Miscellaneous Discussions on Buddhism (Part One)

Chapter 8: On the Dharma (2)

Nineteen: Inference Is Not the Same as Realization

Inference does not necessarily amount to realization. For example, when a pratyekabuddha contemplates the twelve links of dependent origination or the ten links, tracing them back to the Ālayavijñāna, they stop at consciousness and turn back, unable to go beyond it (the Ālayavijñāna). Even so, they have not found or realized the eighth consciousness, and are not those who have truly realized the Ālayavijñāna. Those who truly realize the Ālayavijñāna are Mahāyāna bodhisattvas; this is Mahāyāna seeing the path, which necessarily requires Mahāyāna wholesome roots, merit, conditions, and the arising of the resolve—none of these can be lacking. If one says that non-Buddhists and Hīnayāna practitioners also have the resolve of Mahāyāna bodhisattvas, then they must be Mahāyāna bodhisattvas, because no matter what dharma a bodhisattva studies, it all revolves around the Mahāyāna, for the sake of delivering sentient beings and attaining buddhahood. Without generating the vows of a bodhisattva, one's conduct and results will certainly not be those of a bodhisattva; one certainly cannot see the path, and certainly cannot have the fruited virtues of a bodhisattva. Otherwise, generating the mind of a non-Buddhist could also lead to buddhahood. Then the Buddha would have had no need to emphasize that sentient beings must generate great resolve and great vows, must generate the pure great bodhisattva vows of benefiting both self and others, in order to complete the process of cultivating and realizing the buddha path and perfectly attain buddhahood.

Although pratyekabuddhas trace the source of birth-and-death back to the Ālayavijñāna, in the end they still proceed to nirvāṇa and extinction, and after all do not walk the great path of the bodhisattva to benefit and bring joy to sentient beings. This alone is enough to prove that pratyekabuddhas are not bodhisattvas and have not truly realized the Ālayavijñāna. If the seed is not right and the root is not right, how can there be a right fruit? It is like some people who, before enlightenment, attribute all dharmas to the eighth consciousness, believing that their source is all the eighth consciousness and their nature is all buddha-nature. Even though they hold this view, it is after all understanding, inference, and imagination; they have not truly realized the eighth consciousness and do not count as bodhisattvas who have seen the mind.

There is a huatou in the Chan school for the assembly to investigate: "The ten thousand dharmas return to one; where does the one return to?" Countless people have guessed that this "one" is the tathāgatagarbha, that the ten thousand dharmas all return to the tathāgatagarbha and all come from the tathāgatagarbha. Yet even so, this still does not count as Mahāyāna seeing the path, does not count as breaking through the barrier, and they are not yet bodhisattvas of true meaning. Because they still have not realized the tathāgatagarbha and do not know where the one returns to. Not knowing where, not having found where the tathāgatagarbha is, they remain in ignorance, and how far they still are from realization is unknown. Similar dharmas are, after all, only similar dharmas; they cannot substitute for the true dharma. Without the merit and benefit of the true dharma, speaking of food does not fill the belly.

Some people say that arhats and pratyekabuddhas have all truly realized the eighth consciousness, the Ālayavijñāna. If that were so, then they might as well all be called bodhisattvas—why still call them arhats and pratyekabuddhas? The Buddha's dharma would not need to be divided into the Hīnayāna four noble truths, the middle vehicle twelve links of dependent origination, and the Mahāyāna bodhisattva six pāramitās; they could all be called bodhisattva dharma, with seeing the mind, seeing the nature, and attaining buddhahood as the fundamental aim, and that would suffice. In fact, it is not at all like this; the differences among them are great.

Twenty: Understanding Consciousness Enables Understanding All Dharmas

All dharmas interconnect; there is no case where studying one dharma leaves another dharma unpenetrated. The three realms are mind-only, the ten thousand dharmas are consciousness-only. When consciousness-only is studied well, many sūtras will be comprehensively understood. Studying consciousness-only and contemplating the operation of consciousness is very enjoyable: it enables one to understand oneself, and also to understand others and the world, gradually shedding delusion and gaining immeasurable wisdom. All dharmas are grounded in consciousness; where there is consciousness there are all dharmas. Understanding consciousness, one can understand all dharmas and can attain buddhahood.

