How to Ultimately Attain Buddhahood

The realization of all dharmas lies entirely with the manas, not with the mind consciousness—whether in the Buddhadharma or in worldly affairs. What the mind consciousness learns does not take effect; it is merely a kind of knowledge, serving only to permeate and influence the manas. If the knowledge the mind consciousness learns does not permeate the manas, does not enable the manas to realize it, then there is no beneficial effect of merit. So where lies the difference between intellectual understanding and realization through practice? Intellectual understanding resides in the six consciousnesses, whereas realization lies in the manas's realization and acceptance—on the mind consciousness permeating the manas, transforming the manas, and eliminating the manas's ignorance, for all dharmas are governed by the manas. Once the manas realizes this, it can transform the mental activities, and we can attain buddhahood. When we engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) in the Buddhadharma, the more we contemplate, 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 and the permeation and cultivation are accomplished, and He realizes the Buddhadharma, we attain liberation and accomplish the Buddha Way.

The elimination of self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) must certainly be the elimination of the manas's self-view. The manas takes the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) as self; through studying the theory to permeate the manas, the manas is enabled 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 the manas no longer grasps at and clings to all dharmas, we attain liberation.

This is the key and the secret of cultivation, true for both the Small Vehicle and the Great Vehicle. On the side of the Great Vehicle, 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. It does not know the true reality of the dharma realm, does not know that all dharmas are illusorily manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, nor does it know that He Himself is an illusory dharma manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. Because the manas does not know this principle, it takes all dharmas as truly existent and clings to them without cease, thus creating karmic actions of body, speech, and mind; in that way birth-and-death is unending, 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 true existence of the tathāgatagarbha; then permeate the manas, letting the manas deliberate (manana) and investigate, and finally realize the tathāgatagarbha. The true reality of the dharma realm is the tathāgatagarbha; all dharmas in the dharma realm are manifested 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 has realized the true reality. Thereafter, in the course of cultivation and realization, it gradually no longer grasps at self, no longer grasps at all dharmas, and thus the grasping at dharmas can be gradually eliminated. 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, and eliminating ignorance means eliminating the manas's ignorance; eliminating afflictions means eliminating the manas's 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; they arise and cease, illusorily transforming 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 the Buddha fruit and the Buddha position. But in the ultimate ground of reality, the manas is never the Buddha and cannot take any fruit or position; even attaining buddhahood is an illusory 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 Buddha to be attained, and none of the consciousnesses attains buddhahood—only thus can one ultimately attain buddhahood.