Cultivation of Concentration and Chan Meditation for Realization of the Way (Part 1)
Section 4 How to Seek the Eighth Consciousness
I. To seek realization of the Eighth Consciousness through Chan practice, one must not only understand its intrinsic nature but also know where it reveals itself, and when and where it leaves traces. Only then can we apprehend it at a certain time and place, recognize it, and thus return home hand in hand with it to abide in joyful harmony.
When and where does the Eighth Consciousness appear? The Eighth Consciousness exists and manifests at all times, functioning ceaselessly without being separated from the five-aggregate body for even an instant. At the six sense bases, in the six sense objects, within the six consciousnesses, throughout the eighteen dhatus, and upon the five aggregates—everywhere it manifests, everywhere there is the condition to perceive it, everywhere one may encounter it. As the ancient Chan masters said, conditions for its arising are everywhere; there is nowhere it is absent, nowhere it is not. It is vividly alive, encountered in every condition.
Thus, opportunities to find it are infinitely abundant; it is not that the conscious mind should strive to cease discrimination. If the conscious mind does not discriminate, how then could you recognize your own treasure, how recognize your long-lost parents? Yet precisely where discrimination occurs is where it most brilliantly reveals itself! The Eighth Consciousness, the original mind, is inherently free of thought. It does not think of dharmas nor does it act upon dharmas. There is no need for us to deliberately cultivate the conscious mind into a state of thoughtlessness. A cultivated state of thoughtlessness, no matter how achieved, can never be the inherently thought-free Eighth Consciousness, because their natures differ fundamentally. It is like painting a white sweet potato red—it cannot become a red sweet potato, for their essences are different.
Therefore, when seeking the Eighth Consciousness of one's own mind through Chan practice, there is no need to make the conscious mind thought-free; it is entirely unnecessary. The Eighth Consciousness manifests not only when the conscious mind is thought-free but even more vibrantly when the conscious mind is actively thinking and turning. The traces of the Eighth Consciousness permeate all times, all places, all locations, all realms, and all dharmas. At any time, in any location, the Eighth Consciousness is vividly and unmistakably manifesting, never concealing itself in the slightest. If the conscious mind being thought-free meant the presence of the Eighth Consciousness or was itself the Eighth Consciousness, what then when the conscious mind resumes thinking? The presence or absence of thought is itself a dharma subject to birth, cessation, and change, while the essence of the Eighth Consciousness mind is eternally unborn, unceasing, and unchanging.
Some also say that the Eighth Consciousness is a mind that "abides nowhere," and that to realize the Eighth Consciousness, our conscious mind must also think without pause, achieving a state of "abiding nowhere." Leaving aside whether the conscious mind can actually achieve "abiding nowhere," even if it truly attained this state, it would still be the conscious mind and could never become the Eighth Consciousness, for their natures are fundamentally different. The "abiding nowhere" of the Eighth Consciousness is inherent; it fundamentally does not concern itself with whether the conscious mind abides or not. Yet when the conscious mind thinks without abiding, that is precisely when the Eighth Consciousness most brilliantly reveals its splendor. We may abide and dwell freely; wherever we abide, wherever we dwell, there the presence of the Eighth Consciousness can be found. Recognizing it there allows one to return to its homeland.
Since the Eighth Consciousness pervades all places, where is it not? Where is it absent? Without it, nothing exists—there would be no "where," no "place." With it, everything exists—there is "where," there is "place." Such is the wondrously adaptable Dharma! There is no need to rigidify the conscious mind, nor to exert excessive effort upon it. We need only use the conscious mind to introspect, observing its source, observing its arising, and naturally we will find the path home. Upon realizing it, wisdom will arise, giving rise to the prajna wisdom of true reality. When this wisdom is perfected and fully endowed, one may attain Buddhahood.
II. True Buddha-Recitation is Reciting Tathagatagarbha
The Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra states: "Reciting that which is without object of recitation is called Buddha-recitation." Reciting this Dharma of "no object of recitation" is Buddha-recitation. This "no object of recitation" refers to Tathagatagarbha. This is Buddha-recitation after realization. Before realization, Chan practice investigating Tathagatagarbha as Buddha-recitation involves holding Tathagatagarbha—which is without words, language, or form—in mindful contemplation. Using Buddha-recitation as a method of Chan investigation and huatou (critical phrase) practice, holding Tathagatagarbha without words, language, or form is observing the huatou.
The true Buddha, Tathagatagarbha, is itself without object of recitation. It does not recite any dharma because it neither perceives nor knows worldly dharmas, nor does it grasp at any dharma or hold any dharma in mind. True Buddha-recitation should recite the true, unborn and unceasing Dharma-body Buddha of Tathagata. However, this is Buddha-recitation after realizing Tathagatagarbha—knowing where it is, what its virtues and intrinsic nature are, how it functions, and unifying principle and phenomena in recitation. After realizing Tathagatagarbha, reciting its suchness nature and its virtuous qualities, reciting its conditioned and unconditioned natures, is true Buddha-recitation.
Before realization, one recites a false Buddha, or a Buddha resembling the true one, or a conceptually fabricated Tathagatagarbha and Suchness. These are all forms of resembling Buddha-recitation, not true Buddha-recitation. Observing the huatou requires having a phrase as the huatou. Once the skill of observing the huatou matures, one then investigates the huatou. When conditions are ripe, one will realize the mind and attain Tathagatagarbha. Merely holding the Eighth Consciousness Tathagatagarbha in mind is not observing the huatou; it is a phrase, not a complete sentence, and can be considered resembling Buddha-recitation, which is still greatly beneficial to practice.
