ON 'CONTEMPLATING MIND' BY HAN-SHAN | Getting The Buddha Mind

Han-Shan Te-Ch’ing was one of the four great Ch’an Masters who lived at the end of the Ming Dynasty. At the age of seven he already had doubts about his origin and destiny. At nine he entered a monastery, and at nineteen became a monk. His first attempts to practice Ch’an were fruitless, and he turned to reciting the Buddha’s name, which brought better results. After this he resumed the practice of Ch’an with more success. While listening to the Avatamsaka Sutra, he realized that in Dharmadhatu, the realm of all phenomena, even the tiniest thing contains the whole universe. Later he read another book called “Things Not Moving, ” and experienced another enlightenment.

He wrote a poem which said:
Death and birth, day and night,
Water flowing, flowers withering,
It’s only now I know That nostrils point downwards.On another day, while walking, he suddenly entered samadhi, experienced a brilliant light like a huge, perfect mirror, with mountains and water, everything in the world reflected in it. When he returned from samadhi, his body and mind were completely clear; he realized there was nothing to attain. So he wrote this poem.

In the flash of one thought
My turbulent mind came to rest.
The inner and the outer,
The senses and their objects,
Are thoroughly lucid.
In a complete turnabout I smashed the Great Emptiness.

The ten thousand manifestations Arise and disappear Without any reason.For many years as a wandering monk, he studied Ch’an under several leading masters and spent long periods living in solitude in the mountains. He engaged in altruistic acts, propagated the Dharma, and lectured on Sutras. He was a scholar and prolific writer, leaving behind many works on all aspects of Buddhism. He exemplified the bodhisattva ideal of developing wisdom through meditation, study, and compassionate action. In the spirit of his times, he did not make a strong distinction between the sects of Buddhism and was eclectic, incorporating elements of Confucianism. His style was a fusion of the austerity of Ch’an with the inclusive view of the Hua-Yen sect. To this day his undecayed body remains intact in the monastery of the Sixth Patriarch on mainland China.

“Contemplating Mind” is one among many of Master. Han Shan’s poems and songs which deal with the approach one should take to practice. This short ming, or verse, describes practice as not going beyond mind and body-that there is nothing other than mind or body that can be used as tools of practice.

Look upon the body as unreal,
An image in a mirror,
Or the reflection of the moon in water.
Contemplate the mind as formless,
Yet bright and pure.

The poet asks us to literally look upon the body as non-existent. In Buddhist analysis, form, taken to be the physical world, is the first of the five skandhas, or phenomenal aggregates. These aggregates, or “heaps, ” together create the illusion of existence. Form is the material component. The other four skandhas ─ sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness-are all mental components. A person who is able to contemplate the five skandhas well would be considered enlightened. In Buddhist analysis, the body is composed of the four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. If we were to separate these elements, our body would not exist. Why do these elements combine? They come together because of the force of our previous karma. A body which is thus compounded is not genuinely real. Being the result, or the reflection, of our previous karma, it is like the reflection of the moon in water. If the mind didn’t create karma, then the elements would not accumulate and combine to make up the body. If we take this body, this result of previous mental karma, as real, then it’s like looking upon the moon in the water as the real moon. Further, the body is in a constant state of change, and has no truly fixed existence. If we can realize the illusory nature of the body, the mind will settle down and our vexations will clear up. All our vexations, associated with greed, hatred, and delusion, arise because we identify with the body, and want to protect it and seek benefits for it. Because of the body, we give rise to the five desires, namely, food, sex, sleep, fame, and wealth. To undo vexations, first break the attachment to the body; then break away from the view that the body is truly substantial. But this view is very difficult to break. In the sutras it is said that sakaya, the view of having a body, is as difficult to uproot as a mountain. So, Han-Shan tells us, once we can see the body as unreal, we can begin to work on the mind.

The practice begins by contemplating the mind as formless. Ordinarily the mind has all kinds of forms or characteristics-greed, hatred, ignorance, pride, doubt, jealousy, and selfishness. They manifest mainly because of the body. Some people might think, “Death will end my vexations since I’ll no longer have a body.” But after you die you still have a body, and you will still have vexations. When this body is gone, a new one begins. Where there’s a body there is vexation.

