How to Realize the Self-Nature Tathāgatagarbha (Part Two)

The fifth pāramitā is the dhyāna-pāramitā (meditative concentration). A bodhisattva's mind must possess meditative concentration (samādhi). This concentration refers, on the one hand, to the four dhyānas and eight liberations (form meditations); one must cultivate the skill of the four dhyānas and eight liberations, especially the first dhyāna and the preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) prior to the first dhyāna, which must be cultivated and attained. Only within these two types of concentration can one properly carry out contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā); only with the capacity for contemplative practice can one investigate Chan (canhua), and then attain realization. From meditative concentration, the great wisdom of the Buddha-dharma is born. Concentration can also generate merit, called the merit of concentration. On the other hand, concentration refers to the mind being settled, the mind having attained decisiveness. Regarding the profound Mahāyāna prajñā dharma of ultimate reality, the mind has already attained decisiveness and cannot be shaken, firmly believing without doubt that the prajñā sūtras are the crucial treasury of the path toward buddhahood, and thus one cultivates diligently.

The last of the bodhisattva's six pāramitās is the prajñā-pāramitā. A bodhisattva must cultivate prajñā wisdom. What is called prajñā refers to the self-natured pure mind, the tathāgatagarbha, which is neither arising nor ceasing. The prajñā sūtras are the six hundred fascicles of the Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, which principally expound the nature of the prajñā mind of ultimate reality, the tathāgatagarbha, with sūtras such as the Heart Sūtra and the Diamond Sūtra as the main ones, proclaiming the supreme merits of the prajñā mind-substance, guiding sentient beings to awaken and enter ultimate reality, and opening up great wisdom. Bodhisattvas must study and understand these sūtras; after understanding them, they should investigate and verify them within meditative concentration. When the conditions of time and circumstance are complete, they can realize the prajñā mind-substance, the tathāgatagarbha, and thereby obtain the great wisdom of prajñā.

As bodhisattvas, we mainly cultivate these six pāramitās, and the last one, prajñā wisdom, is the most important. We are now all immersed in cultivating prajñā wisdom, immersed in cultivating the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha. Each bodhisattva's duration of immersion in cultivation differs, so the speed of realization differs. Because throughout countless kalpas we have been extremely attached to the false appearances of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) and the false appearances of the eighteen realms (dhātus), taking illusory dharmas as real, we have thereby obscured the appearance of the true mind; we can only recognize false appearances and not recognize the true dharma.

Therefore, many bodhisattvas must first cultivate the Hīnayāna dharma of the Āgama sūtras, first seeking the eradication of the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa). After becoming a srotāpanna, sakṛdāgāmin, anāgāmin, or arhat of the fourth fruit, one eliminates the false appearances one by one within the mind, and then seeks the truth within the false appearances. After eradicating the view of self, it becomes easy to find that neither-arising-nor-ceasing mani jewel that constantly radiates light. Before eradicating the view of self, one easily takes certain dharmas within the five aggregates to be the precious jewel, and the true jewel of the self-natured tathāgatagarbha is not easy to find, because mixed together they are hard to distinguish. Once we have eliminated all of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, it becomes easy to realize the self-natured pure mind, the tathāgatagarbha, and thus seeing the mind will also come quickly.