Varying Fruitions Possess Distinct Meritorious Benefits

To make the Dharma-body alive, one must eliminate the perverse thought that the five aggregates constitute a self, and not establish the five aggregates as a self. Then the Dharma-body becomes easily discernible. However, during the process of seeking the Dharma-body, the investigating thought suppresses the greedy, hateful, and deluded thoughts of worldly dharmas. By diligently applying effort in this way, one will eventually perceive the Dharma-body one day.

But regarding an awakening that hasn’t undergone the process of investigation—whether it truly counts as enlightenment, and what the ultimate result might be—even the Buddha does not have the final say. It is determined by karma and the King of Yama. The God of Death is the ultimate arbiter and holds the greatest authority. If one strongly desires to be recognized as someone who has attained the fruit and realized the mind, desperately wishing to be seen as a sage while disregarding the actual truth, this still constitutes a serious sense of "self"—the notion that "I must be such and such, this is me." If one has truly eradicated the view of self and attained selflessness, if one has genuinely realized the emptiness of the five aggregates upon realizing the mind, one should fully manifest a liberated mind. What fruition level one has attained becomes unimportant and irrelevant—with no self, there is no fruit; only with a self is there a fruit.

Some might say that eradicating the view of self and realizing the mind are both stages of the first fruition, and that the first fruition does not eradicate afflictions; the afflictions remain the same as those of an ordinary person, meaning there is no liberation merit. Then what difference is there between eradicating the view of self and not eradicating it? Attaining the first fruition brings not the slightest bit of liberation merit or benefit; realizing the mind and attaining the Tathāgatagarbha brings not the slightest bit of liberation merit or benefit—it’s the same as being an ordinary person. Then what is called the virtue of the fruit? All fruits possess virtue. If after attaining a fruit, there is no virtue of the fruit, then it is merely a name, a designation, without any real meaning. Even if this name was given by the Buddha, it is not inherently existent, unborn and unceasing, and therefore lacks substantial meaning. However, genuine realization and false speech each carry their own karmic consequences.

When one truly begins to cultivate the path, there is already a certain degree of merit and benefit. During the practice of the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, there are varying degrees of merit and benefit. It’s just that at that time, there is no liberation merit or benefit because without eradicating the view of self, there is no liberation. But after eradicating the view of self and realizing the mind, there are varying degrees of liberation merit: the first fruition has the liberation virtue of the first fruition, the second fruition has the liberation virtue of the second fruition, the third fruition has the liberation virtue of the third fruition, and the fourth fruition has the liberation virtue of the fourth fruition. Although the eradication of afflictions occurs from the third fruition onwards, the afflictions of a first fruition practitioner are significantly different from those of an ordinary person. Similarly, the afflictions of a Buddhist practitioner during the cultivation process differ to some extent from those who have not begun cultivation. Otherwise, what use is there in studying Buddhism and practicing cultivation?

So many people crave the fruit. Why crave the fruit instead of focusing on the facts? Because a serious sense of "I" and self-attachment is at work. Even if the Buddha specifically bestows a fruit, if one's own virtue does not correspond to that fruit, meaning one has not truly attained it in reality, yet one still clings to and obsesses over this fruit, this is still the view of self and self-attachment—it remains a "self." Obtaining a false fruit in this way, feeling joyful about it, boasting everywhere, flaunting it proudly—this shows that the nature of "I" is still very strong. One does not transcend birth and death; this is called deceiving oneself and others.

A genuine practitioner should disregard any notion of fruit. One should focus on whether there has been an internal change, whether there is true liberation, and whether the practice has yielded merit and benefit. If one truly possesses merit and benefit, even if the Buddha grants no certificate and no one acknowledges one's attainment, in reality, one still possesses the fruit and the measure of liberation realization, capable of attaining liberation. Conversely, if one has no merit or benefit, no genuine measure of liberation realization, even if the Buddha issues a certificate and everyone reveres one as a great virtuous one, an arhat, or a bodhisattva, in truth one remains an ordinary person, still bound by the karmic obstacles of birth and death.

What every person studying Buddhism and practicing cultivation seeks is genuine liberation and true progress on the path, not vanity. Vanity is unreliable; what it brings is still vanity, like a soap bubble. We should not be captivated by the beauty of soap bubbles; we should not cherish illusions. We must seek the actual, attain the real. Saying this is one thing, but putting it into practice is very difficult. Only after the wave of fruit-attainment fervor passes can the Buddhist community begin to focus on practical reality. Right now belongs to a period of intense pursuit of fruits and glory; encountering a genuine practitioner is difficult. Only when the extravagance fades away can the truth be revealed.