If the mind had fixed characteristics, it would not be changeable, and there would be no point in practicing. But the mind is always changing. The mind of the ordinary person is characterized by vexation, and the mind of a sage is characterized by wisdom; otherwise they are the same.

Not a single thought arising,
Empty, yet perceptive,
Still, yet illuminating,
Complete like the Great Emptiness,
Containing all that is wonderful.

The mind that is without even one thought is extremely bright and pure, but this doesn’t mean that it is blank. No thought means no characteristics, and blankness itself is a characteristic. In this condition the mind is unmoving, yet perceives everything very clearly. Although wisdom is empty, it is not without a function. What is this function? Without moving it reflects and illuminates everything. It is like the moon shining on water. Although each spot of water reflects a different image of the moon, the moon itself remains the same. But it doesn’t say, “I shine.” It just shines.

Great Emptiness has no limits. It gives rise neither to feelings of moving or not moving. Nothing detracts from its purity and brightness. This is the mind of wisdom. It is the mind of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is also the ability to help sentient beings.

Neither going out nor coming in,
Without appearance or characteristics, To practice is to cultivate the mind.

If you successfully contemplate the mind, all merits and functions within the mind are at your disposal. But as soon as one thought arises, everything is obscured. If while practicing you feel your mind expanding infinitely, that feeling gives you away. If you suddenly feel, “Ah! I’ve discovered a limitlessly great expanse! I am liberated!” in reality you are still within the sphere of the limited. Only neither-going-nor-coming is boundless. Being boundless, it has no circumference, so there’s no way to find an entrance. To think of leaving is to imagine that there could be a better place, so there is no going either.

When Master T’ai-Hsu had his first enlightenment where he saw limitless light and sound, he felt he was in a very deep far away state. That was still not Great Emptiness since it was not without form. In his second experience there was nothing there that could be explained or described. If there was still something he could describe, it would not be formless.

Countless skillful means Arise out of one mind.Skillful means, the various methods of helping oneself and others to liberation, are the bountiful yield of this practice. Liberation means going from ignorance to wisdom. The idea of ch’iao, translated as “mind” here, does not strictly refer to the mind of one thought. It is the original substance of infinitude. Ch’iao literally means a hole or cavity. In Chinese mythology, in the beginning the universe was a ball of chaos. Then a god came along and knocked a hole in it with a hammer. That caused the separation of heaven and earth, sun and moon, etc. Ch’iao also has the meaning of “wisdom.” If you want to call it “mind, ” you would have to say it’s a pure mind.

Independent of material existence,
Which is ever an obstruction,
Do not cling to deluded thoughts.

These give birth to illusion.Like ch’iao, many words in this poem have a Taoist or Confucian origin. Two others are hsing and ch’i, literally, form and energy, translated here as “material existence.” There is a saying: “What is above form is the Way, what is below form is Ch’i.” The closest meaning of ch’i would be life-energy, it moves the universe. Where there is ch’i, there is also form. Although invisible, we see its effects, just as we see the wind in the swaying branches of a tree. “Material existence” includes all forms and energy, both visible and invisible. Wherever there is energy and form, there is also obstruction. So please do not rely on material existence to overcome delusion ─ it is the cause of delusion.

What are deluded thoughts? When meditating are you aware of wandering thoughts? Hopefully you are. But in daily life do you actually believe in your experiences, your plans, your abilities, your knowledge? What are these? Just a series of more or less connected delusions. If you act on delusions, all kinds of strange things may come up. (The word translated here as “illusion” means that which is weird or strange.) The more firmly you believe in them, the more likely they are to arise.

Delusions are usually created by the five desires. To fulfill the demands of the five desires, people seek the satisfactions of material things, and of the flesh. In the end, are you really satisfied? After eating a meal, are you satisfied? Of course you are, for the moment. But a few hours later your craving for food begins anew. It’s an endless cycle; not only are you concerned about getting food now, but this worry follows you into old age. Truly there is no end to desire.

Attentively contemplate this mind,
Empty, devoid of all objects.
If emotions should suddenly arise,
You will fall into confusion.

