the secret OF THE ANCIENT PYRAMIDS
Hsihu Center, Formosa June4, 1995.Today,I take you to Egypt to see the pyramids. Have you seen them before?No? What a pity! Neither have I. (Laughed.) Now, we will go theretogether. The pyramids are nothing special! Just like a temple.Do you know that? Triangular on all four sides, this is what Iheard! Sometimes, we can visit the place with our souls, and savethe air tickets. Has anyone tried going this way? Yes! However,we can go to even further places. The pyramids are nothing!
Their name is pyramid (means 'golden symboltower' in Chinese), but they are actually made of stones. If wego to the Amitabha Buddha's World, or the World of the MedicineBuddha, or the Heavenly Kingdom, we will see the real golden pyramids.Is that not so? They are more beautiful, in brilliant gold, realgold! Furthermore, the gold there is different from the gold here,which is so hard and not that bright. In our world, gold and diamondsare the brightest, but in the superior worlds, the gold and diamondsthere are more brilliant, and radiate light!
Great Architecture Ahead Of TheTimes Alright,we are now going to Egypt to have somefun. Do not go to heaven, because it is too far. And here it isvery hot, why do I take you to Egypt? It's because it is evenhotter there. (Master and all laugh.) In that case, you won'tcomplain any more here. When you come back later, you will say,"Wow! Miaoli is really great. Marvelous! There are stilltrees, and a little breeze." There are not even trees inEgypt. Do you know that? It seems there are no trees near thepyramids, so it is even hotter.
Okay, now, let us try going there. Use yourwisdom eye to look over there. In the desert, everywhere is sandand rocks. They built several pyramids in the middle of the desert.I don't know why they are called the 'golden symbol,' there isno trace of gold, only rocks. However, they cannot be bought withreal gold. Even in this modern era we still have to shake ourheads (in admiration) when observing the way they were built!
Near the pyramids, there are many tombs ofthe kings, queens, and princes. Naturally, the atmosphere is veryscary at night. Nevertheless, some people love to take adventuresin that place at night. Why? Normally there are hardly any peoplein the daytime. Of course, there are some tourists, but they justwalk about and then leave. Very few people venture inside. Thereis almost no one there at night. Of course, there are some guardsoutside. No one can go in night. They lock the door when the sungoes down. Even tourists are not allowed to go in. However, somepeople love to go in at night. You have to apply for entry ifyou wish to go in at night. Under special circumstances, theywill let you in.
One night, a man ventured inside. He wantedto find out why people would build such a grand but empty structure,and leave it unused. Initially, they thought the pyramids werethe tombs of the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt, but they could notfind any coffins or mummies inside. They are all empty. In thepyramid, there is only a box that looks like a coffin, made ofstone, also empty, without even a cover on top. Above the so-calledmain hall, there is an empty chamber, with another empty roomabove that. It is empty from there all the way to the top. Theykept the space empty to minimize the pressure. Can you imagineif it were all stones on top? The pyramid is very gigantic, surelyit could not bear the weight for so long if it were all stoneon top. They were built perfectly and given consideration to everyaspect, so the pyramids are still standing after so many ageshave gone by, while many civilizations or non-civilizations havechanged.
Our Ancestors Were ExtraterrestrialScientists Their building technique was extremely superb.Capable of building such structures, they must have been a highlyintelligent race. Nowadays, many scientists and archaeologistshave discovered that our ancestors were extremely civilized andclever. Perhaps they were scientists from extraterrestrial planets.
Besides the pyramids, there are many otherthings that were buried in ancient times, and discovered onlyrecently. They prove that our ancestors were extremely and exceedinglyintelligent. I don't know why they would have children like us,not intelligent at all, who try to come to Miaoli on Sundays tobuy a little wisdom. Here we give it away free of charge. It ispossible to buy it and take home, but it is still useless if youdo not use it. Think of some ways to use it.
I have given you the 'Instruction Manual ofWisdom,' some of you! I will give to whoever wants it, and notto those who don't want. However, it was very difficult to getthe 'Instruction Manual of Wisdom' in ancient times. Not as simpleas just come and write down your name and then receive it immediately.This is like buying ready-made clothing, try it on immediatelyand then take it home.
The pyramids were not built to be used as tombs.They found out later that this was not the purpose. I think theybuilt the pyramids for spiritual practice. Just now I told youit was very difficult to get the 'Instruction Manual of Wisdom'in ancient times. This is one of the reasons why they built thepyramids. It was because spiritual practice was very difficultin olden times for fear of being discovered by others.
Where canyou sit when holding a group meditationin the desert? (Master and all laughed.) Do you understand? Evenwith the guards around, everyone can still see you. It is betterhere, with all these trees! In the empty desert, you roast todeath by sitting there in the daytime, and freeze to death atnight. The temperature in the desert is extremely hot in the daytime,and extremely cold at night. Two extremes. That was why they builtthe pyramids. They are very, very quiet inside. It was very difficultfor people to locate the entrance later. Hundreds of years havegone by! Many people are still looking for the entrance, but havefailed.
