Compilation of Daily Discourses
Chapter Eleven: The Observational Practice Experiences of Disciples
I. Dharma Realization Only Possible in Samadhi
Shi Ruyuan's Experience of Observing the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Over the past two years, I have mainly been observing the four foundations of mindfulness, practicing the contemplation on the impure and the contemplation on the skeleton. In the last six months, my body has continuously exhibited various reactions. The master taught me some methods, such as tapping my head, and also taught me moxibustion and washing my hair with ginger water. Wearing the moxibustion hat helped a lot, but I haven’t fully recovered yet. It feels like wind is penetrating the top of my head. Now, there’s still a small area about the size of an egg on the crown that feels tight and uncomfortable, as if my hair is being pulled, slightly warm yet accompanied by a sense of lightness and ease. My eyes have also improved significantly.
The house I lived in when I got married collapsed. At first, I felt quite sad and regretful, but then I reconsidered: the house is no different from the human body; both will decay and perish. So, I let go of my attachment. When I visited my father-in-law in the hospital, I saw that all the hospitalized patients were elderly, each relying on tubes to breathe. Since I’ve recently been prone to generating doubt whenever I see any physical form, I immediately contemplated the impurity of the physical body and persisted in this doubt. Suddenly, I became dazed, and my mind revealed these elderly people as piles of skeletons—some lying down, others reclining. Then, my mind showed the image of my father’s shattered bones during cremation, like dust, which subsequently vanished.
Upon careful reflection, relatives are only close in this lifetime, yet they become obstacles to our practice. After realizing this, my familial affection instantly diminished, and my mind stabilized, enabling diligent practice. Through mindful contemplation, I understood that the essence of relatives and houses is also empty and unreal. Thinking this way, I could let go, free from attachment and sorrow. The more I personally witness the impermanence of all people and events, the firmer my resolve becomes, the stronger my faith grows, the easier the contemplation of the emptiness of mind feels, and the fewer deluded thoughts arise.
Around the New Year period, some family matters required my help, but I kept forgetting after hearing them, repeatedly mishearing and making mistakes, unable to remember. I felt my mind reacting increasingly sluggishly, often causing mishaps. Moreover, it felt as if wind was entering the top of my head. When my scalp touched water or encountered wind, my head ached as if splitting. My eyes and nose continuously discharged fluid; my eyes felt gritty and tired when looking at things, and my ears buzzed incessantly. I thought my auditory faculty was damaged. Strangely, despite this physical state and the buzzing in my ears, making other sounds unclear, it seemed as if inside and out, my body and mind were filled with the sound of the Buddha’s name. Previously, I could hear the Buddha’s name in my mind only when my mind was pure. Recently, however, the more anxious I became, the harder it was to recall it, and the dizzier I felt. It seemed as if a force was pushing the sound of the Buddha’s name in my mind, making it clearer, louder, and continuous.
Commentary: These phenomena appearing in the body during practice indicate that through cultivating the four foundations of mindfulness, the meditative concentration is very deep, residing in the Buddha-recitation samadhi and a slight skeleton-contemplation samadhi. The inner recitation of the Buddha’s name arises automatically and consciously; it’s difficult to prevent it from arising. This is the state where the mental faculty (manas) is in the samadhi of Buddha-recitation, uncontrolled by the conscious mind. Simultaneously, there is deep observational wisdom; concentration and wisdom are equally maintained. At this stage, severing the view of self becomes very easy, or one may not even know when it was severed.
The reflections on the house and relatives belong to the understanding and analysis of the conscious mind, not direct realization. The conscious component outweighs the mental faculty; thus, it is not direct perception (pratyakṣa). The skeleton contemplation that arose in the hospital, however, involved more of the mental faculty, along with some conscious components. The samadhi state was relatively shallow, and concentration was insufficient, so seeing the elderly still required generating doubt on the spot; the skeletons did not appear immediately. If meditative concentration deepens further and the samadhi state becomes deeper, the skeletons will appear automatically, making it easy to sever the view of self. Therefore, severing the view of self and realizing the mind both occur in profound meditative concentration, within the samadhi state, where wisdom manifests automatically without deliberate contemplation or control by the conscious mind. This is the direct perception (pratyakṣa) of Dharma realization. States dominated by the conscious mind are non-valid cognition (apramāṇa) or inferential cognition (anumāna).
