The Arising of Smṛti-sambodhyaṅga Is the Prerequisite for Dharma Realization

The first of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment is the Enlightenment Factor of Mindfulness. It means that after learning a certain Dharma teaching, one comprehends this Dharma, recognizes this Dharma, and remembers this Dharma. Once the Dharma enters the mind and resides within the heart, one is usually able to recollect this Dharma, reflect upon this Dharma, and contemplate this Dharma. When encountering circumstances, one can then observe this Dharma as it truly is. This is the prerequisite for realizing the Dharma. If any single step or link in this process is missing, both the Enlightenment Factor of Mindfulness and the Seven Factors of Enlightenment remain incomplete, and one cannot realize the Dharma. Once the Dharma has entered the mind and can be recollected, one no longer needs to study this Dharma daily with books constantly in hand; otherwise, the Enlightenment Factor of Mindfulness has not yet arisen. At what stage of Buddhist study and practice, then, can one possess the Enlightenment Factor of Mindfulness?

Who are those who, after studying the Dharma, cannot internalize it no matter how they learn, cannot remember it, cannot recall it, and must rely on books to understand the Dharma and contemplate the teachings within the texts? Those who have not yet given rise to the Enlightenment Factor of Mindfulness have little impression of or interest in the Dharma. They are like this, with very weak mindfulness. Only after enhancing their interest and recognizing the importance of the Dharma can the mind occasionally recollect the Dharma.

For example, after studying the teaching of the Five Aggregates being without self in the Hinayana tradition, one may know while reading a book that the six dusts of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects are all empty, false, and unreal. Yet, upon putting the book down and encountering the realm of the six dusts, one still views form with extreme pickiness and attachment, desiring the best and unwilling to endure the slightest hardship. Upon hearing sounds, one is also extremely picky and attached. Smelling scents, one is extremely picky and fixated on fragrance or foulness. Encountering tactile sensations and mental objects, one is similarly extremely picky and attached, completely forgetting the phrase one was just reading: "The six dusts are illusory and unobtainable." These phenomena indicate that this person has not internalized the teaching that the six dusts are empty and false, lacks the capacity for recollection, and cannot contemplate or observe. The Enlightenment Factor of Mindfulness has not yet arisen. When, then, can such a person realize the impermanence and non-self of the six dusts? There is no fixed date—perhaps in a donkey year, or maybe a horse month.