The procedures that He taught in His time were not different from those in this Tathagata Meditation sutra. The faithful practitioner first entering into the Tao receives the dharma subject of praying to the Buddhas. Later, he or she is carefully examined. If he or she is permitted to go on to practice meditation, he or she must become vegetarian within seven days.
To practice meditative sitting, the practitioner first prays to the Buddhas. Then his or her mind begins in the state of still mind for five minutes. After that, the practitioner prays the appellation “Namo the Pure King Buddha” seven times. He or she must perform the prayers in his or her thoughts, which takes seven to ten minutes. After this is complete, he or she releases all thoughts to enter meditation.
Tathagata meditation is a dharma subject that includes both the supreme meditation and the supreme secret. These two supremacies correspond to and appear in the meditative sitting simultaneously according to the root capability of the practitioner. For one practitioner, if they perform meditative sitting and enter meditation eight-tenths of the way, then the presence of the supreme secret is two-tenths. For another practitioner, if the secret is seven-tenths, then meditation is entered three-tenths of the way. They keep to this procedure until they achieve perfect stillness and brightness, which is the complete accomplishment.
