What is the capacity of the mind?

A great capacity of mind accomplishes great things; a small capacity of mind accomplishes small things; without capacity of mind, nothing can be accomplished. What does "capacity of mind" mean? It refers to the measure of dharma that the mind can contain. What does "the mind embraces the great void, and its measure pervades worlds as numerous as sands" mean? It means that what the mind contains is so vast that it embraces the entire great void, and the mind's measure extends throughout worlds as numerous as dust motes and sands. Not only the Buddha's mind with its eight consciousnesses can embrace the great void and pervade the sand-like worlds; the tathāgatagarbha of sentient beings is also like this.

Although the tathāgatagarbha embraces the great void and pervades the sand-like worlds, the tathāgatagarbha is the tathāgatagarbha—it does not mean that the seven consciousnesses are also like this. For many people, while their tathāgatagarbha can embrace the great void, their own seven consciousnesses can only contain themselves, plus their own family members and relatives. With such a small capacity of mind, nothing great can be accomplished. It is very difficult for sentient beings to have a capacity of mind like the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, containing the entire Buddhist enterprise and the sentient beings of the dharma realm. Without this capacity of mind, if one diligently strives every day only for one's own personal gain, considering only one's own affairs and those of one's family and relatives, then seeking the Buddha Way with such a mind and hoping to gain benefit from the Buddhadharma is impossible.

Some people, at the slightest disturbance, scurry away with their heads in their hands and hide; no matter what happens in Buddhism, they resolutely refuse to step forward, yet when they themselves have some matter, they seek help everywhere. If people with such mental conduct undergo the suffering of birth-and-death and saṃsāra for long kalpas, it is not unjust. Many people rely on Buddhism, taking Buddhism as their home, hoping to receive the blessings of the Three Jewels from Buddhism; yet when the home of Buddhism has matters and the Three Jewels need protection, these people all hide far away, watching the spectacle of Buddhism and the Three Jewels from the sidelines. How can such people be disciples of the Buddha? How can they receive the blessings of the Buddhist Three Jewels? There are also some people who are immersed in worldly trivialities, with afflictions that never cease; their vision is as narrow as that of ants; every day it is nothing but disputes and conflicts, entangled endlessly, distressed and suffering, never awakening.

The Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: 不知色身，外洎山河虚空大地，咸是妙明真心中物。The five-aggregate body, from inside to outside, has a vast range—it is not merely the size of one's own physical body. So do not cling every day to trivial matters and refuse to let go; how much better it is to grasp the great matter of birth-and-death! Every day it is nothing but illusory, insubstantial affairs—the vision is too narrow. If one broadens one's vision and opens up one's capacity of mind, all dharmas will become empty; how wonderful it would be for the mind to be empty, quiescent, extinguished, liberated, and at ease—why must one every day have unceasing greed, hatred, delusion, afflictions, and fabrications? Why can the capacity of mind not be opened? That is because of heavy karma, meager merit (alpa-puṇya), lack of wisdom, and short-sighted knowledge, which result in a small capacity of the mind. The principle of cultivation clearly seems to be just that way, yet one can never actually accomplish it—just like seeing high mountains and great seas clearly through a telescope, yet never being able to personally arrive there. Being stuck at the theoretical level, unable to accomplish anything in actual practice, is precisely because the capacity of mind cannot be opened.