Which Is More Important: the Dharma of Tathāgatagarbha or the Dharma of Manas?

Question: Between the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha and the dharma of the manas, which is ultimately more important? If Māra Pāpīyas wished to destroy the Dharma, which dharma's propagation would he most want to obstruct?

Answer: Both the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha and the dharma of the manas are important. If we must compare which is more important, then the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha is more important, because without the tathāgatagarbha there would be no dharmas at all. Without realizing the tathāgatagarbha, practicing any dharma is useless. Without realizing the tathāgatagarbha, there would be no subsequent contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), and there would be no profound observing wisdom to contemplate the various functions and characteristics of the manas, nor would the equality wisdom of the manas arise.

If Māra Pāpīyas were to destroy the Buddha's Dharma and obstruct it, he would certainly first destroy the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha, and then obstruct the dharma of the manas. Māra Pāpīyas has great merit. When the Buddha dwelt in the world propagating the Dharma, he followed at the Buddha's side and attended many Dharma assemblies. In the vast majority of cases he attended with the purpose of destroying the Dharma; only occasionally, under the influence of the Buddha's power and the Buddha's Dharma, and under the chastisement of bodhisattvas, was he compelled to listen carefully to the Dharma at the assemblies, and even to protect the Buddha's Dharma. He has always known that the Buddha's Dharma is excellent and extremely important, capable of bringing sentient beings coolness and liberation. But because of his extremely intense desire for a retinue, he hopes that the followers under his control will become more and more numerous, not fewer and fewer. Therefore he does not wish sentient beings to learn the Buddha's Dharma well, nor does he wish them to gain coolness of mind and attain liberation, escaping from his control.

So when Māra Pāpīyas learned that the World-Honored One was going to expound some important Mahāyāna sutra, he would try by every possible means to obstruct it. The Buddha clearly knew Pāpīyas's schemes, yet never exposed him, leaving it to the Dharma-protecting bodhisattvas to discipline Pāpīyas. In this way, Pāpīyas heard a great deal of the Buddha's Dharma at the Buddha's Dharma assemblies, mainly Mahāyāna teachings, and he came to know quite a lot of Mahāyāna Dharma. Because of this root of goodness and merit, in later ages he will be able to become a true bodhisattva, and in the future he will be able to attain buddhahood.

But before he becomes a true bodhisattva, before he descends into hell to undergo evil retribution, he still has his demonic nature and a very intense desire for a retinue. He will certainly make use of the Buddha's Dharma he has heard to teach sentient beings similar-sounding Mahāyāna Dharma and the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha, something fairly close to the Buddha's Dharma. Because he has supernatural powers, it is easy for him to learn the hidden meaning of the tathāgatagarbha. When he teaches the tathāgatagarbha, he will be willing to reveal the hidden meaning to sentient beings. He does not fear that sentient beings will merely know the result—knowing the result is useless; the process of cultivation in between is what matters most. By acting this way, Māra Pāpīyas cleverly achieves his aims: first, he makes sentient beings worship him, and thereby he can win them over; second, he prevents sentient beings from truly cultivating, so they cannot truly attain liberation. When sentient beings easily learn the hidden meaning, they can no longer apply themselves to cultivation, and they will also give rise to extremely heavy pride and commit evil karma. In this way, no matter what, sentient beings cannot escape Pāpīyas's control, and Pāpīyas achieves his goal. Therefore Māra Pāpīyas does not even fear that sentient beings all study the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha. As long as they study it not in accordance with the Dharma, and easily come to know the hidden meaning of the tathāgatagarbha, it becomes even harder for them to attain liberation. Such beings still belong to Pāpīyas's retinue, controlled by Pāpīyas.

Then we know that what Māra Pāpīyas fears most is surely genuine practice and realization. And genuine practice and realization of the Dharma are both related to meditative concentration and the manas. When meditative concentration is fully developed, one can train and influence the manas, and it becomes easy to realize the Buddha's Dharma; then liberation is not far off. Māra Pāpīyas can do nothing about this, so he will wantonly obstruct and thwart in every way the dharma of meditative concentration and the realization of the manas—protecting it on the surface while secretly sabotaging it. Sentient beings cannot see through his tricks, and even think he is very protective of the Dharma, very accomplished in cultivation, a true bodhisattva. Māra Pāpīyas is very cunning. On the surface he vigorously supports the Buddha's Dharma and will even personally teach and propagate the Dharma, but he will never let sentient beings truly realize the Buddha's Dharma. The tricks he plays in secret absolutely cannot be discovered by the wisdom of sentient beings. Only sentient beings with deep roots of goodness and abundant merit can receive the blessing of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, remain unconfused by his bewitchment, and attain realization. Therefore roots of goodness and merit are extremely important.