The Practice Should Follow the Sequential Stages

Under normal circumstances, spiritual practice should be cultivated progressively, with distinct practices for each stage, as the content of practice differs according to the level of attainment. Ordinary people have methods suited to ordinary people, virtuous ones have methods for virtuous ones, and sages have methods for sages. An ordinary person absolutely cannot use the practice methods of a sage; the gap is too vast, making it utterly impossible to apply them effectively.

Ordinary people can only contemplate the arising, ceasing, change, and impermanence of the five aggregates, contemplate the Four Noble Truths (suffering, its origin, cessation, and the path), or engage in Chan meditation seeking to illuminate the mind. Ordinary people cannot contemplate the realm realized by eighth-ground bodhisattvas, such as non-abiding and non-attachment, such as the emptiness of all dharmas, such as non-grasping at appearances and non-discrimination, such as spontaneous naturalness, and so forth.

Ordinary people and virtuous ones after initial awakening are currently in the stage of practicing wholesome dharmas with a mind of attachment to appearances. Although virtuous ones have initially broken through some attachments to appearances, their level is still too shallow. At this stage, attempting to be free from appearances and cognize all dharmas without relying on appearances is not only unattainable but will lead to arrogance and the denial of cause and effect. For example, when an ordinary person sees meat, they should think that this is the flesh of sentient beings; out of compassion, they should not eat the flesh of sentient beings. This is the correct way to practice. At this stage, one should not view the meat as empty, as formless, or as suchness, then think that eating it is the same as not eating, and thus eat heartily, while simultaneously feeling they have entered the realm of suchness. In reality, they have entered the realm of greed; this is an erroneous practice method.

For instance, when an ordinary person perceives male or female appearances, they should not say they empty the appearances of male and female, viewing everything as the single appearance of suchness, and then mentally feel as if they have transcended male and female appearances, leading them to interact without restraint. The result is severely insufficient meditative stability, causing both parties to stray off the path. This kind of practice method can also be called the pernicious view of emptiness (恶取空, e qu kong), and its karmic offense is grave. If someone of the opposite sex makes a special request of you, and you, claiming non-attachment to appearances and non-grasping, view the other as empty, as an emanation of suchness, and thus "act in accordance with conditions" (随缘, sui yuan), the result is violating the ten major precepts of the Bodhisattva precepts. Then, registration in hell is assured. So-called "acting in accordance with conditions" requires that you must possess the actual capability to do so. Only when the mind inwardly realizes emptiness, truly and genuinely achieving a mind that is empty, not giving rise to thoughts, and not attaching to appearances – without at least the meditative stability of the first dhyāna and the wisdom of a first-ground bodhisattva or higher – can anyone actually accomplish this. Otherwise, it is merely thinking and talking about it, fundamentally unattainable. One must still diligently uphold the precepts and practice, without overstepping the boundaries and stages of practice.

An ordinary person wishing to repent of unwholesome karma created in the past should practice repentance with signs (取相忏悔, qu xiang chanhui), repenting of their unwholesome thoughts and actions, aiming to change their unwholesome mental volitions. However, if they instead practice the Mahayana repentance without signs (无相忏悔, wu xiang chanhui), forcibly convincing themselves that all afflictions are Bodhi, are the appearance of suchness, yet being unable to realize signlessness, then after thinking this, they feel mentally at ease. But ease of mind is merely ease of mind; the unwholesome karma still exists, uneliminated, and the karmic retribution is inexorable. Practicing like this is the pernicious view of emptiness, and the karmic retribution is absolutely certain.

Our study and practice of Buddhism has stages and principles; it cannot be done haphazardly. What a Bodhisattva can do is not necessarily something an ordinary person can do. "Acting in accordance with conditions" to guide those of the opposite sex is beyond the capability of ordinary people; that is the domain of noble Bodhisattvas (地上菩萨, dì shàng púsà) with profound meditative absorption. If an ordinary person attempts it, they are destined for the three lower realms.

The state of the Dharma today is utterly chaotic. Most people, with their conscious minds being quite clever, can understand a little about the practice realms of noble Bodhisattvas and the Buddha. Consequently, they parrot the practices that noble Bodhisattvas should cultivate, thinking they themselves can accomplish them. Is this possible? You are not Sudhana (善财童子, Shàncái Tóngzǐ); you lack Sudhana's roots of goodness and merit, and you are unwilling to diligently cultivate meditative stability and contemplation.

We should change our habit of empty talk (口头禅, kǒutóuchán). The Buddha Dharma must be practiced genuinely to be realized. Genuine practice and realization are not slogans; there must be concrete, practical methods for genuine practice. If there are none, then it is not genuine practice, nor can it lead to genuine realization. Even if we can recite the words spoken by the Buddha, it is of little use; it is merely shouting slogans. Only by taking step-by-step actions underfoot can there be any hope.