How to Investigate the Huatou

Let the mind consciousness package and condense a question, then hand it over to the manas. This method works as follows. The mind consciousness transforms all the meaning contained in the question into a single thought and suspends it in the manas—that is, in the depths of the mind. No matter what one is doing, one must carry this questioning thought in the mind, carrying it deeply, without letting go of it or abandoning it. If that thought is no longer in the mind—if there is no longer any doubt, no longer any deliberation (manasikāra)—the mind consciousness should throw that question to the manas again, reminding Him once more. At the same time, the mind consciousness itself should not engage in excessive or complicated mental activities, so as not to distract the manas's attention. This is exactly how Chan Buddhism investigates a huatou in Chan meditation—the method is the same, and the deepest and most subtle contemplation is done this way. Many people in worldly affairs have used this method; they simply have not been able to summarize and generalize it so that it can be employed for the Buddhadharma.