The Aspects of Self-Nature

In which region of the world do sentient beings possess the heaviest self-view and the strongest self-attachment? Sentient beings who emphasize the self have the heaviest self-view and the greatest self-attachment. Buddhism originated in India and later spread to Cathay (China). Subsequently, Buddhism in Western India (India) gradually declined, while Buddhism in Cathay flourished increasingly. Observing that Cathay possessed the potential for Mahayana, the Patriarch Bodhidharma risked his life to travel from Western India to China, transmitting the Dharma to liberate the deluded. Thus, Mahayana Buddhism spread widely, and Mahayana practitioners emerged continuously. This led to the advent of the Sixth Patriarch of Chan, and with the Twenty-Eight Patriarchs of the Western Heaven present in the world, Mahayana Buddhism stood as firm as Mount Tai.

Why did Buddhism spread to Cathay (China) but not to Western countries and others? It stems from differences in cultural heritage and humanistic cultivation among nations and regions. China possesses cultural foundations such as Confucianism and Taoism, along with the Doctrine of the Mean, which reveals the fundamental nature of humanity. Only with humanity can one possess the Bodhisattva nature and Buddha nature; without humanity, the Bodhisattva nature is absent. Considering the current global pneumonia pandemic, such a severe infectious disease, the people in those countries and regions still demand freedom and human rights, seeking only their own gratification while completely disregarding the lives and safety of others. This is the selfish self-view and self-attachment. What does the freedom they seek represent? What do the human rights they advocate represent? It is entirely the "I," self-view, self-attachment.

Even if such so-called freedom does not harm the interests of others, that freedom still entirely represents self-nature, emphasizing the "I." The so-called human rights are also about asserting one's own rights, highlighting the self—all are expressions of self-nature. Demands for independence, autonomy, equality, freedom, rights, and status—all these originate from a deep-rooted "I," emphasizing the sense of self-existence, pursuing the release of the self, refusing to suppress that "I." Such profound self-nature cannot attract Mahayana Buddhism; the conditions for liberation are not yet mature.

Similarly, for an individual, if the self-nature is very strong—filled with greed, hatred, jealousy, and strong self-assertion—the conditions for liberation are also immature. Even if they encounter the Buddha Dharma, they will not eradicate self-view or attain liberation in this lifetime. Practitioners of Buddhism must maintain constant vigilance, frequently observing their own mental activities and nature. When self-awareness arises, they must use Buddhist principles to contemplate, guide, and persuade themselves, preventing the self from flooding and ultimately becoming an uncontrollable disaster. One must meticulously understand the manifestations, appearances, and characteristics of self-nature, the environments in which it easily arises, and then seize that "I" at the appropriate moment, observe it, untangle it, persuade it, educate it, advise it, subdue it, until finally eradicating it. Then you will be an indomitable hero, standing at the pinnacle of the world, a champion among humans. Wouldn’t that be truly joyful!