The Bodhisattva's Study of the Six Pāramitās

If we Buddhists wish to realize the tathāgatagarbha, to see the mind and see the nature, and to become true bodhisattvas, then we must cultivate the dharmas that bodhisattvas should cultivate; bodhisattvas should practice the bodhisattva's six pāramitās. Of the six pāramitās, the first is the pāramitā of generosity (dāna). As a bodhisattva, one must cultivate the dāna pāramitā. On the one hand, this is to form wholesome karmic connections with sentient beings: by giving sentient beings what they need, they will come to trust and follow you in learning the Buddha's teachings and practicing cultivation. On the other hand, it is to cultivate one's own merit: only when one's own merit is complete will one have the opportunity to attain enlightenment, become a bodhisattva in the true sense, and enter the gate of Buddhism.

A bodhisattva who has seen the mind has entered the gate of Buddhism; a bodhisattva who has not yet seen the mind is still outside the gate of Buddhism and is not yet a bodhisattva in the true sense. Therefore, to be a bodhisattva, one must first cultivate the practice of giving so that one's merit becomes complete; one must also form karmic connections with sentient beings, because by forming such connections, one will have the opportunity to deliver sentient beings. Sentient beings will joyfully become your disciples who follow your learning, and only then can you lead sentient beings to cultivate step by step. In the future, when you attain buddhahood, these sentient beings will all protect and uphold the Dharma in your buddha-land. Therefore, giving is very important.

The second pāramitā is the pāramitā of precepts (śīla). Because of keeping the precepts, the mind does not transgress the rules, and thus it can become tranquil, without committing sinful karma and faults, and hence will not be burdened by evil karma. Because keeping the precepts makes the mind tranquil, meditative concentration can arise; with concentration, one can carry out contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and investigate Chan, thereby understanding the truth and realizing the eighth consciousness. Therefore, bodhisattvas should keep the precepts so that their mental conduct becomes pure. No bodhisattva has the thought of violating the precepts; if one deliberately violates the precepts, then one is not a true bodhisattva, which shows that one's afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) is still heavy, that one is not yet qualified to enter the gate of Buddhism, and cannot become a true bodhisattva. Therefore, if you want to be a true bodhisattva, you must keep the precepts—at first keeping them passively, then changing to keeping and observing them automatically and consciously, and finally reaching the point where there are no precepts left to keep. Because the mind has already become pure, with no mind to violate the precepts, all actions and conduct accord with the self-natured pure mind. At this point, one no longer needs to actively keep the precepts; it becomes keeping without keeping—bodily, verbal, and mental actions at all times and places conform to the precepts, conform to the Buddha's teachings, and are consistent with the nature of the tathāgatagarbha. This is keeping the precepts of the mind-ground.

The third pāramitā is the pāramitā of forbearance (kṣānti). Cultivating forbearance also requires the mind to become pure, subduing one's own afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa), and it also forms wholesome karmic connections with sentient beings. Although sentient beings present us with many humiliating circumstances, the mind must endure and subdue itself, not retaliate against sentient beings, and not harbor hatred toward sentient beings. In this way, grudges with sentient beings are dissolved and wholesome connections are formed, and one's own mental nature and afflictive obstructions and afflictions can also be effectively subdued. This is the mental conduct of a true bodhisattva and the hallmark of being a true bodhisattva, so one must cultivate the pāramitā of forbearance.

The fourth pāramitā is the pāramitā of diligence (vīrya). As a bodhisattva, one must diligently apply effort in the Buddha's teachings without slackening. In what aspects should one be diligent? Be diligent in giving, diligent in cultivating merit and forming wholesome connections with sentient beings, diligent in keeping the precepts, diligent also in forbearance, diligent in cultivating meditative concentration, and diligent in cultivating one's own prajñā wisdom. By diligently practicing at all times and places, wholesome dharmas will grow rapidly, and then one can quickly see the mind and see the nature. This is the pāramitā of diligence, which can carry one to the other shore of birth and death.

The fifth pāramitā is the pāramitā of meditative concentration (dhyāna). A bodhisattva must cultivate meditative concentration, with the mind abiding in one state—neither scattered nor dull—and develop the power of concentration; only then can one carry out various contemplative practices and realize the Buddha's teachings. This concentration is of two kinds: one is the concentration of the four dhyānas and eight samādhis; the other is the concentration of decisive resolve of the mind—regarding the Mahāyāna teachings, regarding the tathāgatagarbha teachings, the bodhisattva has already attained decisive resolve of mind, with firm faith and without doubt, and will not regress. Regarding the dharma by which seeing the mind and seeing the nature can make one a true bodhisattva, the dharma by which one can attain buddhahood, and regarding the prajñā dharma of ultimate reality, one also attains decisive resolve of mind. The skill of the four dhyānas and eight samādhis, especially the preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) before the first dhyāna, must be cultivated; this is the foundation for contemplative practice and investigating Chan. With this concentration, one can carry out contemplative practice well and realize the self-nature of one's own mind. Therefore, meditative concentration is very important. Concentration can also generate merit, called the merit of concentration. Most importantly, with concentration one can grow the Mahāyāna prajñā wisdom; therefore, cultivating concentration can carry one to the other shore of birth and death.

The last of the bodhisattva's six pāramitās is prajñā wisdom. What is meant by prajñā? It refers to our self-natured pure mind, the tathāgatagarbha—He is the mind-essence that is neither born nor extinguished. The prajñā scriptures are mainly the 600-fascicle Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, all of which is expounded around the tathāgatagarbha. The Heart Sūtra, the Diamond Sūtra, and many other prajñā-related scriptures all expound the prajñā nature of the tathāgatagarbha. We must study and cultivate these contents and understand the principles. After understanding the principles and cultivating meditative concentration, one can then investigate Chan. Only when these conditions of the six pāramitās are complete does one have the ability to investigate Chan; when the conditions of time and circumstance are complete, one can realize the self-natured tathāgatagarbha and see the mind and see the nature.

As for the bodhisattva's cultivation, it mainly consists of these six aspects. The last one is the prajñā pāramitā, which is the most important content of cultivation. All cultivation is for the sake of obtaining great wisdom; with wisdom one can accomplish all dharmas. It is by relying on wisdom that liberation is attained, and by relying on wisdom that one can be delivered from birth and death and accomplish the buddha-way. Therefore, we should all strive to steep ourselves in and cultivate prajñā wisdom, steeping ourselves in the tathāgatagarbha teachings.

However, truly realizing the tathāgatagarbha is not easy, because throughout countless kalpas we have clung tightly to the false appearances of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) and the eighteen realms, taking the functions and activities of the seven consciousnesses as the self and as real. This obscures our own self-nature, making us unable to recognize the true dharma and only recognize false appearances. If we can first eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) and then investigate Chan to search for the tathāgatagarbha, it will be relatively easier. That requires cultivating the Hīnayāna teaching of the Āgama sūtras, eradicating the view of self, and after becoming a srotāpanna or sakṛdāgāmin, eliminating one by one the false appearances of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, and then searching for the truth within these false appearances.

Within the illusory dharmas of the arising and ceasing of the five aggregates, one must search for that pearl that is neither born nor extinguished; after eradicating the view of self, it becomes easy to find. Because once the false appearances are all eliminated, the truth can be revealed. Before eradicating the view of self, one easily takes the false appearances of the five aggregates as the pearl. If one takes the five aggregates as the pearl, then the true pearl of the self-natured tathāgatagarbha will not be easy to find, for the true and the false mixed together are hard to distinguish. Once we have eliminated all of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, it becomes easy to find the self-natured pure mind, and we will quickly enter the gate of Buddhism.