Training the Manas in Daily Life (Manas Training Chapter)

To train the manas in concentration, one can begin practicing with small matters in daily life. In the Satipaṭṭhāna Sūtra, it is contemplating the breath, contemplating the white skeleton, and contemplating 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, choosing whatever is convenient for oneself. The manas takes the candle or the 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 mental activity stirs, 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 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 dharma is not what it appears to be. When the manas contemplates and gradually enters a fine state, at this time the mind consciousness is empty, with not a single thought arising, or only the one thought of knowing the flame, while the manas quietly contemplates. Within this contemplation, on the one hand meditative concentration arises, and 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, all things are not all things. After wisdom arises, there will be various cognitions of emptiness, 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 toward all things, grasping them as self and what belongs to self. What form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness as self; form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas as belonging to self; wealth, sensuality, fame, food, and sleep as belonging to self; power, status, reputation, and money as belonging to self; family and relatives as belonging to self; everything connected with oneself as belonging to self. For the sake of self and what belongs to self, any price can be paid. How could practice ever be more important than self and what belongs to self? Isn't it just cycling through saṃsāra in the six realms? "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 a long period, and you will come to know what the object is, what the self is, and who is grasping 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, the six realms clearly exist; after waking, the great trichiliocosm is utterly empty. Laugh at your former delusion and folly, beating your breast and stamping your feet. Once you wake up, all is well; what came before no longer counts—the page has been turned. After waking up, one is a great man; before waking, one was 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 an infatuated ordinary being 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 sages did not limit their practice to one realm or one dharma; choosing any one of the eighteen realms, one can enter the Path, can accomplish a sublime meditative absorption (samādhi), can achieve perfect penetration. Entering the Path through one dharma, every dharma is within the Path—this is called penetrating deeply through one gate, with every gate leading through.

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