As you promote Buddha-dharma, remember to regard yourself as a genuine disciple of the Buddha; this is a reflection of your faith in the Buddhist teachings. If you do not see yourself as a disciple of the Buddha in this endeavour, your attempts to propagate the Buddha-dharma will surely fail. Upon truly embracing your identity as a disciple of the Buddha in your heart, the next step is to confirm the Buddha-dharma. This confirmation process involves belief, experience, and practice.
Confirmation of Buddha-dharma is paramount. Upon its confirmation, you begin to nurture the concept of emptiness and attain enlightenment. Enlightenment further leads to seeing your inherent nature. This realisation brings forth the unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment – the ultimate reality. This form of enlightenment is beyond doubt and dispute, with no conceivable reason to argue against it. There is nothing comparable to the ‘unsurpassed’ in the Human Realm. The term ‘unsurpassed’ signifies reaching the pinnacle, often referred to as ‘sublime’ and ‘wondrous.’ Here, ‘wondrous’ implies a state of existence that is beyond compare. Seated under the Bodhi tree, Shakyamuni Buddha confirmed the wondrous Dharma and attained enlightenment, a state of unparalleled excellence. Unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment is a form of awakening that emerges when one reaches a particular state, similar to suddenly understanding a profound truth in day-to-day life. Complete and perfect enlightenment is akin to the state of a Bodhisattva, while unsurpassed, perfect and complete enlightenment pertains to the state of a Buddha.
Today, I will give you an overview of the fundamental process involved in studying and practising Buddha-dharma.
Enlightenment is the initial step, which involves gaining an understanding of the principles of life and awakening to these truths before embarking on spiritual practice. A practitioner initiates their cultivation upon reaching a state of enlightened mind. The second phase, referred to as “enlightened mind and seeing the inherent nature”, involves perceiving one’s inherent Buddha-nature through this enlightened mind. These form the foundational stages in the study and practice of Buddha-dharma.
I am guiding you through the essential process of spiritual cultivation, paving the way for a fruitful journey in the practice of Buddhism.
First, we have the Path of Accumulation. This signifies that you must have sufficiently accumulated provisions; ‘provision’ here is related to the concept of capital and qualifications. The term ‘provision’ refers to the merits and virtues accumulated through your deeds in past lives. These reserves, necessary for achieving various objectives, also symbolize your inherent nature, your conscience. Without sufficient cultivation in a previous life, one might be reborn into circumstances less favourable for spiritual growth, like that of a mountain-dwelling cowherd in the present life, which could miss the opportunity for further spiritual cultivation. This could make it challenging for such a person to encounter the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, meet the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, and understand how to properly cultivate their mind and conduct. The above discussion is about the Path of Accumulation. ‘Path’ in this context refers to the method of cultivating the mind and conduct.
Second, the Path of Preparation. ‘Preparation’ here doesn’t refer to anything externally added to you, but rather to the actions you personally undertake. Equipped with a solid foundation of accumulated provision, you start to cultivate and incorporate your current virtuous practices. This is when progress begins and propels you forward. In essence, having a certain amount of accumulated provisions as a foundation is what prepares you for your cultivation journey.
Third, the Path of Vision. As you immerse yourself more in Buddhism, you start to perceive the truth. For example, you might see Guan Yin Bodhisattva, witness the accomplishments of your current cultivation, and internalise all your feelings and experiences. You comprehend the truth at a deep, heart level and perceive the compassion of Guan Yin Bodhisattva towards you. This is what’s referred to as the Path of Vision.
Fourth, the Path of Enlightenment. Only when you see it will you truly understand. The capacity for enlightenment is grounded in what you have seen and heard; without personal witness, true understanding cannot occur. Enlightenment follows the Path of Vision, leading to an awakening where you realise, “This is the truth, the authentic path, and no matter what, I must persevere in cultivation.” Those who can maintain this resolve and persist in cultivation are indeed those who have attained enlightenment.”
Fifth, the Path of Realisation. This stage holds considerable importance as it confirms the truth of the path. In this phase, after attaining enlightenment, you begin your practice, followed by understanding and confirming that this path is absolutely right – “It is the only path I can tread. As long as I persevere, I am destined to succeed.” This is akin to your current state, where you confirm that this is the path for you, the Bodhisattva’s path, the path most suitable for you. Consequently, you dedicate yourself wholeheartedly and diligently to practising Buddhism. This is the process of spiritual practice.
Enlightenment requires the transformation of your six sense bases – ‘eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind’ – into Buddha-nature. This transformation involves redirecting them towards your inherent Buddha-nature, a process referred to in Buddhism as ‘restraining the six sense bases.’ For instance, when your nose encounters an unpleasant scent, channel your Buddha-nature to appreciate the aroma of flowers. When your eyes see something negative, use your Buddha-nature to observe the Buddha-dharma, to behold images of Guan Yin Bodhisattva, and so on. When your ears pick up disagreeable sounds, remind yourself not to heed them, but instead, attune yourself to the sound of the Buddha. The focus here is on the determined effort to align with your inherent Buddha-nature.
Will there still be a cycle of rebirth after enlightenment? Yes, there will be. Why? Because when you achieve enlightenment, it implies you’ve only comprehended these truths but haven’t necessarily acted upon them, hence, the cycle of rebirth remains inevitable. The karma created by your six sense bases – ‘eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind’ – in the past, will invariably lead you to the cycle of rebirth. Even though you’ve grasped the truth, if you haven’t rectified your actions, committing unwholesome deeds will indeed lead to the cycle of rebirth. Understanding and enlightenment alone are insufficient. You’ll still have to undergo the cycle of rebirth in the six realms of existence because you’ve only achieved enlightenment, not true realisation. The negative karma created by your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, through your thoughts and actions, remains with you as long as you continue to exist in the universe. Even with your enlightenment, comprehension of many truths, and awareness that committing the ten unwholesome deeds should be avoided, the negative karma you’ve previously created will continue to envelop you. As long as you exist, you must undergo the cycle of rebirth in the six realms of existence.
To avoid the cycle of rebirth, you should increase your recitation of Buddhist scriptures, perform more meritorious deeds, eliminate all your karmic obstructions, thoroughly cleanse yourself of greed, anger, and ignorance, and learn to be adaptable in all situations.