These photographs capturing "True-Form Realities" are manifested from the inner Nirvana of our self-nature.

Every human being possesses an inner Nirvana within us that encompasses all things, all realities, and all phenomena. When we manifest our inner Nirvana, incredible images and phenomena are released and liberated, fulfilling and achieving what we call "the True-Form Realities of Nirvana."

Accessing the reality of Nirvana is the ultimate goal of the Buddhist religion. In fact, the reality of Nirvana is Buddhism’s point of differentiation from other religions.

These pictures of "True-Form Realities" that are on display are images of the phenomena liberated from the realm of inner Nirvana, which contains all Dharma (Divine True Forms). These True-Forms have no form, and yet they are all Forms. Through the manifestation of True-Forms, the liberated can unlock and express the highest state of consciousness, which is characterized by total freedom, without restraints, fetters, or obstructions. It is exactly as stated in the Vimalakirti-Nirdesa sutra: "For the liberated can put the king of mountains, Sumeru, which is so high, so great, so noble, and so vast, into a mustard seed. He can perform this feat without enlarging the mustard seed and without shrinking Mount Sumeru…Only the enlightened will see and understand the putting of the king of mountains, Sumeru, into the mustard seed." [1]

From these pictures of "True-Form Realities," we will discover the contents of our inner Nirvana, the "True-Forms" which flow out and manifest naturally from therein. The contents of these "True Forms" have no "big" and "small," no "near" or "far," and no "within" or "without" – in fact, all polarities disappear. They merge and interconnect with each other easily and freely. It fully demonstrates the immeasurable, boundless, and limitless qualities inherent in humanity’s Root Consciousness. Therefore, we should return to our Root Consciousness, return to our True Essence. We should re-discover and find our lost Original Nature and Essential Self, so that we can wear our original faces. And then the realities of Nirvana will be right before us, opening with clarity and understanding at first sight.

The "True-Forms" depicted in these pictures illustrate the doctrine of emptiness and non-attachment. We "see" Forms and yet we do not see Forms; seeing Forms is like seeing our Essences. Form and Essence are the same. Form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form; emptiness does not differ from form, and form does not differ from emptiness. Form and emptiness are one and exactly the same. In other words, sensation, recognition, volition, and consciousness are also non-existent. After experiencing the Void that is nothing and everything, we become witness to ourselves walking the One Path of True-Form Realities.

The traditional Buddhist acolyte throws himself into mastering the Buddhist scriptures and into harsh, ascetic self-cultivation. This road will rarely place him on the True Path, the One Way. If he cannot walk the One Way, then he cannot enter the world of True Forms, the world of Dharma. If he cannot enter Dharma, then how can he experience Nirvana and manifest his Divine Self?

The Diamond Sutra states: "…by this I mean the Buddha and the Dharma are not the Buddha and the Dharma." [2] The terms "Buddha" and "Dharma" are conveniences only. One should not be attached to only entering the Great Way of Absolute Reality via the Buddhist religion.

Therefore, Diamond Sutra states, in Section 10: "In order to give rise to the purified mind, one should not abide in anything, whether forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, or dharmas. He should produce a mind which does not rely on anything." [3]

Humanity has occasionally witnessed or experienced mystical phenomena through the practice of religion. Sometimes we call these phenomena "visions of God," when these phenomena actually have their origins in our own inner divine nature. Since we all born with varying degrees of insight – indeed, some of us are shallow while others are deep – our experiences of these phenomena, and hence our explanations for them, can be dramatically different. But despite hundreds of explanations, the root cause is still unclear.

The Buddhist acolyte or follower encounters these phenomena of the Divine Self-Nature, but he remembers only Section 1 of the Diamond Sutra, which states that "all appearances are empty and false." [4] But he neglects and/or disregards the passages immediately following, which express that, "If one sees all appearances as no appearances, then one sees the [Buddha]." [5] Those who hold rigidly to their own ideas and sense of self therefore lose the best timing to experience or manifest Absolute Reality. Therefore, if one cannot break one’s obsessions, attachments, or sense of differentiation from others, how can one walk the "Great Way of Absolute Reality" and witness Nirvana?

