How to Realize the Empty and Tranquil Mind as Expounded in the Ear-Gate Perfect Penetration Method of Avalokiteshvara

The Universal Gateway through Perfect Penetration of the Ear practiced by Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva in the Shurangama Sutra involves contemplating emptiness in meditative absorption, continuously eliminating illusory dharmas. This mode of practice requires extremely profound meditative absorption and exceptionally powerful prajna wisdom; lacking either, one cannot achieve the Universal Gateway through Perfect Penetration of the Ear. This method entails continuously eliminating all arising-and-ceasing, unreal illusory dharmas within the deepest meditative absorption, until only one so-called "thing" remains—something truly uneliminable, truly incapable of being emptied—which is the true mind, the Tathagatagarbha.

This practice method is excellent, but most people—perhaps everyone—may be unable to cultivate to this level. One reason is the inability to attain such profound meditative absorption; another is the lack of sufficiently deep prajna wisdom of emptiness to realize this empty mind within absorption. Furthermore, there is insufficiently vast aspiration, and the roots of virtue and merit are inadequate to support such practice. When realization is unattainable, misunderstandings regarding prajna emptiness become extremely great. Even the sentient beings of this Saha World, with their roots of virtue, cannot succeed in this practice. Even the initial emptiness is difficult to realize. Prajna wisdom may be approximately understood, but meditative absorption is a hard requirement, the most practical cultivation skill—it cannot be achieved through mere understanding.

Therefore, eliminating all illusory dharmas within meditative absorption is generally impossible for ordinary people. One must not only empty the self of persons but also empty the self of dharmas. After eliminating and emptying everything, what ultimately remains is an empty, quiescent true mind that cannot be emptied. It is currently impossible for anyone to cultivate to this level. When only an empty, quiescent mind remains, emptiness is realized. But who realizes this empty, quiescent mind? Who cognizes that empty, quiescent true mind? There must still be a "who"—without this "who," it won't work. This "who" is also empty, also something to be eliminated, yet one must utilize this very "who" (which should be eliminated and is empty) to discover our inherently empty, quiescent mind-essence, the Tathagatagarbha. Such practice eliminates all illusory dharmas rather than extinguishing them—simply not taking them as real—and then uses the illusory, non-real consciousness and mental faculty to realize that uneliminable true mind. Without the illusory consciousness and mental faculty, one cannot illuminate the mind and attain realization.

What does this empty, quiescent mind refer to? It means its essence is empty and quiescent, formless, without characteristics: unseen by the eyes, unheard by the ear faculty, unsmelled by the nose faculty, untasted by the tongue faculty, untouched by the body faculty, unfelt and unthinkable by the mental consciousness. So what should one do? By studying the prajna sutras, one understands the nature of the true mind and the characteristics of its functioning. The functioning of the true mind operates precisely within the five aggregates. After understanding this, one must undertake the work of meditative absorption and investigation, persistently and single-mindedly investigating within the functioning of the five aggregates, to realize the empty, quiescent mind.

The Universal Gateway through Perfect Penetration of the Ear is not purely a method of cultivating absorption, but rather the simultaneous cultivation of absorption and wisdom. Based on the four dhyanas and eight samadhis, it includes the profound Mahayana Tathagatagarbha Dharma. Within meditative absorption, one continuously abandons arising-and-ceasing illusory dharmas—everything except the Tathagatagarbha must be abandoned. All mental activities must be abandoned, including the mind that empties, the dharmas that are emptied, and all kinds of emptiness. Without wisdom, one fundamentally cannot practice this method. Practicing this gateway can lead to Avalokiteshvara's thirty-two response bodies. Whether in meditative absorption, wisdom, or samadhi, it rivals that of all Buddhas—it is, of course, supremely perfect and penetrating. The closer a method approaches the ultimate, the more profound and supreme it is, the more difficult it is to practice.

Cultivating non-self, severing the view of self to attain purity of the Dharma-eye, emptying the five aggregates—this samadhi is the simplest and easiest. How many people can guarantee they will realize it before the end of their life? If I did not propagate the Dharma but solely practiced the Universal Gateway through Perfect Penetration of the Ear, I myself could not achieve it. Even if one can cultivate the four dhyanas, it is still uncertain whether one can achieve this. Even with the realization level of the asaya-jnana (store-consciousness wisdom) of a first-ground Bodhisattva, it is still uncertain whether one can achieve it. After achieving it, to become an Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattva like Avalokiteshvara—such a being will not appear in the Saha World. If one cannot even accomplish the first contemplation in the Sutra on the Contemplation of Amitayus Buddha, then nothing more need be said. What use is talking? It's all just empty talk.

Regarding the first contemplation in the Sutra on the Contemplation of Amitayus Buddha—have you all been practicing it for several years? Not one person has reported their achievement. Only upon reaching the third contemplation can one be assured of rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss upon death. If even the first contemplation is so difficult, how can one even speak of the third? How can one speak of Avalokiteshvara's Universal Gateway through Perfect Penetration of the Ear? The practice of the dhyana of the state prior to the First Dhyana in the desire realm is already so difficult; the First Dhyana is even harder. How then can one speak of the four dhyanas? How much less speak of the meditative absorption required for practicing the Universal Gateway through Perfect Penetration of the Ear? If even attaining the first fruition (Sotapanna) seems indefinitely distant, illuminating the mind is even harder, let alone the asaya-jnana of a Bodhisattva on the grounds (bhumi). How then can one speak of practicing Avalokiteshvara's Universal Gateway through Perfect Penetration of the Ear? Nearly half the people in the world can eloquently discuss the theory, but as for genuine practice, those who cultivate to a certain level are truly hard to find in this world. This is the characteristic of the Dharma-ending Age in the Saha World.