Chapter 5: The Method for Countering Ignorance

Original Text: If ignorance is predominant, one should learn three contemplation methods. For the beginner, the intermediate practitioner, or the long-practiced practitioner. If a beginner, instruct thus: Birth conditions aging and death; ignorance conditions volitional formations. Contemplate thus. Do not let the mind wander externally. If external thoughts or various distractions arise, draw it back.

Explanation: If ignorance is predominant, one should cultivate three contemplation methods. Among those with predominant ignorance, there are beginners, those who have practiced for some time, and those who have practiced for a long period. For a beginner, instruct him in the twelve links of dependent origination, such as "birth conditions aging and death" and "ignorance conditions volitional formations." Guide him to contemplate, enabling him to recognize that the fault of birth produces the suffering of aging and death, and the fault of ignorance triggers all karmic actions, leading to the cycle of birth and death. Through such contemplation, prevent the mind from grasping externally. If the mind scatters and becomes distracted, restrain and draw it back.

"Ignorance conditions volitional formations" means that because the manas (mental faculty) possesses ignorance, it fails to understand the true reality of the dharma realm and refuses to abide in the tranquil suchness. Stirring the mind to crave externally, the ālaya-vijñāna (storehouse consciousness) follows the ignorance of manas to produce the mental formations of manas. Manas then becomes agitated internally, seeking to grasp the dharmas of the three realms and the five aggregates (skandhas) of body and mind, desiring to have bodily, verbal, and mental actions.

"Birth conditions aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress" means that the five-aggregate body is impermanent and illusory. After birth, the ālaya-vijñāna holds it and continuously emits the seeds of the four great elements, causing the physical body to grow continuously, gradually age, and finally die. Within this process, there is immeasurable suffering of birth and death, with endless sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress. These sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death are also produced dependently by the ālaya-vijñāna. Their root is still the grasping nature of manas and its craving. Only by eliminating the craving of manas can all suffering be eliminated.

Original Text: If an intermediate practitioner, instruct thus: Volitional formations condition consciousness; consciousness conditions name-and-form; name-and-form conditions the six sense bases; the six sense bases condition contact; contact conditions feeling; feeling conditions craving; craving conditions clinging; clinging conditions becoming. Contemplate thus. Do not let the mind wander externally. If external thoughts or various distractions arise, draw it back.

Explanation: For a practitioner who has trained for some time, instruct him to cultivate the twelve links of dependent origination: volitional formations condition consciousness; consciousness conditions name-and-form; name-and-form conditions the six sense bases; the six sense bases condition contact; contact conditions feeling; feeling conditions craving; craving conditions clinging; clinging conditions becoming. Contemplate step by step in sequence, preventing the mind from scattering externally. If the mind scatters, gather it back and focus on contemplation.

"Volitional formations condition consciousness" means that due to this restless, outward-seeking mental activity of manas, the ālaya-vijñāna satisfies the mental factor of volition (cetanā) of manas, producing the six consciousnesses, enabling manas to utilize the six consciousnesses to fulfill its intentions and perform all bodily, verbal, and mental actions.

"Consciousness conditions name-and-form" means that because the mental activity of manas is continuous and the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses are unceasing, the ālaya-vijñāna automatically stores karmic seeds, thus planting the seeds for future rebirth. At death, if the mental activity of manas continues, seeking the five-aggregate body, the ālaya-vijñāna will produce an intermediate state (gandharva) body. Within this intermediate state body, manas, dissatisfied with the temporary form, seeks the five-aggregate body of the next life. When the conditions of parents are met, the ālaya-vijñāna follows manas to take rebirth, and name-and-form is produced.

"Name-and-form conditions the six sense bases" means that after the fertilized egg (name-and-form) is formed, the ālaya-vijñāna, following manas's conception of the five-aggregate body, continuously transforms the physical body based on karmic seeds and conditions. It develops the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, and the body faculty grows and matures continuously. Thus, the five sense faculties are created by the ālaya-vijñāna. Together with manas, the six sense bases are complete.

