Reminders on the Path of Cultivation

Reminders on the Path of Practice

1
On the journey of practice,
if you are unclear about where you are and what situations you are encountering,

this indicates that
you have lost calm observation and have become entangled with the dust of the world.
At this moment, what you need to do is not to ask your master or others about what is happening or what should be done,
but rather to return to calm observation,
and then see clearly what is going on or how the path should be walked.

2
Practicing is like driving through mountain roads,
it is a matter of practicing while moving;
you must not cling to any insights or states encountered along the way,
for if there is clinging, it becomes attachment, not practice.
Breaking through obstacles and continuously moving forward is called practice.
If you encounter obstacles and stop, it cannot be called practice;
why? If there is no movement, it indicates that you have not practiced,
because without practice, there can be no movement, hence it cannot be called practice.

3
If you seek me to confirm your mind’s awakening, I will not grant it.
Why? You certainly do not possess the mind of all Buddhas,
because seeking confirmation means coming with a mindset of gain,
while the mind realized by all Buddhas is a mind free from gain.
Those who seek confirmation have yet to find that mind;
those who have found that mind do not need to seek confirmation.
To imprint one heart upon another means to imprint a heart without thought onto a heart without thought;
if there is a heart that can be imprinted and a heart that can receive an imprint, then it is not the Buddha’s mind.

4
If you seek my confirmation of whether or not you’ve awakened,

I will not grant it; why?

If there has been awakening, then one knows oneself;

if one does not know oneself, then one has not awakened. What use is there for others’ confirmation?

Furthermore, true practice does not concern itself with whether one has awakened or not;

whether awakened or unawakened, one acts in accordance with their nature—

the heart does not linger in any place; the heart transcends everything and simply reflects action.

5

Most practitioners encounter false awakenings:

realizing that the physical body is not oneself but mistakenly identifying an analytical mind as oneself,

or recognizing that the deluded mind is not oneself but establishing another true heart as oneself,

abandoning this for that—discarding the false self for the true self—is all confusion.

Awakening is not about finding something; how can finding be awakening?

Awakening does not mean discovering some treasure; rather, it means realizing actual conditions;

“actual conditions” are not treasures,

but simply the real state of existence.

6

I say there are two important treasures on the path of practice:

one is an equal heart and one is an aware heart.

The so-called equal heart means treating true hearts and deluded hearts equally, treating awakening and non-awakening equally;

all knowledge, views of self, sounds heard, sensations felt—all are equal.

The so-called aware heart always stands on “knowing,”

without getting involved in the content of knowing, without identifying with its content nor clinging to it.

True awareness has no doubts or questions; it simply maintains awareness towards all doubts and inquiries.

If one can do this, they are truly aware.

7

The relationship between awareness and equality is:

true awareness leads to true equality; true equality leads to true awareness.

Awareness is the cause of equality; equality is the fruit of awareness.

Awareness represents the subtle essence of the heart; equality represents its great function.

Examine your practice,

when did you deviate from this awareness or equality?

If deviated, return,

act with awareness in equality and act with equality in awareness.

8
In your journey of practice,
if your mind doubts this doubt and thinks about this thought endlessly,
this indicates that
you have long since departed from an equal heart; you have been swept along by worldly dust.
At this time what you need to do
is not clarify this or that—what this thing is or what’s going on with that—but rather return to an equal heart,
calmly observe all phenomena and observe mental activities before swiftly returning to stillness.

by – Taiwan Fearless Tathagata Ya Great Perfection Meditation Center