1.
foundation by stabilizing the concentration of consciousness. The actual
time may naturally be different; the criterion is the production of the
effect. The term firing process is also taken from Taoist spiritual
alchemy and means the course of meditation work, symbolized by the
firing or cooking of elixir to crystallize it into a pill.
4. "Positive light “ means the creative energy in the original mind. The
"eyes “ are the two main aspects of consciousness symbolized by sky and
light: formless awareness and awareness of form. "Running leakage “
means that energy is wasted through involvement with objects. This is
called "conformity “ because it happens as a matter of course when the
mind is conditioned by things. "Reversal “ therefore means withdrawing
energy from objects, so that it can be stabilized and mastered from within
rather than controlled from without.
5. Turning the light around is turning around the energy of creation in that
the total experience of the world depends upon the orientation of the mind.
Changsha, a distinguished Chan master of the ninth century, is famous for
saying, "All worlds in the ten directions are the light of the self. All worlds
in the ten directions are in the light of the self. In all worlds in the ten
directions, there is no one who is not oneself. I always tell people that the
Buddhas of past, present, and future, together with the sentient beings of the
whole universe, are the light of great wisdom. Before the light radiates,
