A Commentary Literature on Faith in Mind: Introduction

Wong Weng Hon (MA)

Theravāda Tradition undertakes an identical endeavour, i.e, perceiving into the non-self (anattā) or emptiness of the human personality and all phenomena of the world. Perception into the true nature of the human personality is the perfect understanding of microcosm. Microcosm is the micro-reality of Man. Perception into the true nature of myriad things of the universe or the multiplicity of the empirical world is the perfect comprehension of macrocosm. Macrocosm is the macro-reality of the universe.

The poem ‘Faith in Mind’ conveys the message of enlightenment or the nature of the Buddha-mind to the readers through brilliant and beautiful linguistic expressions. Though enlightenment is actually ineffable or unspeakable, Chan
Master Sengcan manages to communicate vividly this Highest Truth, discovered by the Buddha himself, to the readers. Those, who are currently undertaking the Noble Eight Fold Path diligently, ardently and resolutely, will certainly benefit enormously from this poem. Those, who are practicing Buddhist meditations of their respective traditions, should be able to benefit enormously from this poem. This poem mirrors the enlightenment mind of a Tathāgata. The strength of Chan literature is that it can bring about instantaneous enlightenment to those learners of Dhamma who are highly witted and are endowed with sharp karmic roots. The Buddha expounds in the Aṅguttara-nikāya that insight can arise prior to the development of concentration. Traditionally, concentration precedes wisdom before enlightenment ensues. According to the Buddha, both tranquility-insight and insight-tranquility methods are two possible ways of attaining self-enlightenment or self-awakening. Chan Masters or Patriarchs are highly skillful in facilitating the sudden enlightenment of their disciples. Whether it is a sudden or gradual method of enlightenment, it does not matter. The goal of Buddhist cultivation is to intuitively apprehend the Three Universal Characteristics of human personality and all phenomena of the empirical world. The Three Universal Characteristics are impermanence, (anicca), suffering (dukkha) and non-self (anattā).

The Mahāyānists prefer to utilize the concept of Emptiness instead of Non-self. Non-self and Emptiness are synonymous. Mahāyāna Buddhism and Theravāda Buddhism differ in linguistic designations or expressions and methods of cultivation but they share the first Principle of Buddhism, i.e, the Principle of Dependent Co-arising (paṭicca-samuppāda) and Non-self which are the authentic Word of the Buddha. Whether it is a black or white cat, as long as it can catch a mouse, it is a good cat. Likewise, whether, whether it is

Expediency (upaya) A or B, as long as one is enlightened by any expediency, it is a good expediency. In fact,, a Buddhist practitioner must mindfully take the precaution that any notion of discrimination in any thing is a hindrance to self-enlightenment. The Theravādins should not mistake the Buddha-nature as permanent substance. It merely represent the concept of suchness (tathatā). They should not mispresent the Chan masters or Mahāyāna Buddhism.

Before investigating into the content of the Faith in Mind. Let us examine more closely the meaning of the title of the poem. The word ‘Faith’ refers to ‘ Strong belief in the original nature of Man called the Buddha-mind’. The Buddha-nature exists originally in each and everyone of us. It is due to ignorance (avijjā) of the true nature of the human mind that the Buddha-nature is concealed from the knowledge of a worldling (puthujjana). A worldling, who perceives the true nature of mind, is self-enlightened. The human mind is originally pure. Owing to the corruptions of he human mind with karmas, the human mind is defiled and hence the Buddha-nature is concealed. When one has perceived into the Buddha-nature, then the Buddha-mind is revealed and manifested.

In Chan Buddhism, the Buddha-mind is variously designated as the no-mind, the true mind, the mind of non-discrimination, the mind of non-duality, the mind of oneness, the Tathāgata-garbha (the womb of the Thus-gone or Thus-come), non-self or emptiness. The practice of Chan meditation is to perceive the Buddha-nature so that the Buddha-mind is manifested. When the Buddha-mind is manifested, the innate supreme virtue of Man is manifested in terms of four sublime states of loving-kindness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), appreciative joy (mudita) and equanimity (upekkha). When the four sublime states are manifested, then the supreme virtue of Man will be manifested through the body, speech and mind. The external conduct will manifest ten wholesome and selfless actions enumerated as follows :

1. Benevalence
2. Generosity
3. Proper Sexual Relation
4. Truthful Speech
5. Unifying Speech
6. Genle Speech
7. Purposeful Speech
8. Liberality
9. Goodwill
10. Heedfulness

The most important characteristics of the Buddha-mind is the state of No-mind. No-mind is Non-self or Emptiness. No-mind is the enlightened state of mind in which all synthetic activities of the ordinary mind of a worldling cease to occur. The cessation of the synthetic activities are brought about by the cessation of the conceptualization or false imagination due to mental obsessions of the ordinary mind. In other words, the mind has reached the state of Nirvāṇa which is the perfect appeasement of the volitional activities of the ordinary mind.

The Buddha-mind is considered the mind which is completely appeased as attachment and aversion have ceased to occur. The Buddha-mind is the state of perfect equanimity. It is the state of mind of no-two. It is devoid of the wrong vision of duality or discrimination between the perceiver and the perceived, the subject and object, self and others and substance and attribute.