"The six sense bases condition contact" means that once the six sense bases are complete, because manas desires to perceive the six sense objects, the ālaya-vijñāna transmits the external six sense objects through the five sense faculties to the five subtle material sense bases. The six faculties then contact the six sense objects. This contact is also produced by the ālaya-vijñāna.

"Contact conditions feeling" means that when the six faculties can contact the six sense objects, manas wishes to discern them. The ālaya-vijñāna then produces the ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mental consciousness to collectively discern the objects of the six sense spheres (in the womb, eye consciousness cannot yet arise to see forms). Thus, the six consciousnesses develop feelings towards the six sense objects—pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings. Manas also has its own feelings within this. These feelings are also produced by the ālaya-vijñāna.

"Feeling conditions craving" means that because of the three feelings of the six consciousnesses, manas, relying on the feelings of the six consciousnesses, has its own feelings. When it contacts sense objects, it also experiences feelings—either pleasant feelings of craving, unpleasant feelings of aversion, or neutral feelings. Due to these feelings, craving arises, especially the craving of manas. The ālaya-vijñāna, depending on this, can produce all subsequent bodily, verbal, and mental actions, generating more dharmas. The feelings of the six consciousnesses and the feelings of manas are all produced by the ālaya-vijñāna emitting seeds of consciousness. The craving of the six consciousnesses is also produced by the ālaya-vijñāna emitting seeds of consciousness. Especially the craving of manas is produced by the ālaya-vijñāna depending on the feelings of manas.

"Craving conditions clinging" means that because manas has craving, it develops grasping, desiring to possess and cling to the myriad dharmas of the six sense objects in the three realms. This grasping nature is also produced by the ālaya-vijñāna emitting seeds of consciousness. Without the ālaya-vijñāna, there is no manas, let alone the feelings, craving, and grasping nature of manas.

"Clinging conditions becoming" means that due to manas clinging to the myriad dharmas of the three realms, the ālaya-vijñāna, following the mental activity of manas, continuously produces all dharmas of the threefold world. "Becoming conditions birth" means that once the dharmas of the threefold world are produced, the environment for the existence of the five-aggregate body is complete. Thus, the ālaya-vijñāna will produce the five-aggregate body.

Original Text: If a long-practiced practitioner, instruct thus: Ignorance conditions volitional formations; volitional formations condition consciousness; consciousness conditions name-and-form; name-and-form conditions the six sense bases; the six sense bases condition contact; contact conditions feeling; feeling conditions craving; craving conditions clinging; clinging conditions becoming; becoming conditions birth; birth conditions aging and death. Contemplate thus. Do not let the mind wander externally. If external thoughts or various distractions arise, draw it back.

Question: The all-knowing one possesses wisdom; all ignorant beings possess ignorance. What is ignorance here? Answer: Ignorance is called not knowing all things. Here, ignorance creates future existence. It makes what exists seem non-existent and what does not exist seem existent. It abandons all wholesome dharmas and takes up all unwholesome dharmas. It destroys true reality and clings to falsehood.

Explanation: For a long-practiced practitioner, instruct thus: Ignorance conditions volitional formations; volitional formations condition consciousness; consciousness conditions name-and-form; name-and-form conditions the six sense bases; the six sense bases condition contact; contact conditions feeling; feeling conditions craving; craving conditions clinging; clinging conditions becoming; becoming conditions birth; birth conditions aging and death. Carefully contemplate all twelve links of birth and death. Do not let the mind scatter externally. If the mind scatters and grasps external objects, draw it back.

