[Notes: Mr. Tám / Lương Sĩ Hằng explained, in the Vietnamese language, the Vô Vi Meditation practical method, in July of 1982 in Culver City, Southern California, USA. Following is the English translation read by Ms. Bobbie Nofflet, a Vô Vi Meditation practitioner.]
ESOTERIC SCIENCE OF VÔ VI - EXPLAINED BY MR. TÁM
FROM VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDED IN CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA - JULY 1982
Keep your palms joined in a prayer position at chest level, mentally pray, using the following vibratory sounds: “NAM, MÔ, A, DI, ĐÀ, PHẬT” ; repeat this 3 times.
For beginners, you concentrate on the 6 psychic centers, which are as follows:
Continue to invoke the following prayer, twice:
Repeat the two above statements.
Then invoke the following prayer once:
“FROM NOW ON, I WILL STRIVE TO:
a. RETURN TO MY TRUE NATURE OF SERENITY
b. RETURN TO MY TRUE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY
c. RETURN TO MY TRUE NATURE OF MY DUTIES TOWARD THE THREE SPHERES: HEAVEN, EARTH, AND ALL LIVING BEINGS.
“NAM MÔ A DI ĐÀ PHẬT; GRACE, PEACE BE WITH ALL CREATURES.”
To end the prayer, bow 3 times.
During the Concentration of Spiritual Energy - this is the Concentration of Spiritual Energy - your tongue is slightly curled up touching the gum line behind your upper front teeth; the upper incisors and lower incisors touch lightly.
Concentrate on the top of your head, unify the 3 Energies: 1/ Seminal essence; 2/ Vital breath; 3/ Spiritual energy.
CONCENTRATION OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY
Why do you have to use three fingers touching the cranial points of acupuncture, and close your ears?
When you raise your elbows level with your shoulders, all the corresponding nerves of the Lungs, Heart, and so forth, are activated, causing you to perspire.
At the beginning, when closing your ears by inserting your thumbs into the ear holes, you hear a lot of noisy sounds inside your head.
When you close your ears with your thumbs, and level your elbows with your shoulders, the other two fingers touch the acupuncture points at your temples and eyes. These acupuncture points are interrelated with each other, thus strengthening the energy frequency in your head. By doing so, your energy will converge at the center of your forehead between the eyebrows.
For the beginner, your forehead above the eyebrows is flat; but after a period of time, this area will raise up horizontally. In time, you will not hear any more sounds in your head. (4:46)
Even though the light in the room is turned off, the practitioner can still experience visions of light which is projected out from the middle point between the eyebrows while exercising concentration of your spiritual energy.
To the beginners, this Dharma method will help recover the energy lost during daily work. Due to daily activities, we have to extend much of our energy to earn our living; so, after work we can do this exercise at home to strengthen the energy frequency of our mind.
Do this practice for at least 5 minutes; then increase to 15 minutes at most.
Your mind will become lighter, and you will feel refreshed.
While doing this exercise, you will also perspire: the agitations of daily activities are beginning to be eliminated at this time.
Keep the tip of your tongue touching the gum line behind your upper front teeth.
Why do we have to curl up our tongue touching our gums? If we hold that position while invoking the mantra, “NAM MÔ A DI ÐÀ PHẬT” from the top of our head, a lot of saliva will begin to flow.
To the beginners, the saliva has no taste; the advanced practitioners who correctly perform the Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention will notice that their saliva becomes pleasantly sweet. Their minds will also become purified.
If human beings lose their memory, it’s due to disturbance of their minds. The practitioner who strives to lead a life of spiritual perfection cannot reach enlightenment if his mind is not in order.
We have to eliminate imagination, agitation of the mind, and also unkind words; we have to renounce them for a period of time in order that other qualities can be developed.
With the Vo Vi Meditation, you use the thumbs to close your ears in order to converge your energy to your head and concentrate in your eyebrows. Your forefingers and middle fingers, positioned on the temples and at the outside ends of your eyes, are also doing the same function of transmitting energy to the center point between the eyebrows.
When you are capable of concentrating your energy, it will proceed to the correct Middle Path which leads you directly to the Universal Simple Power of Vital Energy. At that time your mind will become more and more at ease.
It is recommended that beginners practice this exercise for at least 6 months to strengthen their minds: we have absorbed too much impurity due to agitation; therefore, we have to first correct and purify our minds.
For the beginners, there is no specified time for practice; but for those who are serious in the Meditation, after 6 months they can practice the “Concentration of Spiritual Energy,” the “Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention,” and the “Meditative Contemplation” at 11:00PM or midnight, to purify themselves.
