How to Tell If You Are Abiding in the Mind of Birth and Death or the Mind Beyond Birth and Death

Ananda addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One! I have been blessed with the Tathagata’s supreme compassionate teachings, and my mind has now opened and awakened. I know that through my own practice and realization, I can attain the path of the non-learner (the arhat path). For those practicing in this Dharma-ending age, when establishing a practice center, how should we define its boundaries to fully align with the pure standards set by the World-Honored One?"

At this point, after the Buddha had finished teaching the complete simple method of mantra recitation, Venerable Ananda continued his address, saying: "This awakening is, of course, an intellectual discernment of the Dharma, not a direct experiential realization. There are two key aspects to this full understanding:

First, he grasps the principle that all appearances are false, while their inherent nature is true. He knows that as long as the mind clings to phenomenal marks — if one’s mind abides in the marks of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan — that mind is false and subject to the Mind of Birth and Death. This is abundantly clear: if you ask whether you are currently abiding in the Mind of Birth and Death or the Mind Beyond Birth and Death, as long as your mind still clings to appearances and preoccupations of gain and loss, that is the Mind of Birth and Death. If you can abide in the markless state, that is the true, eternal Mind Beyond Birth and Death. Our mind holds both fleeting emotional states and eternal meritorious functions; you must first distinguish between the two: which are like temporary guests only passing through, and which are your true, permanent host. This is the discernment of truth and falsity grounded in the principle that appearances are false and inherent nature is true.

The second, and even more essential, point is that the true is manifested through the false. While appearances are themselves false, you can only discover your true mind-nature by engaging with these false appearances. The two are not separate: it is precisely through the false that the true is made manifest.

Venerable Ananda fully and thoroughly grasped these two principles, and thus expressed his certainty that he could attain the path of the non-learner (the arhat path) through his practice and realization of perfect penetration of the true nature. He affirmed, “I will accomplish the path of non-learning.”

As Master Ouyi observes, Venerable Ananda lived in the age of the True Dharma, so he had no need to establish a ritual altar; he could directly recite mantras, or even had no need to recite mantras at all. Thus, in practice there are two categories of practitioners: those with sharp spiritual faculties and those with dull faculties. Those with sharp faculties can directly rest in mindfulness of true suchness, and immediately accomplish perfect penetration. Those with dull faculties in this Dharma-ending age require the expedient means of the Four Pure Admonitions, establishing a ritual altar, and reciting mantras. Therefore, he notes that practice in the Dharma-ending age faces two core challenges: first, severe karmic obstructions and limited wisdom: shallow roots of goodness and heavy afflictions. Second, the Buddha has been gone for a long time, and false views and erroneous understanding run rampant. So, in an era where demonic forces are strong and the Dharma is weak, it is essential to establish a proper practice center.

How, then, should we define the boundaries for this practice center, and how should we construct it? How can we set boundaries that fully conform to the pure standards established by the World-Honored One? As Master Ouyi further notes, the primary purpose of establishing a ritual altar is, of course, to employ concrete practices to manifest the underlying principle. What does it mean to employ concrete practices to manifest the underlying principle? This will be explained in detail later. To some extent, however, establishing a practice center also creates a space for collective practice.

To put it another way, when the Buddha was present in the world, most practice was carried out individually. But in this Dharma-ending age, when demonic forces are strong and the Dharma is weak, relying on the assembly for support, cultivating a shared aspiration, the collective power of the assembly becomes extremely important. For group practice, a dedicated ritual altar is naturally required: first, establish a proper ritual altar, then build up the shared aspiration of all practitioners.