Understanding Is Not Realization

Eternity, Bliss, Self, and Purity are the Four Virtues of Nirvana. "Eternity" means the Buddha's immaculate consciousness no longer has seed variation and remains eternally unchanging. "Bliss" means all the Buddha's karmic obstacles are permanently and utterly exhausted; there are no seeds of suffering within the immaculate consciousness, only seeds of wholesome karmic actions resulting in blissful or neutral feelings, with the karmic result being the bliss of nirvana. "Self" means that within the Buddha's immaculate consciousness, all seeds of birth and death are extinguished; unburdened by karmic obstacles, it is the complete nature of self and can be called "Self". "Purity" means the Buddha's immaculate consciousness has eradicated all defiled seeds, becoming utterly pure and free from defilement.

The eighth consciousness is also obscured by karmic obstacles. If the mind-substance contains no seeds of karmic obstacles, the eighth consciousness will manifest boundless meritorious functions, illuminating the great chiliocosm, just like the Buddha's immaculate consciousness, without any difference — no dharma is not all-pervasive, no dharma is not all-encompassing, no dharma is not manifest. However, the eighth consciousness of sentient beings, being limited by karmic obstacles, cannot manifest the vast majority of supremely wonderful states, cannot create the emanations of sentient beings, cannot create Buddha-lands, and cannot perceive all objects universally. The so-called limitation of the eighth consciousness means its inexhaustible meritorious functions cannot be activated; it is not that it lacks supreme meritorious functions. At the Buddha stage, the eighth consciousness is no longer limited, and all its meritorious functions are fully activated.

Do you all understand and know the principles above? Can you explain them to others? Regarding the study of the Dharma, all understanding and knowing fall upon the conscious mind, not upon the mind of the mental faculty (manas). Although one may comprehend and know, it is still a hundred thousand million miles away from realization, even far exceeding a hundred thousand million miles. Even if one can explain it to others and write a hundred books, it is still a hundred thousand million miles away from realization. Regarding the selflessness of the five aggregates, even if one can understand and know it all, perhaps with deep and penetrating comprehension, it is still not realization. It might be an extremely far distance from realization. Regarding the eighth consciousness, no matter how one understands or knows it, even if the understanding is perhaps very deep, or one can even infer and ponder the functions of the eighth consciousness, it still belongs to comprehension, not realization. It might be an exceedingly, exceedingly far distance from realization.

Many people mistake this kind of comprehension for realization. Those who are eloquent assume the role of virtuous teachers and expound the sutras and Dharma everywhere, speaking with great fluency. But no matter what, the Dharma that enters through the ears and exits through the mouth is not realization. For example, Su Dongpo's understanding of the Dharma: "Unmoved by the eight winds, seated upright upon the purple golden lotus." The Chan master's evaluation: "Bullshit!" As soon as Su Dongpo saw this, he was immediately displeased: "I wrote so well, and you call it bullshit?" So he immediately crossed the river to find the Chan master and argue his case. The Chan master said: "Weren't you 'unmoved by the eight winds'? How come one word 'bullshit' made you rush over to settle accounts with me?"

Therefore, knowing and understanding are useless; only realization is effective. Some people claim they have realized the mind and attained enlightenment, yet when they encounter a situation, they are immediately swayed. Then they use the conscious mind to persuade themselves, feel better for a while, but when the situation arises again, they are swayed once more. Repeating like this for years without gaining autonomy — has this kind of person truly realized the fruit and realized the mind? If they cannot subdue even the coarsest afflictions, cannot ignore or remain unmoved upon seeing a beautiful person of the opposite sex, with thoughts flying wildly and unable to maintain control — can this kind of person be someone who has realized the mind and attained the fruit? Anyone who constantly uses the conscious mind to suppress and convince themselves has not attained realization. True realization means wherever one realizes, one acts accordingly.

Many also claim they have leaped through the dragon's gate like a carp. However, they set the threshold of the dragon's gate very, very low, or even removed the threshold altogether, passing through easily. In reality, they swam through, they did not leap over it. Is this "the carp leaping through the dragon's gate"? Having swum through such a dragon's gate, one remains a carp, not a dragon.