Master: Good evening, how is your practice today?
Student: Master, I have a very nice practice today. I felt that I connect to the rest of practitioners and it was a very nice feeling and sensation. I am wondering if it is because this group now is integrated and why this happens.”
Master: Your mind is integrated, not the group. Everything is based on your own mind. Your own mind manifests your own phenomena. Your phenomena include everything. Every single person’s mind in every single moment can manifest nothing but his own kind. It is because your practice is getting better. You release or let go of some of your karma. You are expanding your mind capacity. This is a good sign of practicing. You will be able to experience of something related to emptiness.
Mind has no form. The formless mind implies emptiness is there. Letting go of attachment in mind, you would be able to manifest the true quality of pure function of the mind. Know first, self-awareness and second, emptiness.
People misunderstand the awareness as the knowing. What do I mean by this? If you let go of your self-attachment, you penetrate and put down the ego. In this case, the true awareness of your pure mind will appear. This is what I mean to know self-awareness. It is not that I understand something. This is totally different.
You can see this mouse and realize that this is the mouse, but this is everyday person’s knowing. The knowing is not the true awareness. The knowing is based on the consciousness. This consciousness is coming from the ego. No matter if it is the consciousness or sub-consciousness, it is all based on the ego.
The purpose of practicing meditation or Zen is to manifest the purity and function of your pure mind.
Thoughts come and go. The physical body is changing; this life time, past life time and future life time are changing. What left? Your intrinsic ability of the mind is always there. What do I mean this? Someone is practicing meditation very well. He will experience the feeling related to emptiness and sometime he will experience the idea of seeing brightness of light. But lights come and go, feelings come and go, and thoughts come and go. You can meditate for four hours. If you don’t practice, you can meditate for one hour and later only for 15 minutes. Everything comes and goes. The intrinsic ability of your mind is always there.
There is one thing very important. Every single person possesses a mind. And every person’s mind possesses the same function and ability. Based on your mind, you create your phenomena and your own life no matter who you are.