A Commentary Literature on ‘Faith in Mind’

Chapter 20 Abandon the Raft

By Wong Weng Hon

Using the mind to cultivate the mind
Is this not a great mistake ?

A method is used to still and concentrate the mind. The method is the subject of the mind  and the experience of cultivation  is the object of the mind . There is a distinction  between the subject and the object. It is a dualistic view. In the commencing stage of practice, there is the duality but eventually duality must be dissolved  into non-duality in order to enter  the Supreme Way (the Buddha Path of Non-duality).

If duality is maintained throughout the practice, it is a great mistake. All Buddhist meditations begin with duality or existence  and terminate with Non-duality or Emptiness. It should transform according to the sequence : Scattered mind (existence), concentrated mind (existence) , one-mind (existence) and no mind (Emptiness). This is the only vehicle called the Buddha-vehicle (Buddhayāna). We should not highlight the distinction between methods of meditation of Theravāda tradition and those of Mahāyāna tradition. Both traditions follow the same principle: The mind must evolve from self to Non-self (Theravāda) or from reified existence to Emptiness (Mahāyāna). The Supreme Way or Buddha Path  moves from illusion to enlightenment  and from saṃsāra to Nirvāṇa – from duality to Non-duality. Finally , it should move from Emptiness to Emptiness of Emptiness. The first Emptiness denotes intuitive discernment of Emptiness. The second Emptiness of Emptiness is non-reification or non-clinging to Emptiness intuitively realized. This is the final station of perfect awakening.