Twenty-one: A Brief Discussion of Form

Form is the aggregate of form, one of the five aggregates, having appearance, shape, and color, including visible form (sanidarśana-rūpa), shape-form, expressive form, and non-expressive form; the latter three are form included in the mental-object realm (dharmāyatana). Visible form is blue, yellow, red, and white; shape-form is large, small, square, round, long, short, wide, and narrow; expressive form is the shapes and postures of form, the movements and actions of the body, coming, going, stopping, and so forth; non-expressive form is the beauty, ugliness, charm, flavor, temperament, learning, cultivation, calmness, anger, openness, warmth, and so forth manifested upon the marks of form. Form included in the mental-object realm is the dharma-object manifested upon form, sound, smell, taste, and touch, facing the manas, and is discerned by the mind consciousness. Form also includes the form of sentient beings, male and female forms, the universe with its mountains, rivers, and great earth, plants and minerals, houses, palaces, and other insentient things.

The Diamond Sutra says: "若以色见我，以音声求我，是人行邪道，不能见如来。" This means that if one wishes to see the Tathāgata, to see the Dharmakāya Buddha, to see the true Buddha, one cannot seek to see Him through the mark of form or the mark of sound. What has form, sound, and the marks of the six objects is not the true Buddha—it is the Sambhogakāya Buddha, Nirmāṇakāya Buddha, or transformation Buddha, possessing the thirty-two marks and eighty excellent characteristics; this is a manifested Buddha subject to arising and ceasing. Even Māra Pāpīyas, by the power of his merit, can manifest the appearance of a Buddha. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, the fourth patriarch Upagupta had Pāpīyas manifest the bodily appearance of Śākyamuni Buddha so he could behold and venerate it. Pāpīyas indeed manifested the Buddha's form, walking out from the forest followed by a group of disciples. At first sight, Upagupta thought it was the true Śākyamuni Buddha and could not help but bow in worship; Pāpīyas could not withstand the worship and revealed his original form. Therefore, to see the Tathāgata one must not cling to the mark of form, must not see from the mark of form.

Twenty-two: Thesis, Reason, and Example

Every topic of discussion is like a small essay: one must have one's own thesis, then unfold the supporting evidence, use analogies to illustrate, or cite concrete examples.

Thesis (pratijñā) is the proposition—your own point of argument. Reason (hetu) is the evidence, grounds, and facts used to support the thesis. Example (udāharaṇa) is a fitting and vivid analogy to illustrate the thesis. Only by mastering this skill can one ascend the forum and debate the dharma with others; without this skill, do not participate in any debate. Practicing eloquence offstage is still fine. But good eloquence does not equal good logical thinking, does not equal being able to state the facts clearly, does not equal having grasped the truth, and does not equal having great wisdom. Eloquence is far inferior to the mind, far inferior to the capacity for logical reasoning.

Twenty-three: What Are the Similarities and Differences Between the Tathāgata's Liberation and That of the Two Kinds of Arhats?

Both the Buddha and arhats can escape the bondage of birth-and-death in the three-realm world and can be liberated from the three realms, no longer bound by the birth-and-death of the three realms. But the Buddha's liberation is ultimate: He has ended not only segmented birth-and-death (pariccheda-maraṇa) but also transformational birth-and-death (parināma-maraṇa), with not a trace of ignorance binding His mind; therefore it is ultimate liberation. The arhat's liberation is not yet ultimate: there is still ignorance, and transformational birth-and-death has not yet been ended. The arhat liberated by wisdom must still wait for worldly conditions to be exhausted before escaping the three realms and being liberated from birth-and-death, whereas the arhat liberated in both ways need not wait for the right time and can leave the three realms and be liberated from birth-and-death at any moment.

After an arhat enters nirvāṇa without remainder, that nirvāṇa without remainder is not a state of meditative absorption (samādhi). In a state of samādhi there should be a master, one who enters the samādhi state, and in the future there would be one who exits the samādhi state. But in nirvāṇa there is no master and no one enters nirvāṇa; the arhat's five aggregates and eighteen realms are all extinguished, the manas is also extinguished, and so there is no arhat anymore. Since no one enters nirvāṇa without remainder, no one exits it either; therefore nirvāṇa without remainder does not belong to the states of samādhi.

Twenty-four: The Direct Perceptions of Ordinary Sentient Beings Are All Non-Valid Cognition

In the Sahā world, people take the common sense of daily life as direct perception, yet by the time one cultivates to the stage of an eighth-bhūmi bodhisattva, all of these "direct perceptions" may have changed and no longer apply. Only then does one discover that nothing was really as it seemed: there is nothing unchanging, no fixed things or rules. Mountains may not be mountains, water may not be water. The illusory nature of all material form determines its instability and unreliability.

