Dear fellow practitioners, greetings to all!
All phenomena are like illusions, arising and ceasing without permanence—do you yearn for a true gate, a right path, to shatter delusion, reveal the spirit’s radiance, and enter liberation? Today, guided by the profound wisdom of the Shurangama Sutra, we explore the “gate” and “path” of practical cultivation—from opening the gate with the wondrous ever-present spirit, rooted in the right view of the ten good deeds, through the three gradual stages to break the five aggregates, abiding in truth to enter the unproduced, advancing straight to great awakening. Let us together ignite the light of truth and embark on this Dharma journey!
1. The Gate of Practice: The Wondrous Ever-Present Spirit, Five Aggregates as Illusions
The Wondrous Ever-Present Spirit
The Shurangama Sutra unveils the first gate of practice: recognizing our original nature—the wondrous ever-present spirit. The Buddha told Ananda: “You should know that all sentient beings, since beginningless time, cycle through birth and death because they do not recognize the ever-present true mind, the pure, luminous essence, and instead cling to delusive thoughts. These thoughts are not true, thus samsara persists.” (Shurangama Sutra, Vol. 1) This points directly to the root: our spirit is wondrous, eternal, unborn, undying, pure, and radiant, yet due to beginningless delusions, we mistake the five aggregates for reality, perpetuating rebirth.
Five Aggregates as Illusions
The sutra dissects the five aggregates—form, feeling, perception, formation, consciousness—as products of delusion:
Form: The first solid delusion, arising from parental union, clung to as real.
Feeling: The second illusory clarity, driven by pleasure or pain, taken as true.
Perception: The third fused delusion, stirred by fleeting thoughts, grasped as real.
Formation: The fourth subtle delusion, ceaselessly flowing, held as true.
Consciousness: The fifth phantom void, a distorted essence, mistaken as real.
The Buddha states: “The five aggregates arise in layers; birth stems from consciousness, cessation begins with form. In principle, realization is sudden, merging with insight to dissolve them; in practice, they aren’t instantly eradicated, but extinguished sequentially.” (Shurangama Sutra, Vol. 10) The gate of practice lies in knowing these as illusions, abandoning birth and death to abide in the true constant.
Key Practices
Observe the Body, Know the Spirit: See the body changes while the spirit remains—recognize delusion, stabilize with the ten good deeds, verify the spirit’s stillness, sever obstacles, and awaken to truth without faltering.
Unwavering Mind: Any arising thought is an error; abide in the true constant, bolstered by the divine power of aspiration—resolve must be unshakable.
Foundation of Practice
Right view, one of the ten good deeds, counters the poison of ignorance and serves as the primary resource. Mastering the ten good deeds—not killing, stealing, lusting, lying, frivolous speech, slander, harsh words, greed, anger, or ignorance—purifies the three karmas (body, speech, mind), allowing them to flow freely with the heart, building the concentration to break delusions. Without this foundation, resources are lacking, and practice falters. The fruits of the ten good deeds harmonize the faculties, free the three karmas, and naturally dissolve delusions.
2. The Path of Practice: Three Gradual Stages and the Power of the Ten Good Deeds
Having entered the gate, where lies the path? The Shurangama Sutra outlines a clear route: rooted in the power of the ten good deeds, advancing through the three gradual stages, sequentially dismantling the five aggregates, guarding against demons, and reaching perfect penetration.
（1） Three Gradual Stages: The Path to Sever Delusion
The Shurangama Sutra teaches three gradual stages:
First Stage: Cease the Five Pungent Roots, Remove Supporting Causes: These roots fuel afflictions like oil on fire; they must be cut off to purify the senses.
Second Stage: Uphold Pure Precepts, Correct Nature: Abstain from lust and killing, cleanse the six faculties, and reveal the spirit.
Third Stage: Oppose Current Karma, Enter the Unproduced: Sever present karmic obstacles, unite concentration and wisdom, keep the spirit unmoved, and realize the patience of the unproduced.
These three steps are like emptying a vessel, gradually purifying body and mind, and implanting Buddha’s virtues—compassion, joy, equanimity, and the ten powers—forming the true path. Before fully severing bad habits, though the spirit’s divine powers may emerge, do not indulge, lest progress stalls short of the ultimate goal.
（2） Breaking the Five Aggregates: The Method of Abiding in Truth
Where does this path lead? To breaking the five aggregates and abiding in the true constant. The sutra states: “If you cease following the distinctions of the world, karmic fruits, and sentient beings—the three continuities—the three conditions are severed, the three causes cease; then the mad mind of Yajnadatta within you naturally rests. Rest is Bodhi; the victorious, pure, luminous mind inherently pervades the Dharma realm, not gained from others—why toil in forced cultivation?” (Shurangama Sutra, Vol. 4) Practice means abandoning birth and death, abiding in the true constant. It continues: “If you abandon birth and death, abiding in the true constant, the constant light appears, sense faculties and consciousness dissolve instantly. Thought as dust, emotion as defilement—both depart; then your Dharma eye clears at once—how could supreme awareness not arise?” Staying unmoved is key; a single thought disrupts samadhi, like stirring clear water into muddy chaos, undoing all progress. In practice, right view discerns the five aggregates as illusions, concentration and wisdom uphold non-attachment, teachers guide against falsehoods, and precepts guard against demons.
（3） Clarifying the Mind Like Water: From Initial Suppression to Final Eradication
Practice is like settling water: dust sinks, clarity emerges. When the formation aggregate exhausts, the six faculties’ defilements settle, initially suppressing afflictions; with further progress, removing the sediment yields pure water, permanently eradicating fundamental ignorance, revealing the Tathagata’s vast wisdom within. The Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment speaks of solitary Zen meditation to sever afflictions and realize truth; the Shurangama Sutra builds on true suchness, establishing the ten dedications, leading to the ten grounds and wondrous awakening.
3.Conclusion: Step-by-Step Practice, Direct Path to Bodhi
Dear fellow practitioners, the gate of Shurangama practice is recognizing the wondrous ever-present spirit, knowing the five aggregates as illusions; the path is rooted in the ten good deeds, advancing through the three gradual stages, breaking the five aggregates, abiding in truth, guarding against demons, and entering the true way; the fruit is perfect penetration, entering the Buddha’s insight, culminating in Buddhahood. May we follow the Shurangama’s true Dharma, with the ten good deeds and right view as resources, right view and wisdom as protection, guided by teachers, vowing with resolve, abiding unmoved in truth, stepping into the unproduced, and perfectly realizing the radiant light of great awakening! Thank you all!
