How to Practice the Art of Investigative Meditation

For instance, when investigating whether the manas (mind faculty) experiences equanimity, consider a longer gong'an or scenario: When people are extremely joyful, they dance with joy and are elated; when angry, they hurl insults and resort to physical violence. First, we must understand that these bodily and verbal actions are produced under the direction and command of the manas, involving the participation of the body consciousness and mental consciousness, as well as the eye consciousness and ear consciousness. Several consciousnesses cooperate to produce these bodily and verbal actions. Since they are directed and commanded by the manas, why does the manas command the production of two different types of bodily and verbal actions? Why, when joyful, does the manas command the body to dance, expressing its own joy and excitement? Why, when angry, does it hurl insults, expressing its own hatred and anger? Does the manas, when joyful, actually not experience joy but merely equanimity? Does it, when angry, not experience anger but also equanimity? Does the manas lack the emotional response of joy or anger? If the manas lacks the emotion of joy and does not feel happiness, why can it still direct the six consciousnesses to dance with joy? If the manas lacks the emotional response of displeasure, without the suffering feeling, then why, when angry, can it still direct the six consciousnesses to resort to physical violence?

Although these questions are lengthy, the mental consciousness must carefully contemplate and analyze them, thoroughly discerning the meaning within this language. At this stage, there are linguistic forms and sound images; words and phrases should repeatedly arise in the mind. After the mental consciousness superficially understands the meaning of these words, it must condense this meaning into a single point—formless and imageless—and hand it over to the manas. Then, the mind deeply suspends this formless, imageless meaning. This is the way the manas contemplates: without words, language, or sound, quietly, profoundly, continuously, day and night, morning and evening, absolutely unwavering, persisting even in dreams and wakefulness. This is the manas's investigation, with the manas as the primary agent and the mental consciousness as the auxiliary. Earlier, when contemplating and understanding the linguistic content, the mental consciousness was primary, with the manas assisting it; now, the opposite is true. This is the true method of Chan investigation, the genuine kung fu of inquiry. When conditions ripen, one is certain to break through the investigation, find the answer, resolve the doubt in the heart, fully open the state of doubt, and achieve realization through Chan investigation.

When the manas investigates the function and nature of itself, there is also no concept of "manas" or "self"; it does not correspond to concepts or words, devoid of language and superfluous talk. Direct, plain, simple, clean, and straightforward, it heads straight to the core and the essential point. It does not affect eating, drinking, excreting, or urinating; it does not affect walking, standing, sitting, or lying down; it does not affect the normal life activities of the five aggregates. There are merely no distracting thoughts, no additional mental preoccupations; it is relatively focused, applying the mind without distraction.

This is the manas investigating itself. Investigating the tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature) is also like this; investigating any Dharma principle is likewise. No matter how profound the Dharma principle, one must apply effort in this way, must practice diligently in this manner. The mental consciousness and the manas cooperate closely with each other, while the tathāgatagarbha acts as the unseen assistant, the unnamed benefactor, providing all the necessary resources and sustenance for the investigation.