The Infinite Mirror: Vexation is Itself Wisdom

Talk presented by Venerable Abbot Guo Xing
Report written by Lydia Sung 05/30/2010

    On Sunday, May 30, 2010, Venerable Abbot Guo Xing gave a second dharma talk on the topic of "The Infinite Mirror: Vexation is Itself Wisdom," focusing on the second stanza of "Inquiry into Matching Halves."

    The spiritual source is bright and pure,
Branching out and secretly flowing forth.
Attachment to phenomenon has always been confusion,
Yet union with principle is not enlightenment.

    "No-Thought". The Chinese character for "thought" is "nian" and is comprised of the characters "now" and "mind". Here, even the word "thought" is problematic because of its many nuances. The Platform Sutra is written in a way that is poetic and there are many plays on words. One character may have many meanings or representations and is very deep. Often times, Chan masters would present their teachings through poetry in a language that seems contradictory. They used dialectic approaches, where they would make one statement and the next statement seemed to negate the previous statement. These were not merely a play on words but a way to teach so that we would not be fixed on them. Venerable advised the audience to try to avoid understanding the terms merely intellectually or conceptually. These concepts also show us a principle, which is that we can't solve the problem of our suffering or realize the enlightenment that the Chan teachers talk about by figuring it out or thinking through it.

    According to Venerable Abbot, the "spiritual source" is the origin of our mind. In Chan Buddhism, enlightenment is seeing the original source of the mind. The nature of mind is bright and pure; a metaphor for the mind is the moon which is bright, pure and soft, and is able to illuminate. Venerable Abbot gave the example of the audience sitting and listening to the talk-we are using our eyes to see the speaker, our ears to listen, and our necks to turn our heads. We are actually using our minds or intentions to use our bodies. People who have suffered from a stroke are able to move their minds but unable to use their bodies. Our eyes have the ability to see, our noses have the ability to smell, our tongues the ability to taste, the mind the ability to think-this is all due to the illuminating power of the mind. We use the mind to do things; if we want to hold something, even if it appears to be our bodies doing it, it is actually our minds that are reaching out and grasping phenomena.

    When our minds are very calm, our bodies will not move, and even breathing will seem to have stopped. Our minds actually have the ability to illuminate and be aware of phenomena. This is a function of the mind. When we are meditating and have wandering thoughts, our mind is aware of these wandering thoughts, and when we return to our method and pay attention to our breathing, the mind is aware and illuminates the phenomena of breathing.

    Sometimes, there is the phenomenon where it appears as though a person is looking at you but you are aware that they are not looking at you. The mind is not aware and grasps onto that phenomena or image.

    Our minds may have all different kinds of functions, but it basically has the ability to be aware and illuminate phenomena. So when we are looking at our minds, it is basically aware and conscious of whatever it is looking at. When you are listening, the mind is illuminating the sound. That is the function of the mind.

    Originally, our minds have the ability to illuminate the self from within. We don't need to project and grasp onto external phenomena. According to the Great Compassion Repentance, the mind becomes ignorant and unaware, and starts to grasp onto external phenomena, thinking that by grasping and illuminating external phenomena, it is actually fulfilling its original function, but this thought is erroneous.

    Because of ignorance, our minds project outwardly and grasp onto outward phenomena, mistaking it as a function of the mind, and because of this external projection, it gives rise to notions of subject and object, the object phenomena that is being observed and the internal mind which is the subject. This is all due to ignorance. Venerable Abbot asked the audience if they have a sense of an "I" the subject, sitting here, and an object, the speaker. If a person does not sense this, then they may have reached enlightenment.

    Venerable described the process of thought in this way. The original thought is projected outwardly. There is a phenomenon that is being observed and there is a subject that observes this phenomenon. There is a notion of subject and object. Then the second thought becomes the subject projecting and illuminating the first thought. The third thought comes up and becomes the subject and observes the object of the second thought. So it becomes a cycle.

    Another way to describe our experience is, when we give rise to one thought, usually the second thought follows and observes the first thought, and the third thought follows and continues on, following the previous thoughts.

    When we are meditating, when a wandering thought arises, we recognize it and put it down. But in daily life, that is not how it works. Usually, a wandering thought arises, and we follow it.

    According to the Shurangama Sutra, when we project our mind outwardly and grasp onto external phenomena, creating the "three subtleties" and the "six coarses." The three subtleties are very subtle phenomena that are difficult to observe. They are ignorance, the phenomena of karma, and the notion of having a subject and an object. For example, when we come to the Center to listen to a dharma talk, we initially already have a thought of self and others. The six coarse phenomena are more observable; they are ignorance, which lead to the development of notions of good and bad, labeling, attachment to thoughts and phenomena, and then the creation of more karma.

    When we see a phenomenon and dislike it, we usually think of this as vexations. But when we see something that is attractive or favorable, we usually don't think of it as vexations. Even having an "I" and "you" is part of the three subtleties and thus are vexations.

