Learning to Observe and Judge the State of One's Own Practice

Ru Chun: Nowadays, whether I am thinking about worldly matters or about the Dharma teachings, I often find myself in a state of complete self-forgetfulness. Often when someone speaks to me, I have no idea what they are saying, as I am fully immersed in my own thinking. Recently, while reading the Dharma teachings, I came across the advice to use the mind consciousness less, so I thought my method was wrong and changed my approach. But perhaps I changed it incorrectly, for now I can no longer find that good feeling, and I don't know what is going on?

Comment: Thinking while often in a state of complete self-forgetfulness—in that state there is the mental activity of both the mind consciousness and the manas, and it may even be that the manas's thinking is stronger than that of the mind consciousness. Such training is of great help in enhancing wisdom. If the wisdom of the mind consciousness is insufficient, it is fine to first train the mind consciousness in deliberation; but if the manas's thinking predominates, then continue to rely on the manas.

However, you should know that this still does not count as walking the correct path of cultivation, because the Dharma you contemplate has no main thread—it is scattered contemplation. Whatever you encounter, that is what you contemplate; you have not yet set out in the direction of eliminating the self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi). Once you have trained well in this way, then practice with single-minded focus! Observing the breath is for the purpose of knowing nothing at all; you have not yet grasped the Dharma, and you still have no concept of eliminating the self-view.