People are usually burdened with many afflictions [caused by pursuing sense objects], making it difficult to reach the state of no-thought and no-abidance. When our mind has nothing to cling to or rely on, we feel bored and naturally want to occupy ourselves with the pursuits of the senses. Therefore, when flooded with deluded or wandering thoughts, we should focus our mind by using an expedient means, such as breath-counting or reciting buddhas’ names, until our mind calms down; then, we should bring the mind back to the state of no-thought and no-abidance. If we are not yet adept at this, we must work hard and practice it with great persistence.
(Seeing One’s True Nature Is to Become a Buddha)
When do expedient means become unnecessary? When we can firmly abide in right mindfulness and naturally follow our pure awareness; when our mind is clear and lucid at every moment and in command wherever we go. Then, the buddha is present—the buddha is our pure awareness. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch says, “With no thoughts, the mind is right; with thoughts, the mind goes astray.” Reciting buddhas’ names, chanting mantras, and reciting sutras are all expedient means. Without them, people usually cannot settle down their minds and reach tranquility right away. Therefore, it is necessary to practice these expedient means.
The ultimate state of the mind is having no-thought and no-abidance, and being empty of effort (無為 wu-wei); it is what the Diamond Sutra calls “abid[ing] in nothing to give rise to the mind.” An ancient Chan master once said, “Where there is a buddha, do not dwell. Where there is no buddha, leave in haste.” Let the mind dwell not in the past, nor the present or future. “To dwell (or abide)” is to have thinking, craving, and attachment. When we think about the past, the mind dwells in events that have already taken place. This makes the mind subject to arising and ceasing, and thus it creates deluded thoughts. When we think of situations in the future, regardless of whether they are positive or negative, the mind dwells in an imaginary future world. Again, this subjects the mind to arising and ceasing, and to creating deluded thoughts as well. When we think about and dwell in the present, the mind is also in the state of arising and ceasing, for whenever a thought is raised, that is to have arising and ceasing. Therefore, the mind that realizes the minds of the past, present, and future are ungraspable is called the mind of no-abidance.
“The mind of no-abidance” is not like a stone that knows nothing. Rather, it is this very mind that is presently listening to Shifu’s teaching, firmly abiding in right mindfulness and naturally following the pure awareness. It acts when it should act, and stays still when it should be still, free from all deluded thoughts, drowsiness, ignorance, and distortion—this is the absolute mind and the Way. It is also as the Shurangama Sutra states, “pure knowing without the conception of knowing is, in itself, nirvana”—there is only this very mind that knows. Therefore, if we want to learn the Dharma, cultivate the Way, and become enlightened, we must have conviction in this truth.
(Dharma Talk at Sangha Summer Retreat, 2014)
Many people who read or recite the Diamond Sutra feel puzzled and stuck when they reach the line “abide in nothing to give rise to the mind.” They wonder: if we abide in nothing and yet give rise to the mind, isn’t that giving rise to another mind? Try as they might, they cannot comprehend its meaning. To resolve this confusion, we must understand that abiding in nothing (i.e., no-abidance) is a state of samadhi, and that giving rise to the mind is the [simultaneous] manifestation of intrinsic wisdom. Not giving rise to greed or craving under any circumstances, while keeping this very mind completely clear and lucid, is how we abide in nothing to give rise to the mind, and this mind of no-abidance is the bodhi mind.
“Giving rise to the mind” does not mean to create thoughts; rather, it means to keep this very mind clear, lucid, in command, and at ease—this is also no-abidance and the bodhi mind. The bodhi mind is the Way. Only when the bodhi mind becomes manifest are we truly cultivating the Way. Without seeing (i.e., realizing) the bodhi mind, we are not yet cultivating the Way but still at the stage of preparatory practice (加行 jia-xing). If we have seen the Way, we must constantly cultivate and maintain this very mind—that is to “nurture the sacred embryo of enlightenment (保養聖胎 bao-yang-sheng-tai),” as taught in the Chan tradition.
(Zen Mind, Zen World, 2000)
Chan Master Zhaozhou (778-897) said, “Where there is a buddha, do not dwell. Where there is no buddha, leave in haste.” Not dwelling means to have no attachments, which is also as the Diamond Sutra says, to “abide in nothing to give rise to the mind,” and it is none other than the bodhi mind. Being free of delusion is enlightenment; do not seek enlightenment other than that. Yet, what is to be free of delusion? It is the eyes not lost in forms, the ears not lost in sounds or flattering words, the nose not lost in scent, and the tongue not lost in flavors—then, the mind will naturally be pure. Thus, a mind without delusion is enlightenment, and only when we have realized this very mind can we say we have truly discovered the start [of the Way].
Having experienced enlightenment or awakened to it, however, is not the end of our cultivation; we still need to nurture the mind. The ancient masters have said, “Cultivation after awakening to enlightenment is the true cultivation.” Indeed, cultivation after we are awakened to enlightenment is the beginning of our true cultivation. It is also said, “a room lies in darkness for a thousand years; a single light dispels its darkness in an instant.” But this light might only be luminous for one minute before it goes out; so, if we think this means we have attained the Way, we are kidding ourselves and misleading others.
Therefore, it is the cultivation done after awakening to enlightenment that really matters. How, then, should we cultivate? Neither giving rise to deluded thoughts, nor dozing off, is the cultivation; keeping this mind clear, lucid, and in command at every moment is the cultivation. In both favorable and unfavorable circumstances, in action and in stillness, maintain this very mind as such—this is an indication of true mastery.
(Seeing One’s True Nature Is to Become a Buddha)
“The mind is the buddha.” Everyone has this mind, this pure awareness. As the Venerable Prajnatara said, “In the eyes, pure awareness is called seeing; in the ears, hearing; in the nose, smelling; in the mouth, speaking; in the hands, holding and grasping; and, in the feet, walking and running.” Everyone possesses this pure awareness, and we must learn to maintain and uphold it. Even after we are awakened to the Way, we still need to nurture and maintain this mind. How? We must “walk through a field of flowers, and yet not a single petal clings to the body.”
“Walk[ing] through a field of flowers” is an analogy that likens our world to a field filled with hundreds of flowers. How can we walk through this field without having anything cling to the body? We “should abide in nothing to give rise to the mind,” and “perceive sense objects without giving rise to craving; realize the truth without conceptualizing it.”
In this beguiling world, neither grasp nor reject its myriad possibilities; rather, be aware of them without forming attachments. This is how we “walk through a field of flowers, and yet not a single petal clings to the body.” This mirrors what is stated in The Diamond Sutra: “Bodhisattvas and mahasattvas should give rise to [the] pure mind that does not abide in form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas; they should abide in nothing to give rise to the mind.” This is the ultimate truth of the middle way; this is the bodhi mind.
(Dharma Talk at Sangha Summer Retreat, 2011)
The Mind Seal of Prajna Wisdom, p.30