Issue 292

If you insist that the nature which knows and observes and is aware of distinctions is the mind, then apart from all forms, smells, tastes, and touches – apart from the workings of all the defiling objects – that mind should have its own complete nature. And yet now, as you listen to my Dharma, it is because of sound that you are able to make distinctions. Even if you could extinguish all seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing, and maintain an inner composure, the shadows of your discrimination of mental constructs would remain.

If you insist/span> – ‘insist’ here means tightfisted and reluctant to part. If you are determined to hold onto all of your own fixed ideas, opinions, and deductions, saying that the nature which knows and observes and is aware of distinctions is the mind, then apart from all forms, smells, tastes, and touches – apart from the workings of all the defiling objects – that mind should have its own complete nature. Although only four of the six sense objects are mentioned, all six including ‘sounds’ and ‘dharmas’ are implied.

If the mind which makes distinctions is the true mind, then it should exist apart from any connection with forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, or dharmas. Besides, there should be another mind that has nothing to do with forms, smells, tastes, and touches. If you said that the conscious mind is indeed the true mind, then it should continue to exist as yet another complete nature beyond the experiences involving the six sense objects.

Because this true mind revealed by the Buddha is in the six sense objects—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, it shows that the seeing nature is immovable and unshakable. Hence, this is the true mind. As Ananda said that ‘that the nature which knows and observes and is aware of distinctions is the mind’, then it will have no connection with the six sense objects. Therefore, the Buddha said that if apart from all forms, smells, tastes, and touches – apart from the workings of all the defiling objects and all states, there should be another mind. Is that the way it is? No, but the Buddha offers this hypothetical explanation in order to teach Ananda.

Now the Buddha begins to explain that Ananda does not have a conscious mind that exists apart from its perceptions. And yet now, as you listen to my Dharma, it is because of sound that you are able to make distinctions. Ananda, you are here listening to me speak this dharma, and it is the sound that allows you to make distinctions. It is not the case that you have another mind that enables you to hear sounds when there are no sounds.

Even if you could extinguish all seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing, and maintain an inner composure: If you could temporarily stop seeing, hearing, being aware, and knowing, and maintain an inner composure, actually, it is still a function of the sixth consciousness, the mind-consciousness; “mental constructs”.

Maintaining inner composure, even if you do away with seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing, it would simply be a state of emptiness. You will also have no seeing, hearing, awareness and knowing. To attain this state of emptiness is a type of skill. You can dwell in inner repose; it is very quiet, there isn’t anything going on, you aren’t doing anything. You are empty and free from care. Adherents of outside ways consider this experience the highest one possible. They sit there and feel there is no self and no others, that everything is empty, that even their own bodies have disappeared, and they consider that to be real skill. That is what is meant by “maintaining an inner composure.” In fact, there is a bit of attainment, some amount of gong fu, of spiritual skill, in keeping that composure.

You experience light ease, a small amount of peace, and concentration. Since adherents of outside ways take this state to be the ultimate, they struggle to maintain it so it won’t be lost. They don’t want to lose their gong fu. They feel that this kind of state is pretty good. But actually, in that kind of state the shadows of your discrimination of mental constructs would remain, it is still just a function of the sixth consciousness, the mind-consciousness; “mental constructs” refer here to the objects of the mind. The first five consciousnesses vanish: those of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body. Vision and hearing aren’t directed outside; smells and tastes do not affect you, and the body is not influenced by an awareness of touch. However, it still maintains an inner composure in the mind.

The state of inner composure is about the sixth consciousness; but the sixth consciousness is called the solitary mind-consciousness because it functions even when the other consciousnesses are extinguished. Dreaming, for example, is a function of the mind-consciousness. The five consciousnesses are extinguished, and you feel that seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing are all gone, but you still have thought! When you have attained the work of the adherents of outside ways, you feel that what is going on is very fine; but from the point of view of Buddhism, you haven’t even taken the first step.

