What Is Needed to Attain Realization

Question: Everything of mine is transformed from the tathāgatagarbha, so how can I see the tathāgatagarbha? For example, when I sit in meditation, I perceive mental sense-objects (dharmas) and know that they are illusory manifestations of the tathāgatagarbha; I know there is the manas' mental engagement, and I know it is the mind consciousness that understands, and I know the tathāgatagarbha is present in all dharmas. But I still cannot see His true face. In direct perception, I only see the mental sense-objects, and then there is awareness and discrimination—everything else cannot be seen. Those teachings about illusory manifestation are also things I have heard from others. How can I truly see the tathāgatagarbha?

Answer: First of all, all of this knowledge of yours comes from theoretical learning—things the mind consciousness has learned from elsewhere—and some of it belongs to the mind consciousness's inference, speculation, guessing, and mental interpretation. It is not realized through personal verification, so none of it can be taken as true. Therefore, knowing these contents will have no substantive influence on your own manas. If the manas' cognition does not transform, the body, mind, and world will not change. In fact, this kind of knowledge is equivalent to not knowing—after all, what is heard is unreal; only what is seen with one's own eyes is real. Theoretical knowledge and views acquired through learning are still far from actual realization. Regarding the operation of the various consciousnesses, one remains completely in the dark. When encountering adverse conditions, doubt will increase, and one may even deny these previous understandings, with one's views possibly turning to the opposite.

If you want to truly see the tathāgatagarbha, you must diligently cultivate practice to realize the tathāgatagarbha, rather than reasoning based on theory or learning like a parrot mimicking speech. Realizing the tathāgatagarbha requires many causes, conditions, and prerequisites: first, karmic obstructions must be eliminated; merit must be increased; meditative concentration must be complete; faith must be perfect; precepts must be strictly upheld; the practice of forbearance must be well cultivated; and one must be diligent in cultivating all these dharmas. Finally, prajñā wisdom must also be complete. In short, realizing the tathāgatagarbha requires transforming the ordinary person's disposition into a bodhisattva's disposition. One's bodily, verbal, and mental actions must all match those of a bodhisattva in every respect: precepts, samādhi, and wisdom must be like a bodhisattva's; afflictions and innate afflictive obstructions must be lightened; one must possess a bodhisattva's great merit and great wisdom; one's mind must be as vast as a bodhisattva's, always according with sentient beings, making great aspirations to benefit and bring joy to sentient beings.

This is like being reborn with a completely new body and mind—both body-mind and world must undergo corresponding transformation, with obvious differences and great progress compared to the stage of an ordinary person. In summary, one must be complete in the bodhisattva's six perfections and myriad practices; if these are insufficient, one cannot see the Path and become a true bodhisattva. From now on, you should systematically and methodically perfect and improve yourself in all respects, and wait for the ripening of causes and conditions at the proper season. Do not be anxious or impatient, do not worry about gain and loss, do not have a utilitarian mindset. Make great aspirations, strive on the level of causes, and accord with conditions on the level of fruits.