Beginners can practice any time; whenever you have any spare time, you may practice this Concentration of Spiritual Energy to calm yourself and to get rid of unnecessary agitations of this present life of sorrow.
After the Concentration of Spiritual Energy, you may proceed to the Lying Down Abdominal Breathing. Beginners are advised to do only these two exercises, including the mental prayers.
THE LYING DOWN ABDOMINAL BREATHING :
CHIẾU MINH – TO SHINE FOR ENLIGHTENMENT
Why is it called “Abdominal Breathing,” or “Chiếu Minh” ? Literal translation of Sino-Vietnamese “Chiếu Minh” : “Chiếu” is “To shine” ;“Minh” is “Enlightenment.” “Chiếu Minh” is “To shine for Enlightenment.”
When you are able to focus your energy at the point between your eyebrows, you will see that the energy is the master of your body. Once developed, that Vital Energy will leave your soul to project out of the body.
Therefore, from the center point between your eyebrows you look at your navel: the center point between your eyebrows is related to your soul, while the navel is related to your astral body. (9:40)
Why does “Chiếu Minh” mean “To shine for enlightenment” ? The method of abdominal breathing, or of shining to the astral body for enlightenment, is to relate the energy of the soul with its astral body.
When the soul is awakened to develop the path of spiritual perfection, it doesn’t care about the external agitation, but only focuses on the returning Path To The Origin with its distinct astral body. That energy becomes more and more bright, and will only be concerned with things of necessity, and will not do anything useless.
When you have been faithful to the practice of these two exercises for six months, you will be ready to move on to the next stages. (13:20)
Then do these spiritual exercises in the following order:
1. MENTAL INVOCATION;
2. CONCENTRATION OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY;
3. CYCLICAL BREATHING OF NON-RETENTION;
4. MEDITATIVE CONTEMPLATION; and
5. MASSAGE to TERMINATE the MEDITATION.
Now, Parts 1 and 2 have already been explained earlier on this tape. To terminate the Concentration of Spiritual Energy, simply lower your hands and lay them on your sides. Now you can proceed to the Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention.
CYCLICAL BREATHING OF NON-RETENTION
· Keep your spine straight;
· Tip of your tongue curled up touching the gum line;
· Front teeth slightly touching each other to stabilize the nervous system;
The position of having your tongue touch the gum line is for purifying the fluidic energy of your kidneys and the blood circulation.
· Sit straight (for beginners, place your palms on your thighs).
· First, exhale while slowly curling the abdomen inward;
· Then inhale while saying to yourself, “Fill the navel, fill the chest, up to the head”
· Then exhale while pressing your abdomen inward. Do not move your chest; you only motivate your abdomen while inhaling and exhaling. When you exhale, remember to pull your abdomen well inward.
· When inhaling, start to, “Fill the navel, the chest, up to the head!”
I only demonstrate here half of my length of breath, because I would like to show to the beginners that they have to breathe according to their length of breath: There are people who have short lengths of breath but force to maintain their breath by thought, and yet they can’t accomplish it. And other people have short and hasty breaths at the beginning.
But the more you practice, the more you perfect yourself and the more your pure energy will be strengthened.
Lots of young men have mistakenly abused themselves with sexual desires which weaken their Vital Breath; women who give birth many times also weaken their Vital Breath; that is the reason why their breath becomes hasty and short.
Therefore, we recommend that you do the Laying Down Abdominal Breathing to strengthen your Vital Breath before doing the Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention. If you proceed to do the Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention right away, it is impossible, because your Vital Breath is weak.
Thus, after doing the Laying Down Abdominal Breathing, you may practice the Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention from 6 to 12 cycles every time.
I will demonstrate again; please watch me carefully.
Do this Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention from 6 to 12 breath cycles to enlighten everything. Nothing is gained by doing it incorrectly for 50 or 100 times. You only need from 6 to 12 breath cycles performed in a correct manner.
Every breath cycle will renew your body. When you reach the point of filling the energy up to your head, your frequency of energy will be properly functioning.
Advanced practitioners succeed to fall into sleep after one or two breath cycles. Before going to sleep, they tell themselves to get up after one or two hours of sleep, and they will awake automatically as said.
With the help of this method, spiritual practitioners living in the mountains were able to conform with the cycle of 12 hours which correspond to the orderly cycle of the body. Before the appointed time of getting up, they may experience some dreams.
