Observing the Processes and States of Mentation in the Mental Faculty

Ru Chun: Last night before sleep, I contemplated: Why is it said that "the ocean of suffering has no shore, yet turning back is the shore"? I pondered while writing, and the process was quite lengthy. The final conclusion was: Within worldly phenomena, there is no true happiness; ultimately, everything ends in suffering. The various forms of suffering coalesce into an ocean of suffering, also known as the accumulation of suffering (duḥkha-samudaya). Worldly phenomena are all impermanent and changing; they are not true dharma. If we cannot see through their illusory nature and instead cling to and indulge in them, that is the "ocean of suffering without a shore." Conversely, if we use the false to cultivate the true, turn our minds toward the path, and return to the source, that is called "turning back is the shore."

During this process of contemplation and writing, consciousness (mano-vijñāna) was mostly dominant, but I could sense the mental faculty (manas) was also participating, because the writing flowed smoothly, with great focus and inspiration, bringing physical and mental pleasure without feeling fatigued. When I finished writing, I saw it was already 2 a.m.; time had passed very quickly. After finishing, I went to sleep but felt as if a lingering thought was still suspended, making my sleep shallow.

Commentary: If the process was very unified, it was dominated by the mental faculty (manas). If it was done with a scattered mind, it was dominated by consciousness (mano-vijñāna). Because of the unity and focus, inspiration continuously arose, bringing physical and mental pleasure without feeling fatigue. If you can distinguish which consciousness is diligently contemplating and which is dominant, you can then assess your own state and level of practice.

Ru Chun: During morning meditation, a phrase arose in my mind: "Originally, there is no shore to the ocean of suffering, so why turn back seeking a shore?" I think this must be the result of the mental faculty continuing its work last night. Can it be understood this way: the previous contemplation by consciousness pertained to conditioned phenomena (saṃskṛta-dharma), while after falling asleep, the mental faculty's contemplation added considerations from the perspective of unconditioned phenomena (asaṃskṛta-dharma). Does this suggest that the mental faculty, when the mind is calm and obscurations are reduced, possesses greater wisdom than consciousness? Are contemplations like this beneficial for practice? I feel that recently, during meditation, my state has been unstable. When the state is good, the whole body feels ethereal as if in the void; when the state is poor, the legs feel stiff, painful, and weak. Although I've made some adjustments, I haven't yet identified the key point causing the problem.

Commentary: As mentioned earlier, you did not clearly distinguish the state of your mental faculty (manas) and consciousness (mano-vijñāna), nor did you know which one was contemplating the issue, mistakenly thinking consciousness was dominant. It was likely the mental faculty's deliberation that was dominant, with consciousness assisting. Before sleep, the mental faculty and consciousness contemplated the suffering of conditioned worldly phenomena. After falling asleep, the mental faculty alone contemplated the emptiness (śūnyatā) of the Mahayana Dharma.
The "good" and "poor" states you mentioned refer to issues of the body's energy channels (nāḍī) and meditative concentration (dhyāna). If the energy channels are clear and flowing smoothly, the body feels light and expansive. When the energy flow encounters blockages and cannot pass through, the body feels stiff. When the energy flows throughout the body, when unobstructed, it flows smoothly; when blocked, it causes pain. Nevertheless, this movement of energy is ultimately a positive, upward signal.

Why does the body feel light and expansive when the energy channels are clear? This relates to the transformation of the body's energy into subtle energy (qi), a phenomenon of the transformation of the four great elements (mahābhūta). The originally heavy, condensed energy within the body, due to meditative concentration, transforms into light, subtle energy that floats upward, creating the sensation of the body being tall and light. If the energy further sublimates, the body will feel even lighter and taller, akin to celestial beings (deva), and the meditative concentration will approach that of the devas.