Bai Xuexiang’s Deciphering of Dharmalakṣaṇa

Observe how minds of hatred, arrogance, jealousy, and affliction arise. Let me give an example. Take jealousy and arrogance; these are essentially minds of the same type. When others are better than "me," I feel uncomfortable – that is the mind of jealousy. When "I" am better than others in certain aspects – that is the mind of arrogance.

Upon careful observation, it is always triggered by one thing, by a perception of an event: I feel jealous when others do better than me, and arrogant when I do better than others. How to resolve this? Discard the "me." In the world, there is a saying, "the manifold phenomena" (Senluo Wanxiang). The Avatamsaka Sutra describes it as the ocean-seal reflecting all phenomena. This means there are far too many things in the world. People have their specialized fields. When others do well, it should be praised; when I do well, I should be humble, because there are always people who do better than me – nothing is worth being arrogant or proud about. Events themselves carry no emotions; it is merely human imagination that generates emotions – empty and unreal. Events themselves are also transient, arising and ceasing in an instant. Why would there be any need for pride or jealousy?

Observe further: I said to discard the "me." See, when I generate an emotion and then discard that emotion, I am actually discarding something empty and illusory; I haven’t discarded anything substantial. It neither adds to nor subtracts from the matter at hand, does not hinder doing anything, and brings great peace.

Just mentioned were various minds. The mind has various discriminations; with various discriminations come various minds. This is called the manifold phenomena (Senluo Wanxiang). The manifold phenomena are like reflections in a mirror. This is called the mind-dharma (citta-dharma), also called the Dharma Realm (Dharmadhatu). The mirror’s ability to reflect the manifold phenomena is the mirror’s inherent function. The Buddhist term for this is "as-it-is" (法尔如是, fa er ru shi). This function is called nature (性, xing), specifically the seeing nature (见性, jian xing). The function that discriminates the manifold phenomena is consciousness (识, shi). Subdividing consciousness yields the eight consciousnesses (八识, ba shi). The mirror is called "thusness" (如, ru), and the objects reflected within it are called "coming" (来, lai) or "going" (去, qu). This mirror has another function: after reflecting, it can retain a negative, like a camera's negative. This is called a seed (种子, zhongzi). The function of storing these seed-negatives is called "store" (藏, cang). The whole is called the Tathagatagarbha (如来藏, Rulai Zang). Because it is unknown and unused, it is called "concealed" (藏, cang). Once understood, upon great enlightenment, it becomes a "treasure" (宝藏, baozang).

The "I" spoken of by worldly people and the "I" spoken of by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are not the same. The "I" spoken of by worldly people is a role – the various roles in the world. They can be listed, such as father, mother, son, daughter, superior, subordinate, vegetable buyer, goods seller, driver, American, Chinese, devotee, and countless other roles. "I" can play various roles, but the role is not "me." What is used to play this role? The answer is the body. One uses the body to enter the role. Therefore, we always mistake the body for the "I," precisely for this reason. The body is like an object, so it requires thought to direct it. Therefore, we also mistake thought for the "I." Thought is the script for the role; the body is the prop for the role.

This role of thought is a mind-dharma (心法, xin fa). One moment of ignorance gives rise to the three subtleties: the activity aspect (业相, ye xiang), the perceiving aspect (转相, zhuan xiang), and the objective realm aspect (境界相, jingjie xiang). Study the Master's Dharma teachings carefully. The Consciousness-Only (唯识, Weishi) school explains these classifications in great detail; it is truly a great essential Dharma method capable of liberating one from the world. The Master emphasizes the importance of the manas (意根, yigen), but the prerequisite is to make these connections absolutely clear in the mind-consciousness (意识, yishi), and then use the manas to realize them. Actually, we ordinary people also have realization-capacity (证量, zhengliang) in the manas. For example, being deeply attached to worldly fame, profit, and emotions – this is also the realization-capacity of the manas, only it is distorted, like a funhouse mirror. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so difficult to realize. Transforming the cognition of the manas: before transformation, the manas is a tangled mess. After acquiring correct cognition, one corrects the manas's cognition. After transformation, it becomes cool and tranquil.

Comment: This is purely an insight gained through actual realization. It is extremely wise, dismantling the phenomenal appearances (法相, fa xiang) of name (名, ming) and form (色, se) within the secular world, and to a considerable depth. In this way, the phenomenal appearances of the five aggregates (五蕴, wu yun) are also dismantled. Only by dismantling the phenomenal appearances can one be liberated from the phenomenal appearances of the five aggregates, no longer bound by them. To dismantle them requires actual realization of the suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and selflessness (苦空无常无我, ku kong wuchang wuwo) of phenomenal appearances. The function of intellectual understanding through consciousness is very slight; it becomes useless when faced with specific events.

Only those who have actual realization are free from afflictions. Understanding derived intellectually does not resolve the problem of afflictions. Therefore, many people skip the contemplation and practice (观行, guanxing) of the Hinayana, bypassing meditation (禅定, chanding) and precepts (戒律, jielü), and go directly to intellectually understanding the Mahayana Tathagatagarbha. Even if they intellectually understand it, they lack the wisdom that breaks through the five aggregates. Without breaking through the five aggregates, they remain unchanged, burdened with afflictions, continue to create unwholesome karma, and show not a trace of liberation. True cultivation does not skip any stage, does not look down on the practice function of any Dharma, and certainly does not overestimate one's own wisdom. Only by being realistic and down-to-earth can one achieve something, can true wisdom arise, and can the mind become liberated and freed from the secular world.