The phenomena in the head indicate that the energy channels are nearly fully opened throughout the head. Once opened, the body will be free of obstructions. I just don’t know if this means the Governing and Conception vessels are opened or if the central channel is almost opened—there’s no data to determine. But this is not far from severing the view of self. After severing the view of self, meditative concentration will deepen further, and more auspicious signs will appear. (February 14, 2024)
II. The Process of Thorough Transformation Toward the First Fruit (Sotāpatti-magga)
Shi Ruyuan's Observational Experience: Recently, my bodily reactions have been particularly pronounced. I eat less and less without feeling hungry. The area on my crown is still slightly swollen and itchy; scratching my scalp hurts. The space between my eyebrows and the crown feels tight and swollen, and my forehead burns as if roasted by fire, making it hard to even open my eyes. Looking at things feels exhausting. Now I dread going out, doing things, or meeting people. When people around me call me, I often can’t react in time; I mishear and make mistakes countless times. My mind goes blank and refuses to obey.
During this period, I unconsciously forget whatever I do. While walking, the moment my mind settles while waiting for a green light, my mind goes blank, and I stare blankly, unable to recall what I was doing. It feels like sleepwalking; my brain and body are uncontrolled and inflexible. Sometimes I recite the Shurangama Mantra to alleviate these reactions. Afterwards, when I look at the people, buildings, and cars around me, they seem unreal, like images on an endless screen. Now, the space between my eyebrows on my forehead feels tight and hot. If I sit in meditation with my eyes closed, it feels much better. When contemplating the Dharma principles, my mind is pure and free of distracting thoughts. When family members talk to me, I find it strenuous and laborious.
Previously, when I listened to the master explaining the principles of contemplation, I couldn’t understand. Now, with meditative concentration, I slowly begin to comprehend the subtle functions of the self-nature through observing the four foundations of mindfulness. In observing actions and observing the tool of sentient beings’ five aggregates and eighteen elements, I can discover the functional manifestation of the self-nature. Regarding certain meditation topics, such as “Who is reciting the Buddha’s name?” and “Who is dragging the corpse?”, I can gradually engage in deep, subtle thinking, generating doubt. An instinctive reaction arises within, and tears flow unconsciously. Before, when studying Buddhism, I used only the simple conscious mind—listening, thinking, and looking. I had no real feeling for the Dharma learned this way. Now, with meditative concentration, thinking is different; it deeply touches my heart. I profoundly perceive that this body is just a corpse, transmigrating through the six realms life after life. Changing bodies is like changing clothes. Now I have no interest in people or things, unwilling to discriminate between right and wrong, good and bad. My mind is constantly focused on contemplating the Dharma principles.
Commentary: This is the process of physical and mental transformation before the path of seeing (darśana-mārga), gradually undergoing a thorough transformation, shedding the ordinary body and mind to correspond with the sage’s realm. Currently at the stage of the path toward the first fruit (Sotāpatti-magga), this practice process is indispensable. Without this physical and mental transformation, one remains forever an ordinary being, dwelling in the realm of consciousness, with the mental faculty unrefined. The bodily transformation is caused by meditative concentration. When the mind becomes calm to a certain degree, the entire body’s qi and blood become unobstructed and abundant, replacing the old karmic obstacle body.
The mental transformation is a gradual disengagement from correspondence with worldly phenomena, losing interest in the appearances of the human realm, gradually corresponding with emptiness and selflessness, gradually shedding the ordinary fetus and replacing the ordinary bones. Severing the view of self is inevitable. In terms of wisdom, there are achievements not only in the Hinayana path but also significant progress in the Mahayana path, possessing preliminary direct insight into the self-nature Dharma, without a trace of emotional or intellectual understanding from the conscious mind. The inner light grows increasingly brighter. Thus, after severing the view of self, by focusing solely on Chan meditation, realization of the mind (kenshō) is imminent.
From Shi Ruyuan’s physical and mental state, it can be seen that her practice of the Hinayana path has passed the stage of the warmth (uṣmagata) in the four preliminary practices (catasraḥ praḥanāḥ), also passed the peak (mūrdhan), and reached the stage of patient acceptance (kṣānti), possessing the wholesome root of patience. After this, passing the stage of supreme worldly dharmas (laukikāgradharma), she will sever the view of self and realize the first fruit (Sotāpanna). In Mahayana practice, she has reached the stage of warmth in the four preliminary practices, possessing the wholesome root of warmth. After Hinayana’s severance of the view of self, the Mahayana’s four preliminary practices will naturally advance. Realization of the mind in this lifetime is hopeful.
