Who Needs Enlightenment and How to Attain It

Many people do not understand how to attain realization or who needs to attain it. So why do we need realization in our study of Buddhism? Because since beginningless kalpas, we have been deluded and inverted, mistaking the false for the true, falsely enduring the suffering of birth-and-death cycles, unable to attain liberation and freedom. Therefore, we need to eradicate ignorance, dispel the delusional dharmas within our minds, and realize the true principle. However, it is essential to clearly see and understand who "we" refers to—it refers to the two minds of consciousness and the mental faculty, because these two minds harbor immense ignorance, unaware of the true reality of the Dharma Realm. Thus, they need to cultivate and realize the truth. Only after realizing the truth can one verify the illusory nature of all dharmas within the five aggregates, exhaust all ignorance, eradicate all suffering of birth and death, and attain great liberation. Only after realizing the Tathagatagarbha, the true reality of the Dharma Realm, can one, through cultivation spanning three asamkhyeya kalpas, exhaust all ignorance, reach the quiescence of Nirvana, and liberate oneself from all suffering of birth and death. Therefore, it is the sixth and seventh consciousnesses that need to be awakened.

How does one realize the Tathagatagarbha? We fundamentally cannot perceive the essence of the Tathagatagarbha because it is empty, devoid of any form, and thus its essence cannot be seen. We can only realize it through its functions and operations. By directly observing the operational characteristics of the Tathagatagarbha in the functioning of the five aggregates body, one realizes the Tathagatagarbha. Only then can one understand how the Tathagatagarbha operates within the five aggregates body. Although the essence of the Tathagatagarbha is empty and quiescent, its functions are not quiescent. Its functional operations have observable characteristics and can be perceived. When one perceives them, realization is attained.

I once used wind as an analogy: the empty and quiescent mind, like wind, is invisible, yet we can still know wind exists. Wind is also empty—we cannot see wind, smell wind, or touch wind. Yet why do we know when wind arrives? Because when wind arrives, it inevitably produces various effects. These effects manifest upon objects and in space. Wind acts upon objects and within the void; wind, objects, and space interact and collide, producing various phenomena. By observing these phenomena, we realize wind. Whether it is a breeze, strong wind, gentle wind, gale, storm, or tornado—from the phenomena manifested on objects, we can determine what kind of wind it is.

The essence of the Tathagatagarbha, like wind, is formless and without characteristics. Yet it is discovered through its functions within the five aggregates body. So, when we find wind, who finds it? It is the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, including the five sense consciousnesses. When strong winds arise, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses work together to devise ways to avoid and guard against wind disasters. Similarly, realizing the Tathagatagarbha is also achieved jointly by the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, through observing the functions performed by the Tathagatagarbha and the operational characteristics manifested in the five aggregates body. What functions does the Tathagatagarbha have? It generates and sustains all dharmas; all dharmas are upheld by its sustaining function. By investigating how exactly the Tathagatagarbha operates and functions, one can comprehend the "Five Aspects of Self-Nature" spoken of by the Sixth Patriarch.