Commentary on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (201)

The Purpose of the World-Honored One's Teaching of the Dharma

The Dharma the Buddha previously taught to King Śuddhodana was all the gateway of liberation, using all kinds of illusory appearances and dream states to awaken King Śuddhodana to liberation from the five desires and the six sense objects. We already know that all dharmas are like a dream, like an illusion, and that humans are likewise as if in a dream, not truly existent; we know the body is illusory, but we have not yet truly realized this. To realize it, one must cultivate meditative concentration (dhyāna and samādhi), engage deeply in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), and after realization, one can gradually attain liberation. The purpose of the World-Honored One's teaching of the Dharma is to lead sentient beings to enter the gateway of liberation. All 84,000 dharma gates taught by the Buddha are gateways of liberation; by entering through one dharma gate, all dharma gates can be reached, and every dharma can bring liberation. The Buddha descended into the world precisely to deliver sentient beings, liberating them from the suffering of birth and death, to enable sentient beings to enter the Buddha's knowledge and vision and ultimately attain buddhahood. Lesser liberation is eliminating the grasping at a self of persons to become an arhat; great liberation is eliminating the grasping at a self of dharmas to accomplish the fruit of buddhahood of great sovereign ease—this is the most ultimate liberation.