The Most Secure and Reliable Dharma Door of Practice

Question: Is it more certain to attain liberation from the cycle of rebirth by cultivating the realization of Breaking the View of Self and witnessing the fruition, or is it more certain to transcend the cycle of birth and death by reciting the Buddha's name to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss? Is there a Dharma method that is relatively secure and yields boundless benefits?

Answer: The core ideas in your question are: First, how can one attain liberation from the cycle of rebirth with certainty? Second, is cultivating the Pure Land practice of Buddha recitation faster and more reliable than Breaking the View of Self? I say: The most secure and reliable way to attain liberation and transcend the cycle of birth and death is to immediately attain the virtues and abilities of sages and saints. One’s body, mind, and the world should be like those of sages and saints—not only in understanding and realization, but also in meditative concentration and spiritual powers; not only in moral cultivation and mental disposition, but also in the breadth of mind, vows, and motivation; and equally in the Four Immeasurable Minds of loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. In short, one must align with sages and saints in every aspect to attain liberation, ease, tranquil nirvana, and freedom from the constraints of karma, just like them. Do you agree with what I’ve said?

The concept of the Four Noble Truths enables sentient beings to see through and empty the Five Aggregates world of the Saha World, thereby enabling them to let go of all karmic conditions in the Saha World, single-mindedly recite the Buddha’s name, seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, and align their minds with the Pure Land, making rebirth there easy. If one attains the stage approaching the first fruition (Srotapanna) or the first fruition itself, rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss is even more assured. Without the support of the Four Noble Truths, reciting the Buddha’s name becomes absent-minded, clinging to the karmic conditions of the Saha World, merely wasting precious time. Therefore, cultivating the Four Noble Truths and reciting the Buddha’s name are not contradictory; they can be integrated and mutually reinforcing.

Attaining fruition and realizing the mind both represent a state where the mind transcends the cycle of birth and death of ordinary beings. Reaching this state signifies profound virtue and spiritual power. Such profound virtue and spiritual power are given names: defined as Breaking the View of Self and attaining fruition; defined as realizing the mind and seeing the true nature; defined as the first fruition of Srotapanna to the fourth fruition of Arhat; defined as the Three Sage Positions of Bodhisattvas; defined as the First to Eighth Ground Bodhisattvas. Even without any name or definition, as long as one fully possesses these virtues and spiritual powers, one has attained liberation, transcending the cycle of birth and death of ordinary beings. Therefore, regardless of how sentient beings practice or what they practice, as long as they can reach this state—raising their body, mind, and world by several octaves or levels—then the realm they inhabit is immediately the state of liberation. Transforming the body, mind, and world is fundamental; elevating one’s own virtues and abilities is fundamental; everything else is secondary. If one cannot elevate one’s virtues and abilities, or transform one’s body, mind, and world, the secondary attainments will not manifest. Then what use is clinging to them? What is the most secure and reliable Dharma method? Shouldn’t it be clear by now?

All manifestations, attainments, and karmic retributions are realized by the Tathagatagarbha. According to what does the Tathagatagarbha manifest these karmic results? According to the practitioner’s mind—mental actions, bodily actions, verbal actions, and intentional actions. If the mental actions are insufficient, and bodily, verbal, and intentional actions are lacking, the Tathagatagarbha cannot manifest any fruition or karmic result. How then could there be attainments from the first to the fourth fruition, the Three Sage Positions, or Bodhisattvas entering the Grounds? How could there be rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss? No personal definition or judgment of these karmic results counts; only what is manifested by the Tathagatagarbha is true and real. Therefore, instead of disputing and obsessing over fruitions, it is more practical to cultivate diligently, step by step, in accordance with the Dharma.