How can a follower of the Buddhist path enter Absolute Reality? Through the contemplation and activation of his or her own inner Divine nature. Our Divine or Dharma nature is hidden within our consciousness. Once we activate it through conscious thought, it produces changes and transmissions immediately. This resonates with the passage from the Infinite Life sutra: Looking at one’s True Essential Self is "as though seeing one’s own image in a bright mirror." [6] This phenomenon of meeting our True Self was created by the linking of our own Divine nature to our conscious thoughts. It is as the Vimalakirti-Nirdesa sutra states: "The Buddha asked Vimalakirti: ‘Noble One, when you would see the Tathagata [Buddha], how do you view him?’ Vimalakirti replied: ‘It is like viewing the essence of one’s own self. Viewing the Tathagata is the same." [7]

To view the "essence of one’s own self," or one’s "True-Form," is to meet one’s own identical Divine Light Avatar, or "Fen Shen" (literally, a "splitting of the body"). The Infinite Life Sutra also teaches those who follow to observe our "True-Form" Selves. In the process of observing ourselves, we should meet with a Self that is just like our own reflection, as if we were standing before a mirror, seeing our own face and our own divine body. [8] We should follow this method of contemplation, for it is called "upright contemplation."

The power of our Divine or Dharma nature also originates from "no-thingness." When our Divine nature is activated, and we are the subject of a photograph, we will certainly transmit images of "True-Forms" into the resulting pictures. In order to have the "True-Forms" manifest in the pictures, the subject must first be manifesting True-Forms before the picture is snapped, using conscious thought to transmit them into the final photograph.

The "Fen Shen" that is evident in these "True-Form Reality Pictures" was manifested in the liberated reality of Nirvana. After walking in Absolute Reality and witnessing Nirvana, one naturally develops one’s "Divine" or "Dharma" Body. This Divine body never moves or changes, residing securely in one’s inner Nirvana nature. This Divine Body can, at a whim or a moment’s notice, manifest infinite numbers of "split bodies" or "Fen Shen." These "Fen Shen" can transcend all of time and space, all the Dharma realms and emptiness, and all three tenses of past, present, and future, plus the ten dimensions and directions.

Emptiness must be the foundation. The Madhyamaka-Shastra states: "From emptiness, all Dharma is derived." [9] This resonates with the Vimalakirti-Nirdesa sutra, which makes a similar statement that "…all things stand on the root which is root-less." [10] It is because of the capacity of Emptiness to form all things that our "Fen Shen" can travel and penetrate freely through all the divine realms. Heaven and earth are created by the Mind, and all of the myriad phenomena therein are manifested by the Consciousness. In these pictures of True-Form Reality, we discover the Reality of "Fen Shen," which having given birth to Heaven and Earth, is united in One-ness with all things. "Fen Shen" has merged with Heaven, Earth, Man, and all animals and objects into a great entity, fulfilled and complete without boundaries or limitations. From the massive into the tiny, from the tiny into the massive, "Fen Shen" is continually intermixing, interchanging, and interconnecting with all things, demonstrating the Nirvana state of "Non-Duality."

Not only can we see the reality of "Fen Shen" manifested through these pictures, but we can also experience the eternal nature of humankind. Using "Fen Shen" as its vehicle, the reality of Nirvana shows us the profound meaning and value of human life. All human beings must affirm the meaning and value of life for themselves in order for the ultimate reality of their inner Nirvana to manifest. Each person must be a self-witness to these truths: That each and every human being has a Self-Nature, an inner Nirvana, and the capacity for liberation. Each and every human being can create his or her Divine Self. And then according to the nature of his or her own "Divine Self," each and every human being can liberate his or her own "Fen Shen."

The fundamental meaning and purpose of manifesting "Fen Shen" is to liberate ourselves from the endless cycle of death and rebirth. In fact, witnessing "Nirvana" to achieve our "Divine Self" in order to create our "Fen Shen" is the highest ideal and purpose of the Buddhist religion. Like the Infinite Life Sutra says: "They will see that Pure Land as though seeing their own images in a bright mirror." [11] The Bible also declares that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." [12] It is only with an "imperishable" soul entity (our "Fen Shen") that we can enter and inherit the kingdom of God.

