Compilation of Daily Discourses

Chapter Nine: Training the Manas (Part 2)

VIII. Turning the Seeing Inward and Tracing it Back to the Source is the Perfect Penetration Dharma Door of the Manas

Original Text from the Fifth Volume of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra: *Aniruddha immediately rose from his seat, prostrated at the Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha: "When I first left home, I was often fond of sleep. The Tathāgata scolded me, calling me a beast. Hearing the Buddha’s scolding, I wept in self-reproach and did not sleep for seven days, losing both my eyes. The World-Honored One then instructed me in the Vajra Samādhi of Joyful Illumination. Not relying on the eyes, I perceive the ten directions, profoundly clear and true, as if looking at a fruit in my palm. The Tathāgata confirmed my attainment of Arhatship. The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have realized it, turning the seeing inward and tracing it back to the source is the foremost."*

Explanation: Aniruddha cultivated from the eye faculty. His realization in practice is turning the seeing inward and tracing it back to the source. "Turning" (旋, *xuán*) means to reverse, to turn the eye faculty's seeing, which was originally outward, inward instead, following the source of seeing, that is, reaching the fundamental root. Originally, seeing forms was directed outward, beyond the body and mind. Now, it must be turned inward to see the fundamental root of the ability to see. What is this fundamental root? It is the source that gives rise to the function of seeing. Who guides and determines the seeing of the eye faculty? First is the manas (意根, mental faculty), second is the eighth consciousness (第八识, ālaya-vijñāna). The most ultimate root is the eighth consciousness.

Reaching the manas is the stage of a Great Arhat. Reaching the eighth consciousness is the stage of a Great Bodhisattva. From the perspective of the mundane world, the manas has the function of perceiving all dharmas, including the inner and outer six sense-object realms. However, due to ignorance, the manas's function of perceiving dharmas is restricted, forcing reliance on the six consciousnesses perceiving through the five sense faculties. If ignorance is eliminated, restoring the manas's maximum function, then there is no need for the six consciousnesses to perceive dharmas outwardly through the five sense faculties. The manas alone can perceive dharmas, allowing the five sense faculties and the six consciousnesses to rest.

Aniruddha, through cultivating the Vajra Samādhi of Joyful Illumination taught by the World-Honored One, trained to perceive dharmas with the manas, seeing inward without using the eye faculty. As a result, he could perceive the ten-direction world, extremely clear and true, vivid and distinct, just like looking at a fruit in his own hand. Turning the seeing inward and tracing it back to the source is actually the perfect penetration dharma door of the manas. Who said the manas cannot perceive the five sense-object realms? The Great Arhat Aniruddha’s manas could perceive the ten-direction world, profoundly clear and true, seeing forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and dharmas without exception, attaining samādhi through the manas, rendering the consciousness useless. Therefore, inventing the idea of attaining fruition through consciousness alone is a colossal joke.

IX. When the Mind-Ground is Leveled, the World-Ground is Leveled (The Perfect Penetration Dharma Door Attained by Bodhisattva Dharaṇīśvara)

Original Text from the Śūraṅgama Sūtra: *At that time, the king of the country invited the Buddha for a feast. At that time, I was leveling the ground to await the Buddha. The Buddha Vipaśyin touched my head and said to me: ‘You should level the mind-ground; then the ground of the world, all of it, will be level.’ I immediately experienced an opening of the mind. I saw that the minute particles composing the body are not different from the minute particles that create the world. The intrinsic nature of the minute particles does not come into contact or friction. Even weapons cannot touch them.*

Explanation: In the distant past, when Bodhisattva Dharaṇīśvara first left home, he often repaired roads and built bridges, helping people pass, always silently providing convenience for the masses without seeking reward, diligently engaged in conditioned dharmas, without realizing the mind-ground. After countless Buddhas appeared in the world, he accumulated immeasurable merit and virtue, laying an extremely solid foundation for realizing the path. He may have realized the path many times in between, but the realization was not deep or thorough enough.

