The Process of Spiritual Cultivation

When we hear someone speak of a matter, we immediately become aware of it. However, awareness does not immediately translate into belief; it requires verification, examination, and validation before it can be believed. Only those who are simple-minded and lack wisdom react immediately without verification, accepting and responding. This process of verifying information is equivalent to the process of realization. The initial hearing of the matter corresponds to the discernment (vijñāna) of consciousness. The subsequent awareness corresponds to the understanding (parijñāna) of consciousness. The following verification corresponds to the investigation (parīkṣā) by consciousness and the mental faculty (manas). The final belief corresponds to the realization (adhigama) by consciousness and the mental faculty, and the faith (śraddhā) of the mental faculty. What follows thereafter is practice (pratipatti), which corresponds to the mental faculty altering the actions it takes.

The entire process of Chan (Zen) practice can be summarized in six words: Awareness (jñāna), Understanding (parijñāna), Investigation (parīkṣā), Realization (adhigama), Faith (śraddhā), and Practice (pratipatti). These six words represent six stages of practice. The faith of consciousness corresponds to the first and second stages, which are omitted here.

Many mistake the awareness and understanding of consciousness for the ultimate goal of practice, thinking they have reached the end and become satisfied, thus growing arrogant. In reality, this is merely the beginning, not even reaching the intermediate stage. Only when the awareness and understanding of consciousness are correct and accord with principle (yathārtha) can one proceed to the intermediate stage of investigation. It is evident that correct awareness and understanding by consciousness are also crucial and not easily attained. The vast majority remain stuck at this stage, unable to progress further and continue Chan investigation because the foundation is not yet solid—their knowledge and views do not yet accord with principle and are not properly established. If one remains at this stage thinking it is the ultimate, how shallow their wisdom must be! No wonder they develop arrogance (māna).

The faith in the latter part of the six stages is true faith, called realized faith (adhigama-śraddhā) or genuine faith, not faith based on reverence (āśraya-śraddhā) or blind faith. The faith of consciousness is a kind of reverential faith, blind faith, or faith based on admiration; it is not correct faith (samyag-śraddhā), genuine faith, or realized faith.

Those who have not cultivated to the stage of correct faith, genuine faith, and realized faith may regress in their faith in the Dharma because their foundation is unreliable—their knowledge and views are not fully established and have not undergone verification through the Dharma. Those with shallower roots require longer verification times, while those with excellent roots can verify it very quickly. One truly cannot judge a person's practice based solely on a single lifetime; one must consider the foundation laid in past lives. The better one practiced in past lives, the sharper their faculties (indriya), and the faster their practice progresses. When the mental faculty has faith, practice follows. Only when the mental faculty realizes can it have faith. Only when the mental faculty directly perceives the present reality (pratyakṣa) can realization occur. Why do so many practitioners still regress? Because it is not genuine faith; there is no actual realization (bhūta-pratyavekṣaṇa).