However, we must proceed step by step. This method will help us to become very patient. During our daily activities we absorb much impure energy in order to earn our living; so, when coming home, who else other than ourselves can cleanse ourselves and purify our organs of this microcosm? This micro universe is comprised of Water, Fire, Wind, and Earth elements. Our Heart, Liver, Spleen, Kidneys, limbs, skin, and flesh are also within the principle of those four elements.
Therefore, how can we cleanse this micro universe if not using these four Great Elements in order to sublimate the pure energy of the body and fuse into the Great Soul, Nirvana, the Void of Void?
Then, depending on one's own awareness, one will decide on the manner of how to perfect oneself. In books and sutras, it was said very clearly that you must practice in order to experience. The outsiders can criticize and make comments; that is their right. But with practice, you will be aware of the important role in your own life. We should practice to rescue this delicate body that God has granted us, living and awakening.
We cannot be an optimistic or happy person in life if we do not take good care of our body. In this life, what else is more precious than our body ? And, if we do not care for it and love it, or if we neglect our latent potential, disregard the established order to evolution, then it is wasteful!
We have a delicate body that God has given to us; and when we neglect to care for it, then we can become misdirected by orienting ourselves towards external matters. For men who are pleasure lovers, their Vital Energy will certainly weaken; it is the same for women who give birth to many children: their Vital Energy will also diminish.
By adopting this method, you will gradually recuperate the lost energy and will become stronger and more conscious of many things. Then you will decide to refrain from carnal desires: your desires are not oriented downward anymore, but sublimate upward in order to reach eternal liberation.
These internal organs will be restored to prevent debilitating health problems such as paralysis, damage to the heart or liver, and so forth, because of abuse or mistreatment; even the excessive desire of eating and drinking can cause illness. The excessive carnal desires also bring sickness which damages the kidneys or brain. Therefore, the origin of illness is due to negative conditioning.
So, we recommend that beginners practice only the two above dharma techniques for six months before proceeding further. After six months, if you feel that you are on the right path, you will want to meditate in search of the super natural life for the awakening and natural comfort of the soul.
Why do the advanced practitioners apply this Samadi Mudra Seal while meditating? After a period of time when their pure energy becomes elevated, they would prefer, in a natural manner, to keep their fingers crossed in the Samadi Mudra Seal position. Therefore, there are many stages.
If the beginners want to imitate the advanced ones in a way of practicing, sometimes it looks like there are; but to the ones with real potential, the energy has to be projected from the inside out, and not mere posturing like a photography model. So, this method is very concise and clear. It proceeds from one stage to another stage in an orderly manner.
Due to Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention within your length of breath, the more you practice the more it will be lengthened; and once it is strengthened, you will clearly see your own potential and your real nature, which is infinite.
At the beginning I also could not breathe like this, even if they gave me a million dollars, because I had wasted my Vital Breath energy by too much lust! My breath was very short and hasty; I just could not do it! But now I can; I have improved through practice.
Before, when I could not breathe, I kept seeking a way to do it properly. I appealed to the Heavenly Hosts to guide me, “If the Merciful Quan Yin really existed,” I asked her to, “Please attest to my sincerity of a devoted spiritual adept,” and to “Teach me a method that will facilitate my breathing.” At the beginning, when Mr. Do Thuan Hau showed me how to breathe through the abdomen, chest, and then the head, I could not do it at all!
Then one day, while walking from Đ a Kao to ChinaTown, I made a vow to appeal to Buddha to help me with my breathing tonight. That was how I knew about this “Laying Down Abdominal Breathing:” the Heavenly host had shown it to me.
I laid down straight, then I was guided to breathe by the abdomen from account of 1 to 12; 1 to 11; 1 to 10; 1 to 9; 1 to 8; 1 to 7; 1 to 6; 1 to 5; 1 to 4; 1 to 3; 1 to 2; then 1. I kept breathing without stopping! And at that time I was aware also that if I could do the Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention, it was just due to this Laying Down Abdominal Breathing!
Then, after practicing the Laying Down Abdominal Breathing that night, I succeeded to do the Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention in the sitting position by filling my breath in to the navel, the chest, and up to the head.
With the help of the Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention, all the fluidic meridians can be cleared. And once they are cleared, you will reach enlightenment, or the Cognitive Clairvoyance. When the energy is free flowing, “Non-Retention,” it will fuse as one with the Cosmic Universe.
Then the energy will be reflected from your interior. Only at that moment will you be aware of your original nature and potential which are latent within you. You will become serene as well as lucid, so you will not pattern yourselves on the words of other enlightened persons: we do not take a leaf out of another person’s book with a possible mistake.
