The Secret of Applying Effort in Chan Investigative Inquiry

When practicing Chan, the mind consciousness may be without thought, but the manas must never be without thought. If both are without thought, it is purely the cultivation of meditation, and this kind of thoughtless samādhi cannot give rise to wisdom; therefore it cannot lead to enlightenment, nor to seeing one's true nature.

When meditative concentration is very good, the mind consciousness seems to be without thought, but in fact there is still one thought hanging in the mind—that is, hanging in the manas. The manas is engaged in investigation, with the mind consciousness cooperating. When the material is sufficient and the data complete, the manas takes the lead in the investigation. If the data is insufficient, the manas asks the mind consciousness for material and data, and then investigates deeply. This is the secret of true investigative practice; if everyone knew it, it would no longer be a secret.

When the manas asks the mind consciousness for material and data, the mind consciousness must engage in obvious thinking and analysis, then hand the results of its analysis and thinking over to the manas, and the manas will then carry out its investigation based on this data.

We have all had this experience: on the surface we seem to have no thoughts or thinking, yet deep inside the mind is not calm; there are still some mental movements deeply hidden within, like the water of the great ocean—on the surface it does not flow and appears very calm, but in reality its current is very swift. Such is the manas: deep and hidden, hard to fathom, profound and unfathomable.

An experienced and highly responsible Chan master will observe whether a disciple's conditions are complete. If they are not complete—for instance, if meditative concentration is lacking—he will not begin to guide the disciple, lest the disciple gain only intellectual understanding and remain unable to be full of vitality for a lifetime. Enlightenment under different Chan masters yields wisdom that differs greatly, and the differences in realization are considerable. Therefore, what kind of Chan master one encounters precisely reflects the state of one's own merit.