Cultivation of Concentration and Chan Meditation for Realization of the Way (Part 1)
Section 4: The Prerequisites for Chan Investigation and Realization
1. The Six Perfections Are the Foundation of Chan Investigation
The prerequisite for sudden enlightenment is gradual cultivation. Anyone who attains sudden enlightenment must go through a gradual cultivation process, whether long or short; without gradual cultivation, there is no sudden enlightenment. If you wish to attain sudden enlightenment, you must lay a solid foundation; the bodhisattva's six perfections are the foundation and the conditions. To become a bodhisattva, one must possess the corresponding bodhisattva qualifications; one does not become a bodhisattva for no reason at all. Resolving the great matter of birth-and-death accumulated over countless kalpas is not a simple matter; it can only be accomplished by paying the corresponding price.
As long as these conditions are fulfilled, sudden enlightenment is certain, because enlightenment has no quota. Good things in worldly affairs are limited in number, and perhaps one even needs to scheme and pull strings to obtain them, but the dharma of enlightenment—seeing the mind—does not work that way: whoever meets the conditions can realize the Way, and no one else can prevent it. Therefore, one must cultivate and perfect oneself, drawing ever closer to the sages, and only then can one finally enter the company of the sages.
Buddhist practitioners today have an impatient mentality: without laying foundations, without cultivating the six perfections, they go straight to Chan investigation and demand enlightenment immediately. Many people's attitude is: they want only the seventh floor, without the first and second floors. The World-Honored One repeatedly taught the bodhisattva's six perfections; merit and the precepts are both extremely important, and subduing one's mental disposition is also of utmost importance. Yet practitioners ignore all of this and seek only the final prajñā wisdom—this is impossible to obtain. The acquisition of wisdom requires certain prerequisites: the provisions of merit must be complete, and the precepts must be upheld; only then can meditative concentration (samādhi) be complete, and only at the end can wisdom be born.
We cannot apply ourselves only to the practice of principle and the practice of wisdom while neglecting the foundational merit and precepts; such practice cannot lead to accomplishment. We must have faith in and accept the Buddha's words: whatever the Buddha instructed us to cultivate, we must strive to cultivate. Taking refuge, receiving the precepts, keeping the precepts, and subduing one's mental disposition are all very important; one cannot set aside these conditions and expect to attain the fruit directly. A person heavily stained by worldly defilements cannot become a sage. The gap between a practitioner and a sage cannot be too great, so the five precepts, the eight precepts of the fasting day, and the bodhisattva precepts should all be upheld. Only when the mind has somewhat detached itself from worldly dharmas can one realize the Way and enter the ranks of the sages.
2. Before Investigating Chan, One Must Accumulate Sufficient Merit
In studying Buddhism and cultivating practice, one should not rush into Chan investigation seeking enlightenment. If many foundational things are not yet in place—the provisions of the path not yet complete, the bodhisattva's six perfections not yet well cultivated—do not investigate Chan for the time being. If you do, it is only the conscious mind guessing and speculating, and the investigation will not penetrate through. Beginning Buddhists should focus on cultivating merit: cultivate much merit, and when the precepts, concentration, and wisdom are nearly perfect, then come to investigate Chan; then one investigation will easily succeed and easily lead to enlightenment. If merit is insufficient, as you cultivate you will fall behind, blocked by various karmic obstructions—either retreating from the path or marking time in place.
Some young people have excellent intelligence, but they do not cultivate merit; no matter how clever and quick-witted, they cannot advance in practice, and many lose their resolve for the Way. Conversely, some older people, feeling that their remaining years are short and their lifespan not long, practice very diligently, actively practicing generosity (dāna) and accumulating merit. Though relatively dull and with poor memory, they can keep following the practice, and their wisdom keeps growing. We must not look down on cultivating merit, thinking it unimportant; in fact, cultivating merit is very important and is the first gateway of practice. When your merit is sufficient, even your karmic creditors can do nothing to you and cannot obstruct you at all, and you will not easily be blocked by karmic obstructions.
