A Commentary Literature on Faith in Mind

Chapter 10 Stop Conceptual Proliferation

By Wong Weng Hon

Excessive talking and thinking,
Turn you from harmony with the Way.
Cut off talking and thinking,
And there is nowhere you can not penetrate.

Here the ‘Talking and thinking’ refer to the consciousness level of an ordinary person or worldling (puthujjana). The consciousness of a worldling is defiled. If there are more talking and thinking (idle speeches and thoughts), more cankers or taints are accumulated through karmic formation. Therefore, the Buddha advised the worldlings not to talk and think excessively (conceptualize). In fact, the Buddha recommends that the ordinary persons should stop talking and thinking because their consciousness are always defiled. But the Buddha does not advise so because, if the laities ceased conversation and thinking, no works could be performed. This would create chaos for the mundane world. Therefore, it is advisable for a yogi, who is in the process of learning and training, to dwell solitarily and stay secluded from others. When the idle talks or gossips cease, the frequency of verbal communication and unnecessary mental activities are reduced.

But when the meditation of the yogi has matured and stabilized, the Chan master generally recommends the disciple or pupil to train himself or herself in the midst of busy, stressful worldly activities of daily transactions. Such exposure invigorates mindfulness, non-attachment and non-abiding. Such pragmatic value of Chan practice appeals to the lay practitioners. Usually, Chan retreats are well participated by lay practitioners.

The mind of a worldling is always mentally obsessed by the stimuli of the immediate environment. Such mental obsessions lead to the conceptual proliferation or mental constructs (prapañca) which are actual mental fabrications. These synthetic activities of the mind are volitional activities (saṃ̣skāras). A worldling is defined as one who is ignorant of the ultimate truth (paramārtha satya) and is deluded by the conventional truth (saṃvṛti satya ). Owing to ignorance (avijjā), a deluded worlding discriminates, conceptualizes and falsely imagines. Discrimination, conceptualization or false imagination obstructs the entrance into the Supreme Way ( Path of Self-enlightenment or Gnosis ). Cessation of conceptualization or false imagination consummates self-awakening.

A worldling’s mind is defiled while that of enlightened one is unsullied. The objective of Buddhist theosophy is to transform consciousness (vijñāna) into wisdom (prajñā). The talking and thinking of a worldling should be reduced but the speeches and thoughts of the enlightened one should be encouraged.