The Avatamsaka Sutra and the Avatamsaka Sutra both say, “All sentient beings have originally become Buddhas.” On what basis did the Buddha say this? Because everyone has the original Mind Source and the original Mind Essence, everyone is a Buddha. The problem is whether we know it clearly and have a clear view of ourselves from the inside out. If we look from the essence of the mind source, we see that all sentient beings and Buddhas are no different, they are all exactly the same. But when we look from the appearance, we see too many differences. Why do different appearances appear? Sentient beings have lost their own Mind Essence, so different appearances appear. Although sentient beings have lost their Mind Essence, they have not truly lost their Mind Essence. Once enlightened, the Mind Essence immediately begins to function as vast as the Avatamsaka Sutra says, “The mind is as vast as the space of cinnabar.” That being said, when we are confused and bewildered, does the Mind Essence begin to function? The original nature of the Mind Essence is always always calm and always wise; Therefore, even when we are deluded, the Mind-essence still exerts an immeasurable and boundless function. If the Mind-essence did not exert an immeasurable and boundless function, how could it manifest the ten directions of dharma realms?

On the theoretical level, the Form and Function of the Mind-essence arise, not two, not different. However, on the practical level, because the deluded and the enlightened perceive differently, they see and know differently. The deluded perceive the ten dharma realms, the six paths, and the three evil paths. The enlightened do not perceive the ten dharma realms; they see the ten dharma realms as one and not two. The Buddha-dharma calls that realm the One True Dharma Realm. Thus, the Ten Directions of Dharma Realms are also only the One True Dharma Realm. Why? Because the ten dharma realms are all manifested from one source of mind. All dharmas have the same source of mind, the same essence, so how could they not be the One True? When we no longer cling to appearances, we will see that all dharmas are the One True, without any difference. That is the One True Dharma Realm that the Diamond Sutra says, “Seeing all Forms as Emptiness, is seeing the Tathagata.”

For example: We use pure gold to represent the Original Mind or the True Nature. If we use the same amount of pure gold to cast a Buddha statue, a Bodhisattva statue, a Pratyekabuddha statue, a Sravaka statue, a god statue, a human statue, or an animal, a hungry ghost, or a hell-being statue. Let me ask you, is there any difference between those images? We ordinary people are deluded by reason, so when we see images with different shapes, we immediately develop a mind of discrimination and attachment. When we see a Buddha statue, we quickly kneel down to pay homage, but when we see an animal, a hungry ghost, or a hell-being statue, we immediately feel disgusted, avoid, and scold. This is called attachment to form! If we use each image to represent a Dharma Realm, then are there ten Dharma Realms in the One True Dharma Realm? In the One True Dharma Realm, there are still ten Dharma Realms, there are still hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and even the Buddha Dharma Realm. But in all of these Dharma Realms, enlightened people only see the One True, only see the essence of the Dharma Realm, they do not care about the different shapes of the statues. Why? Because if we consider from an artistic point of view, each statue may have a different appearance, but they all have equal artistic value. If we consider in terms of quality, all statues are made of pure gold equally, there is no difference. The Ten Dharma Realms are the same, the equal mind sees the ten Dharma Realms as only the One True. In short, the pure and equal mind is the One True Dharma Realm!

Why is the pure and equal mind the One True Dharma Realm? Enlightened people are people with a pure and peaceful mind, so they see the Ten Dharma Realms as only the One True Dharma Realm, without high or low, purity or impurity, suffering or happiness, so even if they are in heaven enjoying pleasure, they do not enjoy pleasure, even if they are in hell, they do not feel suffering. That person is completely free of the five feelings: suffering, happiness, sadness, joy, and equanimity, so no matter where they are in their mind, it is always just like this sutra says: “No attachment, no boredom, no joy, no seeking, no thought of seeking, no self, no other, no thought of resentment.” This is the state of the equal mind of the One True Dharma Realm. Furthermore, why is it that the mind without these five feelings is called the One True? In the Heart Sutra of the Prajna Paramita, the Buddha said: “Sariputra, form is no different from emptiness, emptiness is no different from form, form is emptiness, emptiness is form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness are all the same.” In other words, in the Mind Essence and the Mind Origin, there are completely no five feelings: form-feeling-perception-mental formations-consciousness, so there is no such thing as feeling suffering, happiness, sadness, joy, and equanimity. Deluded people do not have Prajna wisdom, so they do not realize that the true value of the essence of all dharmas is equal, all have the same amount of pure gold and all have the same sharp artistic value, so they give rise to a mind of discrimination, attachment to the different appearances of the statues, and see the realms of high and low, purity and impurity, suffering and happiness. Ordinary sentient beings perceive with the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formation, consciousness), but Saints do not perceive, they use Prajna wisdom to see that the five aggregates do not have Self-nature and clearly understand that all dharmas are like, are not two, and are in accordance with the eternal and still nature of the Mind Origin.

