The Essence of the Heart Sutra
Section Two: Only by Relying on the Birthless and Deathless Tathāgatagarbha Can Bodhisattvas Gradually Become Free from Obstruction
Scripture: ["Because of relying on Prajñāpāramitā, the mind is without obstruction."] After a Bodhisattva attains realization, relying on this great wisdom mind of the Tathāgatagarbha, they are able to reach the other shore of Nirvāṇa, which is without birth and death. From then on, there is no longer any obstruction in their mind. The Tathāgatagarbha of every sentient being is originally without birth and death; it does not reside on this shore of birth and death, hence it is called Pāramitā. Bodhisattvas cultivate the Six Pāramitās precisely to cross the sea of suffering of birth and death and reach the other shore of Nirvāṇa. However, the Vinaya scriptures state: Some people cultivate the Six Pāramitās *with* Pāramitā and can reach the other shore; others cultivate the Six Pāramitās *without* Pāramitā and cannot reach the other shore. Why is this said? Because whether one can reach the other shore depends crucially on the mind with which one cultivates the Six Pāramitās.
After realization, a Bodhisattva, having Prajñāpāramitā as their reliance, gradually becomes free from obstruction in their mind. This is because their own Tathāgatagarbha is originally without birth and death. Although the five-aggregate bodies (pañcaskandha) throughout their lifetimes undergo birth and death, the five aggregates are not truly existent; even birth and death are illusory. The arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing of the five aggregates and eighteen elements (dhātus) are illusory, false appearances, yet they are also the Nirvāṇa aspect of the Tathāgatagarbha. Although the five aggregates undergo birth and death, the Bodhisattva, relying on the Tathāgatagarbha, gradually eliminates the defiled seeds, ultimately able to extinguish the segmenting birth-and-death (分斷生死) of the five aggregates. Bodhisattvas can not only eliminate segmenting birth-and-death but also eliminate transforming birth-and-death (變易生死), thereby attaining the ultimate Nirvāṇa, which is without birth and death. Knowing and realizing this, the Bodhisattva no longer considers what will happen after death or what to do about suffering; regarding this issue of birth and death, there is no obstruction. They no longer fear the suffering of birth and death, nor do they think about how to live more comfortably and freely. Relying on vast vows, they courageously and fearlessly travel back and forth within the six realms to rescue sentient beings with whom they have affinities.
After a Bodhisattva attains realization, when the consciousness of the seventh mind (manas) turns to rely on the Tathāgatagarbha, they no longer dwell on how the five aggregates will leave suffering and attain happiness in the future, or how to obtain all benefits related to worldly dharmas. This is because the Tathāgatagarbha is the true self; it inherently possesses all dharmas and does not need any benefits from worldly or supramundane dharmas. The Tathāgatagarbha is inherently pure and eternally abides in Nirvāṇa. The five aggregates are merely its illusory manifestations, like bubbles in the ocean—bubbles form and vanish, yet the ocean itself has never undergone birth or death; its water neither increases nor decreases. When bubbles vanish, new ones will arise; where there is ocean water, bubbles will always exist. The ocean is the Tathāgatagarbha of sentient beings; the bubbles are the five aggregates of sentient beings. Therefore, when one truly relies on the Tathāgatagarbha, the five aggregates also have no birth or death, and thus the Bodhisattva is not obstructed by birth and death.
Since the true self, the Tathāgatagarbha, has no birth or death and does not revolve within the six realms, it has no suffering. Relying on this true self, what does the Bodhisattva have to be obstructed about? Therefore, after becoming a Mahāyāna Bodhisattva, one no longer fears the birth and death of the five aggregates and vows to take a physical body life after life to broadly benefit sentient beings, saving oneself and saving others. The Bodhisattva should think like this: After all, I am originally without birth or death, I will not fall into the three lower realms, and I have no suffering. Why not manifest countless physical bodies to universally save sentient beings!
Through cultivating the Bodhisattva path, the Bodhisattva's illusory suffering experienced by the five-aggregate body becomes less and less, ultimately extinguishing entirely. Because Bodhisattvas extensively practice the Bodhisattva path, their merit and virtue (福德) become increasingly vast, their physical bodies enjoy increasing ease and freedom, and they gain increasing dignity and virtue among the masses. They are not afraid to manifest within the six realms to save sentient beings and do not neglect sentient beings for the sake of personal enjoyment. Thus, they can practice the Bodhisattva path extensively without worries. Those who have not realized the mind and seen the nature, who have not realized the Tathāgatagarbha, do not understand the principle that the Tathāgatagarbha is without suffering. Consequently, they have very many obstructions: worrying about what will happen if they fall into the three lower realms after death, what to do about suffering within the six realms, and what to do about rebirth. Non-Buddhists (外道), on the other hand, are obstructed by the fear of annihilation after death—that there will be no more self, fearing that the entire self will completely disappear and perish. Therefore, they cling to the conscious mind of awareness as the self, hoping it will never perish, and cling to various states of concentration (定境) of consciousness as the state of Nirvāṇa.
Ordinary Buddhists, if they do not believe in the birthless and deathless Tathāgatagarbha, although they may sometimes say it's good to die, that final extinction is even better, actually still fear death in their hearts. They do not know the state after death, fear final extinction, and fear annihilation. They do not know that since beginningless kalpas, the true self has never died; what dies are the various false appearances manifested by it. Therefore, they have extreme obstructions. Rebirth within the six realms is a false appearance; birth and death are false appearances; karma is also a false appearance. The truth is the true reality (實相), which can never be destroyed. Only illusory, false appearances can disappear and perish. For example, the five aggregates (五陰) are illusory and can be destroyed and perish; karmic actions are illusory, arising and then ceasing.
Anything that can undergo birth, change, and death is merely temporary, illusory existence, not truly, substantially real—this is the truth. Where there is birth, there is necessarily death; what is not born does not die. The five aggregates and the material world (器世間) have birth and death; the true reality mind, the Tathāgatagarbha, is unborn, undying, and eternally unchanging. The birth, change, and death of the physical body have never ceased for even an instant—from nothingness to a pinhead-sized fertilized egg, then transforming into a body weighing over a hundred pounds, then gradually aging, becoming diseased, until death and disappearance. The constant changes in the body's condition demonstrate that this physical body is insubstantial. The conscious mind (識心) also changes thought-moment by thought-moment; it is even more illusory. One moment planning something, changing soon after; having just made a vow, then regressing shortly after—the conscious mind is impermanent like this. Only after relying on the Tathāgatagarbha does the conscious mind gain a degree of wisdom and stability, becoming somewhat reliable. Only for those who have cultivation and realization is the conscious mind relatively reliable and steady.
That which is always constantly changing is the deluded mind (妄心), primarily the sixth and seventh consciousnesses (六七識). The true mind, the Tathāgatagarbha, never changes and has no such thoughts or mental formations. Some might say: When I enter concentration (入定), my mind does not change and has no thoughts; this is the true mind, and realizing this unchanging mind is enlightenment. When sitting in meditation and entering concentration, is this mind without thoughts the true mind? Certainly not, because before entering concentration there were still wandering thoughts, and after a while, upon exiting concentration, wandering thoughts arise again. This shows that this mind is capable of change; a mind capable of change is illusory—it is the deluded mind. That mind which has never had thoughts or delusions, and will never have thoughts or delusions in the future, is the true mind. To distinguish the true mind from the deluded mind, one must adhere to the principle of non-arising and non-ceasing: Whatever is impermanent, subject to birth and death, is the deluded mind; whatever is eternally singular, thusness and unmoving, under any circumstances, is the true mind.
