Bai Xuexiang’s Deciphering of Dharmalakṣaṇa

Observing how minds of hatred, arrogance, jealousy, and affliction arise—let me illustrate with an example. Take the minds of jealousy and arrogance; they essentially stem from the same root. When others surpass "me," I feel discomfort—this is jealousy. When "I" excel in certain aspects compared to others, this is arrogance.

Upon careful observation, it invariably stems from an event or a perception of an event: I feel jealous when others outperform me, and arrogant when I outperform others. How to resolve this? Discard the "me." In worldly affairs, there is an idiom: "the manifold phenomena." The Avatamsaka Sutra describes it as "the ocean reflecting all phenomena," meaning that worldly matters are countless and vast. Each excels in their own field. When others excel, we should praise them; when I excel, I should remain humble, for there are always those who surpass me. There is nothing to be arrogant or proud about. Events themselves carry no emotions; emotions arise solely from human imagination—illusory and unreal. Events themselves are transient, arising and ceasing moment by moment. Why would there be any need for pride or jealousy?

Upon closer examination, when I say "discard the me," observe: emotions arise, and discarding them is, in essence, discarding something illusory. Nothing substantial is discarded. This neither adds nor subtracts from the matter at hand, nor does it hinder any action. Instead, it brings profound tranquility.

Earlier, I mentioned various minds. The mind has various distinctions; with distinctions come various minds—this is called "the manifold phenomena." The manifold phenomena are like reflections in a mirror. This is known as the "mind-dharma" or the "dharmadhatu." The mirror's ability to reflect the manifold phenomena is its inherent function. In Buddhist terminology, this is called "thus it is by nature" (dharmatā). This function is called "nature," specifically "seeing nature." The function that distinguishes the manifold phenomena is "consciousness" (vijñāna). When consciousness is subdivided, it becomes the eight consciousnesses. The mirror is called "suchness" (tathatā), while the objects within it are called "coming" (or "going"). The mirror also possesses another function: after reflecting, it retains an impression, much like the film in a camera. This is called "seeds" (bīja). The function of storing these seed-impressions is called "store" (cáng). The whole is thus called the "Tathāgatagarbha" (the womb of the Thus-Come One). When this is unknown or misunderstood, it is called "hidden" (cáng). Once comprehended, upon great enlightenment, it becomes a "treasure" (zàng).

The "I" spoken of by ordinary people and the "I" referred to by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are not the same. The "I" of ordinary people is a role—countless worldly roles such as father, mother, son, daughter, superior, subordinate, shopper, vendor, driver, American, Chinese, believer, and so on. "I" can assume any role, but the role is not "me." What is used to play this role? The answer is the body. It is through the body that we enter a role, which is why we often mistake the body for "me." The body is like an object, requiring thought to direct it, so we then mistake thought for "me." Thought is the script for the role, while the body is the prop.

This role of thought is a mind-dharma. A single moment of ignorance gives rise to three subtle aspects: the activity aspect (karmic appearance), the evolving aspect (transformative appearance), and the phenomenal aspect (objective appearance). By studying the Master’s Dharma teachings carefully, one finds that the Yogācāra (Consciousness-Only) school explains these classifications in great detail. It is truly a profound Dharma essential for transcending the world. The Master emphasizes the importance of the mental faculty (manas, the seventh consciousness), but the prerequisite is to clearly understand these principles with the intellect (the sixth consciousness) before using the mental faculty to realize them. In truth, even ordinary people possess realization through their mental faculty—for instance, their intense attachment to worldly fame, profit, or emotions is also a form of realization by the mental faculty, albeit distorted, like a funhouse mirror. Otherwise, realization would not be so difficult. Transforming the cognition of the mental faculty: before transformation, the mental faculty is a tangled mess. With correct cognition, we rectify the mental faculty’s understanding. After transformation, it becomes cool and tranquil.

Comment: This is purely an insight gained through actual realization, demonstrating great wisdom. It deconstructs the nominal and phenomenal aspects (nāma-rūpa) within the secular world to a considerable depth, thereby also deconstructing the five aggregates (skandhas). Only by deconstructing phenomenal reality can one be liberated from the phenomenal bonds of the five aggregates and remain unbound by appearances. To deconstruct it, one must actually realize the suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and selflessness of phenomena. Intellectual understanding plays a minuscule role; it becomes useless when faced with concrete situations.

Only those who have actual realization are free from afflictions. Understanding derived solely from the intellect does not resolve afflictions. Thus, many people skip the foundational practices of the Hinayana—observational practice (vipassanā) and actual cultivation—and bypass meditation (dhyāna) and precepts (śīla), directly attempting to comprehend the Mahayana Tathāgatagarbha. Even if they intellectually grasp it, they lack the wisdom to shatter the five aggregates. Without breaking the five aggregates, they remain as they are, burdened with afflictions, continuing to create unwholesome karma, without a trace of liberation. True practitioners do not skip any stage, nor do they belittle the role of any Dharma practice. They certainly do not overestimate their own wisdom. Only by being realistic and down-to-earth can they achieve genuine realization, give rise to true wisdom, and liberate the mind from the secular world.