眾生無邊誓願度
煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成
This sutra is the most fundamental among the Mahayana scriptures, as it was delivered by the World-Honored One approximately ten years after his enlightenment, at the Great Lecture Hall on Mount Gridhrakuta, to a large assembly. It is the first sutra expounded by the World-Honored One after concluding the teachings of the Hinayana vehicle and turning to the Mahayana vehicle, signifying that this sutra serves as the foundation of Mahayana Buddhism. Its primary function is to inspire faith—to awaken the assembly's confidence in the Mahayana Dharma, enabling them to accept the doctrine of Tathagatagarbha and recognize that all sentient beings inherently possess this profound and subtle Tathagatagarbha within themselves. When sentient beings develop unwavering faith in the existence of Tathagatagarbha within themselves, the cultivation stage of the Faith-position Bodhisattva is perfected. Thereafter, they enter the Abiding stage, commencing the practice of the Six Perfections (Paramitas) in preparation for realizing the true nature of mind.
How does the five aggregates of sentient beings exist? How do the five aggregates of sentient beings pass into the next life? How do the five aggregates of sentient beings transfer karma to the next life? How do the five aggregates of sentient beings vanish and cease? To understand all the secrets of the five aggregates, one must study this Mahayana Sutra on the Manifestation of Consciousness. The entire text explains how the ālaya-vijñāna sustains the body, departs from the body, carries sensations and perceptions to take rebirth elsewhere, migrates to another physical form, receives the physical body of the next life, operates along with the body, departs from the present physical body to undergo karmic retribution in the body of the future life, enters the womb, carries karmic seeds, and so forth. It fully reveals the functions of the ālaya-vijñāna within the five aggregates, demonstrating to sentient beings how crucial the ālaya-vijñāna is for the continuity and operation of life. Without the ālaya-vijñāna, there would be no five aggregates across the three lifetimes, nor the realm of inanimate objects in the universe. The ālaya-vijñāna is the sovereign of the world of the five aggregates and the primary consciousness of sentient beings' lives. Therefore, understanding the ālaya-vijñāna is extremely important, and realizing the ālaya-vijñāna is even more crucial.
The origin of this sutra lies in the World-Honored One's awareness that his father, King Śuddhodana, had matured in virtuous roots, and thus he expounded the Mahayana Dharma to grant him ultimate liberation. In this selected exposition, we primarily focus on the latter four volumes of the sutra, which contain the most essential teachings delivered by the Buddha to King Śuddhodana. Within these texts, the World-Honored One employs various dream metaphors to caution the king, revealing that all sensory faculties and illusory states are like dreams. He admonishes against clinging to worldly power, status, and pleasures, for upon awakening from the dream, nothing exists. He urges the king to cultivate the path early, liberate himself from afflictions, and attain Nirvana. Using the metaphor of a dream, he illustrates that all phenomena are utterly empty and tranquil, guiding entry into the three gates of liberation: emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. Each dream analogy taught by the World-Honored One in the sutra demonstrates that the intrinsic nature of all dharmas is empty, without coming or going; thus, there is no need for attachment. This serves to awaken sentient beings to enlightenment, freeing them from sinking into the dreamlike world and creating karmic actions of greed, hatred, and delusion. After hearing the Dharma, King Śuddhodana diligently practiced and ultimately attained enlightenment.
The Heart Sutra is the quintessence of the Prajnaparamita Sutras and is deeply cherished by Buddhists worldwide. Given the profound teachings of this sutra, its extensive dissemination, and its paramount importance to Buddhist practitioners, it is essential to provide a comprehensive and in-depth explanation and analysis based on the thorough understanding of prajna. This will guide Buddhist disciples toward a holistic comprehension of the true nature of the five aggregates and the dharma realm, enabling them to swiftly realize the true meaning of prajna, cultivate the great wisdom of prajna, and attain liberation and ease of mind. Those who practice according to this sutra, upon understanding the true reality of the five aggregates and realizing their emptiness, will experience increasing liberation of body and mind and ever-deepening wisdom. Like Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, their minds will become free from attachments, growing ever more at ease, and they will gain the capacity to traverse all sufferings and adversities of life and death. May more and more people depart from delusions and fantasies, reaching the ultimate shore of nirvana!
This book compiles and elucidates the dharma-transmitting verses of the Seven Buddhas as well as those of the patriarchs from India and China, enabling beings to understand what exactly the dharma lineage transmitted by the Buddhas entails and what constitutes the fundamental basis of Buddhist practice and realization. Selected passages from the *Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch* are explained, allowing beings to grasp the essential meaning of the *Platform Sutra* and thereby clarifying the goal and direction of mind-awakening and cultivation. The book also presents explanations of past Chan masters' teachings concerning meditation and the realization of the Way, enabling practitioners to comprehend the "landscape" before and after enlightenment, as well as the essence of Chan. Finally, excerpts from several Mahayana sutras, such as the *Lankavatara Sutra*, are cited and explained to address beings' doubts about Buddhist scriptures, guiding everyone to delve deeply into the sutras and correctly understand their meanings.
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