What are the conditions required for seeing the mind and attaining enlightenment?

The first point about seeing the mind is that the sixth and seventh consciousnesses must be in a normal state, relatively serene, with inner peace, endowed with meditative concentration, and possessing the wisdom of deliberation and contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā); one must be fairly familiar with and understand the problems of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) body, and after eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) or approaching it, can one have the opportunity to see the mind.

The vast majority of people, even in a normal state, cannot have clear thinking, cannot eradicate the view of self, and cannot see the mind; then in an extremely abnormal state, it is even more impossible to have clear thinking, and they cannot eradicate the view of self or see the mind. For example, in states of unconsciousness, deep sleep and dreaming, the state of the neutrino-body (antarā-bhava), the state after death before the neutrino-body has arisen, extreme anger, extreme weakness, hardship and adversity, grogginess, madness, mental derangement, and so on—when the mind consciousness cannot think normally, how can one attain enlightenment?

In Nirvāṇa without remainder (Anupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa), can one see the mind and attain enlightenment? There is no sixth or seventh consciousness, no one to attain enlightenment, therefore one cannot attain enlightenment.

When unconscious, can one see the mind and attain enlightenment? There is no mind consciousness, no thinking, and the manas is in panic—one cannot attain enlightenment.

When asleep and dreamless, can one see the mind and attain enlightenment? There is no mind consciousness to lead the manas—one cannot attain enlightenment.

When asleep and dreaming, there is a mind consciousness—can one see the mind and attain enlightenment? The mind consciousness cannot think clearly and cannot lead the manas, therefore one cannot attain enlightenment.

After death, before the neutrino-body has arisen, can one see the mind and attain enlightenment? There is no mind consciousness, and the manas is in panic—one cannot attain enlightenment.

In the neutrino-body, can one see the mind and attain enlightenment? Ordinary karmically obstructed sentient beings are in extreme panic in the neutrino-body, not knowing what the future holds—would they still have a calm state of mind to investigate? Without meditative concentration, one cannot attain enlightenment.

Can one attain enlightenment in the nirvāṇa attained in the intermediate state? That nirvāṇa attained in the intermediate state is the nirvāṇa realized by anāgāmins; anāgāmins possess meditative concentration of the first dhyāna and above—generally speaking, only with meditative concentration of the fourth dhyāna and above can one realize the nirvāṇa attained in the intermediate state.

When even a small matter occurs at home, the mind becomes unsettled and one cannot study Buddhism and cultivate normally—let alone in the neutrino-body, before the neutrino-body has arisen, in dreams and outside of dreams. When something small happens and one's hands tremble even while typing, can one still see the mind? When someone comes to curse, and one immediately cannot bear it and curses back, can one still see the mind? Those who create much unwholesome karma and have heavy afflictions are all people without meditative concentration; their minds are not pure and they are easily agitated.

If one has the fourth dhyāna concentration, can one see the mind in the neutrino-body? If one possesses fourth dhyāna concentration while in a human body, then upon emerging from concentration, one can see the mind, because this person, though not always in fourth dhyāna concentration, still has quite good powers of concentration. In the neutrino-body, the power of concentration is also quite good, and the neutrino-body will not affect him, therefore he can attain enlightenment. The benefit of the four dhyānas and eight concentrations is that they enable a person to have meditative concentration in the mind at all times, handling all human affairs calmly, thoroughly, steadily, and with clear thinking.