How to Investigate the Hua Tou

To have the conscious mind condense and package a question, then entrust it to the mental faculty (manas), is the method operated as follows. The conscious mind transforms the entire meaning within the question into a single thought, suspending it within the mental faculty—that is, deep within the heart. No matter what one is doing, one must carry this questioning thought within the heart, deeply and persistently, without abandoning it. If the heart lacks that thought, if there is no more questioning, no more pondering, then the conscious mind must once again cast the question to the mental faculty and remind it. Simultaneously, the conscious mind itself should not engage in excessive or complex mental activities, lest it distract the attention of the mental faculty. This is precisely how Chan (Zen) practitioners investigate the huatou (critical phrase); the method is identical. Such is the nature of deep and profound contemplation—the deepest and most refined form of thinking. Within the context of worldly methods, many people have employed this approach; they simply did not summarize and systematize it for application within the Dharma.