There is an interesting aspect of the mind that we should be aware of. The concept can influence our minds to some extent, but it cannot truly change our beliefs. For instance, if we repeatedly tell a little boy that his mother is a bad person, his mind may eventually start to believe it. However, once he grows up and sees his mother again, this concept will collapse instantly because blood is thicker than water. Thus, we must not let our minds be fooled by concepts. We must contemplate with critical questions in mind to truly believe in what we are studying.
To do this, we must ask ourselves questions such as why we need to give up worldly pursuits, whether Samsara is really as bad as it seems, whether there is really a hell as the Buddha spoke of, and whether there really are six realms in Samsara. If we want our minds to truly believe in these concepts, we must study Madhyamaka and Cittamatra.
For Chinese practitioners who aspire to develop Renunciation and Bodhicitta, merely reading the Guidance Manual for the Preliminaries of Dzogchen is insufficient. This is because our modern education, which emphasizes scientific reasoning and evidence-based thinking, demands that we have a clear understanding of the reasons behind our beliefs. Therefore, in order to comprehend why Samsara exists, we must study Madhyamaka and Cittamatra thoroughly and contemplate their teachings deeply. This will enable us to truly believe in the existence of Samsara and develop a genuine aspiration to free ourselves and others from its endless cycle of suffering.
Believing in the existence of Samsara is the starting point from which we can understand why Renunciation is one of the three essential aspects of liberation. Without it, the goal of freeing ourselves from Samsara and achieving liberation is merely a daydream. Once we have a strong sense of wanting to liberate ourselves from Samsara, it is time to generate Bodhicitta, which is the stepping-stone of Mahayana.
Bodhicitta gives us a heart filled with immeasurable love and courage to unconditionally benefit all sentient beings with equanimity. A person with Bodhicitta is called a Bodhisattva, whose sole purpose is to work towards the liberation of all sentient beings until they achieve Buddhahood. The path that leads to accomplishing the great cause of liberating all sentient beings is called the path of Bodhicitta, which is synonymous with "seeing the true nature of our mind."
To see it, we need to make our mind gentle and open, and Bodhicitta helps to tame our monkey mind by putting a leash on all forms of selfishness, discursive thoughts, and negative emotions. The gentler and more open our mind is, the better chance we have of seeing the true nature of our mind stream.
The mind-stream refers to the continuum of Alayavijnana, the storehouse consciousness, or it can be seen as the continuum of the body and mind. Buddhism does not believe that the body has its own inherent existence, but rather that it is a manifestation of the mind that is constantly changing like a stream. Hence, it is called the mind-stream. The Chinese term for the mind-stream, Xiang Xu, is brilliantly precise.
To efficiently develop Renunciation and Bodhicitta, we need to go beyond basic studies. Some intellectuals approach Buddhism thoughtfully, and their approach is highly recommended. They do not blindly accept what has been said about Buddhism; instead, they question the credibility of Buddhist doctrine by studying fundamental theories such as Madhyamaka and Cittamatra. Once they are convinced of the authenticity of these theories, they no longer view Buddhism as superstition or a deception set up by Buddha Shakyamuni and his followers. They do not have the intention of trapping us in their deception.
To determine whether Madhyamaka and Cittamatra are true and accurate, we can rationally analyze them. If they are, it means that Samsara can be established and surpassed to reach liberation. However, merely understanding these Buddhist theories on a theoretical, conceptual level without putting them into practice will not lead to meaningful progress in our study and practice of Buddhadharma.
Excerpted from: The Relationship Between Buddhist Theory and Practice
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