Can One Attain Bodhi Without Severing Kleshas?

Some people may say that realizing the mind and attaining the first fruition do not eliminate afflictions, and thus bring no transformation to body and mind, which is considered normal. However, in worldly matters, when the mental faculty genuinely comprehends something significant, it can provoke extraordinary excitement, causing substantial bodily changes, overwhelming emotional agitation, tears welling up, trembling of body and mind, or a solemn demeanor, and so forth. During the practice of the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment before attaining fruition, the body and mind gradually undergo changes, becoming markedly different from before. If the difference becomes pronounced and the five grades of defilements in the desire realm are eradicated, one enters the Path of Stream-entry. If there is no discernible change in body and mind, it indicates that the practice is not in accordance with the Dharma, the direction of cultivation is incorrect, there is a lack of diligence, or one merely remains at the level of extensive learning and intellectual understanding without the Dharma principles truly penetrating the heart.

The Abhidharma-kośa states that as long as one genuinely cultivates the path in accordance with the Dharma, one will inevitably subdue and then eradicate afflictions and defilements. This is the process of cultivating the path, and even more so its result. Only then can one enter the Path of Stream-entry and subsequently attain the first fruition. Without eliminating even a single strand of affliction or defilement, and with no transformation in body and mind, one remains an ordinary being bound by fetters, tightly shackled by afflictions and unable to move. How could such a one advance on the path to enlightenment and transform their identity? If one forcibly claims such an identity, it is merely nominal and counterfeit, lacking genuine substance.

Many people believe that merely being able to expound the Dharma signifies genuine realization, but the reality is otherwise. If one teaches without having personally realized the truth, it lacks genuine guiding significance. Having never traversed that path oneself, one cannot guide others on how to walk it concretely. If one’s own mind is ablaze with greed, hatred, and delusion, it is impossible to guide others in subduing and eradicating afflictions; everywhere there will be leaks and flaws.

There is a kōan about the One Finger Zen. When the master saw someone raise a single finger, he immediately attained enlightenment. A young novice monk witnessed this and thought, “So this is enlightenment!” Subsequently, whenever the master was absent and someone inquired about the Dharma, the novice would likewise raise a single finger, telling them, “This is the true Suchness,” mimicking the master quite convincingly. The “enlightenment” of many people today is no different from that of this young novice. Though they may gesture and act, appearing quite similar to the conduct of the patriarchs—seeming profound, as if wielding a sharp pointer, or even appearing capable of guiding others—outsiders see only the spectacle, while insiders perceive the substance. Such methods can only deceive the uninitiated. All such pointers (jīfēng) are products of the interaction of the eight consciousnesses, containing both truth and falsehood. If one cannot distinguish truth from falsehood, mistaking the false for the true, then no matter how one gestures, it is not a genuine pointer.

One hundred years after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa, Ānanda heard a young novice monk misreciting the Dharma of arising and ceasing as “water old crane” (shuǐ lǎo hè). Ānanda corrected him. However, when the novice asked his own master which version was correct, the master said, “Don’t listen to Ānanda; he’s senile. Recite it as I taught you.” Thus, the novice continued reciting it incorrectly as before. Hearing this, Ānanda thought, “The Buddha has only been in parinirvāṇa for a hundred years, and already the Dharma is being misrepresented like this. Sentient beings are so deluded.” Grieved, Ānanda decided to enter parinirvāṇa immediately, unwilling to witness the gradual destruction of the Dharma. Even then, the Dharma had already begun to deteriorate; how much more so thousands of years later, in the present day! This present age is certainly not an era where sages fill the streets. Many people profoundly misunderstand the cultivation and realization of the Buddha Dharma.

Nowadays, neither the Mahāyāna nor the Hīnayāna teachings are considered precious or rare. Merely hearing the Dharma and contemplating it a little is thought sufficient to attain the fruition. No precepts, meditative concentration, or wisdom are deemed necessary; no practice of the six pāramitās or the myriad virtuous deeds is required. Those who uphold precepts and cultivate concentration are seen as fools. Now, any fruition seems easily attainable. For instance, the fruition of the Ten Grounds of Dedication (daśa-pariṇāmanā-bhūmi), realized through the contemplation of illusion-like emptiness, is considered no great difficulty. The methods for cultivating and realizing the contemplation of the Tathāgatagarbha are thought to be transmissible merely by word of mouth, allowing one to “bring the fruition home.” The delusion and inversion of sentient beings have reached a point beyond words.