From these most genuine practices, within Weiru’s entire physical and mental state, is there any manifestation of greed, hatred, or delusion? Is there any grasping or attachment to the world of the five aggregates? Is there even a trace of indulgence in worldly sensual pleasures? None. Therefore, facts prove that as long as one practices genuinely and earnestly, as long as meditative concentration arises, especially the concentration before reaching dhyāna (anāgamya-samādhi), it will subdue afflictions and eradicate the coarsest greed—greed for the human realm. Eradicating greed for the heavenly realms leads to the first dhyāna. After realizing the fruit, the first dhyāna appears, and attaining the third fruit (Anāgāmi) is entirely possible. Therefore, as long as one resolves to practice genuinely and wishes to achieve realization, it is not so difficult; one doesn’t need to be overly clever. Cleverness and worldly intelligence often hinder progress. Thus, practice must be continuous; one cannot let the fire go out. One must continuously add heat and press the advantage. Once the fire goes out, this life remains at the current state, making progress difficult.
Those who can do the work steadfastly are generally not very shrewd or superficially clever, nor fond of talking, nor fond of self-expression. Though they may appear somewhat dull on the surface, their honesty and diligence are the greatest advantages, resulting in genuine, undeniable benefits. In comparison, so many who claim to have realized the first or second fruit—do they have such a practice process? Almost none. Their physical and mental world shows almost no change, remaining flat and plain like water, still the old appearance and shell, nothing fresh. Without meditative concentration, so-called wisdom is merely the conscious mind’s views, unable to penetrate consciousness or reach the mental faculty within. They remain the same old fetus and bones, fully endowed with all afflictions, yet glib-tongued, able to talk but not act. (February 28, 2024)
III. What Truly Constitutes Generating Genuine Doubt?
Shi Ruyuan's Mahayana Doubt: Nowadays, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, I am generally in samadhi, contemplating the Dharma principles familiar to my mind, mainly focusing on the skeleton contemplation in my mind and my own skeleton. I have no interest in people or things outside the mind and do not discriminate them. Once, my daughter took me to the supermarket to buy snacks. All the way to the supermarket, I was inwardly contemplating, unable to clearly hear others’ speech, uninterested in looking at the people and things around me. When my daughter asked me to pick things, I felt my body drifting unrealistically as if in a dream; my hands and eyes seemed disobedient, unable to pick things properly—my mind was absent.
Once, inexplicably, a phrase popped into my mind: “Mechanical wooden man, mechanism triggered, appearances arise.” At the time, I hadn’t reacted yet but kept reciting it inwardly, as if the master had mentioned this phrase in his book. Previously, I didn’t understand what it meant. Now that this phrase suddenly jumped out, I pondered its meaning intently. It probably uses iron men, wooden men, and shadow-play figures manipulated by strings to metaphorize the activities of the five aggregates? Sentient beings’ physical shell of five aggregates jumps about lively; it’s all the functional manifestation of the Tathāgatagarbha’s self-nature from behind. The functional manifestation of the Tathāgatagarbha is evident in all dharmas. All kōans or meditation topics are about the self-nature’s functional manifestation of sentient beings’ Tathāgatagarbha. Therefore, in samadhi, seeing everything feels unreal, like in a dream, without any feeling. Sometimes, while still asleep at night, I am awakened by mantras recited in my mind.
Last year, when I practiced skeleton contemplation, I had some physical and mental sensations. Seeing family members who were once close, or beautiful people outside, they all seemed like filthy piles of flesh and blood. Sometimes when using the toilet, I also contemplated that people are all so filthy; the body’s nine orifices constantly discharge dirty substances. Feeling that people are unreal, thinking about it became meaningless and boring, so I stopped caring about eating well or dressing well; good or bad didn’t matter. Recently, whether day or night, awake or asleep, I am in samadhi, with Dharma principles continuously present in my mind.
Commentary: Practicing skeleton contemplation can completely sever the view of self. If skeletons appear in the mind constantly, it means one is constantly in skeleton contemplation, constantly in samadhi, where skeletons appear automatically and consciously. Severing the view of self can happen at any moment, anytime, anywhere. Perhaps it has already been severed, but one doesn’t feel it due to a lack of discerning wisdom and unclear description of mental state and sensations. The key is that Shi Ruyuan should clearly recognize her current state, understand her thoughts and feelings, to better assess her wisdom and cognitive situation—whether she is in a state of having severed the view of self or how far she is from it. At the moment of severing the view of self, there are corresponding physical and mental states. If misunderstood as ordinary events, the opportunity is missed.
