The Practice of Bodhisattvas in Mahayana and Hinayana

After attaining the third fruition, Śrāvakas eradicate, rather than merely subdue, their afflictions. It is precisely because they eradicate them that they are not bound by the five desires and six dusts, enabling them to transcend the three realms and attain liberation. Subduing afflictions means suppressing them, which occurs before the second fruition, particularly prior to the path of seeing; only upon reaching the third fruition are afflictions eradicated. Merely subduing afflictions cannot free one from them nor lead to liberation.

The practice of Mahayana Bodhisattvas also cannot be separated from the path followed by Śrāvaka practitioners. To depart from the practice of the Hinayana is to cease being a Bodhisattva and become merely an ordinary being. Initially, in their personal cultivation, Bodhisattvas, like Śrāvakas, uphold precepts and maintain dignified deportment, setting an example for sentient beings. It is through upholding the precepts that they attain meditative concentration (dhyāna) and thereby realize the path of seeing. Bodhisattvas must also commence their practice from the Hinayana stage of severing the view of self; without realizing the fruition, they cannot enter the Mahayana path of seeing. The Hinayana practices of precepts, concentration, and wisdom, along with the realization of the path of seeing and the purification of the Dharma-eye, cannot be bypassed by Mahayana Bodhisattvas. Otherwise, neither genuine Mahayana Bodhisattvas nor true Hinayana practitioners would exist.

After Bodhisattvas attain the first fruition (Srotāpanna) through the Hinayana path of seeing, they must further cultivate the first dhyāna to eradicate the five lower fetters (the three bonds plus greed and hatred). Only then are they qualified to pass the three barriers of the Chan (Zen) school within the Mahayana Dharma, as well as the sunshine samādhi barrier and the dream-like contemplation, thereby becoming eligible to enter the first ground (Bhūmi). Upon entering the first ground, they deliberately refrain from completely exhausting all afflictions and do not take the "right liberation from rebirth" characteristic of an Arhat — that is, they do not realize the fourth fruition of Arhatship. By retaining an extremely subtle remnant of afflictions, they avoid entering the state of nirvana without residue (anupādisesa-nirvāṇa), for entering that state would sever the seed of Buddhahood.

No matter how eager a Bodhisattva may be to attain enlightenment, they cannot bypass the various stages of the Hinayana path. If one deliberately attempts to skip them, such a person is not a true practitioner, let alone a Mahayana Bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva who possesses the four characteristics and afflictions is not a true Bodhisattva but is equivalent to an ordinary being. If a Bodhisattva has the mental state of being eager for enlightenment, this mind is a seeking mind, not a non-striving (anābhoga) mind. A mind with personal aims necessarily involves the four characteristics and afflictions — it is the mind of an ordinary being. Being in accord with the mind of an ordinary being, one cannot become a true Bodhisattva. A true Bodhisattva must be one who transcends characteristics, free from the notions of self, others, sentient beings, and a lifespan, as well as the notions of realizing fruitions or attaining enlightenment. Those who possess such notions are ordinary beings.