Sutra on the Divination of the Karmic Retributions of Good and Evil Actions (Volume II)

Original text:若学习真如实观者，思惟心性无生无灭，不住见闻觉知，永离一切分别之想。渐渐能过空处，识处，无少处，非想非非想处等定境界相，得相似空三昧。得相似空三昧时，识、想、受、行、粗分别相，不现在前。从此修学，为善知识大慈悲者守护长养，是故离诸障碍，勤修不废，展转能入心寂三昧。

Explanation: If one cultivates the contemplation of true suchness, one must contemplate the unborn and unceasing nature of the mind's nature, gradually ceasing to dwell in seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing, forever departing from all discriminating thoughts. One's meditative concentration will gradually reach the state-marks of the sphere of boundless space, the sphere of boundless consciousness, the sphere of nothingness, the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, and so forth, and attain a samādhi of semblance emptiness. When one attains the samādhi of semblance emptiness, the aggregate of consciousness, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of formations, and coarse marks of discrimination no longer manifest; only the subtle discrimination of the mind consciousness remains. From this point onward in one's cultivation, one will be protected and nurtured by greatly compassionate good spiritual teachers; therefore one can depart from all obstructions, diligently cultivate without ever ceasing, and in succession be able to enter the samādhi of mental stillness.

Original text:得是三昧已，即复能入一行三昧。入是一行三昧已，见佛无数，发深广行，心住坚信位，所谓于奢摩他、毗婆舍那二种观道，决定信解，能决定向。随所修学世间诸禅三昧之业，无所乐著。乃至遍修一切善根菩提分法，于生死中无所怯畏，不乐二乘。以依能习向二观心最妙巧便，众智所依，行根本故。

Explanation: After attaining this samādhi, one can then immediately enter the samādhi of the single practice. Having entered this samādhi of the single practice, one can see countless Buddhas in samādhi, and thereby give rise to the vast and profound great bodhisattva conduct, with the mind abiding in the stage of firm faith—that is, having decisive faith and understanding of the two contemplative paths of śamatha and vipaśyanā, and being able to proceed decisively toward them. Such a person, in accordance with whatever worldly meditative concentrations and samādhis he has cultivated, does not delight in or attach to the states of samādhi, does not crave the states of samādhi, and abandons each state as soon as it is attained. Finally, he cultivates through all the partial-realization methods of the bodhi path, perfecting all roots of goodness, no longer having any fear amid birth and death, not delighting in the two vehicles, and not seeking nirvāṇa for himself. This is because he relies on the most wondrous, skillful, and expedient method of cultivating the two contemplative minds of śamatha and vipaśyanā, for these two methods of contemplating the mind are what all wisdom relies upon, and are the fundamental methods of practice.

Original text:复次，修学如上信解者，人有二种，何等为二？一者利根，二者钝根。其利根者，先已能知一切外诸境界，唯心所作，虚诳不实，如梦如幻等，决定无有疑虑，阴盖轻微，散乱心少，如是等人，即应学习真如实观。其钝根者，先未能知一切外诸境界，悉唯是心，虚诳不实故，染著情厚，盖障数起，心难调伏，应当先学唯心识观。

Explanation: Furthermore, among those who cultivate the aforementioned faith and understanding, there are two kinds of people. What are the two? One is those of sharp faculties, the other is those of dull faculties. Those of sharp faculties have already known that all external states of realm are created by the mind alone, deceptive and unreal, like dreams and illusions, and so forth; their minds have no further doubts or misgivings about this, the obscuration of the five-aggregate body is slight, and their scattered minds are few. Such people should cultivate the contemplation of true suchness, contemplating that all dharmas are of true suchness self-nature.

As for those of dull faculties, they previously did not know that all external states of realm are entirely created by the mind consciousness, and did not know that these realms are deceptive and unreal; their minds of craving and defilement toward the states of the six sense objects are thick, the obscuration of the five aggregates arises constantly, and their minds are hard to subdue. Such people should cultivate the contemplation of mind-only consciousness, contemplating that all states of realm manifest from the conscious mind.

The contemplation of mind-only consciousness is the contemplative practice of observing that all states of the six sense objects manifest due to the discrimination of the deluded mind—without discrimination, there are no states of realm. It belongs to the basic, shallow level of contemplative practice. The contemplation of true suchness belongs to the deeper level of contemplative practice, contemplating that all dharmas are born from and manifest through the true suchness self-nature, and are entirely true suchness. These two methods of contemplative practice yield different states of wisdom.