It was not until he encountered Buddha Vipaśyin that he leveled the ground for the Buddha to pass. The Buddha touched his head in blessing and told him: "You should level your mind-ground. If your mind-ground is leveled, then all the lands of the world will be leveled, including the lands of the ten directions." Under the Buddha’s blessing and hearing the Buddha’s teaching, Bodhisattva Dharaṇīśvara immediately experienced an opening of the mind-ground and realized the path. He instantly saw that the minute particles composing the physical body and those creating the world are all equally without difference. The intrinsic nature of these minute particles is empty, formless and markless, so they do not come into contact with each other, do not merge, and even weapons and blades on the battlefield cannot affect them in the slightest, unable to touch them at all.

What does "leveling the mind-ground levels the world-ground" mean? All phenomena arise from the mind. An unlevel mind sees an unlevel ground, sees the world rising and falling, sees heaven and earth vast and long, sees good and evil, right and wrong, beauty and ugliness. If one can level the mind, whatever is seen is Bodhi, whatever is seen is the manifestation of the seven great elements, whatever is seen is equal and without distinction, without high or low, above or below. Therefore, leveling the mind-ground enables one to see the true reality, directly reaching unsurpassed Bodhi.

After the Buddha explained the principle of leveling the mind-ground, Bodhisattva Dharaṇīśvara, with the immeasurable good roots and merit cultivated over countless eons, as well as deep samādhi, immediately entered samādhi. He saw that the minute particles in his own body and all the minute particles creating the world are equal and without difference—that is, composed of the same elements and components—immediately realizing the non-duality of body and world. Furthermore, the essence of minute particles is empty. The minute particles composing the body and the world are formed from the five great elements (earth, water, fire, wind, space). The five great elements are formless and markless. Although the composed minute particles have marks, the marks are empty.

Empty marks mean there is no substantial concept of minute particles; they cannot touch or combine with each other. Thus, between body and body, there is no obstruction or hindrance, no mutual overlapping, no mutual impact, like the merging of space with space. Between body and world, and between world and world, there is also no mutual obstruction or hindrance, no mutual overlapping or impact, like the merging of space with space, utterly without contact. Since this is so, immeasurable spiritual powers can manifest without obstruction. Entering any realm is like entering space, effortless and instantaneous.

Original Text: *I realized the patience of the non-arising of dharmas in the Dharma-nature and became an Arhat. Turning my mind back, I now enter the Bodhisattva stages. Hearing all the Tathāgatas proclaim the wonderful lotus, the Buddha’s knowledge and vision, I first proved it and became the leader. The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I, through careful contemplation, saw that the two kinds of minute particles, body and world, are equal and without difference. They are fundamentally the Tathāgatagarbha, falsely manifesting minute particles. When the particles vanish, wisdom becomes perfect, and I accomplish the unsurpassed Way. This is the foremost.*

Explanation: Bodhisattva Dharaṇīśvara said: "I realized the patience of the non-arising of dharmas (*anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti*) in the Dharma-nature of minute particles and became an Arhat. Turning my mind back to the Great Vehicle Bodhisattva path, I hear all Buddhas proclaim the wonderful Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha’s knowledge and vision. I first proved what the Buddha taught and thereby became the foremost. The Buddha asks what perfect penetration dharma door I cultivate. I carefully contemplated the two kinds of minute particles, body and realm, seeing them as equal and without difference, fundamentally arising from the Tathāgatagarbha, falsely manifesting minute particles. In samādhi, the minute particles vanished from the mind, and wisdom became perfect, accomplishing the unsurpassed fruition. This is my foremost perfect penetration dharma door."

This self-description by Bodhisattva Dharaṇīśvara is also key to cultivation and attainment. After hearing the profound Dharma principles taught by our Buddha, he personally practiced them and ultimately truly verified the truth of the Dharma, not stopping at merely believing the Buddha’s teachings. Faith and actual practice are two different levels. Faith alone does not make one a true disciple of the Buddha. Practicing the Dharma taught by the Buddha is true reverence for the Buddha, true understanding of the Buddha’s intention, and being a true Buddha-son. If one does not cultivate, what use is faith? What use is studying principles and knowledge?

