2.The core of spiritual practice is to understandthe nature of mind

Once you perceive your true nature, there is no need to read scriptures or invoke the buddhas; learning too much is useless, it will only dim your mind. 

It is said here that there is no use in learning widely, but the Platform Sutra points out the importance of having a broad knowledge of things. We often come across such seeming contradiction, but it is not contradictory. Why? Because the conclusions are drawn from different angles.

For those who have not yet attained enlightenment, it is useful to learn widely. Studying the sutras and commentaries cannot directly help us achieve enlightenment, but it can indirectly help us. First understand the concept of emptiness, which can overturn many attachments at the gross level; then further meditate on this basis, and through in-depth analysis, gain deeper understanding and wisdom. From this perspective, it is very useful to learn widely; this is the principle expounded in the Platform Sutra.

Those who are enlightened no longer need to study extensively, since they have already seen their true nature. As stated in the Bloodstream Treatise, "If you see your true nature, there is no need to read scriptures or recite the buddha's name. Learning too much is useless."

Please note this statement must be interpreted correctly! The Buddhist scriptures say that even the third-level bodhisattvas travel across the entire universe to seek Dharma teachings from buddhas in other worlds. The bodhisattvas at this level have already attained enlightenment, but have not yet reached the highest ground and still need to learn. In fact, all bodhisattvas from the first to the tenth level need to learn. There are many such records in the Buddhist scriptures: a certain buddha in the East went to a certain buddha in the West to listen to the Dharma, and a buddha in one Pure Land went to a buddha in another Pure Land to hear the Dharma. The buddha has already reached the highest state of realization and need not study; such manifestations are merely to apprise us of the importance of listening to the Dharma. Therefore, it is wrong to simply assume that studying Buddhism after enlightenment is unnecessary and that the scriptures are useless.

In addition, Bodhidharma also said that some people only study one or two Buddhist scriptures and think they understand all the teachings. This is simply impossible! The Buddhist canon is extensive. Many of the expressions are moreover hidden within words and need to be explained by other scriptures. Therefore, it is difficult to comprehend the Buddhist scriptures directly. If we expound the Dharma after studying just one or two sutras, we will likely misguide others; a comprehensive understanding of Buddhism is essential.

But how can people fully understand Buddhism when they are busy all day long, and life is short and fleeting? The method is to directly study the main treatises by Nagarjuna, Asanga, and others. These treatises were compiled after the great masters were proficient in all the scriptures as well as 84,000 teachings and extracted their essence. The entire content of the Prajnaparamita sutras, for instance, is condensed in the Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, which is less than twenty pages; this is the wisdom that the bodhisattvas possess. Thus, studying the sastras is said to be the best shortcut to attaining a quick and comprehensive understanding of Buddhism.

Once you perceive your true nature, there is no need to read scriptures or invoke the buddhas. After enlightenment, you should seize the opportunity at hand and continue to practice emptiness; at this time practicing emptiness is much more important than reading scriptures. For example, if you can only arrange one hour a day to study the Dharma, it would be a mistake to spend most of your time reading scriptures and chanting the buddha's name; it is better to meditate and practice emptiness – this already contains the essence of the scriptures. However, do not think that invoking the buddhas and reading the sutras are unnecessary after attaining enlightenment. These are still needed! But if you only have one choice to make, you must choose to cultivate emptiness!

Learning too much is useless. The same goes for this verse. If there are only two hours a day to study Buddhism, should an enlightened person practice the emptiness he has realized, or simply listen to and reflect on it? Of course, the former! At this point, theory is not the most important thing. It would be a waste to allocate time from the two hours to study theory when all of it should be used for meditation. This is how this verse ought to be understood.

But everyone must not think that simply cultivating emptiness is enough. The buddhas of the ten directions awakened the eighth-level bodhisattvas from their meditation and prevented them from meditating all the time. Why? Apart from meditating, there is still the unfinished work of accumulating merit. The bodhisattvas at the eighth level can abide in emptiness for a long time, but their accumulation of merit is not yet perfect, and they still need to go out to complete this task. Therefore, we must concurrently practice emptiness and accumulate merit. Only through the cultivation of merit and wisdom can one become a buddha. Both are essential.

It would be wrong to think that chanting the buddha's name, worshiping buddha statues, offering water and flowers are not required in Chan Buddhism. Bodhisattvas at the eighth level still need to accumulate merit, let alone ordinary people! We need to know at what level our practice is. If we understand some issues incorrectly, it may not necessarily have any impact on our actual practice; but if we understand these key issues incorrectly, it will certainly affect our practice. Everyone must keep this in mind!

It will only dim your mind. When we learn too many things, we become more and more confused and lose our direction. Why is that? Because we return to the mundane. Instead of staying in a state of realization, we spend precious time gaining a lot of knowledge, which only adds to our confusion. Therefore, we must know what the primary and secondary tasks are after enlightenment.

The teachings are there only to point out the nature of mind; if you see your mind already, why study the teachings? 

The teachings are there only to point out the nature of mind. The Buddha devised many teaching methods and turned the Dharma wheel three times, with just one goal which is to point out the nature of mind.

If you see your mind already, why study the teachings? If you have already achieved this goal, that is, you recognize the nature of mind, there is no need to read the scriptures anymore. Because you have already experienced the content expressed in the words.

Just like if you have never tasted honey, you can understand the taste of honey by reading a book; after tasting it, you no longer need to read a book to understand it. This is the principle Bodhidharma wanted to convey. However, we have not yet experienced the incredible power of meditative concentration, or the various supernatural powers of the buddha, so we need to elevate ourselves through learning. Enlightenment is very important, but we must also listen and reflect, and not go to extremes.

To become a sage, you must put an end to evil karma, cultivate your mind, and accept what life brings.

To become a sage, you must put an end to evil karma and cultivate your mind. To go from a mortal to a sage, that is, from being unenlightened to being enlightened, what do we need to do in the process? Firstly, we must put an end to our evil karma by repenting our various wrongdoings and obstacles; secondly, we must nurture our mind by cultivating renunciation and bodhicitta.

There are many ways to eliminate evil karma through repentance, the most sacred of which is the Vajrasattva practice; to nurture the mind, the four preliminary practices cultivate renunciation, the five preliminary practices strengthen our faith in taking refuge and engender bodhicitta. Although no specific practice is mentioned here, and such terms as the four preliminaries and five preliminaries are not used in Chan Buddhism, Bodhidharma expressed it very clearly: if you want to "transcend from the ordinary to the sacred" and gain enlightenment, you must complete the four and five preliminaries, the purpose of which is to "eliminate your evil karma and cultivate your mind." Therefore, anyone who seeks enlightenment must fulfill this prerequisite. Regarding this point, Chan and Tibetan Buddhism not only do not contradict but also complement each other.

Ordinary people like us, who are not of the same capacity as Master Hui Neng, have even greater need to "eliminate our evil karma and cultivate our mind." If we do not practice the four and five preliminaries, we can be certain that enlightenment is unattainable. Why? The enlightenment attained in Chan Buddhism is said to be the highest state of realization, its practice methods are extremely special. We currently lack the capacity to practice Chan; the only way for us to enhance our capabilities is by eliminating evil karma and cultivating the mind. Thus, the four and five preliminaries are indispensable practices on the path!

Accept what life brings. People often talk about accepting, or going along with, one’s circumstances in life. If we follow our own causes and conditions, without exacting demands or comparing ourselves to others, this is called "accepting what life brings."

If you are well blessed and have huge material wealth without having to exert special effort, you can certainly enjoy a life of luxury; that is living in accord with your circumstances. In this case, there is no need to intentionally live a hard life and become an ascetic; otherwise, it is also a form of attachment. For example, a person originally in good financial condition chooses to live in poverty because he feels that Buddhists should not enjoy a wealthy life. This is completely unnecessary.

People have different ways of living. We should choose the one that suits our own conditions, and live accordingly. If our economic situation is difficult, we should accept it calmly and live a simpler life; there is no need to envy others. In fact, a simple life is not necessarily bad. We may be able to do what we really like, even live more at ease.

In the article "A Buddhist ‘s Mode of Life" in The Luminous Wisdom Series , it is said that Buddhists should not fall into either of two extremes. They should neither deliberately live a luxurious life nor deliberately choose a hard life. The Buddha once said in the Vinaya Sutra that if you own a building that has up to five hundred rooms without having to spend too much time and energy, you can enjoy it by yourself – not only as a layperson, but also as a monastic. You need not question whether it is appropriate to live in such a luxurious house, then consciously change to a smaller house. However, you must try to use all the rooms, some for meditation, some for reading ... otherwise it is a waste. Another example is if you own an expensive piece of clothing worth ten thousand US dollars; whether you are a layperson or a monk, you can wear it if you are at ease with whatever circumstances life brings.

Excessive anger will lead you away from the path, bringing only harm.

Excessive anger will lead you away from the path. If you complain every day, for example, you feel that your life is not as good as others, so you complain about your parents, colleagues, and even society, what will happen? Your practice will gradually regress, and your capacity and disposition will also change – you will move further and further from the Dharma. How can you engage in spiritual practice when you complain about everything and everyone all day long? This is especially true in Mahayana Buddhism.

Bringing only harm. There is no use in deceiving yourself.

In life and death, sages come and go as they please, appearing and disappearing at will, unrestrained by karma. 

