The Essence of the Heart Sutra

Section 2  How to Attain Great Wisdom through Contemplative Practice

Now let us further explain the meaning of "contemplation" (观). What is contemplation? Contemplation means contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and observation, and it also includes thinking and deliberation. Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin) is the Bodhisattva who can observe whether sentient beings' tathāgatagarbha is at ease or not at ease, and whether the knowing mind is at ease or not at ease. From the seventh abode stage, upon enlightenment and seeing the mind, a Bodhisattva can carry out this kind of contemplative practice. In studying Buddhism and cultivating the path, we first pass through the ten stages of faith; after the ten stages of faith are perfected, we enter the ten abodes, the ten practices, and the ten dedications, then enter the ten bhūmis, and finally the stages of equal enlightenment and wondrous enlightenment—fifty-two stages in all. After seeing the mind and seeing one's nature, the Bodhisattva begins to observe and deliberate upon the various characteristics of the tathāgatagarbha. After attaining the bhūmis, the Bodhisattva becomes increasingly versed in the Buddha-dharma and can carry out even deeper contemplative practice; the further one progresses, the deeper and subtler the content of contemplative practice becomes, and the wisdom becomes ever more profound and expansive.

1. The Different Types of Contemplative Practice

Contemplative practice is roughly divided into three types: the contemplative practice of the Small Vehicle, the contemplative practice of the Middle Vehicle, and the contemplative practice of the Great Vehicle. After attaining buddhahood, one no longer needs contemplative practice; but every stage of cultivation before buddhahood requires contemplative practice. Therefore, contemplative practice is an extremely important mode of cultivation in the process of practice, indispensable, and the essential path to gaining wisdom.

The object and scope of Small Vehicle contemplative practice are the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) and the eighteen realms. Through contemplating the five aggregates and eighteen realms, one realizes the falsity of this false self, and can then eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) and self-grasping, realize the first fruit of the Śrāvaka up to the arhat of the fourth fruit, and finally attain liberation of the mind. The object and scope of Middle Vehicle contemplative practice are the twelve links of dependent origination. Through deliberating, inferring, and verifying each link of the twelve links of dependent origination, one finally realizes the fruit of a Pratyekabuddha, thereby eradicating the ignorance of one thought and attaining liberation.

Before Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas awaken to the Way, they must extensively cultivate the six pāramitās of the Bodhisattva on the outer path. After cultivating the six pāramitās, they then practice meditative contemplation—investigating Chan—passing in sequence the first, second, and third barriers of the Chan school. After a Bodhisattva sees the mind and realizes the originally-at-ease tathāgatagarbha, he must contemplate the overall appearance of the tathāgatagarbha's functioning and the subtle details of its specific operations, gaining general-characteristic wisdom and specific-characteristic wisdom. After contemplating and realizing the contemplation of illusoriness to become a Bodhisattva of the tenth abode, he then contemplates and realizes the contemplation of mirage-like appearances and the contemplation of dream-likeness, becoming a Bodhisattva of the ten practices and ten dedications. Then, with one portion of the wisdom of the varieties of paths complete, he can enter the house of the Tathāgata and become a Bodhisattva of the first bhūmi. Entering the first bhūmi, he further contemplates the seed functions of the tathāgatagarbha and realizes the contemplation of mirror-like reflections. With the full mind of the first bhūmi, he enters the second bhūmi, and then bhūmi by bhūmi the contemplative practice becomes ever deeper and subtler, until the wisdom of all aspects (sarvākārajñatā) is complete and buddhahood is perfectly attained—then contemplative practice is no longer needed.

2. How Bodhisattvas Cultivate Contemplative Practice

Contemplative practice is also called Chan cultivation or contemplative deliberation. It means that, on the premise that the mind is settled on one object, one deeply and subtly observes and deliberates in meditative concentration upon the true meaning and ultimate meaning of the Buddha-dharma, thereby opening wisdom; the deeper the concentration, the deeper the wisdom gained. If a Bodhisattva does not cultivate contemplative practice, studying Buddhism becomes purely theoretical study of Buddhist scholarship; one will never realize the fruits, cannot break through ignorance and gain the meritorious benefit of liberation, and thus cannot escape the cycle of birth and death and reach the other shore of nirvāṇa. Therefore, the skill of cultivating contemplative practice is very important. When calm and insight are practiced together, all ignorance can be broken through; otherwise, one cannot "practice the profound prajñāpāramitā," and will have only shallow emotional musings and intellectual interpretations, dry wisdom and wild wisdom, without true wisdom of liberation.

Bodhisattvas who are beginning practitioners of contemplative practice should proceed from the shallow to the deep. First, they should cultivate contemplative practice on the outer path, contemplating and deliberating on the falsity of the conventional truth of the five aggregates and eighteen realms in order to eradicate the view of self. Next, they should immerse themselves in correct prajñā knowledge and views, first understanding theoretically the characteristics of the tathāgatagarbha, understanding that the activities of the five aggregates never depart from the operation of the tathāgatagarbha, and understanding that there is a tathāgatagarbha latent within the body performing all its functions. Then, under the guidance of a good teacher (kalyāṇamitra), they enter Chan cultivation and contemplative practice such as watching the huatou and investigating the huatou—that is, the stage of investigating Chan. When the conditions of time and circumstance are all complete, the wisdom of prajñā ultimate reality can arise, and one realizes the mind of ultimate reality (dharmatā-citta), the tathāgatagarbha, thereby gaining the general-characteristic wisdom of prajñā. From then on, one can enter the inner path to cultivate contemplative practice.

So-called inner-path contemplative practice refers to the contemplative practice that a Bodhisattva must cultivate after enlightenment and seeing the mind, having truly entered the hall of the Buddha-dharma. It mainly involves contemplating the subtle details of the tathāgatagarbha's operation and the seed functions it contains—contemplating how the tathāgatagarbha operates in harmony with the first seven consciousnesses to manifest the myriad phenomena of the six sense objects and to accomplish worldly and supramundane dharmas. The deeper and subtler the Bodhisattva's contemplative practice, the sharper the wisdom becomes, until the wisdom of all aspects is fully accomplished.

Bodhisattvas cultivating contemplative practice must rely on the power of meditative concentration as a supporting condition. Beginning Bodhisattvas who wish to eradicate the view of self, to investigate Chan and see the mind, and to deliberate on profound dharma meanings must not let the mind consciousness be scattered and chasing after objects everywhere; they must not dissipate too much energy attending to unrelated worldly affairs, and the mind must not have too many obstructions and attachments. One must possess the corresponding power of meditative concentration—preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) up to the concentration of the first dhyāna. In this way, the mind consciousness is settled in one place, fixed on one object, with strong powers of focus; only then can the force of contemplative practice be deep and penetrating, and great wisdom arise. To eradicate the view of self and even to see the mind and attain realization, one must at least have the power of concentration of the desire-realm preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi); to enter the bhūmis and study the wisdom of the varieties of paths, one must at least have the power of concentration of the first dhyāna. When practicing contemplation in concentration, one should pay attention to the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā, and not focus excessively on the meditative state; otherwise one may easily enter deep concentration and be unable to continue deliberating and investigating.