By Victor M Fontane
Sentient beings are submerged in the Six Realms of Samsara primarily due to ignorance (Avidya) and the subsequent arising of the Three Poisons: greed (Lobha), hatred (Dvesha), and delusion (Moha). We cling to everything in the Saha world, holding onto people and situations like moths to a flame, attached to ephemeral joys without realizing the infinite suffering concealed behind them. This attachment drives us to create various Karmic actions, much like weaving an enormous net that firmly binds us within the cage of Samsara. Even when trying to abandon attachment, we become attached to the very notion of "abandoning," which becomes a new form of attachment, akin to washing hands with muddy water only to end up dirtier.
Studying the Dharma, whether aspiring for rebirth in the Pure Land or seeking to attain enlightenment and wisdom, is not to accumulate these achievements as new Karma in the Alayavijnana, like adding burdens to an already heavy load. The true essence of practice lies in gradually purifying the seeds of ignorance accumulated in the Alayavijnana over numerous lifetimes through listening (Shravana), contemplation (Manana), and meditation (Nididhyasana), like clearing weeds from a field to make it fertile, ultimately transforming consciousness into wisdom, attaining liberation from the suffering of Samsara, and achieving true freedom.
We should not cling to the results of good and bad actions, as both are products of dependent origination (Pratītyasamutpāda), like moonlight on water or flowers in a mirror, without intrinsic nature. Attachment to discerning good and bad is itself a form of dualistic thinking, obstructing our view of the true nature of all phenomena (Dharmata), like seeing through colored lenses that distort reality. True wisdom does not lie in clinging to "non-attachment" to form, like deliberately avoiding crowds, but in seeing the emptiness (Shunyata) of all phenomena, understanding everything arises and ceases through causes and conditions without a permanent self, like perceiving a magic trick's truth, no longer deceived by appearances.
The Diamond Sutra states, "A Bodhisattva should practice giving (Dana) without dwelling on the notion of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or Dharma." True giving is not merely discarding external possessions like donating unwanted items, but relinquishing inner attachment, like putting down a heavy stone from the heart. Non-attachment in giving means not being attached to the act of giving, its recipients (good or bad), and its outcomes, naturally offering like flowing water while maintaining inner purity and non-abidance, reflecting all things without getting tainted like a clear mirror.
This wisdom of non-abidance manifests not only in outward actions, like flowing clouds but in inner tranquility, akin to the calm surface of a lake. It does not suppress or deny the arising of thoughts, like blocking a river, but observes their arising and passing with mindfulness, like watching clouds drift without attachment or differentiation, as the sky encompasses all clouds. When no longer attached to external conditions and internal mind states, we transcend dualistic oppositions, residing in the present moment, like returning home to oneself, realizing Supreme Enlightenment (Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi), like discovering one's true self.
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