If we contemplate the mind well, we discover there is nothing in it. If there is something in it, such as an emotion, then there is still attachment. It is only necessary for you to give rise to a momentary or sudden emotion to set your mind in motion.

In a critical moment bring back the light, Powerfully illuminating.When you find yourself muddled, you should realize it right away and tell yourself, “This is false, an attachment.” That way your wisdom will come into play and grow in power. The difficulty is that you may not always recognize your confused state. According to the patriarchs enlightenment is very easy. You must use wisdom to shine on all your delusions. But someone in the confused state supposes that the way he sees things is real, that he is very clear. Therefore he can’t begin to think about searching for the light of wisdom. Only if you realize your confusion, then, in a dangerous place, you can turn around.

Clouds disperse, the sky is clear, The sun shines brilliantly.

Realizing your delusion, if through practice you could illuminate the mind that is originally empty, it would be like the sky after dark clouds have dispersed. Sometimes while practicing you seem to have no thoughts; still, your mind is not really clear. This would be like a hot, hazy day when vapor rises and obscures the sun. Sometimes, after a few days of retreat, I ask people how close they think they are to enlightenment. Some say, “Well, it seems like it’s right around the corner, but I can’t see it.” Sometimes around the edges of a dark cloud we can see rays of sunlight, so we know that the sun is there. Only by seeing it yourself will you know that a brilliant sun shines behind the cloud. Those who have seen some rays of light will become firm in their faith and will practice harder.

if nothing arises within the mind,
Nothing will manifest without.
That which has characteristics
Is not original reality.

If no thoughts arise, nothing will be experienced outside of the mind. If you think that something is manifesting without, it is an illusion. In the Platform Sutra it says that neither the flag nor the wind moves. It is the mind that moves. When the mind is still, there is nothing outside that can tempt or disturb you. Do the thoughts that disturb you come from outside or inside? If only inside thoughts bother you, then you are practicing well. But even getting to this point is not easy.

Feelings that relate to our own body, such as hunger, heat, cold, or pain, are really outer things. Other thoughts may arise that originate in the mind. For example, I may say to people, “Tell me when the body and the method disappear and I’ll give you a new method.” So during their sitting, they may be thinking, “Strange. How is it that my body is still here? Body ─ go quickly! Get lost! I want a new method.” Then when the body finally disappears, they think, “What’s this? How come the method is still here? When will it disappear? Shih-fu told us about infinite light and sound. Why haven’t I experienced that yet? Maybe it’s coming soon. But why can’t I get anywhere? Ah! Shih-fu told us not to think like this. Better not force anything. He tells us not to think of enlightenment. O.K., I won’t think of it, I’ll just practice. This time, I won’t be afraid of dying. But it seems like I can’t die. Why?”

These conversations with yourself while meditating are not related to the body or the outer environment; they originate in the mind. These are meaningless delusions, mental chaos. How do you get rid of this chaos? Very simple. As soon as a thought comes up, just ignore it and go back to the method. Whether it originates in your mind or in the environment, it lacks reality. Some people may say, “I know I am confused, but I can’t do anything about it.” That is why practice is needed-to help those who at least recognize their confusion do something about it.

If you can see a thought as it arises,
This awareness will at once destroy it.
Whatever state of mind should come,
Sweep it away, put it down.

There is a saying about the practice: “Don’t be afraid of a thought arising, just be afraid of noticing it too late.” It’s not such a terrible thing for thoughts to arise. The problem is when you’re not aware of them. If you realize it as soon as a thought arises, then it doesn’t matter. It will help you to work harder. If there were no thoughts arising at all, you would already have a pure mind and you wouldn’t need to practice. People who have never practiced may know about their wandering thoughts but can do nothing to stop them.

