Several Conditions Required for Chan Meditation

So-called Chan investigation (canchan) means contemplating, deliberating, and investigating the tathāgatagarbha through contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), in order to realize true suchness and buddha-nature. Chan investigation is like the principle of searching for a person: to find a person, you must first know this person, or have a photograph of this person, and know in your mind what this person looks like; only then is it possible to find this person.

Secondly, you must also know where to look. If you search blindly and aimlessly, it is like fishing a needle out of the sea—there is surely little hope. You must also clearly understand all the places where this person might appear: where someone might be hiding, where there are hidden passages and traps—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 each other. The best and most reliable way 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 the true suchness and buddha-nature that we have not known or understood since beginningless kalpas—it is all the more 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 perfections of the bodhisattva; if even one perfection is lacking, one cannot attain enlightenment, and Chan investigation will not be effective. Comparing with 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 search for 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 (pañca-skandha), and appears when the six faculties contact the six sense objects—this is what is called "conditions for arising everywhere, everywhere conditions for arising." Wherever deluded dharmas appear, there is the manifestation of the tathāgatagarbha; the birth of every dharma is a union of the true and the deluded. The place where the true and the deluded unite is a very important locus of observation, and this knowledge and view must be possessed—it is extremely crucial.

Furthermore, since the tathāgatagarbha manifests amid 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 the nature of the seven consciousnesses must also be clearly understood. In this way, one can be clear about both the true dharma and the deluded dharmas, and when the true and the deluded unite, one can find the true dharma amid the various deluded 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 forbearance are prerequisites, and one must also have the mind of diligent practice. These are the general contents and conditions of the bodhisattva's six perfections; for the specific details, one must carefully consult the sutras oneself, carefully ponder them, and then put them 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 see the mind and awaken to the Path.

Therefore, fulfilling the conditions for being a bodhisattva is the direction toward which we should currently strive and apply effort, and it is also the starting point of practice. Practice must not be rushed or reckless; one must proceed step by step, one stair at a time. If one's leg strength is insufficient, one cannot run; the mentality of seeking quick success and instant benefit must be overcome.