Weighing Pros and Cons, Gains and Losses with Wisdom

The eighth consciousness is like a spotlessly clean house. After the seventh consciousness creates karma, seeds are continuously deposited into the eighth consciousness, and the house becomes filled with things. No matter what is stored in it, the house itself remains spotlessly clean; yet the house plus its contents is neither defiled nor pure (na saṃkleśo na vyavadānam). Another example: a perfectly clean cup with various kinds of water added—the cup plus the water is neither defiled nor pure. No matter what water is added, the cup itself remains a spotlessly clean cup. What we need to do is filter the impure water into pure water, so that both the cup and the water are clean.

A defiled mind is full of the selfish, self-serving self; its mental actions and karmic actions are filthy, and do not accord with the pure mind-substance of the eighth consciousness. If we want to transform ourselves, we must constantly condemn our own selfishness and self-centered mind, gradually according with the substance of the eighth consciousness, and gradually we can escape the suffering of the filthy cycle of the six realms of rebirth and move toward the path of liberation and buddhahood. We should constantly observe our own mind; whenever we discover a selfish, self-serving thought, we must reflect on and reproach ourselves. Do not be soft-hearted, do not indulge or accommodate yourself; hold yourself highly responsible, for the sake of your own birth and death, for the sake of liberation as soon as possible, and for the sake of freeing yourself.

As long as you settle and empty the self in your mind and accord with no-self, without laboring too strenuously in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the principle of no-self, you can quickly realize no-self. The key is that the mind must be simple. A mind of no-self is a simple mind, a pure mind, an altruistic mind. A mind with self is a defiled mind, a filthy mind, and its result is harming oneself, causing oneself to suffer all the more in the cycle of birth and death.

We should have the wisdom to weigh the advantages and disadvantages, the gains and losses, of having self versus no-self. If our mental actions and conduct are self-serving, on the surface it may seem that we can gain something; even if we do gain, it is only temporary worldly benefit, which vanishes without a trace once it is used up. But the benefit of transcendental liberation from the suffering of birth and death cannot be obtained—this is the most enduring, unborn and unceasing fruit of merit, which we can enjoy for three immeasurable kalpas until buddhahood, and after attaining buddhahood it will never disappear, allowing us to enjoy it for endless eons without end. Which fruit do we ultimately want? Which retribution do we wish to enjoy?

The wise should look further ahead—the farther ahead one looks, the wiser one is. Look to the next life, to future lives, to life after life, to immeasurable kalpas, and the returns will grow ever greater and greater. The unwise are short-sighted, considering only the tiny immediate personal benefit, which they may not even obtain. They exhaust their minds and brains over this small benefit, scheming to the utmost, even costing them their very lives.