When you are practicing hard, whatever thought comes up you have the power to just sweep it away. To sweep means to ignore, not to dislike or to resist the thought. How else could you sweep it away? If you resist it with something else, that something else is also a thought. If I wanted to get rid of Tom, and got Dick to do the job, after Tom left I would still be stuck with Dick. No matter how many people I find to get the other one out, there would always be one left. If you get involved with feelings after the thought is already gone, thinking, “What bad luck. I hope it doesn’t come up again, ” your mind will definitely be scattered. Then you begin to think, “I’m hopelessly sunk in wandering thoughts. I’ll just give up meditating.” If you work like this, the wandering thoughts don’t get swept away, they just accumulate. This is because you haven’t put down the state of mind which gave rise to the thoughts in the first place.

Or are you the type who tries to grab the wandering thought and say to it, “I’m going to let you come again.” Can you do that? Actually, if you are really able to grab hold of it, at least you have the intention of watching it. If you were to continue watching that thought, then that very state of mind would become your method. Is that possible? Some people start to work on “What is Wu?” and it eventually becomes “What am I?” Then they even forget that and they just work on “I, I, I.” One student started working on “What is Wu?” and ended up by asking “Where is my heart?” I told him that wasn’t the right question, he should be working on Wu. But he kept on looking all over for his heart. Finally he picked up a feather outside and said, “Oh! Here’s where my heart is!” If you can take a wandering thought and just fix onto it without letting go, this in itself becomes a method. If you can’t hold onto it, then any thought, good or bad, is a delusion that disturbs your practice. The most important thing is, whatever is past, just let it go. Your mind should be like a mirror, not a camera. Whatever goes into a camera is recorded there; the reflection in a mirror vanishes when the object moves away.

Both good and evil states
Can be transformed by mind.
Sacred and profane appear
In accordance with thoughts.

Everything is a product of your mind. If the mind didn’t move, no discriminations would be made. According to your situation you will see certain things as good or bad. But this is always changing, and the things themselves don’t have any of these fixed characteristics. There is no defintite standard of good and evil; it all depends on your viewpoint at the moment.

The state of a person’s mind makes him perceive some people as common, others as holy. To some people Jesus was really an evil person who ought to be killed. To his disciples, he was a saint. One student, after she worked very hard on a retreat, said she saw a light emanating from my body. So she knelt down, taking me for a holy man. Later on, when she discontinued practicing Ch’an, she just saw me as a common person again. According to Buddha Dharma, saintliness or ordinariness are in the mind of the beholder. Even the saintliness of such people as the Buddha or Jesus are value judgments.

When the Buddha looks at sentient beings, all sentient beings are just Buddha. When sentient beings look at the Buddha, what do you think they see? When Sakyamuni Buddha walked through the forests, or on the banks of the Ganges, do you think all the birds, ants, and other little animals saw a Buddha? If you were living at that time and had never heard of this person, Sakyamuni, when you saw him, would you think he was the Buddha, or just another wandering ascetic?

When we perceive something, that is only our idea of what exists. If I looked around this room without making discriminations of any kind, what would I see? Nine people? One person? In reality I would see not even one. If I see even one, my mind has attached to form. Understand?

Reciting mantras or contemplating mind
Are merely herbs for polishing a mirror.
When the dust is removed,
They are also wiped away.

Methods of cultivation are useful for those who are in the course of training. For those people who have reached the stage of no thought, who have completed the course of practice, methods are not needed. Some people ask themselves when they are working well, “Am I still working on the method? Where did the method go?” Originally they were working well, but this kind of thought ruins their concentration. It is like a pair of glasses that fit so naturally on you that you somehow forget you are wearing them and start looking for them. When you are working well on your method, forget that you are using a method. When you cross a bridge, once you get to the other side you wouldn’t say, “Where did the bridge go?” The method is just a tool to get to your destination. Once you have arrived, it is of no more use to you.

Great extensive spiritual powers Are all complete within the mind.Some people are always looking for someone to give them some kind of psychic power, or trying to get some other benefit from someone with power. One student thought that I could give people power to make them progress more quickly, and that I could obstruct others from making progress. In the beginning he had some benefit from the practice and felt I was a very good master. Sometime later, when he didn’t have much success, he felt that I was obstructing him with some magic spell. Another person told me that a Zen master used spiritual power to ruin his family life and unsettle his mind. He asked me to give him some power to combat the other master. I told him, “That person is a Ch’an master, and according to the spirit of Ch’an, he would not do something like that.” But he said, “No, he really does have this power. If I don’t go to his place, then my problems begin.” So I said, “Then you should go regularly.” Actually, none of this was happening. It was all in his mind.

