Practice Without Following the Stages Leads to Futile Efforts

Present-day Buddhist practitioners lack systematic methods and proper sequence in their cultivation, employing a wide array of techniques arbitrarily, cultivating however they please, all based on mere presumption. For instance, some cultivate the contemplation of illusion (like a dream or illusion), yet those who have not attained realization cannot directly observe the functioning of the Tathagatagarbha. They lack even the most basic access concentration (anāgamya-samādhi), let alone the first dhyāna. How, then, can they cultivate the contemplative practice of illusion? To leap over so many stages in cultivation—what level of karmic capacity (kṣetra) must they possess? The completion of the illusion contemplation corresponds to the Ten Grounds of Dedication (daśa-pariṇāmanā-bhūmi), immediately preceding entry into the First Ground (Prathama-bhūmi). By then, all three barriers of dhyāna are transcended, the barrier of life and death is overcome, which is the realization level of a Third Fruition (tṛtīya-phala) practitioner in the Śrāvakayāna. To reach this point, one must have cultivated the Buddha Path for immeasurable kalpas, possessing immense roots of goodness and merit.

Without attaining fruition (phala), without realizing the mind (cittotpāda), and without the first dhyāna, one would require countless kalpas to pass this barrier. One must sequentially go through access concentration (anāgamya-samādhi), severing the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), Second Fruition (dvitīya-phala), first dhyāna, Third Fruition, realization of the mind (cittotpāda), the contemplation of illusion (māyopama-samādhi), the contemplation of mirage (marīci-samādhi), and the barrier of confinement (牢关, likely referring to a profound dhyāna barrier), only then can one accomplish the dream-like contemplation (svapna-samādhi). To leap over so many levels to cultivate the illusion contemplation is exceedingly difficult even for conceptual understanding. Even if the conscious mind (mano-vijñāna) grasps some aspects conceptually, actual realization of the dream contemplation would still require immeasurable kalpas—except for once-returners (sakṛdāgāmin).

Others cultivate the contemplation of equality (samatā-vipaśyanā), viewing all people, phenomena, and principles as utterly equal, the single mark of true suchness (tathatā). What level of realization is this? What is called equality? Upon what basis does equality arise? There are three types of equality: 1) The equality of the Tathāgatagarbha, which treats all people, phenomena, and principles equally without distinction of high or low, because the Tathāgatagarbha does not discriminate any dharmas; 2) The equality of an Arhat who has realized the emptiness of all dharmas (sarva-dharma-śūnyatā), viewing all sentient beings as empty and selfless, thus able to perceive all sentient beings as empty to a certain extent; 3) The equality of a Bodhisattva on the Grounds (bhūmi) after transforming consciousness into wisdom (vijñāna-pariṇāma-jñāna). When their mental faculty (manas) realizes the Tathāgatagarbha and succeeds in fundamental transformation (āśraya-parāvṛtti), they attain the Wisdom of Equality (samatā-jñāna), seeing all sentient beings as possessing Tathāgatagarbha nature and all dharmas as Tathāgatagarbha, thus treating all sentient beings equally to a certain extent. How can an ordinary person (pṛthagjana) who has not realized the Dharma of either Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna cultivate the equality contemplation of a Bodhisattva on the Grounds, viewing all sentient beings and all phenomena as the single mark of true suchness? The gap between them spans nearly immeasurable kalpas. Such cultivation brings no benefit and is merely futile effort.

Still others cultivate non-abidance of mind (apratiṣṭhita-citta), striving to maintain a mind that abides nowhere amidst all worldly interactions with people, phenomena, and principles. However, this non-abidance is not achievable without cause; it requires realizing a certain principle and relying on that principle to gradually attain non-abidance of mind. This takes a long time; only after severing afflictions (kleśa) and attaining the Wisdom of Equality can one gradually achieve it. Without considerable realization and without actual experiential understanding of the Buddha Dharma, what basis can one rely on to achieve non-abidance? Even for Bodhisattvas on the Grounds, achieving non-abidance is not easy, nor can they fully accomplish it. How then can an ordinary person achieve non-abidance?

Others attempt to transcend the cultivation of precepts (śīla), striving to abide in no mark of precepts amidst all adverse and favorable conditions in the human realm, extinguishing all marks. If one cannot even uphold the Five Precepts (pañca-śīla) well, failing in bodily conduct (kāya-karman)—unable to abstain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and intoxicants, or maintain a vegetarian diet—and failing in verbal conduct (vāk-karman), unable to abstain from false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, and frivolous speech, with heavy afflictions (kleśa) of greed, hatred, and delusion remaining in the mind—if one cannot uphold precepts with marks, how can one eliminate these marks of precepts, keep the mind unattached to the marks of precepts, and cultivate markless precepts? It is difficult enough to maintain bodily and verbal conduct well within the realm of marks; how can one achieve marklessness, abandoning the marks of precepts? This is only achievable by Bodhisattvas on the Grounds. How can an ordinary person cultivate markless precepts?

If one forcibly cultivates in this manner, it is merely self-deception. Everywhere one violates precepts yet believes one's mind has attained marklessness, unconcerned with these marks. The result is retribution in the three evil destinies (durgati). In the Tang Dynasty, there was an instance of immediate karmic retribution. A truly enlightened Chan master, possessing high wisdom and a pure mind, wrote the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on his waistband. Another person saw this and became interested, thinking that since the master did this without issue, he himself should be fine too. Thus, he imitated the master by writing the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on his undergarments and wearing them. The Chan master learned of this and sensed it was improper, but it was too late. Within a few days, that person vomited copious amounts of blood—such swift retribution was entirely unexpected. The retribution after death termination would be even more severe. Therefore, Buddhist practitioners whose minds are not yet pure, who have not severed afflictions, who have not transformed consciousness into wisdom, have no qualification whatsoever to cultivate markless precepts. Forcing oneself to be unattached to the marks of precepts only plunges one deeper into the pit of afflictions, with no benefit whatsoever.

Sentient beings in the Dharma-Ending Age (saddharma-vipralopa) are precisely too clever and sharp-witted, floating on the surface, unable to penetrate deeply into the mental faculty (manas), unable to utilize the function of manas. The conscious mind (mano-vijñāna) understands everything conceptually, yet manas remains utterly untransformed. Consequently, retribution follows the state of manas. The conscious mind ambitiously cultivates the Dharma of Bodhisattvas from the First to the Eighth Ground, yet the character, moral conduct, and cultivation of manas remain unrefined. At the time of death termination, how will the destiny of future lives be determined? By the conscious mind or by manas? If the conscious mind cultivates the Dharma of Buddhahood, can one become a Buddha upon death termination?