    The terms "three subtleties" and the "six coarses" correspond to the twelve links of conditioned arising. The first three links of conditioned arising of ignorance, intention and consciousness probably correspond to the three subtleties. Ignorance, intention and consciousness are very subtle and deeply embedded in our minds. Like the growth of our hair, or the dying and shedding of our skin cells, they are difficult to observe.

    The spiritual source is bright and pure

This line refers to the original mind that has not given rise to the three subtleties and the six coarses. Branching out and secretly flowing forth refers to the moment when the three subtleties arise. Regardless of the branches and leaves, the root is still this spiritual source that is bright and pure.

    The Shurangama Sutra talks about dispelling the notion of the five skandhas. After you break away the perception skandha, you will be able to see your mind's intention and consciousness and realize that all phenomena and all sentient beings actually arise from there, and see the root of this spiritual source.

     Reaching that state, one will be able to observe that all sentient beings actually arise from this mind. When people are able to observe the phenomena that all sentient beings arise from this source, sometimes, they will have erroneous views and think that the source of the mind is permanent, and that the arising and perishing of all sentient beings is impermanent. This is what the Shurangama Sutra refers to as the ten erroneous views.

     So while sitting here, is it possible that you will disappear all of a sudden? Does anyone have this ability? Have you ever experienced the sudden disappearance of your body? Probably not. When you are sleeping, you may not be aware that your body is there, but other people will be able to see it. You will experience the disappearance of your body after you die and your consciousness leaves the body. Even though your body has been cremated, the consciousness will remain and you will realize that the body and the consciousness are separate.

     In the initial teachings, there are examples of the body turning into two bodies, or a body turning into vast openness. When one passes away, it is easier to observe the notion that the body is a phenomenon that arises from the mind. It is probably hard to believe that the body is merely a manifestation of one's thoughts. In the Yogacara school, there are exercises where one can make their body levitate or disappear. When you reflect on this, it is easy to see how the body is a phenomenon created by the mind. In Shifu's autobiography, he talks about how he levitated off the ground during meditation. When this first happened, he thought it was strange, looked around and immediately fell down. The second time this happened, he peeked and looked around, and did not pay much attention to it, and remained in levitation. There are stories of Tibetan lamas who are able to levitate while meditating. They would be able to touch the ceiling, but once they did this, they would fall back down. Milarepa, one of the great cultivators in Tibetan Buddhism, was able to float in mid-air.

     In the Heart Sutra, it says that form is emptiness and emptiness is form. Here, it is referring to the spiritual source flowing forth. There are probably very few people who can remember the moment of reincarnation, when the consciousness enters a new body, or when the consciousness enters an egg. In Thailand, a master named Ajahn Maha, the master of Ajahn Chah, had an old woman as a student who was also a great meditator. When she meditated and her mind was very calm, she would see a strand of thread entering her granddaughter's womb. She asked Ajahn Maha what this was and he said: If you don't cut this off right away, you will probably be a baby in your granddaughter's womb. This old woman really liked her granddaughter. Even though the old woman and the granddaughter have two separate physical bodies, the grasping mind or consciousness grasps will guide the consciousness into the granddaughter's womb.

     In India, during the Buddha's time, people believed that form, feeling, sensation, and intention were impermanent but that consciousness was permanent. The Buddha didn't accept this popular belief but wanted to understand it for himself. Through deep samadhi, the Buddha realized that form, feeling, sensation, intention and consciousness are all empty. Consciousness has the ability to attach to name and form; in fact, they interact with each other. You can think of consciousness as the software and name and form as the hardware. Consciousness enters the form, that is, the egg, and enriches the hardware, and name and form is the hardware that feeds the consciousness. So consciousness, and name and form, mutually interact with each other, and give rise to the phenomena of our bodies and minds.

     The consciousness constantly interacts with the external world, name and form. For example, the mind interacts with the six sense objects, grasps onto these phenomena and relays them back to the consciousness. Another concrete example is dreaming. Our mind observes form, interacts with the form, and gives rise to a second image. The mind is considered the spiritual and metaphysical domain, the image that comes up is considered the physical domain, and the two, when they interact with each other, causes the continuous arising and perishing train of the mind.

     This is the very function of the mind. It rises and perishes. All sentient beings follow this mind and become reborn in the six realms. Our mind or consciousness creates the world that we live in. At the same time, our minds want to grasp onto this world to make it continue. This mind gives rise to the world and wants the world to not change, to continue on, and the mind also gives rise to all the different karmas, and we follow this karma into the next rebirth.

     Every day, we have to drink, eat, and when we cross the street and a car comes, we have to run away from the car. If someone walks up to you, points a gun at you, and demands a million dollars, you will probably be nervous and frightened. There is this body and our mind grasps onto this body and wants this body to continue on, unharmed.

