Success Is Achieved Only by Practicing the Path Directed by the Buddha

Question: Nowadays, many people engage in lofty discussions about emptiness and existence, claiming that emptiness is a state of mind only realized after attaining enlightenment and awakening the mind. However, I believe that before enlightenment, one must still use the sixth consciousness to continuously contemplate the Dharma, cultivate the six paramitas, and constantly habituate and subdue the seventh consciousness. Sentient beings in the ordinary state lack the capacity to realize emptiness; they merely hear others speak of emptiness and then speculate with their deluded minds. Is this useful?

Answer: In the ordinary state, sentient beings merely speculate and conjecture about all states. Because the view of clinging to views has not been severed, they cling to their own speculative knowledge as correct, rejecting others' views, leading to endless debates and arguments. Severe clinging to views obstructs the path, making it impossible to sever the view of self.

The emptiness ordinary people discuss often merely means emptying their own deluded minds—trying to cut off mental thoughts when facing various states. Some even rely on seated meditation to cultivate concentration, seeking a state of no thoughts, believing this constitutes emptiness. They can never experience the inherent emptiness of the Tathagatagarbha. No matter how much others explain the emptiness of the Tathagatagarbha, without actual realization, they remain unable to comprehend it. This method of cultivating emptiness, no matter how diligently practiced, cannot attain true emptiness. It is like those who constantly preach "letting go" yet, after a lifetime of practice, fail to relinquish anything and are still dragged by karma at death to the three evil realms. The method of practice must follow the path shown to us by the Buddha. One must practice according to the principles of the Four Noble Truths and the Four Foundations of Mindfulness to attain the emptiness of the Hinayana path, sever the view of self, and finally achieve true letting go. Only by following the Mahayana principles taught by the Buddha can one realize the inherent emptiness of the Tathagatagarbha.

These phenomena are merely stages in the sentient beings' practice process. When merit is sufficient, they will quickly pass. Great wisdom requires a foundation of great merit. With insufficient merit and heavy obstructions, it is impossible to free oneself from the entanglements of erroneous views. In the past, when a Chan master was about to pass away and sought a successor to inherit his Dharma lineage, he tested his disciples' wisdom. As soon as a disciple expressed his own views and understanding, the master would say: "Your merit is insufficient; you cannot carry on my Chan lineage." This means that due to your lack of merit and insufficient wisdom, you cannot propagate my Chan Dharma lineage. This merit involves not only worldly blessings but also transcendental blessings—the great merit cultivated through precepts, concentration, and wisdom. Therefore, to realize the emptiness of prajna, one must possess merit and diligently cultivate all six paramitas.