Practice Without Following the Stages Leads to Futile Efforts

Present-day Buddhists cultivate without method or sequence, employing diverse and arbitrary practices, acting purely on assumption. For instance, some cultivate the contemplation of illusion, yet those who have not attained realization cannot directly observe the functioning of the Tathagatagarbha. Without even the most basic access concentration (anāgamya-samādhi), let alone the first dhyāna, how can they cultivate the contemplation of illusion? To leap over so many stages in cultivation—what level of capacity must one possess? The completion of the illusion contemplation corresponds to the Ten Grounds of Dedication, immediately preceding entry into the First Ground (Prathamabhūmi). Having passed the three barriers of dhyāna and the barrier of life-and-death, this is the realization level of a Third Fruition practitioner in the Śrāvakayāna. By this point, one has cultivated the Buddha Path for immeasurable kalpas, possessing immense roots of goodness and merit.

Without attaining any fruition (phala), without realizing the Mind (citta), without the first dhyāna, one would require countless kalpas to pass this barrier. This process must traverse access concentration, severing the view of self, the Second Fruition, the first dhyāna, the Third Fruition, realization of the Mind, the contemplation of illusion, the contemplation of mirage, the firm barrier, and only then can one accomplish the contemplation of dreamlike illusion. To leap over so many levels to cultivate the contemplation of dreamlike illusion is exceedingly difficult even for conscious comprehension. Even if the conscious mind grasps some aspects, actualizing the dreamlike contemplation would still require countless kalpas—except for a returning practitioner (punarjanman).

Others cultivate the contemplation of equality, viewing all people, phenomena, and principles as utterly equal, the single mark of Suchness (tathatā). What state is this? What is called equality? Upon what basis does equality exist? There are three types of equality Dharma: First, the equality of the Tathagatagarbha, which treats all people, phenomena, and principles equally without distinguishing high or low, because the Tathagatagarbha does not discriminate any dharmas. Second, the equality of an Arhat who has realized the emptiness of all dharmas, who views all sentient beings as empty and selfless, thus able to perceive all sentient beings as empty to a certain extent. Third, the equality of a Bodhisattva on the Grounds (Bhūmi) after transforming consciousness into wisdom; their mental faculty (manas) realizes the Tathagatagarbha, and upon successful transference of reliance, they attain the Wisdom of Equality (samatā-jñāna), seeing all sentient beings as the nature of Tathagatagarbha, all dharmas as Tathagatagarbha, thus able to treat 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 and principles as the single mark of Suchness? The gap between them spans nearly immeasurable kalpas. Cultivating in this manner is of no benefit, merely wasted effort.

Still others cultivate non-abidance of mind, striving to maintain a mind that abides nowhere amidst all interactions with people, phenomena, and principles in the world. However, this non-abidance is not achieved without cause; it requires realizing a certain principle, relying on that principle, to gradually attain non-abidance of mind. This takes a long time; only after severing afflictions and attaining the Wisdom of Equality can one gradually achieve it. Without substantial realization and without genuine experiential understanding of the Buddha Dharma, upon what can one rely to achieve non-abidance of mind? Even for a Bodhisattva on the Grounds, achieving non-abidance is not easy and cannot be fully accomplished; how then can an ordinary person possibly achieve non-abidance?

Others skip over the cultivation of precepts, seeking to abide in no mark of precepts whatsoever amidst all adverse and favorable conditions in the human realm, extinguishing all marks. If one cannot even uphold the Five Precepts well, failing in bodily conduct—unable to abstain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and intoxicants, unable to maintain a vegetarian diet—and failing in verbal conduct—unable to abstain from false speech, divisive speech, and harsh speech—while the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion remain heavy within the mind, how can one eliminate these marks of precepts, have a mind that abides in no mark of precepts, and cultivate markless precepts? It is difficult enough to uphold bodily and verbal conduct well within the realm of marks; how can one achieve the markless state, dispensing with the marks of precepts? This is achievable only by Bodhisattvas on the Grounds; how can an ordinary person cultivate markless precepts?

If one forces such cultivation, it is merely self-deception. One violates precepts everywhere yet believes one's mind has attained the markless state, unconcerned with these marks. The result is the retribution of the three evil destinies. In the past, during the Tang Dynasty, someone received an evil retribution immediately. There was a truly realized Chan master, possessing high wisdom and a pure mind, who 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 consequence, he himself should be fine too. Thus, he imitated the master by writing the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on his undergarments and wore them. The Chan master, upon learning of this, felt it was bad, but it was too late. That person vomited copious amounts of blood within a few days—the evil retribution came so swiftly, entirely unforeseen. The retribution after his life's end would be even more severe. Therefore, Buddhists 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 abide in no mark of precepts only plunges one into a deep pit of afflictions, with no benefit whatsoever.

Sentient beings in the Dharma-Ending Age are precisely too clever and sharp, floating on the surface, unable to penetrate deeply into the mental faculty (manas), unable to activate its function. The conscious mind (mano-vijñāna) understands everything, yet the mental faculty is nothing at all. Consequently, retribution follows the mental faculty. The conscious mind ambitiously cultivates the Dharma meant for Bodhisattvas from the First to the Eighth Ground, yet the character, moral conduct, and cultivation of the mental faculty remain unrefined. At life's end, how will the destiny of the next life be determined? Will it rely on the conscious mind or the mental faculty? Can the conscious mind, cultivating the Dharma of the Buddha Ground, become a Buddha at life's end?