We believe fire has the nature of burning and can burn up all material form; by the eighth bhūmi, the bodhisattva knows this is not necessarily so—the nature of fire can change, and perhaps it cannot even burn a single sheet of paper, let alone the bodhisattva's form body. We believe water has the nature of submerging; by the eighth bhūmi one knows this is not necessarily so—perhaps it cannot even wet a single sheet of paper, let alone the bodhisattva's form body. We believe stones cannot be eaten—not necessarily; a great practitioner can completely boil stones and eat them like yams, potatoes, or sweet potatoes. Therefore, all those so-called direct perceptions of ordinary sentient beings are wrong—they are all non-valid cognition. It is correct for sentient beings not to be too self-confident.

Clay figures are all molded from clay, but without meditative concentration one can only be molded. What can an ordinary person mold? Nothing but the suffering of birth-and-death in saṃsāra. Modern people delight in learning words, love memorization, love acquiring knowledge, love being learned, and do not like realizing truth within meditative concentration.

Twenty-five: What Does Dedication of Merit Mean?

Dedication of merit (pariṇāma) means the manas is willing to give merit to other sentient beings, and the manas of those other beings is also willing to receive it; then the two beings' tathāgatagarbhas will cooperate to carry out the handover. Creeping and wriggling creatures, having no power to cultivate merit and wisdom, rely entirely on the dedication of merit by other sentient beings and bodhisattvas to accumulate some merit; then, relying on the power of this meager merit, they continually improve the quality and level of their lives, and only after countless kalpas can they be reborn as humans. Therefore, since we have already been reborn as humans and have the opportunity to study and practice Buddhism, we should thank the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and good friends who delivered us. As for how to thank them, we should deliver sentient beings just as the buddhas and bodhisattvas delivered us.

Twenty-six: What Is the "Final Barrier" (Laoguan)?

The "final barrier" (laoguan), as the name suggests, is still the gate of the prison. What is the prison? The three realms are the prison; the world of the five aggregates is the prison. Where is the gate out of the prison? It lies in eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) and eradicating grasping at self, and moreover in not grasping even at the tathāgatagarbha as a self, with the mind pure and empty. This can only be discussed on the basis of having realized the tathāgatagarbha; therefore it is called the third barrier of the Chan school. One who can accomplish this can pass through the gate of the prison of birth-and-death, be liberated from the three realms, and be liberated from the bondage of the body of the five aggregates. In Hīnayāna terms, one at least has the liberating merit of the third fruit (anāgāmin): the mind is liberated, the afflictions of craving and aversion have been severed, and at death, having eradicated grasping at self and severed the ignorance of one thought, one has the ability to attain nirvāṇa without remainder.

In terms of meditative concentration, attaining the first dhyāna is sufficient; a very high level of concentration is not required—though of course the higher the concentration, the better. But it is not, as some say, that one must cultivate the body of the five aggregates to be like a block of wood or be able to extinguish it, etc.; that is something only bodhisattvas of several bhūmis, even the eighth bhūmi, can achieve. Those at or around the third barrier of the Chan school are bodhisattvas of the ten conduct-stages and ten dedication-stages, still very far from the eighth bhūmi.

Twenty-seven: A Pure Mind Does Not Mean Non-Discrimination

Whether the mind is pure does not depend on whether it discriminates or not; it is not that the mind becomes pure by extinguishing it and not using it. Rather, in the process of the mind operating and discriminating, there are no errors or distorted thoughts, no ignorance and afflictions. Some people sleep year in and year out, not discriminating and not doing anything, but that does not mean their mind is pure; one day when they wake up, the moment they do anything, a whole pile of greed, hatred, and delusion afflictions appears. The buddhas tirelessly deliver sentient beings for kalpas on end, yet their minds are absolutely pure. The tathāgatagarbha is forever pure, yet It has never stopped operating and discriminating.

Twenty-eight: The Bodhisattva's Six Pāramitās

If we who study Buddhism wish to realize the tathāgatagarbha, see the mind and see the nature, and become true bodhisattvas, then we must cultivate the dharmas a bodhisattva should cultivate; a bodhisattva should practice the bodhisattva's six pāramitās. Of the six pāramitās, the first is the pāramitā of generosity (dāna). As a bodhisattva, one must cultivate the perfection of giving: on the one hand, to form good karmic affinities with sentient beings—by giving them what they need, sentient beings will trust and follow you to study and practice Buddhism together; on the other hand, to cultivate one's own merit—only when one's own merit is complete will there be the opportunity for enlightenment, becoming a bodhisattva of true meaning and entering the gate of Buddhism.

