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 book is a compilation of selected chapters and sections from the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra*, featuring explanations of passages gathered in response to the requests of disciples. Its primary teachings include: the Seven Locations Where the Mind is Sought; the Four Conditions for the Perception of the True Nature; Individual and Collective Delusional Views; the Unreality of the Five Aggregates; the Unreality of the Six Entrances; the Unreality of the Twelve Sense Fields; the Unreality of the Seven Elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Space, Consciousness, and Perception); and the Intrinsic Pervasiveness and Harmony of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. It comprises approximately 130,000 Chinese characters. Diligent study of this commentary on selected sections of the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra*, coupled with earnest practice, will amass the provisions for the path. When conditions ripen, one will realize the Mind and perceive the true Nature. As the inquiries addressed to each disciple vary, the compilation may appear unsystematic. It is assembled in this excerpted form solely to provide an early source of reliance and reference for practitioners devoted to the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra*. Currently, only one volume has been compiled. When time permits and my cultivation deepens further, I will provide a systematic and comprehensive commentary on the entire *Śūraṅgama Sūtra*, supplementing and revising any incomplete aspects. I kindly ask all to patiently await this future work.
Among the mind, manas, and consciousness, the mind represents the eighth consciousness, manas represents the mental faculty, and consciousness represents mental consciousness. The first two are relatively profound, subtle, and concealed, making them difficult to realize and observe. Ordinary people can only observe mental consciousness, and even then, not very meticulously; they are unable to observe the mental faculty and the eighth consciousness. All aspects pertaining to the mental faculty fall within the scope of Consciousness-Only wisdom (Vijñapti-mātra Jñāna), as do all matters related to Consciousness-Only. This is especially true for the mental factors associated with each consciousness. Currently, Buddhists commonly mistake the state of the mental faculty for the state of mental consciousness. Without direct experiential insight and wisdom, it is impossible to presently observe the specific operational state of the mental faculty. This book provides a thorough and detailed analysis of the distinctions and connections between the mental faculty and mental consciousness, emphasizing their differences in governing body, speech, mind, and in the discernment of objects. It also introduces the relationship between the mental faculty and mental consciousness, including their modes of communication, their mutual influence, as well as the distinctions and connections between the mental faculty and the first five consciousnesses. This facilitates Buddhists in discerning the respective inherent natures of the mental faculty and mental consciousness within practical applications, eliminating confusion. Once the inherent natures of the mental faculty and mental consciousness are clearly distinguished, it becomes easier to realize the mental faculty and subsequently observe it directly in practice.
This book primarily elucidates the various attributes and functions of the mind root (manas), emphasizing its crucial role and significance in the cultivation and realization of the Buddha Dharma. It highlights the meritorious effects of attaining fruition through the mind root and clarifies its principal function in investigative meditation. In essence, the cultivation and realization of the Buddha Dharma are fundamentally centered on the mind root. Without addressing the mind root, there can be no genuine cultivation, much less actual realization; such practice would bear no fruit. The cultivation of all Dharma practices must ultimately converge upon and reach the mind root to acquire true meaning and results, thereby achieving accomplishment. Sentient beings in the Dharma-ending age are generally restless in mind, possessing shallow roots of virtue, heavy greed, and meager merit. The chaos of worldly affairs makes it difficult to uphold precepts and cultivate concentration, leaving the mind unable to settle into clarity. Most Buddhist practitioners focus primarily on acquiring knowledge, often mistaking learned theories and the emotional thoughts and intellectual interpretations of the conscious mind for genuine realization. They erroneously regard the outcomes of speculation, reasoning, and research as actual realization, deceiving themselves and subsequently misleading others. Understanding the intrinsic nature of the mind root enables one to recognize the true characteristics of genuine realization and distinguish it from emotional thoughts and intellectual interpretations. By comprehending the pivotal mechanism and essential point of genuine realization, one can avoid falling into such errors and prevent committing the grave offense of major false claims (about spiritual attainment).
