The Relationship between Phenomenal Practice and Principle-Based Practice

All dharmas are divided into two parts: phenomena (shi) and principle (li). Phenomena are the marks; principle is the principle-substance of the tathāgatagarbha. When discussing phenomena, one must refute the true and real nature of the marks from the standpoint of the marks themselves; at this time one cannot speak from the perspective of the principle of the tathāgatagarbha. That would lead some people to believe that the marks are real, and they would give rise to attachment, thereby binding their minds and being unable to attain liberation.

The Hīnayāna teachings all refute existence from the standpoint of the marks. The Mahāyāna teachings cultivate from both the aspects of principle and phenomena: refuting the marks from the standpoint of principle. Once the principle is recognized, things become easier to handle, but the marks are not abandoned either; one does not cling to principle and discard phenomena. The requirement is that principle and phenomena be perfectly fused together, without leaning toward either side; otherwise, the Buddha-dharma will not be accomplished.

Those who cultivate to the ultimate degree of perfect fusion of principle and phenomena are the Buddhas. Those whose fusion of principle and phenomena is not yet ultimate are the bodhisattvas on the bhūmis and the two awakenings of equality and wondrousness (the tenth bhūmi and Buddhahood). Bodhisattvas who have seen their true mind may be able to achieve a little bit of such fusion; if their power of observation is insufficient, then they cannot achieve any fusion at all.

For a person who has neither realized the fruits nor seen the true mind, if you tell him that the dharmas of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, and all worldly dharmas, are neither arising nor ceasing, he will take them to be real. Then his attachment to them would not be wrong, nothing bad about it; consequently, he would not seek ways to eliminate his own craving and attachment. In that case, the problem of sentient beings' birth and death could not be solved.

"Every dharma is tathatā" is the result of the direct-perception contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of bodhisattvas on the bhūmis and the Buddhas. Ordinary beings can only cultivate step by step, starting from the mark of arising and ceasing (utpāda-nirodha-lakṣaṇa) of the basic five aggregates (pañcaskandha) and eighteen realms. They cannot directly treat the five aggregates and eighteen realms as the neither-arising-nor-ceasing tathatā, for no one would be able to observe this principle through direct perception.

The four dhyānas and eight samādhis are cultivation of phenomena, the cultivation of marks. Marks necessarily have arising and ceasing; there is no mark that does not arise and cease—except for the empty mark of the eighth consciousness. The empty mark is without mark, and therefore neither arises nor ceases. The six consciousnesses within the four dhyānas and eight samādhis are, from the standpoint of marks, arising, ceasing, and changing; the seventh consciousness, too, is seen from the standpoint of marks as arising, ceasing, and changing. When discussing dharmas that arise, cease, and change—when cultivating marks—there must be marks of arising, ceasing, and change. If at this time one were to say that the seven consciousnesses and the four dhyānas and eight samādhis are all neither arising nor ceasing, it would be neither one thing nor the other. If they were all already neither arising nor ceasing, fixed and unchanging, then there would be nothing left for us to cultivate—we would already be perfect.