Who Needs Enlightenment and How to Attain It

Many people do not understand how to attain enlightenment or who needs to attain it. So why do we need enlightenment in our study of Buddhism? Because since beginningless kalpas, we have been confused and deluded, mistaking the false for the true, falsely enduring the suffering of birth and death without liberation or freedom. Therefore, we need to eradicate ignorance, dispel the delusional dharmas within our minds, and awaken to the true principle. However, it is essential to clearly understand who "we" refers to—it refers to the two minds of consciousness and the mental faculty, because these two minds harbor immense ignorance and fail to recognize the ultimate truth of the Dharma realm. Thus, they need to practice and awaken to the truth. Only after awakening to the truth can one realize the falsity of all dharmas within the five aggregates, exhaust all ignorance, extinguish all suffering of birth and death, and attain great liberation. Only after realizing the Tathagatagarbha, the ultimate reality of the Dharma realm, can one, through cultivation over three asamkhyeya kalpas, exhaust all ignorance, reach the quiescence of Nirvana, and liberate oneself from all suffering of birth and death. Therefore, it is the sixth and seventh consciousnesses that need to be enlightened.

How does one realize the Tathagatagarbha? We cannot perceive the essence of the Tathagatagarbha at all because it is empty, devoid of any form, so naturally, its essence remains unseen. It can only be realized through its functions and operations. By directly observing the operational manifestations of the Tathagatagarbha within the functioning of the five aggregates, one attains realization of the Tathagatagarbha. Only then can one comprehend how the Tathagatagarbha operates within the five aggregates. Although the essence of the Tathagatagarbha is empty and quiescent, its functions are not; its operations have observable manifestations that can be perceived, and perceiving them constitutes realization.

I once used wind as a metaphor: the empty, quiescent mind is like wind—invisible, yet we can still know of its existence. Wind is also empty; we cannot see it, smell it, or touch it. So how do we know when wind arrives? Because when wind comes, it inevitably produces various effects, which manifest upon objects and in space. Wind acts upon objects and within the void; it contacts and collides with objects and space, creating various phenomena. Observing these phenomena, we realize the existence of wind. Whether it is a breeze, a gale, a small wind, a storm, a hurricane, or a tornado, we can determine the type of wind based on the phenomena exhibited by objects.

The essence of the Tathagatagarbha, like wind, is formless and without characteristics, yet it is discovered through its functions within the five aggregates. So when we detect wind, who is it that detects it? It is the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, along with the five sense consciousnesses. When a strong wind arises, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses work together to seek ways to avoid and guard against wind disasters. Similarly, realization of the Tathagatagarbha is attained jointly by the sixth and seventh consciousnesses through observing its functions and the operational manifestations arising within the five aggregates. What functions does the Tathagatagarbha possess? It generates and sustains all dharmas; all dharmas are upheld by its sustaining power. By investigating how the Tathagatagarbha operates and functions, one can comprehend the "five 'how unexpected' self-natures" spoken of by the Sixth Patriarch.