The Buddha’s Pure Lands lie within our consciousness. If we earn the ability to perceive the reality of True-Forms, then we can manifest all things immediately and easily, all according to our whims. We can, in a single instant, transport ourselves into the Buddha’s Pure Lands. The Infinite Life sutra states: "Originally, there was no difference between Heaven and Earth." [13] Therefore, Nirvana is inside our world, and our world is inside Nirvana. Jesus said it best: "Neither shall they say, ‘Lo here!’ Or, ‘Lo, there!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is within you." [14] The Vimalakirti-Nirdesa sutra also states: "The purity of his [Buddha lands] reflects the purity of his own mind." [15] The Pure Lands exist according to the level of absolute reality attained by one’s consciousness. Therefore, the Buddha’s Pure Lands exist right within one’s mind, right in the present moment, and right inside our human existence. The ideal of "Paradise-on-Earth" is just waiting to be attained, achieved through our religious faiths, as part of the realization of our life’s purpose.

How, then, can we achieve Paradise-on-Earth? How can we bring the ideal of the Buddha’s Pure Lands into the reality of human existence (the Spiritual Universe)? The Infinite Life sutra tells us, "When you have seen these things, visualize yourself as being born in the Western realm of Ultimate Bliss." [16] Quoting from the Buddhist sutras is a matter of convenience only. But no matter what words we use to illustrate our point, everything points to returning to the absolute reality of our true self-nature. Everything points to going back to our Original Consciousness, reflecting upon our true Essence, meeting our True Self, and perceiving our original Entity. When we can do this, then we can manifest any and all of our desires at will, with only the effort of a thought. The True-Forms, or Dharma, which are revealed in glimpses into the realm of Nirvana are actually the realization of Paradise-on-earth!

References

[1] Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, trans. Kumarajiva, Robert A. F. Thurman, Chapter 6: The Inconceivable Liberation. 14 Dec. 2007. (http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T14/0475_002.htm. and http://www.buddhistinformation.com/vimalakirti_nirdesa_sutra.htm)
[2] Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra (Diamond Sutra), trans. Kumarajiva, Section 8: Relying on Dharma They Come Forth. 14 Dec. 2007. (http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T08/0235_001.htm and http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/sutras/diamond1.html)
[3] Ibid, Section 10: The Adornment of Pure Lands.
[4] Ibid, Section 1: The Reasons for the Dharma Assembly.
[5] Ibid.
[6] The Sutra of Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Life, trans. Kalaysas, Charles Patton, Section 12. 14 Dec. 2007. (http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T12/0365_001.htm and http://www.cloudwater.org/visualization.html)
[7] Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, trans. Kumarajiva, Robert A. F. Thurman, Chapter 12: Vision of the Universe Abhirati and the Tathagata Aksobhya. 14 Dec. 2007. (http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T14/0475_003.htm and
http://www.buddhistinformation.com/vimalakirti_nirdesa_sutra.htm)
[8] The Sutra of Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Life, trans. Kalaysas, Section 12. 14 Dec. 2007. (http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T12/0365_001.htm)
[9] Nagarjuna, Sankr. Madhyamaka-Shastra, Volume 4, Chapter 23. trans. Ching-Mu. 14 Dec. 2007. (http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T30/1564_004.htm)
[10] Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, trans. Kumarajiva, Chapter 7: Observing Living Beings. 14 Dec. 2007. (http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T14/0475_002.htm. and http://www.buddhistinformation.com/vimalakirti_nirdesa_sutra.htm)
[11] The Sutra of Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Life, trans. Kalayasas. 14 Dec. 2007. (http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T12/0365_001.htm)
[12] 1 Corinthians 15:50 (New International Version).
[13] The Sutra of Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Life, trans. Kalayasas.
[14] Luke 17:21.
[15] Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, trans. Kumarajiva, Chapter 1: The Purification of the Buddha-Field. 14 Dec. 2007 (http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T14/0475_001.htm)
[16] The Sutra of Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Life. trans. Kalaysas. 14 Dec. 2007 (http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T12/0365_001.htm)