Throughout the ages, the vast majority of those capable of learning Buddhism and engaging in spiritual practice have possessed only a vague understanding of the mind faculty (manas), perceiving it as profoundly mysterious and difficult to comprehend or verify. They have often mistaken the functions of the mind faculty for those of the conscious mind (vijnana), leading to numerous misunderstandings and unresolved questions that hinder deeper cultivation. This book comprehensively reveals the various intrinsic natures and functional roles of the mind faculty. It elucidates with absolute clarity and without ambiguity the relationships between the mind faculty and the physical body, karmic seeds, ignorance, meditative absorption, spiritual powers, the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha-nature), and other elements. Furthermore, it skillfully guides practitioners to locate the mind faculty, to engage in contemplative practice focused on it, and to adeptly discern the differences between the mind faculty and the conscious mind, thereby gradually enhancing the wisdom of contemplative practice. This book offers immense assistance to sentient beings in the Dharma-ending Era for their spiritual learning, providing exceptionally clear guidance for practice on the path to Buddhahood.
Consciousness is a most potent assistant in the practice and realization of the Dharma. It is used to access the Dharma, contemplate the Dharma, attain correct knowledge and insight, thereby permeating the mental faculty, and ultimately leading to genuine realization. The functions of consciousness are observable to most people, and it possesses many characteristics, the most fundamental being its nature of arising, ceasing, changing, and impermanence. However, many Buddhists mistake certain attributes of consciousness for the functions of the indestructible eighth consciousness, thus failing to distinguish the real from the illusory and often leading to erroneous awakening. This book elucidates the types of consciousness, their functions, the principles of their arising, the processes of their birth, cessation, and transformation, and so forth. It fully demonstrates the profound differences between the essential natures of consciousness and the eighth consciousness. This facilitates a clear recognition of the distinction between the two, preventing the misidentification of consciousness as the true self, thereby guiding one onto the correct path of Chan (Zen) practice and ensuring that the efforts of a lifetime of cultivation are not in vain. Ordinary beings invariably regard consciousness as their true, knowing essence. Due to heavy inner obscurations, they fail to perceive the substantive functions of the true mind, the eighth consciousness. If one can clearly recognize the intermittent, arising-and-ceasing nature of consciousness, one can swiftly eradicate the view of self and resolve the problem of birth and death. Therefore, understanding the essential nature of consciousness is crucially important.
It seems that the Buddhist community today is increasingly emphasizing practical cultivation, with slogans and aims advocating genuine realization. Yet, in essence, it still does not involve actual practice or realization, nor does it understand what constitutes genuine cultivation or genuine realization. If one's practice does not involve meditative concentration and fails to deeply permeate the fundamental consciousness, it remains an unreal practice, like duckweed adrift without root. The result is mere intellectual understanding without genuine realization, yet practitioners mistake it for true realization. Continuing down this path, the superficially thriving Buddhist community will gradually decline. The masses will practice blindly, without understanding what they are cultivating, leading to the absence of both practice and realization—to the point where even intellectual insight vanishes, let alone genuine enlightenment. If this persists, the true Dharma of genuine enlightenment will be severed and lost, even submerged by exaggerated approaches to Buddhist study. There will be no more actual beneficiaries, and the raft of Dharma will no longer ferry sentient beings to liberation. Therefore, it is necessary to urgently advocate for genuine realization and promote actual practice, to fulfill the Buddha's original intent and swiftly liberate those endowed with sufficient virtuous roots, merits, and causes, enabling them to attain realization, liberate themselves, and liberate others.
The metaphor of the black box represents a dark, confined space or place. Our brain is similarly dark and confined, like a black box, even though it allows us to perceive an immensely vast space. Our perceptual activities occur within this cerebral black box; the dharma of perception resides within this black box; both the knower and the known exist within the black box. Therefore, we sentient beings live entirely within this black box. Given this, how unreal and unreliable our perceptions must be! How illusory and unreal the perceived dharma must be! The very brain we depend upon is itself subject to birth, cessation, and change. So what, then, is the world of the Five Aggregates? Or is it nothing at all? This question is sufficient to completely overturn all our accumulated understanding of life across countless lifetimes and eons. Thus, we invite you to deeply contemplate these words, to elevate your understanding of life, and to attain genuine liberating wisdom!
