The spiritual skill used in investigating Chan arises from patience. It is attained through the endurance of suffering. As you meditate, as soon as your legs ache, do you retreat? As soon as difficulty arises, do you surrender? If you do, then you will gain no responses from your efforts. You must sit still, right to the ultimate point, and then you will naturally experience a state.
That is to say, "When purity reaches the ultimate point, the light shines through." When you are pure to the ultimate point, then the light of your wisdom will emerge. It will pervade the entire universe. It will shine up to the heavens, and it will shine down on the earth. At that time, you won't have any thoughts of arrogance; you won't have any thoughts of pride or egoism. You won't have any thoughts of jealousy towards others and you won't wish to hinder others' progress. You will see all living beings on earth as possessing the Buddha-nature and sharing the potential to become a Buddha. At that time, your wisdom will shine constantly and your ignorance will diminish constantly. Your mind will be as bright as a mirror and your light will radiate everywhere, without fetters or restrictions, without hindrances or obstructions.
Here in the Chan Hall, we are cultivating the Three-fold Non-outflow Studies of precepts, concentration, and wisdom. In the Chan Hall, we don't talk, so we can't tell lies. We don't talk frivolously or harshly, and we don't gossip. We close the door to all four of the evil deeds done by the mouth. In the Chan Hall, we concentrate our minds and investigate the meditation topic. We don't have any thoughts of greed, hatred, or stupidity. We have closed the doors through which we create the three evil deeds of the mind. We sit still and unmoving here in the Chan Hall. We don't kill, we don't steal, and we don't involve ourselves in lustful behavior; and thus the doors leading to the three evils of the body are closed.
At that time, the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds are perfected in our conduct. Whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, we are constantly cultivating samadhi. When our samadhi power is full and complete, our wisdom power comes forth. That's why we say, "When purity reaches the ultimate point, the light shines through." This ultimate purity is samadhi, and the light that shines through is our wisdom.
