The Fundamental Purpose of Buddhist Practice is to Realize the True Reality of the Dharma Realm

The goal of learning Buddhism is to give rise to the great wisdom of prajna. Only with the great wisdom of prajna can one attain Buddhahood. The essence of prajna is the eighth consciousness, the Tathagatagarbha. All Buddhist sutras revolve around the Tathagatagarbha; thus, the Tathagatagarbha is the key and the principal consciousness for attaining Buddhahood. The conscious mind is easily recognized, but realizing the conscious mind does not lead to understanding the true reality of the Dharma realm, nor does it give rise to the great wisdom of prajna. This is not the fundamental goal of learning Buddhism.

The fundamental purpose of Buddhist practice is to realize the eighth consciousness, the Tathagatagarbha, thereby illuminating the mind and perceiving true nature, becoming a Mahayana bodhisattva. Then, one can cultivate various wisdoms through contemplation practices, ultimately attaining Buddhahood. The principles of the eight consciousnesses are all important and must be understood, for this grants us great wisdom. Not knowing even one dharma is ignorance. When ignorance is completely eradicated, one attains all-wisdom, and the mind becomes entirely luminous, with no dharma left uncomprehended—thus, one becomes a Buddha.

By understanding the nature of the conscious mind, one can sever the view of self associated with consciousness and cease mistaking consciousness for the true mind, the eighth consciousness, to be realized. By understanding the nature of the seven deluded consciousnesses, one can identify these seven deluded minds, making the remaining eighth consciousness easy to find. Realizing the eighth consciousness, the Tathagatagarbha, is to illuminate the mind and attain enlightenment. This enables one to comprehend the five expressions about self-nature spoken of by the Sixth Patriarch, opening our wisdom. Then we will know the origins and connections of all dharmas, both mundane and supramundane, and understand the root source of all phenomena.