Several Conditions Required for Chan Meditation

So-called Chan investigation (cānchán) means engaging in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and deliberation to investigate the tathāgatagarbha, in order to realize true suchness and buddha-nature. Chan investigation is like the process of searching for a person: to find someone, you must first know who that person is, or have a photograph of them, knowing in your mind what they look like—only then is it possible to find them.

Next, you must also know where to look. If you search blindly and aimlessly, it is like fishing a needle out of the ocean—hope is surely slim. You must also clearly understand all the places where this person might appear: where someone might be hiding, where there are secret passages and hidden mechanisms—all must be known. Third, you must have appropriate means of transportation, time, and travel money. You must also have the discernment to recognize this person; otherwise, even if you meet face to face, you will not recognize them. Best and most reliable of all is to have someone who has seen that person and knows that place lead the way—this is the fastest route. So even finding a person is not easy, let alone finding the true suchness and buddha-nature that we have not known or understood since beginningless kalpas—it is difficult upon difficult.

Therefore, in Chan investigation one must lay a solid foundation, and all the required conditions should be in place. Laying the foundation means cultivating the six pāramitās of the bodhisattva; lacking even one, one cannot attain enlightenment, and Chan investigation will not be effective. Comparing this to the method of searching for a person, Chan investigation in search of the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha, also requires several steps.

First, one must understand the nature of the tathāgatagarbha. By studying and cultivating the Great Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, such as the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra, and acquiring correct knowledge and views, one can then set out to seek the tathāgatagarbha.

Second, one must know where the tathāgatagarbha manifests. Through studying prajñā, one must understand that He appears amid the various activities of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha), and appears when the six sense faculties contact the six sense objects—this is called "conditions for arising everywhere, everywhere conditions for arising." Wherever delusive dharmas appear, there is the manifestation of the tathāgatagarbha; the birth of every dharma is the coalescence of the real and the deluded. The place where the real and the deluded coalesce is a very important locus of observation; this knowledge and view must be possessed—it is extremely crucial.

Furthermore, since the tathāgatagarbha manifests within the activities of the five aggregates, one must also clearly understand the nature of the five aggregates. When the seven consciousnesses are added to the material body, the five aggregates arise; thus the seven consciousnesses are the key, and their natures must also be clearly understood. In this way, one can be clear about both the true dharmas and the delusive dharmas, so that when the real and the deluded coalesce, one can find the true dharma amid the various delusive dharmas of the five aggregates.

All of these constitute correct knowledge and views. With correct knowledge and views, one must also have merit, as well as the corresponding power of meditative concentration (samādhi) to investigate. Most important of all is the guidance and help of a good teacher (kalyāṇamitra), so that one does not take the wrong path and no longer practices blindly. For the power of concentration to be complete, keeping the precepts and practicing patience are prerequisites, and one must also possess a mind of diligent cultivation. These are the general contents and conditions of the bodhisattva's six pāramitās; the specific details must be carefully studied in the sūtras by oneself, carefully pondered, and then put into concrete practice. Finally, one must wait until the conditions of the season and circumstances are complete before one can find the eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha, and thereby awaken to the true mind and realize the Way.

Therefore, fulfilling the conditions of being a bodhisattva is the direction toward which we should currently strive and apply effort, and it is also the point of entry for cultivation. Cultivation must not be rushed or reckless; one must proceed step by step, climbing one stair at a time. When one's legs are not strong enough, one cannot run; the mentality of seeking quick success and instant benefit must be overcome.