Theoretical Comparison and Imagination Are Not Equivalent to Realization

The meaning of bodhi encompasses all the Dharma that should be fully realized on the path to Buddhahood, progressing through numerous levels from shallow to profound. The initial stage involves severing the view of self, including the four fruitions from the first fruition (Sotāpanna) up to complete liberation (Arahant). Subsequently, in the Mahayana path, one realizes the fundamental Tathagatagarbha, the origin of bodhi, ultimately reaching the perfect illumination of the Four Wisdoms at the Buddha stage. Realizing Tathagatagarbha constitutes realizing bodhi, yet it does not equate to realizing the entirety of bodhi, for the nature of Tathagata is profound, vast, and boundless. Only upon complete realization does one attain Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi (Supreme Perfect Enlightenment). Therefore, realization is merely a beginning; numerous other Dharma must be realized one by one to perfect bodhi.

If one merely knows theoretically, from books, that Tathagatagarbha participates everywhere, that its presence is ubiquitous, that all dharmas are Tathagatagarbha, and that the entirety is Suchness (True Suchness), this understanding only involves the conscious mind and does not engage the root mind (manas). Since this theory is not a conclusion drawn from actual personal realization but merely learned words, without genuine realization, even the understanding remains superficial. One cannot truly grasp the "what" of it, let alone the "why." How then can the issue of life and death be resolved? If one can open a tiny crack in their vision and peer just a little further inward, they might glimpse a fragment of the truth.

Some people, upon learning the theory that "the entirety is Suchness," become clever and begin to speculate imaginatively, saying, "This is Suchness, that is Suchness, Suchness is everywhere." Then, presumptuously, they declare, "Haven't I attained enlightenment?" and go seeking validation from others.

If one can perceive how Tathagatagarbha specifically exists and manifests, that is quite commendable and can be considered true enlightenment. Studying Buddhism first requires severing the view of self. Only by thoroughly penetrating the principle of the non-self of the five aggregates (skandhas) does the subsequent realization of the mind (Tathagatagarbha) become attainable. For example, everyone knows that electric current exists within wires, yet we cannot see the current itself; we can only observe its applications—it makes the rice cooker cook rice, causes the washing machine to wash clothes, and if touched, it shocks and numbs us. This observation, however, does not constitute realizing the current itself. Seeing the washing machine clean clothes and knowing there is electricity involves a greater degree of understanding based on theoretical knowledge; not knowing the specific workings of the current means it is not realization.