How to Attain Enlightenment Through Practicing the Śūraṅgama Sūtra

The Śūraṅgama Sūtra is the book that expounds the tathāgatagarbha dharma most thoroughly—an unquestionable gateway to enlightenment. It enables us to awaken to the true reality of all dharmas; depending on each person's spiritual faculties, the depth of realization varies, all the way up to possessing the profound wisdom of the varieties of paths. As long as everyone's conditions for the bodhisattva's six pāramitās are complete, and precepts, meditation, and wisdom are also complete, when the causes, conditions, and season arrive, one need only read the Śūraṅgama Sūtra and one will awaken to the Way immediately.

Without a foundation in meditative concentration, without threshold concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) being complete, and without genuine personal experience of investigating, enlightenment is simply out of the question. There is still a certain difference and distance between having threshold concentration and having it fully complete. Many people have not yet developed threshold concentration, so it goes without saying that it is not complete; therefore they are still very far from awakening to the Way. When threshold concentration is not complete, one cannot investigate with the manas; one can only remain at the stage of the mind consciousness's analysis, which is very shallow and unable to go deep into contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā). When the power of concentration is insufficient, the mind cannot be fixed on one object; thoughts constantly wander off, the mind is scattered and restless, and no true wisdom can arise. Such is the importance of meditative concentration.

When the causes, conditions, and season arrive, one will suddenly awaken with a "click"—nothing can hold it back. This is sudden enlightenment. What is understood gradually is merely analyzed out by the mind consciousness and has no actual effect.