A bodhisattva who has seen the mind has entered the gate of Buddhism; a bodhisattva who has not seen the mind is still outside the gate and is not yet a bodhisattva in the true sense. Therefore, to be a bodhisattva, one must first cultivate the practice of giving so that one's merit is complete; one must also form affinities with sentient beings, because by forming affinities with them one has the opportunity to deliver them; sentient beings will joyfully become your following disciples, and you can then lead sentient beings to cultivate upward step by step. In the future when you attain buddhahood, these sentient beings will all protect the dharma in your buddha-land. Therefore giving is very important.

The second is the pāramitā of precepts (śīla). Because of keeping the precepts, the mind does not overstep the bounds and can settle into purity, not committing sinful karma and faults, and thus is not dragged down by evil karma. Because keeping the precepts purifies the mind, meditative concentration becomes possible; with concentration one can engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and Chan investigation, thereby clearly understanding the truth and realizing the eighth consciousness. Therefore a bodhisattva should keep the precepts to purify mental conduct. No bodhisattva has the thought of violating precepts; if one deliberately violates them, one is not a true bodhisattva—it shows that one's afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) is still heavy, one is not yet qualified to enter the gate of Buddhism, and cannot become a true bodhisattva. Therefore, to be a true bodhisattva one must keep the precepts: at first keeping them passively, then changing to keeping and guarding them voluntarily and consciously, until finally there are no precepts left to keep. Because the mind is already pure, with no mind to violate precepts, all actions and deeds accord with the self-nature's pure mind; at this point one need not actively keep the precepts—it becomes keeping without keeping: at all times and places, bodily, verbal, and mental actions accord with the precepts, accord with the Buddha's dharma, and are consistent with the tathāgatagarbha's nature. This is keeping the precepts of the mind-ground.

The third is the pāramitā of patience (kṣānti). Cultivating patience also requires purifying the mind, subduing one's own afflictive obstruction, and also forming good affinities with sentient beings. Although sentient beings give us many humiliating circumstances, the mind must endure and subdue itself, not retaliate against sentient beings, not hate sentient beings; then enmity with sentient beings is dissolved and good affinities are formed, and one's own mental nature and afflictive obstructions can also be effectively subdued. This is the mental conduct of a true bodhisattva, the hallmark of being a true bodhisattva; therefore one must cultivate the pāramitā of patience.

The fourth is the pāramitā of diligence (vīrya). As a bodhisattva, one must diligently apply effort in the Buddha's dharma without slacking. In what aspects should one be diligent? Diligent in giving, diligent in cultivating merit and forming good affinities with sentient beings, diligent in keeping precepts, diligent also in patience, diligent in cultivating meditative concentration, diligent in cultivating one's own prajñā wisdom—diligently practicing at all times and places, wholesome dharmas will grow rapidly, and one can then quickly see the mind and see the nature. This is the pāramitā of diligence, which can reach the other shore of birth-and-death.

The fifth is the pāramitā of meditative concentration (dhyāna). A bodhisattva must cultivate meditative concentration, the mind abiding in one state, neither scattered nor dull; only by developing the power of concentration can one perform various contemplative practices and then realize the Buddha's dharma. This concentration is of two kinds: one is the concentration of the four dhyānas and eight absorptions; the other is the concentration of decisive resolve of mind—regarding the Mahāyāna dharma, regarding the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha, the bodhisattva has already attained decisive resolve of mind, with unshakable faith and no regression. Regarding the dharma by which seeing the mind and seeing the nature makes one a true bodhisattva, the dharma that can lead to buddhahood, regarding the prajñā dharma of ultimate reality, one also attains decisive resolve of mind. The skill of the four dhyānas and eight absorptions, especially the preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) before the first dhyāna, must be cultivated; this is the foundation of contemplative practice and Chan investigation. With this concentration one can practice contemplation well and realize the self-nature of one's own mind; therefore meditative concentration is very important. Concentration can also generate merit, called the merit of concentration; most importantly, with concentration one can grow Mahāyāna prajñā wisdom; therefore cultivating concentration can reach the other shore of birth-and-death.