This book primarily elucidates the manifold nature and functional roles of the mental faculty (manas). It focuses on the crucial position and function of manas within the process of Buddhist cultivation and realization, emphasizing the meritorious effect of manas in attaining fruition. It also clarifies the primary role of manas in investigative practice. In summary, both the cultivation and realization of the Dharma fundamentally revolve around manas. Without manas, there can be no talk of genuine practice, much less actual realization; any such efforts would bear no fruit. The cultivation of all dharmas must ultimately converge upon and reach manas to have genuine meaning and result, and to achieve accomplishment. Sentient beings in the Dharma-ending age are generally restless in mind, possessing shallow and sparse virtuous roots, heavy greed and desire, and meager merit. The chaos and busyness of worldly affairs make upholding precepts difficult and cultivating concentration difficult; the mind cannot settle into purity. Buddhists nowadays predominantly focus on acquiring knowledge. They often mistake the theories they learn, the emotional thoughts and intellectual understanding of the conscious mind, for actual realization. They mistake results deduced through speculation, reasoning, and research for genuine realization, deceiving themselves and then misleading others. If one understands the nature of manas, one will recognize the true characteristics of direct realization and distinguish it from emotional thoughts and intellectual understanding. Understanding the pivotal mechanism and essential point of direct realization will help avoid falling into such errors and prevent the karmic offense of gross false speech.
Brief Exposition of Rūpa
The mental factors associated with the manas (seventh consciousness) are the dharmas possessed by the seventh consciousness, representing the trajectory of mental activities during its operation. Verifying the mental factors of the manas is extremely difficult. The direct observation and practice (pratyakṣa) of the manas belong to the wisdom realm of Bodhisattvas on the grounds (bhūmi); even those who have attained enlightenment cannot directly observe it and can only approximate a partial understanding. For unenlightened ordinary beings, it is entirely impossible to directly observe the mental operations of the manas. The mental factors of the manas are highly complex. All karmic retributions of good and evil for sentient beings since beginningless time are accomplished through the wholesome and unwholesome mental factors of the manas. Whether it is the retribution experienced by ordinary beings in the three virtuous paths or the three evil paths, or the sublime fruition attained by the four types of noble ones—Arhats, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas—all are accomplished solely through the wholesome and unwholesome mental factors of the manas. The vast difference in retribution, ranging from hellish states to Buddhahood, is entirely due to distinctions in the mental factors of the manas. Since the mental factors of the manas differ so greatly among various sentient beings, we must separately describe the various mental factors of the manas according to different categories of beings, rather than generalizing them uniformly. The mental factors of the manas are not immutable; the process of spiritual practice is precisely the process of transforming and altering these mental factors. All ignorance (avidyā) resides in the manas. If the manas does not realize the Dharma, it cannot eradicate ignorance. Eliminating the ignorance of the sixth consciousness (mano-vijñāna) is ineffective and changes nothing. The cultivation and realization of all dharmas must reach the mental factors of the manas to resolve fundamental issues.
The overarching theme throughout the entire *Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra* (Diamond Sutra) is to shatter appearances, shatter appearances, shatter appearances—to shatter all appearances, beginning with the shattering of the four marks, and shattering all dharmic appearances. All appearances are not appearances, yet not non-appearances; they are neither dharmas nor non-dharmas. The basis for shattering all these appearances is the indestructible Vajra heart, which is neither born nor extinguished. The process and result of shattering appearances in the Diamond Sutra resonates distantly with the method of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva’s perfect penetration through the faculty of hearing: voiding all that can be voided, leaving only the indestructible Prajñā heart of Vajra wisdom on the other shore—a shore that is not the other shore, yet not not the other shore—solitary and without companion, yet it is the one true Dharmadhātu. The Diamond Sutra also resonates distantly with all Prajñāpāramitā scriptures and Mahayana scriptures, mutually affirming one another without the slightest dissonance. There is nothing but emptiness, emptiness to the very end—an emptiness that is not emptiness, yet not non-emptiness.
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