The Principles of Hypnosis (Part 1)

Now, let's discuss the principle of hypnosis, using the three hypnosis cases from yesterday as examples. In the first case, as soon as the hypnotist issued the instruction to sleep, the hypnotized individuals immediately collapsed against each other and fell asleep. Later, the master issued the instruction to wake up, and all of them awoke from deep sleep. After waking, they had no awareness of having collapsed together while asleep.

Why does this occur? When we are normally awake, consciousness (vijñāna) and the mind faculty (manas) mutually trust, rely upon, guide, and influence each other. Ordinarily, the mind faculty follows the guidance, control, commands, and influence of consciousness. In this case, the mind faculty is no longer influenced by its own consciousness. Who influences it instead? It is influenced by the hypnotist. The hypnotist essentially assumes the role of the hypnotized individual's consciousness. The mind faculty then completely obeys and trusts all instructions from the hypnotist, believing whatever is said with absolute obedience, surpassing its trust in its own consciousness. The hypnotist's commands override the commands of the individual's own consciousness.

Therefore, whatever the hypnotist says, the hypnotized individual's mind faculty believes it. Once it believes, it can immediately act accordingly. Why can it act as soon as it believes? Because the mind faculty is the dominant consciousness; it possesses the power to act. Whatever it intends to do, as long as there are no factors hindering it, it can accomplish it. The hypnotist tells it to sleep. Since there is no consciousness to control or guide the mind faculty, the mind faculty obeys, immediately decides to sleep, lets go of all external conditions (ālambana), and without consciousness participating, falls asleep instantly. During this sleep state, there are no five sense consciousnesses nor mental consciousness. Therefore, while asleep and collapsed together, their own consciousness was unaware, and naturally, even after consciousness awakens, it still doesn't know. During sleep, consciousness ceases, so it is unaware of the state of its own sleep.

Why does one fall asleep so quickly under hypnosis, unlike normal sleep? Because when preparing to sleep normally, one needs to first cease the discernment of the five sense consciousnesses, then cease the discernment and mental formations of consciousness. Ceasing consciousness is slightly more difficult. Under hypnosis, consciousness directly ceases to function, hence one falls asleep immediately upon the instruction.

From this principle, it becomes clear that as long as the mind faculty believes something – and this belief is not ordinary belief but extremely deep, unwavering faith – it accepts whatever is said without any internal deliberation, without considering right or wrong, and without consciousness controlling it. The mind faculty's own ability to discern the six sense objects (ṣaḍ-viṣaya) is relatively weak; it does not engage in discrimination. Once it trusts the hypnotist, it accepts whatever the hypnotist says and does whatever it is told. This demonstrates the inferior wisdom of the mind faculty. If consciousness were present, it could think, discern right from wrong, take measures, and control the mind faculty. Here, the mind faculty lacks the help of the six consciousnesses, lacks the help of consciousness, and does not possess such strong discriminative power. When the hypnotist tells it to sleep, the mind faculty doesn't need to deliberate at all; it can fall asleep immediately.

If each of us, through cultivation and deep meditation (dhyāna), enters profound concentration (samādhi), the mind faculty, upon encountering the realm of the six sense objects, perceives its own physical body and all phenomena, feeling that they are different from before. Because in deep concentration, the mind faculty's attention is concentrated, wisdom is developed, and it realizes that the physical body can be controlled by itself. It realizes the unreality or lesser reality of phenomena, or ceases to take phenomena seriously. Since in deep concentration there is no control from consciousness, whatever the mind faculty intends to do, it can accomplish. If it wishes to manifest supernatural powers (ṛddhi), it can activate their wondrous functions.

For example, in the fourth dhyāna, if the mind faculty thinks, "I want to fly into the sky," at this time, without the interference of the six consciousnesses, without consciousness disturbing it, without the concept of "sky," and without attachment to the physical body, it can immediately fly into the sky, passing through mountains and valleys. If the mind faculty thinks, "I want to hear distant sounds, or sounds from the heavens," because there is no interference from consciousness, as soon as it thinks this, it can hear sounds from extremely far away. How does consciousness interfere? Consciousness constantly tells it, "This is impossible, that is impossible." As soon as it says "impossible," the mind faculty feels it truly is impossible, and thus cannot accomplish it.

Without interference from consciousness, if the mind faculty says it wants to do something, it immediately acts, and the innate potential within accomplishes it for it. Countless supernatural powers are developed this way. When consciousness interferes, it relies on its own life experiences and habitual tendencies to influence the mind faculty, saying this cannot be done, that cannot be done. Because consciousness has not perceived the true reality (bhūta-tathatā), all its thoughts and considerations are incorrect, causing significant interference to the mind faculty. Without interference from consciousness, everyone's potential for supernatural powers can be developed.

The hypnotist's role now replaces the role of consciousness. Whatever the hypnotist says, the mind faculty believes; whatever it believes, it can accomplish. Supernatural powers arise this way, and the principle of hypnosis is the same.