Training the Manas in Daily Life (Manas Training Section)

To train the manas in concentration, you can begin practicing with small matters in daily life. In the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Sūtra, the objects are contemplation of the breath, contemplation of the white bones, and contemplation of bodily actions; in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the twenty-five sages contemplated the six sense objects, six faculties, six consciousnesses, and six elements. We can contemplate the flame of a candle, or the tip of a burning incense stick, or an apple, or a flower—choose whatever is convenient for oneself. When the manas takes the candle or incense tip as its object, the mind consciousness arises right there and then settles there without moving; the eye consciousness does not look elsewhere, the mind consciousness does not think of other dharmas, no thoughts stir, and the two simply gaze single-pointedly at the candle or the incense tip. At this time the manas is restrained so that it can only take the candle as its object and contemplate the candle, unable to grasp at anything else. Gradually one enters the state, gradually becomes focused, gradually becomes single-minded, and the mind gradually becomes subtle and refined.

Contemplation means letting the manas focus on one place, one point, one dharma. Ordinarily the manas is far too scattered, grasping at every dharma, recognizing no dharma clearly, understanding no dharma, not knowing the true face of any dharma, not knowing that a given dharma is not actually what it seems to be. When the manas's contemplation gradually enters a fine state, at this point the mind consciousness is empty, with not a single thought arising, or only the single thought of knowing the flame, while the manas quietly contemplates. Within this contemplation, on the one hand meditative concentration (samādhi) arises; on the other hand, the mind will undergo changes—one's cognition of the flame's appearance will gradually change, and the truth will gradually surface. One will gradually discover that the flame is not the flame, the incense tip is not the incense tip, the apple is not the apple, the fresh flower is not the fresh flower, and all things are not all things. After wisdom arises, there will be various cognitions of emptiness (śūnyatā), meditative absorption (samādhi) will appear, and a series of changes will occur in body and mind.

It is thus evident that everything we ordinarily see is entirely wrong view. Seeing the false without knowing the true, we develop grasping (upādāna) toward all things, grasping them as self and what belongs to self. What—form, feeling, perception, formations, consciousness—is taken as self; sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas are taken as belonging to self; wealth, sensuality, fame, food, and sleep are taken as belonging to self; power, status, reputation, and money are taken as belonging to self; family and relatives are taken as belonging to self; everything connected with oneself is taken as belonging to self. For the sake of self and what belongs to self, any price will be paid. How could practice ever be more important than self and what belongs to self? Isn't it just cycling through the six realms of saṃsāra? "I don't care; saṃsāra is not frightening—what is most frightening is losing self and what belongs to self." But have you ever actually obtained self and what belongs to self? How many selves and belongings-to-self have you lost? Do you have any way to protect them?

To break through this foolishness, foolish views, and foolish grasping, contemplate one object, contemplate it over the long term, and you will come to know what a thing is, what the self is, and who is grasping at what that can be grasped. Go now and personally experience the dream, illusion, bubble, and shadow, and wake up from the dream. "In the dream, clearly there are the six destinies; after waking, empty and void, not even a great chiliocosm." How laughable is one's former delusion—one beats one's breast and stamps one's feet. To wake up is what matters; everything before no longer counts—the page has been turned. After waking, one is a great man; before waking, one is a deluded and inverted ordinary being. The identity has changed. The deeds performed by a great man are worthy of the admiration of all people in the world, while the conduct of a deluded ordinary being only evokes pity in the heart.

For the specific process and results of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), refer to the perfect penetration Dharma gates of the twenty-five sages in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. The noble ones did not restrict their practice to a single realm or a single dharma; any one of the eighteen realms may be selected as an entry into the Path, all can accomplish sublime meditative absorption (samādhi), all can achieve perfect penetration. Entering the Path through one dharma, every dharma is within the Path—this is called "deeply entering through one gate, with every gate fully penetrating."

If we wish to eliminate self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi), we need not perform contemplative practice on all of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) and eighteen realms. Choose one point of focus that is easy for you to contemplate, and pierce into it like an awl, relentlessly—it will certainly break through the five aggregates and eighteen realms. For example, if a balloon is punctured at one spot, the entire balloon bursts; if a boat leaks at one place, the whole boat will sink into the water. Let everyone act as soon as possible! Stop foolishly embracing the dream, illusion, bubble, and shadow, mistaking your parents.