Mental Fabrications Are No Substitute for Actual Practice

With a telescope, one can gaze upon the stars in the distant heavens, the vast and boundless ocean, and the mountains, rivers, and lands at the horizon, yet the body remains separated by countless mountains and rivers. Seeing far and high does not equate to being personally present. Established goals are not reached by pointing fingers nor by empty talk; they require measuring with one's own feet, hence one must always take the first step. Step by step one must walk, neither running nor jumping, much less leaping—only then can one reach the destination steadily. Do not resent the long road and resort to mental fantasy; do not resent the hardship and resort to mental fantasy; nor resent the cost of the journey and resort to mental fantasy. Fanciful thinking is ultimately an illusion. To truly experience the Buddha-land personally, one must use the mind-root to tread solidly on the ground, measuring step by step, personally touching every inch of the land.

Sometimes, after learning some Buddhist teachings, the mind-consciousness feels it can change everything, command the wind and rain, and accomplish anything with a little effort, facing no difficulties—even becoming a Buddha doesn't seem so hard. Yet, one cannot even control a single thought; one remains stubbornly attached to one thing and cannot let go, unable to change anything in body, speech, mind, or action.

Why is this? It is because there is no experiential realization in the mind-root. The mind-consciousness presumptuously thinking, understanding, or imagining anything is useless—it doesn't land on solid ground. Strength cannot be exerted, and one often feels helpless. Therefore, even if becoming a Buddha seems extremely easy, one must honestly pass through three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas. Even if realizing the fruits and awakening the mind seems as easy as eating cabbage, one must still practice step by step the Four Right Efforts, Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and Noble Eightfold Path, honestly uphold precepts and cultivate concentration, practice the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, and honestly complete the Six Perfections of a Bodhisattva. These paths of practice taught by the Buddha are not useless ornaments; they must be implemented. For the vast majority of people, fulfilling these prerequisites in one lifetime is already quite an achievement. If these conditions are not fully perfected, relying on the reasoning and fantasies of the mind-consciousness to realize the fruits and awaken the mind is futile.

Why is this said? Because genuine practice and realization involve the mind-root. During the cultivation of the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment and the Six Perfections, the mind-root is being transformed; its inherent views are being altered. Only when the practice reaches the required level can the views of the mind-root change, and thus everything changes along with the transformation of the mind-root. Only then can one realize the fruits and awaken the mind. However, the mind-root is not so easily changed in its stubborn views. If the mind-root does not change, nothing can change. Therefore, in learning Buddhism, one must still honestly engage in genuine practice; mental delusions are useless. Even if one feels they can become a Buddha tomorrow, it will still take three great immeasurable kalpas. Some even talk loftily about not grasping at appearances or making distinctions, about the mind abiding nowhere and clinging to nothing—this should wait until one reaches the Bodhisattva grounds. Bodhisattvas below the grounds fundamentally cannot achieve this. Consciousness severing self-view, consciousness realizing the fruits, consciousness awakening the mind, consciousness becoming a Buddha—try it in a dream first, see if it works?