How to Ultimately Attain Buddhahood

The realization of all dharmas lies entirely with the manas, not with the mind consciousness—whether in Buddhadharma or in worldly dharmas. What the mind consciousness learns does not take effect; it is merely knowledge, serving only to permeate and influence the manas. If the knowledge learned by the mind consciousness does not permeate the manas, does not enable the manas to realize it, then there is no beneficial effect of merit. So where does the difference between intellectual understanding and realization lie? Intellectual understanding resides in the six consciousnesses, whereas realization lies in the manas' realization and acceptance, in the mind consciousness permeating the manas, transforming the manas, and eradicating the manas' ignorance—all dharmas are governed by the manas. Once the manas realizes this, it can transform its mental activities, and we can attain buddhahood. When we engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) in Buddhadharma, the more we practice, the more we feel that the most fundamental thing lies in the manas. The manas is the key to buddhahood and also the master of birth-and-death in saṃsāra. Once the manas is subdued, the permeation and cultivation is accomplished, and He realizes the Buddhadharma, we attain liberation and accomplish the Buddha Way.

Therefore, the eradication of the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) must be the eradication of the manas' view of self. The manas takes the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) as self; through studying the theory and permeating the manas, the manas is led to investigate the selflessness of the five aggregates, and to accept that these dharmas are neither self nor belonging to self. Once the manas realizes this principle, the three fetters are severed, the mind can gradually become purified, the mental activities will gradually transform, and when there is no longer grasping (upādāna) at all dharmas, we attain liberation.

This is the key and the secret of cultivation, and it is so in both the Small Vehicle and the Great Vehicle. On the Great Vehicle side, the manas has always taken the merits of the tathāgatagarbha as its own—all dharmas are mine, all belong to me, I can determine all dharmas, I am the master of all dharmas—not knowing the true reality of the dharmadhātu, not knowing that all dharmas are conjured forth by the tathāgatagarbha, and not knowing that He Himself is a conjured dharma manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. Because the manas does not know this principle, it takes all dharmas as truly existent and grasps at them unceasingly, thereby creating karmic actions of body, speech, and mind; thus birth-and-death continues without end, and buddhahood cannot be attained.

Studying the Mahāyāna dharma means letting the mind consciousness first understand, theoretically, the selflessness of these dharmas and know the truly existent nature of the tathāgatagarbha, and then permeate the manas, letting the manas deliberate (manasikāra) and investigate, and finally realize and take up the tathāgatagarbha. The true reality of the dharmadhātu is the tathāgatagarbha; all dharmas in the dharmadhātu are transformed forth by the tathāgatagarbha. All these functions and operations are not the functions of the manas but the functions of the tathāgatagarbha. After the manas knows and accepts this principle, it realizes the true reality. Thereafter, in the course of cultivation and realization, one gradually no longer grasps at self, no longer grasps at all dharmas, and thus the grasping at dharmas can be gradually exhausted. Cultivating in this way, one not only severs the grasping at self but also severs the grasping at dharmas; once the grasping at dharmas is severed, one ultimately attains buddhahood in the end.

Therefore, the key of cultivation lies entirely in the manas. Ignorance resides in the manas; eradicating ignorance means eradicating the manas' ignorance; eradicating afflictions means eradicating the manas' afflictions. Who is it that attains liberation? It is the manas that attains liberation. When He no longer grasps at the worldly dharmas of the three realms, there is no bondage of birth-and-death, and liberation is of course attained. Who is it that attains buddhahood? The six consciousnesses cannot attain buddhahood, for they arise and cease, are illusory and conjured without stop, and cannot pass on to future lives—so how could they attain buddhahood? The manas can exist continuously without perishing, can continue all the way until the time of attaining buddhahood, and after buddhahood will also never perish. Therefore, buddhahood is accomplished by the manas; it is the manas that takes up the Buddha's fruit and the Buddha's position. But in the ultimate ground of reality, the manas is never the Buddha and cannot take up any fruit or position; even attaining buddhahood is a conjured dharma, not a real dharma. The tathāgatagarbha does not attain buddhahood; in the ultimate ground of reality, the manas also does not attain buddhahood. When the day of attaining buddhahood arrives, one will know: there is no buddhahood to be attained, and no consciousness attains buddhahood—only thus can one ultimately attain buddhahood.