Should Practitioners See the Faults of the World?

This world is inherently fraught with many faults and defects, because human beings have all kinds of afflictions, and inevitably commit many evil deeds and create much evil karma, resulting in much suffering, conflict, and environmental degradation in the world. To see these faults as they truly are requires wisdom and great wisdom; to see these faults 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, and not only to transform oneself but also to transform others and the living environment—none but a great bodhisattva can accomplish this.

Only by knowing one's faults can one arouse the mind to correct them, and only after correcting them can one reach perfection and excellence. Since childhood, I have constantly seen 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 helpless; 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, a person who can see the faults of others must at the very least surpass others in order to see their faults. For example, a student's parents and teachers generally have more knowledge and experience than the students and play the role of supervising them; they must be able to see a student's faults in order to demand correction. Even among classmates, they can supervise one another, learn from each other's strengths and offset each other's weaknesses, and progress together.

How to get along with these faulty people, how to guide faulty people to correct their faults, and how to deal with 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 mediocre and playing the peacemaker? After seeing the faults of others, while cultivating oneself, one should be "abiding in marks yet detached from marks"—both of these require great wisdom.

According to the principles of conventional truth, one needs to see the faults of the world; according to the supramundane principles 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.

Be perfectly clear about worldly dharmas—wholesome and unwholesome, true and false, good and bad (kuśala-akuśala, satya-mithyā, śubha-aśubha) are clear in the mind; do whatever ought to be done, without the slightest ambiguity. At the same time, the mind must clearly understand that all of this is illusory and conjured, that all is empty, that all are false appearances manifested by the tathāgatagarbha—thus one does not attach to any of these marks. Though not attached to marks, each and every mark remains vividly apparent.