The Function of the Three Pure Studies: Precepts, Meditation, and Wisdom

The Function of the Three Uncontaminated Trainings: Precepts, Meditation, and Wisdom "Leaks" (āsrava) refer to the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, and various kinds of ignorance-leakage; what leaks away is wholesome dharma, wholesome aspiration, wholesome mind, and wholesome roots. With a wholesome mind, one can escape the suffering of saṃsāra; with a wholesome mind, one can accomplish the Buddha-way. When wholesome dharma leaks away, it becomes evil and unwholesome dharma, and the suffering of birth-and-death in saṃsāra cannot be cut off. Therefore, one must cultivate practice to reach a state of uncontaminated mind-ground, removing ignorance. There are three main channels for realizing the uncontaminated mind-ground: the three uncontaminated trainings of precepts, meditation, and wisdom. Through keeping precepts, the mind becomes uncontaminated; through cultivating meditation, the mind becomes uncontaminated; through cultivating wisdom, the mind becomes uncontaminated. Why can keeping precepts make the mind uncontaminated? Because when one can keep the precepts, the mind will not transgress the precepts, cannot do evil, and cannot create the contaminated karmic actions of greed, hatred, and delusion. After a long time, once it becomes habitual, the mind will naturally no longer wish to create evil karma; the afflictions will be subdued, wholesome dharma will grow, and the Four Right Efforts will be cultivated. With long-term keeping of precepts, the mind is effectively gathered in and no longer grasps at objects everywhere; then meditative concentration (samādhi) appears. 

Why can meditative concentration make the mind uncontaminated? Because when the mind is in concentration, it does nothing—it does not grasp at objects and is not scattered; it does not create the defiled karma of greed, hatred, and delusion, and thus the afflictions are subdued. After emerging from concentration, due to the force of habit, the power of concentration can be maintained to a certain degree: one does not delight in grasping at objects, the mind is at peace and does not recklessly fabricate, and one can still subdue afflictions. If preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) is fully attained, one can cut off the five grades of afflictions of the desire realm, become one bound for stream-entry, and in this very life have the conditions to realize the first fruit. The non-Buddhist practitioners with the four dhyānas and eight attainments possess even stronger power of concentration: they can subdue not only the nine grades of afflictions of the desire realm, but also the nine grades of afflictions of the form realm, and even the nine grades of afflictions of the formless realm. However, such subduing is not the same as cutting off and exhausting them, because they still lack the wisdom of "no self in the five aggregates." If they encounter the truth of the Four Noble Truths, relying on their profound power of concentration, they need only gather their thoughts and reflect briefly to realize the path and exhaust the afflictions, with body and mind dropping away. When one attains the fourth fruit of arhatship, the hair and beard will naturally fall out and the kaṣāya robe will come onto the body, representing the complete exhaustion of afflictions—naturally becoming a monastic. Before the third fruit, because there is still residual affliction, the hair and beard cannot fall out and the kaṣāya robe cannot come onto the body, so one cannot naturally become a monastic. Therefore, if a layperson wishes to become a monastic without receiving the bhikṣu or bhikṣuṇī precepts, they must exhaust all afflictions, with hair and beard falling out naturally and the kaṣāya robe coming onto the body, without needing anyone to perform tonsure. As long as a layperson has even a trace of affliction, they are a layperson. If they insist on claiming to be a monastic, that is forcibly stealing the identity of the monastic Sangha jewel, confusing monastics and laity, and constitutes an extremely grave offense. 

Why can wisdom make the mind uncontaminated? The wisdom of realizing the Four Noble Truths of no-self and the truths of the Mahāyāna can break ignorance. When there is no self in the mind, one will no longer act for the sake of self; not acting for self means being selfless, and selflessness is goodness. Goodness can break afflictions, and the mind becomes uncontaminated. Where there is self, there is offense; where there is self, there is affliction; where there is self, wholesome dharma leaks away. This uncontaminated wisdom is true wisdom founded upon precepts and concentration; wisdom without precepts and concentration is merely dry wisdom, without practical value. When precepts, meditation, and wisdom are unified together, they jointly exhaust all afflictions, and wholesome dharma will never again leak away. When wholesome dharma is perfected and complete, one becomes a Buddha.