The Practice Experience of Venerable Pilindavatsa in the Shurangama Sutra

Original Text: When I first resolved to follow the path, I entered the Way through the Buddha, frequently hearing the Tathāgata speak of the joyless matters of the world. While begging for alms in the city, my mind contemplated the Dharma methods. Unaware of the path, I was pierced by a poisonous thorn on my foot, causing pain throughout my body. I then had a knowing awareness, perceiving this deep pain; though consciousness perceived the pain, the pure mind was aware without any sensation of pain. I further contemplated: Can one body truly possess dual awareness? Gathering my thoughts without delay, body and mind suddenly became empty. Within twenty-one days, all defilements were utterly exhausted, and I became an Arhat. I received the personal confirmation and manifested the realization of the non-learning stage. When the Buddha inquired about perfect penetration, according to my realization, pure awareness transcends the body—this is foremost.

Explanation: When I first resolved to leave household life and follow the Buddha into the path of cultivation, I often heard the Buddha speak about the undesirable and non-joyful matters of the world. Once, while begging for alms in the city, my mind was contemplating the methods of practice. Walking along the road, I inadvertently stepped on a poisonous thorn that injured my foot, causing pain throughout my body. At that moment, my mind possessed a knowing awareness that perceived this profound pain. Although consciousness (mental consciousness) was aware of the intense pain (from bodily consciousness), it also knew that the inherently pure mind did not experience pain—it possesses no sensation of pain.

I further contemplated: Can one body truly have two kinds of awareness? As this doubt and inquiry arose, I gathered my thoughts, preventing them from scattering outward. Before long, both body and mind suddenly became empty. Subsequently, over twenty-one days, all afflictions were completely exhausted and eradicated, and I attained the fourth fruition of Arhatship. Later, I received the Buddha's personal confirmation, having cultivated to the stage of non-learning (where no further training is needed). Now, when the Buddha asks about the methods to perfectly penetrate the Dharma, according to my realization, it is through maintaining pure awareness within the mind, contemplating a single Dharma principle, forgetting the existence of the physical body, abiding thus in meditative concentration, giving birth to wisdom, realizing selflessness, and attaining the fruition of Arhatship.

The awareness that feels bodily pain is primarily the function of bodily consciousness, which perceives the tactile object of pain. There is another awareness, that of mental consciousness. Mental consciousness, on one level, is aware of the awareness of bodily consciousness—knowing that bodily consciousness is currently experiencing deep pain. On another level, it perceives the subtle aspect of the pain, primarily the uncomfortable, distressing sensation of mental pain (the unpleasant mental feeling). Further, it is aware of its own mental pain—this is the self-verifying awareness (svasaṃvitti) of mental consciousness, the awareness that introspects itself.

Because the Venerable One was single-mindedly focused on cultivation, although his body was in great pain, his mind remained clear and tranquil. Amidst the pain, he contemplated that which is without pain. As doubt and inquiry arose, he abided deeply within this state of doubt, and meditative concentration (dhyāna) manifested. Within this concentration, through deep and subtle contemplation and investigation, he realized the selflessness of the five aggregates.

Afterwards, due to his power of concentration and awareness, the first dhyāna arose. Within twenty-one days, he progressively eradicated afflictions and became a non-leaking (anāsrava) Great Arhat. This is the process of realizing fruition and illuminating the mind—the process of actual cultivation and realization. The threefold training of precepts (śīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā) were fully present. The Venerable One's precept observance was certainly perfect. With the arising of concentration, the wisdom of liberation finally emerged, enabling him to realize liberation.

In his account of his cultivation experience, there is not a trace of intellectual understanding; it consists entirely of insights from actual practice. Unlike some people today who rely solely on the mental consciousness's intellectual comprehension of the Dharma teachings they encounter, mistaking this understanding for realization. Without even touching the periphery of intellectual comprehension (解悟, jie wu), they consider themselves to have attained realization (证悟, zheng wu). Such so-called realization, and the insights claimed after realization, are still merely products of intellectual understanding, without the slightest bit arising from present-moment observation and personal realization.

In the present world, the spiritual faculties of people differ by a vast distance from those of practitioners in past eras. Without the slightest achievement in meditative concentration, they expound grand theories as if they were their own realizations. Despite being corrected for years and admonished for years, they fail to awaken and remain exactly as before, utterly unaware that the criticism is directed at themselves.