The "sage" here refers to the buddha or bodhisattva from the first to tenth level. Are all enlightened people called sages? Not necessarily, there are many levels of enlightenment. Only those who are first level bodhisattvas and up can be called sages; those who have achieved enlightenment below the first level are still ordinary people. Therefore, ordinary people can also have enlightenment; their realization is called preliminary enlightenment.

Of what use is the enlightenment of ordinary people? First, you can completely control your various defilements, such as anger, anxiety, and depression; second, you can gradually control your physical sensations, such as reducing pain and discomfort when you are sick. Relatively speaking, it is easier to resolve mental pain; to eliminate physical pain requires some effort. In any case, the enlightenment of ordinary people is still very meaningful.

Sages come and go in life and death as they please. As ordinary people, we cannot freely come and go in life and death because we have not yet reached that level and do not have the ability. We have no choice over where we are born and where we are reborn after death. It all depends on our karma.

After we obtain preliminary enlightenment and possess a certain amount of spiritual power, we no longer rely entirely on karma; our vows can play a substantial role. At that time, whether we wish to be reborn in the Western Pure Land, or in poverty-stricken and war-torn areas such as Africa and the Middle East to help more sentient beings, our aspiration can be fulfilled.

When we reach the first bodhisattva level, the karmic restrictions disappear and everything will be determined by the power of vows; we can be reborn wherever we want to save sentient beings. In general, bodhisattvas will not reincarnate in the formless realm because the sentient beings there cannot see or communicate with each other, so it is difficult to help them. Most bodhisattvas will choose to be reborn in the desire realm where we are, because the desire realm contains both pain and happiness, and people can communicate with each other; the conditions for saving sentient beings are very mature.

Bodhisattvas at the third level and above no longer need the power of vows, but rely entirely on the power of meditation to reincarnate. The buddha has no real reincarnation and is completely at ease; he can manifest whatever is required to save sentient beings. The only thing he cannot do is to put an end to the karma of sentient beings. It has been more than 2,500 years since Shakyamuni Buddha entered parinirvana; during this period, no such buddha has appeared again because of our karmic restrictions. The buddha does not come to this world just by thinking about it; the buddha will only appear when we have the corresponding merit. How "the sage can freely come and go in life and death" is thus explained.

Appearing and disappearing at will. A sage is "sometimes hidden and sometimes revealed." Just like more than 2,500 years ago, Sakyamuni Buddha came to save sentient beings as a buddha; this method which is apparent to all is called "appearing." Now the buddha is also saving sentient beings, but in a more hidden way, manifesting perhaps as a Christian or Muslim, maybe as a cleaner, even as a slaughterhouse worker or sex worker; this method is called "hiding." "Appearing and disappearing at will" means that the buddha is perfectly at ease, he can appear when he wants to and hide when he wants to; he can appear when he needs to be visible and hide when he needs to be hidden.

Unrestrained by karma. As mentioned before, the buddha himself has no karma, so he cannot be restrained or controlled by karma. If we talk about control, it is in fact the karma of sentient beings that determines whether a buddha can appear.

They have already cut through delusions and evil influences. Sentient beings only need to see their true nature to instantly eradicate their residual habits; with a clear mind, they must directly grasp the truth, right in the moment. 

They have already cut through delusions and evil influences. The sage has already defeated all evil spirits.

Sentient beings only need to see their true nature to instantly eradicate residual habits. Once sentient beings see the true nature of mind, their remaining karma and habitual tendencies will quickly come to an end.

With a clear mind, they must directly grasp the truth, right in the moment. The mind of the sage is always clear; there is no ignorance because the sage has already achieved enlightenment. We can also achieve this state if we realize the nature of mind right now.

If you really want to realize the path, do not cling to anything. Once you put an end to evil karma and cultivate your mind, all remaining habitual tendencies will naturally dissipate. Clarity will arise without much effort. 

What can be done to achieve enlightenment right now? If you really want to realize the path, do not cling to anything. If you really want to understand and realize the path, you must not cling to anything. On the contrary, if there is attachment, enlightenment cannot be achieved.

In fact, non-attachment and enlightenment are causally related. Which of the two comes first, which comes last? Of course, enlightenment comes first, then non-attachment. It is only after attaining enlightenment that we can achieve non-attachment, not the other way around. The original text seems to imply: you must first eradicate your attachments if you want to achieve enlightenment. But, in fact, this cannot be done; it is just a form of expression. If you have already severed your attachments, you no longer need to attain enlightenment.

Once you put an end to evil karma and cultivate your mind. This has been mentioned before.

All remaining habitual tendencies will naturally dissipate. At this time, all remaining habitual tendencies can also be eradicated.

Bodhisattvas at the first level have already cut off many afflictions, but still have some afflictions left. From the first ground to the tenth ground, every time you advance to a new level or attain a new realization, some of your afflictions will also be eradicated. This is equivalent to dividing the process of enlightenment or the process of eliminating defilements into ten stages. Although it is said that "all remaining habitual tendencies will naturally dissipate," in fact, the elimination of defilements is not accomplished instantly, but achieved gradually.

Clarity will arise without much effort. You need not pretend to work hard. Eliminating defilements is dependent not on hard work, but on enlightenment.

If there is no enlightenment, no matter how hard you work, it will be in vain. If you attain enlightenment, your defilements can be eradicated instantly; there is no need to work at all. Just like turning on the light in a dark room, the moment the light is on, the darkness naturally ceases to exist. There is no need to eradicate it, because the birth of light and the disappearance of darkness happen at the same time.

Outsiders who fail to grasp the Buddha's intent exert themselves tirelessly; they violate his true meaning, and run around chanting the buddha's name and reciting sutras all day long, they remain confused about their own nature and cannot avoid rebirth.

Outsiders who fail to grasp the Buddha’s intent exert themselves tirelessly. The "outsiders" here still refer to people who have not yet attained enlightenment. They do not understand the essence of the teachings or know that the buddha is in their own mind, so they especially like to practice hard.

In the realm of Bodhidharma, the four and five preliminary practices that outsiders take up are useless. However, as ordinary people, our capacity is not yet mature, so we can only adopt these outsiders’ practices first. After our capacity matures, we can use the methods prescribed by Bodhidharma; in the end, everyone will reach the same state of realization. So, there is in fact no contradiction.

What Bodhidharma really meant here is that outsiders do not understand that the buddha is in their own mind, so they look for the buddha outside and try to obtain the buddha's fruition from outside. Such desperate efforts are in vain and run counter to buddhahood. The purpose of practicing the four and five preliminaries is precisely to obtain the buddha in our mind, to gain enlightenment. This is completely consistent with the Buddha's intention. Bodhidharma would not deny this type of practice.

They violate his true meaning. The practice of outsiders goes against the will of the Buddha. The true meaning of Buddhism is to look for the buddha within. Looking outside for the buddha is obviously against the Buddha's will, so no matter how much effort we put into it, it will be useless.

And run around chanting the buddha's name and reciting sutras all day long. Bodhidharma particularly looked down upon practitioners who only know how to invoke the buddhas, recite sutras, etc.

When he first arrived in China and met with Emperor Wu of Liang, they disagreed from the very beginning on the teachings and could not communicate. Although what Bodhidharma said was accurate, his overly straightforward exposition was unacceptable, let alone comprehensible, to Emperor Wu and many people in the Buddhist community at that time.

They remain confused about their own nature and cannot avoid rebirth. If you chant the buddha's name and supplicate in search for the buddha outside, you are only confusing yourself. In the end, you still cannot avoid the cycle of birth and death.

The buddha is an idle person. He does not busily pursue fame and fortune. What use are these things afterwards?

The buddha is an idle person. The buddha has already done all the things he needs to do – he has realized the ultimate state that needs to be realized, eradicated the defilements that need to be eradicated. Therefore, the buddha has nothing left to do.

He does not busily pursue fame and fortune. What use are these things afterwards? "Afterwards" refers to the next life. What use is fame and fortune in the next life? It is all in vain.

But people who do not see their nature read scriptures, invoke buddhas, and study diligently; they practice day and night, and meditate for long periods of time without lying down. They study widely and think it is the Dharma; these people are all slanderers of the Dharma.

But people who do not see their nature. These are people who have not seen the nature of mind, that is, who have not yet attained enlightenment.

Read scriptures, invoke buddhas, and study diligently; practice day and night, and meditate for long periods of time without lying down. There is a saying in the past called "six periods" – the day and night are divided into three periods each, a total of six periods. To practice six periods is to practice day and night. People who have not yet attained enlightenment chant sutras, invoke buddhas, study diligently, practice day and night, meditate for long periods of time without lying down ... all of these are useless. They are still outsiders.

They study widely and think it is the Dharma; these people are all slanderers of the Dharma. They think that this is learning the Dharma, but it is not. They in fact denigrate the Dharma.

That is troubling, isn’t it? Someone might practice diligently and study extensively for many years, thinking he is a true follower of the Buddha, only to end up slandering the Dharma! This is because Buddhism is not about these things at all. So, what is Buddhism? It consists of two parts: teachings and realization. Teachings refer to language and texts, but they are not the true Dharma, as explained already; realization encompasses precepts, concentration, and wisdom – all of which are forms of enlightened wisdom. True wisdom has no attachments, no buddha to recite, and no sutra to expound. Practices like chanting the buddha's name, reciting sutras, etc. all involve attachment; they search outside for the buddha. If you say this is the Dharma, it is tantamount to slandering the Dharma.

