How to Truly Arouse the Doubt

Ruyuan's (Weiru's) Mahayana doubt-thought: Nowadays, I generally remain in samādhi whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. I contemplate the Dharma principles familiar to my mind, primarily focusing on the contemplation of skeletons in my mind and my own skeleton. I have no interest in people or matters outside the mind and do not engage in discrimination. Once, my daughter pulled me to the supermarket to buy snacks. All the way to the supermarket, I maintained inner contemplation. I couldn't clearly hear others' speech and had no interest in looking at the people or objects around me. When my daughter asked me to pick things, I felt my body drifting unrealistically as if in a dream; my hands and eyes seemed disobedient, making it hard to choose things properly—my mind was absent.

Once, a phrase inexplicably popped into my mind: "Mechanical wooden man, mechanism triggered, phenomena arise." At the time, I hadn't yet grasped its meaning but kept murmuring it internally, recalling that my teacher's master had mentioned this phrase in his book. Previously, I didn't understand what it meant, but now that it suddenly surfaced, I pondered its significance intently. It should be using iron men, wooden men, and shadow-play puppets controlled by strings as metaphors for the activities of the five aggregates in humans, right? The lively movements of sentient beings' five-aggregate physical shells are all the wondrous functioning of the Tathāgatagarbha inherent nature arising from behind. The functional wonders of the Tathāgatagarbha manifest in all dharmas; all kōans or huatou investigations speak of the inherent functional wonders of sentient beings' Tathāgatagarbha. Thus, in samādhi, everything appears unreal, like in a dream, devoid of any feeling. Sometimes, while still asleep at night, I am awakened by mantras recited in my mind.

Last year, when I practiced the contemplation of skeletons, I had some physical and mental experiences. Seeing even the closest family members or the most beautiful people outside, they all appeared equally filthy like a pile of flesh and blood. Sometimes while using the toilet, I also contemplated that all people are this filthy; the body’s nine orifices constantly expel dirty substances. Feeling that people are unreal, thinking of them became meaningless and boring, so I no longer cared about eating well or dressing well—good or bad made no difference. Recently, whether day or night, awake or asleep, I remain in samādhi, with Dharma principles continuously flowing in my mind.

Commentary: Practicing the contemplation of skeletons can completely sever the view of self. If images of skeletons appear in the mind constantly, it indicates that one is perpetually in the contemplation of skeletons, meaning perpetually in samādhi. Being able to automatically and consciously manifest skeletons means severing the view of self can happen at any moment, anytime, anywhere. Perhaps it has already been severed, but one doesn't perceive it due to a lack of discerning wisdom, and the mental state and experiences cannot be clearly articulated. The key is that Ruyuan (Weiru) should clearly recognize her current state, understand her mental feelings thoroughly, to properly assess her level of wisdom and cognition—whether she is in the state of severed self-view or how far she remains from it. At the moment of severing the view of self, there are corresponding physical and mental states. If not understood and treated as ordinary matters, it will be missed.

If a person is constantly uninterested in external people, things, and phenomena, this is not merely the merit of samādhi but also the merit of wisdom. Generally, it indicates considerable proficiency in observing the five aggregates, enabling the mind to accord with emptiness, thus eliciting such a response. Alternatively, such a response can occur constantly only after severing the view of self. If practice is insufficient, it’s impossible to be uninterested in people and phenomena and refrain from discrimination. Therefore, this state is over ninety percent likely to be the state of severed self-view, though specifics still require observation and understanding.

The phrase "Mechanical wooden man, mechanism triggered, phenomena arise" inexplicably popping into the mind—this is a Mahayana doubt-thought suddenly bursting forth from the manas (intentional root) while in samādhi. It indicates that the causes and conditions for Mahayana Chan (Zen) practice have naturally ripened. Being able to spontaneously produce such doubt-thought shows that Mahayana wisdom is also quite developed; otherwise, only the conscious mind (manovijñāna) could raise doubt-thought, not the manas. The reason manas can generate Mahayana doubt-thought is twofold: First, the foundation in the Hinayana is very solid, with firm conviction in the selflessness of the five aggregates and no doubt about it. This leads to the doubt: since the five aggregates are empty, why do their activities still exist? Second, the cultivation and familiarization with Mahayana Dharma have ripened. Therefore, when the view of self still exists or is even relatively strong, manas will not give rise to Mahayana doubt-thought—the conscious mind might, because it can leap across many levels to engage with dharmas non-measureably (non-valid cognition), which manas cannot do.

Thus, genuine doubt-thought arises spontaneously within samādhi; it is not chanted out by the conscious mind like a mantra. It is a surge from manas when causes and conditions ripen. After manas knows the five aggregates are empty, it seeks to understand the mechanical mysteries within the five-aggregate body. This is a natural phenomenon when Mahayana practice reaches fruition; it is not doubt-thought deliberately forced by the conscious mind. Only in this way is investigation fast and efficient, not wasting time or leading to false or mistaken awakenings. In such a state of samādhi, realizing the mind and attaining enlightenment (mingxin kaiwu) is imminent.

In the state of samādhi, everything indeed seems unreal, like in a dream. This state resembles the state after severing the view of self. Previously, whatever major events occurred physically and mentally were overlooked by oneself. Currently, I cannot make an accurate judgment. Remaining in meditation whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, constantly engaged in contemplative observation, unable to be pulled away by external conditions—this indicates extremely firm samādhi, with a mind as firm as a fortress wall. At this point, entering the path (attaining realization) can happen in a minute; this is true for both Mahayana and Hinayana. Hence, barring unforeseen circumstances, attaining enlightenment and becoming a sage or bodhisattva in this lifetime is almost certain. Others try to enter samādhi but cannot, pushed yet unable to enter; you, however, cannot be pulled out even if dragged—this difference is immense. Why such a big difference? There are many factors, to be revealed gradually later.

The final description of the experience in practicing the contemplation of skeletons shows that Ruyuan’s practice has yielded remarkable results. She can constantly perceive all sentient beings as impure, fully realizing (or directly perceiving) the emptiness and unreality of sentient beings' five aggregates. Her mind has abandoned greed, showing no pickiness or concern about food or clothing. She remains in samādhi whether awake or asleep, with the state of samādhi unbroken—her skill is quite excellent. The state of clear awareness after severing the view of self is precisely like this. Generally, these states are those experienced after severing the view of self. Before severing the view of self, even with fairly good samādhi and possessing the samādhi of non-return (anāgāmin), there would still be interruptions. Only after severing the view of self, when the mind is empty, can samādhi become continuous and unbroken, perpetually abiding in samādhi. All these phenomena indicate that Ruyuan has over a ninety percent probability of having already severed the view of self; she just cannot describe it very clearly.

Everyone must remember: Apart from the wisdom cognition within this kind of samādhi, none constitutes seeing the path (attaining the path of seeing). Outside the samādhi state, neither Mahayana nor Hinayana can truly see the path. Even if you have samādhi but are not constantly abiding in it, thinking that your cognition without samādhi still constitutes seeing the path—that is impossible. With shallow samādhi, true seeing of the path is also impossible; it’s all figured out by the conscious mind and doesn’t count.