What Is the State of Realization

What is the state of realization? The first line of the Heart Sutra states: "When the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara was cultivating profound Prajñāpāramitā, he illuminated the five aggregates as empty and crossed beyond all suffering and distress." "Cultivating profound Prajñāpāramitā" and "illuminating the five aggregates as empty" mean that upon realizing the Tathāgatagarbha endowed with Prajñā wisdom, the mind instantly becomes empty. The key word "cultivating" (行) refers to the Chan (Zen) practice of investigating the principles of Prajñā. "Profound" (深) signifies both deep meditative concentration (samādhi) and the profound, clearly directed wisdom arising from this investigation. Under the prerequisite of this profoundness, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses give rise to great wisdom, illuminating the true reality of the Dharma realm, realizing that all phenomena within the five aggregates arise from the Prajñā mind, the Tathāgatagarbha, and that the substance of the five aggregates is empty, being merely illusory appearances.

Thus, the innermost mind knows there are no real five aggregates, and consequently, there is no suffering; one instantly transcends all suffering and distress. All suffering and distress are illusory appearances, unreal, conjured by the Tathāgatagarbha. After thus illuminating the five aggregates as empty, the mind becomes empty and non-active (wuwei), afflictions are severed. This is the merit and benefit of attaining the Tathāgatagarbha upon the Mahayana Path of Seeing. This is the mental faculty (manas) realizing the Path, the mental faculty attaining the samādhi state of the Tathāgatagarbha, endowed with both concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (prajñā), held in perfect balance. The so-called "illuminating" means sudden enlightenment (dunwu), without the time or effort of gradual understanding through intermediate pondering, analysis, or thought. Knowing is knowing; not knowing is not knowing—there is no hesitation.

After thus illuminating the five aggregates as empty, is there still a need to separately "turn towards reliance" (轉依) on the Tathāgatagarbha to call it realization? Absolutely not. This is genuine, unambiguous realization and sudden enlightenment, not the kind of gradual understanding attained through analysis and reasoning. One has already entered the gate of Mahayana and obtained genuine merit and benefit. If one speculates about the Tathāgatagarbha using the discriminating consciousness (第六識) through reasoning and conjecture, such speculation and reasoning bring no merit or benefit. Therefore, gradual turning towards reliance is needed. However, no matter how hard the discriminating consciousness tries to turn, if the mental faculty (manas, 第七識) has not realized it, turning towards reliance still cannot succeed. Thus, a multitude of unresolved messes remain; afflictions persist as afflictions, ignorance remains ignorance.

It is like those who mistake concentration (定) for Chan (禪). They cultivate a samādhi state of "not a single thought arising," thinking this is the true mind's state of no-thought, mistaking the false for the true. Yet, upon exiting samādhi, deluded thoughts reappear. Fearing the loss of the true mind, they constantly practice concentration, maintaining long-term samādhi, striving never to exit samādhi to preserve and maintain the concentrated state, ensuring the true mind is not lost—glorifying this as "preserving and maintaining" (保任). However, the concentrated state will ultimately vanish; one must eventually exit samādhi. Even if one never exits samādhi for immeasurable kalpas, the concentrated state is still not the true self-nature. If one is truly enlightened, what need is there to "preserve and maintain"? If one has truly realized the true mind, what need is there to "turn towards reliance"? It is present right now; the mind instantly becomes empty and pure—like a carp leaping over the dragon's gate. Having leaped over the dragon's gate and become a dragon, would one still fear leaping back and turning into a carp? Unless one never actually leaped over the dragon's gate at all, remaining apprehensive, anxious about gains and losses—only then is "preserving and maintaining" and "turning towards reliance" needed.