The Infinite Life Sutra says: “Using unobstructed wisdom to understand the Dharma as suchness.” The Mind Origin is originally likeness, so all dharmas that manifest from the Mind Origin are also likeness. In the One True Dharma Realm, all dharmas are likeness, are non-dual, are in accordance with their nature, there is not a single dharma that is not in accordance with their nature. Unobstructed wisdom is Prajna of Non-knowledge, which has no perception, no feeling, no thought, no action, no consciousness. Because there is no perception, one sees this dharma as suchness, that dharma is also suchness, all dharmas are suchness, without any difference. Now, when we study the Infinite Life Sutra, we must base on the above viewpoints to reason about the method of reciting Buddha's name, in order to question ourselves, to question whether we truly understand the dharma we are practicing? To question whether we are practicing according to the principles taught by the Buddha? To question whether we have fallen into wrong views, wrong dharma? Those who recite Buddha's name but do not understand the theory of the Pure Land dharma can easily fall into the practice of reciting Buddha's name and cling to appearances, wasting their efforts. Why? Because the efforts of reciting Buddha's name based on appearances can only achieve a little bit of the limited blessings of gods and humans, and cannot lead to rebirth.

The Contemplation Sutra of Infinite Life teaches: "This mind is Buddha, this mind makes Buddha." The Avatamsaka Sutra says: “Only mind manifests, only consciousness transforms.” This mind is Buddha, and it is only mind manifests. This mind that makes Buddha is only consciousness transforms. Right now we are human beings in the Human Dharma Realm, not the Buddha Dharma Realm, so although this mind is Buddha, this body is a common person. In the future, what this body will be depends on what this mind is doing now. If this mind is currently a ghost, it will definitely fall into the Ghost Dharma Realm in the future. If this mind is currently an animal, it will definitely fall into the Animal Dharma Realm in the future, etc. However, no matter which Dharma Realm it falls into, this mind will never change, this mind is forever a Buddha. Although the mind is forever a Buddha and never changes, the mind depends on what we want to do to manifest a realm that is suitable to our mind. No matter what we want and do, the mind is forever a Buddha. Now, if we want to become a Buddha, how can we not become a Buddha? Of course one can become a Buddha! That is why the Contemplation Sutra on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life says: “This mind is Buddha, this mind makes Buddha.” That is, if we want to become a Buddha, we will become a Buddha; if we want to become a Bodhisattva, we will become a Bodhisattva; if we want to become an Arhat, we will become an Arhat; if we want to become a sentient being of the six paths, we will become a sentient being of the six paths. Whatever we want to transform into, we will immediately obtain; that is the wonder of the mind, so the sutra calls it the Wonderful Existence of the True Mind. When we clearly understand this principle, then faith in the Pure Land Dharma-door will be truly established. This is the true faith of a person who has truly awakened to the Self-mind, not the false faith of a deluded and confused person. Only a practitioner with clear wisdom and a clear understanding of the principles of the Dharma he practices can develop true faith in the Dharma he practices. If one does not understand the theory clearly, one certainly cannot truly believe, or even if one does believe, it is only superstition. Therefore, the word “faith” in Buddhism is not as easy to achieve as we think.

The Awakening of Faith, written by Bodhisattva Asvaghosa, says: “Those who understand the theory of the Pure Land Dharma-door are true intellectuals. Those who are immersed in emptiness, seeing everything as non-existent, or those who have to initiate thoughts to know that it exists, are all called false intellectuals.” He also wrote: “Examining the root, the Self-nature is inherently complete with all virtues, that is to say, the Self-nature has the meaning of great wisdom, great light, the meaning of covering the entire Dharma-realm, the meaning of true understanding, until it is complete without any meaning missing.” Bodhisattva Asvaghosa practices the Pure Land Dharma-door of reciting the Buddha’s name to seek rebirth in the Pure Land, and is currently in the World of Ultimate Bliss, so surely what he says is true, clear, and not at all wrong. Bodhisattva Asvaghosa spoke so much in detail; in the Platform Sutra, the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng only said one short sentence, “Who would have thought that Self-nature is originally complete” and yet it contained all of that meaning. We can say that Bodhisattva Asvaghosa’s passage is a commentary on the Sixth Patriarch’s saying.

