The Arising of Smṛti-sambodhyaṅga Is the Prerequisite for Dharma Realization

The first of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment is the mindfulness enlightenment factor. It means that after learning a certain Dharma teaching, one understands it, recognizes it, remembers it, and integrates it into one's heart. Once the Dharma enters the heart, it becomes part of one's being, enabling one to consistently recollect it, contemplate it, reflect upon it, and observe it truthfully when encountering circumstances. This is the prerequisite for realizing the Dharma. If any step in this process is missing, both the mindfulness enlightenment factor and the Seven Factors of Enlightenment remain incomplete, making it impossible to realize the Dharma. Once the Dharma has entered the heart and can be recollected, one no longer needs to rely on books every day to study it; otherwise, the mindfulness enlightenment factor has not yet arisen. At what stage of Buddhist study and practice, then, can one develop the mindfulness enlightenment factor?

Who are those that, after studying the Dharma, cannot integrate it into their hearts no matter how they try? Who cannot remember it, cannot recall it, and must depend on books to understand the Dharma and contemplate the teachings within? Those who have not yet developed the mindfulness enlightenment factor have little impression of or interest in the Dharma—this is precisely the case, as their mindfulness is very weak. Only after elevating their interest and recognizing the importance of the Dharma can they begin to recollect the Dharma from time to time in their hearts.

For example, after studying the Hinayana teaching on the selflessness of the five aggregates, one might know while reading a book that the six dusts (objects of the senses)—form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects—are all empty, illusory, and unreal. Yet, upon closing the book and encountering these six dusts in daily life, one might still be very picky about form, very attached to appearances, desiring the best and unwilling to endure any hardship. Upon hearing sounds, one might remain very critical and attached. When smelling scents, one might still be very discriminating and fixated on pleasant or unpleasant odors. When encountering tactile sensations or mental objects, one might again be very selective and clinging, completely forgetting the phrase one just read: "The six dusts are illusory and unobtainable." These phenomena indicate that this person has not integrated the teaching of the emptiness and illusory nature of the six dusts into their heart, lacks the capacity for recollection, and cannot contemplate or observe it. The mindfulness enlightenment factor has not yet arisen in them. When, then, will they realize the impermanence and selflessness of the six dusts? There is no set date—perhaps in a donkey year, or a horse month.