giant Seven-Jeweled Platform was seven *doro* trees high from the ground. Seven *doro* trees combined should be 210 meters high. It flew at an altitude of 210 meters. After the entire fleet appeared, a hundred thousand heavenly musicians played spontaneously, and immense music played in the sky. At this moment, the Seven-Jeweled Platform, with a "swish," its huge hatch slowly opened, and a shining point of light flew out. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva's Avatar. Avatar means a transformed body. Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva's true self was still meditating on the Pure Light Adornment planet, so this could only be his transformed body. And this transformed body was not hundreds of thousands of yojanas tall. When Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva flew out, his entire body emitted golden light, as if surrounded by fire. Then, upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva had a peculiar appearance.
The scriptures describe the Bodhisattva's eyes as being as vast as blue lotus leaves, emitting light like a hundred million moons. His entire body was like wearing shining armor, with a diamond-like body. He looked like an astronaut with huge eyes. Then, Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva descended, holding a precious gift, and paid homage to Shakyamuni, saying, "World-Honored One, our Pure Flower King of Wisdom Buddha sends his greetings. Are you well? Are sentient beings easy to save? Is everything alright?" This means "How are you?" Shakyamuni's disciples around him, seeing such a miraculous person arrive, quickly asked Shakyamuni Buddha, "World-Honored One, why has Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva come here?" Shakyamuni then said, "They have received my message and know that I am going to explain the secrets of the universe, which is the Myoho Renge Kyo."
Then Shakyamuni began to say, "You should believe and understand the Tathagata's truthful words. You should believe the truth that I speak." Then everyone replied together, "We believe the truth that you speak." The World-Honored One emphasized this three times, and everyone replied three times. Then the World-Honored One said, "You all think that I left the Shakya royal palace at the age of 29 and achieved enlightenment and Buddhahood, obtaining Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, the supreme wisdom of the universe, in just six years. You find this incredible, but I tell you, the time I truly became a Buddha has been countless kalpas from the past to the present. Even if you grind 500 trillion worlds into dust, with each dust particle representing a kalpa, you cannot calculate the time of my Buddhahood." This means that Shakyamuni is a cosmic wisdom from ancient times. He became a Buddha long, long ago. He has transcended time and space. He came to this Earth to save humanity, and Shakyamuni's human identity was merely a vessel for him on Earth. After Shakyamuni's enlightenment, he realized that he was not a prince or a human, but a cosmic wisdom transcending time and space, the ultimate intelligent entity of the ancient universe. I have also spoken about the prequel to this, the prophecy of the World-Honored One Dipankara Buddha. You can watch that episode.
From this, it can be inferred that Shakyamuni or advanced beings similar to Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva might be highly intelligent beings capable of entering the fourth dimension or higher. What is the fourth dimension? Here, we must explain it using Buddhist principles, otherwise, people won't understand. The fourth dimension is actually our three-dimensional space plus time, forming a four-dimensional space. In three-dimensional space, when you walk from left to right, it's just a change in space. But in four-dimensional space, a person's appearance is not what it is now. It should be from childhood, then middle age, to old age at 80, in a continuous state. If this timeline is viewed by a Buddha, they can see countless past and future lives. So, in four-dimensional space, or in the eyes of a Buddha, all life segments are superimposed, like a caterpillar with an infinitely extending timeline. Every moment of our lives is a slice within it. Our current appearance is like a very long loaf of bread, and the slice we are now is just one piece.
The Diamond Sutra states, "All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows; like dew drops and lightning flashes. Thus, you should contemplate them." This means that our current appearance is actually illusory, just a point on the timeline, a slice of that bread. If you can truly see the entirety of time, you can enter the fourth dimension and see the Tathagata Buddha. It's very mysterious. I don't know if everyone understands.
In fact, Einstein figured this out long ago. In 1955, after his close friend Besso passed away, Einstein wrote a condolence letter to his family, saying, "He has now left us before us in this strange world. This does not mean anything. For those of us who believe in physics, the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion." For us humans, the past, present, and future are all illusions. But for Buddhas, they can see everything from the beginning to the future in spaces of four dimensions or higher.
If you still don't understand the fourth dimension, I recommend watching the movie "Interstellar." It tells the story of NASA astronaut Cooper, who, in order to save Earth, piloted his spaceship into a black hole. When he entered the black hole, he was not torn to shreds by gravity as rumored, but instead found himself in a very strange space. The entire space seemed to be composed of countless bookshelves, each bookshelf representing his daughter's past, present, and future. Here, he could freely traverse between the bookshelves and see his daughter's entire life, as if flipping through books of time. He saw a person's past, present, and future existing simultaneously with countless possibilities. In the movie, the space where Cooper was located is called the fifth dimension. The movie dialogue says, "In their five-dimensional space, they created a three-dimensional room so that we could understand time." Here, "they" refers to the high-dimensional intelligent beings in the movie, like Buddhas. Because we humans are three-dimensional beings and cannot enter the fourth dimension, in the movie, the high-intelligence beings created a fifth-dimensional space on the basis of the fourth dimension. This fifth-dimensional space allows humans to live there, which is the time library where Cooper fell into the black hole.
