The Illusory Nature of Contemplative Practice and Meditative Experiences

After the six consciousnesses make contact with the six sense-object dharmas, there is feeling and the perception of feeling. Sentient beings all take these various feeling-perceptions to be utterly real, and take all these feeling-perceptions to be the self; they therefore react to these various feeling-perceptions, either with fondness and craving, or with anger and resentment. In reality, all these feeling-perceptions are extremely illusory and unreal—things generated from the seeds of consciousness, like an electric current formed by the flow of electrons, extremely unreal. Why take feeling-perceptions so seriously and thereby create unwholesome karmic actions?

Observe and imagine the process by which an electric current is generated, and you will know that a current is formed by the aggregation and flow of countless electrons; the electrons themselves are formless and without appearance, arising and ceasing in constant change, delivered by a generator to form the current, and the electrons then return to the generator. The electric current is nothing but arising, ceasing, mutation—an illusion that vanishes once it has done its work.

It is the same with feeling-perceptions. What is there to cling to? What is there to take as real?

Contemplate the mind of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, and the minds of the five sense consciousnesses—they too are illusory and unreal. Contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on this is far more important than contemplating any of the six sense-object realms. When the mind ceases, all dharmas cease. To catch bandits, first capture their king; the consciousness-mind is the master of the dharmas—keep watch on the master, and let the cattle and sheep run wherever they will.

Grasp hold of the feeling-perceptions and keep watch on them: the mind's thoughts and views will inevitably be purified, evil karma will inevitably be extinguished, unnecessary karmic actions will inevitably be created less and less, the mind will inevitably gradually attain tranquility (praśama), afflictions will inevitably fade, meditative concentration (samādhi) will inevitably arise, and wisdom will inevitably be born. The body will feel light and at ease, and body and mind will inevitably undergo transformation. What is there not to rejoice in? Why immerse yourself day after day in all kinds of feeling-perceptions, unable to extricate yourself, distressed and afflicted, with body and mind worn thin?