Misapprehending Emptiness Remains Wild Fox Zen

Question: For sentient beings in the stage of abandoning evil and cultivating good, can they directly contemplate that all evil dharmas are the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha, essentially being the Tathāgatagarbha itself? Some advocate that those who violate precepts can use signless repentance to eradicate offenses, claiming that after awakening, their precept observance will naturally become pure. Is this approach appropriate?

Answer: Practice should be arranged according to an individual's capacity and specific circumstances. All should practice progressively, without skipping stages or leaping ahead. Otherwise, one easily falls into the delusion of nihilistic emptiness, reenacting the "wild fox Chan," leading to heavier karmic obstructions and causing one's practice to appear to advance while secretly regressing.

For sentient beings in the stage of abandoning evil and cultivating good, if they directly contemplate evil dharmas as the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha, two different outcomes may arise: One outcome is realizing that the Tathāgatagarbha is empty and evil dharmas are also empty, thus feeling no need to create any more evil dharmas. Consequently, the mind gradually becomes purified. This is the result of contemplation for beings of superior capacity. The other outcome is disregarding the creation of evil karma, failing to restrain the mind, and indulging recklessly, believing that since evil dharmas are also Tathāgatagarbha dharmas, one need not cling to them. They think they can create evil freely, claiming it's all the emptiness of the Tathāgatagarbha, that no true evil dharma exists, and that by taking refuge in the Tathāgatagarbha, there are no evil dharmas or evil results. This is the wrong view and misunderstanding of foolish beings of inferior capacity, leading to unwholesome retribution.

Many people consider themselves beings of superior capacity, yet in the current Sahā world, truly superior beings are exceedingly rare. Most have considerable afflictions and karmic obstructions. Therefore, in practice, one should abandon evil when it is time to abandon evil and cultivate good when it is time to cultivate good. Do not skip this stage and neglect the transformation of the mind's nature regarding good and evil, becoming solely absorbed in principle while remaining confused and inverted in practical matters. Regarding both good and evil dharmas as the emptiness of the Tathāgatagarbha, one neither abandons evil nor cultivates good. With evil karma obscuring, wholesome dharmas not assisting, and merit lacking, how can one perfect precepts, concentration, and wisdom to realize the path? Can merely chanting "emptiness" with the mouth truly empty the mind? Fundamentally, it cannot. If the mind is not empty, the retribution remains, and liberation is still unattained.

Similarly, those who violate precepts use signless repentance to repent of offenses, hoping to eradicate their karmic misdeeds. It is feared that ordinary people generally cannot perceive reality, and thus cannot eradicate offenses and eliminate karma. Without perceiving reality, how can offenses be eliminated? Then, who can use reality-mark repentance to repent of offenses? It should be those not far from realizing the path, those who have nearly perfected the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment and the Six Pāramitās, whose mind-nature inclines toward goodness, and whose karmic obstructions are light. When conditions ripen, with the blessings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, through reality-mark repentance, they can perceive reality and thereby eradicate offenses and eliminate karma.

Some, after studying Mahāyāna teachings, easily find excuses for their evil actions, saying, "These bad things done are not truly done, it doesn't matter, it's all empty." Thus, they feel at ease, without shame or remorse, their evil minds unchanged, and wholesome minds not arising. Such delusion regarding emptiness is still "wild fox Chan," unable to escape the judgment of cause and effect.