Do practice to affirm and see yourself. You have to develop every latent potential within you. With this Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention, you will be able to develop from one field to another field in an orderly manner.
When reaching the enlightenment, or Cognitive Clairvoyance, you will become bright, happy, and loving toward all living creatures. Only through full understanding of yourself and everything can you see that the universe is not far from you: this microcosm evolves eternally, and so does your soul, which is immortal.
How do we prove the existence of the soul? If we succeed in fusing our energy with the universe through the Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention, our cognitive consciousness will be developed. Then we will know that this body is a temporary shelter because we can go in and out of it easily.
At that time we will see that this body is a church, or a temple, or even a prison of the soul from where the soul will have the last opportunity for awakening and evolving into infinity.
If the body is not well organized inside, how can the soul project itself outside? Therefore, the strength is within the soul; and the soul is learning, developing its latent lucidity in order to evolve eternally.
Meanwhile, the body must always be in good order: we should not abuse it unnecessarily or in a blind manner, but only use and develop it within the right cause. That’s the practitioner’s duty, which is a full time job. We regenerate ourselves from being an agitated, worn-out and idle person to become an organized, happy, and constructive one.
But what is life? Is it really this body? Therefore, is it not this body we must care for in order to harmonize with every living condition and that will help the spiritual consciousness to develop itself more and more?
The practitioner can develop pure energy to share with his surroundings. Only with that energy, granted to him and shared with other living beings without ending, can he get rid of his foolish, despotic, and impure character.
Life gives us lessons. We have also wasted a lot of energy through life; we have wasted a lot of our seminal essence, vital breath, and spiritual energy, which has lead us to retrogression. We will certainly loose ground forever if we do not re-establish that order to enjoy the delicate greatness of the universe.
There exist things that lead us to hell and (difficult to understand ??? - 30:44) will hinder us from going to Heaven, because Heaven is a place of order. If we were aware of our impurity, of our evolution goal to infinity after having learned the lessons of impurity on earth, then we have to practice in order to bring order to this microcosm and to harmonize with the order of Great Nature. Only at that point of harmonization can we step into the Supra Natural sphere to learn.
Current science has assisted mankind with their needs, but it’s still limited; it has not succeeded in solving all the problems of this physical body, such as the incurable diseases, especially the consciousness breakdown.
Why is there such consciousness breakdown? It is due to the disorder of the mind. And who is responsible for that disorder? Only God has the power of salvation. And the soul has its potential to learn and practice. If we take medicine, we have to know what it is for. If it is not the proper medicine, then it could lead us to death.
Therefore, once adopting this method, we should know how beneficial this method is for us and how to use it as an omnipotent pill to cure our consciousness breakdown, and to purify all impurities collected from many perpetual cycles of living existences on earth.
Once we have established the order, we will be aware of the change we make. Before, this body was very important to us; we cared for it as un-destructible matter. But today I discover that all matter will have to be finally converted to nothingness, as the Four Great Elements of Water, Fire, Wind, and Earth.
Therefore, if you direct yourself to spiritual perfection, you have to perfect your soul, not the physical body, or for mere appearance to deceive others! If you do so, it is like you are using a veil to cover up the eyes of the Deities.
You have to practice instead. Even though you are not as advanced as the Enlightened ones, it will be better to make a little bit of progress; you should be satisfied with the result. Do not be greedy, otherwise you will fall back. Order is essential; put yourself in order! And, needless to be concerned about spiritual matters if you are disorganized!
When going back to the latent order granted by your father Lord, you will be aware of your mistakes and wasted potential. You will then repent and vouch to return to the sphere of lucidity that is to reach the True Knowledge.
Do not pretend to be an advanced or enlightened practitioner to deceive others. Do not hide it! Before, how agitated I was! I smoked three packs of cigarettes a day, and sometimes it was easier to give up on your wife than on cigarettes. People who used to smoke would understand that. But how could I give up cigarettes? It was through the grace of this Method, and by the mantra of, “NAM, MÔ, A, DI, ÐÀ, PHẬT.”
The invocation of “NAM, MÔ, A, DI, ÐÀ, PHẬT” has helped and guided me to see clearly the principle of Living Creation in this universe. At the beginning, I was very inquisitive about the, “NAM, MÔ, A, DI, ÐÀ, PHẬT,” that I did not understand it. I could not direct myself in spiritual perfection.
