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The Object of Store Consciousness is the Nature of Reality
Sitting in stillness, heart at peace, lips smiling—seven simple words, yet deeply imbued with essence, reminding us that when we sit in meditation in the morning, we must harmonize the three karmas:
- body at ease (sitting truly still)
- mind at peace (calm and settled)
- speech gentle (a gentle smile)
When the three karmas are purified, then “the holy face appears”—we can see the serene Buddha in each breath.
“The fifth watch has come, the Dharma door opens; the first watch has come, we ascend the meditation hall, when the three karmas are purified, the holy face appears”—meaning, when dawn arrives, the Dharma door opens, and we need to purify body, speech, and mind so that the Dharmakāya shines forth with the morning light. To realize the Three Vehicles (Śrāvaka, Pratyekabuddha, Bodhisattva) is to penetrate the teachings of the three vehicles, harmonizing the two truths (conventional truth and ultimate truth), embracing both the relative and the absolute in our practice.
Walking, eating, and breathing with mindfulness is the path that brings us freedom in every moment:
- each step is filled with peace, joy, and happiness, transcending “walking as if chased by ghosts”
- each in-breath is a moment of concentration, letting go of sorrow, awakening inner freedom
- eating in the present moment is to be in full contact with life and the Sangha
Through this, we directly experience all things as the wondrous Dharmakāya, and at the same time, recognize the store consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna)—which contains seeds, sense faculties, and the world—as the ever-present foundation leading us to direct realization of ultimate reality, transcending all dualities of being–nonbeing, good–evil.