Accumulating merit is not easy. Over many lives and kalpas, the habitual forces in our minds are very strong; the mental tendency toward stinginess and greed is powerful, and we are reluctant to give away our wealth. So in daily life we should be careful not to squander merit needlessly, or to consume as little merit as possible, and in worldly life, to enjoy fewer pleasures. Even more important is not to diminish merit: try to give more to others, and do not let others give to you. Respect others more; do not despise or scorn them. Do not always seek to get the upper hand; do not demand others' respect and flattery. Speak gentle and amiable words to people; do things for others without seeking reward, and so on. Above all, do not provoke anger in parents and teachers, do not make parents and teachers worry; be as filial to parents and teachers as possible—this way blessings come both abundantly and quickly.
The greatest and fastest way to cultivate and gain merit is making offerings to the Buddha; persist in making offerings to the Buddha every day. All vegetarian food, raw or cooked, can be offered to the Buddha. New clothes and bedding can be offered to the Buddha; all kinds of vegetables and fruits, grains, oils, rice, and flour can all be offered to the Buddha. Prostrating to the Buddha is also a good method of accumulating merit; reciting sutras and sitting in meditation cultivating concentration are also cultivating merit—merit in all its aspects we should cultivate and accumulate. Cultivate the merit of generosity: the generosity of wealth and goods, the generosity of fearlessness that helps sentient beings. As for the generosity of Dharma: when you do not yet have any realization of the Buddha-dharma, you can choose Buddhist sutras, introduce them to people, post them online, or share online dharmas you are certain are correct and beneficial, propagating them to others. You can introduce Dharma friends to study the true Dharma; if others benefit, your own merit increases. When others gain Dharma benefits because of you, your merit grows. Conversely, obstructing others from hearing the Dharma damages your own merit, and in future lives there will also be evil retributive results.
3. Eradicating the View of Self Before Investigating Chan Is the Most Effortless Way
To investigate the tathāgatagarbha, it is best to first cultivate sufficient power of concentration and then investigate; this way, one can develop questioning doubt toward the various activities of the five aggregates. When the power of concentration is insufficient, the illusory nature of the five aggregates has not been thoroughly contemplated, the view of self is not eradicated, and the nature of the tathāgatagarbha is not clearly pondered—then questioning doubt does not easily arise. The key point is still that the principle of the five aggregates' illusoriness is not thoroughly understood; since the mind has not negated all the activities of the five aggregates, one will consider the various activities of the five aggregates as naturally and rightfully existing, arising spontaneously. In that case, one cannot doubt the dynamic source of the five aggregates, nor contemplate how the five aggregates manifest, and thus cannot investigate and search for the tathāgatagarbha that exists simultaneously with the five aggregates. If the foundation of the Small Vehicle is solid, after eradicating the view of self, the Mahāyāna questioning doubt will not arise naturally; one needs to be steeped in Mahāyāna dharma, with the power of concentration that gathers the mind to one point as support, and only then will the questioning doubt arise naturally. Then investigating the tathāgatagarbha becomes effortless and easy to enter.
When contemplating the five aggregates to eradicate the view of self, one should observe the illusory nature of one's entire five aggregates in moving, standing, sitting, lying down, speaking, and laughing—observing the illusory nature of the physical body and the illusory nature of the mind consciousness. Although in terms of knowledge and theory one knows the body is not the self, that the six consciousnesses and the master consciousness are also not the self, and that the self is formless and featureless, the manas has not yet accepted it. Although the mind consciousness knows itself to be illusory and without real function, the one that dominates is still the manas; the creation of bodily, verbal, and mental actions is still decided by the manas. The manas does not know the truth, and deep within, it still takes the consciousness as the self, taking the subtle functions of the five consciousnesses and the mind consciousness as real and imperishable, taking its own mastership as real and imperishable. In that case, Chan investigation becomes extremely laborious.
To truly eradicate the view of self, one must enter deep meditative concentration, then ponder carefully and repeatedly steep the manas, letting the manas know that the self of the five aggregates is indeed illusory and unreal. When the conditions ripen, the manas will accept that the functions of the five aggregates are not real, not the self; at that point, a great transformation will occur within. Thereafter, when investigating Chan to search for the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha, realization will be relatively easier.
If one eradicates the view of self before investigating Chan, the investigation is comparatively relaxed. Only after the five aggregates have thoroughly "died" can questioning doubt arise; investigating Chan with questioning doubt, realization comes quickly. If the power of concentration is insufficient, questioning doubt cannot arise; if the power of wisdom is insufficient, questioning doubt also cannot arise. One should frequently check whether the direction of one's effort is correct, whether the method is appropriate, and what is still lacking among the conditions of the six perfections; then find ways to perfect the bodhisattva's six perfections, and only afterward will there be the opportunity to become a true Mahāyāna bodhisattva.