    Branching out and secretly flowing forth

This line refers to the fact that all this created by our mind, but somehow we get lost and forget that all this comes from the original spiritual source. After enlightenment, we will realize that all of this is created by the mind, and the body is created by the karma that is created by the mind, as well as all the myriad external phenomena. It all comes from the mind. The mind is like a great mirror, and everything is in the mind, in this great mirror. Venerable Abbot gave this analogy: my mind is a great mirror, your mind is a great mirror, and everybody's mind is a great mirror. Each mirror is reflecting everyone else's in the world. So, everyone is in everyone else's mind. We can also think about it like this. I am a great mirror. When I see you, these are all images that arise in my consciousness. The same is with you. When you are listening to me, you are dealing with the images that are in your mirror. So, really, we are merely playing with our own mirrors. How many mirrors are there? Is there one mirror or many, many mirrors? Usually, the easier way to conceptualize this is, I have a mirror, you have a mirror, so it's easy to see there are two mirrors, but really, we are talking about infinite mirrors. We are talking about emptiness. I have emptiness; you have emptiness, vast spaces of emptiness. Is it possible to separate, this is my emptiness, and this is your emptiness? Can you separate and cut emptiness? It is very difficult to draw boundaries between emptiness. We also call emptiness the dharma body; the dharma body is all pervasive and everywhere.

     The world that we see is phenomena projected from our minds. My body is the subjective karmic body, and the world that we see, the phenomena, is dependent on my karmic body, so it's the object. For you, your body is the subject, and my body is the objective dependent karmic body.

     We usually operate in this way: we think, this is my body, this is me, and the mountains and rivers and everybody else, is the other. We forget that all this external phenomena is part of me as well. That is how everybody operates, thinking there is me, there is my body, and that everything else is considered as others. From the day we are born until the day that we die, this is how we operate, we treat this body as me and everything else as other. We take this body, this sense of "I," and try to do everything to perfect it, beautify it, make it successful, and even when we die, we want our spirit to continue to benefit and bless even our offspring. That is how everybody operates, creating a sense of "me" and "others." The way that we operate, separating "I" from "others," gives rise to rebirth in the six realms.

     Attachment to phenomenon has always been confusion,
Yet union with principle is not enlightenment.

     In Chan Buddhism, we talk about nature vs. phenomena, which is also described as principle vs. phenomena. Mistakenly being attached to and grasping onto phenomena leads to confusion. We dominate other people on a daily basis because we have a sense of self. I want to dominate others, and other people want to dominate me. Sometimes, we can successfully dominate other people, and sometimes we are dominated by others.

     Sometimes, we think, I am going to make that person suffer. When we think like that, aren't we treating that person as an external phenomenon? The "other" that we are thinking about in our minds, is it really another person, or is it merely a thought in our mind? It's really just a thought, but we grasp onto it. In our memory, we might think, this person is so mean, I really need to make this other person suffer, but it is just a thought. When we are thinking this way, who are you really dominating? This is merely a thought, and maybe we are able to detect it when we are meditating, but in daily life, we forget and attach to the thought, thinking that it's a real person. We forget that it is merely a thought and grasp onto the notion of that person. In order to make a dream work for you, you have to treat it as a real external phenomenon, so it becomes a motivation for you. Even if your dreams come true, is it really great? Perhaps not. Only when you don't have dreams is it truly great.

     Our minds give rise to thoughts, but we don't recognize them as thoughts; we think they are others, or this person. Because we grasp onto these thoughts, they accumulate momentum to the next moment. When you are looking at yourself in the mirror, you may think, I look quite nice, and other people may look at you. But who is looking at you? After you have become successful, perhaps you will think that other people will look at you with envy. Who is looking with envy? According to Dale Carnegie, you have to visualize your success. You are supposed to visualize that you are successful and everyone is looking at you with envy, but really, who is looking at you with envy? Is it others that are looking at you, or just yourself? When you think about it, it is really your previous thought looking at your latter thought and thinking that your latter thought is really yourself. It's just your wandering thoughts. So, if you become proud, you may think that other people are looking at you with envy, but it is really you that has the notion of others. You have to treat that image as others in order for you to feel proud of yourself. If you realize that these are merely wandering thoughts, there is nothing to be proud of.

     If you can't tell if it's real external phenomena or the phenomena in your mind, you can try closing your eyes, and asking yourself if the image is still in your mind. We can divide phenomena into self, subjective self phenomena, and objective self phenomena. That is confusion. If you are really able to understand the principle, as in the fourth line, this is not enlightenment either.

     Usually when we meditate, we follow the method. Whenever you have wandering thoughts, you drop it, let it go, and come back to your breathing. Over time, wandering thoughts will lessen, and you will reach a state of unification between your internal and external worlds. But the line reads, so what if there is unification? That is still not enlightenment.

     In the Ten Ox Herding pictures, one picture is of just a circle. This state is still not enlightenment. There is a saying, that in the first stage, when you see the mountains, you just accept them as the mountains. In the second stage, when you see the mountains, you don't accept them as the mountains. In the third stage, when you see mountains, you think they are still mountains. This stage is true enlightenment.

     Ultimately, the mind encompasses all phenomena. In all these phenomena, there is no sense of self and others.

     At the end of the talk, Venerable Abbot invited the audience to ask questions.