The last of the bodhisattva's six pāramitās is prajñā wisdom. What is prajñā? It refers to our self-nature's pure mind, the tathāgatagarbha, the mind-essence that is neither arising nor ceasing. The prajñā literature is mainly the 600-fascicle Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, all preached around the tathāgatagarbha; the Heart Sūtra, the Diamond Sūtra, and many other prajñā sūtras all expound the prajñā nature of the tathāgatagarbha. These contents we must study and understand; after understanding the principles and cultivating meditative concentration, we can investigate Chan. Only when these six pāramitā conditions are complete does one have the ability to investigate Chan; when the conditions of time and circumstance are complete, one can realize the self-nature tathāgatagarbha and see the mind and see the nature.

As for the bodhisattva's practice, it mainly consists of cultivating these six aspects. The last one is the prajñā pāramitā, the most important practice content. All practice is for the sake of obtaining great wisdom; with wisdom one can accomplish all dharmas. Liberation depends on wisdom; deliverance from birth-and-death and the attainment of buddhahood depend on wisdom. Therefore we should all diligently cultivate prajñā wisdom and steep ourselves in the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha.

Twenty-nine: Why Is Every Feeling Suffering?

There are three kinds of suffering: the suffering of suffering, the suffering of conditioning, and the suffering of dissolution; or they may be divided into eight sufferings: the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death; the suffering of not getting what one seeks; the suffering of association with the hateful; the suffering of separation from the beloved; and the suffering of the blazing five aggregates. The "conditioning" in the suffering of conditioning refers to operation and change: the body and mind of the five aggregates change and decay bit by bit, unable to stay put or be held onto; therefore the five aggregates have the suffering of conditioning. The "dissolution" in the suffering of dissolution refers to destruction, dispersal, and alteration; the five aggregates likewise cannot be held onto, and therefore the five aggregates have the suffering of dissolution. The very existence of all suffering is itself a suffering—this is the meaning of the suffering of suffering. Sentient beings have not only the three sufferings and eight sufferings; when expanded and subdivided, there are immeasurable sufferings. Yet deluded sentient beings, though dwelling amid suffering, do not know suffering, and it even took the Buddha's trouble to come to the Sahā world to expound the noble truth of suffering; even after the exposition, sentient beings still cannot recognize suffering, nor can they end it.

Feelings are divided into painful feeling, pleasant feeling, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling; whichever kind of feeling it is, it is suffering. Even within pleasant feeling there is the suffering of conditioning, and after pleasant feeling comes the suffering of dissolution; even while pleasant feeling is present, there is still suffering in the mind—pleasant feeling is not pure pleasure. Moreover, sentient beings must pay a certain price for every kind of pleasant feeling; therefore in the world of the five aggregates there is no truly painless pleasant feeling.

In the formless realm, the meditative state of the heaven of neither-perception-nor-non-perception is extremely blissful, but there is the suffering of conditioning there too: time passes extremely quickly, and the eighty thousand great kalpas in samādhi pass in a flash; once they pass, all afflictions manifest. When sentient beings are happy, they do not want the happiness to disappear—this very wanting is itself suffering, the suffering of having demands. When sentient beings pursue the Buddha's dharma they must pay a price of toil, which is itself suffering, but within that suffering there is pleasant feeling, and afterward all suffering will gradually transform into pleasant feeling. Therefore we should diligently study and practice the Buddha's dharma, not fearing hardship and difficulty; cultivated to the end, everything will become pleasant feeling and neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā). Whichever kind of feeling it is, it is impermanent, and what is impermanent is suffering; therefore it is said that every feeling is suffering.

Thirty: The Meaning of "Discarding Consciousness and Using the Faculties"

"Discarding consciousness and using the faculties"—this saying is incorrect. If there is no conscious mind, who uses the faculties, and how are the faculties used? Only the manas, the seventh consciousness, which is both faculty and consciousness, can function even apart from the six consciousnesses, but ordinary people cannot do this. All dharmas are directed by the mind; without mind-consciousness there is no talk of practice. In studying and practicing Buddhism, we should first clarify the basic principles of the Buddha's dharma before we can begin to cultivate.

