Cultivation takes real work, patience, and long-term commitment. It is not just about listening to dharma talk and picking up various knowledge; it must be put into actual practice. Regarding the method – “turning back the light of awareness and illuminating inwardly to reflect on the self-nature”- if you cannot achieve the state of no-thought and break through the Hua-Tou, then your practice will bring no lasting fruition. If you are able to use the method of turning-back the light and illuminate inwardly and reach a state of no-thought, and engage the state of Hua-Tou, that is far more useful than studying the scripture and attending lectures. Whatever you have learned in the past, be it breath-counting, mantra recitation, visualization, or other kinds of Chan inquiry using Hua-Tou – put them all down now– use only the method I taught you. As long as you are willing to use it, you will experience the benefits.
There are different degrees of no-thought. The no-thought state after enlightenment is the primordial state of the pure mind, the real pure seed or cause for Buddhahood. The no-thought state prior to enlightenment is the functional cessation of thinking of the primordial mind, it is a skillful means for entering the teaching but still a relative state of no-thought. However, regardless of the type, the no-thought state is the door of entry for spiritual cultivation, it is the necessary goal for all practitioners to reach. Without reaching this state, one cannot purify the karmic stream of consciousness neither on the conventional (functional) level nor on the ultimate (essential) level. Failing to reach the state of no-thought means the proliferation of habitual tendency cannot be reined in; no amount of intellectual understanding can help you. The root of birth and death is seated in the habitual tendencies of the conceit of self-attachment. When you have wandering thoughts, it means that habitual tendency is manifesting. Whether consciously or subconsciously, the cessation of thinking indicates the taming of habitual tendency.
For an ordinary person, where do thoughts come from? From self-attachment. Only liberated saints can function with the mind out of emptiness – what they manifest is not really a thought, it is the functioning of the pure, primordial mind. This kind of functioning encompasses thoughts, body, environment, mountains, rivers, landscape, and the universe and vast void of space, which all spontaneously appear in a singular moment – for this reason, the saints functioning of the mind is not called a thought. For ordinary beings, our thoughts – whenever they appear – are either good, bad, virtuous, aspiring to practice, or contemplating about scripture, are still the product of self-attachments. The reason thoughts arise is due to an underlying force, which is produced through habit – in other words, habitual thinking is what we called habitual tendency. These tendencies are the concrete display of self-attachment, which is the grasping of the notion of “I”, which naturally leads to the idea of my belief, my feeling, my opinion of what is right and wrong. If you feel something is good, that is a thought. If you feel a person is not good, that is still a thought; if you think something ought to be done a certain way, that is a thought; if you think something shouldn’t be done a certain way, that is still a thought. Whenever thoughts arise, that is the very moment habitual tendency is activated. Whatever thoughts you have just shows the kind of habits you have. Before you can reach no-thought, you are possessed by habitual tendencies.
Once your Chan practice reaches the state of no-thought – once the mind reaches a state of purity, calmness, peace, then you can tame habitual tendencies. Once you know this principle, all your preliminary practice should be focused on the goal of no-thought. Ordinary beings think through their habits because these thoughts are habitual. Saints are able to function through the primordial purity of non-self, emptiness, and awareness, therefore they function without functioning, think without thinking, act without acting. Whether you practice Chan, Pureland, Vajrayana, or Vinaya, without reaching no-thought you cannot push forward to break through attachment and awaken and you won’t be able to encounter and witness your own true nature. Without reaching no-thought, raising doubt, shattering the doubt and then realize the essence, all intellectual understanding of Buddhist teaching is in vain – “true emptiness marvelous manifestation”, “a mustard seed contains Mt. Sumeru ”, “mind gives rise to all phenomena”, attainment, fruition – are all just empty talk, nothing but names and concepts that make not one iota of difference to the essential business of ending birth and death.
No Buddhas or Bodhisattvas throughout space and time can attain fruition without actualizing the primordial mind. Chan is not the only teaching that explains this principle, however, it does explain it much more explicitly and clearly. Self-attachment and habitual tendencies are the roots of birth and death. Can any sect – be it Chan, Pure Land, Vinaya, Vajrayana, Sutrayana, or Theravada – pave a path of liberation without eradicating self-attachment and habitual tendencies? None. No matter how special a practice is, it is designed only on the basis of breaking self-attachment and eliminating habitual tendencies; otherwise, it is merely talk. If a method does not break down self-attachment, sever self-attachment, and eliminate habitual tendencies – no matter how auspicious you believe it is – is either deviant, heretical, or based on an outward-seeking point of view.
Everyone should make a serious effort in one’s practice. Modern day practitioners are quite good at talking, boasting about what they have learned, heard, or seen. If you can achieve turning back the light of awareness and illuminate inwardly, no-thought, even emptiness-awareness, then you have at least entered the door. Otherwise, any amount of knowledge will only count as familiarization of concepts but unable to tame your vexations. If you actually attain the no-thought state, genuine state of emptiness-awareness, then you are starting the process of eliminating past karma in accordance with conditions and stopping the creation of new karma. If you still cannot reach no-thought, then every thought that emerges in your daily life will incur karmic retribution, manifest karma and at the same time plant new seeds for future karma.
To be continued, stay tuned.
~ Miao Tsan