The Hidden Entrance Is DifficultTo Find Once, a king made a very firm decision to findthe entrance. He said, "Strange! It was built like that,but no one can go in. What does it mean?" He gathered hundredsand thousands of laborers, spent much money and effort, mobilizeda great group of workers, stone excavation experts. Someone likeme, specialized in breaking rocks. (Everyone laughed.) They pushedand hit for a long time, but found no trace of the entrance. Theywere built so perfectly that the entrance was tightly fitted intothe wall, invisible, as if it were only a wall. No one noticedthe entrance was there.
They worked so laboriously and sincerely thatperhaps the ghosts or deities inside, or God, helped them. Suddenlya piece of rock fell down, from the inside, not because of theirstriking efforts outside. It fell from inside by itself! So theystarted digging from that spot, and found an entrance.
Going inside, they were very disappointed becauseit was empty, nothing. Every room was empty. In the biggest chamberin the center, there was an empty box like a coffin. They werebewildered. How could someone spend so much effort, labour, moneyand time to build such a grand structure that contained nothing?Why were they so wasteful?
Later, going in from that door, they foundanother door. It was highly concealed, I mean very difficult tofind. They built doors as if there were none. But, slowly theynoticed and found the door. There were a dozen doors after thatdoor before they reached the so-called main hall. There was nothinginside, and no one knew why. They found no treasure, no coffins,no mummies, no living person, no dead person, nothing.
There was a man, probably an Englishman whoalso practiced spiritually. He had been to India and practicedmeditation. He also knew what searching for the self-nature withinis, so he thought he could do it! He went inside alone at night,carrying a flashlight and a coat.
The Pyramid Protects PractitionersOf The True Path Hewas not allowed to enter at first, but finallygot the approval because he persisted in applying repeatedly!He went in there to find out why the pyramid was built this way.He eventually found out, and I knew it too.
Since the place was intended for spiritualpractice, naturally it was empty. What furniture would be requiredif it was built for people to meditate? Take our main hall forinstance, is there any furniture? No, only the sun umbrellas,and they were not here before, only recently we have them. Theonly furniture we have are these trees intended to give shadeor for you to lean on. The rooms are empty. As it turns out, inold times, spiritual practitioners were afraid of being chasedby people. In those times, they have to practice this method insecret because if their practice was revealed, their life wouldbe in grave danger. It is still dangerous now, not to mentionin ancient times. It was dangerous two thousand years ago, andwhen Shakyamuni Buddha was alive.
Many people always threaten the so-called truespiritual practitioners. It is perfectly all right if you do notpractice the true method, everyone praises you. If you practicethe real path, you are finished. You have to start to cover andprotect yourself -- camouflage. You must be ordinary. Otherwise,people can sense it, and trouble you.
Since ancient times, it has been always likethis, not only today. That was why they built the pyramids insuch a concealed way. The entrance was known only to their ownpeople. They were very spacious inside, and completely empty.Of course there was nothing! They were built for people to meditateinside, for initiation, etc., without being seen by outsiders.
Shall we move the pyramid over here? (Masterlaughs.) Then we don't need guards anymore. (Everyone applauds.)What? Do you think I can do it? No kidding! Even if we build apyramid here today, the demolition machine will come to tear itdown.
When that man entered the pyramid that night,he meditated there and discovered this secret. Actually, he didnot need to meditate in there to find out. Looking at the emptyrooms, we can understand. A real place of spiritual practice isonly for people to meditate. There won't be anything inside, atthe most a Buddha statue or the Buddha's photograph. They usedthe Buddha's statue before, but now perhaps it is faster to takephotographs, or use a portrait. It was empty because people neededto sit in there, about the same as our place here.
Midnight Terror In The Pyramid That man had a very terrible experience inthe pyramid. He said he dared not go again! He had the courageto venture inside, because he was very sincere in seeking theTruth. He wanted the answer to why the ancient people would buildthis kind of empty yet grand structure. It has nothing inside,yet was very mysterious, even the entrance was a secret.
In the pyramid, he meditated with a methodhe had learned in India. As he sat there, nothing happened atfirst. Gradually, he felt that the owners of the tombs near thepyramid had all came to greet him. They all came to give him anot very cordial greeting, but it was a terribly frightening atmosphere.They threatened him, nevertheless, he maintained his composure.He knew something would happen even before he came.
Another person had ventured into the pyramidbefore him. Having returned home, that person revealed in hisdiary that he had discovered the truth. However, his life wouldbe in danger if he revealed it, because society could not possiblyunderstand him -- this was what he wrote in his diary.
This second adventurer was mentally prepared!Although he was prepared, the extremely terrible and ugly faceshe saw, and these lonely souls and wandering ghosts almost crushedhim! Fortunately, being a practitioner he had some idea aboutwhat to do. He strived to keep himself in samadhi. Suddenly allthe ugly ghosts fled, and stopped threatening, oppressing, ortrying to kill him. They all vanished suddenly, and he didn'tknow why. Then he saw two brilliant beings come radiating light.It was because of the two of them that the ugly ghosts fled. Later,the two beings taught him a great deal while he was in there.They advised him not to seek the Truth anymore, because it isvery difficult. They said, "You will encounter many trials,and you will surely regret it."