The so-called discarding of consciousness means extinguishing all six consciousnesses and not using them, relying only on the six faculties to practice and deal with everything. But without the eye consciousness, the eye faculty cannot see form; if the eye faculty could also see form, then dead people could see form and people could see form while asleep—then people would neither die nor sleep. If the six consciousnesses were extinguished, a person could not know any dharma; even with faculties, they could not function. The faculties are receiving instruments for taking in the six objects, used to give rise to the six consciousnesses; without consciousness, the faculties have no use. Therefore one cannot say that practice requires discarding consciousness and using the faculties. What we use is consciousness; all dharmas are the consciousness functioning and discriminating. A sentient being without consciousness is like a block of wood, unable to think, discriminate, plan, scheme, infer, or judge.

Without the mind consciousness, the first five consciousnesses could not exist either—so the faculties still cannot be discarded. Even if they could be used, the eye consciousness can only see the coarse aspects of form, the ear consciousness can only hear the coarse aspects of sound; without the mind consciousness's analysis, judgment, inference, and thinking, no dharma can be discerned. And the eye faculty cannot use itself; it can only function through the combined operation of the eye consciousness, mind consciousness, manas, and eighth consciousness. The ear, nose, tongue, and body faculties are all like this: without consciousness, the faculties can have no function whatsoever. If the manas could function alone by itself, it would require the four dhyānas and eight absorptions and supernatural powers; without profound meditative concentration, the manas still cannot know the six-object realms, nor can it practice.

Thirty-one: All Energy Is Material Form

Music is the object of sound, a material form composed of the four great elements. The sound produced when objects strike each other is external sound-object; if we hear it, what we hear is the inner sound-object. Musical melody depends on sound and belongs to the dharma-object upon the five objects—form included in the mental-object realm. If the melody is imagined while looking at a musical score, it is a subjectively imagined realm; if one can imagine the melody out of thin air without even looking at the score, it is even more a subjectively imagined realm—all are material forms composed of the four great elements.

Different objects striking each other produce different sounds; different striking force produces different sounds; different angles and timing of striking also produce different sounds. Therefore, striking different objects with different forces and angles produces a series of different sounds with rhythm—this is what is called musical melody: arising, ceasing, changing, extremely illusory, not to be attached to, not to be grasped. Therefore, fondness for music is also delusion, also craving, and does not escape the cycle of birth-and-death.

From this we can think further: energy is also material form, composed of the four great elements, produced by the movement of matter; it can also be consumed and diminished, arising, ceasing, changing, impermanent, not to be grasped. Heat is an object of touch, composed of the four great elements, a material form, a form of energy. The movement of electrons, the movement of water—all can produce energy; they are material forms with actual functions, perceivable by the six consciousnesses. Sound can also be called a form of energy—the kinetic energy of objects, belonging to energy. Food contains energy that gives the body strength; only material form can give the body strength, warmth and heat, and can change the body.

Changes in the state of matter can produce energy; different states mean different energies. Hydroelectric power generation uses the principle of producing energy from the movement of water. When the body's energy is low, more exercise and running can produce heat and warm the body. Electromagnetic waves and magnetic fields are a form of energy that can heat and cook food.

The earth element is also a form of energy—it can beat a person to death; that is the function of the earth element's energy. The fire element is also a form of energy: it can sustain life and can burn a person to death. The water element is also a form of energy: it can breach dams, drown people, and quench thirst. Energy is also called a kind of force; all four great elements have force and can all form force. A stationary object can serve to block and obstruct—this is also a form of energy; without force, it could not block. Land is also a form of energy: it can support sentient beings and hold up objects; without force, it could not support. Statically flowing river water is also a form of energy: it can float and carry objects.

Thirty-two: Why Doesn't an Earthworm Die Even When Cut into Several Segments?

When a human is cut into two segments, one or both segments die. But an earthworm can be cut into seven or more segments and all can live. The reason is that in empty space there are many meritless sentient beings without bodies, always seeking opportunities to enter a womb. The earthworm's form body is lowly and meritless, suitable for these bodiless, meritless beings. After the earthworm is cut into segments, the tathāgatagarbha of such beings immediately enters the other segments of the body, and those segments all come alive. One segment is the original earthworm's own; the rest are entered later by meritless beings. In empty space there are extremely many bodiless sentient beings with no body to rely on, all in great distress. Therefore, sentient beings of all kinds, upon encountering the condition for entering a womb, will enter whatever womb it may be, unable to consider their fate and suffering after rebirth.

