The Observational Wisdom of the Mahayana Path of Seeing

During the process of deep meditation with strong concentration and profound doubt, one gradually eliminates the five aggregates and eighteen realms, denying their reality, thereby confirming their selfless nature, eradicating the view of self, and attaining the purification of the Dharma-eye in the Hinayana tradition. Freed from the obscurations of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, one is then not far from the Mahayana path of insight. When consciousness and the mental faculty attain realization of the Tathagatagarbha through meditation, one can observe the simple functioning of the Tathagatagarbha, which is non-discriminating toward the six dusts. In this way, one obtains the Prajna wisdom of Mahayana insight.

With this wisdom, one observes that the Tathagatagarbha is a selfless mind-essence that is neither born nor perishes, yet it gives birth to the self-natured five-aggregate body that is subject to birth and death. At the same time, one can also observe how the Tathagatagarbha gives rise to the five aggregates, realizing that the five aggregates are indeed empty and selfless, and clearly understanding why they are empty and selfless. Such wisdom is far more profound, sharp, and ultimate than the wisdom of eradicating the view of self in the Hinayana tradition. As for eliminating the fundamental afflictive obstructions and cognitive obstructions, that is a matter for subsequent practice, occurring after the attainment of the first dhyana, and also after the stages of the ten practices and the ten transferences of merit.