Some people say, “I have realized emptiness.” However, if “emptiness” appears before you as an object of cognition, then it is certainly not genuine realization.
It is precisely because Arhats do not take all sentient beings as the object of their aspiration that, compared with Mahāyāna bodhisattvas, their aspiration is relatively limited in scope. Consequently, after realizing the selflessness of persons (pudgalanairātmya), they inevitably enter nirvāṇa. Even leaving aside the vast scope of Mahāyāna bodhicitta and its power to accumulate merit and purify obscurations, this outcome follows simply because they do not embrace all sentient beings.
Those who possess the powerful aspiration to benefit all sentient beings cannot simply enter nirvāṇa, because the force of their vow continually draws them back. The same applies to the wisdom that aspires toward Buddhahood. If one has an accurate right view of emptiness, one will understand that nirvāṇa is not the final realization of great emptiness. Without such understanding, however, one will naturally enter nirvāṇa.
At times, this is also due to deeply ingrained habitual tendencies. Some Arhats remain such deep-seated Theravada habitual patterns that, although they know the Mahāyāna teaching is correct, they still choose to enter nirvāṇa. It is recorded in the scriptures that there was an Arhat during the Buddha's lifetime who said to the Buddha, “What you teach about the Mahāyāna is true, yet I must still to enter nirvāṇa.” This illustrates the overwhelming force of habitual inclination toward nirvāṇa.
Therefore, The Beacon of Certainty states: “Although the nature of one phenomenon is identical to that of all phenomena, when the inner and outer conditions are incomplete, realization proceeds only gradually.” Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas who have not yet entered the Mahāyāna path lack the necessary inner and outer conditions.
Externally, they have not relied upon a Mahāyāna teacher (ācārya); internally, they have not cultivated the uniquely Mahāyāna practices of great wisdom and great compassion. Consequently, before entering the Mahāyāna, they cannot attain complete realization of the selflessness of phenomena (dharmanairātmya). Only by gradually entering the Mahāyāna path can they ultimately realize it. Thus, compared with those who enter the Mahāyāna from the outset, their realization unfolds more slowly.
Thus, the generation of Mahāyāna bodhicitta and the realization of emptiness are not only inseparably connected in theory, but are even more intimately connected in actual practice. For someone who has genuinely aroused bodhicitta, the effectiveness of practices such as the accumulation of merit and purification of obscurations, as well as Guru Yoga, is beyond the power of words to describe. By contrast, one who has not generated Mahāyāna bodhicitta has not even entered the Mahāyāna path. How, then, could such a person possibly realize the Mahāyāna view of emptiness?
— Excerpted and compiled from Genuine Bodhicitta and Conceptual Bodhicitta
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
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