The Practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Is the Process from Unawareness to Awareness

This Sutra on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness is not merely a sutra for cultivating concentration; it is a sutra where samatha (calm abiding) and vipassana (insight) operate simultaneously. The result of samatha and vipassana is the arising of wisdom. This wisdom is the wisdom that severs the view of self, the wisdom that purifies the dharma-eye and liberates the mind. The so-called wisdom of liberation arises when, through observation, one gains a certain degree of knowledge of the observed dharmas, transforming ignorant knowing into clear knowing. Formerly, the knowing was an ignorant knowing that lacked clarity about the dharmas; now, the knowing is a clear knowing that comprehends the true meaning of the dharmas, realizing that all these observed dharmas—the five aggregates of body and mind—are characterized by arising and ceasing, impermanence, change, suffering, emptiness, and non-self. At this point, the wisdom of liberation arises, and thereafter, one can attain liberation. 

Therefore, when practicing the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, one must constantly maintain a knowing in the mind, and this knowing occurs when the mind is still, not when the mind is scattered. These two types of knowing are distinct. The knowing when the mind is still involves the knowing of manas (the mental faculty); the knowing when the mind is scattered is the scattered knowing of consciousness (vijnana). Scattered knowing is always ignorant knowing. The knowing when the mind is still allows ignorance to gradually decrease, enabling a shift from ignorant knowing to clear knowing, thereby opening wisdom and attaining liberation. The knowing when the mind is scattered manifests solely the functions of consciousness. The knowing when the mind is still involves not only the clear knowing of consciousness but also the lucid knowing of manas, including its function of deliberation. Only in this way can the view of self be severed and the dharma-eye be purified. This is the practice method taught to us by the Buddha. It does not involve using the conscious mind to think, analyze, consider, infer by analogy, or reason—none of these methods are used. All dharmas are directly present, inherently just as they are. By simply maintaining this knowing for a sufficient period, one can comprehend the true meaning of the world.