Why Did the Sixth Patriarch Cultivate Among Hunters for Fifteen Years After Enlightenment?

The Sixth Patriarch was being pursued relentlessly, forcing him to hide among a group of hunters. In the environment he found himself, he could only cultivate meditative concentration. However, the Sixth Patriarch cultivated concentration not to maintain and preserve the true mind, but to contemplate the principle of True Suchness within that state of concentration, thereby attaining profound subsequent wisdom. One who truly realizes the Tathagatagarbha does not need to maintain and preserve the Tathagatagarbha; one enlightenment is eternal enlightenment. If one mistakes the thought-free conscious mind as the realization, then one needs to maintain and preserve the thought-free state of the conscious mind. One must constantly cultivate concentration to keep the conscious mind free of thoughts and without deluded thinking. If concentration is not cultivated, deluded thoughts reemerge, meaning it is not genuine enlightenment. This is clearly a mistaken enlightenment, a grave misunderstanding.

This is because they mistake the conscious mind in its thought-free state for the Tathagatagarbha, thinking that when thoughts arise it is not the Tathagatagarbha. Therefore, they must rely on cultivating concentration to maintain and preserve the conscious mind so that it does not produce deluded thoughts, hoping to achieve prolonged periods without deluded thoughts. This is mistaking the conditioned, impermanent conscious mind for the unconditioned, permanent Tathagatagarbha. It is erroneous cultivation and mistaken enlightenment, a tremendous misunderstanding. Genuine enlightenment does not require maintenance and preservation. The Tathagatagarbha never has moments of deluded thought. There is no need to use the conscious mind to cultivate it into a thought-free state, nor is there any need for the conscious mind to maintain and preserve the Tathagatagarbha's thoughtlessness; such efforts are entirely unnecessary.

Although one still cultivates concentration after realizing the Tathagatagarbha, the purpose is different. The aim is to attain deeper states of meditative absorption, then engage in contemplative practice to gain deeper wisdom, reduce or eliminate afflictions, and purify the mind. During those fifteen years, the Sixth Patriarch attained the four dhyānas, developed spiritual powers, and cultivated profound wisdom. He was not maintaining and preserving the eighth consciousness, the Tathagatagarbha. Having realized the mind and attained enlightenment regarding the Tathagatagarbha, the Sixth Patriarch forever recognized the Tathagatagarbha and would never lose it again. Through cultivating meditative concentration, he gained an even deeper experiential understanding of the essence of the Tathagatagarbha, causing his mind to become purer and his prajñā wisdom more profound and vast.