Should Practitioners See the Faults of the World or Not?

This world is inherently fraught with many faults and defects, because human beings have all kinds of afflictions and inevitably commit many evil deeds, creating much evil karma, which leads to many kinds of suffering, conflicts, and environmental degradation in the world. To see these faults and defects as they truly are requires wisdom and great wisdom; to see them and be able to avoid and improve upon them requires even greater wisdom. To be able not only to see one's own faults but also the faults of others, not only to transform oneself but also to transform others and the living environment—only a great bodhisattva can do this.

Only by knowing one's faults can one arouse the mind to correct them; only after correcting them can one become perfect and wholly good. From childhood, I constantly saw the faults of others—I saw that everyone had faults, and there was no way to avoid seeing them. Because I saw the faults of people and of the world yet was powerless to change anything, it was very painful and frustrating. Back then I always wanted to close my eyes and hide from the crowd, so as not to be forced to see people's faults. Therefore, one who can see the faults of others must at the very least surpass them in order to see their faults. For example, a student's parents and teachers generally have more knowledge and experience than the students, and they play the role of supervising and guiding them; they must be able to see a student's faults in order to demand their correction. Even among classmates, they can supervise one another, learn from each other's strengths to offset their weaknesses, and progress together.

How to get along with these fault-ridden people, how to guide them to correct their faults, how to handle these imperfect matters—this is great wisdom, and it also reflects a person's character and cultivation. If one cannot see the faults and defects in people and affairs, what problems can be solved by being a mediocre peacemaker? After seeing the faults of others, while cultivating oneself, one should be "amid marks yet free from marks"—both of these require great wisdom.

According to the principle of conventional truth, one needs to see the faults of the world; according to the supramundane principle of ultimate truth, one does not see the faults of the world. Seeing the faults of the world is the wisdom of conventional truth; not seeing the faults of the world is the wisdom of ultimate truth. Only when the two are perfectly fused together is it true wisdom. And those who can harmoniously integrate the two are the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Regarding worldly dharmas, one should be perfectly clear and lucid—wholesome and unwholesome, true and false, good and bad (kuśala-akuśala, satya-mithyā, śubha-aśubha) all clearly understood in the mind—and act exactly as one should, without the slightest ambiguity. At the same time, the mind must clearly understand that all of this is illusory and conjured, all empty, all false appearances manifested by the tathāgatagarbha—thus one does not attach to any of these marks. Though not attaching to marks, each and every mark remains vividly apparent.