What Is the State of Enlightenment?

The first sentence of the Heart Sutra states: "When the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara was practicing the profound Prajna Paramita, he illuminated the five aggregates and saw that they are all empty, thereby crossing beyond all suffering and distress." "Practicing the profound Prajna Paramita and illuminating the five aggregates to see that they are all empty" means that at the very moment of realizing the Tathagatagarbha endowed with Prajna wisdom, the mind becomes empty. The key word "practicing" (行) refers to the contemplation and investigation into the principles of Prajna. "Profound" (深) signifies both the depth of meditative concentration (samadhi) and the depth and clarity of the wisdom gained through investigation. Under the condition 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 are manifestations arising from the Prajna-mind, the Tathagatagarbha. The essence of the five aggregates is empty; they are illusory, false appearances.

Thus, deep within, one knows there are no real five aggregates, and therefore no suffering, instantly transcending all suffering and distress. All suffering and distress are illusions projected by the Tathagatagarbha; they are false appearances, unreal. After thus illuminating the five aggregates and seeing their emptiness, the mind becomes empty and non-active, and afflictions are eradicated. This is the merit and benefit attained through the Mahayana path of seeing, the realization of the Tathagatagarbha. This is the path of seeing for the manas (seventh consciousness), where the manas attains the samadhi state of the Tathagatagarbha, fully endowed with concentration and wisdom, equally maintaining both. The term "illuminating and seeing" (照见) implies sudden enlightenment, without the gradual process of deliberation, analysis, or intellectual understanding. Knowing is knowing; not knowing is not knowing—there is no hesitation or ambiguity.

After thus illuminating the five aggregates and seeing their emptiness, is there still a need to separately "revolutionize the basis" (轉依) to the Tathagatagarbha to be called enlightenment? Absolutely not. This is genuine, unambiguous realization and sudden enlightenment, not the gradual intellectual understanding attained through analysis and reasoning. One has already entered the gate of the Mahayana and attained true merit and benefit. If one merely uses the sixth consciousness (mano-vijñāna) to speculate, reason, and guess about the Tathagatagarbha, such speculation and reasoning yield no merit or benefit. Therefore, gradual "revolutionizing the basis" is required. However, no matter how diligently the sixth consciousness attempts to revolutionize the basis, if the manas has not realized it, revolutionizing the basis cannot succeed. Consequently, numerous unresolved issues remain, afflictions persist, and ignorance remains.

It is like those who mistake meditative concentration (samadhi) for Chan (Zen). They cultivate a state of samadhi where not a single thought arises, mistaking this for the true mind's state of no-thought, taking the false as real. Yet, upon emerging from samadhi, deluded thoughts reappear. Fearing the disappearance of the true mind, they continuously cultivate samadhi, maintaining it long-term to avoid emerging, preserving the state of concentration to ensure the true mind is not lost, euphemistically calling it "preservation and maintenance" (保任). However, the state of concentration will ultimately fade; one must eventually emerge from samadhi. Even if one never emerges for immeasurable kalpas, the state of concentration is still not the true self-nature of the mind. If one is truly enlightened, what is there to preserve and maintain? If one has truly realized the true mind, what is there to revolutionize the basis towards? It is present right now. The mind is instantly empty and pure. It is like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate—having leapt over, it becomes a dragon. Would it then fear reverting to a carp? Only if it never truly leapt over the Dragon Gate, remaining fearful, anxious, and plagued by worries of gain and loss, would there be a need for preservation, maintenance, and revolutionizing the basis.