Two Kinds of Equal Awakening Nature

The awakened nature of equality is divided into the innate awakened nature of the tathāgatagarbha and the awakened nature cultivated later through practice. How can they be distinguished?

The innate awakened nature is the awakened nature of the tathāgatagarbha. To understand the awakened nature of the tathāgatagarbha, one must study the intrinsic nature of the tathāgatagarbha, and then engage in Chan investigation to realize the tathāgatagarbha through enlightenment; only then will one personally observe, in a directly manifest way, the intrinsic nature of the tathāgatagarbha. Especially after seeing the Buddha-nature, one will realize the wondrous awakened nature of the tathāgatagarbha through all six faculties. Without seeing the mind through enlightenment and attaining the seeing of one's nature, without finding the tathāgatagarbha, one cannot truly understand the awakened nature of the tathāgatagarbha; what one has is merely a similar awareness of the awakened nature of the tathāgatagarbha, not something personally realized.

The awakened nature cultivated later through practice is the awakened quality of the perceiving mind, the seven consciousnesses. The awakening of the perceiving mind has many contents and levels: there is the awakening of the Small Vehicle, the awakening of the Middle Vehicle, and the awakening of the Great Vehicle; there is awakening before enlightenment and awakening after enlightenment. All of these are the seven consciousnesses' relatively correct cognition and understanding of all dharmas, which have changed compared to before.

Separate the two kinds of intrinsic nature—the true mind and the deluded mind—and distinguish them clearly, and you will know. Especially when the true mind has not yet been found, all awakening, of course, belongs to the deluded mind of the seven consciousnesses. After seeing the mind and seeing one's nature, the mind consciousness will gradually take refuge in the intrinsic nature of the true suchness tathāgatagarbha, learning from Him and drawing close to Him. The manas is likewise influenced at the same time: the greed, hatred, and delusion of the manas will gradually diminish, the selfishness of the manas will gradually diminish, the inequality of the manas will gradually diminish, and its quality of equality will gradually grow.