The Difference Between True Realization and False Realization

From the saying "a good memory is not as good as a worn-out pen," one comes to think about the influence that the different functions of the mind consciousness and the manas exert upon the body-mind world. Regarding some worldly matter or some person, what difference is there in one's inner feelings and impressions between what the mind consciousness infers, deduces, and analyzes, versus truly seeing with one's own eyes, hearing with one's own ears, and experiencing firsthand? Regarding the dharma of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, and regarding the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha—if the mind consciousness reasons out, infers, and analyzes a result from written words, what influence does that have on the body-mind world? If the manas also personally realizes it, what influence would that have on the body-mind world?

When the mind consciousness infers that someone may be cursing me, versus personally hearing someone cursing me, what different reactions would the manas have? What different responses would there be in the body-mind world? When the mind consciousness deduces that a certain matter is thus, versus personally experiencing that the matter is thus, what difference would there be in the manas's feelings and reactions? What difference in the body-mind world?

When the mind consciousness reasons from written words that the five aggregates and eighteen realms are empty and not self, versus personally proving that the five aggregates and eighteen realms are empty and not self, what different reactions would the manas have, and what different wisdom? How great a difference in the body-mind world?

When the mind consciousness reasons out, judges, and analyzes from written words that the tathāgatagarbha functions in such-and-such a way and operates roughly like this, versus personally engaging in the arduous investigation of Chan within meditative concentration and finally truly and genuinely seeing where the tathāgatagarbha resides and how it specifically operates—what is the difference in the influence of these two upon the manas? What difference in the wisdom of the manas? How great a difference in their influence on the body-mind world?

Does what is deduced, reasoned, inferred, and analyzed count as personal realization? Is there a process of actual practice within it? What is called actual practice? And what is called personal realization?

Imagining a scene of murder, versus personally witnessing a scene of murder—what difference is there in the impact on the mind? Imagining a kind and amiable countenance, versus personally seeing a kind and amiable countenance—what difference is there in the inner impressions and feelings? What difference in the effect on a person? Inferring that one's parents have both passed away, versus personally seeing one's parents both dead—what difference in the body-mind world? How great a difference in the impact on oneself?

Imagining the Buddha teaching the Dharma at the assembly on Vulture Peak, versus personally sitting in the assembly on Vulture Peak listening to the Buddha teach the Dharma—how great is the difference in effect? How great the difference in influence on body and mind? Does what is imagined, reasoned, judged, deduced, and analyzed possess the meditative attainment (samādhi) of realized realization? Does it belong to the samādhi that opens wisdom? Is imagining the scene of the Vulture Peak assembly a samādhi state? What difference is there compared to Master Zhiyi's samādhi of attending the Vulture Peak Dharma assembly within meditative concentration?

In the recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) samādhi, how great a difference is there between imagining the Buddhas of the ten directions standing before one, versus the samādhi of personally witnessing the Buddhas of the ten directions standing before one? In the contemplation of the white bones, what difference is there between an imagined white-bone contemplation and the samādhi in which the white-bone contemplation truly manifests?

The entire Buddhist world is a chaotic mess; it cannot be allowed to become any more chaotic. Therefore the Buddhist world needs rectification and contraction; it must not expand and extend any further, otherwise Buddhism will surely be destroyed. Every person and every group claims to be engaged in actual practice and personal realization, but where is the reality? Who is cultivating in a down-to-earth manner? All are using the mind consciousness to play at cleverness, playing word games, all playing at the self—where is there anyone truly without self?

How many people have deduced that the world of the five aggregates is like a dream, like an illusion, and all claim to have realized the contemplation of things being like a dream and illusion. Is it really so? Truly realizing the contemplation of illusion is the tenth abode stage (daśa-vihāra); truly realizing the contemplation of dream is the tenth dedication stage (daśa-pariṇāmana), immediately followed by entering the first bhūmi. Does the Sahā world really have so many great-faculty (indriya) bodhisattvas about to attain the bhūmis, so many long-cultivating returning bodhisattvas? If so, where is their meditative concentration? Do they still have afflictions? Do they have the first dhyāna concentration? Have they eradicated afflictions? If you ask this, there will still be people claiming they have the first dhyāna concentration, have eradicated afflictions, and abide in the state of nirvāṇa with remainder (sopadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa). No one can do anything about such sentient beings, yet they believe they themselves can.

How many people have deduced the eighth consciousness from written words? How many have guessed at the eighth consciousness? How many have analyzed out the eighth consciousness? How many have inquired their way to the eighth consciousness? How many have been told of the general functions of the eighth consciousness? What use is any of this? Has wisdom been developed? Is there genuine merit and benefit? Is there the genuine realized attainment of purity of the Dharma eye? Has the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) truly been eradicated? How many people have been "enlightened" for many years yet have not eradicated the view of self, and still have a rather long road ahead before eradicating it—this life may not afford them the qualification and conditions to eradicate the view of self. Without attaining the eradication of the view of self at the sixth abode stage, can one attain the seeing of the mind at the seventh abode stage?

The process of investigating Chan can gradually enable the mind consciousness and the manas to clearly recognize the suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self nature of the five aggregates, can gradually recognize the illusory and unreal nature of the body of the five aggregates, and can gradually subdue the view of the body and the view of self. Without this process, whether one reasons out from written words that the eighth consciousness may operate in such-and-such a way within the body of the five aggregates, or deduces it, or analyzes it, or inquires one's way to it, or is told of it, none of these can subdue the view of the body and the view of self, let alone eradicate them. Then what meaning does knowing this conclusion about the eighth consciousness have for one's own body-mind world? What merit and benefit? Without merit and benefit, what use is knowing about the eighth consciousness? On banner advertisements along the streets, announcing to all Buddhist learners that everyone has a true mind, the eighth consciousness, functioning in such-and-such a way—can those who hear this thereby eradicate the view of the body and the view of self, and sever the three fetters? Can they extinguish the karma of the three evil destinies? If so, with such a good thing available, why did the Buddha not adopt it?