The great thousand worlds contain far too many sentient beings; the suffering beings of the three evil paths are simply countless—the bacteria on a single being's body alone are innumerable, let alone those on all sentient beings, let alone those in empty space, let alone those in the worlds of the ten directions. Therefore, having already obtained human bodies and encountered the Buddha's dharma, we should practice diligently, preserve our human rebirth, and not fall into the three evil paths again. For the sake of so many sentient beings, for the sake of our parents and loved ones of beginningless kalpas, we should also practice diligently; out of compassion for all beings in the world, we should generate the resolve to practice diligently. Once a human body is lost, ten thousand kalpas are hardly enough to regain it. How difficult it is to have the fortune to encounter the Buddha's dharma! We must seize the opportunity to cultivate successfully and in the future deliver immeasurable multitudes. Seeing those suffering sentient beings, generating great vows oneself to benefit self and others is not difficult.

Thirty-three: When Sentient Beings Have No Ignorance, They Become Buddhas

Sentient beings have had ignorance since beginningless kalpas; their minds have never been enlightened. If sentient beings' ignorance were completely severed so that there is no more ignorance, they would be buddhas. Sentient beings have never been buddhas; if a sentient being had ever been a buddha, it would never again revert to being a sentient being. The Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment speaks of this: the World-Honored One gave the example that just as true gold is refined from gold ore, true gold will never revert to gold ore. The meaning is that after attaining buddhahood, one will never revert to being a sentient being. This also shows that sentient beings have had ignorance since beginningless kalpas; there is no reasoning to be given about this—the dharma is simply thus. In the fourth fascicle of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Ānanda also asked the World-Honored One where ignorance comes from and why there is ignorance. The World-Honored One said ignorance has no place of origin; it exists without cause. If it had a cause, it would not be ignorance.

The purpose of studying and practicing Buddhism is to become a buddha, and a buddha is an accomplisher of great wisdom. Therefore, our ultimate goal in practice is to obtain great wisdom—liberation through wisdom, buddhahood through wisdom; all methods and means are for obtaining wisdom. With wisdom there is no ignorance; with ignorance there is no wisdom; breaking ignorance yields wisdom. When we cultivate the pāramitā of generosity, we can obtain wisdom and reach the other shore. The pāramitās of precepts, patience, diligence, and meditative concentration can all obtain wisdom, reach the other shore, and attain ultimate liberation.

Pāramitā means reaching the other shore, leaving this shore of birth-and-death. Our original-awareness mind has no ignorance and no birth-and-death; it is not on this shore of birth-and-death, yet neither is it not. It is on that shore without birth-and-death, yet neither is it on that shore, nor does that shore exist—it is precisely the middle-way nature of original awareness. When our practice breaks all ignorance and obtains ultimate wisdom, we correspond with original awareness; there is then no birth-and-death, yet neither is there no birth-and-death—there is the liberated form (mokṣa-rūpa) of the buddha stage. It is in nirvāṇa, yet does not enter nirvāṇa—this is the nirvāṇa without abode of the buddha stage, at every place and in every way utterly free, utterly liberated. If our method of practice cannot obtain wisdom and cannot attain liberation, it has no true benefit. We must then rethink and choose the correct method of practice, so as to advance more quickly toward the buddha stage and obtain ultimate wisdom.

Thirty-four: Almost All Buddhist Practitioners Cannot Distinguish Between the Mind Consciousness and the Subconscious

Many psychologists and other members of society do not believe in or study Buddhism, yet they can distinguish the mind consciousness and the subconscious fairly clearly, while we who study Buddhism and consciousness-only cannot distinguish the difference between the two—how embarrassing and shameful to admit. If the observational and reasoning wisdom of consciousness-only scholars, experts, and specialists is not even as good as that of a psychologist without meditative concentration and the prajñā wisdom of consciousness-only, then what kind of consciousness-only expert, specialist, or scholar can they be counted as? I do not know why such a situation has arisen.

A: This is how I understand it: some scholars, artists, and researchers, because of their constant research, think about things day and night, so their power of concentration is relatively strong and they often enter a state of meditative absorption (samādhi) without realizing it, which is why they can observe subtle details.

B: Right—they have meditative concentration, but not deliberately cultivated; rather it comes from immense interest and passion. Because they are not attached to the rules and frameworks of religion, nor to religious rights and wrongs. I have seen many religious adherents who instead constrain themselves, living in a world of concepts and ideas. These scholars have passion and a sense of responsibility for their research and inquiry, and so they can focus single-mindedly, uninterested in anything else, and thus can discover truth and facts.