The “true knowledge” of a truly enlightened person and the “false knowledge” of a person with attachment are extremely different. Buddhists call a person with attachment to dharma of emptiness and dharma of existence “Sinking into emptiness for stillness, making a thought and knowing.” “Sinking into emptiness for stillness” means being immersed in emptiness and mistakenly thinking that they have attained Nirvana Endurance. This refers to those who practice Zen but do not attain the dharani dharmas, but just sit there, immersed in emptiness to the point that not a single thought arises, thinking that they are very pure, mistakenly thinking that they have attained Nirvana Endurance. We must know that Zen in Buddhism has Contemplation, it is not such a dead Zen! In Zen without Contemplation, it belongs to the Non-Perception Samadhi of the outsiders. If in the mind there is attachment to non-perception, and cannot let go of that form of non-perception, then there is still attachment. We ordinary people usually attach to existence and perception, but those who practice Zen outsiders fall into non-perception, both attachment to non-perception and attachment to existence are attachments. Those who practice Zen without perception cannot cut off ignorance, so they cannot achieve ultimate Nirvana. If they successfully practice the Non-Perception Samadhi method, in the future they will be born in the Four Dhyana Heavens, in the Four Dhyana Heavens there is an outsider heaven called Non-Perception Heaven. That person thinks that Non-Perception Heaven is ultimate Nirvana, so he is immersed in it, not wanting to progress any further. This is a huge mistake! “Knowing by doing” is that ordinary people usually use their intellect to discriminate, think, imagine, question, research, and then know; this is not true knowledge. True wisdom must only be Prajna without knowing, that is, no need to discriminate, no need to initiate thoughts, just look and know, no need to intend. After seeing, one must study and then know, then that is mere knowledge, not true knowledge. Buddha calls these two types of people who study Buddhism with attachments False Knowledge or Arhat Names. Why? Because they are not Arhats or true good friends. True good friends have no attachments, discriminations, or delusions, do not attach to non-perceptions, nor do they attach to perceptions. In the Great Infinite Life Sutra, Buddha said: If one is a true good friend, one must transcend the Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas, and must enter the Dharma doors of Emptiness, Formlessness, and Actionlessness. The three kinds of attachments, discriminations, and delusions harm us, and our practice will not yield results in life after life. We cannot attain ultimate Nirvana in the Dharma of Emptiness, Formlessness, or Actionlessness, so life after life will still be lost in the six paths of samsara. Therefore, the Buddha teaches us to abandon these three kinds of attachment, discrimination, and delusion, only then can we return to the origin and escape from the three realms.

There are people who, after hearing the Buddha's teachings, abandon attachment, discrimination, and delusion, immediately think that from now on, they do not need to study the sutras anymore, because studying the sutras means still having thoughts, delusions, discrimination, and attachments. That person has only vaguely heard the words "abandoning attachment, discrimination, and delusion," but does not understand clearly and transparently, and hastily abandons the Buddha Dharma to pursue non-thought. Isn't that giving rise to more attachment, discrimination, and delusion? This is the extremely great trouble of those who study Buddhism and cling to emptiness. Why is clinging to emptiness a great trouble? Because it not only hinders the Bodhi path, making it difficult for us to resolve the issue of birth and death in this life, but it is also a disease that can be transmitted to others. If we ourselves have the disease of attachment to emptiness, and then pass it on to others, it is extremely harmful! To be honest, people who fall into attachment to emptiness are more troublesome than those who cling to existence. Why? People who cling to emptiness think that they have attained the wisdom of no-form, and have realized the Dharma of Emptiness, so they do not read sutras or listen to the Dharma to dispel their doubts and misconceptions. Some people even cling to emptiness to the point that they do not know anything at all, good and bad, good and bad, male and female, hunger and satiety, family, society, nation and ethnicity, they do not know and do not want to know. Isn't that a huge trouble? The more they practice, the more they destroy the appearance of the world, going against the right path that the Buddha taught: "Buddhism in the world does not destroy the appearance of the world."

Worldly people are deluded and have attachments. Bodhisattvas, having abandoned attachments, have clear wisdom, understand the nature of dharmas, clearly know the characteristics of living beings, clearly see the attachments of living beings, and know how to adapt to the attachments of living beings to establish skillful means to teach living beings, enabling living beings to enter the Dharma door of Emptiness, Formlessness, and Actionlessness. If Bodhisattvas are attached to the attachments of living beings, then Bodhisattvas and living beings are exactly the same, what else is there to say here? Bodhisattvas, having abandoned attachments, can adapt to the discrimination and attachments of living beings and manifest the characteristics of discrimination and attachments, but inside there is no discrimination and attachment. Buddhism often says, "The Buddha Dharma in the world does not depart from worldly enlightenment." What does it mean to not depart from the world? It is the external appearance that does not leave the discrimination and attachment of worldly people, still manifesting the appearances of ugliness, beauty, goodness, evil, birth, aging, sickness, death, eating, dressing, sleeping, and doing all the work that worldly people need to do to maintain their lives. In all their dealings, dealing with people, and dealing with things outside, the Bodhisattva uses those appearances of discrimination and attachment to conform to the worldly customs, then that is called not leaving the world. The Bodhisattva must do so, then the world will not be disturbed, not damaged, not destroyed!