How to See the True, Remove the False, and Break Ignorance

The root of sentient beings' suffering lies in seeing marks that are not in accordance with reality—that is, seeing marks untruly—and grasping at them. When one feels that the marks cannot be grasped, suffering arises in the mind. Therefore, the fundamental solution to the problem of suffering is to see true reality, not to see false marks, illusory marks, or empty marks. When seeing marks, one's views must be correct, endowed with right view and free of mistaken and wrong views (mithyā-dṛṣṭi); then one will no longer wish to grasp, and thus suffering will not arise. Naturally, one will be liberated with regard to marks.

How can one see true reality and not see erroneous marks? One must recognize the essence and foundation of marks, so that one's views do not fall into worldly dharmic appearances. By breaking through the worldly appearance of dharmic marks, one will see, from the surface to the depths, the foundation and essence of dharmic marks. Then there will be no erroneous views. Seeing correctly and truly, one will know that dharmic marks are fundamentally not to be taken up. Being free of marks amid marks, the grasping mind is extinguished, and one is liberated, at ease, without affliction or distress.

How does one break through the worldly appearance of dharmic marks? First, we must know what worldly dharmic marks there are: the various forms, various sounds, various scents, various tastes, and various touches defined by the worldly; and within these various dharmic marks, the various shapes, various substances, various flavors and charms, and various worldly functions. Sentient beings all take these various functions and charms as truly existent, and thus greedily cling to them without letting go. Whether the object of greed is obtained or not obtained, it is suffering; joy is suffering; sorrow and resentment are also suffering. Not one of all feelings is anything but suffering; they all churn the mind, leaving it without tranquility or coolness. This is suffering.

Do these worldly dharmic marks truly exist? If they truly existed, they would not be born, would not change, would not grow old and worn, and would not vanish and perish. It is plainly evident that all worldly dharmic marks are impermanent, all arising and ceasing, all subject to change. Since worldly dharmic marks are impermanent, they are empty and unobtainable—cannot be gotten. Since worldly dharmic marks are empty and unobtainable, they are suffering; being empty and unobtainable entails suffering—that is the mark of suffering. Since worldly dharmic marks are impermanent, suffering, and empty, they are not the self, nor can they belong to the self. To take arising-ceasing, changing, impermanent dharmic marks as the self is a mistaken and unreasonable view, a foolish notion. Eradicating and extinguishing this notion, one gains right view; not taking up, not grasping, one gains liberation—ease and coolness.

How can one see true reality, with views not falling into worldly dharmic marks? We should understand that all worldly dharmic marks are generated, transformed, and created by the fundamental mind, the tathāgatagarbha. Thereafter, the tathāgatagarbha conditions these dharmic marks and cognizes them. However, the tathāgatagarbha does not see the worldly appearance of these dharmic marks; what it sees are the seed-combination configurations of the dharmic marks. It only knows the arrangement states of the various seeds within these dharmic marks, and it also continuously cognizes karmic seeds, constantly adjusting the proportional structure of the various seeds according to the karmic seeds, adjusting the distribution state of the seeds. In this way, the dharmic marks continuously change in accordance with the karmic seeds or with the deliberation (manasikāra) of the manas.

Since the tathāgatagarbha sees seeds and not worldly appearances, it does not know form, sound, scent, taste, touch, or dharmas; its mind makes no discriminations of worldly dharmas, so the mind is pure and without afflictions, does not create karma of birth and death, and has no suffering of birth-and-death saṃsāra. If we wish to be free from the suffering of segmented birth-and-death (pariccheda-maraṇa) and transformational birth-and-death (parināma-maraṇa), we must also be like the tathāgatagarbha, extinguishing the worldly dharmic marks in our minds and seeing the true meaning and essence of dharmas. In this way, the mind will become ever purer, ever closer to the Buddha-mind, and finally equal to the Buddha, abiding in nirvāṇa with no abiding place, abiding in the Land of Eternal Tranquil Light, quiescent and unconditioned.

Since all worldly dharmic marks do not truly exist, why can sentient beings still see them? This is due to sentient beings' ignorance: upon true reality they give rise to false seeing and false thinking, then give rise to false actions, create false karma, reap false retribution, and undergo false saṃsāra. For example, it is plainly a torch being waved rapidly, but due to ignorance, sentient beings do not see the torch; instead they see a ring of fire that does not exist. Taking the ring of fire as truly existent, they grasp at it without letting go, and thus there is the suffering of birth-and-death saṃsāra. It is the same when sentient beings see worldly dharmic marks: due to ignorance, they take marks that originally do not exist as truly existent, while failing to see the true dharmas that originally do exist. Because of mistaken and inverted views, there is karma of birth and death, and the suffering of saṃsāra is unceasing.

For example, in the heat of summer, water vapor reflects onto a sandy beach. A thirsty deer, its mind deranged by thirst, sees a river of water covering the beach where there is nothing at all, and so goes to grasp at it; drawing near, it finds nothing whatsoever. Ignorant false seeing causes sentient beings to gain nothing, yet because they grasped at false marks, they incur the delusion, karma, and suffering of birth and death—how worthless! Therefore, breaking through ignorance and seeing true reality is the most crucial of the crucial in our cultivation, and our ultimate goal. As long as one has seen true reality and ignorance is broken, false thinking will gradually cease; one will gradually no longer grasp at false marks, no longer create karma of birth and death. When delusions are exhausted and karma dissolved, one returns to the ocean of one's own nature, the ocean of sarvajña (omniscience), the one true dharmadhātu, quiescent nirvāṇa.