Knowing the principles above, are our body, mind, and world unobstructed? Not the slightest bit. Obstructions remain obstructions, karmic obstacles remain karmic obstacles, afflictions remain afflictions, ignorance remains ignorance. It is of no help, of no benefit. Only by diligently practicing according to these principles and realizing the non-duality of minute particles can those obstacles be resolved, karmic obstacles and afflictions eliminated, body, mind, and world perfectly fused, and immeasurable samādhis, spiritual powers, and strength manifest. Principles are meant to guide practice. If one does not wish to practice, even if principles accumulate like a mountain, it is of no benefit. Knowledge alone cannot save a person; only practice and realization can save one from suffering. Therefore, those who pride themselves on the amount of knowledge should wake up long ago and stop dreaming. If knowledge cannot be transformed into the power of cultivation, having it or not makes no difference.

For many years, someone has been constantly sending me various tables, I don't know who summarized and organized them, an outline of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. For years, they have been working on this outline, studying the structure of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, never willing to follow the methods taught in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra to guide their own actual practice, refusing to put theory into practice. Such study can at most make one a scholar, a theoretical researcher. What is a scholar or researcher? Except for being able to play with words, they are nothing. Even if they linger in words for another billion years, they will still be nothing.

X. The Perfect Penetration Dharma Door of Mahākāśyapa Bodhisattva’s Manas

In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Mahākāśyapa Bodhisattva describes the perfect penetration dharma door he cultivated: *I contemplated that the six sense-objects of the world are subject to change and decay. Only by means of emptiness and stillness did I cultivate the extinction [of defilements]. Body and mind were then able to pass through hundreds of thousands of kalpas as if it were a snap of the fingers. I realized Arhatship through the Dharma of emptiness. The World-Honored One said that I am foremost in ascetic practices. The wonderful Dharma opened and became clear, extinguishing all outflows. The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have realized it, the Dharma-cause is foremost.*

Explanation: Mahākāśyapa said: "I contemplated that the objects of the six senses in the world are constantly arising and ceasing, coming from nothing, existing, decaying, ceasing, and becoming empty, all unreliable. Only with an empty, still mind did I empty all these dharmas, constantly abiding in the samādhi of the extinction of dharmas. In such a samādhi state, body and mind pass through the long kalpas of hundreds of thousands of eons, yet it feels like only the snap of a finger. It was because I emptied the dharmas of the six sense-object realms that I became an Arhat."

In the samādhi of cessation (*nirodha-samāpatti*), the dharmas of the six sense-object realms are all extinguished and emptied from the mind. What does this indicate? It indicates that the six consciousnesses are also extinguished and can no longer arise. The six sense-objects are a condition for the arising of the six consciousnesses. If the condition is not present, the consciousnesses cannot arise. If the six consciousnesses are extinguished, only the manas and the Tathāgatagarbha remain. Mahākāśyapa thus abided in the samādhi of cessation. So, does Mahākāśyapa emerge from samādhi? Does he interact with worldly affairs? What should he do when interaction is needed? Mahākāśyapa cultivated to the point of extinguishing dharmas. Although he could easily enter the samādhi of cessation, as a great Bodhisattva, he has the responsibility to benefit beings and cannot always remain inactive in the samādhi of cessation. Emerging from the samādhi of cessation, he still abides in the samādhi of extinguishing dharmas and must perform all activities to benefit beings. This is inconceivable. If dharmas are all empty, how does one perform activities to benefit beings? Aren't activities to benefit beings also dharmas?

There is another passage in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra: *Mahākāśyapa long ago extinguished the manas. Perfectly and clearly knowing, not relying on mental thought.* This passage explains how Mahākāśyapa usually handles affairs and interacts with people. How does he handle affairs and respond to events? Without using the mental thoughts of consciousness, he can perfectly, clearly, and purely know the objects of the six senses.

