How to Attain Authentic Cultivation and Realization of Pratyakṣa-Jñāna

Many people mistake their intellectual understanding of the Dharma for genuine realization, often based on shallow comprehension or even mere conjecture, deduction, and speculation. They fail to clearly discern the boundaries and differences between intellectual understanding (jie), insight through study (jiewu), and realization through verification (zhengwu), leading to significant misunderstandings and consequently, grave false speech. Many answers and conclusions in the Dharma were given by the Buddha, while others were expounded by great Bodhisattvas and knowledgeable teachers. In the course of their practice, individuals may intellectually grasp these conclusions and answers, but this is not realization; it does not even qualify as insight through study (jiewu), being far removed from it.

What then is realization through verification? For instance, when the Buddha states that all dharmas are like a dream or an illusion, this is the conclusion reached by the Buddhas through cultivation and verification; it is the Buddha’s realized state. Others may understand this intellectually, but it remains merely understanding, not even insight (jiewu). Genuine realization that all is like a dream or illusion is attained at the Ten Stages of Dedication (shihui xiang wei) of the Bodhisattva path, from which one soon qualifies to enter the First Ground (prathama-bhūmi). Can ordinary beings, merely by reading and intellectually understanding that all dharmas are like a dream or illusion, directly become great Bodhisattvas at the Ten Stages of Dedication? Obviously not. Without fulfilling the precepts, meditative concentration, wisdom, or the Six Perfections (pāramitās) of a Bodhisattva, without perfecting any aspect of cultivation, not even having attained initial awakening (chukaiwu), how could one possibly leap over nearly an asamkhyeya kalpa (yida asengqi jie) to become a great Bodhisattva at the Ten Stages of Dedication?

Realizing that all is like a dream or illusion requires, on the foundation of fully cultivating the precepts, meditative concentration, wisdom, and the Six Perfections, progressive contemplation (guanxing) and investigation (canjiu) from the superficial to the profound. One must sequentially realize the dharmas at various levels, from the initial barrier (chuguan) and second barrier (erguan) through to the third barrier (sanguan) in Chan Buddhism, before finally realizing the view of dream-like illusion (rumeng guan). This requires many kalpas of time, nearly an asamkhyeya kalpa of practice. Understanding that all is like a dream or illusion is itself divided into many levels. Even complete, exhaustive, and utterly thorough intellectual understanding is not equivalent to realization through verification, because it entirely lacks the actual process of investigation and proof; the conclusion is not one’s own attainment.

It is like a geometry proof problem. The final conclusion is given by the teacher; it is ready-made, not derived by oneself. One needs to prove it step by step oneself, with a process and steps, before finally being able to prove the teacher’s final conclusion. If the process is incomplete or untrue, even if the conclusion matches the teacher’s, it is still wrong—it is not direct experiential realization (xianliang zhengde). The Dharma follows the same principle. Anyone can recite the final conclusion that all is like a dream or illusion. Though they speak the correct principle, it is still not their own direct experiential realization.

In the Dharma, the Buddha has given us countless final answers and conclusions, contained within the Tripitaka and the Twelve Divisions of Scriptures (sanzang shi'er bu jing). Even if we memorize the entire Tripitaka and Twelve Divisions, or even eloquently expound upon them, it still does not represent our own realized state. It merely represents our intellectual understanding, which remains far removed from insight through study (jiewu), let alone realization through verification (zhengwu). Every Dharma taught by the Buddha, even every single sentence, requires us to contemplate, investigate, and engage in contemplation (guanxing) that accords with reality and principle within profound meditative concentration (shen shen chanding). Only then is it possible to realize each one experientially. The wisdom arising after realization is one’s own direct experiential wisdom (xianliang zhihui). Otherwise, any statement is not one’s own realization, and the true wisdom does not correspond to what is spoken.

To truly realize experientially and to achieve any attainment, one must even forget and cast aside the relatively subtle details involved in contemplating the Five Aggregates (wuyun). Focus solely on contemplation (guanxing) and investigation (canjiu). The details need to be clarified by oneself during contemplation before wisdom can arise. Many practitioners cannot apply their effort to the level of the mind faculty (manas-indriya, yigen). This is primarily due to a severe lack of meditative concentration (chanding), making it impossible to experience how to let only the mind faculty engage in contemplation. If meditative strength (dingli) is insufficient, how can there be genuine experience? When lacking meditative concentration, it is best not to investigate anything at all. The intellectual consciousness (mano-vijñāna, yishi) may cleverly figure out many things, but they are of no real use. It may be good for verbal play, but it has no practical application. Such intellectual solving by the consciousness is better left undone. It is best to reserve it, focus on enhancing meditative concentration, and resume investigation only when the causes and conditions are fully ripe.