In Chinese Buddhism, the Chan and Pure Land schools also differ somewhat on this matter. Some interpret Bodhidharma’s teachings as implying that practices like invoking the buddhas and reciting sutras are pointless and should not be undertaken. In fact, this is a matter of interpretation. The two paths are not contradictory at all. You can recite the buddha's name and meditate; you can even recite Amitabha Buddha's name upon entering meditative concentration. This is the so-called method of reciting with one-pointed, spotless mind, a highly advanced form of recitation that is also a Chan practice. Master Xu Yun and other eminent monks just practiced this way.

Thus, a person can take up Chan and Pure Land simultaneously – a practice known as dual cultivation of Chan and Pure Land. Not only is there no conflict between the two, such an approach can be even more beneficial. Why? Because if you are not accomplished in the Chan practice, you can still rely on reciting the buddha’s name to attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land. Conversely, if you are accomplished in the Chan practice, chanting the buddha’s name will not hinder you – it can actually enhance your state of realization. From this perspective, integrating Chan and Pure Land is a highly meaningful approach.

In this case, why did Bodhidharma use such harsh words? The teaching Bodhidharma transmitted is the method of non-action, also known as sudden enlightenment. This approach, which is considered very special, was rare in Chinese Buddhism at that time. Bodhidharma once said that his main purpose in coming to the East was to teach the method of sudden enlightenment. To draw attention to this practice, he often used harsh words.

Bodhidharma certainly knew that the sudden enlightenment method is in no way inconsistent with Pure Land or other methods. In fact, he would also compromise, as in the latter part of the Bloodstream Treatise where he talked about the need to follow the law of karma and not transcend cause and effect. But to promote such an amazing and little-known method, he had to use uncommon language to shock some people into taking notice and listening to it. On the contrary, if he had only used common or ordinary expressions, people might have dismissed it as nothing new and not attached importance to it.

Taking this into consideration, Bodhidharma’s blunt remarks to Emperor Wu of Liang, claiming that the emperor’s virtuous deeds had no merit, were intended to let everyone from the emperor down to the common people know about this new method of enlightenment. This is my personal understanding.

Although there are similar words in some Buddhist scriptures, Bodhidharma was exceptionally bold to speak so directly! Sometimes he spoke more strongly, sometimes more softly, depending on the capacity of the audience at the time. No matter how it was expressed, its core idea remained the same. In the final analysis, the only thing Bodhidharma meant to say is that you must realize the nature of your mind. Once you realize the nature of mind, just abide in that state, for all six perfections are included within it. Not only Bodhidharma, most Prajnaparamita sutras also say this, so we must understand it correctly.

The buddhas before and after only talk about seeing your nature. 

Seeing your nature is realizing emptiness, or realizing the nature of mind, realizing its true face. This phrase means that the buddhas of the past, present, and future will propagate various dharmas to correspond with the different capacities of sentient beings, but there is one principle they will expound again and again, and that is emptiness.

This is because, although various methods are needed to guide sentient beings, there is only one way to ultimate liberation – enlightenment. Regardless of whether they are animals or gods, no matter what their capacities are, the fundamental cause of reincarnation is the same, namely ignorance and self-grasping. Therefore, if you want to be liberated, you need to eradicate ignorance; to eradicate ignorance, you must realize emptiness. This is the only path to liberation.

All composite phenomena are impermanent. If you do not see your nature and falsely claim, "I have attained the highest perfect enlightenment," you are a great liar. 

The phrase all composite phenomena are impermanent suddenly shows up here, which can be understood to mean that everything is fleeting. The opportunity for enlightenment is very rare, so we must strive to achieve it as soon as possible.

If you do not see your nature and falsely claim to have attained the highest perfect enlightenment, you are a great liar. The highest perfect enlightenment is called Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi. If you know that you are not enlightened but say "I am enlightened," "I have realized the state of the sages," "I have realized the nature of mind," it is a serious deception; you are a great transgressor.

This kind of lying is much more serious than lying in daily life. When a person falsely claims that he has attained enlightenment, he often has other hidden purposes. If someone follows him to learn Buddhism, that person will inevitably go astray, unable to find the correct path to liberation.

Therefore, you cannot say to others "I am enlightened," and you cannot reveal your own state of realization. Bodhidharma's other treatises and Chan classics such as the Platform Sutra have all mentioned this; Dzogchen, Mahamudra, and other tantric methods also have the same requirement. Even if you really have some level of realization, your practice will stagnate if you propagate it everywhere. If you are not enlightened but claim you have already attained enlightenment, you are a big sinner. Therefore, the outcome is just one of two kinds: either your realization will stagnate, or you become a big sinner. Thus, you must never reveal your own state of realization. You cannot directly say, nor indirectly disseminate this information.

Among the Buddha’s ten great disciples, Ananda was foremost in listening, but he did not really know the buddha, he relied only on extensive learning. 

Among the Buddha’s ten great disciples, Ananda was foremost in listening. The Buddha had ten famous disciples, each with his own strengths. Among them, Ananda was foremost in listening. Ananda was always at the Buddha’s side as his attendant, and basically heard all the Dharma taught by the Buddha; the other disciples were not always there with the Buddha, and thus did not hear everything.

Although Ananda was known as the most knowledgeable of the disciples, he failed to achieve enlightenment during the time of the Buddha (this is the realization in Hinayana Buddhism that human beings have no self-existence). In the summer of the second year after the Buddha passed away, the great disciples congregated with the purpose of putting the Buddhist teachings that everyone had heard into words. The participants were required to be arhats. Because Ananda was not qualified to participate, the great bhikkhu Kashyapa thought of a way to motivate him by intentionally accusing him of eight major crimes. Ananda had followed the Buddha for decades; now that the Buddha had passed away, he was accused without reason and felt very sad. He learned from the pain, worked hard at his practice, quickly achieved arahant status, and successfully participated in the Buddhist sutra assembly.

In addition, the Sar vastivada teachings in Hinayana Buddhism mention a koan that is recorded in the Vinaya Sutra. During the Buddha's time, there was a monk named Udayin who never attained enlightenment despite being a monastic for a long time; he would chase after money and sensual pleasures, and often got into trouble. One time, he was taken to the king's court after causing substantial trouble again. The king and queen were both Buddhists and felt very embarrassed and disappointed with him. Later, the queen called him to her side and taught him a lesson: "All the people who took up vows with you have become arhats, but you are causing problems around the Buddha every day!" The monk felt deeply ashamed, made up his mind to practice well, and soon obtained arhathood.

These examples show that pain is not necessarily a bad thing for practitioners. If pain can be turned into an incentive to practice on the path, it is in fact a good thing.

He did not really know the buddha, he relied only on extensive learning. The "buddha" here refers to the dharmakaya of the buddha, which is the nature of one's own mind. Ananda studied and listened a lot but did not attain enlightenment. He followed Sakyamuni Buddha for many years and knew the Buddha very well, but only the external buddha – the nirmanakaya of the buddha. He did not know the buddha in his own mind– the dharmakaya of the buddha.

Outsiders in the two vehicles do not know the buddha, they cultivate realization through practice only, and cannot transcend cause and effect. That is the karma of sentient beings, they cannot avoid birth and death, they violate the Buddha’s will and slander him. Killing them is not a sin. 

Outsiders in the two vehicles do not know the buddha. The "two vehicles" generally refer to Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism, but here it refers to the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas in Hinayana Buddhism; or alternatively to all Hinayana Buddhists, and to Mahayana Buddhists who seek the buddha outside their mind. From the perspective of Bodhidharma and some Buddhist scriptures, people who seek the buddha outside their mind do not recognize the dharmakaya in their mind, so they are called outsiders.

They cultivate realization through practice only. Outsiders only know how to practice enlightenment frequently and repeatedly, which means they only know how to recite many sutras and practice a lot; they do not know that the nature of their own mind is the buddha.

Of course it is right to practice repeatedly, but it is their concept that is problematic. They believe the nature of mind is not the buddha, the buddha is external, and you can become a buddha through practice; living beings are also not the buddha now; the defilements that afflict living beings are not bodhi. From the perspective of the third turning of the Dharma wheel, that is, Dzogchen, Mahamudra, and Chan, this view is wrong.

They cannot transcend cause and effect. This view that outsiders have does not transcend the scope of cause and effect. Practicing now is the cause, and becoming a buddha in the future is the effect. This kind of understanding remains at the level of good and evil, of cause and effect. What is cause and effect? It is conditioned and impermanent. So, their understanding still belongs to the category of conditioned dharma, and is incorrect.

That is the karma of sentient beings. With cause and effect, of course there is karma. Karma can be good or evil. If you practice hard now and become a buddha in the future, it is good karma.

They cannot avoid birth and death. There is no escape from the cycle of life and death.

Here we need to pay attention to a detail. It is said above that "outsiders in the two vehicles" are not immune to life and death. Does this mean that followers of the Hinayana vehicle cannot escape reincarnation? If so, can the status of arahant be achieved in Hinayana Buddhism? To say it cannot be achieved is a defamation. Although practitioners of Hinayana Buddhism cannot become buddhas, they can certainly attain arahant status. Does an arhat transcend the cycle of birth and death? An arhat is precisely someone who has transcended birth and death. So, what did Bodhidharma mean when he said outsiders cannot avoid birth and death?