For ordinary people, isn't this state too mysterious and inconceivable? Knowing the six sense-objects without using consciousness, and knowing them more perfectly, purely, and penetratingly than ordinary people—how is that known? It is known by the manas. The manas replaces the discerning function of the six consciousnesses. In other words, the manas directly discerns by itself, without the assistance of the six consciousnesses. The master can do everything alone, dismissing all helpers. How powerful is such a manas? Is this the manas an ordinary person possesses? To be precise, can a person with such a manas be ordinary? That is Mahākāśyapa, equivalent to an eighth-ground Bodhisattva!

What is meant by "long ago extinguished the manas"? Did Mahākāśyapa long ago extinguish the manas? Here, "manas" does not refer to the master seventh consciousness. It refers to the root from which consciousness arises. If the seventh consciousness were extinguished, one would enter the remainderless nirvana (*anupādhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa*), and Mahākāśyapa would no longer exist in the world. How then could there be perfect and clear knowing?

So, what is the root from which consciousness arises? The arising of consciousness requires several conditions. If one condition is missing, consciousness cannot arise. Among the conditions, one is the object of the mental faculty (*dharmāyatana*), but the main one is the attention (*manasikāra*) of the manas, the seventh consciousness. When the object of the mental faculty appears, if the manas does not attend to it to discern and know it—if it is mindless towards the object, unattentive to the object—consciousness cannot arise. This is the most crucial point in cultivation. If the manas is mindless towards the objects of the six senses, emptying the six sense-objects and all dharmas, the six consciousnesses cannot arise. Therefore, cultivating to the point where the manas is mindless towards objects extinguishes the root from which consciousness arises. This is the samādhi state of Mahākāśyapa’s "long ago extinguished the manas."

But how can there still be perfect and clear knowing? If the manas is mindless and does not wish to discern objects, how can it still know, and know perfectly and clearly? This is the manas's natural function of mindless, effortless discernment. It's like a camera being on; all scenes naturally enter the camera. The manas is like this: mindless in discernment, yet sense-objects naturally appear. If the manas "camera" is off, one enters the remainderless nirvana. A Bodhisattva will not do this; keeping it on allows for benefiting sentient beings incidentally. All activities to benefit beings are done by the manas alone. So, does the manas have wholesome mental factors (*kuśala-caitta*)? Is the manas's wisdom powerful or not? It is absolutely not weak or inferior! Especially after the first Bodhisattva ground (*bhūmi*), the manas transforms consciousness into wisdom (*jñāna*). How could the manas's wisdom still be weak and inferior? Even the manas of ordinary beings sometimes has wisdom; it is not weak and inferior. The function of the manas is so sublime; how can we not strive diligently to cultivate and train it?

XI. The Steps for the Manas to Contemplate the Idiom "患得患失" (Worrying about Gain and Loss)

1. Take deep breaths, calm the mind, calm it further until distracting thoughts gradually decrease and cease.

2. The eye consciousness stares at this idiom. The consciousness understands it roughly but does not engage in thinking or analysis. Thoughts do not move. Be in a state of blankness, daze, or stupor. This process is equivalent to transmitting the information of the idiom to the manas. It's like a bag being full but needing to put more things in; you press and settle the things inside to make space for the remaining items. Pressing and settling means sending things from the mouth of the bag to the bottom. The more you send down, the more space is freed up. The mouth of the bag is like consciousness; the bottom is like the manas.

3. After the information is transmitted to the manas, the manas begins to process the information. At this time, maintain and prolong the state of daze, blankness, or stupor. Consciousness does not stir thoughts; it may even be beneficial to close the eyes to nurture the spirit (*yang shen*).