In ordinary times, frequently examine how much of your bodhisattva six-perfection conditions have been fulfilled and which are still lacking; strive to make up for the insufficient conditions and perfect them as much as possible. Also examine your mental disposition and power of aspiration: how much has your mind-capacity expanded, how much has your vision broadened? What we must cultivate is truly abundant; every item must be steadily, step by step, actually cultivated. In this way, one can imperceptibly advance level by level and become a bodhisattva of Mahāyāna true meaning. A person who can feel compassion for sentient beings is certainly a true bodhisattva, and a true bodhisattva is certainly a bodhisattva of real meaning. So the hallmark of a bodhisattva, summed up, is loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity—this is the most fundamental standard of a bodhisattva.
4. Only After Eradicating the View of Self Can One Personally Realize the Tathāgatagarbha
Before personally realizing the tathāgatagarbha, the stages of heat, peak, patience, and the foremost worldly dharma will first appear. Heat, peak, patience, and the foremost worldly dharma refer to: through investigating the tathāgatagarbha, or through studying the principle of the five aggregates being without self in the Āgama sutras, one gradually negates the five aggregates as self within the mind; wisdom gradually becomes clear and bright, until finally one completely accepts that the five aggregates are not self and not different from self, eradicating the view of self, transcending worldly ordinary beings, and becoming the foremost person in the world. Only after completely negating the five aggregates, negating the seven consciousnesses as self, and negating the six faculties, six objects, and six consciousnesses, can one realize the true self and thereby attain enlightenment and see the mind. The past Chan patriarchs said: "打得五阴死许汝法身活" — this is exactly the meaning: only by first negating the reality of the five aggregates and eradicating the view of self that takes the five aggregates as self can the pure and true Dharma-body vividly manifest in the mind, and one instantly confirms: this is the self-nature, this is the tathāgatagarbha, this is the Dharma-body. After this one death and one life, the foundation for becoming a Buddha is established.
Although between the two there may be an extremely short interval—even finding the tathāgatagarbha in the very instant of negating the five aggregates—that too is a matter occurring after eradicating the view of self. People generally say the view of self is eradicated at or after seeing the mind, but in fact, without negating the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses, one cannot realize the tathāgatagarbha, because the fog of the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses obscures the manifestation of the tathāgatagarbha; fish eyes mixed with pearls—for now, the true and false cannot yet be distinguished. Once the view of self is eradicated and the false is negated, the true leaps forth, and one realizes the tathāgatagarbha. If the false five aggregates have not been negated, the eye of wisdom cannot arise, and one cannot recognize the tathāgatagarbha; one must continue investigating until the view of self is eradicated, and only then can one find the tathāgatagarbha that does not belong to the five aggregates and eighteen realms—perhaps this is a matter of a single instant.
5. The Prerequisites for "The Bottom of the Bucket Falling Out"
Chan investigators of the past, when their investigation led them to find the eighth consciousness and realize the Way, called it "the bottom of the bucket falling out." What is the bucket? In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the Buddha compared the human body to a flesh-bucket, shaped like a bucket. And sentient beings take this flesh-bucket as themselves, as a real, imperishable self. When a Chan investigator realizes the eighth consciousness, they know the eighth consciousness is real, never disappearing, the true self; the five-aggregate body is merely a false shell manifested by the eighth consciousness—not real, not the self. Then they no longer take the five aggregates as self, negating the flesh-bucket of the five-aggregate body and laying down the heavy burden of the aggregates. At that moment, body and mind are both empty, with incomparable ease—this is the metaphor of the bucket's bottom falling out.
The prerequisites for the bucket's bottom falling out are: the precepts, concentration, and wisdom must be complete, merit must be complete, the bodhisattva's six perfections must be finished, the provisions for entering the Path must be complete—only when the conditions of time and circumstance ripen can the bucket's bottom fall out. At that time one also simultaneously attains the Small Vehicle's first fruit, severing the three fetters, never again falling into the three evil destinies. Because the Small Vehicle's first fruit is realizing that the five aggregates and eighteen realms are suffering, empty, impermanent, and without self; when one realizes the eighth consciousness, one also knows the five aggregates and eighteen realms are not the self—they are illusory, empty, unreal. Thus attaining the Mahāyāna fruit simultaneously attains the Small Vehicle fruit, but attaining the Small Vehicle fruit does not necessarily mean attaining the Mahāyāna fruit—this is the principle that the Mahāyāna dharma encompasses the Small Vehicle dharma.
