The Gate Opens at Once, and Practice Continues Without End
In Korean Seon, there is the phrase Ilcho-jigip Yeoraeji: to leap at once directly into the state of the Tathagata. It does not remain with climbing the stages one by one. It points directly to one's own mind so that original nature can be seen. This is why direct pointing to the human mind and seeing one's nature to become Buddha are held as central.
This teaching cuts off the idea that we must travel far away to meet the Buddha. Original nature is not something newly brought from outside. When this mind is seen directly and known brightly, that very place is already the gate of awakening. The power of seeing at once and knowing at once is here.
Hwaeom, however, does not stop there. Hwaeom speaks of a long path of cultivation: the ten faiths, ten abodes, ten practices, ten dedications, ten grounds, equal enlightenment, and wondrous enlightenment. The essence of awakening is one, but beings differ in capacity and in the situations of life. Therefore, even after original nature is seen, that brightness must be revealed fully in speech, action, relationships, and the world.
Sudden awakening and gradual cultivation should be seen together in this way. Sudden awakening is to know brightly at once. Gradual cultivation is to polish and embody that brightness in life. From a high realization, the teaching of seeing at once and completing at once is certainly true. But for ordinary people, it is not easy to receive that teaching directly. For this reason, the path of gradual cultivation and bodhisattva action often comes closer to the heart.
What unfolds after awakening is also important. If the mind has already been seen clearly, that brightness should not remain only inside oneself. Like Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's vows, awakening must appear as actions that benefit others and sustain the community. If there is awakening, that awakening necessarily changes the shape of life.
Buddhist projects and offerings work in the same way. They are not the possession of one person. The gathered mind is everyone's mind, and the gathered merit should be used for everyone. Letting go of the thought, 'I did this,' and using the conditions that have gathered in the right way is bodhisattva action.
Therefore, Seon opens the gate of awakening, and Hwaeom shows the path by which that awakening is fully realized within the dharma realm. The path does not disappear just because the gate has opened. The gate does not become distant just because the path is long. The mind that sees directly now and the mind that practices one step today are not two.
Seon says that by seeing original nature at once, one enters directly into the state of the Tathagata. Hwaeom says that this awakening is fully revealed through bodhisattva action and endless practice. The gate opens at once, but the path through the open gate must also continue in today's life.