Closing the eyes means the eye consciousness and mental consciousness close the eyes and do not see forms. What is nurtured is, of course, this spirit (*shen*), the manas. The manas feels it should rest and decides to close the eyes and not see forms. The two consciousnesses (eye and mental) obey the decision and close the eyes. If the manas wishes to see forms, the two consciousnesses cannot close the eyes no matter what. If consciousness says, "This form is really good, look a while longer," and the manas says, "Then look a while longer," then the two consciousnesses see forms and do not close the eyes. Everything is decided and controlled by the manas. Although some things are suggested by consciousness, the manas must agree to the suggestion before making the decision. When the two consciousnesses close the eyes and do not act, the manas does not need to expend effort paying attention to seeing forms, saving mental energy to contemplate other important matters.

After consciousness settles down and all information is transmitted to the manas, the manas begins to contemplate, silently, without movement or stillness, so still that consciousness finds it difficult to detect and feel its existence and operation. Therefore, ordinary people often say the manas is a fool and a decoration, without any substantial function. In reality, the most essential functions of the five aggregates (*skandhas*) are all performed by the manas; the manas plays the pivotal role.

4. The manas first contemplates the character "患" (*huan* - worry, affliction). Consciousness should not analyze it. It must avoid interfering or causing trouble, not distracting the manas, nor letting the manas leave the contemplation of the idiom. Keeping the manas focused on the object to be contemplated is the task of consciousness. If not done well, it may affect the result of the manas's contemplation. If the manas is already skilled in contemplation, consciousness need not supervise. Consciousness should not be eager for a result and participate. Absolutely no thinking function should occur. Otherwise, the manas will not produce wisdom. The result produced by consciousness's thinking does not represent true wisdom and is unusable.

In the beginning, consciousness may not know how to supervise and remind, and the manas may not know how to contemplate. Both need to study diligently. After passing this stage, one can smoothly proceed with contemplation (*vipaśyanā*). After the manas contemplates for some time, it knows that "患" means fault, affliction, worry, fear, or calculation. Which meaning it is depends on the following characters. Then it contemplates the character "得" (*de* - gain). Since "得" has many meanings, it links "得失" (*deshi* - gain and loss) together to determine the meaning of gain and loss. Then it contemplates what is gained and what is lost, realizing it is the calculation and attachment to the worldly dharmas of the five aggregates—wealth, sex, fame, food, sleep, family and relatives, power, status, etc.—all empty, illusory dharmas. Finally, it contemplates the four characters together and understands that "患得" (*huande*) is worrying about not gaining, and "患失" (*huanshi*) is worrying about losing what is gained. It is extremely calculating and attached, seeing nothing through and letting nothing go. It is entirely the work of self-view (*satkāya-dṛṣṭi*) and self-attachment (*ātma-grāha*). This is the psychological state of a deluded mortal in the cycle of birth and death—truly pitiable.

What should it contemplate next? That depends on the wisdom and concepts of each person's manas. The manas should review the gains and losses of an entire lifetime, wisely contemplating that gain and loss are both unobtainable, that nothing is gained and nothing is lost, that it's all foolish fussing over nothing. Of course, most people's manas cannot contemplate to this step. Just slowly practice contemplation.

Due to insufficient wisdom, lack of proficiency in the method, and insufficient samādhi, initial practice of contemplation may be very slow and not necessarily correct. But it doesn't matter; there will be a day of proficiency. Once the manas learns to contemplate and observe (*vipaśyanā*) according to principle, that wisdom will gush forth uncontrollably.

Those who previously emphasized conscious study and reflection (*śruta-mayī-prajñā*), broadly studying and widely hearing, spending time on various voluminous Yogācāra treatises—don't they seem to have suffered a loss now? Decades spent gnawing on Yogācāra treatises with consciousness—what results came of it? Shouldn't they now turn back to make up the basics and start practicing step by step? However, some, because they are accustomed to conscious study, find consciousness unwilling to be quiet and still during actual practice, creating great obstacles to practice. Samādhi is difficult to attain, and contemplation is out of the question. The gap in cultivation attainment between those strong in theory and those who emphasize actual practice, combining theory with practice, is vast. The latter attain samādhi in a few years, already reaching the first or second fruition (*srotāpanna, sakṛdāgāmin*), able to realize the emptiness of the Tathāgatagarbha anytime, anywhere. Whereas the former not only haven't mastered the theory, but samādhi is nowhere in sight.