In the Buddhist temple, people kept talking about the “NAM, MÔ, A, DI, ÐÀ, PHẬT” but without understanding its meaning. If by saying “NAM, MÔ, A, DI, ÐÀ, PHẬT” the Buddha came to me, I would actually appeal to him; but I did not see him coming like that.
During my meditation practice, I invoked the mantra as taught by my master: he had told me to invoke by thought as follows: “From mental invocation, you proceed to permanent invocation; then to the point where you can harmonize with the “NAM, MÔ, A, DI, ÐÀ, PHẬT.” I have actually practiced this invocation and found out about the energetic frequency of, “NAM, MÔ, A, DI, ÐÀ, PHẬT,” which is different from “ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX,” and so forth.
“NAM:” its final resonance will be concentrated at the point between the eyebrows, at the Frontal Psychic Center. People who do the Cyclical Breathing of Non-Retention well, with their head slightly shaking, they will experience the light vision at the Frontal Psychic Center. “NAM” represents the South, and it possesses the energy of Element Fire.
The spiritual energy, once concentrated at the Frontal Psychic Center, will light up and project out to form a ball of fire called, “Mau Ni Chau” or “Pearl of Silence.” That “Pearl of Silence” will engender the Spiritual Embryo which bears the soul.
When coming to this physical body, the soul passes through the top of the head to go into the kidneys before proceeding to the heart; then it is imprisoned in the heart: the human being begins to struggle through the material existence, he only cares about the external and superficial matters; he forgets the depth of the matter and starts to become fearful. The more wealthy, powerful, and superficial he is, the more he fears being killed! It’s because he only sees one side of his life and ignores the other side.
In this Vo Vi Method, you concentrate your energy to relate with Buddha; then, you will understand how Buddha has succeeded to develop his 6 paranormal powers while meditating under the tree in the forest.
How did he discover the six words, “NAM, MÔ, A, DI, ÐÀ, PHẬT”?
Therefore, through invocation, you will see how important the vibrations are! The proper vibrations will lead you to the six super-normal psychic centers within your body. These psychic centers are the most vulnerable points when being hit by someone.
Through practice, you will be able to open those six super-normal psychic centers in order to understand the whole operation of the universe. Only at that point will you reach the serenity to fully understand Buddha’s teachings. If your six super-normal powers are not developed, how can you absorb in that sublime inspiration?
It has indeed helped me to understand this principle. I have discovered how excellent this method is; therefore, I have made a vow to the Celestial Father and Buddha to share this method with others.
I would not want to make any profit or use propaganda out of it. While in Viet Nam, I went to work and earned a reasonable livelihood. However, this method is valuable in helping others to heal themselves, especially those incurable illnesses. I have been sharing and practicing this method for more than 25 years.
Today, my health is in good condition, but my physical body was basically weak. Early on, the doctors told me that I would die any time because of my frailness; but until this time I have no backache, no fatigue at all. I work numerous hours in the day without getting tired. If I can survive until this moment, it’s due to this method of developing the pure cosmic vital breath.
This physical body was frail because I started walking only at the age of 6, and during my childhood I often got sick and took medicines most of the time. But for this reason I was determined to practice so that this body could become stronger, as you see it now. That’s really a work of great patience which is accomplished by a sick man.
Therefore, today I wish to share a part of my good results with you, and I hope that my successors will also discover many more sublime things in the future, with the same technique. My spiritual level, and my health condition as well as my living style have limited myself in developing further.
In the past this body was very agitated; and today it has been restored in order to present it to you and to those who wish to return to their original nature. I am certain that my successors will be able to discover many other good things to share with all living beings in this cosmic universe if they conscientiously follow the spiritual path.
How good it is if young people know how to direct their lives themselves toward spiritual perfection, and how to return to perfect order ! They would have peaceful and stable lives; their souls will be certified by the Heavenly Hosts, making them happy and independent people on Earth as well as in Heaven.
This is a very good opportunity for the young people to practice in order to know their sublime homeland, which is their physical body. If you go back to your country with a consciousness breakdown, then it is meaningless ; but if you bring order to yourself, then go back home, your country would be within your grasp.
Therefore, if everyone learned to put themselves back in order to develop their intrinsic potential, return to serenity and lucidity, then this sorrowing human community would certainly be emancipated.
You have to primarily liberate this microcosm before being able to contribute yourself to the future land disposed by God.
So I hope that everyone will become aware of the Spiritual Path, and practice to know themselves. You can clearly understand my words only with practice. Strive to advance, for this method does not permit you to rely on anyone outside yourself.
(END OF RECORDING)