The Plight of Sentient Beings in the Dharma Ending Age

The Virtue of the Dharma Body is our pure and perfect Dharma Body, capable of perfectly accomplishing all dharmas, with immeasurable merits and virtues fully embodied within it. The Virtue of Prajna is the great wisdom state inherent in our true suchness nature, which is neither empty nor existent, both empty and existent—truly empty yet wondrously existent, simultaneously embracing both emptiness and existence. The Virtue of Liberation is the inherent nature of our mind, unobstructed within the three realms, abiding in no dharma and grasping at no dharma. Though it gives rise to all phenomena, it is tainted by none; itself utterly pure and naked, it clings to nothing.

The Virtue of the Dharma Body is the Virtue of Prajna; the Virtue of Prajna is the Virtue of Liberation; the Virtue of Liberation is the Virtue of the Dharma Body.

Now, consider: Are the Virtue of the Dharma Body, the Virtue of Prajna, and the Virtue of Liberation one, two, or three? Is there a Virtue of Prajna apart from the Dharma Body? Is there a Virtue of Liberation apart from Prajna? The Dharma Body is Prajna, Prajna is Liberation, and Liberation is the Dharma Body. This is the principle of the Dharma Body, which encompasses all dharmas, being neither identical to nor separate from all dharmas.

However, the Virtue of Liberation spoken of by some refers to the acquired, arising-and-ceasing Virtue of Liberation possessed by the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses after cultivation. What I speak of is the innate Virtue of Liberation inherent in the true Mind's essence, the Tathagatagarbha Dharma Body, which is unbound by any dharma of the three realms. The difference between the two is immense. The Virtue of Prajna spoken of by some is the acquired, arising-and-ceasing Virtue of Prajna obtained by the seventh consciousness through cultivation. The Virtue of Prajna I speak of is the innate, transcendental great wisdom Virtue of Prajna inherent in the self-mind Tathagatagarbha. The difference between the two is immense.

The emptiness, conventionality, and middle way spoken of by some are all acquired, arising-and-ceasing emptiness, conventionality, and middle way obtained by the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses through cultivation. True emptiness, conventionality, and middle way are the innate, non-arising, non-ceasing middle way principle essence of emptiness, conventionality, and middle way inherent in the true Mind's nature, the Tathagatagarbha.

When a passage of text is presented, one can discern the level of that person's wisdom, know whether the Dharma meaning is correct and genuine, and gauge its depth. Only then can one rely on the Dharma, not the person. Without understanding the text, how can one rely on the Dharma? One can only rely on the person. When relying on a person, one must say that so-and-so is a certain master, that this master cannot be wrong. This is how people are—they only recognize reputation, only recognize established authority, lacking the wisdom to discern their true level of wisdom.

If we wish to rely on the Dharma and not the person, we must realize the Dharma and possess great wisdom. Only then can we rely on the Dharma. At the very least, we must understand the Dharma to rely on it. If we do not understand the Dharma, we fundamentally cannot rely on it. Truly being able to rely on the Dharma is indeed extremely difficult. Nowadays, how many people loudly proclaim "rely on the Dharma, not the person," yet almost ninety-nine percent of them rely on the person and cannot rely on the Dharma? They all say, "So-and-so is a master; masters are certainly correct; one cannot say the master is wrong; the master's teachings must be fully accepted." In reality, the master's teachings may contain many errors, perhaps extremely numerous and grave. Who has the wisdom to discern them? Moreover, how many people are shouting "do not discriminate"? This is the pitiable state of the wisdomless beings in the Dharma-ending age.

The Buddha's form body is a liberated form. Though liberated, it possesses a form body, using this form body to benefit and bring joy to sentient beings endlessly. Though possessing a form body, it is liberated. In contrast, although the Arhats are liberated, they have no form body—their bodies turn to ashes and their wisdom is extinguished—due to their shallow compassion. Although the Arhats are liberated, they have only ended the suffering of segmented birth and death; they have not yet ended the suffering of changeable birth and death. They still have ignorance, countless cognitive obscurations unremoved, and latent afflictions along with habitual tendencies of afflictions unsevered. Therefore, the liberation of the Arhats is incomplete and unfulfilled.