According to Buddhist scriptures, there are two types of life and death. One is life and death at a gross level, that is, the life and death experienced by sentient beings in the six realms, which is caused by karma; the other is life and death at a subtle level, which refers to the life and death of arhats and bodhisattvas from the first to tenth ground.

There are also two types of dependent origination. Due to ignorance, a person is reincarnated from this life to the next, then grows old and dies. This complete cycle contains twelve links, each link is a branch of dependent origination. This is the dependent origination with ignorance and afflictions that we usually talk about, also the dependent origination that all sentient beings experience repeatedly.

But at the first bodhisattva level, this kind of life and death disappears. Between the first level and buddhahood, there is another type of dependent origination. The driving force behind this dependent origination is not ignorance, but compassion. Although there is still some ignorance left, its power is too small to allow the bodhisattva to create karma, so he will not reincarnate due to karma. However, the bodhisattva is not a buddha yet, so there is still life and death at a subtle level; this kind of life and death comes to a complete end only at the eleventh level, that is, when he attains buddhahood.

The phrase "cannot avoid birth and death" refers to this kind of life and death. Although the arhat has transcended life and death at the gross level, the subtle aspects of life and death still exist.

They violate the Buddha’s will. They go against the Buddha's intent, specifically his thoughts and purpose in the third turning of the wheel of Dharma. The Buddha said in the third turning of the wheel of Dharma: Sentient beings are buddhas, and afflictions are bodhi. This is what the Buddha ultimately wanted to convey.

The "outsiders in the two vehicles" do not understand this view. They believe that in attaining the buddha’s fruition, there is cause and effect; if you practice hard now, you will become a buddha in the future. This runs counter to the view "you are a buddha even if you don't practice" and "you are a buddha now." What does "I am a buddha now" mean? In essence, all sentient beings are now buddhas, but there is no use in being a buddha if you are not enlightened. Why? Just like nightmares do not exist in essence, but for various reasons, people still dream. In the same way, we are buddhas in essence, without reincarnation and pain. But due to ignorance, we have illusory sensations such as pain; we regard these illusions as truly existent – it is thus that the real world is formed in front of us.

They are slanderers. These outsiders are people who slander the Buddha. How do they slander the Buddha? If you think that through practice you eventually become a buddha – practice is the cause and becoming a buddha is the effect – then the buddha is a product within the category of cause and effect, which is equivalent to saying that the buddha is impermanent. This is slandering the Buddha. The buddha is not a product of cause and effect, nor is it impermanent.

Killing them is not a sin. This sentence cannot be understood to mean that there is no sin in killing such people. That would be completely wrong! The objects "killed" here are the outsiders, that is, arhats, pratyekabuddhas, and certain followers of Mahayana Buddhism. How can it not be sinful to kill these people?

What does that mean? As Bodhidharma repeatedly pointed out, all living beings are buddhas; therefore, to understand the buddha as impermanent and as cause and effect is a slander against the Buddha and is an extremely serious mistake. How serious is it? Even if someone comes to kill this man, he is not guilty; the man deserves such a punishment. Bodhidharma expressed it this way to emphasize the seriousness of the mistake. It does not mean that killing this person is not a sin.

The sutras say: "Icchantikas do not believe in cause and effect, so killing them would not be wrong."

Bodhidharma then quoted Buddhist scriptures to substantiate his point of view.

Icchantikas do not have faith in cause and effect. An "icchantika" is a person who is cut off from his roots, that is, a person who temporarily does not accept cause and effect and has no concept of good and evil and cause and effect. Some people are extremely selfish, do not know how to think of others, and only consider themselves. For the sake of their own happiness, they do not hesitate to trample on other people's feelings and commit all kinds of evil. Such people are icchantikas.

Killing them would not be wrong. As in the previous sentence, this expression must not be understood to mean that killing an icchantika is not a sin. People who do not believe in cause and effect and reincarnation will kill, steal, commit adultery, tell lies, and even start wars at will, resulting in the death of thousands of people. The transgressions of such people are very serious; even killing them would not be wrong.

Additionally, there is another interpretation, which is explained below through a koan recorded in Buddhist scriptures. In ancient India, many merchants would take ships to areas that are now Indonesia and the Philippines to collect precious jewels. In the past, navigation technology was not as advanced as it is today. There were no positioning, navigation, and other equipment, and the ships made of wood relied entirely on wind power to sail. The chance of success in finding treasures was very low. But once successful, the merchant would make a fortune, and his whole family would never have to worry about having the means to live for the rest of their lives. Many people were thus willing to take the risk.

Once, five hundred merchants sailed out to sea on a large ship to collect treasures. On the way back after successfully retrieving the treasure, there was an evil man who coveted the treasures in the ship and planned to take them for himself; to this end, he planned to poison and kill everyone else. At this time, a merchant found out about his plan. This merchant thought about it and finally decided: I will kill the evil man to save the lives of these people so that they may return to their families; in addition, if the evil man really kills someone, he will surely descend into hell; after I kill him, I will be the one to go to hell, but I would rather go to hell myself if everyone can be saved. After thinking like this, he resolutely killed the evil man.

On the surface, murder is certainly sinful, but this time it was an act of saving living beings. Firstly, the merchant had no selfish motives and was purely trying to save others; secondly, he was willing to give of himself and bear the consequences even though he knew he would descend into hell. Although he killed someone, he not only did not commit any sin, but also attained great merit.

There have been many icchantikas in history who acted recklessly, especially those who held power and thus caused great harm. For the sake of their own power or wealth, they did not hesitate to start wars and kill innocent people indiscriminately. Everyone is witness to the tragic history of World War I and World War II. If a person knows that a certain evil person will start a war and thousands of people will lose their lives, he kills the evil person who does not believe in cause and effect to save the lives of countless people, is he guilty? No. One thing to note here is that if there is the slightest bit of selfishness mixed in, that is, the person is in fact trying to achieve personal gain under the guise of punishing evildoers, there is no doubt that he is guilty no matter what kind of person he kills.

As for "icchantikas do not have faith in cause and effect, so killing them would not be wrong," the two interpretations above are all possible, but the first explanation is more appropriate. That is, the seriousness of the transgression of a person who does not believe in cause and effect is such that killing him would not be wrong.

In Buddhism, the scriptures are distinguished by those that are definitive and others that require further interpretation. What can be understood directly according to the literal meaning is definitive, and what cannot be understood directly is provisional. The reason the Buddha made this distinction was to take into consideration the capacities of the listeners at that time and teach them the corresponding Dharma. For Buddhist scriptures that are provisional, we cannot rely entirely on the literal meaning; we should read through the words to understand the meaning they really want to express.

A person who has faith is at the level of the buddha. If you are not enlightened, do not casually slander the goodness of others, there is no benefit in self-deception. 

A person who has faith is at the level of the buddha. If you have faith in the view that "the nature of mind is the buddha" and "all living beings are buddhas," even though you are not a buddha yet, you are already at the buddha level – which means you will become a buddha soon. There are many such records in tantra.

If you are not enlightened, do not casually slander the goodness of others. If you do not see the nature of your mind, you should not arbitrarily or casually slander kind people, because at this time you are not qualified to talk about other people's state of realization.

There is no benefit in self-deception. There is no benefit in actions that only deceive oneself.

The meaning here is that before enlightenment, one is not clear at all what a high level of attainment is, so do not judge who is at a high level and who is at a low level, who is right and who is wrong; you are qualified to comment on other people's state of realization only after you are enlightened.

Good and evil are apparent, and cause and effect are clear. Heaven and hell are right in front of your eyes, but fools do not believe it and fall into the darkness of hell; they are not aware of it, and they do not believe it because of their serious karma. 

Good and evil are apparent, and cause and effect are clear. "Good and evil are apparent" – this is what we usually call infallible karma. It is a transgression to slander others when we are not yet enlightened. Cause and effect are clear and will never be confused; good and evil karma and its retributions are also clear. Good will never turn into evil, and evil will never turn into good. Therefore, we must follow the law of cause and effect in this mundane world.

Heaven and hell are right in front of you. For those who do good deeds, the heaven where the gods reside is right before them. A person who recites Amitabha devoutly may live in the Saha world but experience the Pure Land as if it is right in front of him. A person who commits sins, although he is living well now and has power, fame, and money, is in fact already in hell.

From here we can easily see that although Bodhidharma often said that there is no cause and effect, no good and evil, we should not think that people who learn Chan can ignore cause and effect. If we interpret it literally, it would be a grave mistake, it would also go against the original intent of Chan Buddhism.

The reason Chan Buddhism rarely discusses good and evil or cause and effect is because other Buddhist scriptures have extensively covered it. Just as universities do not repeat elementary school courses, as those were taught and learned earlier. Although no longer taught in universities, they are a fundamental part of our education. In the same way, the teachings on good and evil and cause and effect were thoroughly explained during the first turning of the wheel of Dharma, and there is no need to repeat it in Chan Buddhism. The propagation and emphasis of Chan on sudden enlightenment, its highest teaching, does not mean that it denies cause and effect. Otherwise, we would not come across expressions like "good and evil are apparent, cause and effect are clear, heaven and hell are right in front of you." We should have a general understanding of the way the Buddha taught the Dharma, which is akin to modern educational systems. The first, second, and third turnings of the wheel of Dharma are equivalent to primary school, middle school, and higher education. The third turning of the wheel of Dharma places special emphasis on buddha nature and tathagatagarbha, but this does not negate the existence of cause and effect.