6. Only After the Six Perfections Are Fulfilled Can One Realize Enlightenment While Practicing Recollection of the Buddha
There are two minds in the recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti): one is the true mind, one is the false mind; the two operate in conjunction, and only then can we recollect the Buddha. Within the dharma of recollecting the Buddha, there is the operation of the true mind, the eighth consciousness; investigating "who is recollecting the Buddha," one may then see the mind and attain enlightenment, gaining prajñā wisdom. If what one finds is the false mind, that is mistaken enlightenment. Most people mistakenly take the false mind as the true mind, because their provisions—merit, meditative concentration, wisdom, and so on—are insufficient; it is impossible for them to find the true mind, so they can only take the false as true.
In the present, immediate single thought, the true mind and false mind are also operating in conjunction; in any dharma of the five aggregates, the true and false operate together. For example, the eye seeing forms, the ear hearing sounds, the nose smelling scents, the tongue tasting flavors, the body feeling touch, the mind cognizing dharmas—at the gateways of the six faculties, the true and false always operate in conjunction; there is both the true and the false. Most people can only recognize the false mind and cannot yet recognize the true mind. Because the false mind is easy to find—without much merit, concentration, or wisdom, and without much practice, one can know it—those with mistaken enlightenment are everywhere across the mountains and plains, while those with true realization are extremely, extremely few.
When recollecting the Buddha, the eight consciousnesses operate in conjunction—seven false minds and one true mind. If the conditions of the bodhisattva's six perfections are not fulfilled, one will take the false mind present during recollection of the Buddha as the true mind and claim it. What consequence does that have? No matter what dharma-gate anyone practices, they cannot depart from the dharma-gate of realization taught by the Buddha. However one cultivates, to attain realization one must fulfill the conditions of the bodhisattva's six perfections; no one can bypass these six perfections. Even after being reborn in the land of bliss (sukhāvatī), when the lotus opens and one sees the Buddha and awakens to non-arising, one must still fulfill these six perfections; otherwise the lotus will not open, and one cannot see the Buddha, hear the Dharma, and awaken to non-arising. The Buddha-dharmas of all worlds in the ten directions are the same: reaching a certain condition yields a certain fruit-position; not reaching it, one is not a bodhisattva of that fruit-position.
How much of the true meaning of the Buddha-dharma do practitioners remain unaware of, and how much do they know wrongly and understand wrongly? Given the current level of sentient beings' understanding of the Buddha-dharma, even if genuine patriarchs of past lives came again and expounded the true principles of the Buddha-dharma, it would be hard for sentient beings to accept with faith. The reason sentient beings are willing to acknowledge the teachings of past patriarchs and masters is that those masters already had fame and status—not because sentient beings themselves truly understood the dharma those patriarchs taught. If they came again now without fame, they would still be utterly rejected.
Sentient beings can only recognize the size of a reputation and do not understand the true Buddha-dharma—this is the phenomenon prevalent today. If people truly had faith in and accepted the Buddha-dharma of the patriarchs and masters, sentient beings would long ago not be as they are now. Holding the books of patriarchs and masters and reading them, how much true meaning have you actually understood? When you truly understand, you are not far from enlightenment. Not understanding shows you are still in the stage of blind faith, credulous faith, and worshipful faith—not correct faith. Reaching the level of correct faith is extremely difficult.
7. The Several Conditions Required for Investigating Chan
So-called Chan investigation is the contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), pondering, and investigation of the tathāgatagarbha, realizing true suchness and Buddha-nature. Chan investigation is like the principle of finding a person: to find a person, you must first know this person, or have this person's photograph, knowing in your mind what this person looks like—only then is it possible to find them. Second, you must know where to look; if you search blindly without aim, like fishing a needle from the sea, hope is certainly slim. You must also clearly understand all the places this person might appear: where someone might hide, where there are hidden passages and traps—all must be known. Third, you must have suitable transportation, time, and travel money. You must also have the discernment to recognize this person; otherwise, even meeting face to face, you would not know them. Best and most reliable is to have someone who has seen that person and knows that place lead the way—this is the fastest route. So even finding a person is not easy, let alone the true suchness and Buddha-nature that we have never known or recognized since beginningless kalpas—all the more difficult.
