Engaging in Buddhist Practice Must Never Involve Personality Worship

The unconditioned dharmas refer to the eighth consciousness. It is not a provisional designation established in contrast to conditioned dharmas; it is the true dharma, inherently existent, neither arising nor ceasing, and not a provisional dharma. The eighth consciousness is spoken of as the true self in contrast to the false self of the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses. In the state of ordinary beings and bodhisattvas, it still contains seeds of arising and ceasing and does not yet fully belong to the complete self. Upon reaching Buddhahood, when the defiled seeds of arising, ceasing, and transformation are eliminated, it becomes the true, genuine self—eternal, blissful, self, and pure.

If the foundation is gravely mistaken, the correctness of the branches and leaves becomes irrelevant. Discussing Consciousness-Only without enlightenment is a subject of ridicule; even the wisdom of enlightenment cannot fully articulate Consciousness-Only. How can one explain Consciousness-Only without cultivation and realization? If the Consciousness-Only teachings circulating in the present world are passed down to future generations, and if the proponents enjoy fame and authority, people of later times will again prostrate themselves in reverence, unwittingly misleading numerous sincere Buddhist practitioners. People often mistakenly assume that the works of renowned virtuous masters are entirely correct and that those who expound Consciousness-Only must possess cultivation and realization. This is where the ignorance of sentient beings lies—utterly incurable.

If one propagates and studies such Consciousness-Only teachings, the more one propagates, the greater the karmic offense; the more one studies, the further one strays from liberation. You must all proceed with utmost caution! The path of cultivation is perilous, fraught with all manner of pitfalls. Cultivating abundant blessings and virtues and increasing wisdom are of paramount importance. In future ages, these teachings will become ancient texts. People often revere antiquity; if they venerate such erroneous ancient texts, will they not harm others? How many people in this world possess the discerning wisdom to distinguish between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, in ancient texts?