This comparison should make it clear that if theory is not combined with practice, empty talk often harms the nation. If theory does not land in the actual place, realization is extremely difficult. What is the actual place? The actual place is the place of the manas, the place seen by the eye, the place that contacts the true reality. Consciousness is the unreal place, the place heard by the ear, which cannot contact the true reality.

XII. How to Gain the Most Benefit from Reading Sutras?

Many people lack the foundation of Prajñā emptiness (*śūnyatā*) but are keenly interested in Yogācāra. As a result, the more they study, the more they cling to existence, the less they realize emptiness, deviating from the path. Originally, Yogācāra entirely points to the emptiness of all dharmas, but for many who study it, it becomes solidly existing dharmas, a mere field of knowledge. This is the misfortune of Yogācāra studies. To reverse this situation and make up for the foundational part, from now on, we need to turn back and focus on the study and cultivation of the Prajñā Dharma door. The Prajñā Dharma door connects the preceding and the following. It aids in realizing the small vehicle's (*Hīnayāna*) severance of self-view (*satkāya-dṛṣṭi*) and also aids in the study of Yogācāra. Without the foundation of Prajñā studies, studying Yogācāra is mere intellectual speculation (*prapañca*). The Buddha taught the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras in six hundred volumes. Persistently reading a portion daily will deepen understanding of the Prajñā Dharma door over time. The mind will become increasingly empty, unattached to worldly appearances, and body and mind will transform.

To understand the Buddha's intention and gain great benefit from reading sutras, certain methods are necessary. First, one must generate the Bodhicitta and maintain it throughout the entire study and cultivation process. Based on this, cultivate the six pāramitās of a Bodhisattva, then concentrate on diligent practice. There are generally three ways to read sutras: First, consciousness reads with the mouth but not the mind, while the manas wanders wildly in thoughts. Second, distracting thoughts decrease, consciousness reads the sutra attentively, the manas has fewer wandering thoughts and pays some attention to the sutra text, leaving some space for contemplating and understanding the sutra's meaning. Third, when the sutra text is familiar, consciousness does not read aloud or reads slowly without sound, cooperating with the manas's contemplation and investigation. The manas focuses on the sutra text, continuously contemplating it.

The first is the most basic way of reading sutras, purely reading without needing to understand the text. One must transition to the second and third ways to achieve the effect of reading sutras, having some contemplation of the text, correctly understanding the sutra, grasping its meaning, and thereby effectively guiding one's own practice.

How to achieve the second way of reading sutras? Read the sutra with a focused, concentrated mind, free from scattered thoughts, prohibiting the manas's wide-ranging grasping, tethering the manas to focus only on the sutra text. Read slowly, leaving space for contemplation and understanding, also giving the manas time to think. Pause when reaching key parts or places of doubt, allowing the manas to silently contemplate and digest it. This emphasizes the quality of reading, not the speed of completing a task.

Once this step is done reasonably well, transition to the third way of reading sutras. Leave most of the contemplation work to the manas. Consciousness is only responsible for guiding the manas to each part of the sutra text, letting the manas condense the key part of each passage into a single point suspended in the mind, contemplating and investigating it alone within the mind. Only when recitation is very slow and without distracting thoughts can the manas contemplate the meaning suspended in the mind without being affected by the recitation.

This is the process of cultivating wisdom (*prajñā*), simultaneously cultivating samādhi. Cultivating samādhi and wisdom together, the Dharma principles enter the mind, which will become increasingly empty, leading to the transformation of body and mind. Those who know how to read sutras sit like an old monk entering samādhi. Although the eyes are on the sutra text, the attention is on the manas's silent contemplation, extremely focused, so that samādhi arises, body and mind become comfortable and open, the mind opens and understanding is resolved, wisdom-thoughts gush like a spring, wisdom shines like the bright sun illuminating the mind-field, extremely nourishing. Success in anything depends on applying the mind correctly. Not only must the motivation be correct, but concentration and correct, reasonable methods are also necessary. Then the result might not only be twice the result for half the effort, but even surpass that.

