Mind Cleared, Affliction-Free, Return in Triumph

The sixth and seventh consciousnesses are formless and without characteristics; the dreams they produce are likewise formless and without characteristics. How then can the people, things, and events within a dream possess form and characteristics? Why is it possible to perceive people, things, and events with form and characteristics? How can a formless, characteristicless dream carry or contain form and characteristic things? Formlessness and characteristiclessness should be incompatible with form and characteristics. Since they are incompatible, how can people, things, and events exist within a dream?

Similarly, the Tathāgatagarbha is formless and without characteristics; the seven great seeds are formless and without characteristics; karmic seeds are formless and without characteristics. How then can all dharmas born from them possess form and characteristics? All dharmas do not lie outside the Tathāgatagarbha. How can the formless, characteristicless Tathāgatagarbha carry or contain all form-and-characteristic dharmas? How can the formless, characteristicless Tathāgatagarbha be compatible with all form-and-characteristic dharmas? Therefore, it is said: All dharmic appearances, when they fall upon the eye, become a cataract; when they fall upon the ear, they become an ailment; when they fall upon the nose, they become a cataract-ailment; when they fall upon the tongue, they become an ailment; when they fall upon the body, they become a cataract-ailment; when they fall upon the mind, they become an ailment. The seven consciousnesses become afflicted, and only then do they perceive dharmas. If the seven consciousnesses were unafflicted, where would there be any dharmas at all? Therefore, it is said that spiritual practice is the removal of the cataract-ailment, the removal of appearances and attachments. Only when the mind is empty does the ailment heal; an empty mind is the ultimate attainment.

Whenever you perceive dharmic appearances, you must awaken to the realization: this is the vision of the cataract-ailment. Seeing through the cataract-ailment, I am afflicted, I am suffering from illness, I need to cure the disease, I need to remove the cataract. Persisting in this way, one day, sooner or later, the cataract-ailment will be removed, appearances will no longer be seen, and normalcy will be restored. Originally, none of us are normal people. What was originally considered normal is actually not normal; it is merely called normal. The normalcy after restoration is also not normal; it is merely called normal. Liberation after attaining normalcy is not liberation; it is merely called liberation. The path of practice is precisely like this. Those who do not follow this are not truly practicing; it is merely called practice, or false practice.

Do not think that studying Buddhism and practicing is about gaining something; rather, it is about removing something, which is precisely the opposite of previous understanding. Wanting to gain dharmas, gain fruits (of practice), gain honors, gain the great chiliocosm, gain a beautiful life, gain superior proper and dependent retributions — no matter what one seeks to gain, it is all deluded fantasy. One should extinguish all thoughts of having and empty all thoughts.