The Methods of Entering the Path Through Principle and Through Practice as Taught by Patriarch Bodhidharma

"Externally cease all conditions; within the mind there is no panting; the mind like a wall—then one may enter the Path." This is a saying of Patriarch Bodhidharma, and it can be explained in two ways. The first describes a state of meditative concentration (samādhi) within cultivation, while the other subtly points to the ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya). From the perspective of the ultimate truth, the true suchness as the principle-body, the tathāgatagarbha, has neither outside nor inside; it has no external conditions and does not cling to any dharma. It does not discern any sense objects; it does not know whether any state of experience is wholesome or unwholesome, true or false; therefore, within its own mind there is no deliberation, no thinking, no views or opinions, no perspectives. For this reason, no external dharma can enter the mind, and from within the mind no thoughts, opinions, or views emerge. The mind of the tathāgatagarbha is like a wall—impenetrable from inside to outside, with neither inside nor outside. Having thus understood this nature of the tathāgatagarbha, one can then investigate it and realize it, and from then on one enters the Path. This is entering the Path through the principle.

From another perspective, this is entering the Path through practice in phenomena. Practice in phenomena means cultivating meditative concentration, and then, within that concentration, investigating Chan and awakening to the tathāgatagarbha. This concentration can be the first dhyāna of the form realm, or it can be the threshold concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) of the desire realm prior to the first dhyāna. When one attains such concentration and the mind's attention is gathered and focused, one can investigate Chan, investigate a huatou, and when the investigation breaks through, one attains enlightenment. Specifically speaking, one cultivates concentration until one no longer clings to the external sense objects of form, sound, scent, taste, and touch, and the mind no longer clings to other mental objects—no random thoughts arise, no reminiscing, no scattered deliberation. Cultivate the mind to be like a wall: the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion cannot enter, and irrelevant sense objects of the six dusts also cannot enter, while one can focus single-pointedly on one dharma, contemplating and investigating the dharma of true suchness, the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha, investigating a gong'an or a huatou. When the causes, conditions, and season are all complete, one can find the answer, understand the principle of the dharma, and realize the true mind-body of suchness.

The huatou can be: "Who drags this corpse around?" "Who is reciting the Buddha's name?" "Who is eating?" "Who is walking?" One may also contemplate and investigate a single sentence from a Buddhist sutra, for example, in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra the Buddha said: 如机关木人，机发相起。 This sentence can test whether a student has truly awakened to the Path, and whether the awakening is correct or not. If one has awakened incorrectly, the meaning of this sentence cannot be understood, nor can one understand the meaning of the phrase "a bodhisattva's every raising and setting down of the foot comes from the place of enlightenment," which is a sentence from the Vimalakīrti Sūtra. There are many more huatous; the best one is the one that fits one's own spiritual faculties. In any case, this kind of concentration is not easy to cultivate in the present age. In the Tang and Song dynasties, the vast majority of people possessed this kind of concentration, and so awakening to the Path came quickly.

Investigating Chan does not necessarily require sitting; one can investigate Chan while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, and one can investigate anytime and anywhere. With the mind concentrated and undistracted, whenever one encounters conditions and circumstances, one can awaken and enter at any moment. From ancient times to the present, the vast majority of patriarchs who awakened to the Path did not awaken while sitting, and it is also not easy to awaken while sitting. Some people awakened upon hearing someone say a single sentence; some awakened upon hearing a sound; some awakened upon seeing a form; and some awakened upon smelling a scent. They had all already investigated Chan to a certain degree, and were triggered by an accidental opportunity—a spark of inspiration—and thus awakened to the Path. Many people also awakened upon hearing their master's instruction, and some awakened because their master gave them a punch, a blow of the staff, or a shout. Each person's conditions for awakening seem to be different. Investigating Chan also requires that one has cultivated to a certain degree before one can investigate; if the power of concentration is insufficient, one cannot force the investigation, and forcing it is of no benefit. When the power of concentration has reached the threshold concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) of the desire realm, and while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down the mind can think without disorder and can focus on a single state of experience—only then is the best time to investigate Chan. At this point, coming to investigate Chan, one can give rise to questioning doubt; when the questioning doubt is resolved, one can quickly see one's true mind and attain enlightenment.