We call this “practicing outer paths” because your faith is not in yourself but only in outer things. The usual interpretation of the Chinese term wai tao is “outside of Buddhist belief, ” that is, heretical. But the real meaning of outer paths is seeking salvation outside oneself, such as another person, a god, or even a Buddha. As such, some Buddhists may be following outer paths. Your fate is your own; to rely on somebody else is foolish.

People have the potential for great spiritual power. We find it in all religions. But these powers should not be used arbitrarily. Not that the power is not available, but you wouldn’t get very far with it because it cannot undo the power of people’s karma. Most Ch’an masters have a certain degree of spiritual power but have a policy of not using them, I myself claim no psychic powers, but I do have a kind of perception-response, or sensitivity to situations. But the kind of perception-response I have depends on the situation at the moment. Because spiritual powers are not reliable and are dangerous to use, I have never sought them. People may like it as a novelty, but after a while they get bored. Such supernatural powers can only stimulate or excite; they don’t give people a lasting sense of security. To my mind these things are of no use.

Another kind of spiritual power is using the power of our minds to communicate, to set up karmic affinities, with sentient beings. For example, wise people or religious leaders may give a lecture that moved people to become converted on the spot. In this sense, Jesus, Sakyamuni, and Confucius are all people with great spiritual powers. As for Great Master Ou-l of the Ming dynasty, in his lifetime, the biggest recorded audience that ever attended his lectures was fourteen people. But this master has had a great influence on Chinese Buddhism. So the best kind of spiritual power is that which benefits people down through the ages, not just a cheap thrill or excitement. Your own mind is the source of all the power you need.

The Pure Land or the Heavens
Can be travelled to at will.If your mind is pure, then wherever you are will also be pure. If you have a heavenly mind, then you are in heaven. If you’re feeling very miserable, you’re in hell. But the sad thing is, most people can so freely go to hell, but not so freely to heaven. If I were to grab you right now and give you a good scolding, and you said, “I didn’t do anything wrong. What are you yelling at me for?” At that time your mind would be full of misery and vexations. You would be in hell. But if, when I scolded and beat you, you were to turn around, bow deeply, with tears running down your cheeks, and say, “I am so grateful for the chance to burn up some of my great karmic obstruction, ” you would be in heaven. But to have a mind like that is rather rare. So these two lines at first glance look strange, but the Pure Land, the heavens, can all be experienced right here in the ordinary world.

You need not seek the real,
Mind is originally Buddha.There is no such thing as the real mind. Ridding yourself of delusion: that’s the real mind. There is also no Buddha. Your own mind is originally Buddha. If the mind is pure, even the Buddha isn’t there. When you have no thought of becoming a Buddha, when there is no Buddha and no vexations, that is the real Buddha mind.
The familiar becomes remote,
The strange seems familiar.
Day and night, everything seems wonderful.
Nothing you encounter confuses you.
These are the essentials of mind.

When the familiar becomes remote you look upon your family as strangers, and upon strangers as dear, close kin. Only a person with true practice can do this. But if you haven’t practiced deeply and consider your parents as outsiders, without also considering outsiders as your parents, you’re off the mark. When your practice becomes very deep, you will see all sentient beings as your parents. This is because your fortuitous birth as a human being was the result of many eons of cause and effect, involving untold numbers of sentient beings. Knowing this, you feel a deep sense of gratitude towards everyone and everything. Others have done much for you, and you want to express your gratitude.

But you only have one body. How can you help all sentient beings as if they were your own parents? Don’t burden yourself with such thoughts. Day and night, keep your mind on the one thought of working hard. if, moment by moment, you can keep your mind in a clear state, then nothing will confuse you, and you will be able to express your gratitude freely, naturally, without obstruction.

We have talked about the poem “Contemplating Mind, ” which describes the general situation of the mind, and Han-Shan’s explanation of practice and enlightenment. This talk is based on my own experience, making use of the verse, aiming to guide you in your practice.

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