The Divine Eye and Visions in Samadhi Are Illusions

The celestial eye perceives what is also manifested by one's own Tathāgatagarbha. If the perceived dharmas seem real, this too is an illusion. Meditative resultant forms arise in the brain, within the superior root faculties; thus, the meditative resultant forms seen in samādhi are still illusory. As long as there is a physical body and a brain, all dharmas will manifest there. Dharma dust, the form included in the dharma-āyatana, all manifest in the brain.

What is the Buddha's radiance? When the conscious mind does not know or differentiate, there are still form-dusts present. These form-dusts are still false, illusory, composed of the four elements, arising and ceasing instantaneously, and empty. The Buddha's radiance is also composed of material elements; it is form-dharma made of the four elements — false, illusory, subject to arising and ceasing, and unreal. Therefore, seeing Buddha's radiance in meditation and feeling it is real is an illusion. Thus, there is no need for us to cling to Buddha's radiance. The demon king can also manifest such light; the demon king can also transform into the appearance of the Buddha.

Observing human anatomy diagrams reveals that bodily movements are muscular actions, mechanical, not the action of a real "I". The human body is merely a tool for the manas (mind-root), a highly precise, mechanized, and fully automated instrument — not real, but orchestrated by the Tathāgatagarbha. What exactly is this thing that can be disassembled and reassembled like this? Is it you? Can it be taken as "me"? Is it worth paying such a high price to cling to it? It’s only used for a few decades anyway; if it breaks, just replace it with a better one.

Look at this neural system: it's nothing but a tangle of positive and negative wires, a mess of knotted ropes. It pulls out the saṃskāra-skandha (formation aggregate) and the vijñāna-skandha (consciousness aggregate), conjures up the saṃjñā-skandha (perception aggregate) and the vedanā-skandha (sensation aggregate). See through it — there’s actually nothing there. Shed these burdens, and you’ll be light, free, liberated, without worry or affliction.

All of this is just for use; there’s no need to cling to it. This includes the entire physical body, including the functions and operations of the six consciousnesses — all have fixed programs, designed and orchestrated by the Tathāgatagarbha for the use of the manas. If someone slaps you or punches you, just let it go; don’t take it to heart — they haven’t hit you. If someone acts unreasonably towards you, let it go too — they haven’t invaded you, they haven’t harmed you. Let the world be as it will; good or bad, it doesn’t matter. None of it is real, so why be contentious? You bear a grudge against me, I harbor hatred towards him, you resent me, I dislike him — such afflictions are utterly unreasonable and meaningless. From the struggles between microorganisms to wars between nations, to world wars — fighting fiercely, it’s completely senseless. No one is truly defeated, no one is truly destroyed. Things arise and cease, cease and arise; there is no real birth, no real death. If millions die in the world, it’s just a heap of tangled ropes disappearing.

When hundreds of Śākyamuni Buddha’s relatives were killed by King Virūḍhaka, Ānanda lost his composure and grieved. Yet the Buddha’s heart remained as calm as still water, unperturbed and without hatred. Why could the Buddha see through it so clearly? Because all of this contains no real person or real event; it is illusory and empty. Thus, the Buddha was liberated, while Ānanda, not being liberated, suffered greatly.