The same point is also made in the Platform Sutra. There is no good and evil or cause and effect in the state of enlightenment, but they exist in real life, that is, in the world of senses.

It is likened to waking up from a nightmare, realizing that you are dreaming, secretly rejoicing, and then going back to sleep, only to have the nightmare again. During the few minutes of waking up, everything in the dream disappears, but this is not to say that it will not reappear after falling asleep. If we continue to dream, the nightmare will come back. Conversely, if we can always stay awake, it will completely disappear. Therefore, it depends on which world we are in. In the sensory world – conventional truth, suffering such as birth, old age, illness, death, war, and hunger inevitably arises due to actions like killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and deceit. But in the state of realization – ultimate truth, all suffering dissolves.

But where is this world that is free of pain? Through listening and contemplating, we learn that it is the nature of our mind, but we only know it conceptually. We must make every effort to open the door to ultimate truth and enter it. Opening means attaining enlightenment; after attaining enlightenment, we can enter and abide in this state through continued meditation.

There is no contradiction between these two worlds, just as there is no contradiction between dreams and reality. From the standpoint of reality, you are lying in bed sleeping; from the standpoint of the dream, you may be fleeing for your life in terror. These two worlds do not really interfere with each other. How can someone come after you when you are clearly lying in bed? Yet, at this moment, in the dream you are indeed in danger.

Dreams are no less real than real life, but once you wake up, everything in the dream vanishes like smoke. It can be said that dreams are like conventional truth and reality is like ultimate truth. The only difference is that dreams are unstable, appearing and disappearing at times; real life is relatively stable and does not change easily. Other than that, there is no fundamental difference between the two worlds.

All in all, when we have not yet achieved enlightenment or a high level of enlightenment, we must be careful in observing cause and effect. When are we most prone to violating cause and effect? At the beginner stage, which includes a long period of time after initial awakening. During this stage, cause and effect have a substantial impact on us.

Previously, we defined what a beginner is. For example, if a poison is taken by ordinary people, it will kill them immediately; but if a practitioner takes the poison, he will not suffer any harm just by relying on the power of his own practice. When you reach this level, you have surpassed the beginner stage and have started to transcend cause and effect. At this point, cause and effect may not have much impact on you.

However, the power of cause and effect is far more powerful than poison. Although you may be immune to the poison, you will still be affected somewhat by cause and effect.

After just listening to a few Chan koans or reading a few Chan scriptures, you think, "As long as I am unattached, anything goes." That would be a big mistake. It completely distorts the meaning of "non-attachment"! Do not forget what Bodhidharma said: "Good and evil are apparent, and cause and effect are clear; heaven and hell are right before our eyes."

But fools do not believe it and fall into the darkness of hell. People who lack wisdom do not believe that afflictions are bodhi and all living beings are buddhas. Therefore, they willfully slander these teachings and commit grave misdeeds. The result is to fall into the darkness of hell.

They are not aware of it, and they do not believe it because of their serious karma. They are not aware, and do not know what effect their actions now will bring in the future. Due to deep karmic obstacles, they do not believe in cause and effect, let alone these profound states of realization. They never believed in cause and effect in the past, neither now nor will they in the future.

This is akin to a blind person who has no way of knowing there is light on the road; even if told, he cannot believe it, so how can he discern sunlight? The same goes for fools. 

A blind person has no way of knowing there is light on the road. It is like a blind man who does not believe that there is light on the road because he does not know what light is.

Even if told, he cannot believe it. Even if someone describes to him what light looks like, he does not believe it because there is no light in his world.

So how can he discern sunlight? So how can we explain it to him clearly? There is no way. Because he has never seen light, others cannot prove the existence of light to him. Even if it is explained clearly, he will not believe it.

The same goes for fools. The same is true of people who lack wisdom. No matter how you tell them the nature of mind is the buddha, they will never believe it.

They end up in the lower realms or among the poor and despised, unable to live or die. Despite their suffering , if you ask them, they say, "I am as happy as the beings in heaven." Thus, sentient beings perceive cyclic existence to be joyful, they do not know and are unaware. Such fools cannot develop faith because of their serious karma; they are not free. 

They end up in the lower realms or among the poor and despised, unable to live or die. If you do not believe that the nature of mind is the buddha and you slander and create karma, or if you commit countless transgressions before enlightenment, the consequences are certain to be extremely sad: you will live in misery, and descend into the lower realms after death; even if you return as a human, you will still be impoverished, in poor health, and of inferior rank.

Despite their suffering, if you ask them, they say that they are as happy as the gods. Although they suffer in cyclic existence, when someone asks, they will still answer: "I am very happy now, as happy as the beings in heaven."

In Bodhidharma's time, some people who were poor and lowly might have answered this way. It is not necessarily the case now; even the rich, powerful, or prestigious may not be able to say such a thing, because people are generally under great pressure and depressed.

Therefore, all sentient beings perceive cyclic existence to be joyful, they are unaware. All sentient beings regard samsara as a place of happiness and joy; they are full of nostalgia and are reluctant to leave it. Because of their attachment to samsara, they do not know and are unaware they perpetuate in an endless cycle of birth and death.

Many times, we are indeed this way. Although we are not happy at this moment, we think that tomorrow will be better; although we are facing ups and downs today, we firmly believe that we will be happy in the future. We always carry expectations for the future. This kind of expectation and desire drives us to work hard and chase after things regardless of consequences. Unknowingly, life comes to an end, and we have nothing to show for it. This is how reincarnation is.

Such fools cannot develop faith because of their serious karma; they are not free. Such a person is not free due to his serious karma. No matter how painful samsara is, he still refuses to leave and suffers from tossing and turning.

People who realize that their mind is the buddha no longer need to shave their head, these people in white clothes (laymen) are buddhas too. If they do not see their nature and shave their head, they are still outsiders. 

People who realize that their mind is the buddha no longer need to shave their head, these people in white clothes (laymen) are buddhas too. If you realize that the nature of your mind is the buddha, you do not have to be a monk. Lay people can also become buddhas. Not shaving your beard and hair means you are a lay person.

During the Buddha's time, most lay people in India wore white clothes; therefore, in India, Sri Lanka and other places, white clothes refer to lay people.

If they do not see their nature and shave their head, they are still outsiders. If you have not gained enlightenment, you are still an outsider even if you appear to be a regular monk with your head shaved.

Ordination alone does not solve all problems. Among monks, there are many who have not yet attained enlightenment; among lay practitioners, there are also many who have attained it. Taking monastic vows does not ensure you can achieve enlightenment; being a lay person does not mean you cannot achieve enlightenment. Enlightenment is not determined by whether you are ordained or not. Of course, monastics are not tied down by a lot of worldly affairs; relatively speaking, they have fewer negative emotions and more time at their disposal. They can invest more time in listening, contemplating, and practicing, so the probability of attaining enlightenment is higher.

Among the 84,000 Dharma doors taught by the Buddha, only the monastic precepts cannot be upheld by lay people (adopting them would make them a monastic). All other Dharma essentials, sutra and tantra, the greater or lesser vehicles, the precepts, concentration, and wisdom are shared by both lay people and monastics. Everyone can practice the Dharma; it is not the proprietary right of monastics. Therefore, lay people can also aspire to achieving enlightenment if they work hard; upon realization, they can fully attain buddhahood.

Regarding enlightenment, I have discussed it extensively and will continue to do so. What exactly is it that we realize? What do we consider to be enlightenment? There is a very important verse in Bodhidharma’s Treatise on Realizing the Nature of Mind – "Knowing the mind is empty is called seeing the buddha.” These words must be clearly understood!

"Knowing the mind is empty" is to know that the nature of our mind is empty. There are different levels of "knowing." Firstly, it is not derived from listening and reflection – it is not because the Buddhist scriptures say that the nature of mind is empty that we know this to be the case. Secondly, it is not derived from the various methods of reasoning in Madhyamaka. Excluding the above, what then is the correct meaning? It is allowing the mind to rest and observe itself.

To observe means to let the mind experience itself. This is something only the mind can do; external objects cannot. A table, for instance, cannot experience itself because it is an inanimate object; our eyes can see other things, but not itself; the sensory organs basically have no self-awareness. The mind can look outwards and perceive the world outside; it can look inwards and perceive its own essence. Self-reflection is a special function of the mind.

"Knowing the mind is empty" is not about looking outwards at the world, but letting the mind perceive itself and realize, when it has calmed down, that it abides completely in a state of emptiness. In fact, this is possible not only when the mind is calm, but also when it is moving. For example, if you are not mindful when you are talking, doing things, or when you are emotional, your emotions will continue to develop. But if you know how to observe the mind, you can by way of your emotions directly see its essence, which is empty like space. Reaching this state is enlightenment.

Therefore, "knowing the mind is empty is called seeing the buddha" can also be described as realization or awakening. Whether it is Dzogchen, Mahamudra, or Chan Buddhism, the standard for enlightenment is the same. When I was lecturing on the Platform Sutra , I said that because tantra has many restrictions and cannot be taught easily, many people do not have the chance to listen to some of its content. I said at the time that teaching the Dharma in this way was "taking advantage of a loophole." On the one hand, I was joking, but on the other hand, it is indeed so. There are no requirements in Chan Buddhism such as empowerments, so I can give these teachings to the extent appropriate.

