Day 7 Mistaking One Mind for No Mind | The Sword of Wisdom

The mirror of mind reflects without interference;
Its vastness and clarity radiate through countless worlds.
Various phenomena all manifest themselves;

To a perfectly illumined one there is neither inside nor outside.The verses above describe the “no mind” state of Ch’an. If you still feel there is an inside and outside, it is not Ch’an. If you feel everything is within you, that is not Ch’an either. When the mind is not moving, it only appears that there is no mind, but this is not the case. When the mind is not moving, it is still focused on one thought. Therefore, it would be better to call the unmoving mind the “one mind” state. A person who reaches the point where the mind is not moving may feel as if he has no mind, but he is mistaken.

When only one thought remains, the movement of the mind is not noticeable. This is the “one mind” state. In the “no mind” state there is no discrimination ─ no inside or outside, no near or far, no good or bad. A person in the “no mind” state is aware of phenomena, but he is not attached to phenomena. If he were not aware that he was in a “no mind” state, then he would be a fool.

“No mind” is equal to wisdom; “one mind” is not. Similarly, the lower levels of samadhi are not equivalent to wisdom. A person experiencing samadhi may feel he does not discriminate, but in fact he is unaware of a steady stream of subtle discriminations. At the shallowest level of samadhi ─ the first dhyana level ─ one can experience a dozen or so discriminations in one ksana. A ksana is the length of time it takes for one wandering thought to arise, and is equivalent to one sixtieth the time it takes to snap your fingers. In the same span of time, roughly sixty discriminations pass through the ordinary mind.

Only a person in deep samadhi can tell if another person is in samadhi; he can also determine the depth of that person’s samadhi. Samadhi practice is gradual. A practitioner must enter the shallowest level and then slowly deepen his samadhi through practice. As samadhi deepens, the person is able to discern the number and frequency of discriminations that occured at the previous levels. A practitioner in shallow samadhi cannot discern his own state. He may think he has attained “no mind, ” but he is wrong.

In this stanza, the mind is compared to a mirror. When there is nothing in the mind, the mind functions like a mirror. If there is something in the mind, then it cannot function purely, just as a mirror with impurities in it cannot reflect clearly. The pure mind simply reflects. Whether or not things exist outside is irrelevant. When things pass in front of the mirror, they are reflected. That is all.

The mind of the Buddha or an enlightened being includes everything, yet nothing is in its mind. Anything in the mind is like a blemish on a mirror, preventing it from reflecting
clearly. Neither are things really outside the mind; rather, it is due to the existence of the mind that everything else happens, that everything else seems to exist, just as light is perceived only because it reflects off objects.

If a person’s mind is truly clear, then the mind is silent. At the same time, it functions. The person’s mind is no longer moved by discrimination; it is empowered by wisdom. A pure mind will interact with, or reflect on, any sentient being who comes in contact with it. However, the mind is not doing anything.

When the mind is truly clear, there is neither an inside nor an outside. If either exists, then both must exist. Things on the inside and outside cannot exist independently of each other.

Furthermore, when there is an inside and outside, then there are also discriminations and obstructions. Only when there is nothing inside or out can the mind reflect like a mirror. At this time, the mind functions through wisdom. It has no intention of doing one thing and not another. It does not help one sentient being and avoid another.

This mind of wisdom transcends space and time. It does not exist in a specific point in space; it exists in every location of space. It does not exist only in this moment in time; it exists through all of time. There are no limits or boundaries. Everyone, whether or not they have karmic affinity with the mind mirror, will be reflected in this mind. The only difference is that those who have karmic affinity will recognize that they are being reflected, whereas those who do not have this affinity will not recognize it. This is an important point: Everything, whether karmic affinity is present or not, is reflected in the mirror of the enlightened mind. Those with karmic affinity see their reflection. In other words, these people face the mirror with eyes open. Those without it have their backs turned to the mirror. They are being reflected, but they do not know it; and if they turn and face the mirror, their vision is obstructed. However, all sentient beings are reflected. They cannot be separate and apart from the mind mirror.