Let's return to reality. The fifth-dimensional space in the movie is actually what Shakyamuni spoke of, the Dharma, or the Myoho Renge Kyo. But many people still don't understand or can't comprehend Buddhist scriptures. So, they created the sixth dimension, which is the channel of Commander Nicholas Yang. If you have time, please come and watch. I will explain it in detail.
Let's continue. When Shakyamuni was preaching the Lotus Sutra, suddenly a spacetime portal opened from the ground. Another pagoda, like a pyramid, appeared on the surface. A Buddha from the past, named Prabhutaratna Tathagata, appeared from the pagoda, and then he and Shakyamuni entered the same pagoda together. They stayed there for 50 kalpas, which is over 800 million years on Earth. But when they came out, Shakyamuni's disciples, the Earthlings, only felt that they had only been inside for half a day. This is because Shakyamuni's physical body belonged only to that moment on Earth.
So, Shakyamuni said, "I, the manifested Buddhas, who preach the Dharma in the ten directions, should now be gathered. All the manifested Shakyamunis from parallel universes should gather here to hear my Dharma." Thus, countless manifested bodies of Shakyamuni gathered directly at Vulture Peak from various times and spaces, just like in the Marvel movie Deadpool, where multiple versions of the same person gather. The scriptures state, "At that time, the manifested Buddhas of Shakyamuni came from immeasurable, countless, and vast other lands, and were seated under the eight directions' precious trees, on lion thrones, filling the entire space. They were all parallel universe versions of Shakyamuni, and the scene was quite grand."
This series of grand scenes all illustrate the same point: Shakyamuni and various Buddhas are all high-dimensional intelligent beings who transcend time and space. Finally, when all the Buddhas from the past, present, and future, and billions of manifested Buddhas of Shakyamuni, arrived at the assembly, Shakyamuni began to explain the ultimate path to Buddhahood. The World-Honored One said, "In the past, when I looked at a person, I would first use my Buddha-eye to look at their past lives and see their disposition, and then, based on their practice, I would tell them the suitable path to Buddhahood, such as the Shravaka vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha vehicle, or the Bodhisattva vehicle with a benevolent heart. But in reality, all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature. It is only because they are deluded and cannot see through the world that they fall into the realm of ordinary mortals. Everyone can become a Buddha. All sentient beings are equal. Ultimately, they return to the One Vehicle. There is actually only one method for sentient beings to become Buddhas, and that is called the One Buddha Vehicle. In reality, all methods are like the great clouds in the sky, and the rain that falls from the clouds. Whether it is heavy rain or light rain, it is all rain, with no difference. Eventually, all the rainwater converges into rivers. You must believe that everyone can become a Buddha. You must firm your faith, be willing to become a Buddha, and wish to save sentient beings. With firm faith, the next step is to cultivate the Six Paramitas, which are generosity, ethical conduct, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. Generosity means giving to others without expecting anything in return, which can be financial or fearlessness, comforting others, and protecting others are also forms of giving. Ethical conduct means not doing evil deeds. Patience means facing difficulties calmly and wisely. Diligence means making unremitting efforts and not falling into laziness or wavering. Meditation means practicing meditation more to reach the state of samadhi. Wisdom means not only having knowledge but also being able to see through the impermanence of life and stay away from afflictions. Finally, you must read the Lotus Sutra that I left behind, and you will know that what I say is not false."
Therefore, according to the method summarized by Shakyamuni, becoming a Buddha does not necessarily require becoming a monk, shaving one's head, or eating vegetarian food. These are all convenient doors tailored for certain people. For example, if you encounter a king, you must tell him, "Do not kill, have compassion," so that war can be prevented. If you encounter someone who is greedy for lust, you should say, "Quickly let go of worldly desires and become a monk, quickly abstain from lust." This is my speculation. In any case, the Lotus Sutra does not state that one must eat vegetarian food or become a monk to become a Buddha. Interested friends can research the Lotus Sutra in more detail. I am not preaching, I just hope everyone can gain supreme cosmic wisdom, receive the blessings of prajna, so that all thoughts are clear, all actions are smooth, wisdom is complete, like light, like the sea. If you think Commander's explanations are good, please click to purchase on YouTube and give the Commander super support for his creation. Thank you again to today's sponsor, Saily, for providing us with global travel traffic solutions. Alright, thank you everyone. See you next time.
Hello, I've heard from many friends that they have encountered so-called monks who ask elderly people to sell their properties and donate the money to temples. If you encounter such a situation, just call the police. This is fraud. The original text of the Diamond Sutra says, "Subhuti, you should understand that if someone makes offerings with seven treasures to fill three thousand great chiliocosms, the merit of such offerings is not even one hundredth of one part of reading a scripture." Selling cars and houses to make such large offerings is not as good as reading a few more words of the World-Honored One. These people are completely misinterpreting Shakyamuni's original intention.
Regarding the fourth dimension, some people will surely ask, what's the use of knowing this? Can it make money? Subhuti, I tell you, if you can truly understand the concept of no-self taught by the World-Honored One, you can change your perception of the entire world, discover that you have stronger insight and decision-making abilities, and you will no longer be attached to past regrets or present endless anxiety. You can also gain more spiritual freedom. This feeling is difficult to explain to those who haven't experienced it, but to put it simply, listening to the Commander's stories every day makes me sleep very soundly.