Commentary on the Mahayana Vijnapti Sutra

Xianhu addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One, although sentient beings know consciousness exists, it is like a treasure locked within a box—unmanifested and unknown. World-Honored One, not knowing this consciousness, what form does it take? Why is it called consciousness? When sentient beings die, their hands and feet thrash about, their eyes change color, and they lose self-control. Their faculties perish, the elements disperse, and consciousness departs from the body. Where does it go? What is its intrinsic nature? What appearance does it have? How does it abandon this body and receive another?"

The primary hindrances to the arising of the first dhyāna are the five hindrances (nīvaraṇa): sensual desire, ill will, sloth-torpor, restlessness-worry, and doubt. Especially the hindrance of sensual desire—if attachment to desires in the human realm and the desire heavens is strong, the first dhyāna of the form realm cannot arise. Only when desires for the human realm and desire heavens are subdued can the first dhyāna of the form realm arise. To develop the first dhyāna of the form realm, one must subdue all kinds of desires, including sexual desire and desire for food, among others. If a person is particular about eating, clothing, dwelling, and possessions, fond of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations, the first dhyāna cannot be attained. Being too attached to living conditions also prevents meditative concentration. Only when the mind truly becomes indifferent to any environment—neither clinging to the good nor resenting the bad, without mental activity arising toward the environment—can meditative concentration be achieved. The moment a desiring thought arises, there is no concentration. True indifference means no mental activity arises. In daily life, if one is indifferent and unattached to everything, unconcerned with the quality of the environment, only then will meditative concentration arise. If one still fusses over food, nutrition, color, aroma, and flavor, the first dhyāna will not arise, and one cannot enter the form realm dhyāna.

When one first attains the fruit [of enlightenment] or realizes the mind, if meditative concentration cannot arise or deepen, once this period and opportunity pass, it becomes difficult to develop the first dhyāna later. One should seize the moment when the view of self is severed, when clarity and awareness appear, and when inner joy arises, to diligently cultivate meditative concentration. Without this clarity and awareness, with shallow concentration, do not expect the first dhyāna to arise later—it will be difficult to manifest. Especially for lay practitioners, whose lives are too closely tied to daily routines, it is even harder to develop the first dhyāna. Monastics find it relatively easier, being somewhat more distant from worldly things. It is very difficult for laypeople to practice the Dharma; life constantly presents situations that stir their thoughts, making it hard to attain meditative concentration.

In the past, after leaving home, non-Buddhist practitioners not only attained the first dhyāna but some even achieved the four dhyānas and the four formless absorptions (ārūpya-samāpatti). Some even attained the highest meditative state, the absorption of neither perception nor non-perception (nirodha-samāpatti). They went deep into the mountains to specialize in meditative concentration, truly achieving a state of seeking nothing from the world. Yet now, we struggle even to attain access concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) or desire realm concentration (kāma-dhātu-samādhi). From this perspective, we are now even inferior to non-Buddhist practitioners.

How can the capacity of us present-day Buddhists compare to that of non-Buddhist practitioners? Yet we look down upon them. Those non-Buddhists cultivated the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis without ever chanting slogans about "letting go," yet they genuinely relinquished the five desires and six dusts—they were practitioners who genuinely realized meditative concentration through actual practice. But we Buddhists chant slogans all day long yet never manage to abandon even a little of worldly attachments in our entire lives. Those who practiced non-Buddhist paths simply had unfavorable karmic conditions from past lives—perhaps in a past life they also practiced meditative concentration but followed non-Buddhist methods, without taking refuge in the Three Jewels or receiving precepts, hence they did not encounter the true Dharma in this life. Therefore, taking refuge in the Three Jewels is crucial. If one takes refuge in this life, one will still take refuge in future lives and will not practice non-Buddhist paths. Practicing Buddhism without upholding the Five Precepts or taking refuge in the Three Jewels is absolutely unacceptable—such a foundation is unstable, and one easily falls into non-Buddhist paths in future lives. If one does not cultivate meditative concentration in this life, one will remain distant from its realization in the next life, still unable to cross the threshold of concentration practice, and thus will fail to realize the Dharma. Therefore, the Buddha instructs us to practice certain methods; we must practice accordingly and not invent our own. We must practice exactly as the Buddha taught. The Buddha's words are the measure of the saints; we must follow them one hundred percent to attain the benefits of the Dharma.

Bodhisattva Xianhu asked the Buddha, "What is its intrinsic nature? What appearance does it have? How does it abandon this body and receive another?" The "intrinsic nature" mentioned here refers to the ālaya-vijñāna, the eighth consciousness. It possesses its own intrinsic nature, while other dharmas lack intrinsic nature—they are all manifestations of it. What is the intrinsic nature of the ālaya-vijñāna? What form does it have? At the end of life, how does the ālaya-vijñāna discard the present physical body to receive another? How does it transform to produce another body? Bodhisattva Xianhu asked the key questions about the rebirth of sentient beings. This "receive" means the ālaya-vijñāna goes to embrace another body, abandoning the dying body to manifest, embrace, and accept another physical form.