A disciple once asked me, “What’s the purpose of reaching Buddhahood? There are already innumerable Buddhas, yet we haven’t been delivered from Samsara.”

I said, “The problem is not with the Buddha. Buddha offers help. We just don’t recognize it. If we haven’t been delivered yet, it’s our problem.”

The stronger your affinity with the mind mirror, the more clearly you will see your reflection. Those with a weak affinity may not recognize what they see. Nevertheless, whether the interaction is direct or indirect, clear or clouded, all who see a reflection benefit from Buddhadharma.

Participants on retreats may be able to concentrate their minds to a focused point, and they may even be able to enter elementary levels of samadhi, but it is not the same as seeing one’s self-nature. Nevertheless, such beginning experiences are important and beneficial. They are the basis for good practice. Eventually, it will lead to experiencing one’s self-nature or entering deep levels of samadhi.

Having a pure mind is enlightenment. An enlightened person acts through wisdom for the benefit of others. You may not understand his motives and meaning, but his actions cannot be bad. A person who goes beyond the initial experience of seeing his self-nature and reaches thorough enlightenment will not be affected by worldly desires. When a thoroughly enlightened being sees someone of the opposite sex, that person will appear no different from a man, woman, child, dog, cat, mother or father. There are no discriminations. Such a person is not touched by the problems that plague ordinary people. A person who has seen his self-nature may experience this as well, but the experience will not be as deep or enduring. In other words, a person who initially reveals his self-nature sees for the first time the goal he will eventually reach. Having seen this goal, though it is still far away, he will have fewer problems in his actions and conduct.

The Ch’an experience of seeing one’s self-nature is comparable, though not the same as, attaining the first fruit of the Hinayana path. Such Hinayana practitioners still have desires, but the desires are mild. They will not make major transgressions, such as killing others, harming others, or stealing from others. There is a saying for one who attains the first fruit of the Hinayana path: “When one plows a field, all the creatures in the ground move away from the blade.” Such a person cannot kill, even accidentally. Similarly, a person who has seen his self-nature cannot create bad karma as long as the power of practice remains.

How do you reach this level of attainment? If you keep thinking about enlightenment, it will be like a trumpet blaring in your mind. It will cause great vexation. If you try to achieve anything, you will be obstructed. What matters is not your skill in meditation; neither is it those things you perceive as accomplishments. Rather, it is your attitude in the practice, and it is your concept of Buddhadharma.

If desire is your motivation for practice, then desire will be the result of your practice. If you practice with hate in your mind, then in the end you will achieve exactly what motivated you. It is important that your motivations be sincere and pure. If you practice with sexual desire as your motivation, then you will succeed in becoming a powerfully sexual being. You may be able to have sex with many partners and never grow tired. In fact, the more sex you have, the healthier you will seem. Similarly, a person who practices with hate as his motivating force would not need a gun or knife to kill. He would be able to use his mind power to kill, even if his victim lived several thousand miles away. Motivation in your practice is important. Think clearly. What are your motivations? Why do you practice?

If the motivation is impure, then the mind will remain impure. A practitioner with an impure mind cannot attain thorough enlightenment, see his self-nature, or even enter deep levels of samadhi. Naturally, his conduct will not be exemplary.

Many practitioners claim to be Buddhists, but in fact they have strayed far from Buddhadharma. There are a few masters whose behavior seems questionable. If it is true, then they are not genuine Ch’an masters. However, you should not blame the masters for your problems. Look to yourselves. It is you who do not have deep karmic affinity with Buddhadharma. When you have deeper karmic affinity, you will meet better masters, and you will eventually recognize your reflection in the mind mirror. Of course, if you feel you have karmic affinity with the Buddha, then you have already recognized something in the mirror, and you are probably here on this retreat for the right reasons.

Once you have seen your reflection, work hard. With diligent practice, you may eventually enter samadhi or see your self-nature. The harder you practice, the deeper you will penetrate your mind. You will be able to distinguish different levels of experience, just as you can now differentiate between seeing water, drinking water, jumping into water, and becoming water.