But heretics repel the teaching of the Buddha because of the false view of non-attachment. But the wrong view of non-attachment is an incorrigible mispresentation of the Buddha. Non-attachment is not the abandonment or rejection of the worldly possessions or economic wealth as far as the lay householders are concerned. The householders are permitted to own wealth but they ought to train themselves to live with the wealth with non-attachment.

The Diamond Sutra and Platform Sutra of the 6th Patriarch, which are important Sutras for the Chan practitioners, teach the Chan practitioners the tool of non-attachment by perceiving into the Buddha-nature of Man. Likewise, the insight meditators of the Theravāda Tradition are trained to perceived the Non-self of the five aggregates so that the practitioner will not grasp upon the five aggregates to develop non-attachment. Chan Buddhism teaches that it is only through non-attachment to things or stimuli of the environment that one lives happily. Similarly, the Insight meditators of the Theravāda Tradition are trained to live happily by not grasping upon the five aggregates. The Heart Sutra teaches that when one has perceived the emptiness of the five aggregates, one is liberated from suffering or anguish. The Mādhyamikas teach their followers to relinquish all views to actualize Emptiness so that one transcends the pair of extreme views of arising and ceasing, eternalism and annihilationism, identity and difference, and coming and going. These eight negations describe the true nature of things. If the right view of eight negations are perceived perfectly, one relinquishes all substantial views to attain the perfect appeasement of the mind which is the Buddha-mind.

The Chan Buddhism like any other School of Buddhist Thought or sectarian Buddhism, is completely faithful to the authentic teaching of the Buddha. The perception into the Buddha-nature and the realization of the Buddha-mind incorporate spontaneously the perfect view of the Three Universal Characteristics. The perfect understanding of the correlation between impermanence, suffering and non-self will spontaneously incorporate the perfect comprehension of Dependent Co-arising and the Four Noble Truths. Therefore, there may be many Schools of Buddhist Thought or sects of Buddhism with diverse forms of vehicles heading towards the same soteriological goal of Nirvāṇa. The common goal of self-realization is the Doctrine of Non-self formulated by the Buddha himself as : This am I not ; this does not belong to me and this is not mine elucidated in the Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Saṃyutta Nikāya ).

However, it is important not o mispresent the Mahāyāna Buddhism with the false view of Buddha-nature. The Buddha-nature is not to be viewed like a permanent substance, such as ātman, Brahman or Soul. Fundamentally, the Buddha rejects the existence of a permanent substance in the human personality or in any phenomenon of the empirical world. The Law of Dependent Co-arising and the Doctrine of Non-self state that everything is dependently co-arisen from conditions and devoid of any permanent substance or intrinsic nature. Buddha-nature is merely a representative concept to convey the notion of non-self or emptiness of the five aggregates. It is merely a pedagogical device or means to interpret the Three Universal Characteristics and Dependent Co-arising. It appeals to those worldlings who are more comfortable with the concept of noumenon behind all phenomena. In this sense, the notion of Buddha-nature is utilized merely as a skillful means to convey the suchness of Emptiness. Buddha-nature is not to be regarded as a permanent substantive entity. Nothing can exist as an independent separate entity. All things are related or inter-connected with one another.

Hua-yen Buddhism elucidates the concept of Dependent Co-arising as a universal network of totality in which the parts constitute the wholeness and the wholeness is constituted from its parts. They are mutually penetrating. It is likened to the metaphor of a forest and trees : The forest contains the trees and the trees are contained in the forest. They are not two but oneness. It is one in many and many in one. Buddhist enlightenment aims to understand oneself and the world insightfully. The product of self-enlightenment is the manifestation of the innate supreme virtue of Man, i.e, production of a supremely ethical man called the superior man (sappurisa) by the Buddha. The most sterling of all superior men is the Buddha.

A Commentary on ‘Faith in Mind’ - Article Series no. 1

The Supreme Way is not difficult
If only you do not pick and choose
Neither love nor hate
You will clearly understand
Be off by a hair
And you are as far apart as heaven from earth
                                  <1st  portion of Faith in Mind>

Commentary :

The Supreme Way is the entrance into the Buddha’s path, i.e, entrance into the stream of true Dharma. If one does not discriminate between the pleasant and unpleasant, the agreeable and the disagreeable, the likes and dislikes , the love and hatred, one will certainly enter he path of self-awakening or self-enlightenment. Then one will perfectly understand things as they really are, i.e, the true nature of the human personality and all phenomena of the world is non-self or emptiness. If one deviates even slightly from right view of non-self or emptiness, then the distance between illusion and enlightenment will be set extremely far apart .

Intellectual understanding is erroneous whereas intuitive understanding is perfect understanding. The path is entered into when the notion of duality or discrimination  between the perceiver and the perceived, the subject and the object , the substance and the attribute is annihilated. Non-discrimination or non-duality is actualized when one perceives the emptiness of the human personality and the five aggregates. To perceive emptiness of the five aggregates, one must destroy the notion of Iness or Mineness. The Buddha recommends perception into non-self of the human personality or the five aggregates as this am I not; this does not belong to me; this is not mine.

Continue ...