Dharma Practice: Dissolving All Phenomena of Life

This world is extremely transient and impermanent. We should not assume that because we presently possess certain things or enjoy a stable life, such stability will endure. There is no true stability in this world; everything can change at any moment. There is nothing in the world that we can securely grasp or depend upon. This is precisely why we must hold firmly to the Buddha, in the hope that, through his guidance, we may reach the ultimate shore of liberation. We should not merely profess a casual or superficial faith; rather, we must earnestly put the Dharma into practice. Only through such practice can we truly come to understand the real meaning of human life and genuinely optimize its full potential. What is most important is to possess the Dharma. Everything else is beyond our ability to hold on to. This does not mean that we are being asked to renounce everything; rather, we are being urged to place greater importance on the study and practice of the Dharma, for nothing is more important than this. The Dharma is like wealth, social status, parents, and the warmth of a family: if you possess the Dharma, it is as though you possess everything. We should therefore invest in the wealth of the Dharma; only then can we truly experience the richness of life and its spirituality.

How, then, should we practice? The one thing we need to do is to uncover ourselves. Where, ultimately, have we gone? We are often lost amid phenomena and the circumstances in which everything takes place. Yet everything that arises is subject to constant change and impermanence. Consequently, our mental states follow these changes, continually giving rise to corresponding results. This is precisely the nature of suffering. Therefore, we must return to ourselves. Our deepest and most fundamental self is awareness. When awareness is mistaken, suffering arises; when awareness is correct, happiness arises. Whenever we do not lose sight of this awareness, we will come to recognize its presence.

Perception is consciousness; awareness is likewise consciousness. Consciousness is a composite arising through changes in the luminosity of awareness and converging conditions. Thus, it is through awareness that we can uncover ourselves. By bringing awareness back to its simplest and most primordial state, we can then discover the truth of the universe. This realization dissolves all that we encounter in everyday life. Once we possess this kind of awareness, many problems pertaining to conceptual knowledge will naturally dissolve. We must dissolve our fixation on phenomena. To dissolve this attachment is to recognize that all things are of emptiness. We must then turn back and observe ourselves. It is only by turning inward, toward ourselves, that we can discover such unobstructed emptiness.