Whether we have renunciation and bodhicitta ourselves is very clear to us; we need not ask others. The only thing requiring confirmation from a teacher is whether we have achieved enlightenment. In fact, that may not be necessary either if you already “know that the mind is empty,” you truly feel that the nature of mind is as empty as space – its essence is unmoving not only when the mind is calm but also when it is in motion. If you do not have this feeling, you are not enlightened yet.

Sometimes when we are very calm inside, certain feelings will arise that have never been experienced before, but this is not enlightenment. It is nothing, not even worth talking about. When a person's mind settles down, he will have various perceptions. For instance, anger will not feel the same as arrogance, arrogance will not feel the same as jealousy, and so on; each emotion will have a different experience. Likewise, when the mind is at rest and all emotions have left, another kind of feeling is sure to arise. These are all feelings that have not yet transcended the level of consciousness. We can enter the state of enlightenment only after transcending all feelings and realizing that the nature of mind is emptiness. At that point, we need not ask anything, just continue to practice.

Everyone longs for enlightenment. The more we yearn for it, the more mysterious it becomes; the more mysterious it is, the more we want to understand it. Practitioners keep talking about it, and rumors abound, but they do not truly know what enlightenment is. So, let me take this opportunity to explain.

Regarding enlightenment, the literature in Chan explains it very well and in just a few words – "knowing the mind is empty is called seeing the buddha." No matter how many Buddhist scriptures there are or how thick the treatises are, this is the basis on which everything is developed. Ultimately, they return to these few words.

Before enlightenment, we burn incense, worship the buddha, and perform various meritorious deeds, but these deeds do not eradicate our ignorance or affect the essence of cyclic existence in any way. The result is nothing more than to allow us to enjoy temporary rewards in the human and celestial realms. After enlightenment, a radical transformation takes place. Even at the early stage of enlightenment, this slight experience of emptiness is potent enough to severely weaken the essence of samsara, making it impossible for samsara to continue for too long. This is the key reason why all the buddhas before and after teach emptiness.

Question: How can a layman who is married become a buddha if he does not abandon lust? Answer: I do not talk about lust, only about seeing its nature. You do not see its nature. Once you recognize its nature, lust is basically empty, you need not cut it off, your delight in it ends, any residual habits cannot harm you.” 

Question: How can a layman who is married become a buddha if he does not abandon lust? How can a lay person become a buddha if he or she has a spouse and gives in to lust?

Answer: I do not talk about lust, only about seeing its nature. Bodhidharma answered: "I don't talk about any of the afflictions, only about seeing their nature."

The reason I say this is because so long as you can see the nature of things, all afflictions such as lust, jealousy, greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt will not be a problem. For example, when lust or anger arises, if you see that the nature of lust or anger is the wisdom of the buddha, then lust is no longer lust, and anger is no longer anger; they are all the wisdom of the buddha.

Ordinarily when we meditate, we hope to be as calm as possible without too many distracting thoughts; this is true from the perspective of meditation. But after enlightenment, there is no difference between having a calm mind and having distracting thoughts. Even if there are many discursive thoughts, so long as you see the true nature of the discursive thoughts in the moment, they are no longer delusions but wisdom instead. The same is true when the mind is calm. Once you see the true nature of peace, peace is no longer peace but wisdom. Therefore, Bodhidharma said you have nothing to fear, so long as you see their nature. If you can penetrate all the afflictions and see their true nature, then no matter how serious the afflictions are, their nature is the wisdom of the buddha.

At this point, there is still some content that remains to be understood; when you receive an initiation and listen to Dzogchen in the future, you will be able to hear it. That is the only difference between Chan and Dzogchen. Dzogchen is more in-depth in some details, and rich in methods. Of course, Chan methods are also exceptional, but there are not as many in number compared to Dzogchen and Mahamudra. The reason tantra is called the expedient vehicle is because it provides many ways to achieve enlightenment.

You do not see its nature. Once you recognize its nature, lust is basically empty. How should we understand "lust is basically empty"? Is lust basically empty? Yes, but just knowing that it is empty is useless, all phenomena are emptiness. Since killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and delusion are emptiness, can we kill or steal? Certainly not! The meaning of this sentence is: when lust arises, if you can instantly feel and see that its nature is emptiness, then it is not lust. Everyone must understand that just knowing that it is emptiness itself is not helpful. You must actualize it.

You need not cut it off. When facing afflictions such as lust and anger, Hinayana, Mahayana, and tantra have different remedies. Hinayana Buddhism advocates the elimination of all afflictions; defilements must be eradicated before enlightenment can be achieved. Mahayana, in general, also requires the elimination of afflictions; additionally, there is another method, which is to use bodhicitta and enlightened wisdom to transform afflictions into the wisdom of the buddha. The third turning of the wheel of Dharma, especially tantra, differs from the first two; it does not rely on elimination, or to be precise, it does not rely on either eradication or transformation. So long as you recognize the nature of afflictions, that is, realize its nature, afflictions are inherently wisdom rather than defilements; there is no need to cut them off or transform them. Thus, after "you need not cut it off," you can also add "you need not transform it."

We have always believed that afflictions need to be eliminated, and we often talk about getting rid of them. In fact, we only need to understand the nature of afflictions. Before we are enlightened, we are afraid of afflictions; once anger, jealousy and other negative emotions arise, they bring not only unhappiness at the time, but also a series of negative consequences later. The situation is completely different after enlightenment. We will personally experience the nature of afflictions at that time: Oh, so this is what afflictions are like! Since this is the case, of course there is no need to eliminate it. What is there to eliminate?

Your delight in it ends. After enlightenment, you no longer cling to or are attached to it.

Any residual habits cannot harm you. After enlightenment, some habitual tendencies remain, but they can no longer harm us. Enlightened people understand the nature of afflictions. Therefore, afflictions will no longer cause us to commit transgressions such as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and delusion. They have already lost this ability.

Why? Because the nature of afflictions is essentially pure. Although you dwell in this five-aggregate body, its nature is pure and cannot be polluted. The dharmakaya has no sensation, no hunger or thirst, no cold or heat, no disease, no love, no dependents; no pain or pleasure, no good or evil, no short or long, no strength or weakness, there is nothing to obtain. It is only due to the existence of this physical body that there is hunger, thirst, cold and heat, miasma diseases, and other symptoms; once you stop clinging to it, you can do whatever you want. 

Why? Because the nature of afflictions is essentially pure. Why is that? Because this person has already realized that the nature of afflictions is essentially pure. As mentioned before, we cannot just say that afflictions are basically pure, as this will not help; we must experience it ourselves. Now that we have already realized that defilements are basically pure, why is it necessary to get rid of them?

Although you dwell in this five-aggregate body, its nature is pure and cannot be polluted. People abide in the five aggregates, but their intrinsic nature is pure. The last of the five aggregates is consciousness, which is mind; the nature of mind is pure and unpolluted.

The dharmakaya has no sensation, no hunger or thirst, no cold or heat, no disease, no love, no dependents; no pain or pleasure, no good or evil, no short or long, no strength or weakness, there is nothing to obtain. All these dualistic concepts do not exist within the nature of mind.

If they do not exist in the nature of the mind, why do they exist in real life? It is only due to the existence of this physical body that there is hunger, thirst, cold and heat, miasma diseases, and other symptoms. 

Clinging leads to ignorance, and ignorance causes the physical body to appear – a body composed of matter. When we cling to this body, we develop an attachment to the self, giving rise to a series of afflictions, such as "hunger, thirst, cold and heat, miasma diseases, and other symptoms." It is evident that these phenomena appear because of attachment, but do not really exist.

Chan Buddhism speaks of essence and appearance, which are in fact the two truths, ultimate and conventional, taught in Madhyamaka. Essence is the intrinsic nature or true face of the mind. From the perspective of essence, or ultimate truth, the nature of mind is pure and untainted, so such phenomena as hunger, thirst, cold and heat, and miasma diseases do not exist. Appearance refers to the world perceived through the senses. From the perspective of appearance, or conventional truth, hunger, thirst, cold and heat, good and evil all exist.

As mentioned earlier, ultimate truth and conventional truth can be compared with the real world and the dream world, respectively. When a person is in the real world, the things in dreams do not exist; but when a person enters a dream, everything in the dream feels real. Although dreams do not exist in the real world, it does not mean that they do not exist in dreams. Because the dreamer does not know that everything in front of him is a dream, he treats the dream as real; in his mind, the dream is a reality. Therefore, if we live in a dream world, the real world becomes irrelevant and has no effect on us. The same is true for ultimate truth and conventional truth. We must understand that these are different conclusions drawn from two perspectives, otherwise many concepts will be confusing.

"No hunger, no thirst, no cold or heat, no disease, no love, no dependents, no pain or pleasure, no good or bad, no short or long, no strength or weakness, there is nothing to obtain." All of these do not exist from the perspective of essence, that is, ultimate truth, or the intrinsic nature of mind. The same is true when looking at the material world from the standpoint of physics: in the macroscopic world, there are buddha statues, tables, human bodies, buildings, and so on; but in the microscopic world, when looking at the deeper structure of matter, there are only atoms, electrons, elementary particles, even energy – there are no statues, tables, or buildings.

In fact, whether it is the external material world or the internal spiritual world, dreams or reality, their rules are the same. From the perspective of essence or ultimate truth, nothing truly exists; from the perspective of appearance or conventional truth, everything exists.