There remain the subtle defiling objects of dharmas which are extremely hard to detect. They are subtle distinctions of the mind: the shadows of discriminations that fall on the mind. It is not a real state. Don’t feel satisfied and think to yourself, “Oh, this is the skill that comes from sitting in Ch’an meditation.” Instead, you should continue to make progress. If you stop at that place, it is easy to fall into dull emptiness, where the seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing are extinguished and there seems to be nothing at all; but dull emptiness is of no benefit in developing your Ch’an skill.

The sixth consciousness, the solitary mind-consciousness, is a place where it is easy to take the wrong road and go astray. There are four aspects of the solitary mind-consciousness:
1. The solitary mind-consciousness in dissipation. This refers to our everyday mind which is scattered and makes discriminations.
2. The solitary mind-consciousness in insanity and incoherence. When someone goes crazy and speaks incoherently, the sixth consciousness is in an insane state, and it has control of him.
3. The solitary mind-consciousness in dreams. When you dream you see all kinds of colors and strange unusual things. That is the solitary mind-consciousness playing tricks.
4. The solitary mind-consciousness in samadhi. That is the state of inner composure that we are talking about here. The seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing are all totally extinguished, but the solitary mind-consciousness in samadhi is still alive and has not stopped. Although you think that seeing, hearing, awareness and knowing are gone, you still have a solitary mind-consciousness which exists in your samadhi. This is also undesirable.

Editor’s Note: The following excerpt is added from the Venerable Master’s dharma talk in the 80s.

Solitary mind-consciousness: The word ‘solitary’ means alone. It goes alone and makes independent claims. Hence it is called solitary mind-consciousness. This Chinese character 「獨」means alone. The character 「頭」here means head consciousness; it’s like a leader. So, why not say that the eye consciousness is a solitary mind-consciousness? Because the mind here is a dictator. Although it can represent the five consciousnesses of eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, yet it is alone and does not go along with them. Since it has not informed the seventh consciousness, it is also disconnected with the five consciousnesses ahead and has nothing to do with the seventh consciousness. At this time, it itself is like a bandit leader. A bandit leader sometimes goes out alone to do crimes, or rob. He has a group of people, but sometimes he wants to solely take possession of wealth and property, so he secretly goes by himself.

When we understand, the five consciousnesses of eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body are all controlled by the sixth consciousness. For example, if eyes want to see and the sixth consciousness agrees, then it will greet it in advance and said: “You go and see!” and the eyes will go ahead and see! Likewise, it will greet the ear consciousness and said: “Go and hear!” and the ears will hear. Greet the nose consciousness and said: “You go and smell!” and the nose will smell. If the sixth consciousness do not give command, the eyes will not see, the ears will not hear, and the nose will not smell.

The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are called the six thieves. Within these six thieves, the mind is the leader and it controls the five consciousnesses. On the other hand, the five consciousnesses cannot control it. Hence, in a dream, it will sneak out to do things. This is called solitary mind-consciousness. It has no companion and is a lone flyer. It’s like a knight acting on their own. So, it is called the solitary mind-consciousness. In your dream, it can eat fine fragrant food! Although it is the working of the mind consciousness, yet the five consciousnesses have no share of it. Because it itself has a delusional state manifesting in this place, therefore it is called solitary mind-consciousness.

It comes and goes alone, doing all things by itself. You see there are some illusions coming out! If you want to eat, then it will manifest some delicious food; if you want to wear good clothing, it will manifest some fine clothes. This is just creating illusions and using them to overcome other illusions. If you say it literally, since it is not related to the first five consciousnesses, and there is no discussion with the seventh consciousness, therefore it is called solitary mind-consciousness. It itself goes on an expedition first, or it can be said that it is an explorer; that is, it alone wants to be a leader, and a person that wants to be an emperor. If you think like this, it will help you understand the solitary mind-consciousness.

－End of the Venerable Master’s added dharma talk in the 80s