Normally, to break through light, you become a kind of wave—vibration. Entering light is entering a kind of wave. This vibration—look, every day we have Wi-Fi signals and radio waves all around us, and you cannot feel them. In the state of vibration, that is simultaneously empty and existent. When you realize this, only then can you be simultaneously empty and existent. Because waves are simultaneously empty and existent—you cannot see their existence. The moment they exist, arising and ceasing happen at the same time. The moment they appear, they vanish in an instant. They exist, and in an instant they vanish. Waves exist, and yet they are simultaneously empty and existent. Simultaneously empty and existent.
From waves you go further, realize further, and you enter an empty self. But there is still an “I” there—an empty, empty “I.” This “I” has already become formless and without appearance. You are already formless and without appearance, but there is still an empty self—an “I” like empty space, boundless and limitless. Sentient beings go out from you and return to you, as though your power is immense. Everything—you and sentient beings are one. But this is still two. You and sentient beings are one, because sentient beings are still not you. You have merely merged with them. Or you are them and they are you—but there is still a distinction.
At this point in cultivation and realization, there is a very important insight called shattering empty space. You must shatter even this appearance of emptiness. This is where, in Chan Buddhism, there is the principle of not establishing words and letters. In the practice of Buddhism, you break through every appearance, starting with the appearance of words and letters—concepts. That emptiness is a concept, formed within the mind, unique to human beings. Because you have realized this coming from the human realm, the human perspective only sees one side. The angle determined by one’s position in the universe means you can only see one face—a three-dimensional angle. When you look at the top, the bottom does not appear at the same time. But when you enter vibration—say this is a wave—when it is simultaneously empty and existent, birth and death manifest at the same time. Good and evil are simultaneous. When good appears, evil departs. When evil appears, good departs. Everything that arises simultaneously ceases. Everything is simultaneous. But our world is not like this, because there is time. So we only see birth, or we only see death. We are only standing at the human angle, looking at things. So the human perspective means that when we reach this stage of realization, there is still an appearance of emptiness. You are already formless, limitless empty space—but in your mind, this empty space is still an appearance of “nothing.” Sometimes you interpret it as energy, or light, or waves, or anything else, but it is still empty space. So you must shatter this. This is Chan Buddhism’s not establishing words and letters. Everything is broken through. Even the Buddha is broken through. All of practice is a dream. The entire process of cultivation and realization—all of it is a dream. There was never any cultivation or realization. You were originally a Buddha. You were originally a Buddha. Because time has disappeared. So you never actually went through any cultivation and realization. Your practice was ten years ago—but time has disappeared, there is no “ten years ago.” Ten years ago and this very moment merge into a single point. You were originally a Buddha. You never moved. You never practiced. This is called non-practice as practice.
To reach completion—only after shattering empty space do you begin to enter form. You manifest. You may manifest form, or you may manifest the appearance of emptiness. You manifest different appearances for sentient beings to see. This is the entire process of completing merit and virtue. This all happens after shattering empty space. In fact, when cultivation and realization reach the level of shattering empty space, that is the realm Avalokiteśvara described: illuminating and seeing that the five aggregates are all empty. You have studied the Heart Sutra.
The entire sequence of stages must be very clear to you. Only then can you walk forward on this path. Otherwise, when you encounter difficulties, you will be lost and confused. And you will get trapped in different states along the way. There are many states in between. You must understand clearly where each state comes from, which stage you have reached, which phase you are in. You will encounter different states. You must understand this entire path clearly. Only then can you gradually overcome each one. Not be pulled by these states. Not be turned by these states. Only then can you complete the entire journey.
Student: Teacher, at that stage of not establishing words and letters, is that what is called heart-to-heart transmission? Is it best to have an enlightened teacher by your side at that point?
Teacher: Actually, by the time you reach that point—beyond words and letters—at that stage, it has really already been pierced through. If the teacher is there, it is just tapping through a paper-thin wall, that final tap. It can be a moment of complete awakening in an instant. The sky has already brightened. At that point, the teacher no longer needs to guide you stage by stage. Rather, the stage-by-stage guidance was for the process leading up to this. Before this point, the stages of cultivation and realization need an enlightened teacher at your side. But once you enter the Eighth Ground, everything becomes your teacher—including this cup. This is why Chan practitioners can awaken from stubbing their toe on a stone, or from a pillow hitting the floor, or from the bottom falling out of a bucket, or from seeing a flower bloom. Everything in this world can be your teacher. That is the realm beyond the Eighth Ground—moving from conditioned phenomena into unconditioned phenomena. Before the Eighth Ground, you need a teacher to lead you. You need a teacher to walk with you step by step through each stage—ideally, guiding you systematically through the entire process. After the Eighth Ground, you enter unconditioned phenomena. In unconditioned phenomena, you do not need a teacher. But everything in the world can serve as your teacher.
After entering unconditioned phenomena—non-doing, yet nothing left undone. Your very existence, your every breath, is meaningful. You could simply stay home every day, eating and resting. But perhaps one day someone asks you a single question, and they awaken. Because your state, your being, your body, speech, and mind—all of it is a living manifestation. But right now, you have not reached that stage. Your sense of having no desires is an illusion. It is numbing you, because that self is still there. That self has not been broken through. It is only that at a certain level of seeking, you have stopped caring. But there are always things you still care about—you just have not run into them yet. If you happen to run into them, it is a real struggle.