Finally, the man said, "I will not regretit. What else can I ask for except the Truth? This world is verystrange to me now! I am living in this world, but I can ask fornothing. Nothing in the world can satisfy me. Nothing excitesand attracts me anymore, except the quest for Truth. I want nothing.I fear nothing. I will die sooner or later. It is all right ifI die for Truth."
Tested In Quest Of The Truth Later, the two so-called inner masters, thesuperior masters within, touched by his determination, finallyagreed. They asked him to lie on the stone -- actually he shouldlie in the coffin like a dead man, and then they would take hissoul out, just like a dead man, and come back after a while. Nevermind, it is all right to lie on the stone. He saw his astral bodygoing out while his physical body lay still.
It was dark in the pyramid, darker than thenights here. There was nothing inside, sealed on all sides, leavingonly a ventilation hole leading to the top. The ventilation holein the pyramid clearly shows that it is not a tomb (dead peopledon't need it!) It must have been a place for people to live orstay in temporarily. Otherwise, there would not be a vent, illogical!It was very dark inside, darker than blackness, so it was veryhorrible. The longer he sat, the more frightened he became. Hecould see the lonely wandering ghosts coming to annoy him eventhough it's very dark. They only fled when the two so-called superiormasters arrived later.
They told the man to lie down, and startedto help him. Suddenly, his soul exited, and he saw his very uglybody lying there motionless. His eyes could not see, his earscould not hear, nothing was functional, except the heart throbbingautomatically. It was just as if he was a dead person. Then herealized what death really is.
After that, the two masters took him to visita dying old man. They introduced this old man as a life long Truthaspirant. However, the old man claimed that he had found nothing,only temptations, desires, fame and wealth, nothing else, no Truth.He persuaded the young man not to search any more! "Don'tbe cheated! There is no Truth in the world. All are lies. Youcan never find It!" However, the young man didn't listen,and still wanted to go on searching.
Following The Instructions Of EnlightenedMasters Is Most Difficult That was only meant to test him! Finally, thetwo enlightened masters said, "Okay, if you are determined,we will take you to another place to 'show you the Truth,' meaninginitiation!"
Travelling with the soul, not the body, hecould feel being taken to different chambers. There was a secretchamber beneath the pyramid. The two enlightened masters toldhim not to look back, just follow them, absolutely refrain fromlooking back.
The result was, he followed for a while andthen wondered. Why is there no door? Where is the original secretdoor? He could not resist any longer and looked back. Suddenly,everything was severed! The two masters were gone, and he hadreturned to his body.
He could still hear the faint and distant voicesof his two masters: "Why didn't you listen to us? What fordid you want to find the secret door made of stone? The most importantthing is to find the secret door within that liberates you fromthe transmigration of life and death. Now it is too late! Good-bye!"Then, they were gone.
Should you think I am too strict, try yourluck in the pyramid, if you can refrain from looking back. Remember!In case you really go there and meet the two masters, do not lookback. We humans are always seeking superficial things. We arecurious. We look at this and that, asking, " What is this?What is that?"
Master taught you not to touch them, but youinsist on touching them. Is that not so? If I ask you to touchit, then you refuse. This is why we progress very slowly. Evenwhen Master tells us the moral guidelines, and secret method ofspiritual practice, we will think: "Uh-huh! Why does Shehave to talk so much?" We know very well that they are goodfor us, but we still resist sometimes. Do you understand? Whenwe eventually run into trouble, and become aware of the bad consequence,it is already too late!
The two masters had forsaken him, and didn'tteach him anymore. He passed the first test of the ghosts. Onthe second test, the old man tried to persuade him to go back.He observed that the old man was struggling in great agony. Hissearch for the Truth was so painful, but still he failed to findIt on his dying day. The young man did not lose his faith. Onthe third occasion, he was only told not to look for that door,yet he turned around to look.
There are many similar stories. We also havesome fairy tales from ancient China. A man went to the Peng LaiFairy Island and married a goddess. They lived a happy life together.The goddess told him which doors could be opened and gave himthe keys. Only the seventh or eigth door was forbidden. Yet, hestill opened the door, and dropped back down to the wordly level.After going home, he could never find Fairy Island again.
Many people pursue spiritual practice, butvery few attain the Truth. Or, they have attained half, one third,two thirds, but not the whole. It is all because they cannot controltheir mundane ideas and habits.
Sometimes, we have already climbed a greatheight up the hill, two thirds up the hill. We tell ourselves:Do not look back, or you will be frightened, and you will fall!It's true, but we are curious. We think: "What does it matterif I take a look? I used to look very often. Why can't I looktoday?" Very often it is different from today. The resultof taking a glance is panic, and then you fall down! After fallingdown, it is very difficult to start all over again. You can; it'snot totally impossible, but much of our courage, spirit and energyhave been exhausted. It is very difficult for us to climb againlater. Is that not so?