XIII. Methods for Training the Manas in Daily Life

To train the manas's concentration, one can start practicing with small things in daily life. The *Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta* teaches contemplation of breathing, contemplation of white bones, contemplation of bodily movements. The twenty-five sages in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra contemplate the six sense-objects, six sense faculties, six consciousnesses, and six great elements. We can contemplate the flame of a candle, or a burning incense tip, or an apple, or a flower, choosing whatever is convenient. The manas focuses on the candle or incense tip. Consciousness arises there and then settles there without moving. Eye consciousness does not look elsewhere. Consciousness does not think of other dharmas, does not stir thoughts. The two simply stare at the candle or incense tip. At this time, the manas is constrained to focus only on contemplating the candle, unable to grasp elsewhere. Gradually, it enters the state, gradually becomes concentrated, gradually becomes single-minded, the mind gradually becomes subtle and refined.

Contemplation (*vipaśyanā*) is making the manas focus on one place, one point, one dharma. Usually, the manas is too scattered, grasping all dharmas, discerning none clearly, understanding none, not knowing the true appearance of any dharma, not knowing that any dharma is fundamentally not that dharma. When the manas's contemplation gradually enters a good state, consciousness is empty at this time, without a single thought, or only with the single thought of knowing the flame. The manas, meanwhile, contemplates silently. On one hand, samādhi arises during contemplation. On the other hand, mental understanding changes. The perception of the flame's appearance gradually changes. The true reality gradually surfaces. Gradually, one discovers that the flame is not the flame, the incense tip is not the incense tip, the apple is not the apple, the flower is not the flower, all things are not all things. After wisdom arises, various understandings of emptiness appear. Samādhi will manifest, and body and mind undergo a series of changes.

Thus, we see that what we usually see is all erroneous seeing. Seeing the false without knowing the true, we cling to all things as self and mine: the five aggregates (*skandhas*) as self; forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and dharmas as mine; wealth, sex, fame, food, sleep as mine; power, status, reputation, money as mine; family and relatives as mine; everything connected to oneself as mine. For the sake of self and mine, any price can be paid. How could practice compare in importance to self and mine? Isn't it just rebirth in the six paths? "I don't care. Rebirth isn't scary. Losing self and mine is the scariest." But have you ever gained self and mine? How many selves and mines have you lost? Can you protect them?

To break this foolishness, foolish views, and foolish clinging, contemplate one thing. Contemplate it long-term, and you will know what a thing is, what self is, who clings and what can be clung to. Experience the dreamlike illusion (*māyā*) firsthand, awakening from the dream. "In the dream, clearly there are the six destinies; upon awakening, empty, without the great thousand worlds." Laughable is the former foolish confusion, beating the chest in regret. It's good to awaken; what came before doesn't count anymore; it's turned over. After awakening, one is a great hero (*mahāsattva*). Before awakening, one was a deluded, upside-down ordinary being. The identity has changed. The deeds of a great hero are worthy of the admiration of all people. The deeds of a deluded ordinary being evoke pity.

For the specific process and results of contemplation, refer to the perfect penetration dharma doors of the twenty-five sages in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. Sages cultivate without being confined to one realm or one dharma. Any one of the eighteen realms (*dhātus*) can be chosen to enter the path, all can attain sublime samādhi, all can achieve perfect penetration. Entering the path from one dharma, every dharma is in the path. This is called deep entry through one door; every door leads through.

If we wish to sever self-view (*satkāya-dṛṣṭi*), we don't need to perform contemplation on all five aggregates and eighteen realms. Choose one point that is easy for you to contemplate, like an awl piercing through, and it will surely break through the five aggregates and eighteen realms. For example, pierce a balloon in one place, and the whole balloon breaks. For example, a boat leaks in one place, and the whole boat sinks into the water. Everyone, act quickly! Stop foolishly clinging to the dreamlike illusion, mistaking the false for real.