The Four Sequential Stages of Spiritual Practice

Faith, understanding, practice, and realization are the four sequential stages of cultivation. Faith is not the same as understanding, understanding is not the same as practice, and practice is not the same as realization—or one might say realization is not the same as practice. For example, the elimination of self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) is a realization, but afflictions are not necessarily eliminated at the same time; since the self-grasping has not been severed, the practice is incomplete. One may also say that after the elimination of self-view, some dharmas have not yet been realized, and therefore afflictions and self-grasping cannot be severed simultaneously.

Take another example: seeing one's true mind (awakening to the true mind) is the realization of the tathāgatagarbha, the ālayavijñāna. But if afflictions have not been eliminated and habitual tendencies have not been eradicated, the practice lacks power and is incomplete. This also shows that certain dharmas have not yet been realized, and thus the practice is incomplete; once those subsequent dharmas are all realized, the practice becomes complete and perfected. After seeing one's true mind, one proceeds in sequence to realize the illusion-like contemplation, the mirage contemplation, the dream-like contemplation, the mirror-image-like contemplation, the light-and-shadow-like contemplation, and so forth; afflictions are eliminated, habitual tendencies are gradually eradicated, ignorance diminishes, the bodhisattva's disposition of mind continually strengthens, and the bodhisattva's practice is continually perfected. Without the earlier realizations, there would be no later practice. Therefore, as long as a dharma is realized, the practice can be accomplished simultaneously—this shows that realization carries the merit and benefit of liberation. Whatever the degree of realization, there is a corresponding merit and benefit of liberation. Thus a stream-enterer (Srotaāpanna) has the merit and benefit of the first fruit, an arhat has the merit and benefit of the fourth fruit, one who has seen the true mind has the merit and benefit of seeing the true mind; the attainment of each stage of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) by bodhisattvas carries its corresponding merit and benefit, and attaining buddhahood carries the merit and benefit of the buddha-bhūmi. Without the merit and benefit of realization, there is no realization.

When the very last dharma is realized, the practice is fully and completely perfected, and one becomes a Buddha. Therefore, the sequential stages of cultivation are still faith, understanding, practice, and realization, with realization being the final and ultimate stage. Once realization is attained, nothing else needs to be attended to, for one has arrived home and may rest.