Lectures on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (Pitāputrasamāgamanasūtra) (204)

The Importance of Listening to the Sūtras and Hearing the Dharma

By what means did all the Buddhas of the ten directions and three times attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment and accomplish the Buddha Way? They all relied upon the contemplation of all dharmas as being like a dream, and achieved accomplishment through the three doors of liberation: emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. One first hears the true Dharma of the dream-like contemplation, then contemplates it correctly, and cultivates in accordance with the correct principle arrived at through deliberation, passing through the four steps of hearing, reflection, cultivation, and realization. If one does not listen to the sūtras and hear the Dharma, one will not have right mindfulness with which to contemplate, will not be able to contemplate and illuminate the true reality of all dharmas in accordance with principle, will not have the practice of right effort, will not be able to realize the true reality of all dharmas, will not be able to realize the dream-like contemplation, will not be able to enter the first bhūmi, and will not be able to attain all subsequent liberations.

If one wishes to realize the illusory nature of all dharmas, realize the self-natured pure mind, and realize unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, one must begin with listening to the sūtras and hearing the Dharma; after hearing the Dharma, one must gather the mind and deliberate according to the true meaning. Based on the Buddha's noble utterances, one gains faith through verification with body and mind; when the faculty of faith is firm and one knows that this Dharma will certainly lead to liberation and the accomplishment of the Buddha Way, one will then surely cultivate with courageous diligence, never retreating from the great path of bodhi, and therefore will certainly realize the fruit of bodhi. One first realizes the fruit of the Small Vehicle's bodhi, realizing that the five aggregates and eighteen realms are illusory, that there is no self or person; then one awakens to the ālayavijñāna mind, realizing that the ālayavijñāna neither arises nor ceases, understanding that all dharmas are born from the ālayavijñāna, that the self is illusory and all dharmas are illusory, that everything is of the nature of the ālayavijñāna and nothing else besides; therefore all dharmas are empty, and one can reach the first bhūmi. Then, in sequence, one realizes the second, third, and fourth bhūmis, and finally attains the fruition of the Buddha bhūmi, entering the great nirvāṇa of ultimate perfection. Such is the sequence of cultivation.

If one does not listen to the sūtras and hear the Dharma, and does not delve deeply into the treasury of the sūtras, one will not know how to cultivate with diligence. Delving deeply into the treasury of the sūtras and contemplating in accordance with principle with right mindfulness—merely delving into the treasury of the sūtras is not enough; contemplating with right mindfulness is very important, for it enables the faculties of faith and diligence to grow unceasingly. The Buddha said that by relying on this, one can realize unsurpassed bodhi. In particular, the Dharma gate of all dharmas being like dreams and illusions as taught by the Buddha in this sūtra, when practiced as deep contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) within meditative concentration, enables one to realize the dream-like contemplation, and thereby one can enter the first bhūmi.