Therefore, in Chan investigation the foundation must be laid firm, and all the required conditions should be in place. Laying the foundation means cultivating the bodhisattva's six perfections; lacking even one perfection, realization is impossible and Chan investigation will gain no traction. Comparing with the method of finding a person, investigating Chan to find the true-suchness mind, the tathāgatagarbha, also requires several steps.
First, one must understand the nature of the tathāgatagarbha. By steeping oneself in the Great Prajñāpāramitā, such as the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra, and so on, one acquires correct knowledge and views, and only then can one begin searching for the tathāgatagarbha.
Second, one must know where the tathāgatagarbha manifests. Through studying prajñā, one must understand that He appears within the various activities of the five aggregates, appears within the six faculties contacting the six objects—so-called "conditions for arising everywhere, everywhere conditions for arising." Wherever any false dharma appears, there is the manifestation of the tathāgatagarbha; the birth of every dharma is a conjunction of the true and the false. The place where true and false conjoin is a very important locus of observation; this knowledge and view must be possessed—it is extremely crucial.
Furthermore, since the tathāgatagarbha manifests within the activities of the five aggregates, one must also clearly understand the natures of the five aggregates. When the seven consciousnesses are added to the physical body, there are the five aggregates; so the seven consciousnesses are the key, and the natures of the seven consciousnesses must also be clearly understood. In this way, one can be clear about both the true dharmas and the false dharmas; when true and false conjoin, one can find the true dharma within the various false dharmas of the five aggregates.
These are all correct knowledge and views. With correct knowledge and views, one must also have merit, and the corresponding power of concentration to investigate; most important of all is the guidance and help of a good teacher (kalyāṇamitra), so that one does not take detours and no longer practices blindly. To have sufficient power of concentration, keeping the precepts and patience are prerequisites, and one must also have the mind of diligent cultivation. These are the general contents and conditions of the bodhisattva's six perfections; for the specifics, one must carefully consult the sutras oneself, carefully ponder, and then concretely practice. Finally, one must wait until the conditions of time and circumstance are complete before finding the eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha, and thereby seeing the mind and realizing the Way. So fulfilling the conditions for being a bodhisattva is the direction toward which we should currently strive, and also the point of entry for practice. Practice must not be rash and hasty; one must proceed step by step, stair by stair. If the strength of one's legs is insufficient, one cannot run; the mentality of seeking quick success must be overcome.
8. Only With Complete Bodhisattva Qualifications Can One Attain Realization
Investigating the huatou: when the investigation penetrates through, one sees the mind and attains enlightenment, gaining the great wisdom of prajñā, thereby becoming a true bodhisattva with actual bodhisattva realization. The attainment of the great prajñā wisdom is the result of cultivating the bodhisattva's six perfections. So before investigating the huatou, one must have cultivated and fulfilled the bodhisattva's six perfections. If the precepts have not been upheld, if generosity has never been practiced, if the bodhisattva's merit is not complete, if the perfection of diligence in practice is insufficient, if the perfection of patience toward worldly circumstances is insufficient, if acceptance of the tathāgatagarbha dharma is inadequate, if meditative concentration has not been cultivated, and if the principle of the tathāgatagarbha's prajñā has not been sufficiently understood—then investigating the huatou is an agonizing affair; even investigating for a whole lifetime remains futile and fruitless.
Before becoming a true bodhisattva, examine whether your mental conduct, disposition, and capacity correspond to a bodhisattva's, and whether you can shoulder the great enterprise of a bodhisattva. If meditative concentration is insufficient, so-called investigating the huatou is merely reciting the huatou—repeating the words of a phrase—while the mind cannot abide before the head of the phrase, spinning around within the words and at the tail of the words. What meaning is there in such practice? If practitioners study Buddhism all for personal gain, harboring a selfish, self-serving mentality with not a shred of intent to benefit others, such selfishness and narrow-mindedness absolutely cannot correspond to the bodhisattva's mental disposition, and the merit a bodhisattva should possess cannot be accumulated—then one cannot become a bodhisattva in the true sense.
