Contemplative Practice (Vipaśyanā-caryā) Transforms the Manas

Through contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and investigation of earth, water, fire, and wind within meditative concentration (samādhi), one finds that they have no place of coming and no place of going, that they are deceptive and illusory; from this one can arrive at the Hīnayāna conclusion of emptiness and nothingness, and thus no longer regard water as a real dharma, nor as something possessed by self, nor as belonging to oneself. As for Mahāyāna contemplative practice, one can contemplate and realize that these are generated by the tathāgatagarbha—this is extremely difficult. Understanding it, however, is not hard; contemplating the emptiness of water from the Hīnayāna perspective is also easy to understand. But understanding is, after all, merely understanding, and cannot be taken as realization. Someone might say: "I truly acknowledge that earth, water, fire, and wind are all empty, illusory, and not-self; I am very certain and have already eliminated all doubt." Yet this certainty is still the certainty of the mind consciousness; the manas has not yet become certain. For the manas to become certain of something is rather difficult. Because ignorance is deep and heavy, the habitual tendency to regard dharmas as real is quite entrenched and easily remains unmoved. Only long-term sustained immersion in the teaching can loosen its views, or transform its cognition.