If you work hard, you may reach a point where you do not see or hear anything, but it is not necessarily samadhi. Your concentration may be strong enough to have shifted the mind from the eyes and ears, but wandering thoughts may still be in the mind. Initially, you will not know which level of samadhi you have reached, but as you enter deeper levels of samadhi, you will become clearly aware of your mental state. If you cultivate samadhi and deepen your levels of absorption, you can give yourself a “suggestion” to come out of samadhi after a certain period of time. For instance, if you tell yourself to come out of samadhi after three days, you will return from samadhi at that time. Otherwise, you will have to wait until the power of samadhi subsides. However, an external stimulus, such as a ringing bell, might be able to bring you out of samadhi.

Attaching to emptiness, denying cause and effect,
Brings calamities beyond measure.
Rejecting existence and grasping emptiness is the same mistake,
Like jumping into a fire to avoid drowning.Saying there is neither an inside nor an outside can be misleading.

A practitioner may mistake nihilism for freedom from obstructions. He might think that having no obstructions gives him the freedom to do anything he wants, with no constraint or self-discipline. He may drink alcohol and say, “It’s only water.” He may eat meat and say, “The animal’s dead anyway. Besides, in eating its flesh I’m establishing karmic affinity with this sentient being.” He may sleep with many women and say, “At least I’m not killing anyone. No harm done. We mutually agreed to it, and besides, it feels like liberation.” This is not enlightenment. A person who tries to back up such actions with Buddhadharma is deluding himself.

An improper understanding of emptiness can lead to two dangerous attitudes. One attitude is apathy. An apathetic person feels that since everything is empty, he may as well do nothing. The second attitude may be called amorality, and is even more dangerous. A person with this attitude feels he is not bound by any moral ethic, and thinks he can do anything. Such a person can seriously harm himself and others.

Some people who study and practice Ch’an stray into these demonic realms. It is because they believe that the law of cause and consequence is empty. They are mistaken. Causes and consequences are not empty. Even greatly accomplished sages must accept the consequences for everything they do. For example, if someone practices to become a Bodhisattva, and a Bodhisattva in turn practices to become a Buddha, then Buddhahood is a consequence of the practice of these individuals. Eventually, we must accept the consequences of all our actions. If you think causes and consequences are empty, then you are in danger of falling into the demonic states I have described. Causes and conditions are empty, but causes and consequences do have existence. This is basic Buddhadharma.

When Sakyamuni attained Buddhahood, his previous karma did not disappear. His physical body still received the retribution of previous actions.

Attachment to existence and attachment to emptiness are equally incorrect. If you are attached to existence, as most people are, then you will create more and more vexations. If you are attached to emptiness, then you will reject the reality of cause and consequence, and you will end up with even more problems. Rejecting existence and attaching to emptiness is like avoiding deep water by jumping into fire.

If you discard the illusory mind and grasp the true principle,
This mind of grasping and discarding becomes clever.
Not understanding this, practitioners engage in cultivation,
Just as one mistakes a thief for his own son.

In trying to understand the previous stanza, a person might think, “Since attaching to existence is illusory and attaching to emptiness is illusory, I should focus on the genuine mind instead.” People in many religions try to overcome the illusory and attain the genuine. These people are fooling themselves.

We know that thoughts are illusory, but in our practice we cannot oppose these thoughts with the idea of seeking the genuine. “Genuine” is only a concept which we juxtapose with “illusory.”

Dropping the illusory in order to seek the genuine is just one more action of the deluded mind.

When you think in terms of real and false, dropping and seeking, you are discriminating. As long as you discriminate, you will always remain deluded. Such befuddlement is similar to mistaking a thief in the night for your son.

Discrimination always leads to bewilderment. An ignorant person may decide, “I don’t like the east. I want to go west.” He turns westward and begins. He walks and walks, and eventually ends up at the same spot. All he did was tire himself out. He would have been better off not moving at all. If you say you do not like the bad and that you want the good, or that you want the real and wish to rid yourself of the false, then you are like the ignorant person turning his back on the east in favor of the west.

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