On Delving into the Ultimate Phrase

The final phrase is the phrase that severs the stream of birth and death. What is the stream of birth and death, and how is it severed? To comprehend the final phrase, one must first contemplate this question. Only after attaining the first dhyāna, after realizing the second fruition, and after passing through the contemplation of illusion and the contemplation of mirage, does one begin to investigate the final phrase. Only by crossing the prison barrier of birth and death to become a third fruition practitioner, attaining nirvana with residue, does one gain the capacity to transcend the three realms' stream of birth and death.

All gong'ans and phrases concerning the final phrase are akin to coded language, hinting at the key to resolving the problem of birth and death. This requires personal investigation; it cannot be explicitly explained to others. Even if explained explicitly, one gains no benefit whatsoever and instead obstructs the gate of self-awakening. Without the first dhyāna, without passing the comprehensive barriers, and without severing afflictions, it is impossible to investigate it to fruition. Without the preceding foundation, one cannot understand the final phrase. In the Hinayana path, one must be a second fruition practitioner; in the Mahayana path, one must pass through the contemplation of illusion and the contemplation of mirage before gaining some understanding, after which one can proceed with investigation. Without cultivating meditative concentration, it is impossible to realize any Dharma. Without the first dhyāna and the contemplation of mirage, realization is extremely difficult, and the subsequent various contemplations and practices are even more unattainable.

One must understand the extent of one's own intellectual understanding of many Dharmas and how far it is from actual realization. If one intellectually comprehends certain Dharmas prematurely, it becomes very difficult to realize them later. When conditions such as meditative concentration are insufficient, it is best to leave them wrapped up and not attempt intellectual understanding; otherwise, realization becomes impossible. If everything is merely intellectual understanding, how could one ever sever birth and death? There is also a difference between intellectual understanding and experiential insight. All of this requires personal understanding, along with the wisdom to discern and make choices. In the Buddha Dharma, there is absolutely no room for ambiguity. A discrepancy as minute as a hair's breadth can lead one astray by a thousand miles—such is the severity.