【Description】
When self-cultivation reaches a certain level, incredible phenomena manifest. One intriguing phenomenon is the “nectar” that forms in the mouth. How powerful is this nectar?
Why would a fox that is already able to morph into human form wait silently for Master Hunyuan to enter samadhi? What is the animal hoping to obtain? To find out, please listen to Grandmaster JinBodhi’s story of the fox and Meditation Master Hunyuan.
【You will learn】
- The reasons for the sweetness in the mouth after practicing
- The role of nectar
【Featured aphorisms】
- When we practice to the point where our mouth tastes sweet, a disease in our body may disappear.
【Content】
A meditation master named Hunyuan lived on a mountain far from any village. The nearest village was 4 or 5 hours away on foot. The villagers brought him food and other offerings. But no one else lived on the mountain.
Master Hunyuan had been a monk for several decades and traveled the world. After traveling for over a decade, he stopped. He decided to meditate, as he found traveling didn’t lead to enlightenment. Traveling only increased his knowledge, but it didn’t bring enlightenment. So he decided to meditate. He also received teachings from a master. Becoming a monk doesn’t mean you know how to meditate. Meditation requires methods. His master taught him good techniques.
When he meditated, he could sit for 10 to 20 days in a meditative state. Often, the person who delivered food would store it away from mosquitoes, flies and mice for the master to eat when he awakened from his meditation. However, 2 weeks later, when fresh food was delivered, the previous delivery of food was found dry and untouched. Master Hunyuan would still be meditating. It was often like this. The old food was removed and replaced with fresh food so that when he came out of his meditation, he could eat.
One day, the food-delivery man saw the master wasn’t sitting upright. His body leaned to one side, his head drooped, and he was drooling. A fox lay beside him, mouth open, catching his saliva. The delivery man picked up a stick to drive away the fox, as it was believed that foxes and wolves would harm humans. The fox was fast and leaped out through a back window. It was agile and escaped easily.
After the fox escaped, the meditation master woke up. He asked what day it was. The delivery man told him the day and month. “I remember I started to meditate July 1st, and now it is early August, a month later. That is pretty good. I gained a lot.” The offerer of food said, “Master, I was afraid you would be harmed. I think I saw a fox catching your saliva while you were meditating. I drove it away. You should be careful. Do you want villagers to protect you?” The master said, “No need.” He pretended he didn’t know about the fox, but in fact he did.
The offerer returned to the village and told everyone about it. The village men said, “We should protect Master Hunyuan from the fox. It would be a pity if the fox harmed the master. We must catch it.” A few people set traps and patrolled the area to catch the fox. But they couldn’t catch it. One day, the fox appeared in the offerer’s dream. In the dream, he saw a fox jump into his home and change into a handsome man. Foxes don’t necessarily have to transform into females. This one transformed into a handsome guy. “Please don’t hurt me. I never wanted to harm Master Hunyuan. I was trying to perfect my self-cultivation through his meditation. If I didn’t take his saliva, it would be wasted. So I made use of it.”
The offerer asked him in the dream, “What is the benefit of taking the saliva?” The fox said, “Huge. I was able to reach the state where I can transform into a human. If I drink the meditation master’s nectar, I won’t regress from being able to take human form. I can elevate even further.” The fox said it had been practicing for 800 years. One drop of nectar increases its cultivation by 500 years. 2 drops, 1,000 years. “So the villagers can’t catch me, anyway. My cultivation level allows me to transcend the physical body. I can transform anytime.”
One thing to note from the story is that when we reach a certain level of cultivation, many unusual things can happen. As we discussed, tasting nectar because of chanting is one small example. However, I have to remind you that many of you have just started practicing. Many have no foundation. So you shouldn’t pursue these goals blindly. If people don’t understand, they will wonder if the practitioner drank sugary water or ate fruit. Then that must be why they taste sweetness. But that’s not it. The more fruits you eat, the worse your breath smells. This is the truth.
The sweetness we are talking about is nothing you have experienced before. Because of your sincerity, Guanyin Bodhisattva gifted you the nectar. If you have an illness, the nectar may make your illness disappear forever.