If a person constantly shows no interest in external people and things, this is not only the merit of samadhi but also the merit of wisdom. Generally, it indicates proficiency in observing the five aggregates, enabling the mind to accord with emptiness, thus producing such reactions. Alternatively, only after severing the view of self can such reactions occur constantly. If practice is insufficient, it’s impossible to be uninterested in people and things and unwilling to discriminate. Therefore, this state is over ninety percent indicative of having severed the view of self, though specifics require further observation and understanding.
The phrase inexplicably popping into the mind: “Mechanical wooden man, mechanism triggered, appearances arise”—this arises from the mental faculty suddenly bursting forth with Mahayana doubt while in samadhi, indicating the natural maturation of the karmic conditions for Mahayana Chan meditation. Being able to spontaneously generate such doubt shows that Mahayana wisdom is also quite profound; otherwise, only the conscious mind could generate doubt, not the mental faculty. The reason the mental faculty can generate Mahayana doubt is, first, because the Hinayana foundation is very solid, with firm confirmation of the selflessness of the five aggregates and no doubt, thus leading to the doubt: since the five aggregates are empty, why do the activities of the five aggregates still exist? Second, because the Mahayana Dharma cultivation has matured. Therefore, when the view of self still exists or is even heavy, the mental faculty will not generate Mahayana doubt—though the conscious mind can, because the conscious mind can leap across many levels to cognize dharmas non-validly (apramāṇa), which the mental faculty cannot do.
Thus, genuine doubt arises spontaneously in samadhi, not chanted out by the conscious mind like a mantra. It erupts from the mental faculty when conditions ripen. After the mental faculty knows the five aggregates are empty, it wants to understand the mechanical mystery within the five-aggregate body. This is a natural phenomenon of Mahayana practice reaching fruition, not the conscious mind’s deliberate, forced delivery of doubt. Only in this way is investigation fast and efficient, not wasting time, avoiding false or mistaken awakening. In such a samadhi state, realization of the mind is imminent.
In the samadhi state, it truly feels like being in a dream; everything seems unreal. This state resembles that after having severed the view of self. Perhaps some major event occurred previously in the body and mind that was overlooked. Now I cannot accurately judge. Being in meditation and contemplation whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, unable to be pulled away by external conditions—samadhi is quite firm, the mind like a bronze wall. At this point, entering the path can happen at any moment, for both Hinayana and Mahayana. Hence, barring accidents, realization and becoming a sage or bodhisattva in this life is almost certain. Others wish to enter samadhi but cannot enter, unable to be pushed in. You cannot be pulled out. The difference is enormous. Why such a big difference? There are many factors, to be revealed gradually later.
The last paragraph describing the sensations of skeleton contemplation shows that Ruyuan’s skeleton contemplation practice is very effective. She can constantly contemplate all sentient beings as impure, fully realizing (or directly perceiving) the emptiness and unreality of sentient beings’ five aggregates. Her mind has abandoned greed, no longer fussy about food or clothing, uninterested. Awake or asleep, she remains in samadhi, the samadhi state unbroken—her skill is quite excellent. This is the state of clear awareness after severing the view of self. Generally, these states are those experienced after severing the view of self. Before severing the view of self, even if samadhi is quite good and the concentration before dhyāna is complete, there are still interruptions. Only after severing the view of self and the mind becoming empty can samadhi be continuous, constantly abiding in samadhi. Various phenomena indicate over a ninety percent probability that Ruyuan has already severed the view of self; she just describes it unclearly.
Everyone must remember: Apart from the wisdom cognition within such samadhi, there is no realization of the path (darśana-mārga). Away from the samadhi state, neither Hinayana nor Mahayana can truly realize the path. Even if you have meditative concentration but are not constantly in samadhi, thinking that your cognition without samadhi also constitutes realization of the path—that is impossible. With shallow concentration, true realization of the path is also impossible; it’s all figured out by the conscious mind and doesn’t count.
IV. Correct and Principled Chan Meditation Practice Before Realization
Shi Ruyuan's Chan Meditation Experience: I am grateful for the master’s blessings over these days, which have bestowed immense merit and benefit upon me, your disciple! The inspiration and realization I received are tremendous!