There is a topic in Madhyamaka that is the subject of debate. If things do not exist in ultimate truth, do they necessarily not exist? If things exist in conventional truth, do they really exist? Scholars have had many heated debates about this, and their conclusion is: What does not exist in ultimate truth does not mean that it does not exist in conventional truth; what exists in conventional truth does not mean that it exists in ultimate truth – we need to observe the two truths separately. In the same way, everything in a dream does not exist in the real world, but once a person returns to the dream, everything in the dream exists. Therefore, if something does not exist in the real world, it can only be said that it does not exist in reality; that is not to say that it does not exist in a dream. If something exists in a dream, it can only be said that it exists in the dream; that is not to say that it exists in the real world.

Thus, it depends on which world you are in. If you are in the real world, so long as you do not fall asleep or dream, you will naturally not be affected by things in a dream. Similarly, after awakening, you can enter a state that is "inherently pure and undefiled" and remain there for a long time. The good and evil or causes and effects in the world will not affect you. If you have not yet awakened, you will not be able to enter this pure state (essence or ultimate truth); you can only remain in the secular world (appearance or conventional truth), where you will certainly be affected by morality and causality.

The Bloodstream Treatise mentions the word "fool" several times. What is a fool? A fool is someone who knows that the world of dreams is different from the real world, but does not realize there is another world, an ultimate world, that is even more real.

In the mind of ordinary people, the real world is only the sensory-perceived reality of the present moment; the unreal world consists of illusions, such as hallucinations caused by illness, mirages, as well as dreams. Ordinary people only know these two worlds, one true and the other false; they are unaware of a higher truth, that of ultimate reality. Even the most intelligent and capable people in this world do not know that from the standpoint of ultimate reality, the actual world we live in is akin to a dream, a mirage.

If we have nightmares every night, one solution is not to sleep and remain in the real world. Similarly, if we want to avoid the pain and suffering of birth, old age, illness, and death in the real world, we need to enter the ultimate world – the nature of mind. If we can enter that world and stay for a definite amount of time, we will discover that afflictions such as birth, old age, illness, and death do not exist there. This is the best way to transcend suffering.

The dream yoga practice in tantra can bring the state of enlightened meditative absorption during the day into dreams, so that a person can still practice after falling asleep. Such a practitioner can remain in the truly real world almost twenty-four hours a day. Birth, aging, illness, and death in the conventional world can no longer affect him, because he is already part of another world.

Now we need to make a choice:

The first option is to stay in the current conventional world, which ordinary people regard as the real world. There is morality and causality here, so we should strive to do good and refrain from evil, and carefully navigate cause and effect. This way, we can enjoy the blessings of humans and heavenly beings in this life and the next, but the basic suffering of birth, old age, illness, and death remains unresolved.

The second option is to move from the current conventional world to one that is more real – the nature of mind. Everything that happens in the conventional world, such as birth, old age, illness, death, and all kinds of afflictions will no longer affect you, because you have already left, just like emigrating to another country and becoming a citizen of that country. In this ultimate reality, all afflictions are eliminated and there is no more suffering.

The latter option is also the principle by which Buddhist practice can lead to liberation. As for which is better, the result speaks for itself.

Once you stop clinging to it, you can do whatever you want. Once you realize the nature of mind, nothing you do will create karma. What about killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and deceit? An enlightened person cannot possibly commit these karmic transgressions, unlike ordinary people who will kill out of anger, and commit adultery or steal out of desire. The reason is that he has no attachments. Even if he kills, steals, or commits adultery on the surface, since he has no attachment at all, there is no cause, and hence no evil karma. Therefore, nothing can restrain him; he has broken through all constraints and limitations. This is true freedom.

If you gain great freedom from life and death, you can transform everything through unobstructed spiritual powers, and you can be at ease wherever you are. 

If you gain great freedom from life and death, you can transform everything through unobstructed spiritual powers. If you are free from the cycle of life and death, you can overcome any situation you encounter, whether success or failure, whether happiness or suffering, by transforming via the practice everything into the spiritual power of the sages. The "spiritual power" here refers not to the supernatural or extraordinary powers that we usually speak of. It is a state of omniscience, an ability to understand everything clearly.

You can be at ease wherever you are. After you cut off attachment and discriminating thoughts, you can be at ease wherever you are, in heaven or in hell, it’s all the same.

If there is any doubt in your mind, you will never penetrate or see things as they really are. It is best to do nothing, otherwise you will transmigrate indefinitely in samsara. If a chandala sees his nature, even he can become a buddha. 

If there is any doubt in your mind, you will never penetrate or see things as they really are. It is best to do nothing, otherwise you will transmigrate indefinitely in samsara.  If you still have doubts about the nature of mind, moreover you are sure that you have not yet fully understood everything in the world, and you still have attachments, it is best not to do anything that goes against cause and effect. This is to say you cannot commit transgressions, otherwise you will forever be bound to the cycle of birth and death, unable to attain liberation.

"Doubt" here refers to doubts about the nature of the mind, which means that the nature of the mind has not yet been realized; "penetration" refers to unobstructed access and having no attachment; "cannot penetrate all things" means not being able to see through worldly things such as fame and fortune, and having attachment to them.

Conversely, as mentioned before, "once you stop clinging to things, you can do whatever you want." If a person has no attachments and is certain that he has seen through everything, including himself, then he is already not restrained in any way. In essence, he has transcended the constraints of precepts and non-precepts, broken through all fetters, and is unrestricted in his behavior. The most important oath in tantra is the oath to reflect on emptiness that is the nature of all dharmas. Keeping this oath signifies that the person has thoroughly understood the nature of all things, that is, he has completely realized emptiness. For such a person, abiding in the state of emptiness is the tantric precept he must uphold; there are no other precepts beyond this. However, to save all sentient beings, he will still live and work like us on the surface, just like when Sakyamuni Buddha was born in human form, he also had to eat, drink, sleep, get sick, and take medicine. The Buddha showed that these actions that conform to the secular world were taken to protect our virtuous roots so that he could then guide us all to liberation. This is what happens after complete enlightenment.

But before enlightenment, "it is best to do nothing." Rather than saying that it is best to do nothing, it is better to say that you must not do anything that goes against cause and effect! Otherwise, you will transmigrate in samsara indefinitely. Thus, we must follow the law of cause and effect, refrain from evil, and do good.

If a chandala sees his nature, even he can become a buddha. In India, the caste system has existed since ancient times. Chandala is the lowest class among all castes. Most of them kill livestock as their profession. Born into such a family, one can only engage in menial jobs such as slaughtering animals throughout his life. Even so, if a chandala is enlightened, he can also become a buddha.

Question: How can a chandala become a buddha if he slaughters animals and creates karma? Answer : I only talk about seeing the nature of mind, not about creating karma. Whatever his transgressions, he is no longer restrained by karma. Since beginningless time, beings have fallen into hell, created karma, and transmigrated in cyclic existence due to ignorance of their nature. After enlightenment, they cease creating karma. If a person does not see his nature, invoking the buddhas will not free him from retribution, let alone killing a living being. If he sees his nature, all doubts will instantly disappear, even slaughtering animals cannot affect him. 

Question: How can a chandala become a buddha if he slaughters animals and creates karma? If a chandala has killed countless animals and created a lot of bad karma in his life, how can he become a buddha?

Answer: I only talk about seeing the nature of mind, not about creating karma. It is indeed difficult for a chandala to become enlightened, but if he is enlightened, he too can become a buddha. Can a chandala become enlightened? It is entirely possible. As the saying goes, "Put down the butcher's knife and you will become a buddha immediately." If he puts down the butcher's knife, repents sincerely, then study Buddhism and practice, it is entirely possible he can achieve enlightenment in this life.

Buddhism is very open-minded. At the beginning, the Buddha's sangha brought together people from all walks of life in India, many of whom came from the lowest level; these people were often ridiculed by heretics, or followers of Hinduism, who at that time were brahmins of noble birth (even now, many people at the lowest level in India yearn for Buddhism, but are still subject to restrictions of varying kinds). The Buddha taught that gender and race are not important, but wisdom, compassion, and practice are important. Master Hui Neng once made a similar point, "Although people are from north and south, buddha nature is without north and south." This is a view that Theravada Buddhism at the time already held. Mahayana Buddhism is even more open and believes that everyone, including chandalas, homosexuals, and sex workers, can learn Buddhism, achieve enlightenment, and become a buddha. It is recorded in the Buddhist scriptures that, regardless of gender, race, or class, as long as one can realize the nature of mind, one will possess great wisdom; with great wisdom, anyone can become a buddha.

Therefore, Bodhidharma said: "I only talk about seeing the nature of mind, not about creating karma." I only talk about whether you can achieve enlightenment, not about karma. Once you are enlightened and see your true nature, no matter how big or numerous your past transgressions are, such as the ten unwholesome sins or the five heinous sins, they will be purified instantly.

The problem is that it is very difficult to achieve enlightenment if your karmic obstacles are too serious. Are there methods? Generating bodhicitta can not only accumulate huge merits, but also purify countless transgressions. In addition, there are many methods in tantra, such as the sacred Vajrasattva repentance practice that purifies all transgressions like killing, stealing, adultery, delusion, and the five heinous sins. Finally, enlightenment can be achieved by continuing to practice. For people like chandalas, tantra is the preferred path.

Whatever his transgressions. For example, if one person works hard to achieve enlightenment, and the other person does not want to achieve enlightenment or be liberated at all, then even if both people have committed transgressions such as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, delusion, and so forth, the severity of the karmic obstacle will be different. In addition, once the former becomes enlightened, even the most serious transgressions can be immediately purified. From this perspective, their karma is also different.

