How to Realize the Self-Nature Tathāgatagarbha (Part II)

The fifth pāramitā is the dhyāna-pāramitā of meditative concentration (samādhi). A bodhisattva's mind must possess samādhi. This samādhi refers, on the one hand, to the four dhyānas and eight liberations—the meditative attainments of the four dhyānas and eight absorptions. One must cultivate the skill of the four dhyānas and eight absorptions, especially the first dhyāna and the preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) that precedes the first dhyāna; these must be cultivated and realized. Only within these two types of concentration can one properly engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā). Only with the capacity for contemplative practice can one investigate Chan, and then further attain realization. From samādhi, the great wisdom of the Buddha's Dharma is born. Samādhi also gives rise to merit, called the merit of samādhi. On the other hand, samādhi also refers to the mind being settled—having attained decisiveness of mind. Regarding the profound Mahāyāna prajñā dharma of true reality, the mind has already attained decisiveness, immovable and unshakable, with firm faith free of doubt that the prajñā sūtras are the crucial treasure for walking the path to buddhahood, and thus one cultivates them diligently.

The last of the bodhisattva's six pāramitās is the prajñā-pāramitā. A bodhisattva must cultivate the wisdom of prajñā. What is called prajñā refers to the self-natured pure mind, the tathāgatagarbha, which is neither arising nor ceasing. The prajñā sūtras are the six hundred fascicles of the Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, which principally expound the nature of the prajñā true-reality mind, the tathāgatagarbha. Taking sūtras such as the Heart Sūtra and the Diamond Sūtra as the main texts, they proclaim the supreme virtues of the prajñā mind-substance, guiding sentient beings to awaken and enter true reality, and opening up great wisdom. Bodhisattvas must study and understand these sūtras; after understanding them, they investigate and verify them within meditative concentration. When the conditions of time and circumstance are complete, they can realize the prajñā mind-substance, the tathāgatagarbha, and thereby obtain the great wisdom of prajñā.

As bodhisattvas, our main practice is these six pāramitās, and the last one—the wisdom of prajñā—is the most important. Right now we are all steeping ourselves in the wisdom of prajñā, steeping ourselves in the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha. Each bodhisattva's period of steeping differs, so the speed of realization differs. Because throughout countless kalpas we have been extremely attached to the false appearances of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) and the false appearances of the eighteen realms, taking all illusory dharmas as real, we have thereby obscured the appearance of the true mind; we can only recognize false appearances and not recognize the true dharma.

Therefore, many bodhisattvas must first cultivate the Small Vehicle dharma of the Āgama sūtras, first seeking to eliminate the self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi), becoming a stream-enterer (Srotaāpanna), once-returner (Sakṛdāgāmin), non-returner (Anāgāmin), or arhat. After that, the mind eliminates the false appearances one by one, and then one searches for the truth within the false appearances. After eliminating self-view, it becomes easy to find that maṇi jewel which neither arises nor ceases and constantly radiates light. Before eliminating self-view, one easily takes certain dharmas within the five aggregates to be the luminous pearl, and the true pearl of the self-natured tathāgatagarbha is not easy to find, because mixed together they are hard to distinguish. Once we have eliminated all of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, it becomes easy to realize the self-natured pure mind, the tathāgatagarbha, and thus seeing one's true mind (awakening to the true mind) will also come quickly.