On the first night after returning, during seated meditation, incredible inspiration and sensations arose in samadhi. Nowadays, whether walking, standing, or lying down, I am in samadhi. That day, the moment I sat down to meditate, my head suddenly went “boom” as if a large mass of qi was expelled. My mind felt empty, as if something struck my head fiercely, and I was shaken out of samadhi. On the second and third days, my body was immobile in samadhi, unable to emerge. On the third night, I was too excited to sleep, and I worried: if the next few days are like this, what will I become? These days, my upper thighs also feel sore and swollen; I can’t open my eyes. Wanting to get up and walk, I couldn’t move. Standing up, I felt unsteady, afraid of falling, as if my cerebellum had lost its balance function.
On the fourth day, I felt slightly better and could move; my legs were no longer sore or swollen. Around eleven at night, in samadhi, a powerful stream of qi rushed out from my nostrils, shaking me out of samadhi. At the time, I sat still to calm down, recalling the master’s teachings: don’t just sit; move appropriately, practice walking meditation, and investigate the Tathāgatagarbha within the encountered realms. So I got up to practice walking meditation. While contemplating that all dharmas born from the Tathāgatagarbha are illusory, in an instant, I felt Dharma principles swirling continuously in my mind. Trying to emerge from samadhi, my body and mind were not under control. I couldn’t perceive the external six dust objects (sense objects); only the sound of the Buddha’s name in my mind rotated and played continuously. Such great inspiration and sensations truly cannot be expressed in words; they can only be experienced or understood in samadhi. With shallow concentration, one cannot perceive them.
The above are the inspirations and sensations over several days. Now I have recovered, feeling physically and mentally relaxed and at ease, able to contemplate Dharma principles normally. Now, the doubts or answers appearing in my mind are becoming clearer and more distinct. Even when using the toilet, doubt arises uninterruptedly: Who is the force dragging this wooden-like five-aggregate body to the toilet? How does this force manifest its functional subtlety on sentient beings’ physical shells? While eating or drinking, I involuntarily ask: Who is the one sustaining these five-aggregate activities—raising hands, lifting feet, dressing, eating, drinking, holding bowls, picking up chopsticks? (End of March 2025)
Commentary: Shi Ruyuan’s skill in Chan meditation is in no way inferior to that of the many Chan masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, nor to the Mahayana bodhisattvas practicing Chan meditation during the Buddha’s time. This is because the practice before realization is identical across all eras—unchanged, unupdated, and cannot be lowered in standard or level. The only difference is that Shi Ruyuan, studying under me, has learned too much about the Tathāgatagarbha Dharma, too directly, without needing to spend much effort organizing or systematizing it—relying more on external aid, with self-power seeming insufficient. Ancient Chan masters learned relatively rough Prajñā principles, far less numerous and detailed, thus had to investigate more diligently, relying more on self-power, developing deeper wisdom. Explaining too directly is detrimental to disciples’ Chan meditation; it easily leads to intellectual understanding, hindering their path and the arising of wisdom.
But why hasn’t Shi Ruyuan fallen into intellectual understanding? Looking at the doubt she generates, it’s like a layer of window paper, pierced with one poke—directly pointing to the central point, pointing to the goal of realization, pointing to that never-vanishing moon. The reason is that Shi Ruyuan’s meditative concentration skill is very deep and continuous, unbroken even when pulled. Demons cannot disturb it; no one can interrupt it. Therefore, she does not use the conscious mind to resolve the doubt, nor use it to reason, guess, speculate, or analyze. If her concentration were slightly shallower and she used the conscious mind, she might effortlessly resolve it intellectually, breaking the conscious doubt but not the mental faculty’s doubt.
Precisely because Shi Ruyuan does not use the conscious mind to resolve the doubt, avoiding shortcuts, and only uses the mental faculty to investigate honestly, the doubt that seems like window paper to an awakened person remains unbroken to her. It’s simply because she is too sincere, not cutting corners. In such deep and continuous effort, corners cannot be cut. When the mental faculty’s doubt is strong, it simply doesn’t give the conscious mind a chance to resolve it.