He is no longer restrained by karma. After enlightenment, he will no longer be affected by karma.

To be exact, karma will still be created during the initial stage of enlightenment. Because the strength and wisdom of enlightenment at this stage is relatively weak, sometimes you will not be able to control your defilements. When you continue to practice and reach a certain level of realization, you will not create new karma, only past karma remains. After attaining the first bodhisattva level, you will stop creating karma altogether.

Several basic conditions are necessary before karma can be created. When a practitioner reaches a higher state of enlightenment, most of these conditions are no longer met, so on the surface it seems that karma has been created, but in fact it has not. Therefore, once you become enlightened and continue to practice on this basis, everything can easily be resolved – your past karma will be purified no matter how serious it is, moreover new karma will not be created; even if transgressions are committed, the severity of the karma is not the same as that for unenlightened people. Hence, it is said that "all karma cannot restrain him." There is also such a record in Abhidharmakosa in Theravada Buddhism.

Since beginningless time, due to ignorance of their nature. Since beginningless time, we have experienced countless reincarnations of life and death, precisely because we are not enlightened and have not been able to see our nature.

Beings have fallen into hell, created karma, and transmigrated in cyclic existence. Because there is no enlightenment, we create all kinds of karma: if we create good karma, we will take rebirth as human beings, devas, and asuras; if we create bad karma, we will fall into the hell, hungry ghost, and animal realms. There are many reasons for creating karma, the most fundamental reason being the lack of enlightenment. If you are not enlightened, you will have attachments, and if you have attachments, you will create karma and transmigrate indefinitely in cyclic existence.

After enlightenment, they cease creating karma. After you become enlightened, you will never create karma again.

Bodhidharma's writings are very concise and do not elaborate on the level of enlightenment required to avoid creating karma. If you want to understand it in depth and detail, you need to refer to other Buddhist scriptures. As I said before, in fact, you will still create karma when you first become enlightened. Only when you reach a certain level of enlightenment can you stop creating karma.

If a person does not see his nature, invoking the buddhas will not free him from retribution. A person who is not enlightened cannot avoid the retribution of cause and effect by reciting the buddha's name. Here, "reciting the name of the buddha" is used to represent actions such as kowtowing, burning incense, and participating in various Dharma gatherings. These alone cannot free him from cyclic existence.

Some people may question: Can unenlightened people be reborn in the Western Pure Land by chanting the buddha's name? After death, can they avoid the retribution of good and evil? The answer to both questions is yes. People who take rebirth in the Western Pure Land by invoking the buddhas can all become first-level bodhisattvas, and avoid retribution. It is their enlightenment after rebirth, not the recitation of the buddha's name, that frees them from the consequences of cause and effect.

Let alone killing a living being. How can a person who kills a living being escape retribution, if he cannot even do so by reciting the buddha’s name? The answer is as before: I only talk about achieving enlightenment, not about whether to kill. So long as you achieve enlightenment, you can purify your past karma; after you reach a certain level of enlightenment, you will no longer kill. Even if you kill, it is out of compassion to save others, so it is not a transgression in and of itself.

If he sees his nature, all doubts instantly disappear. Once you are enlightened, all doubts about your original purity and true nature disappear instantly. The reason we are skeptical now just shows that we have not yet attained enlightenment and do not understand the true nature of reality.

Although the word "instant elimination" is used, your doubts can only be partly eliminated during the initial enlightenment, not all at once. Just like when you drink water, you know whether the water is cold or hot, in the moment of enlightenment, you clearly see the nature of your mind which can eliminate some of your doubts; other more deep-rooted doubts and afflictions can only be gradually dispelled as your practice improves.

Even slaughtering animals cannot affect him. Even if a person has created a lot of bad karma from slaughtering animals, he is no longer restrained by karma if he is already enlightened. Because he has realized the essence of cause and effect and transcended cause and effect, any karmic consequences of killing, stealing, committing adultery, or lying cannot affect him.

The twenty-seven patriarchs in India only transmitted the heart seal. 

Before Chan Buddhism was established in China, there were twenty-seven patriarchs in India. Bodhidharma was the twenty-eighth patriarch. "Seal" literally means seal, such as the current official seal or the seal of past emperors; once the seal is affixed, no one can override it.

"Heart Seal" is a term synonymous with Mahamudra. What is its significance? One explanation is that the state after realizing the nature of mind is like the emperor's seal; all afflictions and thoughts are created and destroyed in this state, none can transcend the nature of mind. Another explanation is that before enlightenment, the mind of any sentient being, including the most ignorant beings in hell, is not separate from its intrinsic clarity; the clarity of the mind is like the emperor's seal, encompassing every thought of all sentient beings, no single thought can break through it.

In short, "heart seal" is the state of enlightenment. It is this state of enlightenment, or nature of mind, that the twenty-seven patriarchs of India passed down from generation to generation.

Now that I have come to this land, I only teach the sudden enlightenment of the Mahayana, that is, this mind is the buddha. I do not talk about precepts, charity, diligence, or ascetic practices such as entering water and fire, boarding a wheel of swords, eating just one meal a day, or sitting for a long time without lying down. These are all heretical practices. 

I am here now only to teach the sudden enlightenment of the Mahayana, that is, this mind is the buddha. Bodhidharma said, “The main purpose of my coming to China is to propagate the most advanced teaching of Mahayana Buddhism – this mind is the buddha.”

I do not talk about precepts, charity, diligence, or ascetic practices. The six paramitas such as upholding precepts, giving, and diligence are not discussed.

"Not talking about" does not mean to deny. As mentioned before, Chan Buddhism also requires observing precepts, giving alms, etc. The reason they are not mentioned is because these have been discussed a lot in Hinayana and other Mahayana schools, and need not be repeated. In fact, Bodhidharma also talked about the six perfections in other texts.

Entering water and fire, boarding a wheel of swords, eating just one meal a day, or sitting for a long time without lying down are all heretical practices. "Entering fire" is a heretical ascetic method in which people jump into a fire pit and burn to death; "sword" refers to a sharp knife. This sentence means deliberately jumping into water and fire; stepping on or grabbing the blade of a knife and sleeping on a wooden board covered with iron nails, causing the body to bleed; eating only one meal a day in the morning or at noon; and sitting for a long time without sleeping. These are all heretical practices.

Heretics hope to use these methods to achieve their goal of ascending to heaven. They believe that human rebirth is caused by the body and mind, thus destroying either one can remove its cause. For this reason, heretics practice asceticism and even commit suicide, a behavior that is still observed today. According to Buddhism, the reliance on asceticism is a mistaken view, because the root of rebirth lies not in the physical body but in the mind. So long as there is wisdom and compassion in your mind, you can easily solve all problems, including liberation from samsara; otherwise, no matter how hard your body is punished, you will come up empty-handed like drawing water from a bamboo basket.

The so-called ascetics in Buddhism are at most people who lack food and clothing and live a difficult life while practicing in seclusion. These practitioners live a hard life not on purpose but because of material constraints; moreover, they choose to spend most of their time on practice rather than expending too much energy on material things. Apart from this, there are no other ascetic practices in Buddhism.

Although the Eight Precepts Retreat in Buddhism also limits a person to one meal a day, it is different in essence from the practice observed by heretics. The retreat is conducted over just a few days, its purpose is to save more time for meditation practice, not to deliberately pursue a hard life.

Once your mind awakens to its spiritually aware nature, it is the mind of all buddhas. The buddhas before and after only talk about transmitting the mind, they teach nothing else. Even an ordinary person who is illiterate is a buddha if he understands this teaching. If you do not recognize your own awakened nature, even if you exert yourself to the point of breaking your body into a mote of dust, you will never find the buddha. 

Once your mind awakens to its spiritually aware nature, it is the mind of all buddhas. "Spiritual awareness" refers to the awakening of the mind, that is, the mind awakens to its own nature. After enlightenment, if you can abide in the intrinsic nature of mind at any time, whether talking or doing things, walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, this is the buddha-mind.

The buddhas before and after only talk about transmitting the mind, they teach nothing else. The buddhas before and after only talk about transmitting the mind, they do not talk about ascetic practices such as entering water or fire.

The "mind" here refers to enlightenment, which is wisdom. The buddhas before and after only transmit wisdom, and with wisdom one can solve all problems. On the contrary, practicing asceticism blindly and superstitiously is an act of ignorance that lacks wisdom, it is a wrong view that heretics hold. Buddhism only talks about wisdom; so long as the result in the end is enlightenment, the process and methods are not important.

Even an ordinary person who is illiterate is also a buddha if he understands this teaching. If a person understands this teaching, that is, he has realized the nature of mind, then even an ordinary person who is illiterate can also become a buddha, like the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng. It is evident that enlightenment is not directly related to one’s educational and cultural level. Of course, an educated person can better understand the Buddhist scriptures, and listening and thinking deeply can provide some indirect help to enlightenment.

If you do not recognize your own awakened nature, even if you exert yourself to the point of breaking your body into a mote of dust, you will never find the buddha. If you cannot realize the nature of your mind, even if you push your body to its breaking point, you will still not find the buddha. This is a metaphor for your degree of effort. We must first find the right direction, then strive hard to achieve results. If the direction is wrong, no matter how hard we work, it will be in vain!