Abandoning the Deluded Mind and Realizing the True Mind

Why did the Buddha begin the Śūraṅgama Sūtra with the discourse on the seven locations of the mind? It was precisely to dismantle the false and reveal the true. In the first volume, the false dharma being refuted is the mind of the six consciousnesses. Through seven rounds of inquiry with Ānanda to locate the deluded mind that clings to the Buddha with attachment, they searched everywhere but failed to pinpoint where exactly the deluded mind resided—there was no fixed seat for the mental faculty. This demonstrates that the deluded mind is illusory and unreal, not truly existent. It teaches sentient beings not to grasp at the deluded mind of the six consciousnesses as their true self, but to relinquish the deluded mind and realize the true mind. Only by recognizing their own innate treasure can they dispel delusion and attain enlightenment, liberate themselves from the bonds of life and death, and thereby achieve great liberation.