Therefore, as long as the effort is deep and the mental faculty’s doubt is strong, even if the Dharma principles are explained very directly, intellectual understanding can be avoided. Even if the esoteric meaning is explicitly stated, because doubt exists, the mental faculty will still investigate, prove, and realize it experientially, not allowing the conscious mind to merely understand intellectually. Thus, as long as the effort is sufficient and the mental faculty has doubt, previous intellectual understanding can transform into experiential realization, turning the plainly understood Buddhadharma into a proof problem. Knowing the answer yet requiring a solving process, during the actual investigation process, the bodhisattva mind matures, generating the merit and wisdom of realizing the path.
Hasn’t Shi Ruyuan clearly explained the method and process of Chan meditation practice? Hasn’t she clearly pointed out the object of Chan meditation, almost explicitly? Isn’t the finger pointing to the moon shining brightly? Yet even so, for many it remains useless; they cannot grasp the key. Why? They lack the effort; even conscious guessing is difficult. Even if guessed, it’s inaccurate, having no effect on their body and mind; afflictions remain afflictions.
Most importantly, there is no renunciation mind (Hinayana) and no arising of the bodhicitta (Mahayana). For them, Buddhist practice and realization are only a part of life; many worldly affairs still occupy important positions. The mental faculty cannot prioritize practice; how can the effort be made? Each practices and receives their own results; they cannot substitute for each other. Therefore, explicitly stating the final result of Chan meditation is of no help to others. It’s not that others stating it explicitly allows you to understand intellectually—realization is even less possible. (April 4, 2025)
V. Jun Ruolan’s Observational Approach and Experience Regarding the Five Aggregates
A fly lands on my leg, feeling itchy and annoying. Actually, the leg is the aggregate of form (rūpa), a temporary union of the four elements; the itch is the aggregate of sensation (vedanā), all sensations are suffering, without coming or going; taking the appearance, reasoning—this is the aggregate of perception (saṃjñā). The fly is also an illusion; the itch is just a sensation, also an illusion. Naming the fly and the sensation, adding meaning—this is perception. The decision to drive it away, the process of conscious operation, the temporal process of sensation—this is the aggregate of mental formations (saṃskāra). Mental formations arise conditioned by consciousness, also coming and ceasing with conditions. What discerns all this is the aggregate of consciousness (vijñāna): consciousness arises from seeds in the Tathāgatagarbha, also coming and ceasing with conditions.
The five aggregates arise from causes and conditions, impermanent. Impermanence and instability mean emptiness. Attachment brings suffering; suffering is also an illusion. All this is impermanent, without self-nature—this is selflessness.
Looking again at the fly crawling on the leg, the itch on the leg remains, but the inner feeling of aversion vanishes. With a light wave of the hand, the fly flies away. The event just happened, yet it seems nothing happened. The five aggregates are ultimately unobtainable; no self exists, no place for self. I observe the fly crawling on the leg—emptiness facing emptiness, what is obtainable? At this moment, the mind is without deliberate effort, entirely quiet.
This is the disciple’s approach to clarifying the theory through examples, so it’s very basic. After the theory is clear, the disciple will gradually deepen the observation without greed. As the master said, facing phenomena, minimize conscious involvement, observe directly. Grasp the core and continue diligently.
Commentary: The observational approach is clear. During actual observation, on one hand, samadhi must be complete; on the other, focus must be concentrated on one point. Only by breaking through one point can the selflessness of the entire five aggregates be realized through that point. To have the most genuine observation and experience, during observation, one should follow the methods taught in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta as much as possible: observe what is present, be aware of what is perceived, without imagining or substituting. How does the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta teach observation? It is the direct experience and observation of phenomena without moving the conscious mind—based on facts, without mental supplementation. Everyone should carefully savor such an observational state. If unable to do this, one must deepen meditative concentration. If concentration is insufficient, it all falls into analysis; direct perception is scarce, and direct experience (pratyakṣa) is minimal.
In modern Buddhist practice, almost all group Dharma teachers teach conscious observation, conscious experience, conscious feeling, conscious comprehension, conscious analysis—never touching the practice of the mental faculty. Consequently, what is obtained is not genuine experience or observation, not objective observation, but conscious analysis, understanding, and imagination laden with subjective additions, containing many illusory elements. Practitioners cannot distinguish whether this is true observation, true investigation, or true practice; they only feel this way of thinking is easier, requiring less effort, yielding results quickly. Hence, false realization is widespread. In reality, how could practice be so simple and easy? How could so many ordinary-natured beings transform into sages?
