All of you who have practiced for a while will sense a different flavor when reading this gongan again. Enlightenment-first-cultivate-after is true Chan practice, it is the fundamental view of Chan because one can only know where the path is after enlightenment. Every sect teaches that spiritual cultivation is the cultivation of the mind. But without realizing this mind, without knowing where the mind is, how can you cultivate the mind? Like a blind person using a hammer and a chisel to sculpt a block of wood, if he cannot even see what is there, how can he sculpt anything? Without enlightenment, one cannot enter the door of liberation.
All beings possess the intrinsic Buddha nature, the essence of the mind. It is a shame when a practitioner cannot find one’s own primordial nature. If you cannot even find something that you already possess, what else can you actually accomplish? While looking, listening, eating, sleeping, or walking, you are functioning through this very essence, you are never away from this essence even for a single moment. Through its innate capacity you manifest countless functions, including all past, present, and future. Not knowing it is just like having benefited from someone’s support for a very long time yet never knowing who the benefactor is – isn’t that rather embarrassing? Therefore, do not belittle this matter, but also do not look down on yourself. Don’t think of the matter of finding your true nature as either difficult or not difficult. Since you already possess it, difficult or not, it only depends on your effort.
Once Master Gui Shan ascended the hall and a monk asked, “Do those who have had instantaneous enlightenment still need to cultivate?” Master replied, “If one has truly realized the primordial essence, it would be clearly known to oneself, to cultivate or not become two extremes. Today the initial enlightenment may occur through ripening of conditions when in one thought instant the essence is realized, yet the habitual tendencies accumulated through beginningless time will not clear away suddenly unless the manifestation of the karmic stream of consciousness is purified, this is cultivation, not that there are practices other than that. From hearing the dharma, one penetrates to the essence. Having penetrated to the subtle and profound depth of the essence, the mind becomes unobstructed and bright, no longer in ignorance. No matter how many profound teachings are being expounded and promoted, one still must make the effort to untangle oneself from bondage to be truly alive and free. To put it succinctly, the ultimate essence is undefiled by a single dust; the myriad of practices does not leave out a single Dharma. Pierce through to the truth with a long sword, cut off all mundane or holy sentiments, reveal the true and eternal essence, where principle and matter are not-two, as such is the Buddha.
“If one has truly realized primordial essence, it would be clearly known by oneself. “
This means when one has truly realized primordial essence, one will know that. “To cultivate or not becomes two extremes.” At this time, one practices without practicing. “Today the initial enlightenment may have occurred through ripening of conditions when in one thought instant the essence was realized.” When you resonate with the truth, you awaken, yet the habitual tendencies accumulated through beginningless time will not clear away suddenly, it is not possible to clear away at that same instant. “Unless the manifestation of the karmic stream of consciousness is purified.” To put it simply, make your mind pure and free of thoughts. When you attain the state of no-thought, you can gradually purify the karmic stream of consciousness.
If you turn back the light of awareness and illuminate inwardly until reaching the state of no thought, and under all circumstances there are no thoughts, no grasping, then your karmic stream-of-consciousness has been purified. Isn’t this very direct? If you cannot reach no-thought, purifying stream of consciousness is nothing but empty talk. After enlightenment one must maintain no-thought. Even if you have not attained enlightenment, you should strive hard to obtain the state of no-thought. There are different depths in the state of no-thought. After enlightenment no-thought is that of the primordial mind’s pure essence; before enlightenment, no-thought is the functional cessation of thinking. But regardless of which kind of no-thought, it is what every practitioner must achieve otherwise the karmic stream of consciousness cannot be purified.
“Purify manifestation of the karmic stream of consciousness is the cultivation”. When you’re able to turn back the light of awareness and reflect on self-nature, when you illuminate the Hua-Tou and the state of no-thought, then you may enter the door. When you truly break through attachments, attain enlightenment, manifest emptiness awareness, then that’s the true state of no-thought. “Not that there are practices other than that.” Except for the practice of no-thought and the purification of karmic stream of consciousness, there are no other practices. This is not to say that scripture recitation, prostration, discipline, repentance, and aspirational prayers should be stopped – only that when you do these practices you remain inseparable from no-thought, emptiness-awareness such that you practice without practicing. If you just practice scripture recitation, prostration, discipline, repentance, and aspirational prayers without emptiness and awareness, then such practices become incorrect, arbitrary, and superficial. You cannot make emptiness and awareness mature by simply doing these practices. When you stably dwell in emptiness and awareness, then emptiness and awareness will mature. Therefore, your practice must enter emptiness and awareness.
Similarly, Master Han Shan talks about enlightenment-first-cultivate-later in the Dream Roaming Collection, “Question: Regarding the principle that Mind is the Buddha, and that one ought not seek externally, if one is able to trust it, to see through it thoroughly, then should one simply dissolve past karma as conditions arises, refrain from new karma, and let the mind be free until the stream of consciousness exhaust itself? Or should one raise doubt sensation and inquire energetically to seek the unfathomable enlightenment? Answer: Just trusting in the principle of Mind is the Buddha is empty faith unless it is actualized in practice. Without actualization in action, just faith alone brings no benefit. How can one speak of thorough penetration based on faith alone? The ancients said, first enlighten and then cultivate. That is because post-enlightenment is the perfect time for cultivation. The ancients said, “Practitioners may attain in one instant the sudden realization of the mind, which is the marvelous enlightenment. Yet in the recess of the Eighth Consciousness there still remain negative karmic seeds accumulated through countless eons that are known as the karmic stream of consciousness. After enlightenment, apply the principle attained through enlightenment at all times during the day, continuously and seamlessly purify the karmic stream of consciousness, this is called cultivation. It is not the case that outside of enlightenment there’s some other path to cultivate. Purifying karma is done by dissolving old karmic seeds as conditions ripen, and it depends completely on the strength of the enlightenment experience, where the power is derived to purify negative habits. Mere empty faith is no means of dissolving negative habitual tendencies. Inquiry using doubt sensations is the very practice of purifying karma; however, prior to enlightenment, one should inquire at the point where the karmic stream of consciousness arises. Scripture stated: “Sitting calmly in the mountain forest, illuminates the flow of one’s own mind stream. After enlightenment, wherever negative habitual tendency manifests, it is dissolved at once through illumination, like snowflakes touching the red-hot cauldron. Comparing post-enlightenment cultivation and the practice prior to enlightenment is like the difference of a day’s work compared to an eon’s work, not even close.
To be continued, stay tuned.
~ Miao Tsan