Someone asked: All wise beings possess wisdom; all ignorant beings possess ignorance. What is ignorance? The answer is: Ignorance is not knowing all principles and phenomena; ignorance causes the arising of future existence in the three realms, ensuring the continuous rebirth of life; ignorance means the wisdom that should be present is absent, while the ignorance and afflictions that should not be present exist instead; it abandons all wholesome dharmas and takes up unwholesome dharmas; it rejects true reality, is deluded about true reality, and clings to false appearances.

Original Text: As stated in the Chapter on the Characteristics of Ignorance:

Not understanding beneficial dharmas     Not knowing karmic virtue

Yet creating causes for fetters     Like fire struck from flint

Attached to unwholesome dharmas     Far abandoning wholesome dharmas

Thief that robs beings of wisdom     Steals wisdom past and future

Conceiving permanence, bliss, self, purity     Within the five aggregates

Suffering, origin, cessation, path     Also cannot be known

On various troubled, perilous paths     A blind man walks within

Due to afflictions, karmas accumulate     Due to karma, suffering flows and cycles

Taking what should not be taken     Abandoning what should be taken

Galloping in darkness on wrong paths     Stumbling on stumps, falling to the ground

Having eyes but lacking wisdom     The analogy is thus

When these causes and conditions cease     Wisdom's light dawns like the sun

Explanation: As stated in the Chapter on the Characteristics of Ignorance: Not understanding dharmas that are pure and beneficial, nor knowing what constitutes virtuous karmic actions, thus giving rise to the fetter of ignorance, like fire produced by striking flint. Clinging to unwholesome dharmas causes one to abandon wholesome dharmas far away. This is the thief that robs beings of their wisdom; when ignorance comes, wisdom is stolen. Conceiving the five aggregates as permanent, blissful, self, and pure—existing eternally, being pure, delightful, and the true self—such inverted thinking is the fetter of ignorance. Even the Four Noble Truths—suffering, origin, cessation, and path—are not known. It is like a blind man walking on various dangerous paths. Because of afflictions, karmic actions continuously accumulate; because of karmic actions arising from afflictions, the wheel of birth-and-death suffering turns unceasingly. Taking what should not be taken, abandoning what should be taken. Galloping in darkness on wrong paths, stumbling upon a tree stump and falling to the ground. "Having eyes but lacking wisdom" is used to metaphorize ignorance. When, through cultivating the law of dependent origination, ignorance ceases, the light of wisdom will appear like the rising sun.

Original Text: Thus briefly stated. Ignorance up to aging and death is also contemplated thus. Question: In the Buddha Dharma, dependent origination is extremely profound. How can those with much ignorance contemplate dependent origination? Answer: There are two kinds of ignorant people. First, those ignorant like cattle and sheep. Second, those with various wrong views. For ignorant people confused, obscured, and blinded by wrong views, the Buddha taught them to contemplate dependent origination in order to cultivate samādhi.

Explanation: Thus, briefly stated, contemplate ignorance up to aging and death in the same way. Someone asked: In the Buddha Dharma, the law of dependent origination is extremely profound. How can those with much ignorance contemplate the law of dependent origination? Answer: Ignorant people are of two kinds: first, those ignorant like cattle and sheep; second, those with various wrong views—ignorant, confused, inverted, and inwardly obscured. For ignorant people with wrong views, the Buddha taught them to contemplate the twelve links of dependent origination to cultivate samādhi.

The seated meditation taught by the Buddha first requires us to work diligently on our thoughts and views, cleansing the mind. When the mind-ground is clear and bright, samādhi will naturally arise. As the saying goes, true skill lies beyond the verses; samādhi is not in the legs. Those who do not cultivate the mind but merely rely on rigid sitting find it difficult to develop samādhi. Even if they achieve it, it is dead concentration, like entering darkness without a trace of light.

Summary: Regardless of the method, all cultivation is the cultivation of the mind. The mind can penetrate all dharmas; the mind can reach all dharmas; the mind can illuminate all dharmas. Once the mind is illuminated, cultivation ends, and from then on there is nothing more to learn, nothing more to do.